The New York Yankees will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the first of four games tonight at the Stadium. Derek Jeter enters the game three hits away from 3000. The Yankees are ready for him to do it at home, the quicker the better. If he does it, it will be a huge thing and I am sure there will be a celebration but they can't delay the game for too long. I am sure the Yankees will honor him further at some point in the season when they have a chance to figure out how to do it. He of course will want to just focus on the team winning but it is hard to ignore that he will be the first Yankee to ever accomplish this and the 28th player of all-time.
The Yankees are currently in first place in the AL East by half a game over the Boston Red Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays are four games behind the Yankees so this is a big series. The Yankees can really put some distance between them and the Rays and the Rays can make some noise and make this a three team race. Here are some notes and the lineup.
Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.
Bartolo Colon will make the start against Jeff Niemann. Jeter is 5-9 against him with two doubles a walk and a strikeout. Niemann has had a tough year. He has been hurt with a lower back strain and only made nine starts this year.
Hughes last night didn't pitch great but he didn't pitch poorly either. The Yankees think he has room to improve but that it was his location that was the problem not his stuff. Hughes will continue to pitch and see if he can get better. If he does and no one else gets hurt then the Yankees will be in good shape. Ivan Nova starts in Scranton tonight and is essentially the sixth starter but working in AAA. If someone gets hurt or Hughes doesn't improve he will be back up and put back in the rotation.
The Yankees fans will be showering Jeter with love tonight and these next four games. The All Star Break is after these four games so now is the time to get to 3000. It should be a great atmosphere for these games and besides it is a division rival where there is something at stake. I expect this to be a lot of fun and look forward to seeing how they celebrate hit 3000.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Yankees lose in Hughes return
The New York Yankees were defeated by the Cleveland Indians by the score of 5-3 on Wednesday night. Phil Hughes made his return from the disabled list where he has been since April. Hughes pitched ok but not great. Hughes got off to a rocky start and then recovered. The Yankees offense could not solve Justin Masterson who was brilliant pitching eight innings of shutout baseball. Derek Jeter did have a hit and is now three hits away from 3000 as he heads home.
Hughes pitched five innings giving up two runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out two. Hughes is 0-2 on the season and his ERA is 10.57, it actually went down as it was above 13 coming into the game. Luis Ayala pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits, Boone Logan pitched one inning giving up one hit and one run. Sergio Mitre pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up one hit and two runs. He walked three and struck out one.
Jeter had one hit and hit the ball hard another time. Jeter is excited to get back home and get three more hits there. It will be a special night at the stadium when he does get his 3000th hit. He has four chances to do it there needing three more hits. Alex Rodriguez had two hits, Robinson Cano had a hit and Nick Swisher had a hit, RBI and a walk. Jorge Posada had an RBI, Russell Martin had a hit and an RBI. Jeter and Swisher had doubles in the game. The Yankees were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Martin made a throwing error.
The Indians scored two runs in the first inning and they didn’t look back. Travis Hafner had an RBI single and on a strike out to Carlos Santana, it was a wild pitch and Martin tried to throw to third and threw it into left field allowing a run to score. In the seventh inning Lonnie Chisenhall hit a solo homerun to make it 3-0. It was the first homerun of Chisenhalls major league career. In the eighth inning Santana walked to drive in a run and Grady Sizemore hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0. The Yankees scored three runs in the ninth but fell a little bit short in their comeback attempt. Swisher hit an RBI double, Posada had an RBI groundout and Martin had an RBI groundout.
The Yankees lost two out of three games to the Cleveland Indians. It was the first time they have lost a series since June 7-9th against Boston. The Yankees remain in first place but are now only ½ a game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees begin a three game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. The Rays are four games behind the Yankees so this is an important series. The Yankees can put some distance between the two teams or the Rays can get right back into the race.
Hughes pitched five innings giving up two runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out two. Hughes is 0-2 on the season and his ERA is 10.57, it actually went down as it was above 13 coming into the game. Luis Ayala pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits, Boone Logan pitched one inning giving up one hit and one run. Sergio Mitre pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up one hit and two runs. He walked three and struck out one.
Jeter had one hit and hit the ball hard another time. Jeter is excited to get back home and get three more hits there. It will be a special night at the stadium when he does get his 3000th hit. He has four chances to do it there needing three more hits. Alex Rodriguez had two hits, Robinson Cano had a hit and Nick Swisher had a hit, RBI and a walk. Jorge Posada had an RBI, Russell Martin had a hit and an RBI. Jeter and Swisher had doubles in the game. The Yankees were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Martin made a throwing error.
The Indians scored two runs in the first inning and they didn’t look back. Travis Hafner had an RBI single and on a strike out to Carlos Santana, it was a wild pitch and Martin tried to throw to third and threw it into left field allowing a run to score. In the seventh inning Lonnie Chisenhall hit a solo homerun to make it 3-0. It was the first homerun of Chisenhalls major league career. In the eighth inning Santana walked to drive in a run and Grady Sizemore hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0. The Yankees scored three runs in the ninth but fell a little bit short in their comeback attempt. Swisher hit an RBI double, Posada had an RBI groundout and Martin had an RBI groundout.
The Yankees lost two out of three games to the Cleveland Indians. It was the first time they have lost a series since June 7-9th against Boston. The Yankees remain in first place but are now only ½ a game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees begin a three game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. The Rays are four games behind the Yankees so this is an important series. The Yankees can put some distance between the two teams or the Rays can get right back into the race.
Yankees notes after a Grand victory
Here are some postgame notes after a Yankees victory in Cleveland.
