Jun
19

Game 67: No A-Rod and no DH

By Joseph Pawlikowski

Because the Yankees play at Dolphin Stadium tonight, they will have no designated hitter, which takes Hideki Matsui out of the lineup. Ok, that’s manageable. However, when word came down that Alex Rodriguez would get the next two days off (presumably to play Sunday and then get another day off on Monday), the lineup didn’t seem as manageable. Seem is the key word here, though.

Despite A-Rod’s absence, the lineup is still an imposing one. Sure, a number of the guys are slumping, but that happens in baseball. These guys could break out of it any time, and if they do tonight they’ll be just fine. A few characteristic hits tonight could bring the Yanks to a W.

They’ll try to do it against lefty Sean West. I always check out Baseball-Reference to get a gauge of the starters the Yanks face each night. In this case I was met with a surprise before I even got to West’s stats. He’s listed as 6′8″, 200 pounds. Duuude. That’s one lanky kid. Checking some images of him he neither looks that tall nor that thin. I guess we’ll get a better look tonight.

West has made five starts in his rookie season, registering 30 innings, so a round six innings per outing. He was a strikeout guy in the minors, though that was in the lower levels. Surprisingly, West has made only eight starts above A-ball, and those came this year in AA. He struck out 50 in 42.2 innings there, though has notched just 15 in his 30 MLB innings. His problem, both in the minors and at the major league level this year, is that he walks way too many guys. This problem became more pronounced after he missed the 2007 season with a torn labrum.

Of his five starts, two have been brilliant. These include a seven-inning, one-run performance against the Mets on May 29, and an eight-inning, no-run outing (with six strikeouts) against the Giants on June 8. In his last outing the Blue Jays pasted him for four runs in 5.2 innings. He threw just 51 of his 98 pitches for strikes. The Yanks could sure use some of that tonight. We’ve seen enough of their faltering in the past few games against pitchers they’ve yet to see.

Andy Pettitte has another go at it after a few suspect outings. Thankfully for him he’ll be facing a Marlins lineup which features only two guys with an OPS over .800 — Hanley Ramirez and Ronny Paulino, the latter of which is on quite the tear to open the season. His .480 SLG is roughly .100 better than any of his full seasons.

For those who don’t like Joe Girardi, thank the baseball gods that you’re not a Marlins fan. Fredi Gonzalez is batting Wes Helms second. Wes Helms has a .603 OPS. Meanwhile, Cody Ross, who is tearing the cover off the ball with 10 homers and 18 doubles, both second on the team to Hanley Ramirez, is hitting eighth. Jeremy Hermida, who is second on the team in OBP (again, to Hanley), is hitting seventh. Paulino, the guy on a tear, is hitting sixth.

Lineup:

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Jorge Posada, C
5. Robinson Cano, 2B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Melky Cabrera, CF
8. Angel Berroa, 3B
9. Andy Pettitte, P

Posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 6:45 pm in Game Threads.

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402 Comments »

Chris says:

Why Berroa over Pena? WHY!?!?

Probably has to do with Berroa’s bat.

Nady Nation says:
 
John says:

That and his stellar -52.1 UZR/150 defense

 
 
SouthernYankeeFan says:

ARod is available to pinch hit tonight. So my guess would be if he pinch hits and gets on then you have Pena come in to pinch run and play defense. Just a thought.

 
 
Ivan says:

After Nick Swisher, the lineup gets sorta ugly after that.

e mills says:

Leche’s a beast

 
 
crap says:

what a sh*tty lineup. count this as another loss. no run support + pettitte pitching = loss.

Zach says:

thats sarcasm i hope

crap says:

cashman please trade swisher. he’s a clown and a dork. he doesn’t fit the yankees mold.

Zach says:

7:04 and you’re starting already?

 
 
Jeremy says:

It has to be. This is the regular lineup minus ARod and the DH spot.

 
 
Nady Nation says:

I admire your outlook, crap.

 
JobaWockeeZ says:

WHAT I THOUGHT WE DON’T SCORE RUNS!

 
 
John says:

RAB: Can you guys please bash 2-3 or 9 players tonight even if you don’t mean it so they play well tonight?

Please! I’m serious…we need a win to stop (delay?)the Lohud evolution around here.

John says:

the comment from “crap” above mine is what I mean with the LoHud evolution.

crap says:

what is this some kind of cult?

