Game 51: Something’s cooking
ByWith 19 of their next 28 games coming against teams with losing records, don’t you get the sense that this team is about to go on a major roll? Something good is cooking in Yankee land, and I’m not talking out the BBQ’s in everyone’s back yard today.
The Yanks face a lefty starter for the upteenth time this season, with Garrett Olsen taking the hill for the O’s in Camden. This is the same Garrett Olsen that the Yanks bludgeoned last week, and Girardi was kind enough to fill out the same lineup responsible for that massacre.
My stupid lineup trick worked yesterday, so let’s keep it going.
1. J-Dam, LF
2. D-Jet, SS
3. B-Ab, RF
4. Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, 3B
5. H-Mat, DH
6. S-Dunc, 1B
7. R-Can, 2B
8. C-Moel, C
9. M-Cab, CF
And on the bump, the molten hot D-Ras.
Notes: Wilson Betemit is back with the team, the Former Attorney General was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton to make room on the roster. There’s nothing wrong with the move, Alberto was rotting away on the bench for the most part, and he should be getting regular at-bats, something he’ll be able to do in SWB.
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Countdown to Spring Training
Just 2 months and 2 days 'til pitchers and catchers report!
time to make our move on the redsux!
yeah writing A-Rod would have been really weird… that nickname just doesn’t work!
h-mat? sounds like something you have to get rid of before entering the lincoln tunnel
Maybe G-Zilla would have been better.
Dude…
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....8;c_id=mlb
Yeah I heard. Sad.
Damn. Damon just got owned.
LoL, Johnny Damon just got owned.
I really hope Willie Randolph doesn’t get fired. Also, this racial issue the Mets fans have with the Latino Mets players is getting on my nerves a bit.
I think they’ll keep Willie on long enough so he can coach at the All-Star Game. After that though, he’s on borrowed time.
Of course I love Willie because he was in the Bronx for so long but really he should have done something about all those dancing celebrations and “in your face” nonsense last year. This year he has to stop telling people to move on from the collapse. Mets fans are still freaking pissed and I can’t say that I blame them. That team definitely doesn’t care about its fans and I think Willie should have reigned them in long ago.
Mike, I know nothing of Alfredo Aceves and I usually would never trust a Minor League scouting report from a Major League beat reporter but what PeteAbe said about Aceves makes me wonder if he has potential as a middle reliever/long-man/spot-starter type.
“He’s 25, around 91-92 with his fastball. He has a solid two-seamer and a plus changeup.”
Sounds like Edwar.
Man, that Weeks-Markakis-Wolf for Lincecum-Ellsbury-Keppinger deal I made in fantasy is looking better and better by the day, even if Kepp is on the DL until June.
Hzilla…go baby go.
Matsui is seeing the ball really well right now. Its just bananas.
lol that was awesome. Watching the game on MLB.tv (they have it through YES). Shelley steps up to bat, and about as clearly as I can hear Kay, someone shouts out “SHELLEY IS A GIRLS NAME!!!” Awesome, love baseball fans
when Damon came up, he yelled “you throw like a girl!!!”
Moeller took that one like a champ.
wtf is up with Melk man?
Regression to the mean.
that’s cold.
true. but cold.
Cabrera isn’t doing too good this month. Maybe, he can have a hot summer like last year. Hopefully….
This ump is calling pitches in the opposite batters box constantly. At least he’s consistent though
Is there any doubt that Edwar Ramirez’s Changeup rates as an 80? Speaking of which, the guys over at the forums at nyyfans.com were having a discussion about which players in the Yankees organization (Major League level included) posses 80-grade tools or pitches. Who do you guys think of and what tool or pitch do they have that you think rates as 80 on the scouting scale?
Alex Rodriguez – 80 Power
Joba Chamberlain (As a reliever) – 80 Fastball
Edwar Ramirez – 80 Changeup
Jesus Montero – 80 Power
Andrew Brackman – 80 Fastball
Brett Gardner – 80 Cranium
80 is a big number to throw out there. I’m a firm believe that there’s no such thing as an 80 pitch, there’s just too much variation from inning to inning, outing to outing.
I’m comfortable with saying A-Rod has 80 power and Giambi has an 80 eye. Beyond that though, I don’t think I’d say anyone in the org has 80 anything. Maybe some 70′s, but even that’s a big number.
Well down with Gardner’s head, btw.
with Mike’s comment noted, i’d say Joba’s splitter is close to an 80 too.
Jeter has an 80 fist pump.
Jeter’s taste in women is plus-plus as well.
obviously i meant to type “slider”, not “Splitter”
I’ve heard the arguments against rating a pitch as 80 but I’ve always felt that the variations you speak of has nothing to do with the pitch itself. The change in velocity and varying degrees of control/command I think has more to do with mechanics and fatigue than the actual talent you posses to throw said pitch.
