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New York Yankees: Proving Age Before Beauty

Posted by on 16 August 2011, 3:14 am

Finally, the New York Yankee bats and starter AJ Burnett were in sync in Kansas City against the Royals, winning the game 7-4.

Burnett racked his first win in pinstripes the month of August ever, a jinx that had run its course for all involved as he posted an 0-8 record with a 7.18 ERA in his 13 August starts since coming to New York.

However, Burnett just can’t figure out that ‘one inning’ he has built his career around. Even with the W, tonight was no different but the damage was more minimal. Burnett gave up three earned runs in the bottom of the fifth; and he got yanked after 5.2 innings in total, giving up 10 hits, while fanning just two.

The aim was to win, and it was a total team effort with Burnett on the hill doing his part.

Generally an ideal start for a team whose, no thanks to Mother Nature, schedule just got more grueling due to rainouts being penciled in on their off days.

Basically, the Yankees have 42 games left with only three days sans a game. Two of those days sandwich a mid-September road trip out West, so they are a wash.

So theoretically the Yankees have only one-off day and owe a bug thanks to the Baltimore Orioles, who agreed to a Saturday doubleheader in the Bronx on August 27th. Still, I would bet my left arm if the Yankees well-being were factored into that decision.

Numerous experts have even called the Yankees lucky because who wouldn’t want to play the bottom feeding Orioles eight more times this season? Personally, I wouldn’t as this match-up has David vs. Goliath written all over it and we all know how that story ends.

Plus factor in the six games vs. the Red Sox, Rays and Blue Jays; a trip out West to face the Angels and Mariners with no real break makes things a lot harder.

Nonetheless, the way the Yankees have played gives little room for whining; and fans keep forgetting that Alex Rodriguez is set to return at the end of this week too.

One thing is for sure; the deemed aging Yankees finally have their opportunity to show the world, or just ESPN’s predicting machine that age does come before beauty.

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New York Yankees Injury Update: Captain To Start Road Trip Listed As Day To Day

Posted by on 1 August 2011, 11:33 am
Derek Jeter bats against the Orioles on 4-19-08.

Image via Wikipedia

With just a week of games in his pocket since the 3000 hit frenzy, New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter got hit in the hand by a pitch causing him to exit in the fourth inning of Sunday’s 4-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles.

Following the Yankees third win in a row; the New York Post reported that x-rays determined Jeter’s right middle finger is not broken, and that the injury is not serious.

Skipper Joe Girardi told ESPN New York that doesn’t expect this injury to sideline Jeter for a week, but maybe for a day or two during the team’s seven-game road trip.

Jeter is now listed as Day-To-Day.

Over his last 10 games, Jeter has 11 RBIs, one homer, five walks and two steals in 39 at-bats.

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New York Yankees: Bombers Vs. Bottom Feeders

Posted by on 22 July 2011, 1:44 am

The New York Yankees are back in the Bronx after splitting series against their AL East foes, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays.

After losing the first two games vs. the Blue Jays coming home 4-4 is a miracle, not ideal but keeps the Bombers just two games behind the Boston Red Sox.

Next up, the Yankees will host a 10-game homestand against the three bottom feeders in the American League, the Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles.

The A’s and Mariners have same 43-55 records, the second worst in the AL but still a lot better than the Orioles.

Once again the O’s are posting a 39-56 record (=19.5 games back in AL East), making the Birds not only the worst team in the AL, but in all of baseball. Well you can’t call Baltimore inconsistent, as the O’s continually find a way back down to the basement, season after season.

Still, don’t get any ideas that this homestand will be a breeze because it actually is the opposite.

HUH? WHY VS. THREE-BOTTOM-FEEDERS?

The reason is not one of these teams has anything left to play for this season; and that can be lethal. This theory applies even more so for the Yankees for three reasons:

1)   The line-up is still sans Alex Rodriguez, which is once again sending Mark Teixeira into a slump.

2)   Swisher and Posada are not hitting, again.

3)   The starting rotation is inconsistent, minus Sabathia who finished the road trip with a 1-2 loss to the Rays Thursday night; which was also his 31st birthday.

HOMESTAND SERIES PREDICTIONS:

Vs. Athletics 07-22/07-24:

First up is the A’s who come to town beat-up like you read about, and the Yankees should sweep them right back to Oakland. Yankees win series 3-0.

Vs. Mariners 07-25/07-27:

Next series is against Seattle. Everyone knows the strength of the Mariners is pitching, and it gives them a legit chance to win each night. So, the Yankees bats needs to wake-up ASAP. Even though the Mariners have lost their last 12 games in a row, the tides are bound to turn. ESPN reported that manager Eric Wedge held a closed-door team meeting following #12 with hopes to motivate his players, at least initially by lighting the first match. Yankees win series 2-1.

Vs. Orioles 07-29/07-31:

And lastly, Buck Showalter’s Orioles, who scare me the most. Hard to believe when Baltimore is awful more often than not. Problem is when it is the later; the O’s can beat anyone. Yankees win series 2-1.

