Saturday, June 20, 2009

Yanks lose tough one

The New York Yankees lost to the Florida Marlins tonight in a classic pitchers duel. A.J. Burnett pitched very well giving up 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings, only 1 earned with 3 walks and 9 strikeouts. He was totally in synch with Jorge Posada so hopefully this is the start of them doing good things together. Jorge Posada also threw two guys out. Johnny Damon missed a ball in the outfield that should of been a easy out that cost the team the second run and ultimately the game. He lost the ball in the lights which is tough but he also came up to bat in the 8th with a guy on third and two outs and struck out. The Yankees didn't do much offensively, they got a Nick Swisher rbi single. They had 1st and 2nd no outs with Derek Jeter up in the 8th inning and after he failed to get down the bunt he grounded into the double play which pretty much ended the game right there, Damon struck out and that was it for the Yankees. CC Sabathia the ace of the staff will go against a young kid tomorrow Volstadt in the rubber match. The game is at 5 on YES and Happy Fathers Day to all.

Game 68: Yankees at Marlins

Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. A.J. Burnett will be on the mound making it two in a row strong starts. He is back in the place where he started his career and didn't have a good ending. He has a very good record and ERA pitching in that park which has been renamed about 100 times. The Yankees will try and make it two in a row as they move away from the awful Nationals series. The Yankees will play this game without A-rod and then he will play tomorrow and we will see how the rest helped him, hopefully getting him back on track and then the Yankees can start rolling. Game 68: Yankees at Marlins Posted using ShareThis

Some Yankee issues

I know the Jorge Posada catching situationd has been coming to a head lately. The bottom line is he was never a great defensive catcher but he worked hard and got better and you can't make up for the offense he brings from that position. Jorge Posada isn't the captain but most will tell you that he is the vocal leader, the one to get on the team, I wonder after the Nats series if he did a lot of yelling. The bottom line is this though, it appears CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett don't want to pitch to him and we don't know about Joba after the disaster against the Mets. Andy Pettitte is fine and I think Wang is fine also with Posada. I am wondering though if it may be a good thing for him to not catch those 2 games so he has at least 2 days off a week, he is getting older and coming off of surgery. This is something worth monitoring over the next few weeks. A-rod came back from hip surgery and they talked about him missing maybe once a week or something like that. He came back and played in all 38 games which was against what the doctor advised. I know Alex told them he wanted to play but that is up to the Yankees to say no you are going to sit today and be back out there tomorrow. The doctore wanted him to miss a few games over his first 45 games and now finally the Yankees realized he was fatigued and not playing well and decided to give him 2 days off and then play and have another day off on Monday when the team is off. I kind of look at this with the Wang situation also, shouldn't the Yankees have realized something wasn't right and kept him down in Tampa to start the year and not let him get bombed for 3 starts and lose all confidence then decide oh he is hurt. I don't know who makes these decisions but someone should be held responsible. George isn't around but ever since he ceded control to his sons, it seems we don't really know who is in charge of the baseball operations and no one says a word anymore, you don't hear from Cashman much and he loves to talk. Hank and Hal never make a peep, Hank must have a muzzle on him as he used to run his mouth constantly but now we haven't heard from him in months and Randy Levine and Lonn Trost are too busy hiding after the disaster that is the new stadium with all the problems it has. I hope the Yankees can overcome these issues as they are a very talented team and I think they will make the playoffs but these things are hampering them and someone needs to step up and be held accountable.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Yanks beat Fish

The New York Yankees started their 9 game roadtrip off on the right foot beating the Florida Marlins 5-1 tonight. Andy Pettitte got the start and just looked great pitching 7 innings of 1 run ball with 3 hits. He tied his season high for strikeouts with 7 and didn't walk a batter. Andy is just a different pitcher outside of the bandbox known as Yankee Stadium. He is now 7-3 on the year. Brian Bruney pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Brett Tomko did the same in the ninth. The Yankees pitching has gotten themselves straightened out lately, A.J. Burnett will try and keep it going tomorrow night. The offense saw everyone in the lineup get a hit including Andy Pettitte who had a rbi double. Derek Jeter had a couple of hits as well as Johnny Damon. Angel Berroa who you barely see even had a rbi double in place of A-rod who will sit out tomorrow before returning on Sunday. The Yankees didn't score after the 3rd inning tonight though but did enough early to win this game. They will try and keep it going tomorrow facing a tough pitcher in Josh Johnson. They did get in to Florida at about 3am and also had extreme heat which fatigued them, they say they should be better by tomorrow night. The Yankees really need to take this series after being embarrassed at home, maybe they liked the fact of having nice weather and being able to take BP and all of that which they didn't do at home at all with the terrible rain.