What I mean is that your mechanics are universal for every pitch you throw, so to say a pitcher’s mechanics being a reason for a pitch not realizing its potential should not be a knock on the pitch itself. So if Andrew Brackman’s leg kick (hypothetical) is proven to be the reason for his Fastball losing a tick or two, that should not factor in the grading of Brackman’s Fastball. I understand it’s difficult as hell, if even possible, to determine if a pitcher’s mechanics is the reason his pitches are being held back but if he was right mechanically at one time and then someone noticed he’s doing something different (mechanically) then his stuff begin to lessen, you can’t necessarily blame that on the pitch itself.
I’ve heard the arguments against rating a pitch as 80 but I’ve always felt that the variations you speak of has nothing to do with the pitch itself. The change in velocity and varying degrees of control/command I think has more to do with mechanics and fatigue than the actual talent you posses to throw said pitch.
That’s true. Thinking about it now, saying there’s no such thing as an 80 pitch because of the variation is like saying there’s no such thing as 80 power because the guy doesn’t hit a homerun whenever he steps to the plate.
I’m the last person that should be talking, but lots of people on the internets throw around 80 grades like they’re nothing. I almost never use scouting grades or terms like “plus-plus” when I blog about a player. I’m no scout, and I have no idea what a 65 breaking ball looks like. I know what a good breaking ball looks like, so that’s how I describe it.
I did feel a bit odd writing out those few 80-grades because I was just thinking in the back of my head, how can I realistically say all these players have 80-grades when I myself am skeptical of ANY such grade given to a player.
I use the scouting grades/terms because I am guilty of just reading the scouting reports of others and and to a sense I will “average” out the scouting reports. I usually don’t and hate making an assumption on a player based on one article or report I read but that’s why I try to read at least three and come to my own conclusion based on the three different angles. I realize that is in no way a perfect science, if a science at all, and leaves me open for a lot of second guessing and questioning but for my needs I find it as the best method.
Yeah, I would even be hesitant on Alex’s power and Giambi’s eye. Plus-plus certainly, but there have been better, so you’d prefer to reserve a perfect score.
Even respected scouts seem to throw the number “80″ around quite a bit. I think Callis called Maddux’s fastball an 80 which seems absurd to me. Maddux’s velocity sat only upper 80s MPH even in his prime.
Edwar is exciting to me, and his changeup is certainly impressive. I don’t know if it’s the best in the game right now, but it stands top tier along with Hamels, Santana, and Shields.
Well, Maddux has 80 command, for sure. It’s not just great command, it’s historically great command.
Well, I can’t find it right now, but I don’t think he said command; he said fastball, at least I think.
I know exactly what Callis piece you’re talking about. He did say 80 fastball. But at the same time, velocity is only one part of what makes a fastball.
Maybe, but I find it hard to call a fastball essentially perfect when he was sitting at 89-90 MPH.
Also, don’t be so quick to annoint Brackman’s fastball as a godlike pitch. He (reportedly on some of the college guns) touched 100 once, but he was sitting much lower. We’ll see how he comes back from TJ surgery.
Wow, haven’t heard that but thanks for the info. All reports I’ve read he sat about 94-97MPH and hit 100-MPH now and again.
the thing with Brackman is that 94 is going to feel faster because he is releasing it that much closer to the hitter.
if A-Rod doesn’t have 80 power, there is no such thing as an 80.
http://www.baseball-almanac.co.....pow1.shtml
Alex is certainly a great player, but I think a lot of people forget that many of his contemporaries have actually hit better than him. His strength is he’s done it as a hitter AND a fielder.
right, and all of those guys ahead of him ALSO have 80 power.
how can a guy with 520+ HRs at 33 not have 80 power?
Phew, Montero’s back in the lineup.
That’s a relief, hopefully we’re done with this injury thing this year
Wow, huge K there by the Razamatazz!
Maybe you’re not the guy to be coming up with the nicknames?
That one was all Shelley Duncan, I think it was last week’s game where he gave the starting lineup and called Rasner that
Just wow.
I’m quite impressed how Olsen is hitting the corners, this isn’t the same guy we saw a week ago
You don’t run on Nick Markakis. Bobby Meachem should know this by now.
with 2 outs, you send him.
he has a gun, but if it’s a foot or 2 up the line, they score.
sometimes you tip your hat.
I agree, Shelley “I hit below the Mendoza line” Duncan was coming up next anyway
Two outs with Shelley Duncan on deck against a guy who likes to mix speeds, I think I would have sent him as well.
“Evan flow”, “Girl with the curl”, and ‘O’Neill, you’re an idiot’. What are some other things Michael Kay likes to say ad nauseam?
