Mark Teixeira To Start Minor League Rehab Today

Mark Teixeira scheduled to play 3 innings tomorrow in Tampa, on track for activation Sunday.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) April 17, 2014

Mark Teixeira is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday for the finale with the Tampa Bay Rays and seems to be on track with that as he will start a minor league rehab assignment today down in Tampa. Today will mark the first time Teixeira has been in any kind of game since injuring his hamstring almost two weeks ago on an innocent foul ball at first base. The Yankees offense has done well in his absence but they definitely get a shot in the arm with him in the middle of the lineup.

Charleston Riverdogs Game Recap 4/16

RiverDogs Triple Up on Drive for Sweep

Charleston sweeps Greenville after breaking a tied game in the top of the ninth in the finale

GREENVILLE, SC - Two early triples and Eduardo de Oleo's first home run of the season sparked the Charleston RiverDogs, but Brandon Thomas' ninth-inning single was the winner in an 8-7 sweep-clinching victory over the Greenville Drive on Wednesday evening at Fluor Field at the West End in South Atlantic League action.

Charleston's record stands at 6-7 as Greenville slides down to 7-6. This three-game win streak is the best stretch of the season for the RiverDogs.

On the second pitch of the ballgame, Abiatal Avelino stroked a triple to right field that got the RiverDogs on the move. Avelino went home on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Wade, beating a tag attempt from Greenville catcher Jordan Weems for a 1-0 Charleston lead. The RiverDogs doubled the lead later in the first inning when Miguel Andujar scored on a John Murphy single.

The RiverDogs lead grew to 5-0 in the top of the fourth. Thomas led off the frame with a walk and scored during a Gosuke Katoh triple. Katoh scored when de Oleo cleared Greenville's version of the Green Monster in left field for a two-run shot that put Charleston up by five.

Greenville started to trim the Charleston lead in the fourth inning. Kevin Mager hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the RiverDogs lead to 5-1. In the fifth, the Drive came within 5-3 after a two-run double by Jantzen Witte off the Monster.

Charleston began a hectic sixth inning by reinforcing its lead. With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Wade singled and brought in Katoh and Mikeson Oliberto to give Charleston a 7-3 advantage.

The Drive cut into the Charleston lead in the sixth before tying the contest in the eighth. Jimmy Rider and Bo Greenville had run-scoring singles in a three-run rally that sliced the RiverDogs lead to 7-6. Rider responded again in the eighth with a game-tying single to even the game at 7-all.

Thomas came through in the final inning to put the RiverDogs back in front. After two quick outs, Andujar and Mike Ford extended the inning with a walk and a single, respectively. Thomas drove in Andujar for the go-ahead run on a single that put Charleston ahead 8-7. Greenville was unable to score against Philip Walby, who closed the door on the Drive and the series.

Andury Acevedo received the victory in relief, moving up to 1-0. Taylor Grover lost his Drive debut and fell to 0-1 this season. Walby picked up his first save at the end of the triumph.

COMING UP: Charleston returns to the Lowcountry and hosts a three-game series against the Rome Braves that starts at 7:05pm on Thursday, April 17. The series opener pits RiverDogs RHP Brady Lail (1-1, 5.79 ERA) against Braves LHP Jared Dettmann (0-1, 5.00 ERA). Thursday night at The Joe will be another Budweiser Thirsty Thursday presented by 95SX, complete with DJ Natty Heavy, $1 drafts, and a Wild Wing Café wing-eating contest in the Ashley View Pub. The Dunder Chiefs will perform a postgame concert adjacent to the Beer Garden thanks to Palmetto Brewery and Awendaw Green. Tickets may be purchased at the Riley Park Box Office, (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or on-line atwww.riverdogs.com. If fans cannot make it to the ballpark, they are encouraged to tune in to all the action this year both home and away worldwide on www.riverdogs.com and locally on 1250 WTMA, the new radio home for RiverDogs baseball.

Box Score: http://atmilb.com/1r0VLPt

Being posted with permission from the Charleston Riverdogs organization. The original article can be seen HERE. 

