Gardy and Grandy - 06/15/2011

Gardner has rehabbd his elbow and said:

“If I could start swinging here in the next couple of days, I’ll be ready by next weekend for sure.”

The Yankees have been without Gardner for 29 games, and his return will be welcomed with open arms.

Whether Gardner will be the difference maker for the Yankees is a whole different issue, as the team has been painfully bad so far this season.

Without a doubt the Yankees are better with Gardner, as just his speed alone, 49 steals in 2011, adds another dimension that opposing pitchers have to deal with.

Gardner was posting a .321 batting average before he went down in April 18^th but Yankee fans need to realize that he only played nine games so to think that will continue would be foolish.

Look I want Gardner back as much as anyone else but it is hard to think that the Yankees issue will suddenly disappear.

Yankee fans need to face the facts here, and that is the hitters are only getting worse and have shown zero signs of improving.(...)
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Post tags: Brett Gardner, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, ESPN, Gardner, Joe Girardi, New York Yankee, Yankee

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Russell Martin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hiroki Kuroda stunk, as he gave up three homers, seven earned runs in five innings pitched but that didn’t really bother me.

Would I have liked to see Kuroda have two good starts in a row?

Yes, but that will come with time as he did post six strikeouts in last night’s game too.

What drove me to almost throw my remote right into my flat screen about 10 different times were the Yankee hitters, if you can even call them, as I was under the impression that hitters actually hit.

This game came served on a silver platter for the Yankee bats.

Toronto had starter Kyle Drabek on the hill, who the Yankees had a .326 average against.

Also, Drabek had lost four of his last five starts, giving up five homers, 20 walks and 14 earned runs.

And if you did your homework, you would have anticipated Kuroda’s crappy start because he has flip-flopped between one bad and one good all season.

Still, it was the Yankees game to lose because the bats had such a big advantage over Drabek, which almost made Kuroda’s woes irrelevant. Or at least this is what I thought.

Instead, I was utterly embarrassed watching the game with two friends, one a Mets fan and the other a Phillies fan; so I cannot even image how the utterly mortified the Yankees must have felt.

Here are what the Yankees are doing very well right now:

-        Playing totally crappy, uninspiring baseball.(...)
Read the rest of New York Yankees: Why I hope you lose again tonight in Toronto

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Post tags: Blue Jays, Brett Gardner, Hiroki Kuroda, Keith Allison, Kyle Drabek, New York Yankee, Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays, Yankee

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Cano - Cano - Cano don't you know?

After watching CC Sabathia struggle and the Yankees lose pathetically, 5-2, to the Baltimore Orioles last night I realized that the pitching was not the problem here.

Even with a bad start, Sabathia allowed four runs to score but the Yankee hitters can easily beat that number; and this reminded me of a something MLB veteran Andy Van Slyke once said:

“Every season has its peaks and valleys. What you have to try to do is eliminate the Grand Canyon.”

Now, the Yankees have not quite hit Grand Canyon level but the ups and downs are now a recurring theme.

While injuries have become a viable problem, it is not an excuse for the level of doubt but the staggering offense is.

The Yankees bats are arguably are the best in the Bigs, on paper. Up and down the order is supposed to be feared but for some reason the vibe is not coming across like it has in seasons past.

And other than Brett Gardner, the batting order is relatively healthy minus Mark Teixeira’s chest infection, which could very well be whooping-cough, and still they can’t seem to hit a stride.

So, what is the problem with the offense?

Multiple times this season the Yankees bats looked to be breaking out, only to be blanked the very next night; and usually by a pitcher they have not seen much of, or at all.

The Yankees beat Mariners King Felix but not Kevin Millwood; and they lose to the Rays Jeff Neimann but not aces David Price or James Shields. They get blanked by Orioles Jake Arrieta (2-4; 5.21 ERA) for eight innings but beat reining MVP and CY Young winner Tigers Justin Verlander. Catch my drift?

Actually finding a reason as what is happening here probably has a lot has to do with experience, or lack-of, if anything.(...)
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Post tags: Andy Van Slyke, Baltimore Orioles, CC Sabathia, James Shields, Kevin Millwood, Mark Teixeira, New York Yankee, Yankee

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BRETT GARDNER AT-BAT.

The New York Yankees, like the other 29 MLB teams, are not devoid of injuries but the Bombers are definitely one of the harder hit clubs so far in 2012.

There was some good news on the way, as both outfielders Brett Gardner and utility man Eric Chavez looked to be close to returning to the Bronx.

I was hoping that Yankee fans would see them both back on the field by the end of the weekend, which also happens to be the official return of southpaw Andy Pettitte, who will make his first start on Sunday since retiring after the 2010 season.

Well, that well-deserved and much-needed excitement is no longer, as ESPN.com reported that Gardner had to leave what was supposed to be his last Triple-A rehab start with a swollen elbow last night.

And now Marc Craig of the Star Ledger just confirmed that Gardner is getting another MRI on his right arm, as the swelling and soreness was still present today.

