Archive for August, 2009
Game 109 Spillover Thread II
Posted by: | CommentsAm I missing something? Why no pinch runner there? Hinske’s on the bench to hitter later…
Game 109: Beckett – Burnett, take 3
Posted by: | CommentsThe night after a 13-6 thumping of the Red Sox, the Yankees will see a familiar matchup: Josh Beckett vs. A.J. Burnett. The two former Marlins have faced off twice this year, with Burnett bearing the brunt of the beating both times. Beckett disposed of the Yankees handily in the latter of those encounters, striking out eight and allowing just one hit over six innings. The earlier one was a slugfest which saw Beckett surrendering eight runs over five innings. Beckett also recorded a quality start, six innings and three runs, in a start against Joba Chamberlain, sandwiched between the two Burnett battles.
We all know who Josh Beckett is by now and how the got to this point. So let’s catch up from when we last saw him. After that eight strikeout appearance, Beckett was 7-2 with a 3.77 ERA, 76 strikeouts to 32 walks in 76.1 innings. Since then he’s been even better, going 6-2 with a 2.70 ERA, striking out 56 and walking just seven in 66.2 IP. This includes two complete game shutouts, one against the Braves and the other against the Royals. Opponents have hit just .237 against him in that span with a .262 OBP and .343 SLG.
Burnett’s been no slouch since his last duel with Beckett, in which he lasted just two and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs, three earned, and walking five. He’s pitched 58.1 innings in that span, going 6-2 with a 2.62 ERA, 51 strikeouts to 28 walks. Opponents are hitting Burnett even worse than Beckett, to the tune of a .218 BAA and .296 SLG, though his OBP is a bit higher because, well, Burnett walks dudes.
The hope in round three is that it looks like a reversal of round two. Since Beckett is pitch so well, a pitchers’ duel is the more likely scenario. After last night, I could use one of those.
Just in case you missed it, both teams made a few moves today. The Yankees swapped Anthony Claggett for Ramiro Pena, giving them another pinch running threat in addition to Hairston. The Red Sox predictably DFA’d Billy Traber, and then surprisingly DFA’d John Smoltz. It’s bittersweet to see his career end on a night like last. The Red Sox promoted RHP Junichi Tazawa to take Smoltz’s place, and claimed Chris Woodward off waivers in Traber’s. That’s because Jed Lowrie was hurt last night, though as of now he hasn’t been placed on the DL.
Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Jorge Posada, C
7. Robinson Cano, 2B
8. Nick Swisher, RF
9. Melky Cabrera, CF
And on the mound, number thirty-four, A.J. Burnett
What home run drought?
Posted by: | CommentsOne one person in the media picks up on a story, it seems like everyone runs with it. I felt not a twinge of surprise, then, when the Yankees beat writers all noted at some point or another that A-Rod is in home run drought of sorts. Specifically, he’s gone 66 at bats without a homer, quite a long drought for him. Yet, how much does it really matter?
Players slump and streak throughout a season. Mark Teixeira went through a homer drought earlier this year, and that created a media story. Yet it was just another slump. He hit poorly in that span to some degree, though he did have a .368 OBP in that span. Similarly, A-Rod is hitting .281/.352/.344 since his last game with a home run, so it’s not all bad. It’s just a little loss of power.
Since Teixeira hit that homer that broke the drought, he’s hit .310/.367/.630. A-Rod could be poised for just that kind of run once he hits another one out of the park. Things will only get better from there. Which is crazy, because the Yanks are 12-5 since A-Rod last hit a home run in the finale of the Tigers series. Even crazier, they’ve averaged over six runs per game in that span. Without A-Rod hitting balls out of the park, and generally not hitting for much power.
If the Yanks offense can thrive while Alex Rodriguez is in a mini-slump (and he still has a .885 OPS over the past week), imagine how they’ll far when he’s streaking again.
Peña up; former Yanks on the move
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 4:02 p.m.: The Yankees have made a roster move this afternoon. Ramiro Peña has been recalled from AAA Scranton, and Anthony Claggett has been sent back down. Peña will back up both the infield and outfield while Claggett has been nothing short of terrible for the Yanks this season. When Chad Gaudin gets here, either David Robertson or Mark Melancon will hop on the Scranton Shuttle. I think Melancon stays. We’ll know soon.
