Game 45: Redemption
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(Jonathan Daniel/Getty)
Phil Hughes didn’t just have the worst start of his career last time out, he had one of the worst starts by a Yankee this century. I guess the good news is there’s nowhere to go but up from a seven-run, two-out disaster like that. Hughes talked about getting on top of the ball and needing to better his fastball command these last four days, but the time for talking is over. Phil gets his shot at redemption against the division rival Orioles tonight, for a team that has won three straight against a team that has lost six straight. Here’s the lineup that will face fresh off the DL Miguel Gonzalez…
- CF Brett Gardner
- 2B Robinson Cano
- LF Vernon Wells
- DH Travis Hafner
- 1B Lyle Overbay
- RF Curtis Granderson
- 3B David Adams
- SS Jayson Nix
- C Austin Romine
And on the mound is the only Yankee to earn a win during the 2007 ALDS, right-hander Phil Hughes.
Summer’s coming. It’s warm and kinda humid in New York, so typical baseball weather. The game is scheduled to begin a little after 7pm ET and be seen on My9 locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy.
Injury Updates: Kevin Youkilis (back) had three at-bats today — I assume in a simulated game — and actually took some swings. He had been just standing in the box and tracking pitches until today … Joba Chamberlain (oblique) will pitch in a minor league game tomorrow, and the team plans on having him make two appearances before activating him off the DL … Mark Teixeira (wrist) got four more at-bats in a simulated game … Ivan Nova (triceps, back) threw several innings in a simulated game or Extended Spring Training game yesterday.
2013 Draft: Austin Wilson
By · CommentsThe 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Austin Wilson | OF
Background
Wilson was a potential first round pick out of a Southern California high school in 2010, but signability concerns dropped him to the Cardinals in the 12th round. He followed through on his commitment to Stanford and has hit .314/.417/.529 with five homers in 27 games this spring while battling a bone bruise and stress reaction in his elbow. Wilson was also hindered by an oblique issue during a stint in the Cape Cod League last summer. During his first two years with the Cardinal, he produced a .296/.371/.460 line with 15 homers in 112 games.
Scouting Report
Wilson is a physical freak with a chiseled 6-foot-4, 245 lb. frame and high-end athleticism. His best tool is his right-handed power — the ball explodes off his bat and carries to all fields — but excess pre-swing movement and poor pitch recognition limits how much he can tap into it. During his three years on campus, he’s struck out 115 times in 585 plate appearances (19.7%), which is way too much for the top college prospect. The athleticism gives Wilson above-average speed and a rocket arm, arguably the best outfield arm in the class, so he has more than enough tools for center field. He is expected to move to right field down the road, where he could play Gold Glove level defense. Wilson is a bit of a project but the raw ability and pure upside are outrageous. There are many, many more videos on YouTube.
Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Wilson as the 15th and 29th best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. Law said the Yankees have “scouted Wilson heavily” in his latest mock draft, for what it’s worth. Stanford has a reputation of turning top position player prospects into mediocre ones due to their one-size-fits-all coaching philosophy, which turns everyone into a short-swinger geared to hit the ball the other way. Wilson is not that type of player, so any team that drafts him will be banking on their development personnel’s ability to unlock his potential. The Yankees have three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd) and Wilson is the kind of super-high-upside prospect that is worth gambling on with extra picks.
Kelley & Claiborne step up, solidify middle relief
By · CommentsFor the first few weeks of the season, the Yankees bullpen was a bit of a mess. Specifically, the non-David Robertson and Mariano Rivera part of the bullpen was a mess. The trio of Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan, and Shawn Kelley combined to allow 31 base-runners and 13 runs in 17.1 innings during the first 15 games of the season, so the bridge from starter to Robertson was rather adventurous for a while. It was also a problem given the team’s low-caliber offense.
The middle relief issues lasted until mid-to-late-April, when Joba hit the DL and some of his bullpeners improved their performance. Over the last 30 days, the Yankees have the best bullpen ERA (2.49) and second best bullpen FIP (3.35) in the league. Their season ERA is down to 3.32 (3.47 FIP), the fifth best mark the AL. Any conversation about New York’s bullpen starts with Robertson and Rivera, but the other guys have really picked up the slack of late.
One of those other guys is a new face who wasn’t around for the early season struggles, right-hander Preston Claiborne. The 25-year-old was called up when Joba was placed on the DL, and he’s since struck out five while walking zero in eight scoreless innings across six appearances. Joe Girardi apparently has enough faith in him that he used him in the seventh inning or later of a two or fewer run game three times in those six appearances, including three of the first four. Talk about being thrown into the fire.
