New York Yankees lose to the Toronto Blue Jays as their offense is stagnant

 The New York Yankees were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon.  The game

took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 3-2 in ten innings.  Gerrit 

Cole started for the Yankees and he pitched well just not deep into the game.  The Yankees bullpen also

pitched well.  The offense was led by Gary Sanchez who had two hits and two RBI, the rest of the 

offense pretty much didn't show up.  

Cole pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up five hits and two runs.  He walked two and struck out eight.  Chad

Green pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a hit, Jonathan Loaisiga pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout 

and Darren O'Day pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out one.  Nick Nelson took his first

loss of the season pitching an inning and giving up a hit and an unearned run.  He struck out the side.  

Hyun Jin Ryu started for the Blue Jays and pitched well.  He pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up four hits

and two runs with a walk and five strikeouts.  Tyler Chatwood pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a walk

and he struck out one, David Phelps pitched an inning giving up two hits and he walked one and Rafael

Dolis pitched an inning giving up a walk and he struck out two.  Jordan Romano pitched an inning

walking two and striking out two and he picked up the win.  Julian Merryweather picked up the save

pitching a perfect inning, striking out the side.  

DJ LeMahieu drew a walk, Aaron Judge had a hit and Aaron Hicks drew a walk.  Gleyber Torres had a

hit and drew a walk, Sanchez had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk and Jay Bruce drew a walk.  Clint

Frazier had two hits and drew a walk.  Sanchez hit a homerun and the Yankees were 0-9 with runners

in scoring position and left ten men on base.  Tauchman had two stolen bases.  

Teoscar Hernandez had three hits and an RBI, Vlad Guerrero Jr. had a hit and drew two walks and 

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had a hit and an RBI.  Randall Grichuk had two hits and an RBI, Danny Jansen had 

a hit and Grichuk hit a double.  Hernandez hit a homerun and the Blue Jays were 2-8 with runners in 

scoring position and left six men on base.  Grichuk was caught stealing.  

In the second Gurriel Jr. hit an RBI single to give the Jays a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the second

Sanchez hit a two-run homerun giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead.  In the sixth Hernandez hit a solo 

homerun and the game was tied at two.  In the tenth Grichuk hit an RBI double giving the Jays a 3-2 

lead and that would hold up as they won the game 3-2 in ten innings.  

The two teams will have off on Friday and then conclude their series with games on Saturday and 

Sunday at 1PM.  

MLB Regular season predictions

 AL East-New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles.

Those are my predictions of the standings in that order.  I think the Yankees are not only the class of the 

division but the league as well.  They can only stand in their own way and by that I mostly mean by 

injuries which they already have a couple but mainly stayed away from the long-term big injuries to their 

stars this spring.  They look hungry and primed to go Thursday and ready for a very big year.  I think 

Tampa Bay is always dangerous because they are run so well but they aren't what they were as they lost 

some big names, they traded Blake Snell and lost Charlie Morton in free agency.  I think Toronto is up 

and coming and can give some headaches but they just aren't ready yet to take over the Yankees in a 

long 162 game season.  With that said there is a lot of baseball to be played and it can be hard to predict.

The Red Sox may be slightly better as they have a pretty good lineup but not much pitching and the

Orioles are the Orioles.  

AL Central-Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, K.C. Royals, Detroit Tigers.  

I picked them in this order for the central division.  It was a tough call between the Twins and White 

Sox, the White Sox are the hot pick but I have to stick with the Twins and their experience and another

well run organization.  They just have to figure out how to win in the playoffs now.  The Indians can 

still compete but they clearly are a step below what they have been and the Royals and Tigers are 

rebuilding.  

AL West-Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers.  

This was tough for me as well, the Astros are still a good team but clearly not as good as they have

been.  Verlander won't be back until at least midseason, Valdez is hurt and Greinke is a year older.  They

lost Springer in free agency but they still have other guys like Altuve, Correa, Gurriel.  Correa couldn't 

reach an extension before the season so will that be a distraction and it will be the first time the Astros 

face the music with fans.  I am sure the fans haven't forgotten about the cheating scandal and have been

waiting for their opportunity to let them hear it especially in places like New York.  Oakland is also not

as good but they are like the little engine that could.  They just know how to win and produce a tough 

team that will compete.  

NL East-Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins

I picked them in this order for what is probably the best division in baseball.  This was a tough one but

the Braves are one heck of a team and the Mets will compete with them for the division but I think they

are just a step below them, the Mets don't have much depth.  The Phillies I think should be a pretty good

team that will also fight and it wasn't long ago that the Nationals won a World Series.  The Marlins 

surprised a lot of people in the short Covid year last year, can they maintain some success?  This should

be a fun division to watch.  

NL Central-St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates

This is an interesting division, no really good team to compete with the likes of the Dodgers, Padres, 

Braves and even the Mets but a bunch of pretty good teams that should have a good battle in their 

division.  

NL West-Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks

I think the Dodgers are the class of the sport right now, they are the defending champs and have to be 

favorites again.  The Padres will present a worthy challenge though and it is always harder to win it 

again the next year as you usually don't have the same luck and everyone is gunning for you.  The rest

of the division really doesn't stack up.  

I don't want to predict awards or postseason matchups yet but this may very well be the year you get

Yankees/Dodgers which the sport will love.  Let's see and I will make some predictions on those things

a little later in the season.  

New York Yankees defeat the Baltimore Orioles on Opening Day

The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday afternoon.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 7-2.  Masahiro Tanaka started for the Yankees and he pitched well.  Aaron Judge had two hits and two walks and Luke Voit had four RBI to lead the offense. 