CC Sabathia said he’s been on a run better than this, which really gives some perspective to just how good he was during his short stint with the Brewers. After seven scoreless innings tonight, Sabathia has allowed a total of one run in his past three starts. During those 22.2 innings he’s struck out 33, walked five and extended his personal winning streak to five in a row.
“Milwaukee is still my best,” he said. “I don’t even know what happened. It was just one of those things… That was two and a half months. This has been three or four starts.” I would say what happened is he was pitching in the National League, the offense isn't as good.
Sabathia’s ERA is down to 2.90 and he’s the first big league pitcher to reach 12 wins. It’s the second straight year that he’s had 12 wins before the all-star break, making him the first Yankees starter to do that since Tommy John in 1979-80.
“It’s as good a run as I’ve seen him have with us,” Joe Girardi said. “He’s been tremendous.”
Derek Jeter said he can’t help thinking about 3,000 hits because he hears about it every time he’s on-deck. Tonight, he said, fans were telling him to go 6-for-6. He told them he was trying, I can only imagine but he is good at not letting any pressure get to him. He has been a cool customer his whole career and that is part of what makes Derek Jeter, Derek Jeter.
Tonight Jeter pulled within four hits of No. 3,000. He’s had two four-hit games this season, so it’s not out of the question that he could do it tomorrow. Thing is, Girardi wants to give Jeter one day off — a full day off, not a DH day — before the all-star break. He doesn’t want his 37-year-old shortstop playing nine days in a row when he’s coming back from a calf injury.
Jeter, of course, wants to play. He always wants to play and when he isn't it kills him, he doesn't know what to do with himself. The three weeks off he had must of really been bothering him.
Granderson went deep twice tonight. That gave him 25 home runs for the season, which is one more than he had all last season. It’s five away from his career-high. As he’s always done, Granderson downplayed the surging home run totals. “They’ve just come a little bit quicker than they have in the past,” Granderson said. It is amazing how he has transformed himself. He was a good major league player and could of done nothing and been ok but you have to give him credit for changing things and they are working.
Granderson has four home runs in his past four games, a streak that came immediately after he went 14 games without a homer.
One theory about Sabathia’s increased velocity: It’s finally gotten hot. Sabathia loves pitching in the heat. “I’ve been able to stay loose,” he said. “That’s a big thing for me. In between innings trying to stay loose and make sure I can keep sweating, and I think that’s a big part of my velocity.”
Girardi was quick to give credit to Brett Gardner during his postgame press conference. That five-run second inning wouldn’t have happened without Gardner breaking up what would have been an inning-ending double play. His slide into second base was actually a pivotal moment in this game. “I got in there a little bit,” Gardner said. “Not like I do against some guys.”
Jeter said it didn’t bother him that his first hit off the disabled list was dribbler that went for an infield single, but he did enjoy hitting the ball hard on that second-inning double. “I don’t care how I get hits,” Jeter said. “I have no ego whatsoever. It did feel good to hit a ball good. It’s the hardest ball I’ve hit in three weeks.” That is pretty funny that he said that because he has an ego and a big one. Part of the reason the contract was an issue in the winter is because of his ego.
Girardi said he’s still not sure whether Mariano Rivera will be available tomorrow. “He talked about being ready in case of emergency,” Girardi said. “I didn’t know what that emergency would be. When he said he still felt it a little bit, I said, ‘You’re off again today and we’ll see where we are tomorrow.’”
Brian Gordon made his Scranton/Wilkes-Barre debut tonight and pitched five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Ivan Nova will make his first Triple-A start of the year on Thursday. It is nice to have depth in AAA so you know who to call if something happens at the big league level.
CC Sabathia said he’s been on a run better than this, which really gives some perspective to just how good he was during his short stint with the Brewers. After seven scoreless innings tonight, Sabathia has allowed a total of one run in his past three starts. During those 22.2 innings he’s struck out 33, walked five and extended his personal winning streak to five in a row.
“Milwaukee is still my best,” he said. “I don’t even know what happened. It was just one of those things… That was two and a half months. This has been three or four starts.” I would say what happened is he was pitching in the National League, the offense isn't as good.
Sabathia’s ERA is down to 2.90 and he’s the first big league pitcher to reach 12 wins. It’s the second straight year that he’s had 12 wins before the all-star break, making him the first Yankees starter to do that since Tommy John in 1979-80.
“It’s as good a run as I’ve seen him have with us,” Joe Girardi said. “He’s been tremendous.”
Derek Jeter said he can’t help thinking about 3,000 hits because he hears about it every time he’s on-deck. Tonight, he said, fans were telling him to go 6-for-6. He told them he was trying, I can only imagine but he is good at not letting any pressure get to him. He has been a cool customer his whole career and that is part of what makes Derek Jeter, Derek Jeter.
Tonight Jeter pulled within four hits of No. 3,000. He’s had two four-hit games this season, so it’s not out of the question that he could do it tomorrow. Thing is, Girardi wants to give Jeter one day off — a full day off, not a DH day — before the all-star break. He doesn’t want his 37-year-old shortstop playing nine days in a row when he’s coming back from a calf injury.
Jeter, of course, wants to play. He always wants to play and when he isn't it kills him, he doesn't know what to do with himself. The three weeks off he had must of really been bothering him.
Granderson went deep twice tonight. That gave him 25 home runs for the season, which is one more than he had all last season. It’s five away from his career-high. As he’s always done, Granderson downplayed the surging home run totals. “They’ve just come a little bit quicker than they have in the past,” Granderson said. It is amazing how he has transformed himself. He was a good major league player and could of done nothing and been ok but you have to give him credit for changing things and they are working.