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
“We were impressed with him in Spring Training, and we left thinking he could help us at some point this year, and he’s doing that right now,” said Brian Cashman about Claiborne recently. “You never know how a guy is going to act when he gets here, but he’s the same guy he was in Spring Training, and he’s probably gaining confidence every day.”
In addition to adding Claiborne, the Yankees have benefited from Kelley settling down after a nightmarish first few weeks in pinstripes. Over his last ten appearances, the 29-year-old owns a 3.18 ERA (~0.90 FIP) (!)) and has struck out exactly half of the 44 batters he faced. He’s struck out 15 of the last 21 (!) men he’s faced across his last four appearances. Kelley leads all of baseball with a 43.4% strikeout rate (min. 10 IP) after coming into the year with a career 22.6% strikeout rate. He’s throwing his low-80s slider more than ever before, basically half the time these days, which is the likely explanation for all the whiffs.
Thanks to all of those strikeouts, Kelley is pitching like the best-case Mark Montgomery scenario right now. We all expected Montgomery to bring his vicious slider to the show and pile up the strikeouts at some point, yet Kelley is the one doing that job right now. He isn’t walking anyone either (just four unintentional walks). Kelley’s homer-prone ways — five homers in 18.1 innings (2.45 HR/9 and 27.8% HR/FB) — will hold him back from being a true high-leverage option, but a reliever who can miss bats like that is a very valuable weapon in the middle innings. The ability to snuff out a rally without having to rely on the defense is huge, we’ve seen that from Robertson in recent years.
“I’ve never been on a team that has the expectations of just winning and thinking World Series as their only goal,” said Kelley to Chad Jennings recently. “To have that feeling every night, even if I go in and just get some outs in a win, it feels really good to just help the club win. I’m having a lot of fun on this team … It’s a fun way to win.”
With Adam Warren emerging as a long-man extraordinaire, Claiborne and Kelley have stepped up to solidify the middle relief ahead of Robertson and Rivera. Logan needs to settle down and start getting lefties out — they’re hitting .296/.296/.444 (.320 wOBA) against him so far — but otherwise the bullpen has fallen into place. The Yankees play an awful lot of close games these days, so having a bullpen that can consistently shut the other team down and preserve leads/keep the deficit small is a big reason why they sit atop the AL East at the moment.
Manchester City, Yanks to team up on NY MLS franchise
By · CommentsFor much of the spring, a groundswell of institutional support for a New York City-based Major League Soccer franchise has been growing. The primary owners were set to be Manchester City Football Club, and the team, owned by a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, has had their eye on a piece of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Now, the Yankees are involved as well, as a part-owners and powerful players on the New York City political scene, as they are joining with Manchester City to own part of MLS’ 20th franchise.
The Yankees will own approximately a quarter of the new soccer club, and as long as a stadium can be identified in time, the team will likely begin play during the 2015 MLS season. “We proudly welcome two of the most prestigious professional global sports organizations to Major League Soccer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “This is a transformational development that will elevate the league to new heights in this country. The New York area is home to more than 19 million people, and we look forward to an intense crosstown rivalry between New York City Football Club and the New York Red Bulls that will captivate this great city.”
For the Yankees and Manchester City, theirs is a marriage of political expediency as much as it is about economics. Soccer franchise ownership is hardly a high-reward investment, but the Yankees, through Legends Hospitality, already work with Manchester City. More importantly, though, the Yankees have deep-seated connections to the upper echelons of New York politics. Randy Levine and Lonn Trost will likely put their heads to see a stadium deal through during the final months of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s term.
In fact, Yankees’ owner Hal Steinbrenner appointed Levine as his soccer guru in a statement this morning. “We are pleased to be associated with this major move by MLS to increase its presence in the New York market and to enhance the opportunity for New York soccer fans to enjoy high-level play in their own city. We look forward to the opportunity to work with Manchester City to create something very special for the soccer fans of New York — and to bringing another terrific team to this city for all sports fans to enjoy,” said Hal Steinbrenner, managing general partner of the New York Yankees. “Randy Levine, president of the New York Yankees, will be the point person in leading the effort to launch and establish the team on behalf of the organization.”