Tanaka pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up six hits and two runs with one of them being earned.  He walked none and struck out five and earned his first victory of the season.  Adam Ottavino pitched 1 1/3 innings and struck out three, Zack Britton pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk and Aroldis Chapman pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out one. 

Andrew Cashner started for the Orioles and he pitched four innings giving up six hits and six runs with four walks and three strikeouts.  Mike Wright pitched an inning with a walk and a strikeout, David Hess pitched two innings giving up a hit and two walks with two strikeouts and Paul Fry pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a walk and two strikeouts. 

Brett Gardner drew a walk, Judge had two hits and drew two walks and Giancarlo Stanton had a hit and drew two walks.  Voit had a hit, four RBI and drew two walks, Miguel Andujar had a hit and an RBI and Gary Sanchez had a hit.  Greg Bird had a hit and an RBI, Gleyber Torres had a hit and drew a walk and Troy Tulowitzki had a hit.  Tulowitzki hit a double and Bird and Voit each hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.  Andujar committed an error. 

Cedric Mullins drew a walk, Dwight Smith Jr. had a hit and Jonathan Villar had two hits.  Trey Mancini had three hits and an RBI, Rio Ruiz had a hit and an RBI and Hanser Alberto had a hit.  Mancini hit a double and the Orioles were 2-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Sucre had a passed ball.

In the first Voit hit a three-run homerun giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead.  In the third Andujar hit into a double play and a run scored to push the Yankees lead to 4-0.  In the fourth Ruiz hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-1.  In the fifth Voit was hit by a pitch and a run scored, Andujar hit a sac fly and the Yankees lead was 6-1.  In the sixth Mancini hit an RBI double to cut the lead to 6-2.  In the eighth Bird hit a solo homerun to make it a 7-2 game and that would be the final score. 

The Yankees and Orioles will play game two of their three game series in Saturday afternoon. 

New York Yankees win in Toronto on Opening Day

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night.  The game took place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada and the final score was 6-1.  Luis Severino started for the Yankees and pitched well and Giancarlo Stanton led the offense with two homeruns and four RBI. 

Severino pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up a hit and no runs with three walks and seven strikeouts.  Severino picked up his first win of the season.  Chad Green pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts, Dellin Betances pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run and Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts. 

J.A. Happ pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up four hits and three runs with two of them being earned.  He walked one and struck out five and took the loss.  John Axford pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout, Aaron Loup pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk and Danny Barnes pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout.  Seung Hwan Oh pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out one and Tyler Clippard pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout. 

Brett Gardner had a hit and an RBI, Aaron Judge had two hits and drew a walk and Stanton had three hits and four RBI.  Gary Sanchez had a hit and an RBI, Aaron Hicks had two hits and Didi Gregorius drew a walk.  Brandon Drury had a hit, Neil Walker had a hit and Judge, Stanton, Sanchez and Walker each hit a double.  Stanton hit two homeruns and Gardner hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 1-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Severino committed an error. 

Josh Donaldson drew a walk, Justin Smoak drew a walk and Curtis Granderson had a hit and drew a walk.  Kevin Pillar had a hit and an RBI including a homerun.  The Blue Jays were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Donaldson had a stolen base and Granderson and Oh each committed an error. 

In the first Stanton hit a two-run homerun giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.  In the fifth Stanton hit an RBI double to push the Yankees lead to 3-0 and Sanchez hit an RBI double to make it a 4-0 game.  In the seventh Gardner hit a solo homerun extending the lead to 5-0.  In the eighth Pillar hit a solo homerun to cut the lead to 5-1 and in the ninth Stanton hit a solo homerun making it 6-1 and that would be the final score. 

The two teams will play on Friday night in game two of their opening four game series.  Masahiro Tanaka will matchup against Aaron Sanchez. 

New York Yankees lose final spring game in Miami

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon.  The game took place at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida and the final score was 2-1.  Luis Severino started for the Yankees and pitched well.  Jacoby Ellsbury led the offense with a couple of hits. 

Severino pitched five innings giving up three hits and two runs with only one of the runs being earned.  He walked one and he struck out six.  Aroldis Chapman pitched an inning walking two batters and striking out one, Andrew Miller pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a walk and he struck out one and Kirby Yates pitched 2/3 of an inning striking out a batter.  Johnny Barbato pitched 2/3 of an inning striking out one. 

Ellsbury had two hits and an RBI, Brett Gardner drew a walk and Dustin Ackley had a hit.  Pete Kozma had a hit and Ellsbury hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 0-2 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.  Didi Gregorius committed an error. 

In the first Ellsbury led off the game with a homerun giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the first Giancarlo Stanton hit a sac fly to tie the game at one.  In the third Stanton hit an RBI single to give the Marlins a 2-1 lead and that would be the final score. 

The Yankees are scheduled to open the season on Monday afternoon against the Houston Astros with Tuesday afternoon being the makeup date.  Masahiro Tanaka will face off against Dallas Keuchel.  It will be the same two teams and same two pitchers facing off as it was in the wild card game in October at Yankee Stadium. 

New York Yankee drop fourth straight opener as they lose to the Toronto Blue Jays

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday afternoon.  The final score was 6-1 and the game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.  Masahiro Tanaka started and had a rough outing especially in the third inning.  The Yankees offense only managed three hits, Alex Rodriguez was the only player to reach base more than once. 

Tanaka pitched four innings giving up five hits and five runs with four of them being earned.  He walked two and struck out six and took his first loss of the season.  Chris Martin pitched a perfect inning striking out the side, Chasen Shreve pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a run and David Carpenter pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings striking out one.  Justin Wilson pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up three walks and he struck out one and Esmil Rogers struck out the only batter that he faced. 