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As we await the start of what could be another epic Yankees/Red Sox contest this evening and as I readjust to East Coast time after a grueling day of travel, let’s talk about a few former Yankees who have seen their uniforms change stripes today.
As John Smoltz showed his age last night, Jason Giambi has been doing so all summer for the A’s. The seven-year Yankee vet who returned to the Bay Area this past winter was unconditionally released by Billy Beane today. Giambi is hitting .193/.332/.364. While the .139 IsoD is impressive, his batting average and slugging are both fourth-worst in the Majors, and the A’s have opted to give their younger first basemen extended looks.
I wonder if Giambi will land anywhere at this point. For what it’s worth, the fourth-place Blue Jays aren’t interested. It’s tough to call Giambi an impact bat, and he’s on the DL right now with a strained quad. If he’s finished, he sure went out with a wimper.
Another Yankee to symbolize the excesses and failures of the recent past found himself traded today. The Indians have dealt Carl Pavano to the Twins. This move came after the Twins put a waiver claim on Carl. For what it’s worth, the Twins are 4.5 games out of the AL Central but 9.5 games behind in the Wild Card race.
This move could be a risky one for the Twins simply because of Carl Pavano’s endurance. Right now, Carl Pavano has thrown 125.2 innings this year. He threw a combined 145.2 innings over four seasons for the Yanks. Despite his age and experience, he is definitely in the injury red zone right now. The Twins will rely on Pavano for depth, but that, as Yankee fans know, is a dicey proposition. The 5.37 ERA and 1.37 WHIP are hardly appealing.
Finally, Tom Verducci really likes the Yankees right now and doesn’t think things are looking up in Beantown. A Bronx win tonight would certainly cement that feeling.
RAB Live Chat
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Building a cheap bullpen may be best
Posted by: | CommentsHeading into the season, some complained that the Yankees didn’t have any “proven veteran” in the bullpen beyond Mariano Rivera. Ben, Mike, and I always responded with the notion that spending money on experienced bullpen arms doesn’t necessarily translate into success. Just look at Paul Quantrill, Steve Karsay, and other failed Yankees experiments. In The Wall Street Journal, Dave Cameron looks at pitcher salary vs. performance, and concludes that there’s not a strong correlation. He cites three closers — Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, and Brad Lidge — who are making a ton of money but aren’t outperforming cheaper counterparts, like David Aardsma, J.P. Howell, and Brian Wilson.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to note just how poorly Juan Cruz is pitching. Mike talked about stealing him for just a fourth round pick over the winter, but Cashman did not pursue it. Then, when the Yankees bullpen was terrible in the first month and Cruz was pitching to a 1.67 ERA, people were up in arms. Cruz’s ERA has since ballooned to 6.17, and he’s walked 5.2 batters per nine. Anyone still mad at Cashman?
The Yankees set a new attendance record, but something is still missing
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a guest post by Ross at New Stadium Insider.
According to the always-handy NSI attendance tracker, the Yankees broke their single game attendance record at the new Yankee Stadium last night. We’re only halfway through the inaugural campaign, but it is significant that the Yankees reached the 49,000 mark without the benefit of selling standing room only tickets. Even with this large crowd in attendance, something was still missing.
From the moment we walked into the stadium, it was obvious that this crowd was different than others thus far in 2009. Scanning the majestic new structure, empty seats were few and far between, even in the hard to sell “Legends” seats. Impressively, there was only a smattering of Red Sox fans in attendance, a significant departure from recent installments of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry in the Bronx.
As Michael Kay noted on last night’s television broadcast, it seemed that this was the first time that fans had come to see the game and not just to tour the facility. Kay, while eternally hyperbolic, made a valid point – if you walked around the stadium, you would have noticed shorter concession lines and a seating bowl that was filled to near-capacity.
It was definitely a relief to experience this “big game” atmosphere, especially after embarrassing new stadium debacles such as the Phillies series, when visiting fans took over and made themselves heard . However, we still have a bone to pick with Yankees fans, or perhaps even with the stadium. At the old Yankee Stadium – and other great home parks such as Fenway – crowd noise builds in anticipation of a big moment. So far in 2009, the new Yankee Stadium has had small bursts of overwhelming crowd noise, but those have typically been in response to a big moment. The wall of sound that engulfs you and makes you feel like you are a part of something truly special conspicuously absent.