Granderson has four home runs in his past four games, a streak that came immediately after he went 14 games without a homer.
One theory about Sabathia’s increased velocity: It’s finally gotten hot. Sabathia loves pitching in the heat. “I’ve been able to stay loose,” he said. “That’s a big thing for me. In between innings trying to stay loose and make sure I can keep sweating, and I think that’s a big part of my velocity.”
Girardi was quick to give credit to Brett Gardner during his postgame press conference. That five-run second inning wouldn’t have happened without Gardner breaking up what would have been an inning-ending double play. His slide into second base was actually a pivotal moment in this game. “I got in there a little bit,” Gardner said. “Not like I do against some guys.”
Jeter said it didn’t bother him that his first hit off the disabled list was dribbler that went for an infield single, but he did enjoy hitting the ball hard on that second-inning double. “I don’t care how I get hits,” Jeter said. “I have no ego whatsoever. It did feel good to hit a ball good. It’s the hardest ball I’ve hit in three weeks.” That is pretty funny that he said that because he has an ego and a big one. Part of the reason the contract was an issue in the winter is because of his ego.
Girardi said he’s still not sure whether Mariano Rivera will be available tomorrow. “He talked about being ready in case of emergency,” Girardi said. “I didn’t know what that emergency would be. When he said he still felt it a little bit, I said, ‘You’re off again today and we’ll see where we are tomorrow.’”
Brian Gordon made his Scranton/Wilkes-Barre debut tonight and pitched five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Ivan Nova will make his first Triple-A start of the year on Thursday. It is nice to have depth in AAA so you know who to call if something happens at the big league level.
Yankees offense rolls and CC dominates in Yankees victory
The New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians by the score of 9-2 on Tuesday night. CC Sabathia pitched seven shutout innings. It was the big mans fifth straight victory. He failed to make the All Star Team but he sure is pitching like an All Star. He leads the major leagues with 12 wins and is 12-4 on the season with a 2.90 ERA.
Curtis Granderson continued his great season hitting two homeruns. He has 25 on the season which is one more then he had all of last season. His career high is 30 which he accomplished in 2009 with the Detroit Tigers. Derek Jeter had two hits and is now four away from 3000. He has one more game in Cleveland tomorrow if he plays and then the four at home against the Tampa Bay Rays before the All Star Break. He would like to get it at home against the Rays.
Francisco Cervelli was the only starter who didn't have at least two hits. Granderson had three and every other starter had two hits. The Yankees will try and win their eighth straight series tomorrow. It will be Phil Hughes against Justin Masterson in the pitching matchup. Hughes hasn't pitched in the major leauges since April. He underwent a successful rehab stint and the Yankees are anxious to see what he could give them the rest of this season. They are confident he is past his arm troubles and ready to be more like the guy he was last year when he won 18 games.
The game will be on tomorrow night at 7:00PM on the YES Network. The Yankees don't play a lot of day games on get away day for whatever reason. I would assume it's because it is the Yankees and they get better ratings at night.
Curtis Granderson continued his great season hitting two homeruns. He has 25 on the season which is one more then he had all of last season. His career high is 30 which he accomplished in 2009 with the Detroit Tigers. Derek Jeter had two hits and is now four away from 3000. He has one more game in Cleveland tomorrow if he plays and then the four at home against the Tampa Bay Rays before the All Star Break. He would like to get it at home against the Rays.
Francisco Cervelli was the only starter who didn't have at least two hits. Granderson had three and every other starter had two hits. The Yankees will try and win their eighth straight series tomorrow. It will be Phil Hughes against Justin Masterson in the pitching matchup. Hughes hasn't pitched in the major leauges since April. He underwent a successful rehab stint and the Yankees are anxious to see what he could give them the rest of this season. They are confident he is past his arm troubles and ready to be more like the guy he was last year when he won 18 games.
The game will be on tomorrow night at 7:00PM on the YES Network. The Yankees don't play a lot of day games on get away day for whatever reason. I would assume it's because it is the Yankees and they get better ratings at night.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Yankees postgame news and notes after a tough loss
The New York Yankees lost this afternoon to the New York Mets 3-2. Here are some news and notes from after the game. Derek Jeter is headed to Cleveland after he returns to the team, he was off about three weeks with an injured calf. Jeter needs six more hits to reach 3000.
Phil Hughes will start Wednesday in Cleveland he is jumping right into Ivan Nova's spot in the rotation. Nova was optioned down to AAA Scranton earlier in the day. The Yankees did discuss several options but it came down to sending Nova down or going with a six man rotation. Girardi sent him down because he didn't want to mess with Burnett and Sabathia's schedule. Girardi said this about Nova "I think he handled it like a man and a professional. I think he will go about it the right way."
Teixeira was not selected to the All Star Team. That was a suprise to me and not in a snotty way but a firm way he said he doesn't want to be in the HR derby if he isn't in the All Star Game. That is just a feeling of his and not meant to be mean or mad because he didn't get in. It was a hard choice for the Yankees. Larry Rothschild the pitching coach said it was hard but a good one to have to make. They briefly discussed putting Nova in the bullpen. I thought about that a couple of weeks ago, they feel that would hurt his development, he is a starting pitcher and that is what he needs to do.
“In a lot of other places he wouldn’t be out of the rotation, but because guys are throwing so well, it just happens,” Girardi said. “He’s not the first guy that has thrown the ball extremely well and has had to go down… Going into spring training would you have said we had an excess of starting pitching? I probably would have said no, but the guys have thrown great. This kid, he’ll be back at some point. We know that.”