Drew Hutchison earned his first win of the season pitching six innings and giving up three hits nad a run with two walks and three strikeouts.  Aaron Loup pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a walk and he struck out one and Miguel Castro pitched 1 1/3 innings striking out one. 

Brett Gardner had a hit and an RBI, Carlos Beltran drew a walk and Mark Teixeira drew a walk.  Brian McCann had a hit, Rodriguez had a hit and drew a walk and Gardner hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 0-1 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.  Gregorius was caught stealing and Headley committed an error. 

Jose Reyes drew a walk, Russell Martin had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk and Edwin Encarnacion had a hit and two RBI.  Dioner Navarro had a hit, Dalton Pompey drew a walk and Kevin Pillar had two hits.  Devon Travis had a hit, an RBI and drew two walks.  Encarnacion and Travis each hit a homerun and the Blue Jays were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Pillar and Pompey each had a stolen base. 

In the third Reyes hit a sac bunt and an error occurred to allow a run to score.  Martin hit a two run single in the third and it was 3-0 Blue Jays.  Encarnacion hit a two run homerun and it was 5-0 Blue Jays quickly.  In the sixth Gardner hit a solo homerun to cut the lead to 5-1.  In the seventh Travis hit a solo homerun to make it 6-1 Blue Jays and that was the final score. 

The two teams will be off on Tuesday and then resume their series on Wednesday night.  Michael Pineda will start for the Yankees against R.A. Dickey for the Blue Jays. 

New York Yankees news and notes

The Yankees are expected to name a fifth starter by the weekend.  Adam Warren will be starting on Friday and if he doesn't have a terrible game it looks like he will win the competition.  Esmil Rogers who pitched on Tuesday night was bad again for the second game in a row.  Warren has been good all spring and unless they suprise everyone and go with someone like Scott Baker who has been pitching pretty well it looks like it is Warrens job. 

Alex Rodriguez continues to be a non story, he has shown enough now that he is going to be the opening day DH.  It will now be a question of does he bat sixth or seventh in the lineup and how often does he play the field.  I am guessing he will play third base about once a week and maybe a little first in an emergency but otherwise he will be the DH for the most part.  Garrett Jones will back up Mark Teixeira and he could also play right field with Chris Young when Carlos Beltran needs a break.  Beltran could see some time at DH as well.  Rodriguez has performed well which ended some speculation about him getting through spring training and being able to play etc, he now will have to get through some of the season but he looks pretty good right now. 

The Yankees youngsters have been good all spring and Tuesday night was no different.  It looks like Ramon Flores has impressed.  Joe Girardi said  "If something was to happen to one of our outfielders , I think he'd be a pretty strong candidate." 

Betances was sitting at 93-94 according to the Yes network gun.  He wasn't throwing upper 90's all spring last year and Girardi said he isn't worried although the results haven't been very good.  Betances said he just has to trust whatever stuff he does have and that the velocity will come.  He said he isn't trusting it as much this year compared to last and he is going to have to do that. 

Chris Young has been playing well lately and he has been hitting lefties which the Yankees will be looking for from him this season.  Didi Gregorius has been hitting lefty pitching lately and that is a good sign.  The Yankees want him to be the everyday guy and if he can hit like he has been lately that will be the case.  His glove is gold glove caliber so if he can hit a little they are going to be really happy with him. 

Nathan Eovaldi pitched in a minor league game on Tuesday afternoon.  He said that when he gets in trouble he tends to speed up which he did in the first inning but then slowed it down later in the game and was better.  He said he is working on that as he continues his progression to being a complete pitcher now.  He pitched pretty well again and the Yankees are excited about what he could bring this year.  Girardi said he wouldn't comment on the Opening Day starter but he did acknowledge that Sabathia wouldn't start on short rest so that would eliminate him from Opening day leaving Masahiro Tanaka unless something unforeseen happens.  Tanaka will pitch on Wednesday afternoon and then have five days rest before pitching one more game before Opening Day. 

New York Yankees news and notes

The New York Yankees resume action on Tuesday night in Tampa.  They had their first off day on Monday and it will be a big night as CC Sabathia makes his spring debut.  Alex Rodriguez will be playing third base and Jacoby Ellsbury is curiously out of the lineup and not on the travel roster for Wednesday either.  It may end up being nothing or it could be something, we will have to see later on. 

Andrew Bailey who most of us have probably forgot is even in camp will make his spring debut Wednesday in Disney against the Braves.  He hasn't made an appearance in 20 months.   Brendan Ryan who has been hurt since early in camp is listed for both infield drills and normal batting practice on Tuesday.  Bryan Mitchell and Andrew Miller are throwing simulated games. 

The Yankees have about three weeks before opening day and they have only played a couple of weeks of spring games.  They begin tonight though with a few less guys as they were reassigned to minor league camp.  That will continue to happen until all the regulars are only playing the last week or so of camp.  We should start to see more of the regulars now as the minor league guys are starting to leave.  I think you will get a better idea on the hitters now and really the last couple of weeks of spring before they break camp. 

There have been a couple of things we have learned in spring.  It appears pretty obvious that Joe Girardi intends to have Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran as his first three in the order and then some combo of Teixeira, McCann, Rodriguez and Headley in the middle with Drew and Gregorius at the bottom.  That could change with injury and of course with certain guys like Chris Young and Garrett Jones in the lineup but the regular lineup will feature the three at the top and two at the bottom with the others in the middle. 

I think the Yankees will like to have Adam Warren as the fifth starter with Esmil Rogers as a long man but I also could see Chase Whitley making the team.  I think they will keep Bryan Mitchell in AAA as a starter and the same with Scott Baker as depth and Kyle Davies if they are still around after camp ends. 