Yankees at Marlins

The Yankees are limping into Florida tonight to take on the Marlins. The Yankees were embarrassed at home by the lowly Nationals and will try and right the ship. Peter Abraham has the pregame notes and lineup, this is also the start of 9 straight games with national league rules meaning the pitcher bats. A-rod is out today and tomorrow due to fatigue, I think the Yankees screwed this one up, he hasn't had any days off since coming back from hip surgery. They said at first he would probably get a day off a week but he said he was ok and wanted to play so who knows. The Yankees are facing a losing team with a pitcher they never saw before, if the trend continues they are in trouble. The Yankees are 4-5 against the NL this year, and 14-13 over the last 2 years. They are 24-21 over the last 3 years and 34-29 over the last 4 years. They clearly aren't taking advantage of the NL like they used too. The pitching has done a better job in the last 4 games pitching 35 innings, 27 hits, 9 earned runs, 14 walks and 34 strikeouts. The relievers have given up 9 hits in the last 14 1/3 innings with 1 earned run, 3 walks and 16 strikeouts. Yankees lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF) Berroa(3B) Pettitte(P)

Pitching Matchups for Marlins series

Tonight- Andy Pettitte vs Sean West Tomorrow-A.J. Burnett vs Josh Johnson Sunday- CC Sabathia vs Chris Volstad Andy Pettitte has been much better on the road and hopefully he will get it together tonight. The Yankees haven't seen any of these pitchers so who knows with their offense, Kevin Long better figure it out though. Josh Johnson is a really good pitcher so I hope A.J. Burnett has righted the ship after that good game against the Mets and then you get CC against a guy who hasn't had a great year. I don't know what to think of this team right now, I would normally say they could win 2 of 3 but lets see what the offense does tonight and then we will see.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Yanks embarass selves

The Yankees lost to the Nationals 3-0 tonight losing 2 out of 3 to the worst team in baseball. There really is nothing to say, they scored 7 runs in 3 games to the worst pitching staff in baseball, this is something that should get the hitting coach fired. They lost 2 out of 3 to the worst team in baseball, Joe Girardi better watch himself and get this team together, they play 9 straight on the road to teams that aren't that bad, they have to get it together quickly before they fall out of the race. The Yankees are at rock bottom and maybe a critical part of the season. I don't know but maybe going out on the road for a while will be something they need right now, it can't get much worse then this. I wonder if A-rod will get a day off soon and Brett Gardner is day to day after crashing into the wall hard.

Nats at Yankees(weather permitting)

I don't see how they will play this game today but the Yankees say they will try and get it in and there is a window around 3. The Yankees are not playing well at all going 6-7 in their last 13 but really 5-8. They head out on the road tomorrow for 9 straight against Florida, Atlanta and the Mets. Here are the pregame notes and lineup from Peter Abraham. The season is 40 percent over, wow I didn't realize that unbelievable. A-rod has gone in a June swoon hitting 157 with a 328 on base percentage and 314 slugging percentage. He is now batting 219 and has 2 homeruns in his last 79 at bats. This is not good he needs to start hitting soon. Brett Gardner is 14 of 16 in stolen bases this year and 43 of 48 for his career. Phil Hughes has looked good in relief but is and should be a starter. He has pitched 7 1/3 innings giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts out of the pen. Derek Jeter won't play and wouldn't have even if the weather was good, he should be in there tomorrow. Phil Coke has been great his last 7 outings giving up 2 hits, 0 runs with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. Chien-Ming Wang is scheduled to start on Tuesday in Atlanta. Yankees Lineup: Gardner(CF) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Matsui(DH) Cervelli(C) Pena(SS)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Yankees lose to Nats

