MLB Winter Meetings 2014

The MLB winter meetings began officially on Monday although a lot of people got into town Sunday night.  They are being held in San Diego, California this year.  The big news so far is that David Robertson signed with the Chicago White Sox and the White Sox also traded for pitcher Jeff Samardzija.  There have been lots of Jon Lester rumors but nothing as of yet.  First it was reported it was down to the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants but not they are saying there may still be four teams involved.  A decision is expected soon but we will see. 

The Diamondbacks traded catcher Miguel Montero to the Chicago Cubs for a couple of minor leaguers.  The two players are pitchers Jeferson Mejia and Zack Godley. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates resigned left handed starting pitcher Francisco Liriano for three years and 39 millions which is the largest free agent contract in team history.  The Jeff Samardzija trade was also minor league pitcher Michael Ynoa going to the White Sox in the deal and the Athletics getting back infielder Marcus Semien, right hander Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley and first baseman Rangel Ravelo. 

We learned that the Yankees never even offered Robertson a contract.  Once they signed Miller they were out on Robertson never considering having two high priced relievers.  They feel that with Miller and Betances in the back end they are fine and that they also have Justin Wilson, Shawn Kelley and Adam Warren if he isn't in the rotation.  The Yankees also have lefty first round pick from last year Jacob Lindgren just about ready to contribute.  They may still sign a traditional closer for a year or two who costs less then Robertson but if not may just mix and match with Betances and Miller at the end of games. 

 

New York Yankees news and notes

The New York Yankees have been pretty quiet so far this offseason.  They did sign Chris Young to a one year 2.5 million dollar deal before last week GM meetings took place.  David Robertson did turn down the qualifying offer last Monday as expected.  He seems to have a lot of suitors but it doesn't mean he won't return to the Yankees.  I would still bet on that happening although I didn't think Robinson Cano would leave last year either. 

The Yankees did make a minor trade last week and also signed a very minor player also last week.  They traded fan favorite Francisco Cervelli to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left handed reliever Justin Wilson.  I think this was a good move because they had a surplus of catchers and Cervelli is a career backup with a big injury history.  They are very high on their minor league catchers such as John Ryan Murphy and Austin Romine and then Gary Sanchez is considered their number one prospect and this should open up the AAA starting catcher spot for him.  Romine and Murphy will battle it out for backup catcher in spring training although Romine is out of options.  It appears that Murphy has the edge for the spot but we will have to wait and see.  As for Wilson he has very good stuff and is young and controllable right now.  The Yankees do have some left handed relievers in the minors they are very high on.  Wilson though is more of a proven commodity, I wouldn't rule out Jacob Lindgren making the team along with Wilson.  Wilson was 3-4 with a 4.20 ERA 70 appearances last season with the Pirates.  He is 6'2  and in three major league seasons is 9-5 with a 2.99 ERA. 

The other minor move that they made was picking up Jose De Paula on a one year split contract.  He will receive 510,000 if he appears in the majors and 175,000 in the minors.  He was with AAA Fresno in the San Francisco Giants organization last season.  De Paula went 4-3 with a 4.21 ERA.  He has never appeared in the majors but the Yankees like his stuff and he will have a chance to compete for a starting spot.  If not he will be AAA insurance.  This is one of those moves that can't hurt, if it works out great and if not then you didn't lost much. 

The Yankees are talking with Robertson and they have made offers to Chase Headley and Brandon McCarthy from what I understand but they are in wait and see mode.  It appears that if Headley doesn't resign with them then Martin Prado will be their third baseman with Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela battling it out for second base.  If no McCarthy the Yankees could look at other middle tier alternatives such as Jason Hammell. 

The New York Yankees rally and beat the Toronto Blue Jays

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.  The game took place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada and the final score was 6-3.  Chris Capuano started for the Yankees and pitched well and the bullpen was very good.  Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and two RBI and Martin Prado had two hits. 

Capuano pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and three runs with two of them being earned.  He walked one and struck out four and won his second game of the season.  Adam Warren pitched 1 1/3 innings striking out one, Josh Outman faced one batter and gave up a hit and David Robertson pitched 1 1/3 innings to pick up his 35th save of the season.  He had a strikeout and no walks. 

Mark Buehrle lost his ninth game of the season pitching six innings and giving up seven hits and four runs.  He walked one and struck out four.  Aaron Loup pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a hit and a run with two walks and two strikeouts, Brett Cecil pitched to one batter and retired him and Josh McGowan pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout. 

Ellsbury had two hits and two RBI, Derek Jeter had a hit and Prado had two hits.  Brian McCann had a hit, Carlos Beltran drew two walks and Brett Gardner had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk.  Ichiro Suzuki had a hit, Stephen Drew had a hit and Chase Headley had a hit and an RBI.  Drew, McCann and Gardner each hit a double and Ellsbury hit a triple and a homerun.  Headley also added a homerun.  The Yankees were 3-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Jeter and Gardner each committed an error. 

Melky Cabrera had an RBI, Jose Bautista had a hit and an RBI and Dioner Navarro had three hits.  Kawasaki had a hit, Colby Rasmus had two hits and drew a walk and Pillar had two hits and an RBI.  Navarro, Rasmus and Pillar each hit a double.  Bautista hit a homerun and the Blue Jays were 1-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.  Tolleson and Navarro each commited an error. 