All around the Yankees clubhouse, the team seemed to feel badly for Nova. But they also seemed to understand the situation. Every option came with its positives and negatives, but the Yankees wanted to get Phil Hughes back, they wanted to keep all of their veterans in the rotation, and they wanted to keep Nova on an every-five-days schedule. This information is coming from Chad Jennings of the Journal News.
“It sucks the moves that correspond with it,” Hughes said. “I feel bad for Nova, but I’m real excited to get back. I’m ready, and I feel up for it.”
Rivera had converted 26 straight saves against the National League. That includes two in the World Series. It was tied for the second longest streak of interleague. Troy Percival had 26 and Eric Gagne had 29.
Girardi is hopeful of Nunez returning tomorrow even with Jeter coming back. The Yankees have their whole infield on the All Star team other then Teixeira. Teixeira said it is tough in the AL because of so many good first baseman. He said he would be spending time with his family, he didn't seem that upset about it. CC Sabathia was the other guy that didn't get in that was kind of a suprise. He is looking forward to the three days off though and isn't uspet at all. Dave Robertson is the other name that everyone is talking about that it would of been nice if he made it. He didn't though unless their is an injury.
The Yankees will open up a three game series in Cleveland tomorrow with A.J. Burnett on the mound. They will try and start a new winning streak and Jeter will resume his chase for 3000. He is six hits shy of that mark and will have these three games before returning home for four against the Tampa Bay Rays. It will then be the All Star Break.
Phil Hughes will start Wednesday in Cleveland he is jumping right into Ivan Nova's spot in the rotation. Nova was optioned down to AAA Scranton earlier in the day. The Yankees did discuss several options but it came down to sending Nova down or going with a six man rotation. Girardi sent him down because he didn't want to mess with Burnett and Sabathia's schedule. Girardi said this about Nova "I think he handled it like a man and a professional. I think he will go about it the right way."
Teixeira was not selected to the All Star Team. That was a suprise to me and not in a snotty way but a firm way he said he doesn't want to be in the HR derby if he isn't in the All Star Game. That is just a feeling of his and not meant to be mean or mad because he didn't get in. It was a hard choice for the Yankees. Larry Rothschild the pitching coach said it was hard but a good one to have to make. They briefly discussed putting Nova in the bullpen. I thought about that a couple of weeks ago, they feel that would hurt his development, he is a starting pitcher and that is what he needs to do.
“In a lot of other places he wouldn’t be out of the rotation, but because guys are throwing so well, it just happens,” Girardi said. “He’s not the first guy that has thrown the ball extremely well and has had to go down… Going into spring training would you have said we had an excess of starting pitching? I probably would have said no, but the guys have thrown great. This kid, he’ll be back at some point. We know that.”
All around the Yankees clubhouse, the team seemed to feel badly for Nova. But they also seemed to understand the situation. Every option came with its positives and negatives, but the Yankees wanted to get Phil Hughes back, they wanted to keep all of their veterans in the rotation, and they wanted to keep Nova on an every-five-days schedule. This information is coming from Chad Jennings of the Journal News.
“It sucks the moves that correspond with it,” Hughes said. “I feel bad for Nova, but I’m real excited to get back. I’m ready, and I feel up for it.”
Rivera had converted 26 straight saves against the National League. That includes two in the World Series. It was tied for the second longest streak of interleague. Troy Percival had 26 and Eric Gagne had 29.
Girardi is hopeful of Nunez returning tomorrow even with Jeter coming back. The Yankees have their whole infield on the All Star team other then Teixeira. Teixeira said it is tough in the AL because of so many good first baseman. He said he would be spending time with his family, he didn't seem that upset about it. CC Sabathia was the other guy that didn't get in that was kind of a suprise. He is looking forward to the three days off though and isn't uspet at all. Dave Robertson is the other name that everyone is talking about that it would of been nice if he made it. He didn't though unless their is an injury.
The Yankees will open up a three game series in Cleveland tomorrow with A.J. Burnett on the mound. They will try and start a new winning streak and Jeter will resume his chase for 3000. He is six hits shy of that mark and will have these three games before returning home for four against the Tampa Bay Rays. It will then be the All Star Break.
The Yankees fail to sweep the Mets
The New York Yankees lost to the New York Mets today by the score of 3-2. It was a good pitchers duel between Freddy Garcia who pitched a great seven innings and R.A. Dickey who pitched well for five innings. Dickey left the game with a hip/butt injury. It doesn't appear to be anything serious and he should make his next start.
The Yankees did hit a couple of triples in this game but no homeruns. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning after Gardner hit a triple, Granderson hit a sacrifice fly. The Mets tied the game in the ninth inning off of the great Mariano Rivera who blew his fourth save of the season. Jason Bay walked with two outs and no one on. Lucas Duda hit a single to put runners at the corners with two out and Ronny Paulino coming to the plate. With two strikes Paulino hit an RBI single. The next batter hit one right through Pena's legs which was an error but Brett Gardner threw Duda out at home. The throw wasn't great, it was up the first base line a little. Martin made a great play going to get the ball and then diving back to tag the runner out before he could score the winning run.
The game went to the tenth and the Yankees had a triple from Cano with two outs but they couldn't get the run in. In the bottom of the tenth the Mets scored on a Bay RBI single to walk-off with the win. Pena made two critical errors, he is supposed to be really good defensively but he also made three errors in Cincinatti a couple of weeks ago. Derek Jeter will be back tomorrow and he is the guy most likely who is going to be sent back down to the minors.