John says:

I apologize if your comment was sarcasm but some people have gone crazy here with comments like yours…except they’re serious.

 
 
 
 
 

I’m watching Hellboy on FX till the game starts. I forgot how much I like this movie.

 
pc69 says:

Is it a bad sign when the #8hitter is more of a liability than the #9 hitter who is apitcher

 
Dela G says:

and the dumbest manager of the year award goes to…

 
pc69 says:

Anyone know if joe plans to play matsui at all aside from ph

zs190 says:

Pretty well documented that he will be not start in the field at all if possible, Joe is open to using him on a limited basis with double switch and pinch hitting, but that’s about it, they’re afraid his knee would give out if he plays the field.

pc69 says:

Thank you. Figured as much but found nothing specific to interleague

 
 
 
e mills says:

anybody’s mlb.tv not working?

mlb.tv usually doesn’t work till the game itself starts.

 
Dela G says:

mine works just fine.

try logging out and logging back in

 
 
Jeremy says:

What is going on with the comments? I feel like my IQ is dropping from reading them.

zs190 says:

A lot more trolls lately, it’s kind of unavoidable once the blog got more popular.

crap says:

hitler thought jews were trolls. the holocaust was then he tried to weed them out.

 
 
Colombo says:

that’s not even close to being almost ok

 
 
 
 
crap says:

i think arod’s hip procedure was a failure.

 
SouthernYankeeFan says:

damn jeter that was CRUSHED. Thats the way to start the game.

JobaWockeeZ says:

It sucks, that should be a HR but let’s hope the rest of the offense can bring him in.

 
Zach says:

should have taken the first pitch, make the young kid work :)

 
 
John says:
 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

I hate ground-rule doubles.

 

If we strand jeter, I’ll be pissed.

JobaWockeeZ says:

Hey what do you know.

The Fallen Phoenix says:

Hell hath no fury…

 
 
 
pc69 says:

6-3 Yankees. Can’t guarantee they won’t be playing from behind

 

Wow, jeter’s really limping out there

 
e mills says:

that’s what I like to see when my mlb.tv starts working

 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

A lot of hard-hit balls; that’s a really good sign.

 
Zach says:
 
zs190 says:

Nice to get a run across early.

 
John says:

JoPo!!!!! Cmon Swisherrr!

 
 
nathan says:

A hit with RISP… wake me up

 
John says:

Swisher grounding into several rally-killing DPs. Thank God this one didn’t come late with the game on the line.

 
Dela G says:

good to see the yankees finally scoring first in a game for once

 
yankw says:
 
John says:

BTW, I convinced 2 people that Joba belongs in the rotation in the past week!!! I also convinced one of them that it’s good we didn’t trade for Johan.

RunnerS122 says:

Always nice to see intelligence win out

JobaWockeeZ says:

Too bad it can’t prevail against Francesa because when you say the truth you’re cut off.

Notice how the only stat he ever cares about is runs scored?

John says:

He hasn’t figured out UZR, FIP, and OPS much yet…thank god because Joba’s FIP is like 4.97 or something.

 
 
John says:

The funny thing is that he didn’t even know who Hughes was (though he recently went back to school and works two jobs so has not followed the Yanks much for 2 years now).

 
 
 
 
Dela G says:

pettite looked good

 
John says:

Berroa and Pettitte both have 1 HR in the past 3 years.

Bob says:

well that almost changed

 
 
Bob says:

Good to see a lead off hit. I can’t believe cano didn’t hit a ground ball on the first pitch.

 

Think Andy will take three straight?

 
John says:

Whoa how did Robbie go to 2nd on an infield popup?

 

This isn’t possible, the Yankees haven’t seen this pitcher before!!!

The Fallen Phoenix says:

That’s because West isn’t a staahting pitchaah! Porcello, a guy you’ve never heard of, has bettuh stats than him!

 
 

So who was complaining about Berroa in the line up again?

 
JobaWockeeZ says:

Angel Berrora…seriously?

 
SouthernYankeeFan says:

hahahahahahhaha Berroa

 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

Looks like Berroa doesn’t want to be DFA when Ransom comes back.

 
Dave says:
 
JobaWockeeZ says:

Pettitte says ENOUGH! And made his own run support.