Bautista hit a solo homerun in the fourth to give the Jays a 1-0 lead.  In the seventh Gardner hit a two run double, a throwing error allowed another run to score and Ellsbury hit a two run homerun.  The Yankees had a 5-1 lead.  Pillar hit an RBI double in the seventh and Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-3 game.  The Yankees added another run on a Headley solo homerun in the ninth to make it 6-3.  6-3 was the final score.  The two teams will play game two of three on Saturday afternoon.   

The New York Yankees end their five game skid with a win in Tampa Bay

The New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday evening.  The game took place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and the final score was 3-2.  Shane Greene started for the Yankees and pitched well and the bullpen was good.  Martin Prado hit a homerun and Derek Jeter had an RBI single. 

Greene pitched six innings giving up two runs on seven hits.  He walked one and struck out ten.  Shawn Kelley pitched an inning with a strikeout, Dellin Betances pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and picked up his fifth win of the season and David Robertson picked up his 32nd save of the season.  Robertson pitched a perfect inning. 

Drew Smyly pitched seven innings giving up four hits and two runs.  He walked one and struck out four.  Brad Boxberger pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Jake McGee pitched an inning giving up three hits and a run with two strikeouts.  McGee lost his first game of the season. 

Brett Gardner had a hit,  Jeter had a hit and an RBI and Mark Teixeira had two hits.  Chase Headley drew a walk, Prado had a hit and two RBI and Francisco Cervelli had a hit.  Brendan Ryan had a hit, Cervelli hit a double and Prado hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.  Headley had a stolen base and Ryan was caught stealing. 

Desmond Jennings had a hit, Ben Zobrist had a hit and an RBI and Matt Joyce had a hit.  Evan Longoria had a hit, Yunel Escobar had a hit and an RBI and Vince Belnome drew a walk.  Curt Casali had a hit, Kevin Kiermier had a hit and Jennings hit a double.  The Rays were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Logan Forsythe committed an error.  Smyly had a pickoff. 

In the second Prado hit a two run homerun to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.  The Rays would get on the board in the sixth on an Escobar RBI single.  Zobrist had an RBI groundout in the seventh to tie the game at two.  In the ninth Jeter hit an RBI single to make it 3-2 Yankees and that would be the final score.  The two teams have split the first two games of the series and the rubber game will be on Sunday afternoon. 

The New York Yankees win the rubber game over the Detroit Tigers

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 1-0.  Shane Greene started and pitched great and Stephen Drew knocked in the only run of the game. 

Greene pitched 8+ innings giving up no runs and five hits.  He walked three and struck out five.  Greene picked up his third win of the season and David Robertson picked up his 31st save of the season.  Robertson pitched an inning giving up a walk. 

Rick Porcello was the hard luck loser pitching seven innings and giving up nine hits and a run with five strikeouts.  Porcello lost his sixth game of the season.  Phil Coke pitched an inning giving up a walk and striking out two. 

Brett Gardner, Martin Prado and Jacoby Ellsbury each had a hit.  Carlos Beltran had a hit, Chase Headley had a hit and drew a walk and Drew had a hit and an RBI.  Ichiro Suzuki had two hits, Brendan Ryan had a hit and Drew hit a double.  The Yankees were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. 

Ezequiel Carrera had a hit, Ian Kinsler had two hits and Victor Martinez had a hit and drew a walk.  J.D. Martinez drew a walk, Don Kelly had a hit and Nick Castellanos drew a walk.  Alex Avila drew a walk and the Tigers were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

The only run of the game was scored in the fourth inning on a Drew RBI double.  It could of been two runs but the ball bounced in the stands for a ground rule double and only allowed the one run to score which was enough for Greene.  The Yankees took three of four in the series and will now begin a three game series with the Cleveland Indians at home on Friday night. 

The New York Yankees win the series over the Texas Rangers

The New York Yankees defeated the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 4-2.  Brandon McCarthy started for the Yankees and pitched well, the bullpen was pretty good.  The offense only managed six hits but it was enough. 

McCarthy pitched six innings giving up four hits and a run with two walks and five strikeouts.  McCarthy earned his fifth win of the season.  Adam Warren pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run, Matt Thornton threw one pitch and retired the only batter that he faced and Dellin Betances pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.  David Robertson saved his 25th game of the season pitched a scoreless inning.  He walked one and struck out two. 

Colby Lewis lost his eighth game of the season pitching 6 1/3 innings and giving up four hits and three runs.  He walked three and struck out two.  Ryan Feierabend pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with two strikeouts and Roman Mendez pitched 2/3 of an inning. 

Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk, Brett Gardner had a hit and an RBI and Carlos Beltran had a hit and drew a walk.  Brian McCann had a hit and an RBI, Chase Headley had a hit and an RBI and Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and drew a walk.  Francisco Cervelli had a hit and an RBI, Gardner, Cervelli and McCann each hit a double.  The Yankees were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Ellsbury had a stolen base. 

