Three Bomber Blasts Are Difference in Crucial Game Two Dodger Shutout, 3-0

On another gorgeous night at Yankee Stadium the boys in pinstripes even the series with Dodgers in a total team shut out effort. The starters for the game featured a duel of two lefties, C.C. Sabathia for New York and 20-year-old year Julio Urias for Los Angeles. Urias struggled with command and Sabathia was again tremendous, although neither man would factor into the final decision in a game that saw runs come at a premium.

Although both starters held the game scoreless through three, where Sabathia retired at seven in a row at one point, Urias really labored by having to throw over 80 pitches in the first four frames which led to his departure in the bottom of the fourth. After drilling Brian McCann, giving up a single to Chase Headley and walking Aaron judge, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled his young lefty with two outs and the bases-loaded. Right-handed reliever Louis Coleman came in and got Ronald Torreyes to ground out to short, ending the inning and keeping the game still scoreless.

During the Judge walk, The big right fielder injured himself on a foul tip and would be pulled for Jacoby Ellsbury. It was later reported that Judge left the game with a right oblique strain, which could be problematic with a man of his size.

Sabathia was simply phenomenal tonight despite once again not receiving any run support to show for it. In the top of the seventh, the big lefty was pulled for Adam Warren with one out, departing  with the final line of 6.1 innings of shutout baseball, allowing just three hits while walking one and striking out six. Warren would go on to retire the next two batters to keep the score tied while sending the Yankees into the bottom of the frame.

And it was in that bottom of the seventh where the Yankees finally hit the scoreboard in a big way. Jacoby Ellsbury and pinch hitter Didi Gregorius went back-to-back off Dodgers reliever Ross Stripling with one out; Ellsbury's a second deck job in right and Gregorius's was more of a line drive over the right centerfield wall to put New York up by two.

Tyler Clippard got the first two outs in the eighth and left the third and final out up to the closer Delin Betances, who got Justin Turner to ground out to end the 8th. After Gary Sanchez added the third Yankee run with a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth, Betances struck out two in route to a huge save(11) of a much-needed Yankee victory.

The Yankees have a tough assignment as they try to win the series against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in game three tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for a special time of 4:05 PM/EST.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 9/13

Here we go ladies and gentleman as the New York Yankees remain home for the penultimate game of their home stand and to play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second of a historic three-game set. In the middle game of this series the Yankees are slated to send out a gritty veteran starter in CC Sabathia who looks to slow down one of the young guns in the Dodgers rotation in Julio Urias. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and of course MLB TV.

The Yankees and the Dodgers finish off their three-game set tomorrow afternoon in the Bronx with Clayton Kershaw taking the Yankee Stadium mound against Michael Pineda. Who doesn’t want to see Clayton Kershaw pitch live? If you do, and I know you do, click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and head out to the ballpark to witness some more history. Your job will understand and what they don’t know won’t hurt them. Won’t hurt you either.

Need a win. Get a win. Go Yankees!

USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings

I don’t think anyone can deny it anymore, this New York Yankees team is for real. Many wondered when the team would fold or the “new” would wear off with all these young guys and prospects they keep throwing out there and despite all the tales of horror the Bronx Bombers keep winning. The Yankees were on a seven-game winning streak entering Sunday before having that streak snapped ending another very impressive week of baseball in the Bronx. Did the USA Today take notice and how far did they rise in this week’s standings? Keep reading…

The bias against this Yankees team continues. Did the Yankees move a spot this week after climbing within a game or less of the Wild Card this week? Nope. They stayed at #14. You can go 6-1 in a week and not climb a spot? Whatever. To round out the rest of the American League East, you know that division the Yankees can still win and have beat up on this week, you have the Boston Red Sox 5^th overall, the Toronto Blue Jays 7^th, the Baltimore Orioles 8^th and the Tampa Ray Rays 24^th overall.