Ellsbury was scratched on Tuesday and he will also sit out Wednesday with a slight abdominal injury.  Girardi said it isn't serious and they will reevaluate him on Thursday.  Brendan Ryan appears to be just about ready to get in a game.  He has been going through drills the last couple of days. 

New York Yankees Notes from Opening Day

The New York Yankees lost on Opening Day but it is just one game out of 162. CC Sabathia the ace didn’t pitch so well but this was his fifth opening day start for the Yankees and he has yet to win one. He also has not fared well at all in opening days period. The talk was about Sabathia and his velocity but he says that he is fine. He had off-season elbow surgery so of course it is going to come up. If you look at his past seasons though it is common for his velocity to be a little bit down in April, he is a slow starter and then once he gets going as the weather warms he is fine. 
The offense is what the critics have been talking about all winter. The thing I saw though is that they had their opportunities they just didn’t capitalize. How many times did that happen last year when they had a supposedly great offense?? It is just one game but of course it looks worse when what the critics have been saying comes to fruition.

Why was David Phelps in this game when he is in the rotation. It was his throw day and he is still on schedule to start the Saturday game in Detroit. He said he knew that he could pitch in the game and it was no big deal.

Yankee Stadium was really a ghost town by the end of the game. The game was bad and it was raining by then but it was still an ugly scene. If there were a couple of hundred people there that is a lot. Vernon Wells said that he didn’t blame them and Francisco Cervelli said if he was a fan and it was raining he would of run also.

Joba said about his bad outing that walks kill you and he just wasn’t making his pitches. Elias had some nuggets to share from this game. It was the first Yankees opener without a switch hitter in the lineup since 1992. The Yankees had Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada for many years and then Teixeira the last couple of years. The Yankees also snapped a major league record streak of homering in 14 straight opening day games.

There were six players that made their Yankees debut, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Shawn Kelley, Kevin Youkilis, Travis Hafner and Ben Francisco. Youkilis joined Johnny Damon and Wade Boggs to start an opener for the Yankees one year after doing so for the Red Sox since Steve O’Neill did it in 1925.

The Yankees and Red Sox will play game two of the series on Wednesday night and conclude the series on Thursday night. Hiroki Kuroda will face Clay Bucholz on Wednesday and Andy Pettitte vs. Ryan Dempster on Thursday.

The big news from the off day on Tuesday was that Robinson Cano fired his agent Scott Boras. He is now represented by CAA which Jay-Z is partnered with through his PR firm. It looks more likely that Cano will stay in New York and play his entire career with the New York Yankees.

The New York Yankees have a rough Opening Day as they lose 8-2 to the Boston Red Sox

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Boston Red Sox by the score of 8-2 on Monday afternoon. It was the first Opening Day at home that they lost since 1986, they had won 14 of those in a row. CC Sabathia started for the Yankees and he wasn’t very good, Joba Chamberlain also had a bad outing in relief. The Yankees offense left a lot of runners on base, Francisco Cervelli provided their only RBI. 
Sabathia pitched five innings giving up four runs on eight hits, he walked four and struck out five. Sabathia took the loss. David Phelps pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a run with two walks, it was his throw day and he is still in line to start on Saturday in Detroit. Boone Logan pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit, Shawn Kelley pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Chamberlain pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up three hits and three runs with two walks and two strikeouts. Cody Eppley pitched to one batter and retired him.

Brett Gardner had a hit and drew a walk, Robinson Cano had a hit and Kevin Youkilis had a hit. Vernon Wells drew a walk, Ben Francisco drew a walk and Travis Hafner had a hit. Ichiro Suzuki had a hit, Cervelli had a hit and two RBI and drew a walk and Youkilis hit a double. The Yankees were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

Jon Lester started for the Red Sox and pitched five innings giving up five hits and two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. Koji Uehara pitched a perfect inning, Andrew Miller walked two and struck out two in 2/3 of an inning and Andrew Bailey struck out the only batter that he faced. Junichi Tazawa pitched one inning giving up a hit and Joel Hanrahan pitched a perfect inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits and two RBI, Shane Victorino had two hits and three RBI and Dustin Pedroia had two hits and an RBI. Will Middlebrooks drew a walk, Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a hit and drew three walks and Jonny Gomes had two hits and drew a walk. Jackie Bradley Jr. had an RBI, drew three walks and made a run saving catch in the outfield. I would say it was a good debut for a kid that hadn’t played a day over AA in his career. Jose Iglesias had three hits and an RBI , Saltalamacchia hit a double and Ellsbury a triple. The Red Sox were 6-18 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.

The Red Sox took a commanding 4-0 lead in the second inning. Saltalamacchia walked, Gomes had an infield single, Bradley walked and Iglesias had an RBI infield single. Victorino had a two run single and Pedroia had an RBI single. In the bottom of the fourth Cervelli hit a two run single to make it a 4-2 game. In the seventh the Red Sox added to their lead with a run on a Bradley ground out. It was 5-2 and the Red Sox scored three runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach. Ellsbury hit a two run single and Victorino hit an RBI single. The final was 8-2 Red Sox.

The Yankees are 0-1 and the Red Sox are 1-0, the two teams will have an off day on Tuesday. They will play on Wednesday night at 7:05PM with Hiroki Kuroda matching up against Clay Bucholz. The finale of the three game series will be on Thursday night when Andy Pettitte goes up against Ryan Dempster.

New York Yankees Opening Day 2013

The New York Yankees will open their season on Monday afternoon against the archrival Boston Red Sox. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:05PM. The teams will be honoring the victims of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. The first pitch will be thrown out by Lou Piniella who will be receiving an award at the welcome home dinner Monday night following the game. Constantine Mauroulis will be signing the National Anthem. 75 West Point Cadets will unfurl a giant American flag. 
The pitching matchup will be CC Sabathia vs. Jon Lester. The teams will have an off day on Tuesday and then Wednesday and Thursday night will be the last two games of the series. The other pitching matchups in order are Hiroki Kuroda vs. Clay Buchholz and Andy Pettitte vs. Ryan Dempster.

