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.(...)
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Post tags: Alex Rodriguez, Big Apple, Derek Jeter, Hal Steinbrenner, New York City, New York Yankee, Nick Swisher, Yankee

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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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Mark Teixeira manning 1st base.

The New York Yankees lost in Toronto for the second night in a row 4-1; and once again it was at the hand of the dead bats who left a total of 16 runners on base in both defeats.

The line-up couldn’t muster up anything to give Phil Hughes‘ a win after solid outing where he only allowed two runs to score in almost six innings of work.

Hughes was the only positive thing out of this mini-sweep at the hand of the Blue Jays, other than the unfailing bullpen.

The Yankees did kindly wake up Blue Jays slugger Joes Bautista who homered in each game and drove in three of the 12 total Toronto runs.

No doubt Yankee fans are pissed, which in New York actually means frustrated with a lot of passion, but can you blame them?

It would be one thing if the Yankee bats were swinging at air, or just getting out-pitched because at least than fans could feel sorry for them.

Problem is the Yankees can hit and get on-base, but scoring runs they cannot.

The Yankees love the home-run, as in their nine May losses they went homer-less in all nine of them.

Since power comes in waves and a team relies on going deep as their only way to score runs, they will be streaky and right now that is the Yankees in a nutshell.

Teams that are feared can beat you in many ways, consistently; but when the Yankees can’t go deep they can’t win. That explains why they are in the midst of their third three game losing streak  this season.

The team has scored 178 runs but they have now allowed 171, which is about right in line for a team who now sits in fourth place in the AL East. And with the Red Sox having won five of their last six, things better change the fast or the Yankees will find themselves living in the cellar of the division by the Sunday.(...)
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© Kate for Lady Loves Pinstripes, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Kyle Drabek, Mark Teixeira, New York Yankee, Phil Hughes, Robinson Canó, Yankee

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A lot of baseball fans are counting out the Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Tigers but be warned, there is a ton of baseball left to play and all five of these teams will lean on their experience to pull through in the end.

Still, it is week 6 and Orioles, Indians and Nats fans are living the dream so far. I hope they don’t get to ahead of themselves just yet, but can also enjoy their team’s moment in the spotlight.

Inter-league play is up next and that always makes things more interesting.

AL pitchers love to hit; and NL teams can take advantage of adding a DH to their line-ups.

Overall, the 2012 season has been a blast even if my Yankees are a pain in the RISP….

Here are my power rankings for week 6…..ENJOY!!

And always feel free to give your opinion in a comment.

Lady Loves Pinstripes - MLB Power Rankings - Week 6 - #1-15

(...)
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Post tags: 2012 Major League Baseball season, American League, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball, Philadelphia Phillies, 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.(...)
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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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David Robertson on April 24, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This time it is reliever/interim-closer David Robertson who has a strained left oblique and will be out for 15 days at least.

It is not surprising that the Yankees did not acknowledge that Robertson was hurt publicly until their backs were against the wall, as skipper Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman have a knack for not revealing anything in full.

I guess this explains why Yankee fans haven’t seen Robertson throw a pitch since last Friday, as he was nonchalantly unavailable.

After watching Rafael Soriano close the game beautifully last night in Baltimore, questions started swirling about why Robertson did not pitch.

Than Wallace Matthews at ESPN New York reported just after midnight that Robertson had felt a tug on his left side during his outing last Friday night vs. the Mariners.

Robertson said he was “not too concerned,” as he described the pain as “a little sore, but it wasn’t like one pitch and I felt like something rip or tear or anything like that.”

He was hoping it would disappear but unfortunately it did not and the MRI from earlier today revealed a strain.

This is a big blow for the Yankees, as Robertson is a key arm out of the bullpen and his absence will not go unnoticed.

Since the start of the 2012 season, the Yankees have been hit with the injury bug like you read about. If the DL list keeps growing at this rate, it will be more competitive than the real active roster.

My guess is Yankee fans are now thanking their lucky stars that owner Hal Steinbrenner forced Cashman to sign Soriano last off-season because otherwise the Yankees would be in a real hole right now.(...)
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Post tags: Brian Cashman, David Robertson, Hal Steinbrenner, Joe Girardi, New York Yankee, Rafael Soriano, Robertson, Yankee

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