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New York Yankees: What do you think Joe Girardi should do?

Posted by on 11 May 2012, 4:52 pm
Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The New York Yankees have started of this 16-game stretch winning two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays, and are hoping to continue this streak over the weekend as they host the Seattle Mariners in the Bronx for a three-game set.

A lot of Yankee fans were awaiting this series to see how the franchise’s ex-top prospect Jesus Montero, who was traded away to Seattle for Michael Pineda, will perform.

It is no secret that Pineda has yet to pitch in the Bronx, as the coveted young pitcher is out for the season after he had a right shoulder anterior labral tear discovering, which required shoulder surgery. And who knows if Pineda will ever take the hill in pinstripes, as there is no guarantee he will be the same pitcher they gave up Montero for.

Regardless, Yankee fans would normally be all over this but the return of southpaw Andy Pettitte has provided some distraction. Pettitte will make his first start since he announced his un-retirement after a year away from the game.

With all the unexpected rotation issues that have occurred, if Pettitte comes out dealing and performs like he did in the good old days, Yankee fans will quickly forget about Montero and Pineda.

This is a toss-up as Pettitte is about to hit 40-years of age and if his recent starts in the minors mean anything it could be ugly.

Now this leaves another decision looming for skipper Joe Girardi, as the addition of Pettitte means someone has to go to the bullpen or minors.

So I leave you with this question…. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: What do you think Joe Girardi should do?’ »

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New York Yankees: Injury setbacks continue

Posted by on 10 May 2012, 6:01 pm

BRETT GARDNER AT-BAT.

The New York Yankees, like the other 29 MLB teams, are not devoid of injuries but the Bombers are definitely one of the harder hit clubs so far in 2012.

There was some good news on the way, as both outfielders Brett Gardner and utility man Eric Chavez looked to be close to returning to the Bronx.

I was hoping that Yankee fans would see them both back on the field by the end of the weekend, which also happens to be the official return of southpaw Andy Pettitte, who will make his first start on Sunday since retiring after the 2010 season.

Well, that well-deserved and much-needed excitement is no longer, as ESPN.com reported that Gardner had to leave what was supposed to be his last Triple-A rehab start with a swollen elbow last night.

And now Marc Craig of the Star Ledger just confirmed that Gardner is getting another MRI on his right arm, as the swelling and soreness was still present today.

This is a total bummer, as the Yankees were really looking forward to Gardner’s return. He is an asset in all aspects of the game and had a .321 batting average before he smashed into a wall back in the outfield. Gardner was officially put on the DL back on April 18th.

Here is the latest Yankees injury from CBSSports.com: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Injury setbacks continue’ »

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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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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: 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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Yankee fans welcomed home Bronx Bombers with open arms

Posted by on 14 April 2012, 2:55 am

OPENING DAY WAS A GEM….

Welcome home Yankees!!

It was another Opening Day for the books at Yankee Stadium, as fans got to welcome the players, say goodbye to a legend and watch the Bombers beat the Angels 5-0.

After a terrible first start against the Rays, pitcher Hiroki Kuroda took to the hill and he was brilliant.

Kuroda didn’t allow a run to score, pitching shutout ball into the ninth inning. He gave up five hits, walked two, struck out six and got a well-deserved, roaring ovation from Yankee fans.

Kuroda got insurance from the Yankee bats early, as Nick Swisher hit a three-run scoring double off Ervin Santana in the first inning. Than A-rod tacked on another run with a bomb to center field in the third inning, the 660th of his career; and Granderson went deep in the fifth, his second on the season. Continue reading ‘Yankee fans welcomed home Bronx Bombers with open arms’ »

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Yankees won Baltimore battle but war starts tomorrow vs. Halos

Posted by on 12 April 2012, 2:14 pm
Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Yankees finally are back in New York after a road trip where they both got and did some sweeping.

After starting the season losing three games to the Rays, the Yankees went into Baltimore and did the opposite against the Orioles.

Two of the three wins went into extra innings, but the Yankees battled and now will open up at the Stadium at an acceptable .500 but the war hasn’t even begun yet.

The Yankees are set to host the Los Angeles Angels, who lost their opening series to the Royals and are now tied in a series vs. Twins that ends today before the three game set in the Bronx.

With the 2012 season still so fresh it is presumptuous to label any team for certain, but I can say both teams are considered to be serious playoff contenders in 2012.

The competition is sure to be steeper, and looking at both teams neither is performing up to expectations just yet but this weekend should expose any weaknesses. Here is a breakdown of tomorrow’s match-up.

PITCHING:

MLB.com lists the probable pitchers for game one of series as follows:

Friday – Ervin Santana vs. Hiroki Kuroda

This match-up is a toss-up as both Santana and Kuroda struggled almost identically in their 2012 debuts. Both pitchers threw for 5.2 innings and struck out just two batters. Santana gave up two homers, five earned runs and issued two walks; compared to Kuroda giving up one bomb, four walks and allowing four runs to score.

Bottom line is both Kuroda and Santana are capable of way better performances but whether that happens for one, both or neither tomorrow is the question.

Looking back, the Yankee bats have a career .281 batting average against Santana, but over the last three seasons that number jumped to a .325. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano have given Santana the most problems, and with the Captain’s hot bat now you can expect him to be a big factor in tomorrow’s game. A-rod has had two homers and six RBIs in his last 15 at-bats vs. Santana so hopefully his almost dead bat in Baltimore going tomorrow. Continue reading ‘Yankees won Baltimore battle but war starts tomorrow vs. Halos’ »

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