Shin-Soo Choo had a hit and drew a walk, Elvis Andrus had a hit and an RBI and Jim Adduci drew a walk.  J.P. Arencibia had a hit and an RBI, Leonys Martin drew a walk and Rougned Odor had two hits.  Odor hit a double, Arencibia hit a homerun and the Rangers were 1-4 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. 

In the third Andrus hit an RBI single and the Rangers took a 1-0 lead.  The Yankees tied the game in the fourth on a Headley RBI single.  The Yankees took the lead in the fifth inning on a Cervelli RBI double and a Gardner sacrifice fly.  They had a 3-1 lead which got trimmed to 3-2 on an Arencibia solo homerun in the seventh inning.  The Yankees had a 3-2 lead and added an insurance run in the eighth on a McCann RBI double.  The Yankees took a 4-2 lead and that would be the final score.  The Yankees took three out of four in the series and have won six of seven on the homestand.  They will now start a three game series at home against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. 

The New York Yankees begin second half with a win over the Cincinnati Reds

The New York Yankees defeated the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 4-3.  David Phelps started and pitched well and the bullpen was good.  Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two run homerun and Derek Jeter and Carlos Beltran each had two hits. 

Phelps pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up three runs, only two of them were earned.  He gave up six hits and a walk and struck out seven to pick up his fourth win of the season.  Dellin Betances pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings and struck out three and David Robertson gave up a hit in one inning and earned his 24th save of the season. 

Mike Leake pitched seven innings giving up eight hits and four runs with two walks and five strikeouts.  He lost his eighth game of the season and Sam LeCure pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. 

Brett Gardner drew a walk, Jeter had two hits and Ellsbury had two hits and two RBI.  Mark Teixeira drew a walk, Brian McCann had a hit and an RBI and Beltran had two hits and an RBI.  Kelly Johnson had a hit, McCann and Beltran each hit a double and Ellsbury hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Gardner, Ellsbury and Beltran each had a stolen base and Roberts, Jeter and Betances each committed an error. 

Zack Cozart had two hits, Jay Bruce drew a walk and Devin Mesoraco had an RBI.  Brayan Pena had two hits and two RBI, Chris Heisey had two hits and Ramon Santiago had a hit.  Pena hit two homeruns and the Reds were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Bruce was caught stealing. 

In the first inning McCann hit an RBI double to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  In the third Pena hit a solo homerun to tie the game at one.  In the bottom of the third Beltran hit an RBI single to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.  The Reds tied the game in the fourth on a fielding error by Jeter.  In the fifth Ellsbury hit a two run homerun to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead.  Pena hit a solo homerun in the seventh to cut the lead to 4-3 but that would be the final score. 

The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Saturday afternoon.  The Yankees have a ten game homestand to open the second half of the season.  They also play most of their games at home in the second half, more than any other team in baseball.  It would be a good time for them to get good at home. 

The New York Yankees hold on for the victory in Minnesota to take the series

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon.  The game took place at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the final score was 9-7.  Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees and was ok, the bullpen struggled but was able to hang on.  Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki each had three hits. 

Kuroda pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up four runs on seven hits.  He walked two and struck out three to earn  his sixth victory of the season.  Adam Warren pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up two hits and a run with a walk and a couple of strikeouts, Jim Miller pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a walk and David Robertson saved his 21st game of the season.  Robertson pitched an inning giving up three hits and a run with two strikeouts. 

Ricky Nolasco pitched two innings giving up six runs on seven hits.  He walked one and lost his seventh game of the season.  Anthony Swarzak pitched three innings giving up four hits and three runs with a strikeout, Caleb Thielbar pitched two innings giving up a hit and a walk and Matt Guerrier pitched two innings giving up two hits.

Brett Gardner drew two walks, Jeter had three hits and two RBI and Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and four RBI.  Mark Teixeira had two hits and an RBI, Brian McCann had a hit and an RBI and Brian Roberts had a hit.  Suzuki had three hits, Kelly Johnson had two hits and McCann and Ellsbury each hit a double.  Ellsbury hit a homerun and the Yankees were 5-14 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. 

Brian Dozier had a hit, Eduardo Nunez had two hits and Chris Parmelee had a hit and an RBI.  Josh Willingham drew two walks, Oswaldo Arcia had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Kurt Suzuki had a hit.  Trevor Plouffe had three hits and two RBI, Chris Colabello had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk and Sam Fuld had a hit.  Colabello, Suzuki and Plouffe each hit a double.  Colabello and Plouffe each hit a homerun and the Twins were 4-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.  Arcia had an outfield assist. 

In the first Teixeira hit an RBI single and McCann hit an RBI double to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.  In the second they scored four runs to take a 6-0 lead.  Jeter hit a sacrifice fly and Ellsbury hit a three run homerun.  The Yankees extended their lead to 9-0 in the fourth.  Jeter hit an RBI single, Ellsbury hit an RBI groundout and Ellsbury scored on a balk.  The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on an Arcia RBI single.  Plouffe hit an RBI double and Colabello hit a two run homerun to make it a 9-4 game.  In the seventh Parmelee hit an RBI groundout to inch the Twins closer at 9-5.  Plouffe hit a solo homerun in the eighth to make it 9-6 and the Twins scored one more run in the ninth to make it 9-7 which was the final score.  Arcia hit an RBI single. 