 
Ivan says:

Yanks must win this game if Angel Berroa is hitting doubles off the wall.

Bob says:

and if pettitte can, any one can

 
 
Bob says:

HOLY SHIT!!! GO ANDY!

 
SouthernYankeeFan says:

hahaha I live for this shit.

 
Dela G says:

HOLY SHT, ANGEL BERROA DID SOMETHING!

 
Kyle says:

So I’m at the game tonight and the “Yankee fan” sitting behind me just said he “hates Robinson Cano because of his attitute that he thinks the world owes him something” and that he “loves Melky Cabrera and is a GREAT role player”….WOW, fans in Florida know lots about baseball

 
The Couch says:

Bonjour Berroa!
Great stuff & Andy too.. fantastic, lets make this a more positive place ;)

 
V says:

Why is Angel Berroa starting?

;-)

 
 
Bob says:

Wow andy can’t catch his breath from jogging on a double

 
John says:

Hehe Gamecast and Gameday both froze on Berroa’s AB

zs190 says:

They can’t believe he got a hit either.

 
yankw says:

isn’t that a sign of the apocolypse

 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

Gamecast and Gameday both know that Berroa doesn’t hit doubles (or anything at all), and doesn’t know what to do with the data.

 
 
JobaWockeeZ says:

And all the pessimists leave for now. Gotta love it.

Bob says:

Well it is the river ave blues blog

 
 
John says:

Yay Berroa and Andy!

 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

I blame A-Rod. Take him out of the lineup, and the Yankees have three runs through two innings.

 

Seven hits in the second inning? I can work with this.

 
Bob says:

Well how can we hit this guy but not JOHN LANNAN!

 
nathan says:

WWhy cudnt they do it against the Nationals… aah i hate inconsistency

 
John says:

Andy’s line 1.000/1.000/2.000

 
Dela G says:

the yankees are coming out guns blazing!

 
YankeeScribe says:

Loving the offense lol

 
Conan says:

Anyone notice YES had the Yanks batting in the bottom of the 2nd for a little while there? All the Yankee fans must be confusing them.

 
Dela G says:

4-0 yankees!

the yankees are tearing the cover off of the ball

 
JobaWockeeZ says:

And YES can’t even maintain a current count and keep recor dof who’s on abse!

 
John says:

Man, A-rod wishing he could get in the fun to break out of his slump.

 
SouthernYankeeFan says:

That call was BS he wasn’t giving that pitch to Andy.

Conan says:

Absolute BS call – Andy threw that pitch twice to Ramirez and it wasn’t called.

 
 
Dela G says:
 
zs190 says:

Somehow West has only thrown 32 pitches even though we have 8 hits already and made 5 outs. Definitely being very aggressive, even though the scouting report says he doesn’t throw strikes very well.

Dela G says:

well they are hitting everything that goes anywhere near the middle

zs190 says:

Oh I’m not complaining about the result, but interesting nonetheless.

 
 
 
Bob says:

Anybody remeber the last time a pitcher tried to score? It was wang in houston and he was out for the year and ruined his career. But glad to see Pettitte didn’t do that.

Dela G says:

yeah i was at that game in houston. One of the saddest things i had ever seen. Too bad he doesn’t play basketball, that lisfranc injury wouldn’t be so bad :(

 
 
nathan says:

How long before Hanley is a FA

Zach says:

2014 last year on contract, he’s not staying at SS so dont even start dreaming

 
 
John says:

Ok now pitching takes over and wins the game hopefully…and hopefully the offense tacks on more runs.

 

Whoa. They actually just hit a HR at Citifield (I flip during commercials, sometimes). And hey, beating the Rays is good.

 
Bob says:

Back to reality. Cantu double

 
Bob says:

O god I hope that didn’t mean anything

 
Steven says:

I think everyone on this message board is right with O’neil in throwing Kay over the side

Zach says:

hes tired of kay making fun of his eating habits

 
 
Corey Nord-Podberesky says:

i actually dont mind this announcing combo on yes right now

Bob says:

I don’t like when Singleton does the play-by-play

 
 
Bob says:

Classic Pettitte leadoff double but gets out of it using 20 pitches

 
John says:
 
Bob says:

Wow Kay can’t say presently

 
Bob says:

The milk man delivers! Thats the melky way!

 
Drew says:

That’s my boy!!

