Yanks lose in ugly fashion

The New York Yankees were hammered by the Boston Red Sox today by the score of 14-1. A.J. Burnett got the start and was awful giving up 9 runs in 5 innings. Alfredo Aceves came on in relief and wasn't much better. This is a game that there really isn't much to talk about, the Yankees want to forget about it and try and win the series tomorrow night with CC Sabathia on the hill against Josh Beckett. This is a ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast at 8:00PM. The Red Sox really do need to win this game to have any shot at the division and they are trying to hold on to the wildcard also, a Yankee win will pretty much put away the division. The Yankees are ending a long roadtrip and if they win they will be 7-3 on it, if they lose 6-4 so either way they had a good roadtrip. The story of this game at least to the reporters and in the papers tomorrow is going to be how A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada don't work well together. The last 2 games have been rough but Jorge caught most of the games before that where A.J. was on a great roll and no one said anything then. Jorge admitted today that they weren't on the same page at all but that will happen over the course of a long season. A.J. Burnett has been dreadful in Fenway Park this season and I have to believe it has become a mental thing, he pitched great against them at home the last time he faced them. The Yankees have to think now though if they face the Red Sox in the postseason about not letting A.J. pitch in Fenway. The Yankees are still 31 games over 500 and have the best record in baseball so they will throw this game away and come out tomorrow and try and get a win before heading home.

Jim Rice-Are you serious?

Jim Rice made some comments yesterday at the Little League World Series disparaging some current major league players like Manny Ramirez and A-rod but also Derek Jeter. He called them selfish players that only care about individual stats and money. Is he serious about Derek Jeter, this is a guy which is widely considered one of the most unselfish players and team players. He is the captain of the New York Yankees and oh yeah he has 4 rings, 4 more then Jim Rice has. He definitely didn't do anything to help his reputation as well lets face it a jerk. A interesting note on last nights game, Hideki Matsui's 7 rbi's were the most by a Yankee player at Fenway Park since Lou Gehrig did it. Hideki Matsui said he doesn't think he has done that since high school. The 31 runs were the most combined by the two teams in any game. I find this interesting if the Red Sox do make the playoffs which I would still bet on them doing, who is their 3rd starter?? It looks like it would be Clay Bucholz. Wakefield and Dice K are hurt and I don't know if they would throw them out there but I guess they could if they come back.

Yankees at Red Sox

The New York Yankees will take on the Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park at 4:10pm today. The game is a nationally televised game on FOX. A.J. Burnett will go up against Junichi Tazawa. The Yankees will be going for their 6th consecutive win against their arch rivals and try to push their lead in the AL East to 8 1/2 games. Here are the pregame notes and lineups via Peter Abraham and his Lohud Yankees Blog. The Yankees are 36-27 on the road. They are 9-2 in their last 11 games on the road. Derek Jeter is 16 of his last 26 and 19 of 35 on the roadtrip. He has 8 runs scored and 8 rbi's with 4 xbh. Jeter has a 8 game hitting streak and 6 straight multi hit games. Derek Jeter has gone a career long 105 plate appearances without a walk but maybe it is because he is so hot he is hitting everything. Nick Swisher has reached base safely in 29 straight games. The Yankees are 49-14 when they score first. Melky Cabrera is 6 of his last 12, this is a good sign because he was struggling and Brett Gardner still won't be back for a couple of weeks at least. Johnny Damon is out today but hopes to be back tomorrow Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Hinske(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF) Boston Lineup: Ellsbury(CF) Pedroia(2B) Martinez(1B) Youkilis(3B) Ortiz(DH) Bay(LF) Drew(RF) Varitek(C) Gonzalez(SS)

Yanks smack Boston around

The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park by the score of 20-11. They have now won 5 in a row over Boston and have a 7 1/2 game lead in the AL East. The Yankees have now also got the monkey off their back of not winning in Boston this season. Andy Pettitte got the start and wasn't great, he went 5 innings giving up 7 hits and 7 runs, 5 of them earned with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Brian Bruney pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up 1 hit and 3 walks. Damaso Marte returned from the DL and got both guys he faced out, one on a strikeout. Damaso Marte if good can be a very useful piece for the Yankees as he would be the 2nd lefty out of the pen. Sergio Mitre finished off the game with 2 innings giving up 4 runs on 4 hits. The offense had many stars, everyone had at least one hit and the only guy not to have multiple hits was Robinson Cano. Hideki Matsui was the offensive star though with 2 homeruns and 7 rbi's. Derek Jeter had 3 more hits to continue being the hottest hitter in baseball. A-rod broke out of his slump with 4 hits. The Yankees will take the win but it wasn't the pretties game, they made some mistakes and didn't get good pitching. The Yankees will send A.J. Burnett to the hill tomorrow to face Junichi Tazawa which is a mismatch, the Yankees also have their big bullpen guys ready to go since they saved them all tonight.

