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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.

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New York Yankees Message To Tampa Bay Rays: Me Casa, Su Casa

Posted by on 31 August 2010, 8:39 am

Fact is, the New York Yankees love returning to the Bronx.

Why wouldn’t they love coming home, with a packed stadium full of fans?

The Yanks are tied for the first place, and they also share the best record in baseball and Yankee fans will cheer the team till the end.

The other team leading the pack is the Tampa Bay Rays, a 12-year-old franchise with loads of potential and hands-down has the best young talent in all of MLB.

The Rays reside in the AL East and remain the Yankees‘ biggest threats, so where is the love down in St. Petersburg, FL?

No one knows because Rays fans seem to be extinct, which is just unbelievable. Forget that Tropicana Field is a dump, the Rays are head-to-head with the Yankees and this could be their year to win it all.

It’s a shame if the Rays lose motivation and stop even giving a s*it because the only time the Trop filled up was when the Yanks or Red Sox were visiting.

In sports history, no dominating MLB, NFL, NHL, or NBA team in first place, right before the playoffs, has had no one cheering in the stands.

Don’t even try and blame it on the Trop as a venue. Up until this season, the Minnesota Twins played in the Metrodome, which was one of the worst pro sports facilities ever and Twins fans packed in that cave game after game.

The Rays had better attendance in 2009, not by much, but when you are barely filling up half your house it comes down to numbers.

Why, as a Yankees fan, should I want to broach this subject? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Message To Tampa Bay Rays: Me Casa, Su Casa’ »

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New York Yankees: Could There Be Trouble in Paradise?

Posted by on 3 August 2010, 4:00 pm

After losing the series 2-1 in Tampa to the Rays over the weekend, the New York Yankees are back in the Bronx.

The Toronto Blue Jays are in town and the Yankees lost the first game at the stadium yesterday.

This is two losses in a row, and the Champs no longer own the best record in baseball. They now they share it with the Rays.

It all started Sunday afternoon in Tampa, when skipper Joe Girardi substituted new Yankee Lance Berkman for Mark Teixeira at first base, gave Alex Rodriguez a day off,  and Brett Gardner was not in the outfield.

It made me question Girardi’s train of thought, considering CC Sabathia was on the mound, which gives the team a major advantage to win.

From a fan’s perspective, it didn’t seem like winning the game was on the priority list of Joe Girardi. He didn’t put the best team out there. It looked like practice, or that the Yankees were not that concerned about leading the division.

In the end, the Rays won and moved one game away from tying with the Yankees.

Than last night, AJ Burnett on the mound was back to the old four innings of domination. Then in the fifth inning, Burnett fell apart and Toronto had batting practice.

At the same time, the Rays beat the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. Then the Yankees lost and now the AL East has a tie for first place for the first time since May 18th.

This makes the guarantee of a post-season spot up-in-the-air for the Yankees, or at least the possibility of no October more realistic. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Could There Be Trouble in Paradise?’ »

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New York Yankees Vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Vazquez Faces Garza

Posted by on 31 July 2010, 12:08 am

The New York Yankees Javier Vazquez will face Tampa Bay Rays Matt Garza on Saturday night at Tropicana Field.

Let’s take a look at game two’s match-up:

Tampa Bay Rays: Matt Garza (11-5)

Fresh off throwing the franchiser’s first no-hitter in its 13-year history, SP Matt Garza’s overall outlook doesn’t change much. Garza is still trying to get back to his 2008 form.

Garza likes pitching at home, even if home is Tropicana Field. At the Trop Garza has a .230  OBA against batters with runners in scoring position.

This season Garza has a 4.06 ERA in 128 innings. He has allowed 118 hits, 58 earned runs, giving up 18 homeruns and 41 walks. Four of the homeruns were given up on July 20 against the worst team in baseball, the Baltimore Orioles. Garza has also thrown two complete games and a no-hitter.

Garza relies a lot on his fastball, as he threw it 99 out 120 pitches during his historic no-hitter. Well, why stop what seems to be working as in his last three starts Garza 2-0, going 21 innings, with a 2.95 ERA with 13 strikeouts and only walking two batters.

Garza might not find success against a hot Yankees line-up, who tend to hit fastballs out of the park. Garza needs to throw a variety of pitches to keep the Bombers on their toes, or it will be ugly.

New York Yankees: Javier Vazquez (9-7)

Javier Vazquez has turned his season around after a horrible April. Finally, Vazquez is that durable pitcher the Yankees wanted in the rotation.

Vazquez’s 4.54 ERA for the season is not reflective of how he is currently pitching. He has pitched 107 innings, giving up 92 hits, 54 earned runs, 118 homers and 41 walks. Vazquez and Garza are well matched looking at stats only. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Vazquez Faces Garza’ »

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New York Yankees Vs.Tampa Bay Rays: Battle Of The Young Guns

Posted by on 30 July 2010, 2:04 am

Friday night, the New York Yankees are at Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays, and it will be a true battle of the young guns on the mound.