The New York Yankees were embarrassed by the Washington Nationals tonight by the score of 3-2. The starting pitcher John Lannan was the story of the game pitching 8 innings of 1 run ball with 2 hits allowed. The Yankees couldn't do anything with him, they tried being patient and aggressive and nothing worked. I was at the game so I didn't really see if he was that good or they were that bad or in the middle but he still pitched 8 innings so I have to give him credit. The Yankees had their shot in the ninth when Johnny Damon led off with a homerun and then they put runners at 1st and 3rd with 1 out and couldn't tie it. Robinson Cano had a great battle with Mike Macdougal but grounded into the game ending double play which is just unacceptable. I am not a Kevin Long fan and I think after these two games where they are being shut down by the worst team in baseball and the worst pitching staff in baseball he deserves to lose his job or at least be in trouble. The story of the game for the Yankees though was Chien-Ming Wang who was much better pitching 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. I don't like the fact he only went 5 innings but I am sure he will get another start, the bottom line for me is they are winless in his starts and for a world series contender that is unacceptable. Phil Hughes came on in relief and threw two shutout inn ings giving up a single. He had 2 strikeouts. Phil Coke pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Alfredo Aceves got the last two outs. The Yankees will try and win the series tomorrow afternoon with Joba Chamberlain on the mound, the weather is supposed to be bad so we will see if they can get it in, it may be a long day at the ballpark.

Nationals at Yankees(Wang's Big Start)

The Yankees will try to make it three in a row tonight with Wang seeking his first victory of the year. I will be at the game tonight so here is the lineup without notes. I will try and check in from the game with twitter like updates. Derek Jeter is out of the lineup with a bad ankle, this is the time to rest him against the awful Nationals. Yankees Lineup: Damon(LF) Swisher(RF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Matsui(DH) Cabrera(CF) Pena(SS)

Chien-Ming Wang=Big Start

Chien-Ming Wang will take the hill tonight in need of a win. I don't know what he has to do tonight to get another start but he clearly needs to pitch better then he has at any point this year. I don't think its enough to say he needs to win the game. He could go out there and get hit hard and survive 5 innings and have the Yankees score a ton of runs and win the game 9-8, that wouldn't be enough for him. In his culture the birth of a child is supposed to bring luck to the parents so lets hope the birth of his son does that for him. I think the best thing that could happen for Wang tonight is the Yankees scoring some runs early and he can relax and go to work. I really don't know what to think, his stuff was there in his last start, he just couldn't get it over the plate. Joe Girardi has said repeatedly this is a big start for Wang but hasn't said what he needs to do or what he needs to see from him. It should be an interesting night, what do you guys think Wang needs to do?? I wonder if Posada will catch him or they will let Cervelli work with him which brings up a whole other issue that I will talk about in another blog entry.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Yanks/Nats game recap

The New York Yankees defeated the Washington Nationals tonight by the score of 5-3 thus avoiding embarrassment. The Nats starting pitcher really handcuffed the Yankees for 6 innings leaving with a 3-2 lead but then the Yankees scored 2 in the 7th and 1 in the 8th to secure the win. CC Sabathia pitched well going 7 2/3 innings giving up a 3 run homerun. Brian Bruney made his return by getting Ryan Zimmerman to ground out to second and MO had a 1-2-3 ninth for the save. Robinson Cano was the offensive star as he went four for four. Mark Teixeira had a rbi double. Derek Jeter left the game with what appears to be a ankle injury but doesn't appear to be too serious. Ramiro Pena had a rbi single in the 8th. Jorge Posada had a hit and so did Johnny Damon. The Yankees will try and make it two in a row tomorrow with Chien-Ming Wang getting the start. I didn't get to this before but Hideki Matsui will not be used in the OF for any of the upcoming interleague games on the road. He could be used in a double switch though according to Joe Girardi, the Yankees are worried about his knees flaring up if he plays a full game in the OF. It doesn't look like Nady will be back for this roadtrip but we shall see what happens with him. A-rod was in monument park before the game posing for pictures, the Yankees are now doing these type of things once a homestand which is a nice touch. The Yankees number 1 pick Slade Heathcott was with the team today and it appears he will try and sign quickly and get his pro career started.

