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New York Yankees: Saving Phil Hughes

Posted by on 20 April 2012, 5:57 am

making a Hughes funny....

The New York Yankees did what they needed to do, win the game and avoid losing a home series to the Minnesota Twins for the first time since 2001.

Phil Hughes was not totally useless on the mound but he was far from good. You wouldn’t know it listening to the YES commentating, as it was honestly painful.

The way Jack Curry, and even Al Leiter were talking about Hughes, you’d think he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Everyone knows that Eduardo Nunez made an error in the first, which kept the inning going longer but that is a circumstance not just in baseball but also in life; and pitchers should be ready for it.

Hughes really cannot complain, as he has caused the Yankees enough problems the last two seasons that it is kind of the pot calling the kettle black.

In the end Hughes got the win courtesy of the Yankees bats scoring seven runs. Hughes should buy Curtis Granderson dinner, as the Grandy-man went 5-for-5 with three homers and four RBIs.

This is the same way Hughes won the majority of his games in 2010, but putting a ton of pressure on the hitters to score and continually deplete the bullpen. He did pitch five whole innings in this outing, which makes 13 total innings pitched in three starts. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Saving Phil Hughes’ »

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Can Yankees Phil Hughes not tank tonight?

Posted by on 19 April 2012, 3:43 pm

LAST GAME vs. TWINS:

Phil Hughes during pregame warmups prior to a ...

Phil Hughes during pregame warmups prior to a game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles on August 29, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The New York Yankees are down 1-2 games to the Minnesota Twins, so at best they can split the four-game set but that entails winning the game tonight.

Winning is something the Yankees know how to do, and especially against the Twins, but other than CC Sabathia the starting pitching has made that almost impossible. The lack of innings pitched has depleted the bullpen and right before the team heads to Fenway Park and Rangers Ballpark.

The Yankees are sending Phil Hughes to the mound, which is basically as good as forfeiting the series, and handing the Twins their first series win in the Bronx since 2001.

What is mind-boggling is that the Yankee brass, and shockingly a majority of fans continue to support Hughes because they have fantasies that he can win 18-games like he did in 2010.

Yes his velocity is back in the low 90’s, but that is about it.

Hughes has pitched a total of eight innings over two starts, allowing three homers, eight earned runs, 11 strikeouts, four walks and posts an ERA of 9.00. Opposing batters have a .351 average vs. Hughes, so basically with the way the Twins M&M boys are hitting this could be a blood bath.

In his first two starts, Hughes is throwing 64% of his pitches for strikes, as he tends to start each inning with a strikeout. The first batter he faces averages a .182 against him, but after that Hughes gets shelled, so this accounts for eight of his 11 strikeouts.

And the reason hitters succeed vs. Hughes is because he cannot to finish them because off, as they figure him out very quickly. This became clear when I looked at pitch type, number of times thrown and how many resulted in a strike.

2012 - Hughes - types of pitches thrown/pitches thrown for strikes

Out of all the strikes he threw, only six Rays and nine Angels actually swung at the pitch, which indicates to me they watching his location on purpose because 15 total swings and misses is a low number.

Well that is what happens when a pitcher relies on one-strikeout pitch; for Hughes it is obviously his four-seam fastball, and hitters know it is coming inside. Continue reading ‘Can Yankees Phil Hughes not tank tonight?’ »

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New York Yankees: Lose to Ron Gardenhire and lose Brett Gardner

Posted by on 19 April 2012, 1:33 am

 A LOSE/LOSE FOR THE YANKEES…

Brett Gardner makes a outstretched catch durin...

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. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Lose to Ron Gardenhire and lose Brett Gardner’ »

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Why the Yankees were supposed to lose to Twins

Posted by on 18 April 2012, 4:15 pm
Carl Pavano

Carl Pavano (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I was throwing out papers today, I came across the reasons the Yankees were doomed to lose the first game of their series against the Twins.

The notes were a mess; as I had written them late on Sunday night but my reasoning actually turned out to be pretty accurate so I thought why not pass it along. So, here it is just a day and a dollar short….

After wrapping up a tough series against the Los Angeles Angels last Sunday night, the New York Yankees knew the Minnesota Twins were in town for four games.

The Yankees have literally manhandled the Twins posting a 23-4 record since 2009 including sweeping Minnesota in the 2009 and 2010 ALDS.

Still, that was when the Twins were still a contending playoff team, but that has not been the case since last season so winning all four games this week would seem like a no-brainer, right?

Well, not exactly because Monday night the Yankees had all the odds you don’t want stacked against them, almost guaranteeing they would lose.

 What the heck am I talking about?

Here is what I took into account before the first pitch was thrown on Monday night.

1)   Minnesota was already in NYC before the Yankees Sunday night against the Angels had even started.

2)   I find that when a new opponent comes to town after just being swept, the players tend to step it up a bit as they have a chip on their shoulders. The Twins flew in after just being swept in Arlington by the Rangers, add that to their history of losing to the Yankees and you have a team with a lot of incentives to win.