Trenton Thunder Game Recap 4/16

Nuding's Gem, Roller's Power Pace Game 2 Win

AKRON, OH -Zach Nuding tossed a complete-game shutout against the Akron RubberDucks in Trenton's Game 2 win Wednesday afternoon.

Trenton received a solo home run from Kyle Roller leading off the second inning, and that was the only offense of the game for the Thunder in their 1-0 win. For Trenton's power-hitting first baseman, it was his second longball in four games since being transferred from Staten Island's roster.

Nuding was dominant throughout, allowing a base hit to the leadoff hitter in the game, before allowing just two (hit, BB) of the final 22 RubberDucks batters of the game to reach.

The ballgame did not finish without drama however, as Akron sent the middle of their lineup to the plate in the 9th inning. The middle of their lineup included cleanup hitter Jason Giambi who was rehabbing a rib injury from a hit-by-pitch sustained in Spring Training. Nuding froze the 2000 AL MVP and five-time All-Star with a fastball on the outside corner for his fifth strikeout of the game Giovanny Urshela.

It was the first complete game shutout by a Thunder starting pitcher since Kevin Millwood's one-hit shutout of Harrisburg April 17, 2011. It was also the first complete by a Thunder starting pitcher allowing two hits or fewer since 2011 as well.

Roller also doubled in the 6th inning giving him two of Trenton's six hits in the second game. Ben Gamel had a pair of singles in Game 2 to make him a combined 4-for-7 in the double-header, while Tyson Blaser was 1-for-2 with a walk in his first action of 2014.

Trenton returns home Thursday and will send Joel De La Cruz (1-1, 4.26) for Trenton against the Erie SeaWolves at FREE All-You-Can-Eat Night at ARM & HAMMER Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with the Trenton Thunder pre-game show beginning at 6:50 p.m. on 91.3 FM WTSR or online at www.trentonthunder.com.

Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder organization. The original post can be seen HERE. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 4/17

On this day in 1912 The New York Giants and the New York Yankees play an unscheduled exhibition game to raise money for the survivors of the HMS Titanic. Over 14,000 fans came out to the Polo Grounds to see Broadway legend George M. Cohan and the new look Yankees uniforms who were now sporting pinstripes. This would be the first Sunday game ever played between two Major League teams and raised over $9,000 when each fan donated the price of an admission ticket to purchase a special program for the event.

On this day in 1925 Babe Ruth underwent an operation for an intestinal abscess at St. Vincent's Hospital. The 30 year old Yankees outfielder missed the first 40 games of the season and the Yankees finished in seventh place that year.

On this day in 1929 Babe Ruth got married on Opening Day at 5:00 am ET to Claire Hodgson, the second Mrs. Babe Ruth. Ruth's first wife, Julia Woodford, died in a house fire in January of 1929. Ruth wastes no time in the love department apparently.

On this day in 1951 rookie Mickey Mantle made his first ever appearance and grounded out to second base. The 19 year old would go 1-4 with a six inning single and RBI in a Yankees Opening Day 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

On this day also in 1951 the Yankees had another legend making his debut as Bob Sheppard announced the Yankees lineup for the first time. Sheppard announced Yankees legends Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto, and Yogi Berra but the first batter Sheppard announced was that of a guy named DiMaggio. That was Dom DiMaggio, he was the leadoff for the Boston Red Sox that day.

On this day in 1953 Mickey Mantle hit a reported 565 foot home run off Chuck Stobb in the Yankees 7-3 victory over Washington at Griffith Stadium. The home run length was historic at the time but was later debunked as not going that far. How they determined that is beyond me but I am sure ESPN, Bud Selig, and the Boston Red Sox had something to do with it.

On this day in 1976 Thurman Munson was named the Yankees captain by owner George Steinbrenner. Munson is the first Yankees captain since Lou Gehrig when he was named the captain in 1935.

Pineda's six scoreless frames lead Yankees to second win over Cubs

Michael Pineda gave up no runs in 6 innings and David Phelps, Matt Thornton, and Adam Warren combined for 3 more frames of relief tonight as the Yankees shut out the Cubs for the second time in 9 hours, 2-0. In this start, Pineda really only got into trouble twice, in the fifth and sixth when he allowed one and two guys on respectively, obviously getting out of both jams uninjured.