The Yankees did hit a couple of triples in this game but no homeruns. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning after Gardner hit a triple, Granderson hit a sacrifice fly. The Mets tied the game in the ninth inning off of the great Mariano Rivera who blew his fourth save of the season. Jason Bay walked with two outs and no one on. Lucas Duda hit a single to put runners at the corners with two out and Ronny Paulino coming to the plate. With two strikes Paulino hit an RBI single. The next batter hit one right through Pena's legs which was an error but Brett Gardner threw Duda out at home. The throw wasn't great, it was up the first base line a little. Martin made a great play going to get the ball and then diving back to tag the runner out before he could score the winning run.
The game went to the tenth and the Yankees had a triple from Cano with two outs but they couldn't get the run in. In the bottom of the tenth the Mets scored on a Bay RBI single to walk-off with the win. Pena made two critical errors, he is supposed to be really good defensively but he also made three errors in Cincinatti a couple of weeks ago. Derek Jeter will be back tomorrow and he is the guy most likely who is going to be sent back down to the minors.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Yankees defeat the Mets once again
The Yankees defeated the Mets 5-2 on Saturday evening. They won their seventh straight game and another interleague series. The Yankees won every interleague series this year and are 13-4 in interleague with one last game tomorrow at the Mets. The Yankees are 50-31 at exactly the halfway point of the season. The team is on pace for 100 wins and they are 1-8 against the Red Sox. They have been amazing against everyone else. Here are some news and notes from postgame on Saturday.
Colon has a breaking ball and a changeup, but it’s that fastball that makes him so good. It’s the reason he gets so many strikeouts looking. He’s now thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings, a stretch of dominance that extended to both sides of a DL stint. Colon may be the MVP of this Yankees team.
Derek Jeter is finished in Trenton. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run. He started one double play and had to make at least one impressive, spinning play. He came through the game fine and will play nine innings tomorrow before rejoining the Yankees on Monday in Cleveland. It is ironic it is there, he started his first game there and that is where George Steinbrenner is from and it will be the Fourth Of July which would of been the Boss birthday.
Speaking of shortstops, you know all about Eduardo Nunez’s 7-for-8 the past two days. It turns out, his only out was caught by an old friend of his. Nunez has known Mets second baseman Justin Turner for a few years now, and in the sixth inning, Turner made a terrific play to rob Nunez on a line drive headed for the gap. “He told me, you can’t be 7-for-7,” Nunez said. “He’s my friend.”
Girardi said he had some advance notice that Colon might be this good. “They said he was really sharp on Monday,” Girardi said. “His velocity was good and the movement was good. He’s kind of surprised us all year long in a sense. We weren’t sure what we were going ot get out of him in spring training, and he just continued to pitch well and he did today.”
A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova are still scheduled to start the Cleveland series. “They’re still the probables,” Girardi said. This could change of course but that is it for right now.
By the way, Girardi said he’s not positive he’ll have an announcement about Phil Hughes tomorrow. That seems a little crazy since he’s on turn to start Monday, but that’s what Girardi said. It is a very tough choice but you know that CC, A.J. and Colon must stay in the rotation, Garcia isn't suited for the bullpen and Nova has eight wins and has been pitching better over his last four starts. Nova is the likely guy to go down but is that really fair to him. I would think that will happen rather then a six man rotation because they don't want to mess around with CC and A.J.
For the second day in a row, the Yankees and Mets drew the largest ever crowd at Citi Field. They had 42,042 today. They had 42,020 last night. The Yankees seem to have gotten a lot of those this year, largest at Wrigley, I believe in Cincinatti and now at Citi Field.
The Yankees are now 24-4 in day games. That’s an .857 winning percentage. They’re also on track for exactly 100 wins with a 50-31 record midway through the season. It is hard to imagine with them being 1-8 against the Red Sox and they are still 2 1/2 games ahead of them for first place in the AL East.
Two more scoreless innings from Cory Wade. The Yankees really seem to have found something there. Russell Martin caught Wade when he had a 0.925 WHIP out of the Dodgers bullpen in 2008. “He looks like he’s even sharper now,” Martin said. Wade has been a revelation much like Colon. The Yankees have done well this year with the scrap heap pickups.
Sergio Mitre made his season debut with the Yankees and gave up two runs in the ninth. He is viewed as a long man but he has to produce, if not they could call someone up. Dominant pitching performances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tonight, as well. D.J. Mitchell pitched seven shutout innings in the first game of a double header, then George Kontos spot-started the second game and went four scoreless with no walks and five strikeouts. Keep an eye on both of them. Those would be legitimate long relief options if Mitre continues to struggle.
Colon has a breaking ball and a changeup, but it’s that fastball that makes him so good. It’s the reason he gets so many strikeouts looking. He’s now thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings, a stretch of dominance that extended to both sides of a DL stint. Colon may be the MVP of this Yankees team.
Derek Jeter is finished in Trenton. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run. He started one double play and had to make at least one impressive, spinning play. He came through the game fine and will play nine innings tomorrow before rejoining the Yankees on Monday in Cleveland. It is ironic it is there, he started his first game there and that is where George Steinbrenner is from and it will be the Fourth Of July which would of been the Boss birthday.
Speaking of shortstops, you know all about Eduardo Nunez’s 7-for-8 the past two days. It turns out, his only out was caught by an old friend of his. Nunez has known Mets second baseman Justin Turner for a few years now, and in the sixth inning, Turner made a terrific play to rob Nunez on a line drive headed for the gap. “He told me, you can’t be 7-for-7,” Nunez said. “He’s my friend.”