“Hot doggish” when a player slacks off. “Betwixed and between” is another one.
“3-2 2 outs, the Yankees catch a bit of a break because the runners will be off”
“I was talking to a scout yesterday…” and then he goes on to say something that was written in the Post that morning.
I’m going to start looking out for that one, classic.
“no error on the play, b/c you can’t assume the double play. you know Kenny, i never agreed with that rule”
i think it’s “ebb and flow” not “evan flow”
why is shelley in the lineup? is ensberg that bad?
Yes.
Girardi is desperately trying to find that lefty masher and he’s giving Shelley a prolonged audition. Ensberg had his audition and didn’t do anything with it.
i’m not sure at what point we can say that Duncan just isn’t a major leaguer. 100 AB’s?
It’s time to give Jason Lane a shot.
i would say at this point its neck and neck and shelley’s D is almost as scary as his bat.
Justin Upton must be in some kind of slump. It seemed like two weeks ago he was hitting .350, now he’s down to .280.
I agree about Lane.
Darrell Rasner now has 16 straight scoreless innings (dated back to his 2nd inning @ DET on 5/10) over the course of 2+ starts.
Alex Rios’ fantasy impact FTW.
Derek Jeter loves America. He swings at the first pitch in a tied game with two outs and nobody on just to get the Memorial Day ceremony in on time. Classic guy.
Jeter’s all about the intangibles.
Derek Jeter IS America.
Man Olsen with 7 strtikeouts over 4 innings, he’s getting the perfect combination of hitting the corners and getting all the calls
D-Ras dropping curves for strike one. Love it.
D-Raz says promote this.
Is that Brian Schneider in a Toyota of Manhattan commercial?
“Buy or lease a new 2008 Camry, and you’ll have an 82 career OPS+ like me!”
Money for nothing, and your Camry for free.
Suboptimal.
Rasner may be tiring.
Nasty hammer Mr. Rasner.
LoL, Chien-Ming Wang looks like he’s about to own the hell out of somebody in a round of laser tag.
Who is Melky Cabrera and what has he one with the guy who did something with him earlier in the season?
is Melky good or isn’t he? i honestly have no idea. every time i think he is or isn’t, he goes the other way.
i can’t remember any other player that has confused me more.
I think he’s a below average hitter who can run hot or cold in a given month.
I think you’re right. I think he’s a good outfielder but the plate appearances will never be his strong suit.
4th outfielder on a good team.
Is there a more useless member of the Yanks than LaTroy Hawkins?
Hawkins can only pitch in low leverage situations.
Morgan Ensberg.
At least he doesn’t cost 3.75 MILLION!!!!!!!!
Yeah, that $3.75M they wasted on Hawkins is really going to hinder them from making any moves in the foreseeable future.
Yeah you can add that to the 46 million and so on.
Remember we are a fiscally responsible team now.
Can’t blame tht bloop RBI 1B on LaTroy Hawkins but you can fault him for that two out BB to Brian Roberts that pushed Ramon Hernandez into scoring position.
Britton really needs a shot.
Looks like the anti-Joba “The Starter” dogs have their first piece of meat to chew on.
Ouch, that hurts Jose.
The lack of talent in the bp is not a reason to derail a brilliant career. That’s not Joba’s problem and shouldn’t affect his career.
plus i wouldn’t even call it a lack of talent, more of a presence of latroy hawkins and aubrey huff and kevind millar are both the biggest yankee killers on the planet so it was bound to happen. let’s just win the series
Agree. Definitely an overreaction. We have some good bp pitchers, Veras, Bugs, Ohlie, and others who can be good (Britton) and our old friend Crapshoot Farnsworth.
Wow, two-time defending CWS Champs Oregon State didn’t make the postseason. They were on the bubble, and I figured they’d get in based on their rep.
Brian Cashman is on with Buster Olney on ESPN right now. Taped from Mike & Mike earlier this morning.
BTW, Cashman is a fucking master of per longing answers to field as little amount of questions as possible.
Can we finally say that Jason Giambi is better than Shelly Duncan?
I’m happy with going with that
Nice job ruining the shutout Chad.
Rasner still pitched well today, if he could have got some offensive support it might have turned out better.
Incidentally, for you guys at the site, how come lately I’ve been getting a strange version of the comments system with just a light red top and a while half below where I can reply? I usually *fixes* itself after I make a comment, but I can’t see the default nested style. Never had this problem with other sites/blogs, only this one, and only recently.
I’ve never had that problem. If you can, do me a favor and email me a screenshot the next time it happens, and we’ll get it taken care of.
Sure, next time it happens I’ll grab a screen. Much appreciated Mike.