Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 4/13

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. Round 2… Fight! The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays faced off last night inside the Rogers Centre and these same two teams will go at it again head-to-head, same time same place. The only difference tonight will be the pitching matchup as Michael Pineda takes the mound on extra rest, and we all know how well that usually doesn’t work out for the right-hander during his career, to face off against JA Happ. Yes that same JA Happ that has hurt Jacoby Ellsbury, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson in his career by hitting them with pitches. Batters beware, especially of the left-handed variety.  

Pineda has historically struggled on extra rest and he has just that tonight in Toronto after an off day on Monday and a rain out of the Sunday game. Pineda was far from consistent in his first start of the season giving up six hits, including three home runs, and eight runs in five innings pitched against the Houston Astros but the cold weather could be to blame for the struggles. Or it couldn’t, we find out more tonight in Toronto.

Happ made his season debut last week against the Tampa Bay Rays and after a strong pitching performance he comes into the start with an 11 start undefeated streak, something the Yankees need to snap tonight in Toronto. During those 11 starts Happ has thrown a 1.55 ERA while yielding two runs or fewer in 10 of those 11 starts, pure dominance.

The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Go Yankees!

Imagining a Lineup without Teixeira & with Swisher

The talk all week around the Yankees blogosphere, especially after an off day Monday and a rainout on Sunday, and on Twitter has been the second coming of the man they call Swish, Nick Swisher. Swisher is still working out down in Tampa at the Yankees minor league complex waiting on his minor league deal to be finalized and waiting for his number to be called so he can return to the Bronx. Swisher is not what he once was, not after a pair of knee surgeries and not by a long shot, but the grim reality is that same man that couldn’t crack a rebuilding Atlanta Braves roster could be on his way to a Yankees bench near you. Nostalgia aside what would the Yankees lineup look like tonight in Toronto if Swisher were in it and Mark Teixeira was not?

Let the speculation begin:

Jacoby Ellsbury

Brett Gardner

Alex Rodriguez

Brian McCann

Carlos Beltran

Chase Headley

Starlin Castro

Didi Gregorius

Nick Swisher

Keep in mind this is the lineup I think the Yankees will put out there. This is my speculation on Joe Girardi’s lineup, not my own. Please forward the hate mail accordingly. I’d personally have Starlin Castro hitting second, McCann third to keep the left, right, left thing going and maybe A Rod cleaning up. This lineup doesn’t look as much like a daunting task for opposing pitchers with Swisher in it and Teixeira out of it, does it? Let’s hope for the health of Teixeira if we plan on watching any meaningful baseball this October in the Bronx. 

Weekly Check In: Aaron Hicks

Continuing with our weekly check-ins with new Yankees faces and old Yankees faces in different places we check in with one Yankees player who doesn’t have an incredibly large sample size. Aaron Hicks was brought in to essentially replace Chris Young as the Yankees fourth outfielder and bench player and while over the course of the season Hicks should get in plenty of at bats right now the sample size just isn’t there. Injuries will happen and legs will need to be rested in the Yankees lineup so keep that in mind when checking out this weekly check in with a new face inside the Yankees clubhouse and dugout, Mr. Aaron Hicks. 

Year	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2016	5	8	7	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.143	.250	.143	.393	16

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day In New York Yankees History 4/13: Nick Swisher the Pitcher

On this day in 2009 Nick Swisher was brought in as a relief pitcher throwing 22 pitches and allowing one hit and surrendering one walk in an inning of work. Swisher also struck out Gabe Kapler on a swinging strikeout and retired three consecutive batters to become the first positional player to pitch for the Yankees since Wade Boggs did it in 1997. Swisher volunteered to pitch an inning to save the bullpen in a 15-5 loss at Tampa Bay after Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang only lasted one inning.

Also on this day in 2008 construction workers at the new Yankee Stadium dug up a tattered David Ortiz Boston Red Sox jersey in the concrete of the new ballpark. The jersey was auctioned off to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. The New York construction worker, obviously a Boston fan, put it there hoping to put a curse on the new stadium.