Joba rules part II

The plan has been in place since spring training but no one knew what would happen or what the plan was. Joba Chamberlain didn't even know until recently, he is going to make 6 more starts. The debate continues with this guy now just in a different way, it has been proven that young pitchers under 25 should not increase their innings by too much more then 30 year to year. Joba Chamberlain has had some arm issues in the past and he didn't pitch much in college or the minor leagues so that is also why the Yankees want to be extra careful with him. Joba Chamberlain appears to be on pace for about 165 innings this year and then the postseason where the Yankees say don't count, it is just a regular season innings limit. The question is this Joba only threw a little over a 100 innings last year so isn't 165 too many innings?? How did the Yankees come up with this number and if it is so strict why doesn't it matter in the postseason?? I personally believe that he needs to be the 4th starter in the postseason and may only get 2 starts if the Yankees make the world series so it won't be going that much over the limit but still why does it seem to change because it is the postseason?? Did the Yankees factor this in and aren't telling anyone but this is way more then the suggested 30 innings increase that most teams go by. I guess the bottom line is this, if Joba pitches well and helps the Yankees win the world series and is healthy then no one is going to worry about it. I also am going to believe that the Yankees know better then any of us what they are doing, they are the New York Yankees after all.

The Derek Jeter problem

The New York Yankees have a upcoming issue with Derek Jeter. I am sure most of you are thinking what is this guy nuts, how could there be a problem when he is having one of his best seasons all around. The problem is this Derek isn't getting any younger, his contract is up at the end of next year. I would not expect a older Derek Jeter to play SS if his range is severely limited and he just can't play there anymore. Most SS that were offensive players also moved to another position, it is just too physically demanding of a position to stay there, Cal Ripken, Robin Yount and others moved. The problem is this Derek Jeter is not a willing participant if you read some of his comments he is hinting at it. Peter Abraham on his Yankees Lohud Blog had a quote from Jeter where he said he jokes around with Joe Girardi about being a DH in 5 years but then when asked by Peter Abraham could you see a 41 yr old Jeter at DH, he smiled and said you could see a 41 yr old Jeter at SS. The sunday NY post always has a Q and A with a sports star and a few weeks back it was with Jeter and he also said in there that he never thinks about another position because he is a SS and that is where he intends on staying. The problem for the Yankees is this, Derek Jeter is their captain he is beloved and should never be anything other then a Yankee so they may have to do whatever he wants not only with the postion but also his contract but they also have to do what is best for their organization and what they think will be most conducive to them winning. This is going to be a very hard thing to go through and I wouldn't want to be the one to have to go talk to Derek Jeter, stay tuned for the drama.

Pitching matchups for Yanks/BosoxB

Tomorrow- Andy Pettitte vs Brad Penny Saturday- A.J. Burnett vs Junichi Tazawa Sunday- CC Sabathia vs Josh Beckett It is in Fenway but all the pressure is on the Red Sox. The Yankees have their top 3 pitchers going and they clearly have the advantage the first two games. The Yankee bats were pretty quiet in Oakland and I could see them exploding up in Boston at least the first two games. This really is Boston's last stand at least for the division. If Boston doesn't sweep it pretty much is over, the Yankees would like to bury them by winning the series or sweeping them. I still expect Boston to win the wildcard and would bet that these two teams will meet up in the ALCS but Tampa and Texas are right there and it is going to be a fight to the end.

Yanks take series and ready for Boston

The New York Yankees defeated the Oakland A's by the score of 3-2 last night. Chad Gaudin got the start and looked good going 4 1/3 shutout innings. He gave up 1 hit with 5 walks and also struck out 5. He could of got through the 5th but an error by Cano cost him. Alfredo Aceves relieved him with the bases loaded and 1 out and got out of it with a 1-2-3 double play. Aceves pitched the next two innings giving up a couple of runs. Phil Hughes came on in the 8th inning and gave up a walk and hit before getting a double play and popup. Hughes has been great in the 8th inning but all these pressure situations and it now always being so easy is really going to help him as a starter moving forward. Mariano got the save and the Yankees look forward to Boston starting tomorrow night. The offense was once again led by Derek Jeter who had 2 hits making it 4 straight games with multiple hits. Johnny Damon also had a couple of hits and Mark Teixeira had a hit and 3 rbi's. Nick Swisher had the only other hit for the Yankees, their offense wasn't great again but they did enough to win and that is the key. Andy Pettitte will be on the mound tomorrow against Brad Penny. This series will be the Red Sox last stand, the Yankees only need to win 1 but it would be nice to take 2 or 3 and pretty much bury them for the division. Boston is 1 game ahead in the wildcard but the Rays are also lurking only 3 games out and they will play Boston more games coming up. Today is an off day so get some rest and enjoy it before another crazy Yankees/Boston weekend.