Girardi said he had some advance notice that Colon might be this good. “They said he was really sharp on Monday,” Girardi said. “His velocity was good and the movement was good. He’s kind of surprised us all year long in a sense. We weren’t sure what we were going ot get out of him in spring training, and he just continued to pitch well and he did today.”
A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova are still scheduled to start the Cleveland series. “They’re still the probables,” Girardi said. This could change of course but that is it for right now.
By the way, Girardi said he’s not positive he’ll have an announcement about Phil Hughes tomorrow. That seems a little crazy since he’s on turn to start Monday, but that’s what Girardi said. It is a very tough choice but you know that CC, A.J. and Colon must stay in the rotation, Garcia isn't suited for the bullpen and Nova has eight wins and has been pitching better over his last four starts. Nova is the likely guy to go down but is that really fair to him. I would think that will happen rather then a six man rotation because they don't want to mess around with CC and A.J.
For the second day in a row, the Yankees and Mets drew the largest ever crowd at Citi Field. They had 42,042 today. They had 42,020 last night. The Yankees seem to have gotten a lot of those this year, largest at Wrigley, I believe in Cincinatti and now at Citi Field.
The Yankees are now 24-4 in day games. That’s an .857 winning percentage. They’re also on track for exactly 100 wins with a 50-31 record midway through the season. It is hard to imagine with them being 1-8 against the Red Sox and they are still 2 1/2 games ahead of them for first place in the AL East.
Two more scoreless innings from Cory Wade. The Yankees really seem to have found something there. Russell Martin caught Wade when he had a 0.925 WHIP out of the Dodgers bullpen in 2008. “He looks like he’s even sharper now,” Martin said. Wade has been a revelation much like Colon. The Yankees have done well this year with the scrap heap pickups.
Sergio Mitre made his season debut with the Yankees and gave up two runs in the ninth. He is viewed as a long man but he has to produce, if not they could call someone up. Dominant pitching performances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tonight, as well. D.J. Mitchell pitched seven shutout innings in the first game of a double header, then George Kontos spot-started the second game and went four scoreless with no walks and five strikeouts. Keep an eye on both of them. Those would be legitimate long relief options if Mitre continues to struggle.
Yankees News and Notes from Friday and Saturday
Eduardo Nunez won’t be the Yankees starting shortstop much longer, and he knows that. Best-case scenario is that he’ll be in the lineup two more days. If he’s playing much longer than that, something’s gone wrong with Derek Jeter’s rehab. Jeter got through a rehab today and felt good, he is slated for all nine innings tomorrow then should be active for the Cleveland game on Monday.
“I’m Eduardo Nunez, I’m not Derek Jeter,” Nunez said. “He’s a Hall of Famer. I’m this young guy. I have to learn a lot and do my best… I know he’s coming back, but I play hard, and one time my moment is coming to play every day. These two weeks have been an opportunity for me to show my manager, my staff and everybody that I can play (every day) one day in my career.”
Nunez made this team because of his bat, and after tonight’s 4-for-4, he’s hitting .309 as Jeter’s replacement. The eighth-inning insurance run he drove in gave the Yankees some breathing room on a night they seemed to hold their breath a lot. Nunez had three hits today and was robbed of another one by Justin Turner.
The obvious knock on Nunez is his defense. He has a strong arm and plenty of range, but he’s showing some of the inconsistency that you might expect, but not necessarily like, from a young player. He has had seven hits the past two days but Jeter is the shortstop for now. Girardi did say he will try and get Nunez more at-bats.
“He belongs here,” Mark Teixeira said. “He’s a guy that’s going to play in this game a long time, and he’s showing with this stretch here, these past couple of weeks, that he can play at this level.”
Said Joe Girardi: “When you have guys go down, a lot of times it’s kids who have a chance to step up. And he’s stepped up big time.”
Four scoreless innings from the bullpen, including key outs from Cory Wade and Boone Logan. “It makes it easier for us now that we have an idea exactly what we have,” Girardi said. “In the beginning when we were calling people up, you had to learn them as quick as possible and try to figure out which situations they’re most capable of being successful, but we’ve had them a little while and it definitely helps out to have that little background when you’re bringing them in.”
Nick Swisher has a season-best eight-game hitting streak coming into today's game. He’s hitting .379 during the streak.
Brian Cashman said before the game that it’s unlikely Jeter will play the full nine innings. He said this on Friday night. Jeter ended up playing five. He was 1-2 with a walk and made some nice plays in the field.
Cashman also said Rafael Soriano threw a 32-fastball bullpen and could be back the first series after the all-star break — that’s best-case scenario — but Eric Chavez had a mild setback with a strain in his back. He’s eligible to be back next week, but Cashman said that probably won’t happen
“I’m Eduardo Nunez, I’m not Derek Jeter,” Nunez said. “He’s a Hall of Famer. I’m this young guy. I have to learn a lot and do my best… I know he’s coming back, but I play hard, and one time my moment is coming to play every day. These two weeks have been an opportunity for me to show my manager, my staff and everybody that I can play (every day) one day in my career.”
Nunez made this team because of his bat, and after tonight’s 4-for-4, he’s hitting .309 as Jeter’s replacement. The eighth-inning insurance run he drove in gave the Yankees some breathing room on a night they seemed to hold their breath a lot. Nunez had three hits today and was robbed of another one by Justin Turner.
The obvious knock on Nunez is his defense. He has a strong arm and plenty of range, but he’s showing some of the inconsistency that you might expect, but not necessarily like, from a young player. He has had seven hits the past two days but Jeter is the shortstop for now. Girardi did say he will try and get Nunez more at-bats.
“He belongs here,” Mark Teixeira said. “He’s a guy that’s going to play in this game a long time, and he’s showing with this stretch here, these past couple of weeks, that he can play at this level.”
