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| I Got This Bro! |
Saturday, August 18, 2012
CC Sabathia To Throw Bullpen Session Today
Friday, August 17, 2012
How Many Runs Should Have Been Earned?
"I don't care what the rules say, no earned runs is stupid."
How did the Red Sox earn 4 runs off of Phil Hughes?
That question comes to mind after hearing numerous people say that it's laughable that Phil Hughes did not technically give up an earned run this evening. Going on to say that the rules are stupid. While I understand that Phil gave up a home run, which is indeed an earned run (no matter what the rules say), that earned run does come with an assumption. That assumption is that Dustin Pedroia would have hit a home run in his next at bat, regardless of when that at bat came. We all know that hitters change their approach depending on the situation (number of outs, men on base, score, etc), but let's assume the batters following that error did the same with their at bat, and find out what the 3rd and 4th innings would have looked like had Hughes not made that error.
3rd Inning
1. Mike Aviles singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson.
2.
3. Pedro Ciriaco grounds into a force out, shortstop Jayson Nix to
I'm assuming no error by Jayson Nix on his throw to Swisher at 1B, instead of to Cano at 2B. So in that case no runs score.
4th Inning
1. Jacoby Ellsbury walks.
2. Carl Crawford pops out to third baseman Casey McGehee in foul territory. 1 out.
3. Dustin Pedroia homers (10) on a fly ball to left field.
4. Adrian Gonzalez lines out to first baseman Nick Swisher. 2 outs.
5. Cody Ross strikes out swinging. 3 outs.
So after doing a lot of assuming, the most runs I believe you can hang on Phil Hughes in that game are 2. Not 4. And a pitching line of 7IP, 4H, 2ER, 1BB, and 4K is pretty darn good to me. Especially for a guy that came into this season as the 5th starter.
Oh, and that's assuming Phil wouldn't have gone any deeper into the game, seeing as how he would have thrown a lot less pitches through those 7 innings.
In summary, get off Phil's back!
"Thanks, bro."
Red Sox @ Yankees 8/17/12
Update:
Mark Teixeira sits because his wrist that made him sit out a few games is still bothering him. With such a comfortable lead it is a luxury to be able to sit him so if it gets him healthy for playoff time let him sit all weekend and until the off day for all I care.
Swisher bombs one to put the Yankees up 1-0
The Grandy Man Can!!! 2-0 Yanks
Russell Martin can too!!! 3-0 Yanks
Jeter bomb ties it up at 4!!!
Jayson CLUTCH Nix with a go ahead RBI single. 5-4 Yanks!
Swisher homers from the other side of the plate! 6-4 Yanks!
Yankees win 6-4
The Yankees will host a three game weekend series against the Boston Red Sox starting tonight at Yankees Stadium. The Yankees are fresh off of taking three out of four games against the AL West leading and two time defending American League champion Texas Rangers while the Red Sox barely held off a sweep by the hands of the pesky Baltimore Orioles. On the mound tonight for the Yankees will be Phil Hughes who will need to keep the ball down and in the ball park to stand a chance. Opposing Hughes will be left handed starter Franklin Morales for the Red Sox. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network and on MLB Network's Friday Night Baseball.
Lineups
1. Jeter DH
2. Swisher 1B
3. Cano 2B
4. Jones RF
5. McGehee 3B
6. Granderson CF
7. Martin C
8. Nix SS
9. Suzuki LF
Go Yankees!!
MLB To Test Expanded Instant Replay In Yankees Stadium
MLB announced that they have two different sets of instant replay that will be tested out this season. The Yankees will have the luxury of being one of the two lucky teams to have this experimented on in their stadium. The system will only be tested and not actually used in games but it is a step in the right direction regardless.
The current system only covers fair and foul balls and home run calls but with this new system everything would be available to replay to a degree. I am sure you would still not have the strikes and balls being under reviewed but those details will come if this experiment goes well. If it does we could see this implemented as soon as next season league wide which would be fun.
Sewing Up The AL East
Let us pretend that the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays both will not have historic come backs and go from cellar dwelling below .500 teams and win the division. Let us pretend that the only real threats to the Yankees and their division championship hopes and dreams are the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles, in that order. Do either team really have a shot at making up a 6 game differential between today and the beginning of October? Let us look...
Team Batting Average
Yankees .267 (5th in AL)
Orioles .244 (11th)
Rays .234 (12th)
Team On Base Percentage
Yankees .337 (3rd in AL)
Rays .313 (11th)
Orioles .307 (12th)
Team Slugging
Yankees .460 (1st in AL)
Orioles .408 (8th)
Rays .374 (13th)
Team OPS
Yankees .798 (1st in AL)
Orioles .715 (11th)
Rays .687 (13th)
Team Home Runs
Yankees 181 (1st in AL)
Orioles 147 (4th )
Rays 110 (10th)
Ok so no shockers here. No one is going to out hit the Yankees this season whether it be April, June, or October. Pitching wins championships though so let us look at some pitching statistics.