3)   The Yankees have a bad history when playing back-to-back ESPN games, as when they win on Sunday, they tend to lose on Monday. Continue reading ‘Why the Yankees were supposed to lose to Twins’ »

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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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2012 MLB Team Preview: Minnesota Twins

Posted by on 26 March 2012, 9:11 pm

Minnesota Twins logo.

The Minnesota Twins plunged to the bottom of the AL Central in 2011 finishing with a 63-99 record, which was the second worst in baseball.

In 2010, the Twins won 94 games and captured their second-straight American League Central title, which is why last season’s fall, came unexpectedly.

It just seemed like everything in Minnesota went wrong at the right times last season, as hampering injuries were ramped.

So, now the 2012 million-dollar question is whether the Twins can get back to being a contender in the AL Central again.

Let’s check it out…

THE POSITIVES:

The Twins seemed to have hit rock bottom, and as the saying goes the only place to go is up, as I don’t see the Twins losing 99 games again in 2012. This team won six divisional title in the past ten years, and all under skipper Ron Gardenhire. And if anyone knows what worked, or what is not working it should be Gardenhire but it seems like the Twins were ok with chalking things up to injuries last season.

Justin Morneau is an all-around great baseball player and with him playing any team would improve. The 2006 MVP and four-time All-Star can rake, as over his career he averages 29 homers and 113 RBIs a season, which includes the last two seasons where he spent more time on the DL than at the plate. Morneau has suffered his three concussions, but the big blow happened in 2010 and he missed half the season. Morneau admittedly is still suffering from symptoms but as of now have been better but the 2010 blow came back to haunt him last season, as he was on the DL for over 90 games. Morneau could be used as a permanent DH, as his bat is one of the best in the Majors and the Twins need all the help they can get. I have a feeling that Morneau will still see time at first-base, which I think is reckless because the odds of him winding up back on the DL become that much higher. I like Morneau and he is a superstar when healthy, as he blows Mauer out of the water. Still, the Canadian-born Morneau was a hockey fanatic growing up so he probably took hits on the ice well before his baseball playing days, which might be why he can’t shake the the symptoms.

THE NEGATIVES:  Continue reading ‘2012 MLB Team Preview: Minnesota Twins’ »

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2011 MLB Season: Cashman A Genius? Best Pitching Not In Philly? Red Sox Suck?

Posted by on 23 April 2011, 2:12 pm

Yes…you read the title right, as 2011 is proving to be the craziest season in years.

Everything that is NOT suppose to happen is already happening.

Not that everything can’t change because the season is still in its baby stages and trust me nothing will stay as is. Still, the first three weeks are mind-boggling with dramatic walk-offs, sensational pitching and home-runs galore.

It seems as if EVERY team has come to win this season. Teams that are supposed October locks and players that are not supposed to good anymore are proving all of us baseball nuts to be fools.

Here are the 5 biggest shocks that are now baseball realities (the order is for number not ranking purposes):

  1. The Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation does not feature the best one-two punch in baseball. Phillies Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are no slouches but they don’t compare to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim aces Jered Weaver and Dan Haren. The Halos tandem have a combined 9-0 record in nine starts and have 66 strikeouts. While the Phillies duo have a combined 53 innings pitched, with 52 strikeouts and a win-loss record of 4-2 in eight starts. The Halos #1 and #2 cost around $20 million combined; compared to the Phillies paying $31 million, with $20 million for Halladay alone, who is worth every penny. That is a lot more money to not be on top.
  2. The competition in the AL Central is no doubt about as good as it gets, but who thought that it would be the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals fighting it out for the first place? As the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are barely keeping their head above water. Can everyone agree now that Twins Joe Mauer is the biggest overpaid bust in baseball? Mauer is on the DL for the millionth time in his career and his 2009 MVP season sure seems more and more like a fluke.
  3. Picked by every expert, except my favorite ESPN Skip Baylor, to run away with the AL East the Boston Red Sox are proving that buying players doesn’t guarantee anything. You think GM Theo Epstein would have learned this by watching their rival Yankees fail at this many times. Boston didn’t win two World Series in the past decade with this formula. Still, don’t complete write them off the Red Sox cause they will get better.
  4. New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s off-season was considered a disaster after missing out on ace Cliff Lee. In an attempt to make up for Lee, Cashman inked every over-the-mound veteran, with an injury history, bad attitude or all three. To put it mildly, Yankee fans were not happy, but now they are in awe of their genius GM who has put together an All-Star back-up plan to come in for the already aging starting All-Stars. You forget how much baseball experience is now in that Yankee locker room, as the amount of awards won on this roaster alone could fill an entire stadium. Don’t think the Yankees are going anywhere just yet because champions know how to win championships.
  5. The Mets have hit rock bottom…NOT! You wonder what else could go wrong at this point, but it is almost a guarantee now that the Mets will find it. The team is at the bottom of not only the NL West but is the worst team in baseball with a 5-13 record. The explanation that “The Mets have all the talent and they are not this bad” is getting old because it is about time they start to prove it. This team needs to do figure itself out or the players need to start to play for all nine innings, not seven or eight. Also, respecting David Wright might do wonders as he is the franchise’s player and deserves better. No one thought that things could really get any worse and the fans are starting to hate the game of baseball now.

 

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