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New York Yankees: Cleaning Up This Team’s Mess

Posted by on 17 May 2011, 2:17 am

THANK YOU CURTIS GRANDERSON:

The only consistency other than losing for the New York Yankees has been center-fielder Curtis Granderson.

Without Granderson’s bat and glove the Yankees would not be in a slump, they ‘d be sunk worse than the 0-6 run the team is now on.

Grandy is easily putting up the best numbers in his career and MVP worthy with 14 home-runs, 31 RBIs, four doubles, three triples and 16 walks.

His last blast was off Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price, who had only given up a home-run to a lefty bat once before in is career to Phillies Chase Utley back in 2009.

It also gave the Yankees a comfy 5-1 lead, which was lost by the middle of the sixth inning, as they lost 6-5.

THE REAL DEAL:

Let me make something clear, the fact that AJ Burnett gave up a three-run homer in the sixth to Rays BJ Upton to give the Rays the lead and eventual win is utterly irrelevant.

Why?

The Yankees pitching has done plenty on their end to get the team in positions to win games, but the bats are completely dead.

Forget the older guys that the entire sports world has written off already; I am talking about Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner, who have been useless in May.

Robinson Cano is hitting well, but is not near his potential yet because Cano can rip.

Here is a chart compliments of Baseball-Reference.com of the Yankee bats in April compared to May. The drop-off is not hard to see.

This will be a long summer in the Bronx if the bats don’t wake up now.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ:

Despite of all the ageism banter about how Alex Rodriguez is 35 years old, I highly doubt he has all of a sudden forgotten how to hit. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Cleaning Up This Team’s Mess’ »

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New York Yankees: Oh No Now Robbie Cano Is Day-To-Day

Posted by on 2 May 2011, 3:30 am

Brain Lewis of the New York Post reports that a bruised left-hand was the reason New York Yankees second-baseman Robinson Cano left the game in the eighth inning.

The Yankees had Cano get x-rays and they came back fine.

Cano is listed as day-to-day, which has Yankee fans on high alert, as Cano is one of the best hitters and all-around players in baseball. Losing Cano would be devastating, as he has been the most consistent bat on the team.

Cano is tied for fourth in the majors with eight home-runs, batting a whooping .320 and has 21 RBIs already this season.

Let’s hope that Cano gets a well-deserved night off on Monday night just to be safe, as he has played every game this season.

The Yankees flew to Detroit after the 5-3 win against the Blue Jays, to play a four game set against the Tigers.

 

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New York Yankees Vs. Orioles: Time To Win One For CC

Posted by on 22 April 2011, 7:01 am

The New York Yankees are in Baltimore for Easter Weekend to play a three game set against their division rival Orioles. So far in 2011, the Yankees are 2-0 against the Orioles.

The first game on Friday night the Orioles will send 25-year-old, righty Brad Bergesen to the mound to face Yankees ace and one of the best pitchers in baseball CC Sabathia.

Orioles Brad Bergesen:

Bergesen will have his hands full with the hot Yankees bats of Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez.

Cano has an 11-hitting streak going; and A-rod has hit a home-run and two RBIs in nine at-bats vs. Bergesen. In Granderson’s seven at-bats against Bergesen, he has a .555 batting average; with three hits, one double, three RBIs, a walk and zero strikeouts.

Bergesen has had some success versus the Yankees, as Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter have yet to get a hit in a combined 17 at-bats. He also pitched two innings of relief in New York back on April 13th, not giving up a hit and striking out two of the six Bombers he faced even though the Orioles lost the game 7-4.

Still, for the Orioles to have any chance to win the first game of the weekend, Bergesen has to pitch like he did in relief 10 days ago, but for about four more innings.

He has made two prior starts in 2011 posting a 0-2 record, throwing a combined 8.2 innings, allowing seven hits, three homers, four earned runs and striking out five. That isn’t going to cut it with the way the Yankees are hitting.

Yankees CC Sabathia:

Sabathia’s 0-1 record over four starts is not an accurate account of his performances. Sabathia has a 2.52 ERA in just over 25 innings pitched.