 
John says:
 
Conan says:
 
Bob says:

Wow nice ab coming off of an rbi double berroa

 
Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

Melky says “OPS this, nerds!”

 
Drew says:

yikes he got all of that one

 
Bob says:

Well hes even he drove in a run and gave one up. Starting fresh

 
Dela G says:

thank god cody ross is so low in the order. This guy is a monster

 
John says:

and they’re batitng him 8th

 
dkidd says:

got home late and just caught up on tivo. jeter gets jammed and hits the ball 440 feet? amazing strength

 
John says:

Not many people here today

JobaWockeeZ says:

Usually happens when we’re winning.

John says:
 
 
 

Trivia = Girardi, no?

John says:

whats the question?

 
dkidd says:

yes. they were 79-83 i think

 
Bob says:

Hey whatd’ya know!

 
Steven says:

Yeah, the only reason he got fired after that year is because Loria and him had a feud

 
 
dkidd says:

land shark stadium has a sad trombone!

Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

I just heard that. Awesome! Better than that stupid whistle.

 
 
dkidd says:

jeter’s hurting. if we pile on some runs, get him out of there early

 
dkidd says:

kawakami >>>>>>> matsuzaka

 
JobaWockeeZ says:

Jeter has been great this year defensively.

 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

Michael Kay doesn’t even know how to quote defensive statistics…

Zach says:

it was like he reading the ingredients label on the back of a box pretending he knew what it meant

 
 
Evan says:

A plus/minus mention? *gasp*

 
Teix is the man says:
 
V says:

It’s nice to see a game like this!

 
Zach says:

i love watching dicek walk off the mound demoralized… and boston fans booed!

Teix is the man says:

boston fans don’t boo, they merely cheer in a negative tone!

 
 

Why can’t we have more games like this?

The Fallen Phoenix says:

Because we only get to see the Marlins for one series this year.

 
Zach says:

because a lineup cant have a pace of 12.5 runs a game

 
 

Is Renyel Pinto coming in? Dude’s nasty.

Teix is the man says:
 
dkidd says:

another good trade for the marlins

 
 
 
Drew says:

We suck against teh rooks!

 
Accent Shallow says:

So . . . guess the Yankees can hit pitchers they haven’t seen before?

(Ref: Derek Holland, Scott Richmond)

Zach says:

10-6 v rookie pitchers this year

 
 
Drew says:

Matsuzaka just got pulled after 4. :)

Zach says:

4 IP, 6ER, 8H, 4BB, 2K, 1HR
somehow only 67 pitches

He walked Jeff Francoeur. Think about that.

Zach says:

almost as bad as wil nieves walking twice in one game :)

 
 
Ivan says:

Talk about a watse of money.

 
 
 
Conan says:

Cano failing with RISP – shocking.

 
Teix is the man says:

chicago gives up very good players

dkidd says:

but they got juan pierre!!!!

Teix is the man says:

ahh, nevermind =)u take back what i said

 
 
 
SouthernYankeeFan says:
 
John says:

So far Pujols winning the battle against Greinke

Zach says:

my gameday has kyle davies as the SP tonight?

 
Sean C says:

ESPN has Davies pitching. Cardinals gave him a beating.

 
 
Zach says:

So will Angel Berroa win over Yankee fans with this AB?

 
John says:

Oh they dissed Berroa…cmon Angel inflate your RBIs here but do not GIDP

 
Teix is the man says:

wait a minute wait a minute ANDY PETTITTE IS A STA’TNG PITCHA!!!!

 
Michael says:

Fernando Nieve shutting out the Rays through 5. Maybe everyone overreacted a little about these rookie pitchers? Except me of course. We seem to be doing fine tonight.

Zach says:

1. Nieve isnt a rookie
2. Yankee fans flip out if Halladay shuts them out
3. Nieve isnt that great but whatever cant dwell on it

dkidd says:

nieve’s not cy young, but he’s only 26 and he’s making the astros look stupid

Zach says:

for a team that signed mike freakin hampton you think they would have given him a chance

 
dkidd says:

maybe he punched out the gm

 
 
John says:

Most have accepted elite pitchers like Halladay beating us. In fact, we usually expect a loss when the series begins.

 
Evan says:

To be honest, Halladay starts are the only ones these days where I’m surprised if the Yankees win.