The biggest rise of the week went to another New York team but not the Yankees, no it went to the Mets who rose three spots to the #10 position. The Mets also went 6-1 this week so what’s good for one should be good for the other, right? Especially when three of those six Yankees wins came at the expense of the team leading their division at the time. The biggest fall of the week went to the Toronto Blue Jays, the team who got swept by the Yankees and swept out of first place for the time being, who fell two spots to the #7 spot.

The Top Five teams according to the rankings are the Chicago Cubs, the Washington Nationals, the Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile the five worst teams in the rankings are the #26 Cincinnati Reds, the #27 San Diego Padres, the #28 Arizona Diamondbacks, the #29 Atlanta Braves and the #30 Minnesota Twins. To see where your team fell if it’s not listed here head over to the USA Today and check out their weekly MLB power rankings for yourself.

Three weeks. That’s all that’s left to decide the regular season in Major League Baseball for 2016. Three weeks. I’m not sure I would even call it a marathon or a sprint at this point, it’s a flat out run. Need a win. Get a win. Not that any of them will matter here on these rankings apparently. 

Yankees Fill Out Their Arizona Fall League Roster

On the final day of August the New York Yankees announced some of their Arizona Fall League representatives for the 2016 season and the roster included first baseman Greg Bird, second baseman Gleyber Torres, shortstop who is going to learn outfield Tyler Wade, third baseman Miguel Andujar and RHP Brody Koerner. At the time the Yankees had three additional roster spots filled out as “TBA’s” and we now know who at least two of those TBA’s will be.

New York announced that they will be sending RHP and former 4^th overall pick from the Texas Rangers Dillon Tate to Scottsdale to represent the Scottsdale Scorpions along with RHP J.P Feyereisen. That leaves one additional slot to be determined and many have speculated and even gone as far as to say that the spot is being left open for RHP James Kaprielian. The Yankees are hoping that Kaprielian can get his elbow healthy enough to pitch in the league to get some work in and get some innings under his belt this season.

I have to say I am extremely excited to see the addition of Tate and the potential addition of Kaprielian to the squad. Tate has shown some great things including an uptick in velocity again since coming over from Texas to New York in the Carlos Beltran trade and all the work and confidence he can get in and build the better if you ask me. Kaprielian on the other hand rode the hype train all the way to the disabled list this season but getting him back and getting him healthy a la Ian Clarkin in 2015 would be huge for both the Yankees and for Kaprielian. Many thought Kaprielian would be called up at some point this season before the injury so getting him some work in now may push his TBA to the Major Leagues to 2017.

Congratulations to both Tate and Feyereisen and here’s to hoping a similar congratulations is in store for Kaprielian here in a few weeks. Make us proud boys!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 9/13

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers will continue their three-game set tonight in the Bronx with the middle game of the series. In the opener we watched two young guns make their second start of the season for their respective teams but tonight we will be entertained by a little veteran action as the New York Yankees send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the Dodgers starter Julio Urias. Another fun one to come it looks like in the Bronx.

Sabathia has been a little to home run prone as of late for the Yankees liking as the left-hander has now allowed at least one home run in eight of his nine starts recently including giving up three solo home runs to the Tampa Bay Rays last time out. Sabathia lasted just four innings and threw 87 pitches though so he should be fresh for tonight’s start with the Dodgers.

Urias is on an innings limit this season which is terrible news for Los Angeles since he has been one of their best pitchers. Urias was 4-0 in August with a 1.99 ERA and has won each of his last five decisions but the Dodgers need to make a tough decision. Rest the kid and limit his innings or place the importance of a pennant race ahead of his potential health.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. It’s about time some national attention was paid to these games because it’s not every day, or every season or even every decade that these Dodgers come to town to face off with the Yankees. This is something special Yankees family and I don’t think enough attention is being paid to it. Oh well. As always, need a win. Get a win. Go Yankees!