Since pitching and defense will dictate the outcomes of all three games, the match-ups on the mound will set the tone. Let’s look at the Friday night’s pitchers.

Ironically, both the Rays and the Yankees have their “young guns” squaring off. Both players are 24 years old, both stand at 6’5 feet, and both are right-handed pitchers.

Tampa Bay Rays: Wade Davis (8-9)

Davis didn’t look very good this season, after losing all five of his starts in the month of June. Davis’ June numbers included an ERA of 6.0, and batters were hitting just shy of .270 against him.

Since the start of July, Davis has looked like a different pitcher. He has gone unbeaten. Over his last three starts, he has posted an ERA of 2.11. For the month of July, Davis has pitched 25 innings, faced 110 batters and allowed nine earned runs, six walks and 12 strikeouts. Eleven of those 12 strikeouts were in his last three starts and a monthly ERA of 3.12. That is pretty impressive stuff.

Davis is suddenly throwing with a lot more confidence. Davis is not afraid to throw hard because he is locating the ball much better.

Davis faces a potent Yankees lineup who have seen him before. This works in the Yankees favor because Davis is not new, and they have hit him successfully.

Davis needs to be careful with Cano, Gardner, Granderson, Thames, A-Rod, and Jeter because all have multiple hits in the few at-bats they have had against him.

New York Yankees: Phil Hughes (12-3)

Unlike Davis, Phil Hughes started out the season on fire. Hughes was an 2010 All-Star and his name was frequent in Cy Young discussions.

 He was the Yankees most reliable pitcher through the month of May. As they say, all good things must come to an end, or in Hughes’ case, back down to baseball-reality. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Vs.Tampa Bay Rays: Battle Of The Young Guns’ »

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New York Yankees Need One More Win in Cleveland Before Heading To Tampa

Posted by on 29 July 2010, 12:32 pm

New York Yankees CC Sabathia had a rare loss in his old stomping ground Tuesday night, falling 4-1 to the Cleveland Indians.

The Yankees are in first place, with a margin of only two games before they get caught.

This added a lot of pressure on an already erratic AJ Burnett. It was mandatory that Burnett put the team in a winning position.

Burnett surpassed all that was required, as he dominated the Indians batters. Burnett’s teammates helped make sure he had a chance to shine again and the Yankees won 8-0.

Another factor in the Yankees success is using David Robertson in the eighth inning.

It is no secret where the Yankees biggest weakness lies—in the bullpen.

With Alfredo Aceves on the DL since May, the Yankee bullpen has become a total mess. Chan-ho Park, Joba Chamberlain, and Boone Logan are not reliable at all and it has spelled trouble whenever they were called on.

Robertson was right in the mix, with a bad beginning to 2010.

The timing could not have been more perfect for Robertson to get find his form again.

Robertson thrived as the eighth inning guy even under the lights of the 2009 World Series. Translation: The pressure does not bother Robertson.

Skipper Joe Girardi realizes that he can count on Robertson to get the outs needed with no regrets.

Robertson’s small role has made the biggest difference since the All-Star break.

Still, the bullpen is the biggest roadblock for the Yankees. Most Yankees fans take comfort in the idea that Hughes will join Robertson once Andy Pettitte gets off the DL in a few weeks.

For now, the Yankees will head to Tampa following the fourth game against the Indians. Friday night starts a three-game set at Tropicana Field against the second place Rays.

This weekend series will be a literal battle royale for first place in the AL East. Both teams have their work cut out for them, as both are on fire right now. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Need One More Win in Cleveland Before Heading To Tampa’ »

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ESPN: Every Sports Prejudice News

Posted by on 3 May 2010, 9:00 am

The Tampa Bay Rays are the best team in baseball, and it is the best start in the franchise’s history.

The above is the media buzz of the baseball field now. Thanks to ESPN, who has convinced every expert into thinking the Rays are the best team in baseball.

You want sunglasses to shield BBT because it is all Rays right now.

This makes perfect sense, right….please read the ESPN mock outlook below:

How many teams would not call for that tone after missing the playoffs in 2009. Do not forget the Rays also broke a 12 year-long franchise record for the best April ever.

Four whole weeks is plenty of time for a team to overcome a decade long of below .500 baseball.

Let’s not belittle the Rays did losing the World Series in 2008 and the first-time the ball-club ever made the postseason in the organization’s history. Can everyone read R-E-C-O-R-D, again?

The Rays loss, to the obviously better Philadelphia Phillies, in 2008, did open a door for them to make a clear statement from day one the following season as a team in contention. A company that was about to stay and that the AL East was now a three-team division.

The fact is reputations get formed in reverse, for the Rays or any other team. This is when a player’s real feelings, spirit and attitude get most vulnerable, so not giving up gets respect.

The dome is the Rays home, known as the Trop, short for Tropicana Field. The Trop is just an annoying bubble to play any sport inside.

Let’s give credit to the swarms of fans who live in Tampa Bay, Florida who pack the Trop when the Red Sox, Mets or Yankees are in town. Continue reading ‘ESPN: Every Sports Prejudice News’ »

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