Anyway, the Yanks offense again struggled in this one, scoring just twice despite collecting 12 hits. Those two runs, surprisingly, each involved recently called-up 3B Scott Sizemore, who scored on a single by Gardner in the fourth before driving in Soriano with a one-base knock of his own in the next frame. Nothing amazing, but still, definitely something productive. 

Besides those guys, OFs Carlos Beltran and Ichiro Suzuki also played pretty well this evening, as each went 2-for-4. Neither of them scored or drove in runs, but really, does that matter? I mean, they still did okay, didn't they?

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Cubs 4/16 Game Two

The New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs will finish their double header and quick two game interleague series tonight at Yankee Stadium. The pitching matchup is Michael Pineda for the Yankees fresh off Pine Tar Gate and Travis Wood for the Cubs. The game can be seen on television at 7:05 pm ET on MY9, MLB Network, on the computer with MLB TV, and on the radio with WFAN. This is the last game of the Yankees home stand before they head out on the road to face the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox so a win would be nice for the home crowd.

You can keep the discussion going during this game and every game by following us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes or by dropping us a line in our growing comments section of the site. You can also buy your Yankees Tickets for this game and every Yankees game right here on the blog in our navigation bar. I encourage everyone to try out our Mega Prediction Game, also found on the navigation bar, where you wager points on whether the Yankees will win or lose every night.

Enjoy the game Yankees family and enjoy the rest of your night.

Shane Greene Called Up As 26th Man

Contrary to info I gave you yesterday, there is a 26th man for the second game. RHP Shane Greene for NYY and LHP Zac Rosscup for CHI.
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) April 16, 2014

As you may or may not know when teams have a double header they are allowed to call up a 26th man on the roster as long as they are on the 40 man roster obviously and the Yankees are calling Shane Greene back up for tonight's game. Greene was up last week for the Yankees to help with a depleted bullpen and was left to rot without making an appearance. The Cubs are calling up Zac Rosscup for tonight's game.

New York Yankees Injury Update 4/16

I had to type out a whole lot of these last year so hopefully we won't have to do much of it this season, but we will today. The Yankees have a couple guys on the disabled list or hurting and here are the updates on them:

Derek Jeter has technically missed three games in a row after missing the first game of the double header with the Cubs but is expected to be in the night cap game. I don't think the Yankees would be playing him if he wasn't okay, especially after last season, so that is encouraging.

Brian Roberts has back spasms and is taking medication for the ailment. Roberts is said to be feeling much better and could play tonight if need be but manager Joe Girardi would like to stay away from him if at all possible.

Mark Teixeira is eligible to come off the disabled list this Sunday. This Sunday the Yankees are playing on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays. Teixeira is down in Tampa at the Yankees minor league complex working out and taking batting practice. Coincidence? I hope not.

David Robertson is scheduled to throw off a mound tomorrow while trying to work back from a groin injury. This will be the first time he has thrown off a mound since the injury. D Rob is eligible to come off the disabled list next Tuesday.

Michael Pineda & The Real Pine Tar Gate Explanation

You had to know this was coming... I could have chosen from a million of them, haters were out in swarms after Michael Pineda's last start. Haters gonna hate I guess, this one was funny though I cannot deny it.

Tanaka's gem helps Yankees shutout Cubs, 3-0

Masahiro Tanaka threw 8 shutout innings and Shawn Kelley followed him by getting the last three outs today as the Yankees won the first game of this day-night doubleheader over the Cubs, 3-0. In this one, Tanaka was nearly unhittable, giving up just 2 hits while striking out 10, improving his 2014 record to a nice 2-0. 

Anyway, the Yanks offense struggled this afternoon, collecting just 5 hits, but in the end that didn't matter, as they still were able to scrape across three runs thanks to a Solo Home Run from Carlos Beltran, a Sac Fly from Dean Anna, and a confusing RBI Groundout from Jacoby Ellsbury. On that play, Ellsbury, along with the Cubs defense, seemed to think the ball was foul, but according to the empires that wasn't the case, allowing the speedy Brett Gardner to score from third. 

Besides those guys, Pinstripes Catcher Brian McCann also contributed to this W, going 1-for-4 with a run in the bottom of the fourth.