The Yankees will be going with Kevin Youkilis at first on Opening day because it is a lefty starter. Jayson Nix will be at third base. Vernon Wells will be the regular left fielder for now. Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are expected to be back in May, Teixeira believes he could be back May 1^st, he will see a doctor on Monday and hopes to get his splint off. If he does indeed do that, it will be a sign that things are going in the right direction and maybe he is right that he will be back sooner then later. Ben Francisco could start at DH on opening day, Travis Hafner will be the DH against righties. He was scratched from the game on Saturday with some general stiffness. The Yankees said it is nothing to be concerned about. Brennan Boesch will also be on the bench for the Yankees. Eduardo Nunez will be the starting shortstop. It is the first time in a very long time that someone other then Derek Jeter will be at shortstop on Opening Day. I would expect him to be back towards the end of April.

Adam Warren and Cody Eppley got the final two spots in the Yankees bullpen. Phil Hughes is on the disabled list and may only miss the first time through the rotation. David Phelps and Ivan Nova are both in the rotation for now. Vidal Nuno will be in AAA but he is a guy to keep your eye on. He won the James P. Dawson award for best rookie in Yankees camp and has really opened some eyes. The Yankees designated Clay Rapada for assignment on Sunday. It was just a numbers game and they feel that they have other lefties such as Nuno that could step into that role. Boone Logan is their lone lefty right now. He isn’t just a situational lefty though.

The Yankees and Red Sox will be sporting very different teams on Opening Day. there is a huge loss of the usual firepower. The Yankees lost some guys to free agency such as Nick Swisher and Russell Martin and then they have Curtis Granderson, Teixeira, Jeter, Alex Rodriguez all hurt. The Red Sox are without David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury got hurt late in spring. Youkilis is now a Yankee, Adrian Gonzalez is out west. Dustin Pedroia is the one big star left for the Red Sox while the Yankees have Robinson Cano.

It could be a very tight race this year, I don’t necessarily by the hype of the Blue Jays although I do think they are good. I think the Yankees are worse right now due to the injuries, Tampa Bay is always good because of their pitching. I think the Red Sox will be better but not that much better and the Orioles will be a little worse. I think the Yankees could still win the division and they could at the very least make the playoffs. I think they need to survive April and then start getting their guys back and they will be ok.

New York Yankees notes on a busy Friday

The Yankees reportedly signed Chien Ming Wang to a deal, Jon Heyman was reporting that. There has been nothing official from the Yankees though, it would seem to serve as AAA depth but it could also be possible that if he is pitching well enough the Yankees can trade from their strength pitching and get their biggest need which is hitting. 
Derek Jeter worked out today and felt good, Brian Cashman meeting with reporters today said that it is more then day-to-day it is hour to hour with him. He said that they will see how he feels when he gets to the park tomorrow and go from there. If he feels great he may play in a minor league game, if not it may just be a workout for him.

Phil Hughes pitched three innings in a minor league game today giving up six hits and three runs with two of them being earned. He struck out three and threw 57 pitches with 34 being strikes. He needs to be stretched out more and can conceivably start on April 6^th but the Yankees may hold him out an extra week, he may start the season the disabled list, we will have to see where he is after next week.

Travis Hafner was 2-5 today with a double, homerun and drew two walks in a minor league game. Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven innings giving up seven hits and no runs with no walks and five strikeouts. He threw 88 pitches with 65 being strikes in a minor league game. Francisco Cervelli caught him and was 1-4 with a single and drew a walk.

Cashman said that Clay Rapada will definitely start the season on the disabled list. He threw 15 fastballs today in a bullpen and felt good but he has a ways to go before he is ready to pitch in a major league game. Vidal Nuno is a lefty who has opened some eyes and the Yankees are still talking about according to Cashman. He could possibly make the team out of camp. Brennan Boesch is a guy who was scratched today with soreness in his ribcage. The Yankees don’t think it is anything serious and no tests are planned right now. They will see how he feels tomorrow and then move forward from there.

Mustelier is still making a case to make the team, he had a good day and his spring average is up to 313. He is a guy who has the potential to hit it is more about his defense. Ben Francisco will most likely make the team as the right handed hitting outfielder, he had the go ahead RBI single today in the eighth inning and has had a good spring. Dan Johnson had an opportunity this spring but made an error today and his average is only 063 with four errors. He didn’t make the most of his opportunity.

The Yankees were already going to honor the victims of Sandy Hook on Opening day. MLB announced all the teams will do the same for opening day. They will all wear a ribbon and their will be a pre game moment of silence.

Welcome to Opening Day-New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays begin their 2012 season this afternoon at 3:10PM.  The Yankees will be live on the YES network, pregame coverage begins at 2.  Here are the pregame notes along with the lineups for both teams.  These are directly from the Yankees, the press notes. 

I will start with the lineups:Yankees:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.  CC was 19-8 last year with a 3.00 ERA and he is on the mound. 

Rays Lineup:Desmond Jennings, Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, Jeff Keppinger, Sean Rodriguez, Carlos Pena, Elliot Johnson, Jose Molina, Matt Joyce.  James Shields is on the mound, he was 16-12 last season with a 2.82 ERA. 

Derek Jeter is making his 16th Opening Day start at shortstop which is a franchise record.  The previous record was held by Phil Rizzuto and it was 11.  The last shortstop with as many Opening Day starts at SS for any team was the Red Barry Larkin who made 17. 