WHY THIS HOMESTAND IS SO IMPORTANT:

Fact is the Yankees need to pounce because the schedule gets a heck of a lot harder. In August the Yankees will play 29 games, with 21 on the road. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Bombers Vs. Bottom Feeders’ »

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Lady Loves Pinstripes: 2011 MLB May Monthly Power Rankings

Posted by on 1 June 2011, 1:30 am

With one-third of the 2011 MLB season under their belts, how did your team stack-up in the moth of May?

The hottest team was without question the Arizona Diamondbacks; while the biggest losers on the list goes to the Colorado Rockies.

Agree or disagree? Please feel free to share with a comment below.

LAST MONTH MLB TEAM THIS MONTH COMMENTS? REASONS WHY?
1 Philadelphia Phillies 1 Utley is back and Hamels is partying like it’s 2008.
4 St. Louis Cardinals 2 Crazy that the Cards are 2-9 when Chris Carpenter’s on the bump and win without Matt Holliday.
2 New York Yankees 3 Wait ESPN experts said the Yankees would stink…. Guess the meant stinking good. Tex is hot, hot, hot…but so is Grandy.
13 Boston Red Sox 4 Finally, team is winning and Crawford wins the AL Player of the Week. 45 of 45 ESPN Experts picked Red Sox as the best team, but still not quite there yet.
6 Florida Marlins 5 Season rests on Hanley Ramirez’s stiff back, but a bettered team with a big future.
10 Milwaukee Brewers 6 Here come the Brew-Crew and I am hoping on this bandwagon.
15 Atlanta Braves 7 If this team gets a big bat, watch out.
24 Arizona Diamondbacks 8 Yes, it does feel nice to be the best team in the AL West. Loving JJ Putz too.
8 Cleveland Indians 9 Reality bites and poor Cleveland fans seeing Indian players’ wearing LeBron jerseys pre-game….not good.
5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 10 Can’t wait for Kendrick and Wells to return.
7 Texas Rangers 11 Better win games before Josh Hamilton goes on the DL again.
11 Cincinnati Reds 12 Jay Bruce, welcome to the gun show with 12 HRs, 32 RBIs and is batting just under .350 for the month of May.
12 Tampa Bay Rays 13 Feasted on the bad teams for long enough and question is can the Rays hang with the +.500 teams.
9 Detroit Tigers 14 Ah-oh here come the White Sox.
16 San Francisco Giants 15 Posey loss will start to show the reigning champs weaknesses; skipper Brian Bochy is team’s best catching option. SOS Sandoval.
25 Chicago White Sox 16 Bats are officially hitting; let the climb to the top of the AL Central begin.
29 Seattle Mariners 17 Hitting might not matter now, but Figgins, Smoak and Ichiro need to start to contribute or Mariners will fall fast.
19 Toronto Blue Jays 18 Bautista is a one-man wrecking crew.
17 Kansas City Royals 19 Closer Joakim Sori can’t close and that will sting.
3 Colorado Rockies 20 Jorge De La Rosa needs Tommy John and rotation needs some help.
21 Baltimore Orioles 21 Still hanging in last place; but not like before as the O’s remain in the AL East hunt.
20 Oakland Athletics 22 Starters have best ERA in baseball with 2.88 ERA, but you wouldn’t know it with the Yankees in town.
22 New York Mets 23 Jose Reyes is an awesome baseball player, who the Mets want to trade or if not let him walk at the end of 2011. Dumb.
26 Pittsburgh Pirates 24 April showers brought May flowers, as the Pirates ship is not sunk yet.
18 Chicago Cubs 25 Not this year Cubs fans.
14 Los Angeles Dodgers 26 The best bullpen on the DL in all of baseball.
23 Washington Nationals 27 Jayson Werth is trying to jump start a team without a spark, as he listens to “Goin’ Back to Philadelphia, PA” on his ipod.
27 San Diego Padres 28 A-Gone all the hitting to Boston and Padres feeling it.
30 Houston Astros 29 New owners want their money back please.
28 Minnesota Twins 30 Keep blaming it on Joe Mauer, who is the most overrated and overpaid player in baseball.
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2011 New York Yankees Depth Chart

Posted by on 20 April 2011, 5:58 am

Since I get asked all the time about which New York Yankees plays where, like who is the new catcher and who is setting up for MO…. no time like the present to make a 2011 Team Depth Chart.

You can click on the picture twice make it bigger; or print directly by pushing printer button below this post. Please use this at your own convenience or email it to a friend as it is all yours.

Hope this helps….


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New York Yankees: Hughes Improves And Joba Rules In Walk-off Win

Posted by on 15 April 2011, 4:52 am

Arriving in first place, only to leave in second is just what the New York Yankees hoped to do to Buck Showalter’s Baltimore Orioles. Winning Wednesday tied the teams atop the AL East; but beating the O’s for a second night in a row put the Yankees back on top.