Team ERA
Rays 3.29 (1st in AL)
Yankees 3.81 (4th)
Orioles 4.06 (8th)
Team Saves
Orioles 39 (T-1st in AL)
Rays 39 (T-1st in AL)
Yankees 37 (3rd)
Batting Average Against
Rays .232 (1st in AL)
Yankees .257 (9th)
Orioles .259 (10th)
Team WHIP
Rays 1.20(1st in AL)
Yankees 1.29 (6th)
Orioles 1.33 (10th)
Let the arguments begin. The Rays can make the case that their offensive numbers would look better had they had Evan Longoria int he lineup all season. We could make the argument that our pitching numbers would look better without Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Michael Pineda, and CC Sabathia missing significant time. The fact of the matter is though that the Rays have Longoria back, regardless of being 100%, and we are not getting Mariano or Pineda back. The Rays scare me and they should scare you.
Our lead is not as comfortable as you may think....
Team Run Differential
Orioles have scored 496 runs and allowed 540 runs
TRD = -44
Rays have scored 484 runs and allowed 435 runs
TRD= +49
Yankees have scored 586 runs and allowed 483 runs
TRD= +103
Or maybe it is....
Joba Chamberlain Appreciation Post
Joba Chamberlain has come back way ahead of schedule from his Tommy John surgery that he had to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. On top of that he also had a dislocated ankle caused by a trampoline incident. Some gave him hell about the trampoline accident but as a father myself I do not blame him at all. If my son thought it would be a good idea to jump off the roof into the pool and it would get a smile out of him I would at least consider it...
With that said this post was made to show our appreciation for Joba. This post was not make just for his on the field actions but his off the field actions as well. No one makes it back from two major surgeries unless they just go all out on rehab and conditioning and have the will to do it. Not only did Joba come back and make our "specialist" bullpen a hell of a lot more versatile and nasty he also showed he has that fire and that determination that any Yankees fan should admire.
Let us look at Joba's very small sample size of a 2012 season as of 8/16:
0-0 Win/Loss Record
4.2 IP
3.86 K/9
1.93 HR/9
72.9 LOB %
45.0 GB %
7.71 ERA
6.31 FIP
-0.1 WAR
1 HOLD
2 K's
2.36 WHIP
.409 BAA
Joba is healthy and throwing the ball in the upper 90's again which is a great sign. He is getting major league batters out with strike outs and ground balls which is an even better sign. These stats look horrible right now but no one expects them to stay anywhere near these levels, not that they are important. What is important is he actually WANTS to be here and play professional baseball and that is the only sign I need. Thank you Joba now let's go get that ring!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Cano & Sabathia Injury Updates
CC Sabathia threw off flat ground today for the first time since being place on the 15 day DL with tightness in his throwing elbow. CC said that everything felt great and is still slated to start on August 24th against the Indians, the first game he is allowed to come off the DL and pitch. If CC says he is pitching on 8/24 then I believe wholeheartedly that the Indians better watch out for the big man in a couple of weeks because he is going to come at then fresh and hungry.
Robinson Cano has sat out the last two games with a stiff neck after sleeping on it weird a couple nights ago. This is not a cause for concern but I wanted to put it out there in case anyone was still wondering why he was not in the lineup. This is a day to day issue according to Joe Girardi and reports and nothing really to worry about. Cano could be used as a pinch hitter as early as today but Joe Girardi does not want to rush him whatsoever so do not expect to see it.
Exclusive Interview With Mike Ashmore
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| Bringing Sexy Back |
We're doing an interview today with Trenton Thunder Beat writer, and author of Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts, Mr. Mike Ashmore. Mike Ashmore is about the best beat writer there is, in my humble opinion, for ALL of the minor league affiliates. That is not a knock on any of the others but Mike's attention to detail and countless hours of work he puts in not only on the blog but being at all the games, shooting videos, uploading to his youtube channel, etc etc etc. The guy is a machine and I appreciate him taking the time to do this with his very hectic schedule.
The Greedy Pinstripes: Where did you get your start in writing and journalism?
Mike Ashmore:
I always wanted to do this, I just never really knew how to get into
it. Always liked sports, always felt like I was a good writer...just
never knew how to put the two together. Anyway, I was taking some
journalism classes at Raritan Valley Community College with the
Somerset Patriots beat writer for the Hunterdon County Democrat at the
time, Scott Stanchak. I happened to be looking at some photos I'd
taken at a Patriots game, and he asked me if I'd be willing to help
him out during the season...so I got my start doing photos for the
original PatriotsBaseball.com, and branched out into features late
during my first season in 2003.
TGP: Did you always want to be a journalist/blogger?
MA:
Kind of addressed this in the first one, but yes. And I hate the term
blogger. There are people with blogs who can write circles around me,
no doubt...but there's a difference -- to me, anyway -- between a beat
writer with a blog and someone who is unfortunately not granted the
same access. Doesn't make their opinion any less (or more) valid, but
"blogger" has always felt like a derogatory term to me.
TGP: You're name is everywhere now. I think I even heard it on ESPN one time. How awesome is that?
