Skip to content

New York Yankees: How Does Justin Duchscherer Fit In The Bronx, He Doesn’t

Posted by on 12 January 2011, 5:43 am
Zack Greinke

Image via Wikipedia

Another day of no good news out of New York Yankees front office regarding signing a player who can help the team win in 2011.

GM Brian Cashman’s latest rumored pursuant is pitcher Justin Duchscherer.

Once again, Cashman continues confusing Yankee fans, as Duchscherer is a nightmare version of ace Zach Greinke.

Greinke was just on the auction block, but the Yankees didn’t feel Greinke could mentally handle the bright lights in the Bronx.

Greinke had suffered from depression and social anxiety disorder, which sidelined him in 2006 for the season. Returning to the majors in May of 2007, Greinke was demoted to the bullpen but made it back to the rotation in 2008. He won the Cy Young in 2009 and has been an ace with no real injury history to date.

So, for what feels like the billionth time this offseason, the Yankees passed on a player. Instead, the Milwaukee Brewers traded for Greinke and bettered themselves for 2011.

At the time, Cashman’s excuse for not going after Greinke seemed to make sense.

That is why this Duchscherer rumor is so off-putting, here is why:

Now 33 years old, Duchscherer’s first full season in the majors didn’t come until 2004 as a reliever for the Oakland A’s.

This happened the same year 25-year-old Greinke debuted as a starter for the Kansas City Royals.

Unlike Greinke, Duchscherer has had brief periods of major league success, both out of the bullpen and as a starter.

Duchscherer’s career year-by-year is a mess, and he was on the same team each season except for a 2001 stint with the Rangers. To make life easier, below is a timeline from his first full season to present; all with the Oakland A’s:

2004-2006: Pitched in relief all three-seasons, appeared in 171 games for a total of 236.5 innings and 195 strikeouts. Named to the 2005 All-Star Team.

2007: Placed on DL on May 14th with season-ending hip surgery. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: How Does Justin Duchscherer Fit In The Bronx, He Doesn’t’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
5 Comments

MLB Hot Stove: New York Yankees Looking At Wrong Royals Pitcher

Posted by on 2 December 2010, 10:31 am
Donald Zackary "Zack" Greinke, an am...

Image via Wikipedia

Rumor has it that the Kansas City Royals have been dangling 2009 CY Young winner Zack Greinke as trade bait to the New York Yankees.

This seems sketchy when you consider that Greinke has a no-trade clause in his contract, with the Yankees being first on the list.

Greinke has also suffered major depression and anxiety issues that have interfered with his playing time.

Even as a Yankee fan, it is completely understandable why playing in the Bronx would not be ideal for a player tormented with Greinke’s problems.

New York’s big lights cause major pressure, and good pitchers have collapsed under them too many times—just look at Javier Vazquez or Carl Pavano.

Looking at that the meek 2010 free agent pitchers market, Cliff Lee is the only certifiable superstar on it.

It is no secret that the Yankees are rolling out the red carpet for Lee. The Royals are well aware that if Lee is not in pinstripes next season, the Yankees could go all out in desperation for an arm like Greinke. Continue reading ‘MLB Hot Stove: New York Yankees Looking At Wrong Royals Pitcher’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
4 Comments

It’s Pitching Match-Up Deja Vu: Yankees-Rays And A Pair Of Aces

Posted by on 23 September 2010, 6:38 pm

The New York Yankees lost the third game to the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday night, with a final score of 7-2.

The Yankees lead this four-game set, 2-1, with a goal to win the final and take the series.

The Rays’ best, and only shot is to spilt the series, creeping up on the AL East leading Yankees to just a half-game.

Clearly with nine games remaining after this series wraps up, nothing is set in stone in the AL East.

The Yankees have a tough schedule—playing the Red Sox six times and then the last three in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

The Rays, not so much, face two bottom feeders teams in the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners sans King Felix and the Baltimore Orioles.

There is not a better face-off than CC Sabathia vs. David Price, which was proved 10 days ago in a literal pitcher’s duel.

Both starter lefties threw eight scoreless innings, allowing five base runners each and ended up with almost identical pitch counts, CC with 119 and Price with 114 respectively.

Price fanned 11 Yankees in a row in the first five innings; Sabathia started his fanning in the third, and finished off 12 Rays in order by the end of the seventh.

I can’t say one out pitched the other that Monday night at Tropicana Field, but I can swear both were incredible.

The Rays won that game with a score of 1-0. The run earned on an 11th inning walk-off home run hit by Reid Brignac.

Let me clarify the Rays out played the Yankees for the win. As for Price and Sabathia, no baseball fan is questioning whether either did their jobs because all you can say is those two are Cy Young aces.

Sabathia is back home, and the Yankee fans will be his biggest weapons against the Rays. Fans are in playoff mode in New York; just ask any Yankee player how great it is to be back in the Bronx.

PREDICTION:

Yankees win 3-1. Sabathia wins his 21st start.

Related articles by Zemanta

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Randy For Grandy: Curtis Granderson Earning His Yankee Pinstripes

Posted by on 19 August 2010, 1:34 pm

New York Yankee fans have been waiting patiently for Curtis Granderson to figure himself out and it was well worth the wait.

Presently, the hardest stretch of the regular season is well underway for teams in contention, making the Yankees timing for heading into crisis-mode a serious concern.

The worrying began after the Bombers lost two of four games to the Kansas City Royals. Winning games against sub-.500 teams gives teams in a divisional race some cushioning down the stretch.