The Yankees won three out of four in the series and head to Cleveland to begin another four game series on Monday night.   

The New York Yankees start long road trip with a good win in Kansas City

The New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.  The game took place at Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri and the final score was 4-2.  Chase Whitley started and pitched great.  Dellin Betances and David Robertson closed it out.  Brian McCann had the big hit which was a three run double. 

Whitley pitched seven innings giving up two runs on five hits.  He walked none and struck out three and earned his first major league win.  This was also the first time he went past five innings in any of his starts this year.  Betances pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and he gave up a hit and Robertson pitched a scoreless inning to pick up his 14th save of the season.  Robertson gave up a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. 

Jeremy Guthrie lost his sixth game of the season pitching seven innings and giving up six hits and four runs.  He walked one and struck out two, Francisley Bueno pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk and Wilken Rodriguez pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with a strikeout. 

Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, Brett Gardner had two hits and Mark Teixeira had a hit and drew a walk.  McCann had a hit and three RBI, Yangervis Solarte drew a walk and Ichiro Suzuki had a hit.  Brian Roberts had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Brendan Ryan had a hit and McCann hit a double.  The Yankees were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Ryan was caught stealing and Suzuki was picked off in the game. 

Nori Aoki had a hit, Billy Butler had a hit and Alex Gordon had two hits and drew a walk.  Salvador Perez had a hit and an RBI, Lorenzo Cain had a hit and an RBI and Alcides Escobar had a hit.  Gordon, Cain, Escobar and Butler each hit a double.  The Royals were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Gordon had a stolen base and Aoki was caught stealing.  Infante committed an error. 

Roberts hit an RBI single in the second giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the second Perez tied the score with an RBI single.  McCann hit a three run double in the third to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead.  The Royals would score one more run in the fifth on a Cain RBI double.  The final score was 4-2 Yankees as they held on in the ninth for the win.  It was the Yankees second win in a row.  The two teams will play game two of their four game series on Saturday night. 

The New York Yankees blow a lead and drop the series finale with the Minnesota Twins

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 7-2.  The Yankees held a 2-1 lead in the ninth but gave up six runs to lose the game.  Chase Whitley started and pitched well and the bullpen before the closer was good also.  The Yankees offense only managed three hits. 

Whitley pitched five innings giving up five hits and one run.  He walked none and struck out six.  Dellin Betances pitched two perfect innings with five strikeouts, Adam Warren pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one and David Robertson pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and five runs with three walks and two strikeouts.  Robertson blew his second save and lost his second game of the season.  Matt Daley gave up a hit and a run without recording an out and Matt Thornton pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit. 

Phil Hughes won his sixth game of the season pitching eight innings giving up three hits and two runs with two walks and six strikeouts.  Caleb Thielbar pitched a perfect inning.   

Brett Gardner had a hit, Derek Jeter had a hit and an RBI and Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit.  Brian McCann drew two walks, Ichiro Suzuki had an RBI and Gardner hit a triple.  The Yankees were 1-3 with runners in scoring position and left two men on base. 

Brian Dozier had a hit and an RBI, Joe Mauer had a hit and drew a walk and Trevor Plouffe had two hits and an RBI.  Eduardo Nunez had a hit and two RBI, Oswaldo Arcia had two hits and two RBI and Josh Willingham had a hit and an RBI.  Kurt Suzuki had a hit and drew a walk, Hicks had a hit and drew a walk and Plouffe, Dozier and Nunez each hit a double.  Willingham hit a homerun and the Twins were 4-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. 

In the third Plouffe hit an RBI single to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  In the fourth Jeter hit an RBI single and Suzuki hit a sacrifice fly giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead.  The Twins rallied in the ninth and won the game with six runs.  Willingham hit a solo homerun, Dozier hit an RBI double, Nunez hit a two run double and Arcia hit a two run single.  The Yankees lost two out of three in the series and dropped to 12-13 at home for the season.  They will play a one game makeup game on Monday night against the Seattle Mariners before beginning a three game series with the Oakland Athletics. 

Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees defeat the Minnesota Twins

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 3-1.  Tanaka started and pitched very well.  Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, Brian McCann and Kelly Johnson each had two hits and Yangervis Solarte had three hits. 

Tanaka pitched eight innings giving up one unearned run.  He gave up four hits and two walks and struck out nine.  David Robertson pitched an inning picking up his 12th save and he struck out the side. 

Kevin Correia pitched six innings giving up nine hits and a run with a walk and three strikeouts.  Brian Duensing lost his second game of the season pitching 1 1/3 innings and giving up two hits and two runs with two walks and two strikeouts.  Jared Burton pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. 

Gardner had two hits, Jeter had two hits and Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit and drew a walk.  Brian Roberts drew a walk, McCann had two hits and an RBI and Alfonso Soriano drew a walk.  Solarte had three hits and an RBI, Johnson had two hits and an RBI and Jeter hit a double.  McCann hit two doubles and Solarte hit a homerun.  the Yankees were 3-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.  Ellsbury had a stolen base, Johnson, Soriano and Solarte each committed an error. 