Alex Rodriguez has played in seven Opening Days with the Yankees and hit safely in all of them.  He is 12-30 which is a 400 batting average with four doubles, two homeruns and nine RBI. 

The Yankees this spring were 18-12-3 which is a 600 winning percentage.  It is their best spring since 2009 when they were 24-10-1 and of course won the World Series.  I don't make much of spring training results or stats but those are the facts. 

In 1973 on this date Ron Blomberg became the major leagues first DH.  He went 1-3 with an RBI ast the Yankees lost to the Red Sox in Fenway Park 15-5.  He walked with the bases loaded in the first inning in his first plate appearance. 

On this date in 1974 the Yankees played their first home game at Shea Stadium.  Yankee Stadium began a two year remodeling.  They beat the Cleveland Indians 6-1 as Mel Stottlemyre pitched a complte game and gave up seven hits. 

Enjoy Opening Day everyone, comment here or follow me on twitter @gmarchesej.  I can also be found on Facebook.  I will talk to everyone later after the game with the postgame reactions. 

The New York Yankees lose 7-6 to the New York Mets

The New York Yankees lost 7-6 to the New York Mets on Tuesday afternoon. Ivan Nova made the start for the Yankees and didn’t pitch well. Mike Pelfrey started for the Mets and did pitch well. Nick Swisher and Doug Bernier each had a couple of hits for the Yankees. Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Lucas Duda and Josh Thole each had two hits for the Mets. 
Nova pitched 2 2/3 innings giving up eight hits and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts. David Phelps pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and striking out two, D.J. Mitchell pitched three innings giving up two hits and a run with a walk and a strikeout and Pat Venditte pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a walk. Branden Pinder pitched to two batters getting them both out including a strikeout and Mark Montgomery took the loss giving up a hit and a run without recording an out.

Pelfrey for the Mets pitched four innings giving up two hits and a run with five strikeouts. Jon Niese pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up eight hits and five runs with a strikeout, Jeff Stevens pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a walk and striking out a batter and Tim Byrdak pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Justin Hampson got the win pitching 2/3 of an inning with one hit.

Chris Dickerson had a hit and an RBI for the Yankees. Swisher had two hits and an RBI, Gustavo Molina had a hit and Eric Chavez had a hit. Andruw Jones had a hit and an RBI, Justin Maxwell drew a walk and Eduardo Nunez had a hit. Francisco Cervelli had a hit, DeWayne Wise had an RBI and Bill Hall had a hit and an RBI. Bernier had two hits and an RBI.

Swisher had a double and a homerun. The Yankees were 5-11 with runners in scoring position and they left six men on base. Nunez and Maxwell each had a stolen base and Toussen got caught stealing. Jones had an outfield assist.

Andres Torres had a hit for the Mets. Mike Baxter drew a walk and Murphy had two hits and an RBI. Wright had two hits an RBI and a walk, Justin Turner had a hit and an RBI and Davis had a hit and two RBI. Jason Bay had a hit, Duda had two hits and an RBI and Scott Hairston drew a walk. Thole had two hits and an RBI, Francisco Pena had a hit and Ruben Tejada drew a walk.

Thole and Murphy each had a double and Davis hit a homerun. The Mets were 4-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Baxter had a stolen base and Wright was caught stealing. The Yankees fell to 17-12 in the grapefruit league and the Mets improved to 9-19. The two teams will take on each other once again tomorrow afternoon this time in Tampa. The game will be at 12 noon and then the Mets will head home to play their opener on Thursday afternoon. The Yankees will stay in Tampa and open the season on Friday afternoon against the Rays.

Yankees Monday night notes

Here are some notes from Chad Jennings of the Journal News.  It mostly focuses on Phil Hughes who pitched great this spring.  He is more resembling the pitcher of 2010 rather then 2011 which is a good thing for the Yankees.

In the end, there was no decision at all. Michael Pineda was hurt and the Yankees five-man rotation was set by default, but Phil Hughes doesn’t feel like anything was handed to him. He earned his spot as the Yankees No. 3 starter, and tonight’s four scoreless innings were further proof.  No matter what happened he was going to be the third starter, he earned that.

“I just came in and wanted to throw the ball well,” Hughes said. “That was it. I didn’t want to think any more into it or any further ahead. I just wanted to make some tough decisions for these guys. Unfortunately, we had an injury that kind of made up some decisions for everybody, but I feel like I threw the ball well enough to be here. That’s all I really wanted to do.”

Hughes finished spring training with a 1.56 ERA. He’s cut down on his walks, shown an improved changeup, and flashed much better — and much more consistent — fastball velocity than last spring.

“I just feel a lot better overall,” he said. “I felt really good at the end of last year when I was finally back and got some arm strength built up, so I just wanted to make sure I carried a good work ethic into this spring training, that I was strong and ready to go. I feel like I was able to do that.”  I think that was a key, the Yankees clearly not happy with the way he came into camp last year and he knew it.  I think Michael Pineda is going through a similar thing this year. 

In the end, a rotation spot was handed to him. But he’d already done more than enough to deserve it.

After making his final start of the spring, what did Hiroki Kuroda think of the new Marlins stadium? “Any time I have a good outing, that becomes a really good stadium,” Kuroda said. “Today I didn’t really have a good outing, so I don’t think it made a really good impression.”  The one thing that stands out to me about this guy this spring is that he is very hard on himself. 

 Kuroda didn’t think his stuff was nearly as good as his seven-inning, two-run performance last week, but he still held the Marlins to just one run. “I think I’m ready for the season,” he said. “Even though you have a bad outing you try to keep the game as close as possible and that’s what I was able to do today, so I think I’m ready for the season.”