Washington Nationals at New York Yankees

The New York Yankees will take on the Washington Nationals tonight from Yankee Stadium. The game is on MY9 in NY at 7:00pm. CC Sabathia gets the start for the bombers. Here are some pregame notes and the lineup via Peter Abraham. The Nationals are 6-23 on the road and have gone 3-12 in their last 15 games overall. The Yankees have won 14 of thier last 19 at home. The Yankees were 93-63 in interleague games over the first 8 years but have gone 33-27 since. I think this is the time for them to play really well again playing the NL east now for 15 straight. Derek Jeter has the most hits, at bats and runs scored in interleague play. He is also batting 339 against the National League. Nick Swisher has gone 15 of his last 46 which is 326 with 11 runs scored, 8 rbi's, 14 walks and 8 extra base hits. The Yankees were 32-31 after 63 games the last 2 years and are 36-27 this year a 4 game difference. Derek Jeter has gone 9 of his last 18 with 4 rbi and 4 runs scored. He is now batting 310. Hideki Matsui is 6 of his last 16 with 2 homeruns, 5 rbi's, 5 walks and 5 runs scored. A-rod is 8 of 45 in June and is batting 178 in his last 9 games. He is in a slump but this may be a good time to come out of it against these weaker NL teams. The Yankees have committed at least one error in 10 of their last 12 games. One roster move to report also is that the Yankees DFA'D Jose Veras and activated Brian Bruney. I am very happy about this move, i was afraid they would send Robertson back down but Veras had become useless and now they ust need to get rid of Berroa and I will be really happy. Bruney may not go right into the 8th inning as they want to bring him back slowly and also won't go back to back days right away according to Joe Girardi. Yankees lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF)

Wangs celebrate birth of their child

Chien-Ming Wang are celebrating the birth of their first child this morning. Justin Jesse Wang came into this world this morning in NYC, he weighs in 7 pounds and 12 ounces. In Taiwanese culture a new baby is supposed to bring good luck to the parents so lets hope this is true when the proud father takes the mound as he is pitching for his life. Congratulations to the proud parents and lets hope JJ Wang brings some good luck to Chien. Peter Abraham had this on his blog so I will acknoledge the information from him. I don't think he could be pitching against a better team though to try and get his first win.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Yankees minor league updates

AAA Scranton reamains in first place with a 5 1/2 game lead in the division. Their record is 39-25. Austin Jackson is hitting 345 and playing a good centerfield as he looks poised for a September callup and a possible big league job next year with the Yankees. Shelly Duncan is hitting 309 with 20 homeruns and 61 rbi's. I really don't know what else he has to do to get another shot with the Yankees. I would think he would be nice to bring off the bench and more valuable then a Angel Berroa but that is just me. Mark Melancon continues to do well in AAA with a 2.73 era with 34 strikeouts in 26 innings and only 18 hits allowed. George Kontos has done well starting in AAA with a 3-3 record and a 3 era. He has pitched 48 innings allowing 38 hits with 19 walks and 38 strikeouts. Sergio Mitre who just came back from a suspension for PEDS is 1-0 with a 2.08 era. He has pitched 13 innings giving up 10 hits with 1 walk and 12 strikeouts. AA Trenton- Trenton is 32-30 2 1/2 games out of first place. Jesus Montero got called up not that long ago and is there big star. He is batting 281 with 1 rbi. He was batting 356 when he got called up from A-Tampa with 8 homeruns and 37 rbi. Reegie Corona is batting 306, he is the second baseman. Eduardo Nunez who impressed me in spring training playing shortstop is hitting 312 with 4 homeruns and 20 rbi's. Jorge Vasquez is hitting 294 with 7 homeruns and 33 rbi's. He was signed out of the Mexican league. The pitching is led by Zach McAllister who is 5-2 with a 1.60 era. He has pitched 67 1/3 innings giving up 54 hits with 20 walks and 49 strikeouts. Ivan Nova who was taken in the Rule 5 draft but given back to the Yanks is 5-3 with a 2.70 era. He has given up 56 hits in 60 innings with 26 walks and 40 strikeouts. Christian Garcia is 2-0 with a 0.71 era, in 25 1/3 innings he has given up 15 hits with 17 walks and 24 strikeouts. A-Tampa- Austin Romine is the star player there as the starting catcher with Montero moving up now. He is hitting 285 with 8 homeruns and 38 rbi's. Jeremy Bleich is the big pitcher, he is 5-4 with a 3.58 era with 73 hits in 73 innings and 21 walks and 50 strikeouts. Dellin Betances is also a big pitching prospect but has struggled going 2-4 with a 4.74 era. In 43 2/3 innings he has given up 45 hits with 24 walks and 43 strikeouts. A-Charleston- They are 38-26 in first place by 2 games. David Adams is batting 296 with 33 rbi's. He is the second baseman. Andrew Brackman is the big pitcher with a 1-4 record but a 3.90 era. He has pitched 62 1/3 innings giving up 55 hits with 37 walks and 58 strikeouts. Pat Venditte is the closer with a 2-1 record and 0.64 era, he has pitched 28 innings with 20 hits allowed and 1 walk and 38 strikeouts.