Zach says:

Yeah but this site still blows up because he dominates us and not Boston

John says:

I dont remember that many people complaining about Halladay beating us. And it’s as of late it seems like there are LoHudians here because we’re in a slump. Look at today…we’re winning and the trolls are all hiding.

Zach says:

Ok maybe not Halladay, but Beckett and Verlander yes

 
Zach says:

Ok maybe not Halladay, but Beckett and Verlander yes

John says:

Them I can understand because they struggled to start the year but recently have been utterly dominant, especially Verlander

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
John says:

2nd and 3rd no out = no runs again but it doesn’t hurt as bad today

Zach says:
 
 
Dave says:

AND Kenshin Kawakami is one hitting the Sox, and hes a no name scrub with a high 4 era!

John says:

Impossible!!!!!!!!!

The Sox show up to win everyday, have grit, know how to win, and have great leadership!!!!!! And they the best advanced scouting in the whole Universe!

I don’t trust the score, my eyes tell me they’re winning and haven’t lost a single game since 2004.

 
donttradecano says:

DFA everyone not named dice-k

Zach says:

and Bay, because they’ll be able to sign him to a 3yr/27m extension because he loves playing in Boston

 
 
Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

There is no possible way that Matsuzaka does not go back on the DL. I think he caught the Anxiety Flu.

Zach says:

Dream scenario?
DiceK to DL for ‘fatigue’, Smoltz gets rocked, Penny gets rocked and loses all trade value

 
 
 
VO says:

I missed the Pettitte double, anyone care to explain how it happened? Misplayed? Real hard shot?

dkidd says:

legit double. went with an outside pitch and lined it over third

 
 
Conan says:

Nice job, Andy. 2 more innings, please.

 
Dela G says:

man andy pettite is dealing

Zach says:

wait for the….”against the marlins”

Conan says:

Still a major league team and doing what he’s suppose to. Besides, Marlins aren’t bad – they swept the Jays.

 
 
BklynJT says:

Pettitte pitches so well away from YS3. 2.59 ERA, 1hr allowed, holding opponents to a tOPS+ of 61, compared to 123 at YS3.

 
 
dkidd says:

paul o’neill please stop sharing vacation stories

 
ranger11 says:

What happened to crap?

John says:

Andy and the offense dropped a Hughes-like deuce on him.

Evan says:

IETC. I’m betting “crap” was Ryan Zimmerman.

John says:

hehe could be…Phil owned him

 
 
 
 

So I was reading Pete Abe’s blog. Is this what it sounds like to you?

1) Alex asks for a day off. Girardi says ok.

2) Alex expects today off, when he sees he is still in the lineup. Calls Cashman.

3) Cashman, A-Rod and Girardi have a group conference in which Cashman instructs Girardi to give Alex two days off.

Are we seeing problems in communication between Girardi, players, and Cashman or am I overreacting?

Zach says:

Eh, maybe they talked about giving him Sunday off so he has back to back days off, then Alex woke up or showed up at the stadium and they re-did their plan.
Dont start up the Giradi v Veterans junk

I think when they say Girardi against Veterans they are refering to people who really enjoyed playing for Joe Torre.

I just thought it was interesting. Its been noted on this site and others that Alex has played nearly every game since coming back.

Alex now gets two days off after a meeting with Cashman.

John says:

well, in recent interviews, A-rod has been saying he’s been fatigued.

Is it on A-rod to be more clear to his manager when he wants time off? Or is it on Girardi to know his players better.

Kevin Long said that A-Rod only has had a few good swings, all the rest he just kinda reached the bat out. Should Girardi be using his eyes more?

John says:

well, girardi knows how ALex can change the game with his bat so he wanted to keep him in the lineup as much as he can, especially in this slump we’ve been in.

 
 
John says:

and if Alex actually admits something like that, it’s serious because he never wants to be out of the game so they just maybe want to play it safe and decided to give him 2 days off and he’s been slumping too.

 
 
Zach says:

Maybe Joe wanted assurance he wouldnt be fired for benching Alex after the team lost 2/3 to Washington, or maybe Cashman is the GM and is involved in all planning of player injuries

 
 
 
John says:

overreacting a bit

 
Michael says:

Could have just been a mistake. I don’t think we should speculate without knowing more. I’m sure Abraham or another writer will ask further questions about this.