MA:
It doesn't suck. But the reality of it is, it's cool for a little
while but doesn't do a hell of a lot for your career. It's something
neat to add to my resume and have my friends bust my balls about, but
it ends there. I'm exceptionally grateful to be in a position to
where things like that can happen to me, of course...and maybe it's
because I'm a little later on in my career, but it's not a super big
thing.
TGP: How long have you been doing this? By my count you are in your 14th year of covering sports and 11th as a Trenton Thunder beat writer.
MA:
While I do joke about being an old man frequently, I'm thankfully not
that far into things. I started when I was 20 in 2003...this is my
tenth year overall and my ninth of doing the Thunder. It's my seventh
year as the beat writer for the Democrat, my fifth doing the Thunder
Thoughts blog and my third backing up Josh Norris with The Trentonian.
TGP: How excited are you about the possibility of Mason Williams, Angelo Gumbs, Dante Bichette Jr, Tyler Austin, Gary Sanchez, etc all being on the same Trenton Thunder team?
MA:
I honestly don't look that far ahead. Of course, having a
prospect-laden team will be fun. But there's also a lot that's been
made about the current squad being essentially devoid of top guys for
most of the year, and this may be the most fun team I've been around
in Trenton in a while. And pitching excites me more than anything
else...none of those guys you mentioned will be on the bump.
TGP: I know you have to be unbiased, or at least appear that way, but be honest do you ever find yourself favoring certain prospects over others?
MA:
I always try to write in a way so that nobody would ever know what my
favorite teams and so on were if you didn't know already. I've always
admitted that I was a Red Sox fan for a while -- long story...the
Thunder were affiliated with Boston during the years I went as a
fan...but at the same time, you do this for long enough, and the fan
and the fun both get sucked right out of you -- but I don't think you
could ever tell that was the case while it was the case. I can't
exactly pinpoint the time where I kind of stopped being a fan...but I
can tell you that I barely even watched the second World Series win
because I didn't really care. So it was a little bit before then. So
as far as I go, there aren't any real team biases...even in my NHL
Playoff stuff...I'm still a big Rangers fan, but I took a lot of pride
in the fact that you'd never be able to guess that if you read my
coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals.
To answer your original question...I root for a few things...quick
games, my story and good people. But I don't favor one guy over
another in my coverage. If anything, I base who I focus more on based
on who the fans are more interested in.
TGP: Most famous person in your cell phone?
MA:
There's a good amount of big leaguers in there, but nothing too crazy...
TGP: Most embarrassing song/artist in your ipod?
MA:
I'd think the Mashmore98 Twitter handle -- at least the "98" part --
should be a real good indication of that. Pleeeeeenty of bad 80's
stuff and boy bands, etc.
I've been reading your blog for almost 4 years now and I appreciate all the hard work and videos and such that you put into it. Seeing a guy like you get to where you are at, and where you could go in the future, makes me want to do this and succeed so much more. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview for us and our readers and we wish you nothing but the best in the future in all aspects of your life. Keep growing that red playoff beard buddy!
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| I Just Love This Picture, LOL!! |
Follow Mike on twitter @mashmore98
Rangers @ Yankees 8/16/12
Yankees cannot complete the sweep and fall 10-6. Still a great series for us regardless.
The Yankees will finish up their four game set with the Rangers this afternoon looking for a series sweep at Yankees stadium in the Bronx. This is the 17th consecutive game in 17 days which is a part of a 20 games in 20 days stretch that is likely starting to take its toll. Ivan Nova will be on the mound this afternoon and will be facing off against Texas's left hander Derek Holland. This game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on MY9 and MLB Network's Thursday Matinee.
Lineups
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Andruw Jones LF
Casey McGehee 3B
Russell Martin DH
Jayson Nix 2B
Ichiro Suzuki CF
Chris Stewart C
Go Yankees!!
Chris Stewart Appreciation Post
For a guy that is not CC Sabathia's personal catcher maybe he very well should be because he has been great back there for CC and the Yankees as a whole. In a shocking move to some, including myself, the Yankees acquired Chris Stewart to back up Russell Martin behind the dish late in Spring Training rather then use Francisco Cervelli. Chris Stewart has done nothing to disappoint and has done nothing but make Brian Cashman, once again, look like a genius. Let's take a look at what Chris Stewart has done for the Yankees this season behind the plate in limited action.
.268 AVG (career high)
1 HR (2 away from career high)
12 RBI (career high in MLB)
30 H (3 away from MLB career high)
.294 OBP (0.06 points from career high)
.357 SLG (career high)
.285 wOBA (career high)
0.4 WAR (1.2 career high WAR last season)
4 Errors
His contributions go way beyond the stats. He has allowed us to give Russell Martin regular rest while calling great games behind the dish. He is a real stopper when it comes to opposing base runners and is used to a National League type play, which you do not see around here much time. Chris seems to play his heart out every time he goes out there with no exceptions or complaints. I just hope that we can reward Chris with a ring for his hard work this season.
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