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New York Yankees: Wilson vs. Hughes

Posted by on 14 April 2012, 7:42 am

KURODA vs. SANTANA compared to WILSON vs. HUGHES:

Photograph of Phil Hughes taken on April 29, 2...

Photograph of Phil Hughes taken on April 29, 2008 at Yankee Stadium. 04:50, 1 May 2008 . . Mandalatv . . 1,272×954 (691 KB) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you looked at Kuroda and Santana’s career stats vs. the active hitters prior to yesterday’s game, the Yankee win was already a lock.

Not taking anything away from Kuroda, but no one foreseen a less than an inning away from a complete game performance considering his last and only two both took place in 2008.

Kuroda also did have some success and experience against Angles Albert Pujols back when he was a Dodger, and that is advantage that the other Yankee starters don’t have.

As for Santana, the majority of the Yankees bats have always whacked the heck out of him except for Swisher, he came into the game with a career .182 average against him. Swisher came into yesterday with a hot and confident bat, which proved lethal.

Still, as a whole the Yankees had hit almost .300 against Santana making the match-up in favor of the Yankees from the get-go; pending that Kuroda as back to his old self.

Looking at this afternoons game, it is just not as cut and dry.

WILSON vs. HUGHES:

Looking at today’s match-up it is not as clear-cut  because Phil Hughes’ stats read like a script to Jekyll and Hyde. He went from 2010 All-Star to being almost ineffective last season and now I think he is somewhere in the middle.

And that makes it easy to pick CJ Wilson as the clear winner, but in baseball it is the unknowns that make it so fun.

Analyzing Hughes is tough; he did show up in shape this spring, and pitched well in camp but that has yet to carry over.

Hughes didn’t look sharp at all in his first regular season start down in Tampa. He was pulled after throwing 99 pitches in four and two-thirds innings; he allowed two walks, two runs and one homer, while striking out five.

That is why I think the outcome of this game depends heavily on Hughes performance and how he handles Pujols. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Wilson vs. Hughes’ »

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Yankees got a win but there are still issues

Posted by on 10 April 2012, 1:26 am

Yankees finally got a win in 2012....

The New York Yankees finally got their first win, down in Baltimore beating the Orioles 6-2.

No doubt that a win was needed because New York fans had hit panic, yesterday.

Even my doorman, who never fails to have the Yankee game on the radio, said he could not listen after this past weekend.

Well, now that those three long, losing days are history Yankee fans will sleep well tonight but before I do I have to tell you the good, the bad and the ugly.

THE GOOD

1) Ivan Nova looked great tonight, and after posting an 8.06 ERA in Spring Training there was plenty of reason heading into the game that the Yankees were about to get a fourth loss.

Nova threw seven solid innings, giving up two runs, striking out seven and walking none. As the game went on, Nova got better and looked like his old self again. His breaking ball was so nasty, and I believe Nova will only get better as the season goes on.

2) Derek Jeter is playing like it is 1998, and that is totally fine by me.

Jeter went 4-4, scored in the first inning off Mark Teixeira’s single, and had a run-scoring double in the fourth inning. And I must say, the Captain looked as good as ever.

Just in case you hadn’t heard this fact from a Yankee fan yet, 1998 was the last time the Yankees started a season 0-3 but went on to win the World Series.

3) David Robertson is insane, as he loves to stir up trouble but never seems to get caught.

After striking out two Orioles, Robertson gave up two hits and looked like he was about to walk a third to the load the bases but in true Houdini form came back from a 2-0 count and struck him out.

THE BAD

I really like Joe Girardi, always have but he has managed to make me question his moves more in the last four days than in the last four years.

Specifically, why is he resting guys in the first four games of the season? Continue reading ‘Yankees got a win but there are still issues’ »

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Yankees vs. Rays: 3 things to watch as 2012 starts

Posted by on 5 April 2012, 11:13 pm

The start of a new baseball season makes me feel like a kid on Christmas again.

CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am both excited and nervous just thinking of what the 2012 season could bring.

Finally, it is the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays turn to open the season tomorrow at Tropicana Field.

Two division rivals, that are both primed to make the post season, and with 162-games left to be played anything can happen.

The AL East is as much talented as it is torturous, and it looks to be a battle-royale once again in baseball’s toughest division.

So, what should Yankee fans be watching against the Rays this weekend?

Here are three situations I will be keeping tabs on….

1) The starting pitching match-ups are fierce.

CC Sabathia vs. James Shields – Friday

Hiroki Kuroda vs. David Price – Saturday

Phil Hughes vs. Jeremy Hellickson – Sunday

Out of all three, I will be closely watching Sunday’s match-up of Hughes vs. Hellickson as it intrigues me because I haven’t seen a really productive Hughes since before the 2010 All-Star Break.

Also, Hellickson, who won the 2011 AL Rookie of the Year, and Hughes have very similar  stats against each others active hitters, so I want to see if Hughes can hold his own without the Yankees having to score 6+ runs for him to get the win. Continue reading ‘Yankees vs. Rays: 3 things to watch as 2012 starts’ »

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New York Yankees: 2012 Pitching Rotation Is All Set

Posted by on 31 March 2012, 9:12 pm

2012 New York Yankees rotation announced...

New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild’s decision about the starting rotation got made for them last night.