Also on this day in 2005 a near by pedestrian saved the life of eight year old Patrick McCarthy by preventing him from walking out into a Boston road and getting hit by a truck. The hero who prevented the accident put his arm out and said "Whoa, watch out buddy" and caught the boys attention since he was his favorite baseball player, Alex Rodriguez.

Also on this day in 1998 a beam fell at Yankee Stadium and forced two Yankees home games to be postponed and one to be played at the New York Mets Shea Stadium.

Also on this day in 1978 Roger Maris returned to Yankee Stadium for the first time since the team traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966. Maris came back to help former teammate Mickey Mantle hoist the World Series flag after a promise was made to Maris by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to install sod and lights at a baseball field at Maris' children's school in Gainesville, Florida.

Also on this day in 1978 Reggie Jackson hit a home run in the first at bat of his season at Yankee Stadium. This is important because Reggie's final three at bats at Yankee Stadium in 1977 were home runs making this a fourth consecutive Yankee Stadium home run for Mr. October.

Also on this day in 1962 the Detroit Tigers pitcher Frank Lary pulled a muscle in his leg running out a triple, which he overcompensated with in his arm and ultimately injured himself and ended his career. This is Yankees news because Lary was always known as one of the original "Yankee Killers."

Finally on this day in 1939 Lou Gehrig, with apparent muscle loss around his shoulders, hit two home runs in an exhibition game against the Dodgers. These two home runs will be the last that the "Iron Horse" would ever hit in his major league career.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 4/11

It feels like it’s been forever but technically it’s only been two days since we last saw the New York Yankees on the field this season. The game before Sunday’s game was rained out was an afternoon game and yesterday was a scheduled off day for New York as they traveled from Detroit to our neighbors from the north in Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays. There is no love lost between these two clubs after a bitter chase down the stretch last season in the AL East Division race last season. Today we will watch as Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound for New York to face off with Aaron Sanchez for the Blue Jays.

The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. It can also be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Be sure to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to get your Yankees tickets in hand before the team returns home to the Bronx. Don’t worry, Ticket Monster will send you the real tickets and not the print-at-home variety. Support the blog and see the Yankees, it doesn’t get any better than that. 

Nick Swisher's Not-So-Great Reunion

Earlier today Daniel mentioned the team bringing back Nick Swisher, and what might need to happen to see him with the Yankees. I wanted to give my thoughts on Swish's return, so here goes...

"I'm back, baby!!!"

Like Paul O'Neill (happy birthday!), one of my favorite players of all time, Nick earned the love of Yankees fans. He was a big part of their run to the 2009 World Series title, batting .249/.371/.498 with 29 home runs. He continued that production in 2010, batting .288/.359/.511 to go along with another 29 home runs, including a spot in that season's All Star game. And while his final two years in New York weren't as productive, Swish still hit .266/.369/.461 with 47 homers between the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

After signing with the Cleveland Indians before the 2013 season, Nick turned in a batting line of .246/.341/.423, with 22 home runs. Not quite what he was doing in the previous four years with the Yankees, but good enough that many Yankees fans wondered if it was a mistake to let him go.

Then came the 2014, which saw Swishalicious theoretically fall of the cliff. He slashed .208/.278/.331, and was only able to hit eight homers. However, he faced some health issues that season, which led to him only appearing in 97 games that season. So perhaps that poor production was just an anomoly.

"Like when I saw this picture, one word came to mind... 'nope'."

His start to the 2015 season was no better. Actually, it was worse. Nick batted .198/.261/.297 with just two home runs in 30 games for the Tribe. He was then traded to Atlanta, where he was able to improve slightly (.195/.349/.339 and four home runs, in 46 games).

That brings us to this, the 2016 season. in which the Braves decided to pay $15 million for Swisher not to play for them. That was back on March 28th, so for more than a month nobody was willing to sign him despite only having to pay him the league minimum. Which in and of itself is pretty telling.

