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New York Yankees Were Not Supposed To Win

Posted by on 22 September 2011, 2:57 am

The 2011 New York Yankees are the AL East Division Champions.

According to pretty much every baseball expert on earth, the champagne was supposed to be flowing in Boston at Fenway Park. Don’t you remember??? Let me remind you….

The Yankees own GM Brian Cashman thought the Red Sox were the better team when asked by Boston Globe’s Peter Abrahams back in January.

In ESPN’s predictions for the 2011 MLB season, all 45 analysts chose the Red Sox to win the division and 34 have Boston penciled in to win the World Series as well. Once you see the cover of the 2011 October issue of ESPN The Magazine, the above numbers are not such a surprise because the network has always seemed to belong in Red Sox Nation.

FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal’s prediction became a collective theme among baseball experts about the Yankees:

“Only question is which starting pitcher — or two — they will acquire.”

Even here at Lady Loves Pinstripes, I wrote this about the Yankees in my 2011 Predictions:

“The Yankees have more holes to fill than fans would like.”

Well, these predictions so far have been very wrong. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Were Not Supposed To Win’ »

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Who Could Face The New York Yankees In October

Posted by on 21 September 2011, 2:20 am

First let me start by stating this article is based on if the New York Yankees make the postseason, because until that last out anything can happen, including elimination.

Yet there is no denying that the Yankees looked solid last night, cooling down the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 and winning the opening game of this four game set. Rookie phenom Ivan Nova pitched 7.2 scoreless innings, as this kid is the real deal and seems to get better with every start. The Youngster’s timing couldn’t be more perfect either.

The Yankees still have a three game visit from the literally bitter Boston Red Sox’s over the weekend, before heading down to Tropicana Field to end the season.

So, things don’t get much easier for the three amigos in the AL East. The bottom line is at the very least one of these three teams are a postseason goner; with the possibility of two still looming.

Well, it never hurts to look ahead, so let’s play make-believe…. and pretend the Yankees have already won a coveted spot in the playoffs.

Who would the Yankees feasible foes be in the fatal, five-game series (aka. first-round of the MLB playoffs)?

As the Wild Card team, the Yankees would not have home-field advantage and Game One would take place in Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers.

  • Playing away doesn’t worry me, but facing the formidable Detroit ace Justin Verlander twice in five games would give anyone nightmares. Verlander is without question going to be the 2011 AL CY Young winner and he is just lights out.
  • Tigers have a strong bullpen, with a closer named Jose Valverde who has yet to blow a save this season.
  • All five Detroit starters are righties, which gives the hard-hitting Yankees a huge advantage being so leftie dominant.
  • The last time these two clubs played was back on May 5th and the Tigers won four of the last seven vs. New York. The Tigers have also out hit the Bombers 36-33.
  • Tiger’s top slugger is Miguel Cabrera, who in my opinion is the best hitter in baseball.

As the AL East Division winners, the Yankees would play host for the Texas Rangers, as Game One would be in the Bronx.

  • The Rangers rotation is a mix of righties and lefties but other than CJ Wilson have had spotty outings against the Yankees. Starter Colby Lewis will have to come up big for Texas, but whether Matt Harrison can hold it together is another story.
  • The Yankees are 7-2 vs. the Rangers this season, while outscoring Texas 65-35.
  • Revenge has just cause for the Yankees to want to win this series, as New York was not happy after losing to Texas in the 2010 ALCS. It was an embarrassment.

If the world were perfect, the Yankees would be hosting the Rangers to start the playoffs because the Tigers are really hot and just oozing confidence that no team wants a piece of in a five-game series.

Well, getting back to reality and the Yankees still need to qualify for the playoffs or else the third option will start being discussed.

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New York Yankee: Proceed With Caution

Posted by on 19 September 2011, 6:11 am

The message is plain and simple; New York Yankee fans need to go ahead with caution because three is a crowd.

The reality is the Yankees have not clinched a playoff berth yet and there making life awfully hard after losing the rubber game 0-3 on Sunday vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. It is hard to believe that the Yankees could very well be the man out, but as Justin Bieber says, Never Say Never.

Watching ESPN or MLB Network, one would think that the Yankees were already packing for October. All the media focus has been solely on the AL Wild Card standings, along with a lot of long-winded banter excusing why the Red Sox are stinking lately and how they are still the best team in the AL.

Well, reality bites because even though the Bombers continue to lead the AL East by 4.5 games, not winning on their own merit is a cause for concern.

There is still a week left for the Yankees to get hot again, as limping into the playoffs is not an ideal scenario.

Over the next week the Yankees will face the Rays seven times and the Red Sox three. Just typing that scenario actually makes missing the postseason way to possible in my mind.

So, my point is that all Yankee fans need to stop acting entitled and be humbled instead.

Why?

