Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals 5/24

For the third time this week the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals will square off head-to-head inside Yankee Stadium. This will not be the last though as these two teams will face off once again tomorrow in the finale but before we get too ahead of ourselves let us get this one over with first. Tonight the Yankees will send the future in Luis Severino to the mound looking to keep his recent string of success going while the Kansas City Royals will counter with Jason Hammel. 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. You can also follow along on the radio by tuning into WFAN.

Follow us on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow so we can go root for the home team together. Go Yankees!!

USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings

The New York Yankees are holding strong at the top of the American League East Division after another week of baseball being put in the record books and they are holding strong at the top of the USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings as well. For the third straight week the New York Yankees remained steady at the #3 position in all of Major League Baseball with only the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals ahead of them. Let’s check out the rest of the standings.

You have the Top 3 teams on the list and the fourth and fifth slot look relatively the same as last week with only the Dodgers and Orioles swapping spots finishing 4^th and 5^th respectively. The Cubs held steady at the 9^th position overall while the Milwaukee Brewers crept into the Top 10. The Boston Red Sox dropped to 13^th while the Tampa Bay Rays climbed to 14^th after taking two-of-three from the Yankees over the weekend. Also keep an eye out on those Toronto Blue Jays who find themselves suddenly 21^st overall. The rankings don’t suggest it but I still think they are much better than they have shown thus far this season.

The biggest rise of the week went to the Texas Rangers who rose five spots, a ten game winning streak has a way of doing that to a team, to the #11 position while the St. Louis Cardinals were the biggest fall this week dropping five spots back to the #12 position. These two teams have been all over the rankings this season both falling in the 20’s while both teams have also been in the Top 10 at points during the year.

Oh and let me state that I absolutely love the fact that the New York Mets are 20^th. Okay, gloating done. Have a great day everyone and enjoy the game tonight. I always love watching Luis Severino pitch and I can remember back in 2015 heading down to Atlanta’s Turner Field and watching him pitch during his rookie campaign and being impressed as hell. Impress me again, please?

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals 5/24

For the third time this week the New York Yankees will travel home to Yankee Stadium to play host to Mike Moustakas and the Kansas City Royals. In this third game of the four game set the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to square off with Jason Hammel. This should be a good one, as usual, so stay tuned.

Severino lasted just five innings last time out in a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays and that was due in large part to a rough first inning. Severino threw 30 of his 89 pitches in the first inning of that start. Severino pitched well overall allowing just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts in the contest so all-in-all it was a good start and a step forward for the young right-hander.

Hammel has been home run prone thus far this month which is never a good sign when you’re headed to Yankee Stadium to face this offense. Hammel has allowed five home runs combined in his last three starts and has given up 12 runs in 19 innings overall, again not a good sign for a pitcher that is about to face a high-powered offense like the Yankees.

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. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman’s broadcast on WFAN.

Enjoy the game Yankees family. Go Yankees!!

Win as a Team, Lose as a Team...

Credit:  Kathy Willens/AP

Royals 6, Yankees 2...

Jordan Montgomery showed why he is a Major League pitcher.  After a few outings that had led to speculation he could potentially be replaced in the rotation, Monty delivered his finest outing yet.  The bullpen couldn't hold it but you'll never find a complainer with Montgomery. "I trust those guys coming out of the bullpen.  I trust them all.  They're doing the best to execute pitches.  They've been so great throughout the year already.  Nobody is perfect.  Win as a team, lose as a team.", Montgomery said in his post-game comments.  

Credit:  Robert Sabo

Monty took a one-hitter into the seventh inning but gave up a solo home run to Lorenzo Cain.  After getting the second out of the inning, Montgomery was pulled for Adam Warren with the Yankees leading 2-1 and no one on, finishing with a two-hit effort.  At that point, the bullpen imploded to the tune of four hits and five runs, which allowed the Royals to walk away with the 6-2 victory.  After watching Montgomery's brilliant two-hitter, Warren (1-1) allowed two hits to the first two batters he faced, the second a homer by Jorge Bonifacio, while both Jonathan Holder and Chasen Shreve were greeted with solo shots from the first batters they faced in the eighth.  Bryan Mitchell pitched a three-up, three down ninth inning but by then, it was too little, too late as the Yankees were unable to rally.

It's disappointing to see such a great performance by Montgomery wasted but the overworked bullpen is a byproduct of the overall recent poor performances by the starting rotation.  It's hard to fault Warren and Company as it was inevitable they'd crack from overuse and it was really good to see the maturity of Montgomery as he refused to place any blame on his teammates.  You could say that manager Joe Girardi should have left Montgomery in the game, but he was at 98 pitches.  It was time for his tip of the cap as he walked off the mound.  

Credit:  Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Danny Duffy, the winning pitcher for the Royals, took notice.  After the game, Duffy said "He's out there, and he's beyond his years and it's fun to watch him compete."

The Yankees scored their only runs in the fourth and fifth innings with solo home runs from Aaron Hicks and Chris Carter, respectively.  The Yankees had a chance to close the gap in the eighth when Chase Headley came to bat with two outs and runners at the corners, but his liner to Eric Hosmer, who made a great play, thwarted the attempt.  