Eduardo Escobar had two hits, Josh Willingham had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Trevor Plouffe had a hit.  Josmil Pinto drew a walk and the Twins were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Pinto committed an error and Oswaldo Arcia had an outfield assist again. 

In the first Willingham had an RBI single to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  In the fourth Solarte hit a solo homerun to tie the game at one.  McCann hit an RBI double in the eighth and Johnson hit an RBI single giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead and that would be the final score.  The two teams have split their first two games and will play the rubber game of the three game set on Sunday afternoon. 

 

The New York Yankees win in extra innings against the St. Louis Cardinals

The New York Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday evening.  The game took place at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and the final score was 6-4.  Chase Whitley started and pitched well and then lost it in the sixth inning.  The Yankees bullpen pitched great and Brian Roberts led the offense with a couple of hits. 

Whitley pitched 5+ innings giving up eight hits and three runs.  He struck out two batters  and got a no decision.  Preston Claiborne pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings, Matt Thornton faced two batters and retired them both and Dellin Betances pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts.  Alfredo Aceves picked up his first win of the season pitching two innings and giving up a hit, David Robertson picked up his 11th save pitching an inning and giving up a hit and an unearned run.  He struck out two batters. 

Michael Wacha pitched seven innings giving up four hits and three runs.  He walked two and struck out two, Carlos Martinez pitched two innings giving up a hit with two strikeouts and Trevor Rosenthal pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.  Pat Neshek pitched a perfect inning, Randy Choate lost his second game of the season pitching 1/3 of an inning and giving up a hit and three runs with two walks.  Jason Motte pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Derek Jeter had a hit and Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk.  Ichiro Suzuki drew two walks, Roberts had two hits and an RBI and Kelly Johnson had a hit and an RBI.  Alfonso Soriano had an RBI, Brendan Ryan had a hit and an RBI and the Yankees were 4-9 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Ellsbury had a stolen base and Gardner was caught stealing.  Jeter committed an error. 

Matt Carpenter had a hit, Kolten Wong had two hits and an RBI and Matt Holliday had a hit.  Matt Adams had two hits, Allen Craig had a hit and an RBI and Jhonny Peralta had a hit and an RBI.  John Jay had two hits and an RBI, Wong, Holliday and Jay each hit a double.  Carpenter hit a triple and the Cardinals were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Wong was caught stealing. 

In the first Ellsbury hit an RBI single to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the first the Cardinals tied it on a Wong RBI double.  In the fifth Johnson hit an RBI single and Gardner hit a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.  Craig grounded into a force out in the sixth and Peralta hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three.  In the 12th the Yankees broke the tie with three runs.  Roberts hit an RBI single, Soriano hit a sacrifice fly and Ryan hit an RBI single.  In the bottom of the 12th Jay hit an RBI double to make it 6-4 but that would be the final score.  The two teams will play game two of the three game series on Tuesday night.   

The New York Yankees snap skid and defeat the Chicago White Sox

The New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox on Saturday afternoon.  The game took place at U.S. Cellular Field and the final score was 4-3.  Vidal Nuno started and after a rough first inning pitched great.  David Robertson saved the game a day after blowing his first save.  The Yankees offense did nothing until the ninth and tenth innings. 

Nuno pitched seven innings giving up nine hits and three runs.  He walked one and struck out five.  Matt Daley retired both batters that he faced, Matt Thornton struck out the only batter that he faced and Dellin Betances picked up his third win of the season.  Betances pitched a perfect inning with a couple of strikeouts.  Robertson pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out the sides. 

John Danks pitched eight innings giving up three hits and no runs with four strikeouts.  Ronald Belisario blew his second save of the season.  Belisario pitched an inning giving up four hits and three runs with a walk and a strikeout.  Zach Putnam suffered his first loss of the season pitching an inning and giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout. 

Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and an RBI, Mark Teixeira had a hit and Alfonso Soriano had a hit and an RBI.  Yangervis Solarte had a hit and an RBI, Ichiro Suzuki drew a walk and John Ryan Murphy had a hit.  Brian McCann had a hit and an RBI off the bench, Brendan Ryan had a hit and Teixeira and Soriano each hit a double.  Ellsbury hit a homerun and the Yankees were 3-6 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Suzuki had an outfield assist. 

Adam Eaton had three hits, Gordon Beckham had three hits and Dayan Viciedo had a hit and an RBI.  Adam Dunn had an RBI and drew a walk, Alexei Ramirez had an RBI and Marcus Semien had two hits.  Nieto had a hit, Viciedo hit a double and the White Sox were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.  Eaton had a stolen base and Semien committed an error. 

The White Sox took a 3-0 lead in the first inning.  Viciedo hit an RBI double, Dunn had a sacrifice fly and Ramirez had an RBI groundout.  The Yankees would tie the game in the ninth with three runs.  Soriano hit an RBI double, Solarte hit an RBI single and McCann hit an RBI single.  In the tenth Ellsbury hit a solo homerun giving the Yankees a 4-3 lead and that would be the final score.  The Yankees snapped a two game losing streak and a eight game losing streak at U.S. Cellular Field.  The two teams will play the fourth and final game of their series on Sunday afternoon.   