 
Todd says:

Personally, I am reserving judgement to see if the story is picked up by other beat writers. Pete Abe seems to have a thing for Girardi. It seems like another one of his attempts to portray Girardi in the worse way possible.

V says:
 
 
 
Reggie C. says:

Josh Johnson >>>>> Sean West.

This yankee lineup isn’t going to have this kind of success tomorrow. Hopefully Arod makes a surprise start.

Zach says:

Is that what you said before they faced Santana?

Reggie C. says:

I was skeptical of the team’s chances against Santana. Sure. Its Johan Santana.

Josh Johnson isn’t going through any dead arm period. Kid’s a straight fire baller. He’s like AJ burnett … with better command.

NJY says:

u mean ‘with command’

Reggie C. says:

Heh … i can’t completely dump on AJ. He’s been hit and miss for sure. To win tomorrow, AJ has got to deliver on the mound. There’s no excuse for giving up walks to this weak Marlins lineup.

Zach says:

yup, weak offense that is top 5 in runs in NL

 
 
 
 
 
 
Kilgore Trout says:

Anyone have any idea when IPK will start throwing again?

John says:

When he’s healthy :)

Kilgore Trout says:

Fair enough. As a pessimistic person I’m going to assume there have been set backs and that is why we haven’t seen news.

The Fallen Phoenix says:

I don’t remember where I read it, but I recall reading in the last few days that the plan is for Kennedy to resume throwing after the all-star break.

Of course, that could be outdated information, or completely made-up. So I’m not sure anyone knows.

 
 
 
 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

Expert analysis, guys. There wouldn’t have been a trade if…there wasn’t a trade.

It’s why they get paid the big bucks.

 

Pettitte with a quality start!

SouthernYankeeFan says:

I’d say its a Damn fine start.

 
 
ranger11 says:

I’m forced to watch the Marlins broadcast on Extra Innings and they can’t stop talking about the Yank’s payroll. How did they think they won the World Series in ‘97?

 
 
Evan says:

Good play, Melky.

 
LiveFromNewYork says:

Where are the negative whiny girls tonight? I thought I was on the wrong blog.

The Yanks are winning.

 
 
NJY says:

anyone know if Rebecca-Optimist Prime is a babe or not?

Hmmm… whether Rebecca is a babe or not is an interesting baseball question.

Anyone know if NJY is a jerk or not?

 
 
Teix is the man says:

keep one, trade one, release one: Arod, Wright, Longoria

The Fallen Phoenix says:

Keep Longoria, trade Wright, release A-Rod.

But that’s completely contract-driven for me. Maybe trade Longoria and keep Wright if I think that Longoria’s trade stock is higher than his real talent might dictate. Longoria’s contract is so good, it might be…

Teix is the man says:

I agree with everything you said

The Fallen Phoenix says:

Here’s an interesting thought-experiment. You are the Yankees. Let’s say you’re no longer on the hook for A-Rod’s contract (suffers a career-ending injury tomorrow, and insurance covers the rest).

You get the Rays on the phone, and Friedman is willing to deal the Yankees Longoria. The price? Chamberlain, Hughes, Montero, Jackson, and a player-to-be-named later (with the understanding that it’s Heathcott).

Does Brian Cashman pull the trigger, or does Friedman withdraw the offer before Cashman can decide?

Way too much to give up for one player.

The Fallen Phoenix says:

That’s what I’m thinking, too. I think Longoria’s one of those players that’s untradable simply because it’s nearly impossible to get equal value for him, and that’s solely because his contract is so ridiculously team-friendly.

 
 
Teix is the man says:

cashman doesn’t pull the trigger….they can have hughes OR chamberlain, but not both. If all those prospects pan out, it is still a franchise changer.

 
Reggie C. says:

Is that a joke? Two of the best young pitchers in the majors + prospects 1,2,3 ?? Only if we’re getting back David Price, Desmond Jennings, and Evan Longoria.

The Fallen Phoenix says:

Well, that’s the thing. Is Longoria’s value (measured by talent+contract) equivalent to Hughes *or* Chamberlain + Montero, Jackson, and Heathcott?

Probably not. But if you’re dealing Longoria, you probably want three star (not impact, star) talents in return. Hughes or Chamberlain would be one, and Montero *might* be the other (his bat certainly looks like it)…but who else in the Yankee system is at that level? Sure, there are plenty of gems in the low-minors that have star-ceilings, but they’re all so far away anything can happen.