We are left wondering whether that wall of sound will ever return. Is the significantly further recessed (and partially covered) upper deck to blame? Are the fans that can afford to attend games at the new Yankee Stadium even more corporate than the fans at the old one? Did the 6,000 – 7,000 extra seats in the old place make a huge difference in terms of crowd noise? We probably need to wait until the new Yankee Stadium hosts a playoff series to draw any reasonable conclusions, but as of now, we’re disappointed.
A little bit about Chad Gaudin
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Last night the Yankees acquired Chad Gaudin from the Padres to add another insurance arm. He’ll start off in the pen, but that should only be temporary. With Sergio Mitre still holding down the fifth spot in the rotation, I’d expect Gaudin to get his shot after one more uninspiring start. He does have experience both in the rotation and in the pen, so he could help in either place. So just what are the Yankees getting with Gaudin?
Drafted by the Rays in the 34th round of the 2001 draft, Gaudin shot through the minors, posting excellent numbers at Classes A, A Advanced, and AA and earned a call-up in 2003. His peripherals stunk — a 1.44 K/BB ratio — but in 12 relief appearances and three starts Gaudin racked up a 3.60 ERA, acceptable in any sense of the term. Might the Rays have stolen a viable pitcher in a late round?
Things weren’t as easy for Gaudin in 2004. He split time between AAA Durham and the Rays. His peripherals were a bit better at the major league level, but the hits started falling, causing his ERA to balloon to 4.85 in 42.2 innings over 22 relief appearances and four starts. For the Rays at the time it wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t encouraging that he didn’t do much better at AAA (4.72 ERA in 47.2 IP). Still, at 21 there was enough promise.
But then the Rays traded that promise to the Blue Jays for Kevin Cash. The Jays immediately put him in the AAA rotation, and then recalled him for a stint in late May, early June. Gaudin stunk, to the tune of a 12.19 ERA over three starts, spanning just 10.1 innings. Back to Syracuse it was for him, which was just fine at the time, because he was 22 and pitching well in AAA. In 150.1 innings over 23 starts, Gaudin had a 3.35 ERA, keeping his K/BB ratio in a more than acceptable range (3.2:1) and allowing less than a hit an inning. Again, promise.
Like the Rays, the Jays decided to cash in that promise, this time to the A’s for Dustin Majewski, an outfielder who is older than Gaudin and who is now in the Rangers’ system. So far we have two pretty worthless players having been exchanged for Gaudin, not a good sign for the 5’11″ righty.
The A’s, it appeared, got a steal. After four excellent starts in AAA to start the season, the A’s recalled Gaudin to pitch out of the bullpen. He did that well in terms of runs allowed, as he surrendered just 22 earned in 64 innings. His peripherals left much to be desired, as he actually walked more than he struck out (42 to 36). That has to be frustrating for the walk rate alone. So while the results were there, a crash could have been expected.
In 2007 the A’s moved Gaudin back to the rotation, where he pitched a serviceable 199.1 innings, clocking in at just better than a quality start overall (4.42 ERA). This included, mercifully, a much-improved K/BB ratio. While his walk rate was still high, 4.5 per nine, his strikeout rate also rose to 7.0 per nine. He was doing it in the AL, leading many to believe that he could be a useful back-end starter.
Gaudin started off 2008 on the right foot, starting six games and working out of the bullpen in 20, allowing 25 runs over 62.2 innings for a 3.59 ERA. His strikeout rate dipped a bit, but his walk rate plummeted, which probably led to his success. It’s also much easier on the nerves of fans and coaches. Gaudin was traded for a third time last year, as part of a six-player trade which also sent Rich Harden to Chicago. Gaudin didn’t fare well in the confines of Wrigley, allowing homers at a far greater rate than most of his career.
Still, the Cubs though it well enough to avoid arbitration with Gaudin and sign him to a one-year, $2 million contract. That was not money well spent. Before the Cubs played an official game they released Gaudin, eating the entirety of his $2 million contract. The Padres picked him up on a minor league deal, and then recalled him by the end of April. He’s worked out of the rotation for the most part, with just one relief appearance, coming in the 16th and 17th innings against Arizona earlier in the year.
What can the Yankees expect from Gaudin? Probably not much. He’s had his share of clunkers this year, and that’s what the Yankees are trying to avoid out of the fifth spot. He’s probably an upgrade over Sergio Mitre, but not significantly so. It’s just another arm who can pitch out of both the bullpen and in the rotation. He could turn out to be a useful player for the Yanks.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