Yanks at A's(The Rubber game)

The New York Yankees will take on the Oakland A's at 10:05 tonight on the YES network. Chad Gaudin will make his first Yankees start against Brett Anderson. Here are the pregame notes and lineup from Peter Abraham. Chad Gaudin pitched for Oakland from 2006-08. He was 20-18 with a 4.00 era. He is 12-9 with a 3.71 era in 58 career games at Oakland Coliseum. Brett Anderson a 21 yr old rookie is 4-1 with a 3.12 era in his last 12 starts. He has faced the Yankees twice going 12 innings and allowing 9 runs on 18 hits and 3 walks. He last faced them on July 24th giving up 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings. Derek Jeter is batting 429 against lefties this season. The Yankees have not homered in their last 2 games, this can't be true is it, yes it is. 9 of Johnny Damon's last 11 hits have been for extra bases, I think he is trying to stay past this season. The Yankees are 62-30 since A-rod came off the DL. Big Tex is slumping a bit going 3 for his last 18 with 1 rbi in his last 5 games. Tex, Pujols and Adam Dunn are the only players with at least 30 homeruns in each of the last 6 seasons. Kurt Suzuki a yankee killer well he is hitting 407 against them in his career with 11 rbi's. This season he is hitting 448 against them with 5 xbh and 9 rbi's. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Molina(C)

CC looking like an Ace

The New York Yankees defeated the Oakland A's 7-2 last night in a sloppy game for the A's. CC Sabathia pitched very well going 8 innings with 5 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. He gave up two solo homeruns early and then was in trouble in the 4th with two men on and one out but got out of it and then went into full lockdown mode, only one guy reached base the rest of the game. CC Sabathia is now 4-0 this month with a 2+ era. David Robertson pitched a scoreless ninth walking a couple of guys but then not giving anything else up. CC Sabathia earlier in the year was struggling and a lot of people were worried but he sure looks like an Ace now and he said he would get better as the season wore on and that is what you want. The offense was once again led by the Captain Derek Jeter who had 3 hits for the 3rd straight game. Johnny Damon had a couple of hits and a rbi, A-rod had a hit, rbi and 2 walks. Hideki Matsui had a couple of hits, rbi and walk. Jorge Posada had a hit and 2 rbi's and Melky Cabrera had a couple of hits. The Yankees will try and win the series tonight before heading to Boston and enjoying a day off tomorrow before the big 3 game series starting Friday night.

Some Random things

Peter Abraham had a good blog post today about A-rod looking better and better with guys like Vick, Favre, Manny, Big Papi all doing things to look bad and him just playing ball and not saying much and looking good. I would advise you to check it out at http://yankees.lhblogs.com. Brett Favre can't he just go away it is dispicable what he has done the last couple of years holding these teams hostage and putting young guys on the bench and possibly screwing up their futures. The Yankees signed most of their top picks actually 13 out of 14 and overslotted on most of them but this is where they can take advantage and get away with it. Teams like Boston and the Mets can also do it. I am going with the Lohud Yankees Blog on a trip to Scranton next Sunday. There are some tickets available and it is worth going on, if you are interested let me know or check it out on the Lohud Blog. The minor league season will be ending in the next couple of weeks, I will do some postseason reviews of some of the top prospects at that time. The Mets finally put some Met history into Citi Field and recognize the New York Giants also not just the Brooklyn Dodgers. This seems good but didn't it take a little too long for this to happen?