Now he's a Yankee again, albeit in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he will fight for at bats with Chris Parmelee, Deibinson Romero, and Cesar Puello. But thanks to Mark Teixeira not being the most durable player, there's a chance he'll get another shot in the Majors again.

I hate to say it, being a fan of the guy for what he did in his prior stint in pinstripes, not to mention him being a former Ohio State Buckeye, but if Swisher ends up playing for the Yankees again that will be a bad thing.

Not just because Swisher has been really bad the previous two years, but because he would likely be filling in for Mark Teixeira... the guy that was the team's best hitter last season, and is off to a very good start this year (.278/.381/.611 with two home runs).

Furthermore, Swisher's playing in New York would not only mean an injury to Mark Teixeira would have happened, but also would likely mean somebody in the outfield went down, which led to Dustin Ackley being the team's 4th outfielder.

Oh, and if Swisher were needed in the outfield, that not only would mean an injury to one or more of Beltran, Ellsbury, Gardner, Hicks, and Ackley, but that would mean Aaron Judge wasn't doing enough in AAA for the team to give him a look in the big league.

By the way, I didn't even mention the fact that Swisher is not a good fielder any more, especially in the outfield. So the team would not only lose a big chunk of offense with his bat replacing somebody like Teixeira's, but would lose a big chunk of defense by replacing anybody in the outfield not named Carlos Beltran.

I'm sorry I have to be the guy that rains on Swisher's parade. I would like nothing more than for circumstances surrounding his return to the Yankees to be better. But that's simply not the case. Nick Swisher is not at all the same player we saw 3+ years ago for the Bombers.

So I, for one, will be a Yankees fan that will cheer for the guy, but be happy that he's not needed by the big club.

"Sorry it's not 2009 again, guys."

Former Yankees Update: Jose A. Ramirez

The New York Yankees had a ton of right-handed relief pitching options last season and they let one go when they acquired utility player Dustin Ackley from the Seattle Mariners last season. When New York acquired Ackley they sent outfielder Ramon Flores to the Mariners along with right-hander Jose A. Ramirez. Ramirez was not long for the Mariners organization though as the Mariners flipped him to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations or a player to be named later this offseason and Ramirez's journey back to the majors continued in Atlanta... until recently.

The Atlanta Braves have decided to designate Jose Ramirez for assignment giving the righty the chance to hit free agency. Ramirez is just 26-years old and appeared in two games for the Braves this season after winning a job in spring training and he struck out four batters in two innings of work. That's the good of it all, there always comes a bad though and that bad included six runs allowed, five hits and four runs despite a 95 MPH fastball.

Will the Yankees bring him back for more bullpen depth after losing Bryan Mitchell and Nick Rumbelow to injuries already this season? Possibly, I guess we'll just have to all stay tuned as it works itself out.

USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings

The USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings are back here on The Greedy Pinstripes and back again for the 2016 MLB season. In the preseason rankings the New York Yankees were ranked 14^th overall while the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants occupied the top spots in the rankings. Has one week of regular season and meaningful baseball done anything to change any of that? Let’s find out.

Like always we start with the biggest rise of the week and that prestige goes to the Baltimore Orioles after a strong start to the season. Baltimore climbed all the way to the 13^th position overall after climbing seven spots during the week. With every big climb you have to have a big fall though and that fall goes to the team that was ranked 3^rd overall when the season began, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were ranked 3^rd when the season began but just a week later the team finds themselves sitting in the #11 spot after falling a whopping eight spots, ouch. I have a sneaking suspicion they will be back before things are all settled in the league.

The New York Yankees dropped a spot this week to the #15 position on the rankings. You can’t get any more middle-of-the-road than that, can you? To round out the rest of the American League East Division you can find the Toronto Blue Jays at the #7 position, the Boston Red Sox at the #10 position, the aforementioned Baltimore Orioles #13 and the Tampa Bay Rays bringing up the rear at the #19 position.

The top five this week belong to, in order, the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers while the five worst teams, again in order, according to the rankings, are the Minnesota Twins, the Colorado Rockies, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves.