Ideally you’d like to split the difference with someone like Betances or Brackman, but they both probably have too many question marks for the Rays to deem acceptable.

Again, if we’re talking about trying to match value-for-value.

 
 
 
 
 
Reggie C. says:

Talent dictates:
Keep Wright (easy. Wright is the best player in NY professional baseball)
Trade Arod (walks a ton, will hit for power, Ks have dropped)
Release Longoria (he’s not a yankee)

Teix is the man says:

My thought is that longo does hos craft in the AL East, thats why i said keep him

Reggie C. says:

I think Wright can play anywhere. Its just my opinion, but there isn’t a better well-rounded player in NY than Wright. He’s simply a better hitter and defender than both those guys.

Teix is the man says:

you’re right, i really don’t think you can go wrong wither way

 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

Possibly. I think the only real difference between Longoria and Wright is that Wright’s been doing it a few years longer.

I think in two years, Longoria’s going to be the same player Wright is now. The difference? Longoria’s going to be making millions less.

 
Zach says:

Pretty sure Longoria is better then Wright in the field, regardless of gold gloves

 
 
 
 
 
SouthernYankeeFan says:

Twice in one night Swish come on.

 
joe says:

these are the guys that have signed:
6th: Rob Lyerly, 3B
9th: Gavin Brooks, LHP
11th: Neil Medchill, LF
13th: DeAngelo Mack, LF
18th: Hector Rabago, C
19th: Luke Murton, 1B
21st: Joseph Talerico, CF
23rd: Kevin Mahoney, 3B
24th: Isaac Harrow, 2B
25th: Schaeffer Hall, LHP
37th: Justin Milo, OF
40th: Ben Watkins, RHP
Do you know if I am missing someone, or if someone on my list should not be there?

 
John says:

Good job Swish for wasting his quota of Double plays in this game

 
J says:

Swisher again not playing his game and swinging at first pitches resulting in 2 DPs in 3ABs. frustrating AGAIN.

 
BklynJT says:

Swish has been hitting into a hell-of-alotta DPs this year.

Zach says:

hes around 13-14 a season, prior to tonight he had 5 in 64 games, so he was on pace for 12

 
 
Teix is the man says:

kobe not opting out…..not everyone uses their opt outs!

Sheeet, I would have. He would have gotten himself another max contract.

Zach says:
Ivan says:

Trust me Zack, the way Jeter is a Yankee for life, same with Kobe with the Lakers.

Zach says:

2 years ago he was bitching to get traded?

 
donttradecano says:

Ivans right, once he didnt get traded a couple years back, theres no way hes leaving LA. Lebron to the Knicks has a better chance of happening than Kobe leaving LA. Lakers can pay him more, and his in a market that gives him everything NY could give him. Plus hes on a pretty good team.

Ivan says:

I still think LeBron sticks with the Cavs at the end of the day, but I,ve said along, that if he does leave Cle, he’s going to the Knicks.

 
Zach says:

I agree, but dont compare him to Jeter-Yankees.

I know its something with the salary cap, but dont get how Kobe has to opt out to get an extension, cant just add 5 years to his deal?

donttradecano says:

Cant renegotiate in the nba i believe.

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Ivan says:

Surprise there. I assume he would considering he would want one more giant pay day.

 
donttradecano says:

Maybe that payday wouldnt be there, ala Manny. Last i heard the economic situation of the NBA isnt too good.

Ivan says:

Yea, but knowing Jerry Bus, and his huge love for Kobe, he would of gave him anything he wanted.

 
Zach says:

its not good for the Bucks or Grizzles or Nets, but its good for LA/BOS, no different then baseball, big markets are going good.

Ivan says:

Yeah, but if basketball had the same principles as baseball guys like Duncan, and Yao woud be gone from their respective teams.

The Fallen Phoenix says:

Well, one of the big things is that in Basketball, the formerly-controlling team can almost always guarantee the most money on a contract, if I recall the NBA’s cap rules correctly. So Milwaukee and San Antonio can always offer that extra year (and ergo, the extra $15 or whatever million) over what any other team can offer.

At least, I think that’s how max contracts work for unrestricted FAs. But I don’t follow the NBA, so I could be completely wrong about all of that.

