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Yankees aren’t worried or winning

Posted by on 21 May 2012, 3:31 am
New York Yankees

New York Yankees (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

There is no way to sugarcoat this anymore because the New York Yankees absolutely stink.

Going over all the issues isn’t going to help anything because they can’t hit, they give up homers and any team can beat them; and I mean any.

All teams get a pass in the month of April, but it is Memorial Day Weekend and there is no sign of improvement as the Yankees are writing a book on new ways to lose.

Actually, the Yankees are getting worse and the fans are taking it really hard.

See, in the Big Apple we have the Giants, Jets, Mets, Rangers, Knicks, Islanders, and soon to be the Nets, and then there are the Yankees.

Since 1996 this is the team that embodies what New York City is all about, full of grinders, fighters and winners.

So, what exactly is going in here?

Is this the end of the Yankees as we know it, or are fans making mountains out of anthills?

HERE ARE MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE 2012 SEASON?

Without using any stats to find connections to anything positive, my first thought is that the YANKEES NEED TO START BEING VERY CONCERNED NOW.

The AL East standings don’t bother me because with the crappy baseball the Yankees have played they are certainly not playoff contenders. And doesn’t the saying go ain’t no use putting up your umbrella till it rains right?

Still the Yankees I used to know didn’t tip their caps to anyone especially an opposing pitcher.

They never made excuses that there was still a lot of baseball to be played to feel good about stinking.

And the one thing the Yankees I knew always made very clear was that losing in any way; type or kind was not a major concern but the only one.

Overall, to be completely honest something just doesn’t feel right to me. Continue reading ‘Yankees aren’t worried or winning’ »

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New York Yankees: Time to start hitting

Posted by on 10 May 2012, 4:43 am

It was a long, rainy night up in the Bronx as the Yankeeslost a 4-1 heartbreak to the Rays.

Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Yankees beat the Rays 5-3 on Tuesday night, so the tonight’s rubber match couldn’t be a more perfect stage for CC Sabathia and David Price to face off.

Here is what I took away from last night’s game:

  • David Phelps was better in his second Major League start; and I think he will continue to get stronger as he adjusts. Overall the starters are getting better, as Nova looked solid on Tuesday night.
  • The Yankees middle relievers are still dominant, and are tops in baseball for a reason, thank God.
  • Closer David Robertson deserves a little breathing room to adjust to his new role, and I do not think anyone can base his future off last night’s blown save. He is not Mariano Rivera, but he is good and Yankee fans need to appreciate the position he has been thrust into here. Compassion is not a word New York fans are familiar with but this qualifies as the exception.
  • The Yankee bats left eight runners on base in the loss, and that is just unacceptable. The only run scored came off a Robbie Cano double in the first inning that scored the Captain.

So, what is going on here with the Yankees and how can they avoid losing fewer games?

As I thought about it, I remembered a quote I once heard from motivational speaker Paul J. Meyer:

“Enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat. Concentrate on your strengths, instead of your weaknesses… on your powers, instead of your problems.”

The Yankees biggest strength is their hitting, and compared to the rest of the American League their stats give off that impression. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Time to start hitting’ »

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Yankees vs. Rays: Series deux preview

Posted by on 8 May 2012, 12:44 am

The Yankees are back in New York after a 5-5-road trip to host the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game set at the stadium starting tonight.

James Shields at Yankee Stadium.

Last time these two teams met was the start of the 2012 season, and the Rays swept the Yankees right out of Tropicana Field.

The Rays stand atop the AL East, tied with the Orioles with a 19-10 record but are coming to the Bronx on a two game losing streak.

Still, the 15-13 Yankees are the ones looking up at the Rays and have a perfect opportunity to make a move in the division and get some of their pride back.

The Rays are without third baseman Evan Longoria, and possibly Desmond Jennings too; but the Yankees will be without Mariano Rivera for the first time at home since 2003 along with a slew of others, including Brett Gardner, on their lengthy DL list.

The pitching match-ups are as follows, along with my predictions:

Tuesday: James Shields (5-0) vs. Ivan Nova (3-1)

Shields is clearly the better pitcher, but the recent awaken of Robbie Cano’s bat could give him some problems as Cano has hit four homers, five doubles, two triples and posts a .400 batting average against Shields. Cano was not a factor for Shields in their earlier meeting this season.

Nova is coming off his first loss after a 15-game winning streak but I do like the way he has pitched lately. He is reminding me of a 2010 Hughes, as he is getting a ton of run support. He has held the Rays to a .170 batting average, allowing two homers, three RBIs, three walks, while striking out 10 of the 47 total at-bats he has logged against them. Continue reading ‘Yankees vs. Rays: Series deux preview’ »

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New York Yankees: Are you going to sink or swim?

Posted by on 7 May 2012, 3:17 am

Nick Swisher - 'roll call'

SUNDAY SUMMARY:

The New York Yankees wrapped up the four game series in Kansas City with a 10-4 win, splitting the series 2-2 with the Royals.

Phil Hughes got the win, and he did pitch better but reality is the Yankee bats were really responsible for the win yesterday.