There were six pitchers for five spots, but with the now confirmed news that Michael Pineda does have shoulder tendentious, the heated competition will pause for a moment until Andy Pettitte decides he is ready to go.

Pineda will start the season on the 15-day DL and Yankee fans can only that hope this injury doesn’t linger.

So, here is the official 2012 Yankees starting pitching rotation:

1) CC Sabathia

2) Hiroki Kuroda

3) Phil Hughes

4) Ivan Nova

5) Freddy Garcia Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 2012 Pitching Rotation Is All Set’ »

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The New York Yankees infatuation with Phil Hughes

Posted by on 29 March 2012, 12:26 pm

Two days ago, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News claimed that New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has captured a spot in the rotation and I have pondered over this ever since.

Phil Hughes pitching on April 18, 2008 against...

Phil Hughes pitching on April 18, 2008 against the Baltimore Orioles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the start of Spring Training the impression was that CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda were the only two with confirmed spots in the starting rotation and the rest were up for grabs between Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia and Michael Pineda.

Right from the start it felt like a rigged competition.

It just seemed that the Yankees were determined to give Phil Hughes a starting spot as long as he pitched somewhat decently.

GM Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi cannot seem to shake the 18 games he won in 2010, which I could understand more if 14 of Hughes wins were not in games when the bats scored 6+ runs. And he only pitched a total of 176 innings and that is very low for a pitcher who made 31 starts and went 18-8.

And some reason, I still don’t trust Hughes as a starter as the only time I truly felt confident watching him on the mound was when he pitched in relief in 2009.

The main question I have is if this real competition is based on Spring Training stats, because if it is than Hughes securing a spot is not really justified. Continue reading ‘The New York Yankees infatuation with Phil Hughes’ »

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New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4

Posted by on 25 March 2012, 12:13 am

The New York Yankees have some pitching situations to solve.

I have narrowed it down to three or four possibilities based on what I believe the 2012 Opening Day rotation should be, which in order is Sabathia, Kuroda, Pineda, Nova and Hughes.

My crazy pitching diagram.

First being the plethora of starting pitching.

That leaves Freddy Garcia hanging out to dry, and initially I thought Garcia should go the bullpen but now since he is willing to hear any trade ideas that GM Brian Cashman should send Garcia hiking.

Second up is Andy Pettitte’s return, and what to do when the southpaw decides to grace us with his presence again.

Someone has to go either the bullpen, or more likely Triple-A Scranton as it allows the cast-off to keep his arm fresh by pitching every five days.

This should not be decided until Pettitte and the Yankees set a date. And the odd-man should not be told he is out until the day before Pettitte arrives. Determining ‘who’ should be performance based, so the biggest loser goes.

Thirdly, with the devastating news about Joba Chamberlain’s trampoline injury, which will sideline him indefinitely, the Yankees cannot just keep him on the payroll because they like him. It is not going to be easy but they need to cut Joba. I know it is harsh considering all the crap Joba has been put through but reality is the Yankees owe him $1.6 million for 2012 and reality is players are paid to play. Joba can be resigned next season, which I feel is the Yankees are almost obligated  to do if he can pitch. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4’ »

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New York Yankees: What would you do if you were Girardi and Rothschild

Posted by on 23 March 2012, 3:32 am
Joe Girardi, manager of the New York Yankees.

Joe Girardi, manager of the New York Yankees. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The New York Yankees have CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia and now Andy Pettitte, which leaves them with the same problem that trading AJ Burnett was supposed to solve, seven starters for five rotation spots.

It is tough to complain about being overloaded with starting pitching especially after the Yankees had the opposite issue last spring, but it will be a tough decision for skipper Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

THE LOCKS:

1) Obviously Sabathia, who Girardi confirmed would be opening the season at the dumpy Trop vs. the Rays.

2) Kuroda was named the team’s #2 from the get-go.

3) Pettitte has a rotation spot waiting for him, and that makes complete sense. It was nice to hear that Pettitte hit 94 mph in a bullpen session, but not that surprising. Before he hung up his mitt, the first time, the Southpaw was having a career year in 2010, finishing 11-3 in 21 starts, posting a 3.28 ERA and holding opposing bats to a .256 average.

And fans might even get to see Pettitte in a spring game, as ESPN reported that Girardi has not ruled it out as a possibility yet. Rothschild has already had Pettitte throw live BP so things are moving right along in his comeback. And after speaking to many Yankee fans, Pettitte will be welcomed in the Bronx with open arms.

FOUR FOR TWO:

So, this leaves Hughes, Nova, Pineda and Garcia.

Pettitte’s un-retirement does give the Yankees about a month to give the remaining four a real test run, as the veteran Southpaw said he is aiming for May 1st but knowing Girardi’s usual paranoia that means more like mid-May.

Regardless, in my opinion Spring Training stats don’t mean that much for two reasons. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: What would you do if you were Girardi and Rothschild’ »

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