Said Joe Girardi: “When you have guys go down, a lot of times it’s kids who have a chance to step up. And he’s stepped up big time.”
Four scoreless innings from the bullpen, including key outs from Cory Wade and Boone Logan. “It makes it easier for us now that we have an idea exactly what we have,” Girardi said. “In the beginning when we were calling people up, you had to learn them as quick as possible and try to figure out which situations they’re most capable of being successful, but we’ve had them a little while and it definitely helps out to have that little background when you’re bringing them in.”
Nick Swisher has a season-best eight-game hitting streak coming into today's game. He’s hitting .379 during the streak.
Brian Cashman said before the game that it’s unlikely Jeter will play the full nine innings. He said this on Friday night. Jeter ended up playing five. He was 1-2 with a walk and made some nice plays in the field.
Cashman also said Rafael Soriano threw a 32-fastball bullpen and could be back the first series after the all-star break — that’s best-case scenario — but Eric Chavez had a mild setback with a strain in his back. He’s eligible to be back next week, but Cashman said that probably won’t happen
Yankees take Game One of the Subway Series at Citi
The New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets by the score of 5-1 on Friday night. Ivan Nova started for the Yankees and battled for five innings. He was in trouble pretty much all night but he only gave up a run. The Yankees bullpen did a really nice job. The Yankees offense jumped out early and that was all they would need. Jon Niese wasn’t horrible but he got hit hard early and couldn’t recover from them. The Mets offense was shut down tonight, they had been rolling on their recent road trip.
Nova pitched five innings giving up one run on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three. Nova improved his record to 8-4 with a 4.12 ERA. It was said that he could pitch his way out of the rotation with this game because of Hughes coming back soon. The Yankees have a decision to make now but are still not sure what they will do, they could go to a six man rotation. Luis Ayala walked one and struck out one in 2/3 of an inning, Cory Wade gave up a hit and a walk in one inning and Boone Logan struck out the only batter he faced. Dave Robertson pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Hector Noesi gave up a hit in 1/3 of an inning. Noesi has pitched well out of the bullpen but he will head back to AAA Scranton on Saturday when Bartolo Colon is activated. Mariano Rivera gave up a hit in 2/3 of an inning.
Niese pitched six innings for the Mets and gave up three runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out seven. He had a rough first inning and then settled down. Pedro Beato pitched one inning giving up an unearned run. He walked one and struck out two, Tim Byrdak got out the only batter that he faced and Bobby Parnell pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. D.J. Carrasco pitched one inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks. Niese saw his record drop to 7-7 on the season.
Nick Swisher had a hit for the Yankees, Curtis Granderson had a hit and a walk and Mark Teixeira had a hit, two RBI and two walks. Alex Rodriguez had two hits and an RBI, Robinson Cano had two hits an RBI and a walk and Russell Martin had a walk. Eduardo Nunez had four hits and an RBI, it was his first four hit game of his career. Nunez has done a good job defensively and gotten better defensively but he needs to tighten up his defense. Derek Jeter is expected back on Monday and Nunez will go back to the bench. Teixeira, Cano, Rodriguez and Nunez all had a double. The Yankees were 4-19 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base.
Jose Reyes had two hits, Justin Turner had three and Carlos Beltran had a hit and two walks. Daniel Murphy had a walk, Jason Bay had a hit and a walk and Ronny Paulino had a hit. Ruben Tejada had a hit and an RBI and Josh Thole had a hit. The Mets were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
In the first inning the Yankees jumped on the Mets for a 3-0 lead. Teixeira had a two run double and Cano had an RBI double. In the second inning Tejada had an RBI single for the Mets to make it 3-1. Nunez had an RBI single in the eighth to make it 4-1 and in the ninth Rodriguez had an RBI double to complete the scoring at 5-1. Rodriguez hit a shot that would have been out of just about any other ballpark. Citi Field is huge and that is why Mets players have had problems with it.
The Yankees won the first of three in this series. The two teams will play on Saturday afternoon at 4:00PM. It will be Bartolo Colon and Dillon Gee in the pitching matchup. The Mets dropped back to 500 and the Yankees are a season best 18 games over 500. The Yankees are 12-4 in interleague play which is the best mark in the majors. The Yankees remain 2 ½ games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. Boston won in Houston on Friday night.
Nova pitched five innings giving up one run on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three. Nova improved his record to 8-4 with a 4.12 ERA. It was said that he could pitch his way out of the rotation with this game because of Hughes coming back soon. The Yankees have a decision to make now but are still not sure what they will do, they could go to a six man rotation. Luis Ayala walked one and struck out one in 2/3 of an inning, Cory Wade gave up a hit and a walk in one inning and Boone Logan struck out the only batter he faced. Dave Robertson pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Hector Noesi gave up a hit in 1/3 of an inning. Noesi has pitched well out of the bullpen but he will head back to AAA Scranton on Saturday when Bartolo Colon is activated. Mariano Rivera gave up a hit in 2/3 of an inning.
Niese pitched six innings for the Mets and gave up three runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out seven. He had a rough first inning and then settled down. Pedro Beato pitched one inning giving up an unearned run. He walked one and struck out two, Tim Byrdak got out the only batter that he faced and Bobby Parnell pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. D.J. Carrasco pitched one inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks. Niese saw his record drop to 7-7 on the season.