The New York Yankees lose on a walk-off homerun to the Chicago White Sox

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.  The game took place at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois and the final score was 6-5.  Hiroki Kuroda started and wasn't as bad as the numbers look.  The defense was sloppy and Derek Jeter had a couple of hits. 

Kuroda pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up eight hits and four runs with only two of them being earned.  He walked two and struck out three.  Dellin Betances pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and striking out two, Adam Warren pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up two hits and striking out three and David Robertson suffered his first blown save and first loss of the season.  He pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and two runs with a walk and a strikeout. 

Hector Noesi pitched six innings giving up four hits and three runs with five walks and three strikeouts.  Scott Downs didn't record an out and gave up two hits and two runs, Jake Petricka pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up two hits and walking two and Daniel Webb pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a walk and striking out one and he won his fourth game of the season. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, Jeter had two hits and drew a walk and Jacoby Ellsbury had an RBI.  Mark Teixeira drew three walks, Brian McCann had a hit and three RBI and Yangervis Solarte had a hit and drew a walk.  Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and drew two walks, Brian Roberts had a hit and Kelly Johnson drew a walk.  Alfonso Soriano had a hit, McCann hit a homerun and the Yankees were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.  Johnson and Roberts each committed an error.  McCann had a passed ball. 

Adam Eaton had three hits, Gordon Beckham had a hit and drew a walk and Conor  Gillaspie had a hit.  Dayan Viciedo had a hit and drew a walk, Adam Dunn had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk and Alexei Ramirez had three hits and two RBI.  Paul Konerko had a hit, Tyler Flowers had two hits and Ramirez and Dunn each hit a homerun.  The White Sox were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.  Eaton and Garcia each stole a base. 

In the first McCann hits a three run homerun to give the Yankees a quick 3-0 lead.  In the first an error leads causes a White Sox run to trim the lead to 3-1.  In the fourth Eaton had an RBI single to cut the Yankees lead to 3-2.  Ramirez hit a two run homerun in the fifth to give the White Sox a 4-3 lead.  In the seventh a wild pitch scored Roberts and tied the game at four.  Ellsbury hit a sacrifice fly giving the Yankees a 5-4 lead.  In the ninth a Dunn two run homerun gave the White Sox the 6-5 win.  The White Sox have now taken the first two games of the four game set.  The two teams will play game three on Saturday afternoon. 

The New York Yankees rally in the ninth and defeat the Chicago Cubs in extras

The New York Yankees defeated the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon.  The game took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois and the final score was 4-2.  Chase Whitley started for the Yankees and pitched well, the bullpen was really good.  Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki, Yangervis Solarte and Jacoby Ellsbury each had two hits. 

Whitley pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up six hits and a run with a walk and three strikeouts.  Dellin Betances pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up no hits and no runs and he struck out three, Adam Warren pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a walk and a strikeout and Alfredo Aceves pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one.  Matt Daley pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up two walks and striking out three, Matt Thornton pitched 2/3 of an inning striking out one and Preston Claiborne picked up his second win of the season by pitching 1 2/3 innings.  He gave up a hit and struck out one and David Robertson picked up his ninth save of the season pitching an inning, giving up a hit and striking out two. 

Jeff Samardzija pitched seven innings giving up four hits and no runs.  He walked two and struck out three and remains winless on the season.  Schlitter pitched an inning with a walk and a strikeout, Hector Rondon pitched an inning giving up two hits and two runs with one being earned.  He also walked one and struck out one, Wesley Wright pitched two innings giving up two hits and James Russell pitched an inning giving up two hits.  Jose Veras lost his first game of the season pitching an inning and giving up three hits and two runs with a walk and a strikeout. 

Gardner had two hits and drew a walk, Derek Jeter had a hit and Ellsbury had two hits.  Mark Teixeira had a hit, Brian McCann had a hit and drew two walks and Brendan Ryan had a hit.  Solarte had two hits and drew two walks, Suzuki had two hits and an RBI and John Ryan Murphy had a hit and an RBI.  The Yankees were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.  Suzuki and Gardner each had a stolen base. 

Emilio Bonifacio had a hit and an RBI, Junior Lake had three hits and Anthony Rizzo drew three walks.  Luis Valbuena had a hit and drew a walk, Welington Castillo had two hits and Nate Schierholtz had two hits.  Mike Olt had a hit and an RBI, Ryan Kalish had a pinch hit and Olt hit a double.  Bonifacio and Kalish each hit a triple and the Cubs were 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.  Lake had a stolen base and Barney committed an error. 

In the fourth Olt hit a sacrifice fly to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.  In the seventh Bonifacio had a sacrifice bunt and a run scored to make it 2-0.  In the ninth the Yankees scored two runs and tied the game at two.  Suzuki grounded into a force out scoring a run and a second run scored on an error.  In the 13th a wild pitch scored a run to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead and Murphy hit an RBI single to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead which was the final score. 

The Yankees split the brief two game series against the Cubs and head to the other side of town to begin a four game series with the White Sox on Thursday night. 

The New York Yankees hold off the Anaheim Angels

The New York Yankees defeated the Anaheim Angels on Saturday afternoon.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 4-3.  Vidal Nuno was ok but not great and the bullpen was excellent.  John Ryan Murphy led the offense with a couple of hits including his first major league homerun. 

