Brett Gardner = Hard-Nosed Ballplayer

If only everyone on the Yankees played like Brett Gardner.

Having already collected 3 hits on the night, the unassuming Brett Gardner, left-center-fielder for the Yankees stepped into the batter's box with the score tied 7 to 7.  FIFTEEN pitches later, he stood on first base with a walk.

Gardner has always been the type of player that "true" baseball fans love.  My definition of a "true" baseball fan is my father who always taught me to play the game with 100% pride and effort and to get on base anyway possible; to run as fast as humanly possible out of the box at all times; to shag line-drives in the outfield with reckless abandon.

"I fear no baseball"

With that 15 pitch at-bat against Junichi Tazawa, a 93-95 mph fastball pitcher, Gardner once again proved to me that he is EVERYTHING that I personally love about baseball...kind of a poor man's Derek Jeter.  If the Yankees end up winning this 3-game set with the Red Sox, it will be because of the type of play that Gardner displays every day on the diamond.

Here's to you Gardner and on behalf of "true" baseball fans everywhere, thank you for playing like you do!

Yankees are Run Deficient

As I sit here watching Sabathia get shalacked by the Boston Red Sox, I see an interesting stat once Robinson Cano comes to the plate in the top of the 6th inning with the Yankees down 7-4 and the bases loaded: Cano is 0-3 with the bases loaded this year.

Let me repeat that...Cano is 0-3 with the bases loaded this year.

"Will someone please get on base in front of me?"

The Yankees are playing their 98th game tonight and the situation Cano found himself in the top of the 6th was only the FOURTH time he came to the plate with the bases loaded!?!

Well what do we as Yankees fans expect when the lineup includes names such as Stewart, Cruz, and Overbay?

Thus far without the power bats of Granderson and Teixeira, the Yankees have only managed 380 runs, good for 22nd in the majors while the 1st place Red Sox have scored 504 before the 7 (so far) tonight.

If not for stellar pitching this season and an unexpected power surge by the likes of Hafner, Overbay, and Wells earlier this season, the Yankees could easily be 7 games UNDER .500 instead of being 7 over.

I have never been a huge Girardi fan but seeing what this team has accomplished this year without Jeter, Granderson, Teixeira, and yes even Rodriguez is something short of amazing.  Add to it the loss of Swisher, Ibanez, and Martin (who have a combine 42 home runs this year...thanks ESPN for reminding me) and you can understand the loss of runs.

Oh...and in case you were wondering? Cano singled in a run and is now 1-4 with the bases loaded this season.  Even as the Yanks lone threat and mostly without protection, Cano has still kocked in 68 RBI.  I wonder if Cashman will go after some help for Cano or if the "expected" addition of Jeter, Rodriguez, and Granderson as well as the return of Nunez this past Saturday will be enough?

Alex Rodriguez Has A Grade 1 Strain In His Quad

 Alex Rodriguez's 20 day rehab assignment is up but he will not be heading to Texas to meet with the Yankees as they take on the Rangers but instead back to the Yankees minor league complex. Alex has a Grade 1 strain in his quad a la Derek Jeter just a week earlier. Just as we thought we may be getting better we get another kick to the stomach.

Game Thread: Yankees @ Red Sox 7/21

This is a very important game between the Yankees and the Red Sox tonight on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. The Yankees and Sox have split the first two games so if the Red Sox win tonight we go into Texas seven games out in the AL East. If we win we have gotten within five games of the first place team. CC Sabathia and Ryan Dempster is the pitching match up. Go Yankees!

Here is the Yankees lineup

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Luis Cruz 3B

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Trenton Thunder Game Recap For 7/21

	Press Release - July 21, 2013 Thunder Grab Early Lead in 8-2 Win TRENTON, NJ – With a three-run bottom of the 5th, Trenton pushed their lead to 4-0 in an eventual 8-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Andrew Clark paced a nine-hit Thunder attack Sunday afternoon in front of 3,746 fans at ARM & HAMMER Park. Clark finished 3-for-4 with three doubles and raised his season batting average to.299 in 28 games. The game was the first three-double game for a Thunder batter this season, and the third time a Thunder batter had three extra-base hits in a single game—both Rob Segedin and JR Murphy had three XBH in Trenton’s 15-14 loss at Erie April 18th. In addition to the three-run 5th inning, Trenton used a big 7th inning to secure Sunday afternoon’s win. A wild pitch, passed ball, RBI single from Jose Pirela and RBI double from Andrew Clark each produced a run as part of the four-run 7th. Trenton had their lead cut from 4-0 to 4-2 as New Hampshire scored twice in the top of the 7thinning off Jeremy Bleich who recorded his first win of the season. Trenton’s offense responded immediately to get momentum back on the side of the Thunder. In his third start of the season, Fred Lewis tossed four shutout innings for the Thunder while striking out four batters on a season-high 63 pitches. In his two starts since being converted from a reliever to the rotation, Lewis has allowed one unearned run in 7.1 innings pitched. With the win, Trenton splits the series with the Fisher Cats and draws back to within 1.5 games of second place and the final playoff spot in the East Division. At the 100-game mark of the season, Trenton has gone 50-50. The Thunder and Altoona Curve kick off a three-game series Monday night at 7:05 p.m. The ballgame features RHP Sean Black (3-2, 4.22) for the Thunder facing Altoona’s RHP Nick Kingham (3-2, 2.84). Limited tickets are still available by going towww.trentonthunder.com/tickets or by calling the Thunder Ticket Office at (609) 394-3300. Radio coverage on 91.3 FM (WTSR) and streaming online begins at 6:45 p.m. --THUNDER-- Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder organization. The original article can be seen HERE.

New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox 7/21

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox finish up their three game set tonight in Fenway Park. We have split the first two games of the series so the winner of this game will win the series. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with Ryan Dempster. Originally Jon Lester was slated to start but he has been pushed back due to "wear and tear" and will get some extra rest. The game will be televised at 8:15 pm ET on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Yankees Sign Lefty Artur Strzalka From Poland

The first player to be born and raised in Poland only to later sign with one of the 30 major league teams is Artur Strzalka and he was signed by the New York Yankees today. Strzalka is only 18 years old and is not expected to sign for much of a signing bonus but no bonus has been reported as of the time of this writing. He will come stateside for next season and will continue to pitch in Europe for the rest of this season. It's always fun to be the first to do something but I cannot see this being much more than that or we would have heard something about him by now. 

Game 98 Lineup: Red Sox vs. Yankees

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Luis Cruz 3B

LHP CC Sabathia

Happy 33rd Birthday CC Sabathia

Happy 33rd Birthday to the big man CC Sabathia who gets to spend his birthday pitching tonight on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Happy birthday big man and here's to many more! Enjoy your day!!

Alex Rodriguez Scratched From Rehab Game

Alex Rodriguez is not in the lineup for the Scranton Wilkes Barre lineup today in what was supposed to be his final tune up before joining the Yankees when they play Texas tomorrow. This cannot be good news and is probably just another set back in the long line of set backs that has become the Yankees 2013 season. Alex felt tightness in his quad yesterday which kept him from playing third base as scheduled but he did DH but apparently that quad may be a little worse than originally thought. Stay tuned.