Prior to the game, the Yankees took a moment of silence for the victims of the horrific and senseless terror attack in Manchester, England, playing "God Save The Queen".  

Credit:  Kathy Willens/AP

The Yankees (26-17) maintained their 1 1/2 game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East despite the loss.  The Orioles fell 2-0 to Ervin Santana and the Minnesota Twins.  Santana pitched a complete game two-hitter.  The Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 11-6 to close to within 3 1/2 games.

Bird Update...

Greg Bird has resumed hitting off a tee as he begins his journey back from the bruised ankle injury.

I know, that pic couldn't possibly be Greg Bird.  He'd never wear his jeans that high up!

The current plan is for Bird to hit in an indoor cage today, rest tomorrow, and take outdoor batting practice on Friday and Saturday.  Sunday, he'd travel down to Florida to begin either extended spring training on Monday or start a rehab assignment with High-A Tampa.

It's possible that we could see Bird back with the Yankees late next week or weekend depending upon how things go.  Hopefully, there will be no setbacks and he'll be much stronger and healthier than we last saw him.

Gerrit Cole Update...

Yeah, that's probably true.

For the record, Cole did kind of stink it up in Pittsburgh's 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday.  He was almost Masahiro Tanaka-like in lasting only 4 2/3 innings.  The Braves teed off him, maybe using Bird's tee, for 10 hits and 5 runs.  I guess we can get that production from our own staff without giving up prospects off the MLB Top 100 list.  

But all things considered, and throwing in the AL East surcharge on ERA, I'd still take Cole.  I know that he spurned the Yankees when drafted a few years ago, but I have to say that for a chance to go to UCLA, I probably would have too.  

Gleyber Torres Update...

Tuesday night saw Gleyber Torres in the lineup for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at third base.  Rob Refsnyder was at second, and Tyler Wade at short.  Physically, Torres really isn't that much smaller than Headley.  He is an inch shorter at 6'1" and about 40 pounds lighter at 175 lbs.  I guess when I think of third basemen, I think of guys like Kris Bryant (6'5", 230 lbs) but Torres is taller than others such as Justin Turner or Pablo Sandoval.  Nolan Arenado sets the bar for third base from a performance standpoint and he's only 6'2", 215 lbs.  Torres will continue to pack muscle on his frame so he certainly has the physical attributes to excel at the position.  I guess selfishly I wanted to keep third base relatively open or flexible for the possible addition of Manny Machado but I am not going to complain if Torres grabs third for years of All-Star games and World Series Championship rings.  

Torres was 1-for-3 with a single in the RailRiders' 3-1 loss to the Columbus Clippers.  

Have a great Wednesday!  Time to get a new winning streak started!  It's a new day!

All Rise for Aaron Judge in the Judge’s Chambers

All Rise for the Judge! Court is now in session in The Judge’s Chambers here inside Yankee Stadium. On Monday night court opened up inside Yankee Stadium as three rows inside Yankee Stadium turned into The Judge’s Chambers. A total of 18 fans were seen wearing black judicial robes with the Yankees logo on the front and Judge’s number 99 on the back honoring the Yankees rookie right fielder.

This is not uncommon around the league for fans to turn entire sections of the ballpark into a dedicated section for a player. Remember Mannywood in left field inside Dodger Stadium? Remember the King’s Court for Felix Hernandez out in Seattle? Well it’s kind of like that although in those sections any fans can buy tickets and sit there while the Yankees will choose certain fans to sit there. Obviously wearing an Aaron Judge jersey or t-shirt or a judicial robe will get chosen along with their families which could be kind of interesting. Those chosen will be given Styrofoam gavels stamped with “All Rise!” on the side to tap against the bench. The robes stay in the section.

I can see this section being turned into a place for charity groups, birthday parties, Little League teams etc. can go and hang out and be honored while honoring the Judge.

What an honor for a kid who has been in the Major Leagues for just a few short months between last season and this season but if you pay attention to the Yankees and head out to the games you know why the Yankees are honoring him so soon. He interacts with the Yankees fans on Twitter and Instagram and he has played catch with fans in the stands on more than one occasion. You can always see him giving kids baseballs in the stands in-between innings and such and he just treats the game how you’re supposed to treat it in my opinion, like a game. This isn’t a job for Judge and that mindset is just part of what makes Judge truly special.

Congratulations to him and I look forward to seeing everyone in The Judge’s Chambers this season and beyond. If anyone sits in those seats and wants to be covered here on the blog with your pictures showcased on the blog then contact me on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) or by shooting me an email at thegreedypinstripes at gmail dot com.

So it Seems Life Will Get Busy Again Soon

Boys and girls life is about to get busy for me again so I wanted to take the time now to let you know what exactly was going on. My son, Evan, graduates from first grade this morning and after that I am off to the dealership AGAIN with my car. Thank goodness for warranties but dammit man, fix it right the first time. Anyway, I digress.