 Dave Robertson finally had the kind of outing he was hoping for. After pitching two innings at the minor league complex to build some arm strength, he came in tonight and struck out two in a quick, scoreless ninth inning. “I felt much better,” he said. “More control. More control in my windup.”

Girardi argued a first-inning call when Robinson Cano was called for batters interference, causing Curtis Granderson to be called out on a stolen base. It was a strikeout-throwout to end the inning, and although Cano did fall toward the plate, it didn’t look like John Buck was in a position to actually make a throw. “I guess you could say it’s the right call, but I still don’t like it because he went to his knees,” Girardi said.

Nick Swisher came through tonight’s game with no problems, and Girardi said it seems that he has no additional injury problems heading into the final two games of the spring. “Everyone came out good today,” he said.  It looks like everyone will be ready to go for the opener on Friday. 

Playing at home in Miami, Alex Rodriguez had three of the Yankees RBIs in a 5-2 win. He has 14 RBIs this spring and is batting .292. Even now that he’s playing longer games, and playing more days in a row, Rodriguez said his body still feels strong and durable. “I think overall I just feel like i have a better plan,” he said. “A better plan of attack this season.”

The Yankees had only five hits today, one each for Rodriguez, Grandreson, Swisher, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira.

Most of the Yankees are catching a flight back to Tampa tonight. The ones who have to play in Port St. Lucie tomorrow — Gardner, Swisher, Jones and Nova are the biggest names making the trip — have to stick around and take a 9 a.m. bus. That game starts at 2 p.m. tomorrow, not 1 p.m. like most spring games.

Yankees Sunday night notes

Here are the Yankees notes from Sunday night.  We are about a week and a half away from Opening Day in Tampa Bay.  Chad Jennings has all the notes from the Lohud Yankees Blog and the Journal News. 

Whether you’re happy with Michael Pineda’s spring training probably depends on whether you believe his fastball velocity will truly spike with added arm strength and regular-season adrenalin.  I personally don't get too caught up in this, I know if he wanted he could throw harder but why waste that in spring training.  Results are more important to me, it isn't how hard you throw and it doesn't matter how you get the hitters out. 

“Nobody throws hard in spring training, because it’s spring training,” Pineda said. “You think a little more, and work on what you need. Now I’m focused a little more on making good pitches. I learned from last year. That’s what I need.”

Pineda’s fastball generally sat at 90-92 mph today. He reached 93-94, but for the most part, the velocity wasn’t significantly different than we’ve seen in his previous starts. That said, there were times when his changeup seemed to be a legitimate go-to pitch, and Pineda talked about the fact he likes to add and subtract from his slider. It’s not just a power breaking ball, it’s a more nuanced pitch than that, and Pineda hasn’t been strictly a power pitcher, he’s been a little more nuanced as well.

“It’s a little surprising that he does have an idea what he wants to do,” Joe Girardi said. “He can make his slider bigger when he wants to and he can make it different for right-handers and left-handers if he wants to. It is surprising for a kid his age.”

From the moment they traded for him, the Yankees have talked about Pineda’s need to improve his changeup and add consistency. This spring he’s clearly made the changeup a focus, and it’s been a good pitch. He’s not lighting up the radar gun, but he does have a 3.31 ERA through five spring starts.  That is the important thing, he has pitched well.  If he pitches like that in the regular season everyone will be happy, no matter how he does it. 

“Everybody knows last year I threw harder,” Pineda said. “So (they ask), ‘Hey, what happened to Pineda right now?’ But nothing (happened). I feel good. I can pitch. Everybody sees me. I pitch every five days. … I know last year I threw hard, so I have more power. But this is spring training, so the power is coming back.”

 Girardi on Pineda’s changeup: “I think it’s come a long ways. If you look at his tapes last year, he didn’t throw a lot of them for strikes, but you see a lot more of them for strikes and some swings and misses. That’s a good thing.”

 Forgot to mention earlier that Alex Rodriguez was actually checked out by a doctor after he was hit by a pitch today and it was determined that no tests are necessary. Sounds like he’s perfectly fine.  That is good because it is always scary getting hit in the ribs or near the ribs. 

Derek Jeter didn’t seem to make too much of his 2-for-3 afternoon. His second game back from a calf injury included a home run that let the Yankees get away with a 1-1 tie. “I’m just coming back,” he said. This last week and a half of spring training will be key to getting his timing ready for the season, Jeter said. So far, it looks pretty good. He’s hitting .348 this spring and really seemed to drive the ball this afternoon.  Jeter has looked very good this spring.  He is looking to carry over his strong second half from last year. 

 Dave Robertson wasn’t happy with his command the last time he threw batting practice, but he said it was much better today. He went to the bullpen to throw a few more pitches after his one inning and made a “minor adjustment” to improve his curveball command. His curve was a little short during the game.

 Girardi revealed that he might have been a little more worried about Robertson than he was letting on. “He looked fine to me,” Girardi said. “That’s kind of a sigh of relief. In the back of me there’s still that little bit of concern, but he hasn’t had any issues for a week or so, so I hope we’re through it.”  I think anything with the foot you tend to worry a little bit because you just don't know how or if it will heal. 

 Another scoreless inning for Mariano Rivera. That’s 27 straight spring innings without an earned run. The guy’s good in the regular season, the postseason and the preseason.  He is just the best no matter what time of the year it is. 

 None of the players sent out of big league camp this afternoon came as surprises, but there’s something to be said for Jose Gil’s spring. Largely unheralded in the Yankees system, he hit .529/.500/.706 this spring. Probably doesn’t mean much, but he was very good.

 If you knew two months ago that this spring would include injuries to both Jeter and Eduardo Nunez, would you expect that Doug Bernier would outlast Ramiro Pena in big league camp? Bernier’s also had a tremendous spring and seems to have caught Girardi’s attention. There’s little chance he’ll actually make the team, but Girardi seems to like him.