The real elephant in the room here though is the park land grab. New York City park advocates have been dismayed that MLS’ attention has turned to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Already the subject of a planned expansion by the U.S. Open, this park area serves as a gathering point for many Queens communities, and plopping down a soccer stadium in the park would further limit scarce green space. The city has offered up land that’s a several miles and neighborhoods away, but the site pales in comparison with the current green expanse.
While MLS and Manchester City hope the Yanks’ involvement can push this project through to the finish line, parks advocates believe the team’s eventual lobbying efforts may serve as a wake-up call. “We hope this new deal once and for all puts to rest any further attempts to seize even more public parkland in Flushing Meadows Park,” Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates, said to The Times. “The Yankees were given enough.”
No matter the outcome of the stadium debate, the Yanks are poised to delve deeper into the New York City sports landscape, and it seems likely that Yankee Stadium will host a soccer team for at least its first season of existence. I wonder what the Boss would say if he were still alive.
Joe Girardi and the super early Manager of the Year race
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(Jason Miller/Getty)
Even before last night’s come-from-behind extra-innings win over the Orioles, it was obvious the Yankees are far exceeding expectations this year. The injuries piled up during the offseason and in Spring Training, leading to a bunch of scrap heap pickups forced into everyday roles come Opening Day. Lyle Overbay? Vernon Wells? Frankie Cervelli? This guys had no business starting the season assured of regular playing time for a team with World Series aspirations.
The Yankees were widely picked to collapse completely and perhaps finish last, the kind of collapse that has been predicted every year since about 2007. Instead, they’ve thrived and currently sit atop the AL East with a little less than three-quarters of the season remaining. Yes, there is very long way to go, but New York has fared far better than even the most optimistic of fans could have expected. When Opening Day rolled around, I remember the mantra was “tread water until the injured guys return.” Expectations were definitely lower.
Thanks to the team’s better-than-expected performance, Joe Girardi has started to get some super early Manager of the Year love. My CBS colleague Dayn Perry recently dubbed him the 25% AL Manager of the Year — basically the MoY to date — for example. The Manager of the Year Award has morphed into the “Manager Of The Team Who Most Exceeds Expectations” Award in recent years, and Girardi definitely fits that bill right now. Some late-season ridiculousness — just ask 2012 Bob Melvin and 2011 Joe Maddon — would help his cause too, but I’m hoping for a less stressful finish to the season.
Looking around the rest of the league, the only other early-season AL MoY candidates are Terry Francona and John Farrell. Both the Indians and Red Sox are exceeding expectations so far, but both teams did make splashy offseason moves. Were expectations lower in Cleveland and Boston than they were in New York coming into the season? I’m not sure, but those two deserve the same kind of early MoY attention as Girardi. The next 120 or so games will sort this out, and some new candidates will inevitably emerge.
It’s obvious these days that a Yankee needs to have an outrageous season to win any kind of major award, like a 2007 Alex Rodriguez season. Without that big gap in performance, the other guy always seems to get the benefit of the doubt. That might work against Girardi because the Yankees still have the largest payroll in baseball and hey, they should be able to plug their holes on short-notice. Not every team can absorb $13M of Wells’ salary at a moment’s notice. That mentality exists and it could come into play.
Only two Yankees managers have won the award since it was first handed out in 1983 — Joe Torre in 1996 and 1998, and Buck Showalter during the strike-shortened 1994 campaign. That’s all. Girardi has already been named MoY once before, taking home the award during his lone season with the Marlins in 2006, but that shouldn’t matter. I’ve never been an ardent Girardi supporter, but he’s done one hell of a job keeping this ship afloat through the injuries. If there was ever a time a Yankees manager deserved the Manager of the Year Award, this is it.
The Yankees were very close to losing their first game after scoring first on Monday night, but some late-inning heroics from a pair of scrap heap pickups gave the Bombers an unexpected come-from-behind win over the Orioles. New York won 6-4 in ten innings.
Pronk smash. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Pronkilicous
Jim Johnson’s shook. The Orioles All-Star closer has now blown three saves in his last three appearances, this time coughing up a one-run lead when Travis Hafner slugged an opposite-field solo homer on a sinker that didn’t sink enough. In his 16 years as closer, Mariano Rivera has never blown three consecutive save opportunities. Johnson did it in his second full season on the job.