Nick Swisher had a hit for the Yankees, Curtis Granderson had a hit and a walk and Mark Teixeira had a hit, two RBI and two walks. Alex Rodriguez had two hits and an RBI, Robinson Cano had two hits an RBI and a walk and Russell Martin had a walk. Eduardo Nunez had four hits and an RBI, it was his first four hit game of his career. Nunez has done a good job defensively and gotten better defensively but he needs to tighten up his defense. Derek Jeter is expected back on Monday and Nunez will go back to the bench. Teixeira, Cano, Rodriguez and Nunez all had a double. The Yankees were 4-19 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base.
Jose Reyes had two hits, Justin Turner had three and Carlos Beltran had a hit and two walks. Daniel Murphy had a walk, Jason Bay had a hit and a walk and Ronny Paulino had a hit. Ruben Tejada had a hit and an RBI and Josh Thole had a hit. The Mets were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
In the first inning the Yankees jumped on the Mets for a 3-0 lead. Teixeira had a two run double and Cano had an RBI double. In the second inning Tejada had an RBI single for the Mets to make it 3-1. Nunez had an RBI single in the eighth to make it 4-1 and in the ninth Rodriguez had an RBI double to complete the scoring at 5-1. Rodriguez hit a shot that would have been out of just about any other ballpark. Citi Field is huge and that is why Mets players have had problems with it.
The Yankees won the first of three in this series. The two teams will play on Saturday afternoon at 4:00PM. It will be Bartolo Colon and Dillon Gee in the pitching matchup. The Mets dropped back to 500 and the Yankees are a season best 18 games over 500. The Yankees are 12-4 in interleague play which is the best mark in the majors. The Yankees remain 2 ½ games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. Boston won in Houston on Friday night.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Yankees at Mets-Subway Series Round Two
The New York Yankees and New York Mets will take part in the Subway Series Round Two. It begins tonight at 7:00PM from Citi Field. Here are the lineup and some notes from both sides of the fence.
Yankees Lineup:Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez, Ivan Nova.
Mets Lineup:Jose Reyes, Justin Turner, Carlos Beltran, Daniel Murphy, Angel Pagan, Jason Bay, Ronny Paulino, Ruben Tejada, Jon Niese.
Johan Santana threw a bullpen on Wednesday. He is back on the mound but controlling his own schedule. I still would think it is doubtful for him this season but you never know. Taylor Buchholz has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and is out indefinitely. That is very sad, he may never be the same although Zach Greinke was able to recover from social anxiety disorder.
Ike Davis will attempt to run next week and if he can't then he will need surgery ending his season. It is amazing this was all caused by running into David Wright on a pop up, he was supposed to be day to day and that was in May.
Terry Collins said this afternoon that Wright hit off a tee today in Port St. Lucie. Manny Acosta will not go on the DL today but they won't play the whole series a man short in the bullpen. Lucas Duda will start tomorrow against Bartolo Colon and Willie Harris will be activated from the bereavement list on Sunday. Harris and his wife lost the baby she was carrying, she was rushed into labor and they lost the baby, a very sad situation and thoughts and prayers go out to he and his family.
Andy McCullough of the Star Leger is reporting that Dillon Gee is battling some dead arm, he is schedule to pitch tomorrow.
The Yankees are still on schedule with Derek Jeter returning on Monday. He is in trenton now working out and then scheduled for rehab games there tommorrow and Sunday. Bryan Hoch reported that both Pedro Feliciano and Rafael Soriano threw off a mound in Tampa today. They both could be back after the All Star Break wtih Soriano the more likely. It would be a huge boost to the depleted bullpen.
The Yankees are 11-4 in interleague play this season. They have assured themselves of a 12th consecutive winning record against the National League. They end interleague play this weekend against the Mets. The Yankees have help with a National league pitching coach and catcher this year. They have always been good against the NL though and I think it is more that the AL is a better league right now and has been for a while.
Yankees Lineup:Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez, Ivan Nova.
Mets Lineup:Jose Reyes, Justin Turner, Carlos Beltran, Daniel Murphy, Angel Pagan, Jason Bay, Ronny Paulino, Ruben Tejada, Jon Niese.
Johan Santana threw a bullpen on Wednesday. He is back on the mound but controlling his own schedule. I still would think it is doubtful for him this season but you never know. Taylor Buchholz has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and is out indefinitely. That is very sad, he may never be the same although Zach Greinke was able to recover from social anxiety disorder.
Ike Davis will attempt to run next week and if he can't then he will need surgery ending his season. It is amazing this was all caused by running into David Wright on a pop up, he was supposed to be day to day and that was in May.
Terry Collins said this afternoon that Wright hit off a tee today in Port St. Lucie. Manny Acosta will not go on the DL today but they won't play the whole series a man short in the bullpen. Lucas Duda will start tomorrow against Bartolo Colon and Willie Harris will be activated from the bereavement list on Sunday. Harris and his wife lost the baby she was carrying, she was rushed into labor and they lost the baby, a very sad situation and thoughts and prayers go out to he and his family.
Andy McCullough of the Star Leger is reporting that Dillon Gee is battling some dead arm, he is schedule to pitch tomorrow.
The Yankees are still on schedule with Derek Jeter returning on Monday. He is in trenton now working out and then scheduled for rehab games there tommorrow and Sunday. Bryan Hoch reported that both Pedro Feliciano and Rafael Soriano threw off a mound in Tampa today. They both could be back after the All Star Break wtih Soriano the more likely. It would be a huge boost to the depleted bullpen.
The Yankees are 11-4 in interleague play this season. They have assured themselves of a 12th consecutive winning record against the National League. They end interleague play this weekend against the Mets. The Yankees have help with a National league pitching coach and catcher this year. They have always been good against the NL though and I think it is more that the AL is a better league right now and has been for a while.
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