Yanks at Oakland

The New York Yankees will try and end their 2 game losing streak. CC Sabathia takes the mound back home, he goes to Oakland here he has season tickets to the Raiders games and says that he won't give them up at least going to a couple of games and then giving the rest to friends. Here are the pregame notes and lineup from Peter Abraham. The Yankees have scored 3 runs on 13 hits in their last 18 innings. The Yankees lost three straight this year in Anaheim and also in Chicago. CC is 1-4 with a 7.12 era career in Oakland. He has 8 career starts at the Oakland Coliseum. Derek Jeter is 9 for 20 on the roadtrip with 5 rbi's. He is now batting 327. Jeter is batting 358 for his career in Oakland. Nick Swisher has reached base safely in 26 straight games. He once did it in 36 straight for Oakland in 2006. Robinson Cano is a 365 hitter with no one on base but 203 when there are runners in scoring position. Vinny Mazzaro who is from NJ pitched against the Yanks on July 23 and gave up 6 runs on 8 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Matsui is back and feels better, Gardner won't be back as quick as thought. He needs to keep the splint on for another week. Sergio Mitre will work out of the pen until he starts again. Joe Girardi claimed that Damaso Marte may be activated on Friday which is interesting since it seems the Yanks want nothing to do with him but he is under contract for this year and I believe next also. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF)

Yanks lose opener in Oakland

There really isn't much to say about the Yankees lackluster performance last night in Oakland. They lost to Brett Tomko and the A's 3-0. Yes that is right that Brett Tomko who the Yankees DFA'D earlier in the year and who hadn't made a major league start in a year and a half. He pitched 5 shutout innings, the Yankees one big chance was in the 4th when they had the bases loaded and one out with A-rod up and he bounced into a rare 1-2-3 double play. The Yankees didn't do much else, the bullpen completely shut them down. A.J. Burnett pitched 8 innings giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. He looked unhittable early on but had one bad inning where he gave up all the runs and 4 of the 6 hits but he deserved better then this. The Yankees will try and end a 2 game slide tonight with CC Sabathia on the mound in his hometown against Vin Mazzaro from New Jersey.

Yankees Draft Picks

The baseball draft is different then any other sport in that most guys don't make an impact for several years. In Football and Basketball especially guys get drafted and can make an immediate impact in the next season. In baseball it is tough, you see guys get drafted in late rounds and become great and you see first round picks never make it. The Yankees and other teams like the Red Sox and Mets and Dodgers have an advantage in that they can overpay guys to get them to sign because the slotting system is screwed up but they have the disadvantage of never picking high. The Yankees are always one of the last teams to pick so they never have a chance to sign a guy like Stephen Strasburg etc. The Yankees signed 13 of their top 14 picks and tonight announced they have signed a couple of later round picks. I know people like to go nuts over this but it is good to get these guys signed and into your system. The Yankees have guys like Ramiro Pena and Francisco Cervelli who I am sure when they were drafted no one thought much of them but they made an impact on the Yankees this year. I follow the minor league teams and like to see the young guys come up and make an impact but don't go too nuts over the draft picks, just wait and see what happens before you pass judgement.

Yankees at A's

The New York Yankees begin a 3 game series with the Oakland A's tonight in Oakland at 10:05PM on the YES network. A.J. Burnett is on the mound against Brett Tomko who was released from the Yankees in June, he was pretty bitter at the time so I am sure he will be pumped up for tonight. He was pitching in AAA though and didn't have great numbers for Oakland but they are desperate for pitching right now. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via the Lohud Yankees Blog. The Yankees are 5-1 against Oakland this year and 10-2 over the last 2 years. Robinson Cano has a 14 game hitting streak. He has gone from batting 305 to 321. A.J. Burnett is 6-2 with a 2.50 era in his last 11 starts. He is 2-2 with a 4.14 lifetime against the A's. Burnett has thrown 17 wild pitches this season, the team record is 23 by Tim Leary in 1990. Those were the good old days LOL. Brian Bruney has thrown 5 straight scoreless innings and David Robertson has gone 6 straight. The Yankees are 12-3 this month. Nick Swisher has 20 homeruns and 17 have come on the road. 13 of them have come against righties. Derek Jeter is 8 of 16 on this trip. He has 5 rbi's and 3 xbh. He is now batting 323. Jerry Hairston Jr's. next game will be the 1,00th of his career. Alfredo Aceves has been struggling going 15 2/3 innings, 15 hits, 12 runs with 4 walks and 11 strikeouts in his last 9 appearances. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(DH) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF) Pena(SS) There is news about the draft picks who have to midnight tonight to come to terms, the Yankees have signed 13 of their top 14 picks and more, I will have more on this later on tonight.

Pitching matchups for Yanks/A's series

Tomorrow- Brett Tomko vs A.J. Burnett Tuesday- Vin Mazzaro vs CC Sabathia Wednesday- Chad Gaudin vs Brett Anderson The first two games the Yankees clearly have the advantage. They should be able to put some runs on the board and the A's aren't a great hitting team going against the top 2 pitchers. The third game would be the game the Yankees could lose, Brett Anderson is good and who knows what Gaudin will give the Yankees. I think the Yankees will win 2 out of 3 and that will be fine.