Nuno pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up three runs on five hits.  He walked two and struck out four.  Dellin Betances got his first major league win pitching two innings.  He gave up a hit and a walk with three strikeouts, Shawn Kelley pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up two hits and a walk with a strikeout and Matt Thornton pitched to one batter and retired him.  David Robertson earned his third save of the season pitching an inning and giving up a hit with two strikeouts. 

Hector Santiago took the loss his fourth of the season.  He pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up six hits and four runs with a walk and three strikeouts.  Kevin Jepsen pitched 2/3 of an inning striking out one, Nick Maronde pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and had a strikeout and Michael Kohn pitched 1 1/3 innings striking out one.  Ernesto Frieri pitched a perfect inning.   

Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, Derek Jeter had a hit and Alfonso Soriano had a hit.  Brett Gardner had two hits, Brian Roberts drew a walk and Murphy had two hits and three RBI.  Murphy hit a homerun and the Yankees were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Gardner had a stolen base and Roberts committed an error. 

Collin Cowgill had a hit, Mike Trout had two hits, an RBI and drew two walks and Albert Pujols had two hits.  Howie Kendrick drew a walk, Chris Iannetta had two hits and an RBI and Ian Stewart had  a hit and drew a walk.  David Freese had a hit, Iannetta hit a double, Trout hit a homerun and the Angels were 2-14 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base.  Trout had a stolen base. 

In the first inning Trout hit a solo homerun to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.  In the second Teixeira scored on a balk and then Murphy hit a two run single to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.  In the fourth the Angels came back to tie the game at three.  Erick Aybar grounded into a force out which scored a run and Iannetta hit an RBI double.  In the fifth Murphy hit a solo homerun to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead and that would be the final score.  The two teams will play the rubber game of their three game series on Sunday night. 

New York Yankees news and notes after the home opener

The Yankees did announce some injury news after the game today.  Mark Teixeira has a grade one

strain of his leg.  He should be back right after the 15 days are up with him.  They were actually very

happy and encouraged by that, the Yankees were fearing worse with him.  They also announced

that the closer David Robertson is hitting the disabled list with a groin strain.  He will be put on the

15 day DL tomorrow and the Yankees will have a corresponding roster move.  Robertson said he

doesn't feel that bad but doesn't want to leave the bullpen shorthanded right now.  It seems that

these two injuries are minor and in the short term they can deal with them. 

Shawn Kelley appears to be the one who will get the bulk of the time at closer.  The other guys will have to be moved up,  you may keep seeing Warren in the 8th as he has looked really good and maybe Dellin Betances in the seventh or Vidal Nuno and David Phelps.  We will have to see how Joe Girardi handles it.  he hasn't had any real set roles out there as of yet anyway.  He is still sorting through guys and kind of testing them out to see where they fit.  The Yankees staff as a whole has been really good so far this season. 

There was a first for Jeter in this game.  He was caught not hustling on a double.  He thought it was a homerun and I think everyone else did also but it wasn't.  He had to get a move on to get into second and thankfully he did to avoid embarrassment.  He said the guys were giving him a hard time but he is Jeter and you never see it so he kind of gets a pass anyway.  Jeter joked and said he wanted to test to make sure his legs were still good.  He also said you won't see that happen again and I would have to believe that. 

It is pretty amazing that the Yankees last four starters haven't issued a walk and they have struck out 23 in 25 1/3 innings.  The save by Shawn Kelley was the first of his career.  Kelley did say he was a little nervous at first but once he threw the first pitch it was back to business.  Robertson has only been on the disabled list one other time and that was his first crack at trying to take over for MO.  He said that every time he gets the chance something stops him from it.  He said he will get healthy though and get back and he seemed upbeat that it would be quick. 

Here is Jeter talking about the home opener.  "It is kind of tough for me to be reflective on something that 's at the beginning of the season.  It's my last home opener , but it's the first game here this year.  It's kind of hard for me to juggle having emotions for the last when it's also at the same time the first- if that makes any sense.  Home Openers are special.  I'm pretty sure next year when they have their home opener , I'll miss it a little bit.  I'm excited that we've gotten the season underway here, so today was just move excitement than anything." 

The New York Yankees finish their opening road trip with a win in Toronto

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.  The final score was

6-4 and the game took place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada.  CC Sabathia started for the

second time this season.  He was much better than his first start and the bullpen was very good. 

Derek Jeter had two hits, Brett Gardner and Kelly Johnson each had two RBI. 

Sabathia earned his first win of the season.  He pitched six innings giving up seven hits and four runs.  He walked none and struck out six.  Adam Warren pitched a perfect inning, Shawn Kelley gave up a hit in a scoreless inning and David Robertson earned his second save pitching an inning and giving up a hit and a walk. 

Drew Hutchison took the loss for the Blue Jays.  He pitched 3 1/3 innings giving up six hits and six runs with three walks and six strikeouts.  Todd Redmond pitched 3 2/3 innings giving up three hits and a walk with five strikeouts, Steve Delabar pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Esmil Rogers pitched a perfect inning.   