Pitching Matchups for Nats/Yanks series

Tomorrow- CC Sabathia vs Shairon Martis Wednesday- Chien-Ming Wang vs John Lannan Thursday- Joba Chamberlain vs Craig Stammen The Yankees really need to sweep this team as they are 16-45. Adam Dunn has more homeruns with 17 then the team has wins. Wednesdays game is big for the Yankees but also for Wang himself as this is his last chance, he has to pitch a good game or else he will be out of the rotation again. I really don't think Wang has lost it but this may just be a bad year as I think the Yankees screwed it up from the beginning with him. I think they should of realized he was hurt or at least favoring his injury and left him in Florida to start the year and brought him along slowly. When they did bring him back they did it in a emergency and threw him into the pen then bringing him back into the rotation against the Rangers and Red Sox which are two very good hitting teams. I think they should of kept him in the minors for at least another start or two but they didn't and they have to deal with what is there now. I think Joba will get back on track, he just had a rough start last time out never getting on the same page with Jorge Posada.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Yanks take Subway Series

The Yankees wrapped up the Yankee Stadium portion of the Subway Series with a nice tidy 15-0 blowout. A.J. Burnett got the start and really needed this one going 7 shutout innings with 4 hits, 4 walks and 8 strikeouts. There really is no point in going all through this game but there are a few things to talk about and also some facts and figures. I want to talk about Francisco Cervelli, what a great job he has been doing. He calls a great game and is excellent defensively but he also had 3 hits and has been a pleasant suprise offensively. I odn't want to start anything yet but there seems to be a big difference when Posada or Cervelli catches. A.J. Burnett may have pitched his best game of the year with Cervelli, we know CC has been pitching well with Cervelli. If anything Cervelli has made sure he isn't going anywhere and will be the backup next year and I have a feeling we will see more of Jorge Posada as the DH. This was the largest shutout for the Yankees since Sept 25, 1977 against Toronto. The Yankees have won 14 of their last 19 at home. This was A.J. Burnetts longest scoreless outing since last June 28th, hopefully this will turn it around last year, he did have a huge second half last year. Hideki Matsui has hit 10 of his 16 homeruns against lefties. This was the largest margin ever in a Subway series game. Johan Santana allowed more runs then he ever has before go figure since they couldn't hit Nieve yesterday who is a no name. I am sure you all saw the before game incident with K-rod and Bruney. It appears to be over as Bruney said it is over and there is nothing else to say and K-rod wouldn't comment. K-rod approached him and was really going at him before Pelfrey and Jose Veras came in to push him away. Now we know why Veras is on the team. I really thought this whole thing was dumb and am glad it is over, Bruney just needs to come back stay healthy and help solidify the bullpen.

Game 63: Mets at Yankees

Here is the link for the pregame notes and Yankees lineup. Francisco Cervelli is catching today and Swisher is back in the lineup. Johan Santana is a great pitcher but hasn't been great lately and A.J. Burnett needs to get it together and pitch his best game of the season. The game is at 1 on Yes and Sny. Enjoy the game everyone, hopefully it will be a good one and no rain interuptions. Game 63: Mets at Yankees Posted using ShareThis
 

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