As Ibanez and Granderson each had a RBI; followed by Cano’s much-needed grand slam and Swisher’s solo shot both in the third; and finally A-Rod joined the party with a three-run bomb in the eighth.

It was great to see Cano break out of his slump, as that was only his second shot on the season but hopefully a sign of good things to come.

The Captain’s hot bat showed zero signs of slowing down, hitting a double off the first pitch thrown in the game and had a successful bunt in the third. Teixeira also helped out by drawing two walks in the game.

REALITY BITES:

The excuse of ‘it still early in the season’ has about worn its welcome but even more so for teams who live in the AL East.

Reality bites and it will sooner than you think if the Yankees don’t get the ball rolling here. They sit at 15-13 on the season, fourth in the division and four games back of the 19-9 Orioles. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Are you going to sink or swim?’ »

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New York Yankees: Can you not lose to Verlander please

Posted by on 27 April 2012, 4:19 pm

Coming home after losing the last two games of a road trip is never a good feeling.

Justin Verlander

Returning to face the 2011 MVP and CY Young award winner Justin Verlander makes that losing feeling never go away.

That is the New York Yankees reality today, as they finished their road trip 3-3 and now have to host the Detroit Tigers for a three game set.

You would think that facing Verlander was enough, but Yankee fans will now get to relive the 2011 ALDS Game 5 because Ivan Nova will take the hill for New York.

Any Yankees fan that watched the Tigers eliminate the Yankees last October remembers the game like it was yesterday.

I was there that night at Yankee Stadium, just like I will be there tonight; in the same seats, with the same hope but this time I expect a different ending.

The odds are certainly in Verlander’s favor; as he has held the active Yankee hitters to a .193 average, with 64 strikeouts in 223 at-bats.

The Captain is the only Yankee who has had some success against Verlander, as he has a .364 batting average against him, with 12 hits and four walks but no RBIs. That is because there was no Yankee on base to drive in; nor was any Yankee able to drive him in. So, the Captain became another LOB stat instead.

Personally, I cannot stomach, watching the Tigers closer Valverde do his celebration dance on the mound again, and I am sure the Yankees feel the same.

The Yankees did beat Verlander and his Tigers, 6-3 on Opening Day last season but having CC Sabathia on the hill that afternoon was certainly a huge help.

So, the Yankees will have to be as close to perfect as possible and I believe that they can.

PREDICTION: YANKEES BEAT TIGERS 5-3. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Can you not lose to Verlander please’ »

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Yankees Sabathia vs. Rangers Holland

Posted by on 23 April 2012, 2:49 am

Rangers vs. Yankees - 2010 ALCS - Yankee Stadium

The New York Yankees didn’t get to go for the sweep up in Boston, as it hasn’t stopped raining here in the Northeast since late Saturday night.

So, the team heads to Texas to face the red-hot Rangers in a three-game set that promises to be a dogfight.

These are two of the best teams in the American League and it is a must-watch series for all serious baseball fans.

With CC Sabathia’s scheduled start in Fenway being a wash, the Yankees ace will instead open the series at Rangers Ballpark vs. Derek Holland.

Let’s breakdown this match-up:

Vs. Derek Holland:

So far in 2012, Holland is 2-0 over three starts, posting a 3.10 ERA and has pitched no less than 6 innings in each. He has given up 2 homers, seven earned runs, and six walks; while striking out 20 of the 79 total batters he has faced.

These numbers are solid but you have to take into account that his last two starts were against the offensively anemic Mariners and a severely troubled Red Sox team.

Holland’s first start, where he got a no-decision, was against the White Sox and he didn’t get through the sixth inning and gave up three runs and three walks. The Rangers also lost the game 3-4.

The active Yankees bats have a combined .326 average against Holland, but the real trouble could come from Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter. Continue reading ‘Yankees Sabathia vs. Rangers Holland’ »

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New York Yankees: Things are about to get harder.

Posted by on 17 April 2012, 3:26 am

Pavano on the hill at Yankee Stadium - 04.16.2012

After a lovely weekend of taking two of three from the Angels, the Yankees looked good minus Phil Hughes.

Last night the Yankees opened a four game set in the Bronx against the Minnesota Twins with a 3-7 loss.

It didn’t help that Carl Pavano (aka. American Idle) was on the mound for the Twins, as considering his history in New York losing to him didn’t sit well with Yankees fans; of course not much does these days.

Minnesota is in town for three more games, and the Yankees have manhandled the Twins over the last decade, winning 33 of their last 44 meetings in the Bronx; so winning the next three games should be mandatory.

Reality is the Yankees cannot really afford to lose any of them, as things are about to get a lot harder starting this Friday when they head to Fenway Park.

Their schedule is about to get kicked into high gear and the Yankees could very well wind up in a hole come mid-May if they don’t take advantage when possible. Figuring out which way this team will go is the million, I meant billion-dollar question.

Attempting to come up with a logical formula of where any team will be a month from is fundamentally impossible and might even send Bill James brain into a tailspin.

Still, like every team, the Yankees have issues that need to be ironed-out sooner than later but time is not on their side…look for yourself. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Things are about to get harder.’ »

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