The thing about these early season power rankings is that you KNOW they are going to change. Teams will rise after slow starts just as quickly as teams will fall after hot starts and/or injuries. It happens. The consistent teams make the postseason while the teams that fly all over the rankings usually don’t. It sounds simple enough but it really is that simply if you make it that simple. Check in weekly and see where the Yankees fall and see how consistent they are in their search for the organization’s 28^th World Series Championship.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 4/11/16

The New York Yankees have essentially had the last two days off and should be well rested with all hands on deck for this three game series with their division rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees were rained out on Sunday night before a scheduled off day and travel day on Monday giving New York their ace in the opener on extra rest. Today Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound on six days rest to face off with the Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez.

Tanaka heads into his second start of the season after his start Sunday night was rained out in Detroit. Tanaka last pitched on Opening Day where he threw just 87 pitches in 5.2 innings before leaving the game and complaining of fatigue late in the outing. Was this due to the Yankees coddling Tanaka and handling him with pampered hands or is it simply due to the cold weather and the early season schedule? We find out more tonight in Toronto because I personally don’t have any of those answers unfortunately.

Sanchez faced off with the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start of the season and it was a successful one which saw him strike out a career-high in the outing. Sanchez struck out eight Rays batters with his curveball and sinker combo and looks to keep that going tonight in Toronto against the New York Yankees.

The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Go Yankees!

Cause For Concern After Week One

Yankees fans are excited for Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorious, and rightfully so. While Didi is batting .333, with a home run, and a stolen base. Castro has arguably been the best hitter for the team so far this season, batting .450, with two home runs, eight RBI, two doubles, and two stolen bases.

By the way, the word "arguably" was added because of Brian McCann. McCann is hitting .467, with a home run, a double, and three walks.

Although I'm normally one to look at the positive things going on, I can't help but be concerned due to some players who started the season off poorly.

On the offensive side of things there's Jacoby Ellsbury, who is only hitting .217. Mind you, two of those hits were doubles, and one of them was a triple, so my concern level here isn't that high. That is not the case for Chase Headley, who has just one hit in 12 at bats.

To be honest, the offense as a whole is not worrisome. Are they going to keep up their current rate of seven runs per game? No. However, they are not going to struggle to score this season.

Giving up three runs in five innings is not awful, but allowing the other team to get 10 hits is, and that's what Luis Severino did on Friday against the Tigers. Now, to be fair, he did strike out 5 while walking nobody, so the start wasn't all bad. But I don't think I'm alone in expecting better out of Luis the next time around.

Nathan Eovaldi's performance the day before was worse. He also went five innings, and while he didn't give up many hits, Nathan did allow the Astros to score five earned runs. The strikeout to walk rate in that game, like with Severino, made things better (7 strikeouts to 0 walks). So will Nathan's ERA be 9.00 much longer? I doubt it. But I'll be watching his next start earnestly.

Six earned runs, off of eight hits, in five innings. Not what you'd expect out of your #2 starter, is it? Like Luis and Nathan, Michael Pineda's five strikeouts without a walk is great, but he's got to limit the hard contact. In fact, three of those hard hit balls by Houston last Wednesday went over the fence for home runs. Big Mike has to be better than that.

"Do not make me angry."

CC Sabathia was the only pitcher to toss six innings in his first start, throwing those six innings against the Tigers on Saturday. And he was pretty good. giving up three earned runs off of just four hits. That's nice and all, but CC walked four batters while only striking out three. He's not out of the woods yet.

Masahiro Tanaka had the best start for the Yankees in their first week, giving up just two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work. And I'm cool with him giving up just four hits and a walk, too. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I expect a little more out of the team's #1 starter.

The concern doesn't stop with the starting pitching, either. Dellin Betances hasn't given up an earned run yet this season, but he has allowed two hits and walked two in three appearances, Oh, they weren't earned, but three runs have scored while he was on the mound, and that is certainly not what I expect to see from Dellin this season.

Week two is going to be very interesting as I look for a number of players on the team to improve.