This is Sabathia’s slowest start and the only time he hasn’t posted a win in four outings in his 10 past seasons. Sabathia would throw nine innings all the time, but skipper Joe Girardi is not going to allow Sabathia or any Yankee pitcher get overused.

Sabathia is 14-2 in his career against the Orioles, so going eight innings is something Girardi would love to see. Whether Sabathia can keep his pitch count below 100 through seven innings is the question. Sabathia’s pitch count has been over 100 in all four outings, but only once vs. the Twins did he throw an efficient 104 pitches in seven full innings.

MY PREDICTION (and plea):

 

The motto in baseball or any other team sport is you win as a team; you lose, as a team. With the idea that no player is supposed to ever ask or imply otherwise, but this is America and to say it has never happened would be lying.

I can guarantee that selfish attitude has and never will materialize from a player like CC Sabathia. So I have no reason not to hope that Sabathia’s Yankee teammates win this game for their ace, who has come through above and beyond for the team, both as a player and a person.

Obviously the Yankees and the O’s both want to come away with the win, but the Yankees have an extra reason to make sure it happens in this game.

It would be hard to imagine that the Yankee players aren’t thinking about winning for CC and my guess is that is exactly what will happen.

Yankees beat the Orioles with a final score of 10-2.

 

2011 MLB FACT: The Bombers are the only team in baseball who has not lost two games in a row this season.  They also have the most homeruns with 30 already on the season.

 

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2011 Opening Day Temps Don’t Freeze Hot New York Yankees

Posted by on 1 April 2011, 12:39 am

Now that I have finally de-thawed after attending the coldest game of my life at Yankee Stadium, I can tell you that the New York Yankees looked good in their first win of the season.

Beating the Detroit Tigers to open the season 6-3 at home is the best way to start a season.

Let me tell you that Tiger line-up is frightening, with the new Miguel Cabrera sandwich of Magglio Ordonez and Victor Martinez. Cabrera drunk, sober or stoned really doesn’t matter because this guy can hit. Even after the numerous times I have been to a Tigers/Yankees game, Cabrera still amazes me with his natural talent.

Does it remind me of Robinson Cano?

Yes, but Cabrera is better, which is tough to proclaim considering Cano’s numbers but it is the truth.

In his first at-bat today against CC Sabathia, Cabrera hit a bullet of a line drive. Cabrera luckily only made to to first-base, which any in-shape player would have turned into a double.

Sabathia managed to get through six innings and the Yankees ace looked great.

After CC, the Yankees bullpen shutdown the Tigers bats Joba in the seventh, Soriano to Mariano in the eighth and ninth. This is a bullpen in charge, with dominance not seen in over a decade when Rivera was Garland’s set-up back in the mid-90’s.

What a nice weapon for skipper Joe Girardi to have in his pocket. If the bullpen stays healthy, Yankees starters can pitch six-inning games. Continue reading ‘2011 Opening Day Temps Don’t Freeze Hot New York Yankees’ »

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New York Yankees: 2011 Opening Day And Bombers Are Good To Go

Posted by on 31 March 2011, 6:00 am

The New York Yankees are back in the Bronx, as baseball season is finally here.

Nothing is more exciting then a pitching duel to start a new season, where anything can happen and for one team it marks the start to their championship run.

Opening Day the Yankees will be hosting the Detroit Tigers, with ace CC Sabathia taking the mound against Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

Yankee Skipper Joe Girardi announced the starting line-up, which Mark Feinstein of the New York Daily News reports will be looking a tad different than the last two seasons on Opening Day.

Here is the batting order for the Bombers Opening Day Game on ESPN:

1.    Brett Gardner
2.    Derek Jeter
3.    Mark Teixeira
4.    Alex Rodriguez
5.    Robinson Cano
6.    Nick Swisher
7.    Jorge Posada
8.    Curtis Granderson
9.    Russell Martin

Jeter and Gardner will platoon as lead-off, which is what I suggested a few weeks back. Since Verlander is a lefty, Gardner will be first and the Captain will hit in the two-spot.

Let me just remind everyone that Jeter has hit in the #2 spot of the Yankees line-up for the majority of his career, with darn good success I must say.