The Fallen Phoenix says:

That should read Houston, not Milwaukee.

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Zach says:

principles like salary cap?

 
 
donttradecano says:

Exactly. No other team can afford Kobe or has the cap room. So why opt out and sign say a 5 year deal at $26 mil a year, when you can earn 23 and 24 the next two years, then actually play the free agent market against the lakers, when teams will actually have cap space to make Kobe an offer, without having to trade away player.

Zach says:

how can he play teams against the lakers? they’re going to offer him a max contract. Right now he has guaranteed 47m, why not sign now and get 120m guranteed, not that he needs the money but still

donttradecano says:

but the lakers wouldnt have to offer him a max contract, they can just offer him what he gets paid now, since no other team can offer him anything better because nobody has the cap room.

Kobes not going to go sign a 10 mill contract somewhere. He opts out now, he doesnt have many options, and quite possibly gets the same deal hes getting now.

Plus, Kobes still trying to ressurect his image, so opting out right after winning a championship would look pretty foolish and money hungry.

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dkidd says:

when the marlins made the world series, did they fill that stadium?

 
John says:

Wow…I though I’d never see the day when Cano and Melky draw back to back walks.

BTW, Melky has been really patient today.

 
dkidd says:

berroa has an extremely slow bat

 

I just realized I get to see Johan Santana tomorrow!

(My friend’s a Mets fan, we go to a game a year)

dkidd says:

go to blue smoke, great bbq

and the Shake Shack for the fries and Burgers.

 
 
John says:

I hope he beats the Rays

 
 

Why Aceves? This is a good game to get D-Rob or Tomko some work.

Zach says:

Robertson pitched yesterday, rather have him available tomorrow in an important spot then in a 5-1 game

 
 
 
Evan says:

Nice plays from Berroa and Tex. Heh, nice play Berroa. There’s a first time for everything. :P

LiveFromNewYork says:

That’s what I was thinking.

 
 
LiveFromNewYork says:
 
LiveFromNewYork says:

there’s a lot of Yankee fans there. Maybe more than Marlins.

 
John says:

Standing Ovation for Andy!

It’s really nice to see his cutter working tonight. He’s way better when it does. Tonight, I think we can say he was pretty dominant.

 
dkidd says:

i have no confidence that the mets will close out the rays

Zach says:

isnt it a save situation right now? why isnt krod in? WHY ISNT KROD IN??? WHY ISNT KROD INNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

Zach says:

oh Green got out of it, nevermind

 
 
 

I really want Matsui to turn on one here.

Turn on one means walk in my language, obviously.

 
 
dkidd says:

matsui up in florida. i’m having flashbacks of 03 and derrick lee

 
LiveFromNewYork says:

Jeter GIDP’d. I can’t believe it.

 
SouthernYankeeFan says:

man that a lot of GIDP tonight hopefully they get em out their systems in a game they are winning.

 
John says:

Good Job by Jeter too by wasting some his quota of Double plays oday.

 
dkidd says:

what’s the over/under on mauer’s BA at the end of the season? he’s currently at .426

The over/under is probably .400. I say under. Barely.

Zach says:

how many ABs does it take to qualify as a record or league leader?

dkidd says:

he’s on a pace for 500, so unless he gets hurt he should qualify

If Joe Mauer gets hurt, I’ll cry for days.

 
Zach says:

“he’s on pace” counting all remaining games our taking into account hes a catcher so he’ll sit once a week?

 
 

I’m not sure; I think there’s a PA per game requirement.

Evan says:

It’s 3.1 PA/game to qualify for rate stats.

Zach says:

3.1 * 162 = 502 PA to qualify?

Evan says:

Correct.

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Zach says:

quick math: if he continues to average4.4186 PA per game this season he needs to play in 70 of the next 90 games to get to 502

 
 
 
 
 
 
dkidd says:
 
 
The Fallen Phoenix says:

For my fantasy baseball team’s sake, I hope the over/under is .400, and it’s over.

But I don’t think you can ever bet on a BA over .400, even with what Mauer’s doing. So I’ll peg the over/under at .380, and take the under. Say he finishes between .370 and .380.

What’s crazy is that Mauer is already a 4-5 WAR player on the season. That’s obscene. Absolutely obscene.