 Other than Jeter, only Nunez, Mark Teixeira and Andruw Jones had hits for the Yankees today. Teixeira and Nunez doubled. … Brett Gardner, Jayson Nix and Dewayne Wise each had outfield assists this afternoon. … Robertson, Rivera, Rafael Soriano, Manny Delcarmen and Clay Rapada each pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

 Girardi said he won’t be at the minor league complex to watch Phil Hughes tomorrow. Girardi is going to use the off day to go to Illinois to visit his father, who’s been sick for quite some time.

Yanks Defeat Tigers on Opening Day

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day Thursday afternoon March 31, 2011. It was a frigid cold day out at the stadium. The two top pitchers pitched well but not great each giving up three runs in six innings. Sabathia only gave up two earned runs. The Yankees showed off their strengths in their bullpen and homerun power. Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera pitched three perfect innings with a strikeout each. They didn't need many pitches to do it either. 39 pitches total from the trio, the three headed bullpen monster we can call JOSOMO. The Yankees got homeruns from Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira. The star of the game was Granderson as he was dazzling out in center field as well as hitting the game winning homerun. Russell Martin had a nice debut with a couple of hits, calling a good game, a stolen base and a couple of runs scored. Alex Rodriguez continued what he has done in the spring, he had a double and a couple of walks to be on base three out of four at bats. Derek Jeter didn't get a hit but he did have a sacrifice fly. Brett Gardner tried to bunt twice for hits and was out but just barely in both instances. The two teams will take off Friday and then resume the three game series on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. A.J. Burnett will face Brad Penny on Saturday afternoon and Phil Hughes will face Max Scherzer on Sunday afternoon. The Saturday game is at 4:05 on Fox and Sunday at 1:05PM on the YES network. It is Opening Day and not even the cold could damper the spirits of the fans and players. Baseball is back and that is something that brings warmth to us all. I was out at the ballpark today and it was as cold as it has ever been but a win makes it all worth while and it was just great to be back in the ballpark. I feel it is a home away from home and it is a place that I love spending time in, there is nothing like going to a ballgame. The Yankees hope that it is the first of many victories this season on their way to a 28th Championship but for now they will savor the first one, enjoy it for a day and get back to work on Saturday.

Yankees postgame Notes.

Here are some of the postgame notes from the Yankees game today. A.J. Burnett had a rough first inning, giving up 2 singles, 2 stolen bases a sac bunt and a walk. Pitching Coach Dave Eiland went out to the mound to talk to him and said "You have good stuff, we are still in the game. Continue to attack, don't pick, take charge." Burnett said he didn't think his stuff was that good today but that Eiland and Posada told him otherwise and he trusted them. It is only 2 games but Posada and Burnett have worked pretty well together so far which is a good thing. There was a weird play in the 6th inning when Evan Longoria hit a pop up which should of been the final out of the inning. It hit a catwalk though and was ruled a hit. Jorge Posada who is always outspoken had this to say "It's not a baseball stadium. You can't have balls going all over the place, it's sad." Posada said that Burnett threw 5 changeups today and he expects even more as he gets used to it. "It is a swing and miss pitch, it really is." Posada said. Burnett was asked if he wears his Marlins World Series ring and he said no, they said will you wear your Yankees one and he said "Absolutely." Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson are tied for the league lead in stolen bases with 3 each. They can certainly run and you will see that a lot this year when they are on base. The Yankees have a workout tomorrow at the stadium and then the welcome home dinner in the evening. They will receive their rings on Tuesday and raise the championship banner. Bernie Williams will throw out the first pitch and their will be a fly over. It will be a special day at the stadium and I will be there to cover it all. I can't wait to get there and provide you guys with some good coverage of the Opening Day festivities.

Welcome to Opening Day

The New York Mets begin their 2010 season at 1:00PM today at home against the Florida Marlins. Baseball is back and what can be better then that. The ace of the staff Johan Santana will take the mound going up against Josh Johnson. Here are the pregame notes I have from the Mets media notes. The Mets are set to open up their 49th season in the National League. They are 31-17 on Opening Day. This is the best winning percentage in baseball on opening day. Johan Santana will make his 5th opening day start and 3rd straight with the Mets. He is 3-1 with a 4.07 era on opening day and won his last 2 with the Mets. The Mets have never opened the season at home against Florida. They have played them twice in Florida to start the season in 1999 and 2008. This is the first time the Mets have opened at home since 2006 and 25th time overall they have opened at home. They are 17-7 in those openers, they are also 17-2 in their last 19 opening days at home. The pregame ceremonies will include renaming the brige beyond the right-centerfield wall Shea bridge. The 4 troops will do the national anthem and God Bless America and Darryl Strawberry will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Mets Lineup: Cora(SS) Castillo(2B) Wright(3B) Jacobs(1B) Bay(LF) Matthews(CF) Francoeur(RF) Barajas(C) Santana(P)

Yankees Updates

Marcus Thames has made the team. He said "That was a weight lifted off of my shoulders". He will be a reserve outfielder and get at bats against lefties who he has very good career numbers against. This hasn't been confirmed but according to a source and this is coming from Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees Blog the Yankees have signed Chad Moeller to a minor league contract. He will backup Jesus Montero at AAA Scranton. This same source is saying the Yankees have signed utility man Robby Hammock who can catch and play the corners. Damaso Marte, Francisco Cervelli and Jorge Posada all reported progress this morning. Posada is playing in the game today, Marte will play catch and Cervelli will play catch in the bullpen, hit in the cage and ride a stationary bike. They are all expected to be on the roster for tomorrows opener.