Why the AL Should Fear the New York Yankees

The American League should be shaking in their boots right now because the New York Yankees are the train and the rest of the league are standing on the tracks right now. Now before I start this post I want to preface this with the fact that I do not believe the Yankees will win the World Series and sweep through everyone like they did in years like 1998 for example but what I will say is that New York may be the most dangerous team right now, the hottest team right now and the team who is best built for a one-game playoff game. Here’s why I think that.

The Yankees may have had a blessing in disguise when they decided to sell off pieces at the August 1^st trade deadline because the youth has taken over in the Bronx. There are a few reasons why youth is important at this stage in the game for New York. First and foremost you would have to think that most veteran teams are starting to feel the wear and tear of a 162-game schedule and are starting to slow down or at the very least are starting to need a day off here or there. Do you think Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin, Rob Refsnyder, Aaron Judge and crew need or necessarily want days off at this point? I don’t. You think Luis Severino is okay with pitching once a week? I don’t

Secondly I don’t believe the Yankees youth knows that they are supposed to be nervous and such right now. Many of the Yankees minor league affiliates have either played for or won a minor league championship in recent years and this playoff push is nothing new to this young core. They are used to winning, they were brought up to win and dammit when they need a win, they get a win. This team is too ignorant, and if you know the definition of the word you know I mean no malcontent when I say that, to be scared, nervous or worried about winning and losing. They are simply going out there and playing the game like it’s supposed to be played and they are doing damn good at it too.

The offense is back, Masahiro Tanaka hasn’t pitched this well since coming over from Japan, the bullpen is once again being pieced together and the team just simply refuses to lose. Joe Girardi has finally woken up and decided he wants to play the youth and the maybe the most exciting part of all this is that more reinforcements could be on the way. Triple-A’s Governors Cup will be handed out soon, the Double-A playoffs will soon be over and more talent could be on the way to the Bronx. You never know.

This may be one of the most dangerous teams heading into the postseason in 2016 assuming they make it, I truly believe that in my heart of hearts. The American League better do everything they can to keep this team out of October baseball because if they don’t they may end up fearing this team before it’s all said and done. Excitement has returned to the Bronx and it’s a hell of a feeling. 

Weekly Prospects Check In: Kendall Coleman

What a year it has been for all of the New York Yankees minor league affiliates. Many of them went to the postseason and absolutely all of them saw an absolute ton of talent cross their base lines and take their turns in the batters box and on the pitchers mound. One of those extremely talented young men are being showcased today not only because I consider him an inspiration, a role model and a friend but because I also consider him an awesome person and an even better player on the field. Kendall Coleman most recently of the Charleston Riverdogs.

I can remember chatting with Kendall when he was still in the Gulf Coast League and with the Pulaski Yankees as he hoped and prayed to go to the Staten Island Yankees. Look at him now:

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	A--A	92	358	24	60	5	2	35	2	48	99	.197	.305	.252	.558
2016	21	A-	55	221	14	36	4	0	18	1	31	55	.194	.308	.237	.544
2016	21	A	37	137	10	24	1	2	17	1	17	44	.202	.301	.277	.579

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/13: There Is Crying In Baseball

There is no need for a catchy introduction into this one, on this day in 2013 the great Mariano Rivera stepped on the mound for the final time of his career and for once crying WAS allowed in Major League Baseball. With two outs in the ninth inning Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter went out onto the field at Yankee Stadium to take Rivera out of the game in front of the sold out crowd at Yankee Stadium. Needless to say Rivera was speechless and cried into the shoulder of Pettitte before walking out to a standing ovation from the Yankee faithful.


Also on this day in Mariano Rivera history in 2011 Mo notched his 600th save of his illustrious career. The 41 year old closer would creep to just one save shy of tying Trevor Hoffman's major league record for saves in a career and would become only the second closer to ever reach 600 saves in his career.