The first month of June I will be starting a new position at work. I have been training for this position a couple hours a day or a few hours a week for a while now in hopes of getting this position once a new production line enters our plant. It is office work so it’s not hard and I know I can do it but I just worry about how much time I will have for writing during that week I am doing the job. As you may or may not know I do most of my writing while at work because I could do, and have done, my job with my eyes closed and asleep. This new job though is very tedious and it is very important because one extra or one less numerical typographical error and I could shut us down for a month. Yeah, it’s serious.

I’m nervous but I am cautiously optimistic as well. I want something new and I am burned out in my current position but also that is a lot of pressure and stress. I’m just a worrier, I’ll get it and I’ll be great at it. I just have to prove it to myself first before I truly believe it.

So if I go quiet, and I will do my best not to of course, that is why. Have no fear though as I will be back. I always come back and we are always okay. No matter what. Have a great day everyone, especially you. Hey you. I’m about to give you 69 reasons to stick by my side. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/24: Bernie Williams Day 2015

On this day in 2015 the New York Yankees honored former center fielder Bernie Williams with Bernie Williams Day at Yankee Stadium.


Also on this day in 1986 a drunk Billy Martin was fired as the co-host on Saturday Night Live after slurring his lines during a skit. The former Yankee manager sets fire to his dressing room at the end of show, the season finale for SNL.


Also on this day in 1956 Mickey Mantle went off at the plate going 505 with an intentional walk in an 11-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Mantle would hit a home run and four singles in the game to go with his walk.


Finally on this day in 1936 the Yankees Tony Lazzeri becomes the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in the same game when the Yankees beat up on the A's 25-2. The future Hall of Famer also established a new American League record in the game with 11 RBI's.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals 5/23

Here we go again ladies and gentleman, game time in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. In the second game of this big four-game set between the two clubs the Yankees will send Jordan Montgomery to the mound to square off against Danny Duffy for the Royals. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along with the game while riding in your car or wherever you have access to a radio by tuning into WFAN.

Follow us on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. Go Yankees!!!

David Ortiz is Still Talking About the Yankees

Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz spent much of his career talking and hitting baseballs, unfortunately sometimes more the former than the latter. Since his retirement Ortiz has been relatively quiet although this weekend the Red Sox former DH broke his silence in an interview on the radio with Boston’s WEEI. In the interview Ortiz claimed that the New York Yankees may have played a role in his name getting leaked after failing a PED/steroid test to the New York Times back in 2009. Let the salt flow through your body’s ladies and gentleman.

Ortiz in the interview was quoted as saying the following when asked about his failed steroid test back in 2003:

"What was the reason for them to come out with something like that?" he said. "The only thing that I can think of, to be honest with you, a lot of big guys from the Yankees were being caught. And no one from Boston. This was just something that leaked out of New York, and they had zero explanation about it."

Ortiz added:

"Everybody who got caught...all of them were told what they bought, what they used, everything," he said. "But David Ortiz. Nobody came to me after; nobody came to me before. Nobody came to me ever, to tell me that I tested positive for any kind of steroids."

I’m just going to leave this here and let you guys hash it out in the comments section and on Twitter. Give us a follow by following @GreedyStripes. This just seems like a thing of the past and unnecessary to spend too much time on here, although I did feel the need to bring it to everyone’s attention just because. Enjoy the rest of your day. 

Yankees Potential Trade Targets: Sonny Gray

The New York Yankees are very likely to at least have some discussions with many of the available starting pitchers and their teams this summer as the Bronx Bombers look to make a legitimate run at the American League East Division crown. We have already discussed Jose Quintana until we were blue in the face in the offseason, and hell we may discuss him again just for old times’ sake, and we have begun beating the dead horse that will be forever known as Gerrit Cole here on the blog so for a little bit of a change of pace let’s talk about the Oakland Athletics righty Sonny Gray. Will this be the year the A’s finally move Gray at the trading deadline?

Gray had a down 2016 season so the Oakland Athletics decided to hold onto their ace in hopes of him turning things around to start the 2017 campaign. Gray still isn’t back to being the ace that he once was, which in a Catch 22 kind of way works in the Yankees favor as it keeps the cost in terms of prospects down, but at the time of this writing Gray is sporting a 3.97 ERA. While a 3.97 ERA isn’t something you generally want to give the farm away for you must remember that somehow Gray is still just 27-years old and only two years removed from being an unstoppable force in the American League West Division for the A’s.

The Yankees have shown interest in Gray many times before, as it seems like he is always on the trading block for the struggling Oakland Athletics, and Gray would fit well into the Yankees rotation behind Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda. An acquisition of Gray would likely bounce CC Sabathia out of the rotation although I guess the Yankees could option Jordan Montgomery back to Triple-A to give Sabathia a bit of a longer leash. Who knows? What I do know is that you worry about those kind of things after he signs on the dotted line, not before.

I hate to say the Yankees could buy low on Gray because he would still cost quite a bit in terms of prospects but the cost as opposed to two years ago would be like night and day. Who wouldn’t want to give up a couple prospects for the chance at the Gray that was an ace for his first three seasons in the big leagues and a 27-year old arm with tons of MLB experience? I know the Yankees would and if I were the owner I’d sign off without batting an eye lash. Get it done Cash, before the price goes up.