Yanks lose don't get the sweep

The New York Yankees lost to the Seattle Mariners today by the score of 10-3. Joba Chamberlain got the start and wasn't very good only going 5 innings and giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. Alfredo Aceves came on in relief in the sixth and ended up pitching 1 2/3 innings giving up 4 runs on 4 hits with a couple of strikeouts. Chad Gaudin pitched 1 1/3 giving up 4 hits and 2 runs. It wasn't a very good day for the pitchers who have been so good lately especially the bullpen. Chad Gaudin is still in line to pitch Wednesday. The Yankees did win 3 out of 4 in Seattle and will head off to Oakland to play 3 starting tomorrow night. The story of the day and the good news from this game was Derek Jeter getting 3 hits and setting the all time record for most hits as a SS. A-rod, Swisher, Hinske, Pena and Cano all had one hit a piece. Doug Fister the starting pitcher for the Mariners had the Yankees offense off balance all day and they really didn't muster much. Hideki Matsui was out of the lineup and had fluid drained during the game and will miss tomorrow and then be day to day. The Boston Red Sox lost today so the Yankees lead remains at 7 1/2 in the AL east, Boston also is now 1/2 game behind the Texas Rangers for the wildcard lead.

Yankees at Mariners(Going for the sweep)

The New York Yankees take on the Seattle Mariners at 4:10 today on the YES network. Joba Chamberlain makes the start. The Yankees will try and win their 7th game in a row. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. The Yankees are 36 and 11 in their last 47 games. This is an amazing run, not much to complain about. The Yankees are 5-1 against Seattle this year and have outscored them 20-5 in this series. Derek Jeter needs one hit to tie for the record for most hits ever by a SS. He will be tied with Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio. The Yankees bullpen has been unbelievable giving up 0 runs in their last 12 2/3 innings, 1 in their last 19 2/3 and 3 in their last 30 1/3. They have also struck out 31 in their last 30 1/3 and given up 22 hits. Jerry Hairston Jr. is 9 of 26 with 3 xbh and 6 rbi's as a Yankee. Robinson Cano has a 13 game hitting streak going 24 of 57 with 9 xbh. He has 51 multiple hit games this season only trailing Ichiro who has 56. Robinson Cano has had a great season other then not being great with runners in scoring position although he seems to be getting better with that lately. He may even win a gold glove this year. Melky Cabrera has played every inning in CF since Brett Gardner went down, he may need a rest. He is 6 of his last 48. Joba after being almost unhittable in his first 3 starts after the break has struggled in his last 2. He has allowed 8 runs on 11 hits and 9 walks over 11 innings. Derek Jeter has 4 homeruns in his last 8 games. The Yankees are 33-26 away from Yankee stadium. Hideki Matsui has fluid on his left knee and is day to day. Mo may not be available today. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(DH) A-rod(3B) Posada(C) Swisher(1B) Hinske(RF) Hairston(CF) Pena(2B)

Yanks not sleepless in Seattle

http://gmarchese.blogspot.comThe New York Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners last night by the score of 5-2. Sergio Mitre got the start and didn't pitch too bad going 5 1/3 innings giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. Dave Robertson came on and pitched 1 scoreless inning giving up 2 hits but striking out 3. Phil Coke pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings giving up 0 hits with 3 strikeouts. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for the save giving up a hit and walk but also striking out two. The offense was led by Derek Jeter who had 2 hits and 2 rbi's and Robinson Cano who had 2 hits. A-rod had a hit and a couple of walks. Nick Swisher had a 2 run homerun, Mark Teixeira had a hit, Jerry Hairston Jr had a hit and Jose Molina had a couple of hits and also a big play in the seventh throwing out Ichiro trying to steal third. The Yankees just keep rolling along now 7 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox for first place in the AL East. Joba Chamberlain will get the start today after all and then not pitch again for another 8 days. The Yankees are now 23-6 since the all star break which is the best record in their history post all star break. Mariano Rivera has now completed 31 consecutive save chances matching his career high which he last accomplished in 2005. The Yankees bullpen has given up 1 run in their last 20 2/3 innings, this is just dominant and with that type of pitching you would expect to have a run like the Yankees have had. The other thing the Yankees pitchers do for the most part is get a lot of strikeouts, the bullpen had 8 last night and CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte had 10 in back to back games.