This is a good move by Girardi, but I think throwing Granderson against some righties and keeping Jeter more regularly in such a familiar spot might prove to work as well.

There is plenty of time to smooth out all kinks with 162 games to go.

All I can say is, Welcome Home Yankees; and Welcome Back Baseball!!

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New York Yankees: If Captain Derek Jeter Goes Moving On Down

Posted by on 17 March 2011, 7:17 am

hen the idea of moving New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter down in the batting order and letting Brett Gardner take over as the line-up’s leadoff hitter, I got pretty ticked off.

Honestly, my initial reaction was to immediately go on the defense. Considering this is after being subjected to the harsh words used all off-season about the Captain. I just wanted the man to catch a break, after skipper Joe Girardi made it clear that Jeter would be the at the top on Opening Day.

Now that I have had time to digest this idea, it might actually be a good one.

Jeter has only been lead-off since the start of 2009, other than filling in on occasion. He was cemented for the majority of 14 seasons as the Yankees #2.

Moving Jeter doesn’t concern me as much as whether Brett Gardner will be able to handle it. Last season Gardner struggled when atop the Yankee line-up.

Is Gardner speed going to hurt such an offensively dominant group and will his speed get wasted?

This made me wonder with batters like Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano at the heart of your order, wouldn’t attempting to steal a base in essence become redundant?

Jeter has never been a power batter, so what if he starts hitting into double plays, as he did do that more in 2010? That immediately closes the door for Teixeira to hit a sac-fly to move the runners with two outs already.

Question remains if Jeter can still be a pest on the base-pads because we know that Gardner is one of the fastest guys in the league.

Jeter stole 48 bases in 2009-2010, which is almost double what he had in 2007-2008 when he posted 26 combined.

So now my alternative suggestion is, why can’t Curtis Granderson hit leadoff?

Granderson did it for the Detroit Tigers and even though he struggles a lot against lefties, Granderson sustains both power and speed.

Over his career, Granderson has an 81% stolen base rate and against right-handed pitchers he can flat out hit, averaging 25 home-runs, 13 triples and 28 doubles a season over his seven big league seasons. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: If Captain Derek Jeter Goes Moving On Down’ »

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MLB Hot Stove: Separating New York Yankees Fact from Fiction

Posted by on 12 November 2010, 3:22 am

The silence of free agency is overwhelming New York Yankees fans, as rumors of contract negotiations and who is going where are circling the sports media.

No one really knows much except that Yankees GM Brian Cashman met with ex-captain Derek Jeter in Tampa Bay, FL. Then, Cashman and crew headed to Benton, Arkansas to pay a visit to the home of free agent ace Cliff Lee.

Cashman also made a point to meet with catcher Jorge Posada so there was no confusion of what his role for the 2011 season would entail. To no surprise, Posada will primarily be a DH but still catch around 40-50 games. Posada was told to stick to his regular off-season regime and come to spring training ready to catch.

The only other fact confirmed by the Yankees is that a scheduled meeting with closer Mariano Rivera and his agents was up next.

Everyone wants this drama to have an ending ASAP.

What is most bothersome is the media’s new found shredding of Derek Jeter, which is a major embarrassment.

ESPN is turning into TMZ, featuring stories of icons like Jeter, Favre and Bonds, but the difference is Jeter is a gentleman. Jeter is not hopped on ‘roids or sending pornographic pictures to married women.

Jeter only won a Gold Glove, not because he campaigned hard to win it. The voting for the Gold Glove Awards consists of all MLB managers and coaches, but they cannot vote for anyone on their respective teams. So, if haters need to blame anyone it’s the 29 non-Yankee managers for giving Jeter the award.

Jeter is a true real role model, works hard, and doesn’t cheat on his wife with hookers or harass any woman he wants. Jeter is a winner, who is deeply respected by his peers and has still remained a humble captain.

That’s all the facts as of today. Plenty of hearsay and diarrhea of the mouth has and will go on, but until it comes out of Cashman’s mouth it is best to ignore it.

Please note: Robinson Cano won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger; Mark Teixeira won a Gold Glove. Congratulations to both of them.

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