  1. I will start with the apparent reason that three’s a crowd; this necessitates one, or possibly two of the AL East teams going bye.
  2. And the other reason is how hard pressed it would be to find more than a handful of baseball experts that didn’t pick the Red Sox as the AL darlings throughout the season; other than my favorite perennial debater, ESPN’s Skip Bayless who said preseason that the Bombers were not nearly done just yet.  I mean the Yankees were not supposed to be leading the AL East with just 11 games left on the season, as the Yankees forecast was to fail. Continue reading ‘New York Yankee: Proceed With Caution’ »

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New York Yankees Magic Number

Posted by on 17 September 2011, 1:06 pm

If you watch or read anything about MLB during the month of September, than you certainly heard the term ‘Magic Number’ over and over again.

With the New York Yankees losing 5-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, accompanied by a Boston Red Sox win; the Bombers magic number lingers at 7 for a postseason berth, and 10 to win the AL East division for another day.

So, what is the infamous Magic Number? And how is it calculated?

To put it simply, it is the number of games a division leading team has to win to secure winning their respective division.

A win drops a division team’s Magic Number down by one; and so does a loss by the team right below them in the divisional standings.

If the AL East leading Yankees want to win the division, they have to win or the Red Sox have to lose a combination of 10 games with 13 games left to play. For a playoff spot, the Yankees need to win and the Red Sox have to lose to form a concoction of 7 games total.

In essence the Magic Number only applies to division-leading teams because the formula is as follows:

So, plug-in the Yankees 90 wins and the Red Sox’s 63 loses:

163 – 90 Yankee Wins – 63 Red Sox Loses = A Magic Number of 10

With the Yankees ahead three games in the loss column over the Wild Card leading Red Sox; for a playoff berth you minus that number, which is three from the Magic Number of 10, which equals 7; and that is the number of games the Yankees need to clinch a spot in the postseason.

I hope my explanation helped, and didn’t just confuse you more. The Magic Number is a pretty straightforward method that only applies to the top team in each division, but in September who else really matters anyway? Actually a lot if you play in the AL East like the Yankees. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Magic Number’ »

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New York Yankees Get To The King

Posted by on 13 September 2011, 5:38 pm
Safeco Field in Seattle.

Image via Wikipedia

September baseball is tough for everyone, from players to fans to owners and it is grueling.

So imagine how good it felt for the Yankees to finally stick it to last year’s CY Young Winner, King Felix out in Safeco Field on Monday night.

Felix Hernandez has owned the Yankees, literally. Maybe that is why Yankees GM Brian Cashman has droold over the 26 year-old since he stepped on the bump, but the Mariners are not willing to part with their King.

With the Yankees coming off a rough couple of games, where their bats went dead this 9-3 win came in perfect time.

Look, it is no secret that the New York Yankees are old, so relaying on natural adrenaline high is harder to fuel.

It was the perfect excuse to have even lower expectations on a night when the King was on the hill.

And don’t forget that the Tampa Bay Rays, who also won Monday night and are moving in on the Wild Card.

With the Rays are breathing down the Boston Red Sox’s backs to a tune of three games, the Yankees need to put as much distance between the rest of the AL East division as possible.

What I like most about this 2011 Yankee team is that they fight, and it reminds me a lot like the 2009 team.

Still, with 16 games left to play including seven vs. Tampa Bay and three against Boston, the Yankees have their work cut out for them.

The Yankees always like to win in October, and haven’t forgotten the embarrassment felt from last season.

The Yankees tossed in the towel against the inferior Texas Rangers in the ALCS and that just will not cut it two years in a row.

Yankees Nick Swisher said it best after dethroning King Felix:

“You’ve got to give credit where credit’s due and our guys did a great job tonight.”

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New York Yankees: Good News, Bad News And Rays News

Posted by on 12 September 2011, 5:02 pm

THE RAYS NEWS:

Playing October baseball in the Bronx is not an expectation or even a celebration it is an obligation.

Undeniably, New York Yankee fans are an entitled group. We have become so accustomed to clinching a playoff berth, whether it is as the Wild Card or the AL East Division Champs. And like my father says, “If I am going to pay that much money for a ticket to a Yankee game, I expect to see a Championship caliber team on the field.”

Without question the pressure comes with the pinstripes, and so do the paychecks but money cannot buy hard work and the Yankees work just as hard as everyone else.

A perfect example is the Tampa Bay Rays, who swept the Boston Red Sox this past weekend and now sit just 3 ½ games out of the AL Wild Card race.

The Rays went from a team in the hunt to an real threat to their AL East counterparts.

By losing 11 of their last 13 games, the Red Sox postseason fate is about to be decided on Thursday; when the Rays head up to Fenway Park for four-games set.

The Yankees were not doing any better, as they lost four in row but still held on to their 2-½ game lead, but for all the wrong reason.