Pronk only tied the game, however. The Yankees and Orioles went to the tenth inning after David Robertson wiggled out of a mini-jam in the bottom of the ninth, and that’s when Ichiro Suzuki started the game-winning rally with a leadoff double into the right field corner. He was cheating fastball like a mofo and the extra-base hit was unexpected given his sub-.600 OPS coming in the at-bat. Vernon Wells doubled him in one batter later, then Hafner plated an insurance run with a two-out single off lefty Brian Matusz. After scoring three runs in the first eight innings, the Yankees score three runs in the span of ten batters in the ninth and tenth innings.
Shaky Sabathia
Two things stand out about CC Sabathia‘s outing. One, Baltimore’s left-handed hitters went 4-for-7 with four two-strike (!) hits against him. That never happens. Sabathia usually eats up same-side hitters, but Nick Markakis and Chris Davis looked mighty comfy in the box. Three of the four hits came off sliders — including a total hanger Davis crushed for a solo homer — a pitch lefties have whiffed on with 48.3% (!!!) of their swings during the PitchFX era.
(AP/Patrick Semansky)
I don’t know this for sure obviously, but I do think Sabathia’s reduced fastball velocity has something to do with that. The fastball and slider are not mutually exclusive, one works off the other, and if hitters only have to gear up for 89-91 instead of 93-95, it becomes a little easier to hang in on the breaking ball. For what it’s worth, PitchFX says Sabathia averaged 91.3 mph and topped out at 93.1 mph against the O’s. Lefties came into the game hitting .191/.261/.293 (.248 wOBA) with a 39.1% strikeout rate against CC this season, so this isn’t a long-running problem. It was just a problem on Monday night.
Secondly, Sabathia should have been out of the game after Markakis doubled to tie the game in the seventh. He was approaching 100 pitches and righties have tagged him for a .276/.320/.442 (.329 wOBA) line this year, plus three right-handed hitters in Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones were due up. That’s on Joe Girardi; Shawn Kelley was warming up and his super-high-strikeout ways were better suited for that spot.
Anyway, Sabathia allowed eleven hits in 6.1 innings of work, the third time in his career he’s allowed double-digit hits in back-to-back outings. It’s the first time he’s done it without going at least seven innings in one of the two starts. CC struck out only two batters and got nine swings and misses out of 102 total pitches. Is this the new reduced velocity Sabathia? Possibly, but I think this was a bad start more than the new normal.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Leftovers
The Yankees scored their first two runs on solo homers — Robinson Cano in the first, David Adams‘ first career dinger in the second — but it wasn’t until the sixth that they scored again. Lyle Overbay drove in that run with a solo homer off left-hander Troy Patton, which was very unexpected. He came into the game with five hits (.119 AVG) and one walk (.136 OBP) in 44 plate appearances against southpaws.
Once again, big ups to the bullpen. Kelley struck out three of the four men he faced — he owns an MLB-best 43.4% strikeout rate (min. 10 IP) — while Robertson and Mariano Rivera chipped in scoreless innings. Boone Logan recorded a pair of outs as well. Three and two-thirds scoreless from the bullpen is the backbone of any come-from-behind win. Outside of Brett Marshall biting the bullet last week, the relief corps has been crazy good in recent weeks.
In addition to the two big hits, Hafner also pulled a foul ball down the right field line and clear out of the ballpark in the sixth inning. Literally out of Camden Yards and onto Eutaw Street. Overbay and Adams had two hits apiece while Cano homered and walked twice. Freddy Garcia limited his former team to three hits and two runs in six innings on 66 (!) pitches. That was annoying.
Cano slid for a ball in the second inning and the YES cameras showed him flexing his right wrist afterwards, but he stayed in the game and was apparently fine. Reid Brignac clipped Garcia’s foot at first base while running out a ground ball and was fine, though he was walking gingerly at first.
Awful night for first base ump Eric Cooper, who incorrectly called a) Brett Gardner safe on a snap throw from the catcher, and b) Matt Wieters out at first on a bang-bang play. Both plays occurred in the sixth inning and the Yankees benefited both times, so hey I’m not complaining. Still, two awful calls.
For whatever reason, Buck Showalter was checking every ball in the dugout after it was removed from play. Either it was one of his control freak things or he suspected Sabathia of doctoring the ball. Maybe CC has lost velocity because the Vaseline-lubed ball is slipping out of his fingers?
Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings
Solid graph right there. MLB.com has the box score and video highlights while FanGraphs has the other stats no one cares about. ESPN is the place for the updated standings. The White Sox took care of business against the Red Sox, so the Yankees now leads Boston by two in the loss column. Baltimore is five back.