The Orioles came in to the Bronx playing good baseball. It was the first time in nano-years where the O’s only chance to win wasn’t completely dependent on the Yankees beating themselves. Truth is that Buck’s Birds were now deemed good enough to beat the Evil Empire on their own merit.

Or at least that is what Showalter’s presence made you believe; unfortunately his Birds came in with their wings between their legs.

Following AJ Burnett posting his third win on the season, which puts him one ahead of the Red Sox, the shaky Phil Hughes was slated to take the bump. This time the Yankees were ready after Hughes’ implosion in Fenway last weekend.

Regarding Hughes, he got away with one tonight, but let’s not forget that baseball is a team sport and picking up the slack is a satisfying example of just that.

This does not at all mean that Hughes can take his darn old time or that the team will be able to do this every fifth day. All it did was earn Hughes another start; at least that is what I would presume.

The bullpen performances’ of Bartolo Colon and Joba Chamberlain were as close to perfect as anyone could ask for.

Joba looked dynamite, like 2007 bug-game style, retiring all five batters he faced; and tagging out a runner from scoring at home. Joba had that fierce look in his eyes, taking complete control of what happened and it was nice to finally see that fire again.

Colon and Joba’s determination went viral in the Yankees dugout, as the bats responded immediately with Posada going yard to tie the game at 5-5 and the great one, Mariano Rivera holding the O’s at bay to give the Yankee bats a chance to win in extra innings.

It didn’t take long, as in the 10th inning; Yankees Universe got to see the first 2011 (of hopefully many) Burnett walk-off pies slam into the game’s hero Nick Swisher. The Yankees will take it as who doesn’t’ love the walk-off win?

Hughes’ outing was a tad better, not like that was very hard. The 24-year-old is barely keeping his head above water but is still treading. Many will say that Hughes’ performance is getting masked because he got so much help, but the team won and once that is final, the how doesn’t really matter much.

This is the perfect way for the Yankees to head into an 2010 ALCS re-match with the Texas Ranger this weekend, especially for the team that is looking to taste some sweet revenge.

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New York Yankees: Phil Hughes To Face The New Baltimore Orioles?

Posted by on 13 April 2011, 6:14 am

The New York Yankees had their second game of 2011 postponed due to rain, last week it was the Minnesota Twins and now the first game against the Baltimore Orioles has to reschedule.

It has been confirmed that the pitching match-ups will be the same just a day later.

So, AJ Burnett will take the hill against Chris Tillman tonight, which moves Phil Hughes to Thursday who will face the O’s Jake Arrieta.

My preview of Burnett vs. Tillman stays the same; the only difference being the date, but I still think Burnett will get his third win…. read it HERE.

Moving along to the second match-up featuring Hughes and Arrieta is one that Yankee Universe will be watching closely and I think we all know why.

HUGHES:

It is no secret that Hughes has been a mess in his first two starts. Only pitching six innings in total, Hughes has allowed 12 hits, 11 earned runs, three homers, with just one strikeout and an ERA of 16.50.

Hughes’ drop in velocity and loss of command is still a mystery, meaning that the Yankees cannot figure out how to fix him.

There are many possibilities as to why, but it seems like Hughes is suffering from a dead arm and he needs to re-build up his arm strength.

Unfortunately, this is happening more frequently to young pitchers who get overworked. Problem is a lot of the time it is occupied by injury. Hughes has not complained of any ailments yet, as he would not be starting if that were the case.

The only positive heading into Hughes’ start is the rain.

Why? Let me explain.

Moving Hughes from Wednesday to Thursday presumably means that Ivan Nova’s start will get bumped to Saturday. Only because CC Sabathia is slated for Friday night and Yankees skipper Joe Girardi knows that the team’s ace needs to go every five days no matter what.

Sabathia will throw 110 pitches on a bad day, so it gives Girardi more options the night before out of the bullpen in case Hughes implodes again. My guess is Girardi will not keep Hughes in the game if more then two runs score in any of the first three innings.

The Orioles are surely aware of the Hughes situation and without question will come out swinging on Thursday night.

ARRIETA:

Hopefully, the Yankees bats will do the same against the O’s Arrieta to relieve some pressure off their struggling teammate.

Arrieta is another youngster at 25-years-old, who has had limited, but a successful two starts against the Yankees in 2010.  The last time he beat out Sabathia on September 12th and held the Yankees to just two runs, over just shy of seven innings pitched.

Arrieta’s first two starts this season were like night and day, with the latest being a total disaster in the O’s loss to the Tigers. Arrieta got clipped giving up eight earned runs in just three innings.

Arrieta knows that can’t happen against New York’s line-up. Whether Arrieta can take the pressures of throwing in the Bronx, along with knowing how much skipper Buck Showalter wants to win these games is something we all will have to wait to find out until it happens. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Phil Hughes To Face The New Baltimore Orioles?’ »

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