No doubt the Bombers looked out matched in the first two games vs. Angels. Yes, the injuries to A-rod, Swisher, Cervelli and Martin all at once were not helpful. but the injury excuse is a reality for all MLB teams and whinnying just gives everyone a headache. Still, watching Jorge Posada replace Russell Martin in the second inning on Saturday afternoon certainly made Yankee fans realize how the team was badly banged up.

As a snap substitute, Posada did the job. Then on Sunday Yankee prospects Jesus Montero and Austin Romine got to début behind the dish. Montero managed to solidify why GM Brain Cashman has not promoted him yet, and his hot bat might muster him a DH role, but that is about it.

GOOD NEWS? BAD NEWS…INJURY UPDATES:

According to Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record, the good news is Russell Martin’s MRI only showed a bruised thumb, so he should be back in a few days. A-rod should be out for about the same length of time, as the cleanup hitter has a jammed thumb.

And now here is the bad news. Back-up Cervelli was on a plane back to New York after showing concussion symptoms following a bulldozing by Orioles Nick Markakis at homeplate. So, Cervelli status is TBD. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Good News, Bad News And Rays News’ »

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New York Yankees: What Needs To Happen On The Road To October?

Posted by on 14 July 2011, 12:31 am

With 88 games down and 74 left to play, the New York Yankees head into the second-half of the season in a tight pennant race with both the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays.

At best only two of the three teams, presuming the Wild Card comes out of the AL East, will be playing in October; and the Yankees are looking to be one of them.

The Bombers got to the All-Star Break with a 53-35 record and in second place, a game behind the Red Sox and five in front of the Rays.

What needs to happen for the Yankees in order to not be the third man out at the end of September?

Well, making a list of possibilities, scenarios or musts for any team could go on forever and bearing in mind the length of the MLB season makes it nearly illogical to do anyway.

Still, there are various concerns to keep your eye on about New York heading into the second-half and here are seven that came to mind:

  1. The Yankees continue to battle injuries, with the latest being the biggest when slugger Alex Rodriguez’s injured body could take no more. Earlier this week, A-rod underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. In the past A-rod’s absence has miffed the rest of the Yankee line-up, as he hits cleanup and is a right-handed bat that the Yankees now are in need of . In the past the team was able to recover from an A-rod DL stint but time was on their side. Unfortunately, that luxury is no longer as there is no time to waste or else the Yankees could dig too big a hole before he returns. This is the perfect time for the début of top prospect Jesus Montero to come help out. Montero hits right, is all power and now GM Brain Cashman really has no excuse not too.
  2. Skipper Joe Girardi needs to fall out of love with relief pitcher Sergio Mitre. Mitre is a waste of a roster spot that could be used by someone who can actually be effective. Since Girardi and Mitre’s bromance started again, he has only used Mitre when the Yankees have a significant lead in a game. Mitre might not have blown either game but he certainly allowed runs to score, which is just adding avoidable stress for the players. It is inevitable that Mitre will lose leads in the future as he has done over and over in the past. Mitre needs to go to the minors now. Hey at least he would still technically be a Yankee so then everybody (really just Girardi) wins. According to many Yankee fans this one is now on Girardi, like over at Pinstripe Alley who says there are better options in Scranton. I completely agree.
  3. This is something I have avoided tackling, but now that Derek Jeter is over the 3000 hit hump it is time to start critiquing the Captain. If Jeter continues to slack in the leadoff spot, he has to be moved down the line-up. At least until A-rod returns, the line-up has to be set in an order that is most productive and reality is when Jeter was on the DL, the Yankees didn’t miss his bat at all. Well, you have to be worried with all the mental exhaustion that Jeter is suffering from lately as well. Hopefully skipping the All-Star Game to prepare for the second-half down in Miami will pay off and then this can be voided
  4. Another Yankee on probation is pitcher Phil Hughes. Hughes is just off a three-month DL stint, as he suffered from a supposed ‘dead arm’ but no one really knows. Regardless of the diagnosis, Hughes was totally inefficient. Hughes has made one start in the Bronx and though improved, I don’t think it is enough for him to stay in the rotation but it certainly could work in the bullpen. Hughes pitched in long relief in 2009 and he changed the team’s season around post-All Star Break. Why Hughes got an automatic spot, as a starter in the first place makes no sense to me. Rookie Ivan Nova was finally coming into his own, and displayed more talent than Hughes ever has and the 18 wins last season were very circumstantial. The NY Post reports that Hughes will be debuting a new pitch as early as this weekend in Toronto. I guess more accurately described as a reformed curveball, as Hughes has changed the way he grips the ball to add more slice. He has also been working closely with pitching coach Larry Rothschild to change his over mechanics and pitching delivery. Let’s see if it works, but whither way Hughes can help out somewhere that is for sure. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: What Needs To Happen On The Road To October?’ »

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