With the Yankees schedule only getting harder, the added insurance wins are essential, vital actually because one lose could make all the difference.

Returning to the Bronx couldn’t come faster, but what seemed like a god-send in the past, only got worse.

Hosting the Detroit Tigers for a four-game set proved the Yankee hitters could barely make contact with the ball to start the series Monday night.

In the same game, the Bombers two best hitters, Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher, both exited mid-game with recurring injuries.

Yankee fans went into panic mode. Sans-ARod was enough of a reason in itself for fans to worry.

How the hell are the Yankees going to win and who the hell is going to hit?

The answer came Tuesday night and his name is Curtis Granderson.

Granderson is turning into the Yankee hero in a time of crisis, something Grandy knew he owed this team.

Since being in pinstripes, Grandy was not a liability like Nick Johnson, but he was not the stud from the Tigers either.

The all-star Granderson the Yankees craved was nowhere to be found, except on the DL for about eight weeks.

Still, at the stadium fans demonstrated no hostility towards Granderson, but not loving him either. This behavior was way out of character for Yankee fans.

Call it subconscious instinct because now Granderson is hitting and the Yankees love it.

Everyone is randy for Grandy, and deservedly so considering he is the prime reason the team survives this A-Rod drought.

Over the last six games, Granderson has a .364 batting average, with eight hits, two doubles, two homers, three RBIs, and three walks.

Granderson, his teammates, and the fans somehow knew this was no mistake and now we have the proof.

LET’S GO YANKEES!

Related articles by Zemanta

Tagged , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

New York Yankees: Manic Monday Leads To Seven New Issues

Posted by on 17 August 2010, 6:03 am

Fresh off an unacceptable loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon, the New York Yankees arrived back home to face the Detroit Tigers for a four-game set.

Instead of keeping the Tampa Bay Rays at bay, the Yankees lost to the Tigers 3-0, but that is just the icing on the cake.

Manic Monday’ is an understatement because it brought on a whole slew of new issues. The Bombers timing for drama could not be worse, as this is the most crucial part of the season. Let’s take a look:

  1. The Yankees split a series with the crappy Kansas City Royals and just lost the first of four games against a non-contending Tigers team. Guess the Bombers don’t want any breathing room, considering 25 of 41 regular seasons games left are against AL East teams.
  2. I am in complete denial that A-rod and Swisher made early exits in Monday’s loss to the Tigers. The reasons for both sluggers were ‘tightness’ and according to Joe Girardi are listed day-to-day. This is supposed to be the Yankees ‘Hope Week’, so let’s stick to that plan please.
  3. Starting pitcher Andy Pettitte’s rehab has a setback, causing a delay in his return. Expect to see the Southpaw in about two weeks, which feels like eternity. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Manic Monday Leads To Seven New Issues’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
6 Comments

New York Yankees Pitching Situation Solved

Posted by on 26 July 2010, 9:36 am

The New York Yankees finished the weekend taking three of four games from the Kansas City Royals.

The Yankees continue to lead the majors with a 62-35 record and the AL East division.

The Tampa Bay Rays are just three games behind, which leave little room for error. While the ailing Boston Red Sox trail by eight and better not make the gap any bigger.

This scenario dictates nothing except that the Yankees are playing very good baseball right now.

Still, the Yankees recently lost pitcher Andy Pettitte for four to six weeks. Along with a struggling group of middle relievers, this is not an October-ready team.

Without Pettitte, losing out on pitcher Cliff Lee, due to being given the run around by the Seattle Mariners, stings even more.

Leave all the talk swarming around Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren coming to the Yankees. That too is now over, with Haren going to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim because the Yankees said no when Joba Chamberlain became part of the deal.

That is the second time the Yankees name was in the mix to spark a bidding war amongst suitors.

So, what remain are Houston Astros Roy Oswalt and Chicago Cubs Ted Lilly. They are the only two creditable starters left before the July 31 trade deadline.

Oswalt has made it clear he wants to play for the St. Louis Cardinals. Also, teams will hesitate with Oswalt’s salary in 2010 having more than $5 million left, plus $16 million for next year, and he refuses to let go his $16 million option for 2012. I’m pretty sure most teams will pass and positive the Yankees already did. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Pitching Situation Solved’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
5 Comments

New York Yankees Need AJ Burnett To Lose The Attitude

Posted by on 19 July 2010, 1:01 am

Saturday afternoon New York Yankees starting pitcher AJ Burnett took the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Burnett was pulled in the third inning, marking his shortest outing in pinstripes. This time Burnett’s frustrations got the better of him which certainly did not go over well with his teammates.

In the first inning, Burnett gave up a double to Carlos Pena, which scored Evan Longoria. Top of the second inning Rays Reid Brignac, hit a two-run homer and the Rays lead the Yankees 3-2.

It was not keen, but against the Rays, it is not the end of the world.

Then to start the third inning, Burnett hit Evan Longoria with a pitch and gave up an RBI single to Carlos Pena. Burnett’s location was a problem causing Joe Girardi to go out and remove Burnett from the mound.

Concerned fans waited for the verdict which was revealed as lacerations on both his hands. Burnett said the cuts were from a fall the previous evening, which seemed odd.

Later-on, Burnett admitted that, after the second inning, he took out his anger on a clubhouse door. This was the real cause of the cuts on both his hands. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Need AJ Burnett To Lose The Attitude’ »

Tagged , , , , ,
7 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3