Source: FanGraphs
Up Next
Same two teams on Tuesday night, when Phil Hughes gets the ball for the Yankees. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez is expected to be activated off the DL and make the start for the Orioles. If he isn’t … I have no idea what they’ll do instead.
Gumbs stays hot; triples in Tampa win
By · CommentsRHP Gabe Encinas is done for the season with some kind of elbow surgery according to his Twitter feed. No idea if it’s Tommy John surgery or bone chips or something else entirely. He was placed on the DL last week. Meanwhile, C Peter O’Brien was named the Low-A South Atlantic League Offensive Player of the Week.
Triple-A Scranton (6-5 loss to Columbus in ten innings, walk-off style)
- 2B Corban Joseph & RF Brennan Boesch: both 0-4, 1 BB — CoJo whiffed twice … Boesch scored a run and struck out three times
- LF Zoilo Almonte: 2-4, 2 R, 1 BB
- DH Thomas Neal: 2-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K
- CF Melky Mesa: 1-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
- RHP Sam Demel: 2 IP, zeroes, 4 K, 0/1 GB/FB – 15 of 27 pitches were strikes (56%)
ByVia Ken Davidoff: Right-hander Michael Pineda “received strong reviews” for his 51-pitch Extended Spring Training start on Saturday. No word on his velocity, but he reportedly touched 95 in previous outings. I think this was his fourth ExST start, but don’t hold me to that.
The Yankees are planning to have the 24-year-old Pineda make two more ExST starts — one on Thursday and another next Tuesday — before starting his official 30-day rehab window by sending him out with one of the full-season affiliates. They want to get him stretched out to 65 pitches before starting the rehab clock, and I’m guessing they’ll use all 30 days to make sure he’s completely ready. I guess the state of the rotation in late-June will determine what happens after that, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The good news is Pineda continues to make progress. · (22) ·
Game 44: B’more
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(Presswire)
This series is about as important as a mid-May series can get. The Orioles gave the Yankees fits down the stretch last year and currently sit four games back in the AL East, so these three games will give the Bombers a chance to create some distance in the division race. Almost no lead is insurmountable this time of year, but that doesn’t mean having decent-sized cushion isn’t a big deal. Here’s the lineup that will face former Yankee right-hander Freddy Garcia…
- CF Brett Gardner
- 2B Robinson Cano
- DH Travis Hafner
- 1B Lyle Overbay
- LF Curtis Granderson
- 3B David Adams
- RF Ichiro Suzuki
- SS Reid Brignac
- C Austin Romine
And on the mound is the Indians’ leader in homers hit by a pitcher over the last 40 years (two), left-hander CC Sabathia.
It’s cloudy in Baltimore and the forecast calls for some showers later tonight. Hopefully they won’t be bad enough to delay or postpone the game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm ET and can be seen on YES locally and ESPN nationally. Enjoy.
Injury Updates (via the AP): Chris Stewart (groin) is feeling better but is still unable to return to anything more than emergency catching duty … Alex Rodriguez (hip) fielded grounders today for the first time since surgery … Kevin Youkilis (back) took batting practice on the field, fielded grounders at first and third, and made throws to the bases … Eduardo Nunez (ribcage) fielding some grounders … Joba Chamberlain (oblique) threw a bullpen session and is expected to make another minor league appearances this week … earlier today we learned Mark Teixeira (wrist) took some at-bats in a simulated game.
2013 Draft: Jon Denney
By · CommentsThe 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Jon Denney | C
Background
A star at Yukon High School in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, Denney created a ton of buzz and stood out during various showcase events last summer. He is committed to Arkansas.
Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 lbs, Denney has one of those rare pretty right-handed swings. He has a simple setup and a balanced swing through the zone, showing more than enough bat speed and strength to hit for both average and power. Denney is an aggressive hitter and will need to show more patience against better pitching. Behind the plate, he offers a strong and accurate arm but not much in terms of receiving and footwork. He’s a good but not great athlete, and Denney’s bat is good enough to carry him if he winds up moving to first base or left field. There are a bunch more video on YouTube.
Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Denney as the 22nd and 23rd best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, so they’re in agreement that he’s a back-half of the first round guy right now. Denney had a chance to play his way into top-ten consideration before struggling in front of some serious heat during an event in Arizona in March. The Yankees have been connected to the backstop recently and he fits their profile to a tee as an offense-minded catcher. They hoard those guys.