Gardner had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk, Jeter had two hits and Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit and an RBI.  Brian McCann had a hit and drew a walk, Alfonso Soriano had his first hit of the season and Johnson had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk.  Brian Roberts drew a walk, Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and Yangervis Solarte had a hit and an RBI.  Johnson and Solarte each hit a double.  Gardner hit the Yankees first homerun of the season.  The Yankees were 3-13 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Gardner, Roberts and Suzuki each stole a base in the game. 

Melky Cabrera had a hit and an RBI for the Blue Jays.  Maizur Izturis had two hits, Jose Bautista had a hit and Edward Encarnacion had two hits.  Dionar Navarro had a hit and an RBI, Erik Kratz had a hit and two RBI and Brett Lawrie had a hit.  Adam Lind drew a walk, Navarro hit a double and Encarnacion hit a triple.  Cabrera hit a homerun and the Blue Jays were 2-6 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

The Yankees scored three runs in the first inning.  Gardner walked, stole second and got moved to third and then home on ground outs.  Johnson hit a two run double to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.  Cabrera hit a solo homerun in the first to cut the lead to 3-1.  Solarte hit an RBI double and Gardner hit a two run homerun in the fourth to give the Yankees a 6-1 lead.  In the sixth Sabathia got into some trouble and gave up three runs.  Navarro hit an RBI double and Kratz hit a two run single to cut the Yankees lead to 6-4.  6-4 would be the final score as the Yankees bullpen nailed it down in the final three innings. 

The Yankees took two out of three in the series and finished their first road trip 3-3.  The Yankees will have their home opener on Monday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles.  It will be a special day in the Bronx as it is Derek Jeter last home opener and the core four will be reunited.  Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera will throw out first pitches to Jeter and Jorge Posada. 

The New York Yankees pick up first win and avoid sweep in Houston

The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros on Thursday night.  The final score was 4-2 and

the game took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.  Ivan Nova started and he battled

through the game without his best stuff.  The bullpen was very good and Ichiro Suzuki and Yangervis

Solarte led the offense. 

Nova pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up two runs and six hits.  He walked five and struck out on and picked up his first victory.  Adam Warren made his first appearance and pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts, Shawn Kelley pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts and David Robertson picked up his first save with a 1-2-3 inning.  He had one strikeout. 

Oberholtzer started for the Astros and pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up five hits and three runs with a walk and five strikeouts.  He picked up the loss his first of the season, Brad Peacock pitched 3 1/3 innings giving up two hits and a run with three walks and four strikeouts. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, RBI and drew a walk, Derek Jeter had a hit, RBI and drew a walk and Carlos Beltran had an RBI.  Brian Roberts drew a walk, Suzuki had two hits and Solarte had three hits an RBI and drew a walk.  Solarte and Suzuki each hit a double and the Yankees were 3-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

Dexter Folwer had two hits and an RBI for Houston.  Jose Altuve had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Grossman had a hit and drew a walk and Presley and Villar each had a hit.  Villar hit a double, the Astros were 1-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Altuve had a stolen base and Presley had an outfield assist. 

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the first inning once again.  Altuve grounded into a forceout which scored a run.  In the third inning the Yankees scored two runs and took their first lead of the season.  Gardner hit an RBI single and Beltran hit a sacrifice fly.  It was 2-1 Yankees until the fifth when Jeter hit an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1.  The Astros would get that run right back and cut the lead to 3-2.  Fowler hit an RBI single.  The Yankees would score the final run of the game in the seventh on a Solarte RBI single which was really a pop up in front of the mound that no one caught.  The final was 4-2 as Robertson closed it out easily for the Yankees first victory. 

The Yankees will head to Toronto and take on the Blue Jays in a three game weekend series.  Masahiro Tanaka will make his first start on Friday night and then Michael Pineda will make his first start on Saturday before the rotation turns back around with CC Sabathia on Sunday.   

The New York Yankees trounce the Boston Red Sox 8-1

The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon.  The game took place in

Tampa, Florida and the final score was 8-1 in favor of the Yankees.  Michael Pineda started for the

Yankees and was very good once again.  I would say that he pretty much locked up the fifth spot in

the rotation with that performance.  David Robertson got out of trouble in his 2/3 of an inning of

work.  Alfonso Soriano led the offense with a couple of hits and four RBI. 

Pineda picked up his second win of the spring.  He pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up four hits and no runs.  He didn't walk a batter and struck out five.  Robertson pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out two, Shawn Kelley pitched a perfect inning and David Herndon gave up two hits and a run with a strikeout in his inning of work.  Fred Lewis gave up a hit in his one inning of work and Matt Daley gave up a hit in his inning of work. 

Brett Gardner had three hits, Derek Jeter had a hit and an RBI and Carlos Beltran had a hit.  Mark Teixeira had a hit, two RBI and drew two walks, Soriano had two hits and four RBI and Francisco Cervelli had two hits.  Brian Roberts had two hits, Kelly Johnson drew a walk and Zelous Wheeler had a hit.  Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and an RBI. 

Beltran and Wheeler each hit a double, Cervelli hit a triple and Soriano hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 6-14 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Roberts had a stolen base.  The Yankees will play at Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon.  They will make the trip to Orlando at the Wide World Of Sports in Disney.