Finally on this day in 1978 the New York Yankees took sole possession of first place for the first time that season when they beat the Detroit Tigers 7-3 in Tiger Stadium. On July 19 of this year the Yankees trailed the Boston Red Sox by 14 games in the American League East division. The fairy tale season ended with a World Series championship in New York.

Yankees Fall to Dodgers In Series Opener, 8-2

On a beautiful night in the Bronx, The New York Yankees fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the three-game interleague set. Brian Mitchell got the start for New York and just did not pitch well, losing his first game of the year in a contest that he could not make it out of the third inning. José de Leon got the start and the win for the Dodgers, improving to 2-0 with his quality performance in their game one win.

Mitchell struggled out of the gate as Los Angeles jumped all over the rookie early and often. Chase Utley and rookie sensation Corey Seager led off the game with back-to-back singles. Utley took third on a Justin Turner fly out to center, scoring on an Adrian Gonzalez ground out to give the Dodgers a one run lead. Then, with one out in the second, Howie Kendrick hit an opposite field single to right followed by an Andrew Toles opposite-field single to left. Both men would come around to score on a huge error made by Aaron Judge that saw him drop an inning-ending fly ball, extending their lead to three. And then Seager smacked another single passed a diving Starlin Castro to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

Starlin Castro got one of those runs back for New York in the bottom of the second, absolutely blasting his 21st homerun of the season into the second deck in left field to make it a three run game.

But the Dodgers would keep the offensive pressure on Mitchell, scoring on the young righty and knocking him out of the game in the top of the third. Yasmani Grandal hit a one out single, advancing to third on a Josh Reddick double. Longtime Yankee killer Howie Kendrick then nubbed an infield single that scored Grandal and forced Mitchell out of the game. Chasen Shreve came on in relief and immediately got Joc Pederson on strikes for the second out of the inning. During the next at bat, however, the Yankee errors continued as Gary Sanchez tried to gun out a base stealer at second but sent the ball into center, scoring Reddick and widening the Dodgers lead to 6-1. Shreve would go on to strikeout Toles in that at bat to end the frame.

Aaron Judge atoned for his earlier error in the bottom of the fifth by blasting the longest homerun I think I have seen in Yankee Stadium this season; a 436-ft solo shot over the visitor's bullpen in left center to make it a 6-2 game. It's a shame that distance doesn't get you more runs, because that one should've been worth two.

Richard Bleier stepped up big for the Yankees when they needed him most, tossing four innings of no-hit shut out baseball to keep his team in the game into the eighth.

The Dodgers added two late inning homeruns to put to bed any ideas of a Yankee come back. Yasiel Puig added the Dodgers seventh run of the game with a pinch hit opposite field solo homerun in the top of the eighth to push LA out by five.  And then in the top of the ninth, Justin Turner smacked another solo homerun over the right-field fence to make it a 8-2 ballgame, where the score would remain for the rest of the game.

The Yankees will try to turn it around tomorrow night as they face off against the Dodgers in game two, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM/EST.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 9/12

Here we go ladies and gentleman, history in the making tonight in the Bronx as the New York Yankees are set to face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers for only the third time in MLB history during the regular season inside Yankee Stadium. That's a lot to take in, isn't it? It's especially fun for both teams since Vin Scully is retiring after this season, and FYI did not want to make the trip to be honored by the club, and since both teams are in the middle of their respective playoff pushes and chases. In tonight's start, write this down as it may be used as a trivia question one day, the Yankees will send Bryan Mitchell to the mound making his second start of the season while the Dodgers will counter with Jose De Leon who is also making just his second start of the season. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen locally on the YES Network and can also be seen on MLB TV wherever you are.

These same two teams meet two more times this week inside Yankee Stadium which gives you two more opportunities to see the boys live in the Bronx. Click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to secure your seats now. If you cant make it live then you can at least root from afar with us by either liking our page on Facebook or by giving our Twitter handle @GreedyStripes a follow.

Need a win. Get a win. Go Yankees!