This is a total bummer, as the Yankees were really looking forward to Gardner’s return. He is an asset in all aspects of the game and had a .321 batting average before he smashed into a wall back in the outfield. Gardner was officially put on the DL back on April 18th.

Here is the latest Yankees injury from CBSSports.com:(...)
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Post tags: Andy Pettitte, Brett Gardner, Bronx, Eric Chavez, Gardner, New York Yankee, Star Ledger, Yankee

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Yankees at Orioles August 28, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In retrospect the New York Yankees survived an injury-riddled week, ending on a high with a 2-1 series win against the Tigers.

What happened?

Well, which do you want to hear first?

Kidding her is the bad news first, followed by the better or most improved news….

A WEEK FROM HELL:

The New York Yankees have had a rough week.

-        The latest came yesterday, in the Yankees 6-2 win vs. the Tigers. Nick Swisher got taken out in the second inning, and the MRI confirmed he has a low-grade hamstring strain. The Yankees said he will miss a few games, and that a DL stint has not been ruled out yet, so keep fingers crossed.

-        So with Brett Gardner on 15-day DL still that means Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez will be on either side of Curtis Granderson in the outfield until further notice.

-        The worst news came mid-last week when the Yankees got news that their big off-season pitching acquisition, Michael Pineda would be out for the entire 2012 season. Pineda has an anterior labral tear in his right shoulder and surgery is scheduled for tomorrow in New York.

No one could have anticipated Pineda was this injured. Hearing from Kurt Schilling and Al Leiter, who both came back from this same injury, brought a little comfort. Leiter made a point of stating how much work it takes to come back from and since no one knows how committed a player Pineda is leaves the possibility Yankee fans might never see him in the Bronx.(...)
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Post tags: Freddy García, Garcia, Hughes, Joe Girardi, Michael Pineda, New York Yankee, Nick Swisher, Phil Hughes, Yankee

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Brett Gardner makes a outstretched catch during a game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles on April 24, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The New York Yankees have been noticeably without out-fielding speedster Brett Gardner for the last week.

Gardner made a dynamic, diving catch last Tuesday night, which resulted in him injuring his right arm and being put on the 15-day DL immediately following an MRI that revealed it was bruise and strained elbow.

According to skipper Joe Girardi the elbow was good news, as at first glance it was thought to be his wrist.

“We thought it was his wrist at first, which came up a little bit sore but he landed right [on his elbow] and it got tucked under. The big thing is that we don’t have a setback — that the first time he swings, he doesn’t feel it.”

The latest update is that Gardner feels good and he hopes to back on the field immediately following his DL stint on May 3, when the Bombers will be in Kansas City to fact the Royals for four games.

As usual, Girardi is more optimistic about rushing the 2011 AL stolen base leader (49) back as he told MLB.com’s Jason Mastrodonato:

“My thought is he will [be ready],” Girardi said. “If it takes a few more days, it takes a few more days.”

Gardner started doing some throwing and running yesterday down in Arlington, and has had no issues. And the NY Post reported that Gardner won’t take until this Friday when the team is back in New York.

Veterans Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones have filled the void in left field with no significant issues as of yet, but everyone knows that Gardner is irreplaceable.

So far this season, Gardner is posting a .321 batting average, with two doubles, three RBIs, five walks and two steals.

(...)
Read the rest of New York Yankees: Latest on Brett Gardner’s elbow

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Post tags: Andruw Jones, Baltimore Orioles, Brett Gardner, Gardner, Joe Girardi, New York Yankees, Raul Ibanez, Run batted in

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Brett Gardner makes a outstretched catch during a game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles on April 24, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was a double whammy in the Bronx, as the New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins for the second time this week 5-6; and minutes after the game ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand tweeted that Brett Gardner was placed on the DL with strained elbow.

Marchand followed with the details that Gardner was sent a half-hour before last night’s game to get an MRI after his arm swelled after he took some swings in the batting cage. Gardner was placed on the 15-day DL after the test’s results.

This is a big loss for the Yankees as Gardner’s speed makes life a lot harder for opposing pitchers because he is such a pest but his defense is also irreplaceable, as he superb left-fielder.

The Yankees will have veterans Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones, along with Eduardo Nunez man the outfield until Gardner returns, which Yankee fans can only hope is soon.

It would have been nice if Girardi had the option of calling up an outfielder with some speed, but due to the depleted bullpen he called up reliever Cody Eppley.

The Yankees starting pitchers are to thank for that as, except for CC Sabathia, the rotation has been shoddy. And with Phil Hughes on the mound tonight you have to expect the bullpen will get over worked once again.(...)
Read the rest of New York Yankees: Lose to Ron Gardenhire and lose Brett Gardner

© Kate for Lady Loves Pinstripes, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Andruw Jones, Brett Gardner, CC Sabathia, Cody Eppley, Gardner, New York Yankees, Raul Ibanez, Yankee

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