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New York Yankees: To start Girardi needs to ban homers and move Tex

Posted by on 18 May 2012, 1:01 pm

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. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: To start Girardi needs to ban homers and move Tex’ »

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New York Yankees: Why I hope you lose again tonight in Toronto

Posted by on 17 May 2012, 2:26 am

Watching the New York Yankees lose 8-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays last night has been no different from the other eight losses Yankee fans have had to endure this May.

Russell Martin

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. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Why I hope you lose again tonight in Toronto’ »

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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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2012 MLB Team Preview: Toronto Blue Jays

Posted by on 24 March 2012, 3:37 am

Toronto Blue Jays logo.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Toronto Blue Jays finished in fourth place in the AL East in 2011 and continue to be a .500 team.

In 2011, the Jays knocked in 186 homers, the fifth best in the Majors; and their 743 run total was the sixth most. The team’s batting average was .249 proves that they hit for power or don’t hit at all, and in the AL East that is just not going to cut it.

The last time the Jays played in October was in 1993 when they won it all. The drought has not given Toronto fans anything to cheer about, and the fan base has diminished because of it.

With the added Wild Card could 2012 prove to be the year the Blue Jays break their absence from the playoffs?

Let’s take a look….

THE POSITIVES:

Toronto batting line-up features slugger Jose Bautista who over the past two seasons has become one of the top hitters in baseball. In 2011, Bautista led the AL in home-runs (43), walks (132), slugging (.608) and was intentionally walked 24 times. There are four years left on 31-year old Bautista’s 5-year, $65 million contract, which is now considered a huge bargain since he has consistently preformed at an elite level for two seasons. Bautista is a monster at the plate and when hot is almost unstoppable with the bat.

GM Alex Anthopoulos revamped the bullpen in the off-season by acquiring right-handed closer Sergio Santos from the White Sox for top pitching prospect Nestor Molina. Marking his first season as a closer, the 28-year old former infielder threw 63 1/3 innings, posted a 3.55 ERA and made 30 saves in 36 opportunities in 2011. Santos has a wickedly deceiving slider that helped him strike out 92 batters and a K/9 rate of just above 13, which is unbelievable. Still, if any division can humble a pitcher it is the AL East so Santos will be tested. Overall, the Jays put themselves in a better place having Santos closing out games in 2012. AA also added a veteran reliever in Darren Oliver. In 2011, Oliver made 60 appearances and posted a 2.29 ERA coming out of the Rangers bullpen.

THE NEGATIVES: Continue reading ‘2012 MLB Team Preview: Toronto Blue Jays’ »

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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: Champagne Super Nova

Posted by on 3 September 2011, 12:53 am

There is nothing else to say about New York Yankee pitcher Ivan Nova except that he is darn good.

This 24 year-old rookie tacked on his 15th win on the season vs. the Toronto Blue Jays last night, as the Yankees won 3-2.

Nova held the hard-hitting Blue Jays to just three hits, two earned runs and while fanning four. Nova did walk two batters, but one of the walks was intentional to keep Jose Bautista’s bat silenced, as he leads the Majors with 38 home-runs and better to be safe than sorry.

Nova pitched seven solid innings, winning his 11th game in a row and that is all manager Joe Girardi could wish for before handing the lead over to the bullpen.

Not only did Nova get another ‘W’ but also he continues to verify his dependability. The rookie is 16-0 when the Yankee bats get him a lead and that number looks to only get better.

For any team rolling into the playoffs Nova’s evenness is precisely what you would want and need to see. Especially considering the first-round of the playoffs consists of that insufferable and killer five game series that hardly permits for mistakes.

In my eyes Nova has rendered himself postseason reliable to follow behind ace CC Sabathia, but that is all contingent on the Yankees earning a playoff berth first.

While Nova appears to have fallen from heaven, the Yankees are still in need of a solid third arm to complete this three-headed monster. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Champagne Super Nova’ »

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New York Yankees Bartolo Colon Raises Questions Not Applause

Posted by on 2 June 2011, 11:44 am

Long gone are the days that a comeback story is one filled with admiration and leaving you with hope that anything is possible.

This is not just in baseball or sports, but also in anything these days as suspicion is taking over as our immediate reactions.

In baseball, there are plenty of reasons as to why everyone from the media to fans to players question any type of resurgence or sudden talent.

What else could be expected when the line between what was legal and what wasn’t regarding performance-enhancing substances was overlooked for so long? It was selfish and greedy, which coincides with everything else that involves making more money.

It is unfortunate as the affects from ignoring the ‘cheating’ have now hurt baseball’s reputation as America’s Pastime because now there is an asterisk.

So, after watching New York Yankees Bartolo Colon throw a complete game, shutout this past week against the Oakland Athletics, the questions pertaining how the hell he did it are getting attention again.

Just read Bob Klapisch’s latest article Bartolo Colon’s treatments inject controversy into his comeback. Klapisch might as well just accuse Colon of using HGH because it is hard to read where he didn’t insinuate it.

Maybe that is because in Colon’s case not shred of evidence has proven he is lying, actually all that has come out has backed up Colon’s words.

Just a note…. in my opinion concerning Jose Bautista’s “story” there are a lot more questions. Bautista has never shown a shred of a talent, not even the slightest bit to allow for anyone to comprehend his newly found skills. I am not saying Bautista is cheating or ever did, but the difference here is it came out-of-the-blue.

MY STORY:

In Colon’s defense, I am familiar with this procedure as I had surgery to repair my right elbow a little over a year ago.

Months prior and after over a year of all kinds of physical therapy, it was determined that surgery would be done and my father suggested Colon’s procedure.

My doctor, who is one of the most renowned in the country, said it was relatively new and had only been done to a few pro-athletes. He went on to say the procedure needed more fine-tuning. He agreed that my father was completely correct regarding its success, but it was a hit or miss meaning it either worked or didn’t.

In my case, actual surgery had better odds to repair my damage and torn elbow tendon. He certainly warned me that this type of injury that any surgery is avoided at all costs and is only done on 1% suffering from elbow issues.

Whether HGH was used or not was not mentioned, but the doctor did say the stem-cell injections could be the technique of the future.

The point is that this procedure is not coming out of left field at all since it was brought to my father’s attention two years ago. How he learned about it, I don’t know but I know he thinks anytime you can avoid going under the knife is worth asking about.

COLON’S SITUATION:

Colon is 37-years-old and the 2005 CY Young winner hasn’t looked this good in a years. As far as everyone knew Colon was finished because his overused pitching-arm was just that, worn out. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Bartolo Colon Raises Questions Not Applause’ »

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