Archive for May, 2010
Yanks atone for afternoon loss, ride pitching to 8-0 win
Posted by: | CommentsNormally when you see an 8-0 final score you figure it’s a combination of offense and pitching that gets the job done. Yet for the first eight innings it was all pitching. The Yanks manufactured two runs early, and from there Phil Hughes took control. It wasn’t until the top of the ninth that the Yanks’ offense broke out and scored six runs. Hopefully that starts a variant of the O’Neill Effect and spurs the offense to another big day tomorrow.
Biggest Hit: Teixeira hits it where they ain’t
Photo credit: Duane Burleson/AP
Many teams employ a shift against Mark Teixeira when he bats lefty. It makes sense. Just look at his spray chart against righties. With Derek Jeter standing on second, though, the Tigers couldn’t really afford to do this. They had to play him with just two defenders on the right side, and that left a hole ripe for a ground ball. Teixeira didn’t hit it well, really, but it was good enough to get past Miguel Cabrera and into the outfield. Jeter came around to score, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.
Teixeira has been heating up lately, though he hasn’t hit full breakout mode. Despite his poor numbers so far, he has actually been superb with runners in scoring position. Before the first game today he was hitting .321/.500/.536 when in position to drive home a run, which explains why he now has 23 RBI even while hitting far below his abilities.
WPA doesn’t consider external factors like the lineup or the pitcher, but if it did this hit would have been even more important. With Phil Hughes on the mound and cruising, the Tigers couldn’t afford to give up that run. Hell, the way things ended up they couldn’t really afford the first-inning run.
Biggest Pitch: Brennan Boesch loads them up
Only once did Phil Hughes run into a problem. In the fourth inning, not long after the Yanks spotted him a second run, he made his first mistake of the game by walking Johnny Damon with none out. Magglio Ordonez followed with a single of his own, and after Miguel Cabrera lined out to short Brennan Boesch grounded one to right field. It was hit hard enough that Damon couldn’t score from second, but it still set up the Tigers with an opportunity to get back in the game.
The Tigers have a potent offense, but it starts to tail off after Boesch. Hughes took advantage of the weak part of the lineup, striking out Alex Avila on three pitches and then getting Don Kelly to pop up. Hughes has certainly impressed with men on base this year. It seems like he always has the situation under control, which is a huge change from 2008, when it seemed like death every time he let a runner reach base.
Biggest Out: Hughes quells the minor threat
Photo credit: Duane Burleson/AP
While Hughes rolled through the first six innings, the Yanks offense didn’t do a ton to help him. They scored two runs to that point, far below what we’ve come to expect from this crew. So when Boesch reached out and hit a bouncer up the middle, he gave the Tigers another chance. Unfortunately, though, that same weak bottom of the order that killed the fourth inning rally was again due up.
Hughes threw a cutter down and in to Avila, and he grounded it right to Pena at short. A flip to Cano and a throw to first erased both Tigers, killing a potential rally. It was the last trouble Hughes would face. Though Kelly blooped one to keep the inning alive, Hughes got Ramon Santiago to hit an infield pop up, ending the inning.
Hughes kept a rollin’, all night long
No recap would be complete without fawning over the performance of Phil Hughes. His seven-inning shutout lowered his ERA to 1.38. He added to his gaudy strikeout total by fanning eight, and walked only one Tiger. Only Miguel Cabrera connected for an extra base hit, which is always excusable. Dude could be the AL MVP this year.
The best part about Hughes’s performances is that his peripherals justify his results. No, he’s not going to sustain a 1.38 ERA. Pitchers just don’t do that these days. But if he keeps up his current strikeout, walk, and home run rates — and even if the home run rate increases — he’ll be just fine so long as the defense doesn’t revert to 2005 form.
After the game he sports a 2.61 FIP, which certainly bodes well for his future starts. His xFIP sits a bit higher because he has allowed just one homer all year, but I do wonder how much of that is skill-based. He has used the cutter later in the count, preventing hitters from squaring up pitches. He’ll hang a curve or let a fastball get too much of the plate from time to time, but the way he’s pitching now I expect his home run rate will remain below league average.
Joys
Other than Hughes? A-Rod‘s single in the first was quite nice. He hasn’t hit for much power this year, but he can still knock home a runner on second with a well-placed single. It’s not the height of his value, but it will do for now.
Teixeira hitting right into where the shift would have been.
Greg Golson‘s first major league hit was pretty sweet. He had a nice looking looper in his next at-bat, too.
Seeing Mariano for the first time in what feels like all season.
Starters in the double-header: 14 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 15 K. Bullpen: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. How the hell did they split?
Annoyances
Swisher day to day? Seriously? These nagging injuries happen, so under normal circumstances it wouldn’t be annoying. I suppose having Park, Aceves, Granderson, and Johnson on the DL makes it sting a bit more.
Really, though, was there anything to be annoyed with in this game?
WPA Graph and Box Score
I could totally dirtbike down this WPA graph.
I could not, however, dirtbike down the boxscore.
Up Next
They keep saying that tomorrow’s game will be rained out, but I’ve never trusted a weatherman before, and I don’t plan to start now. Game’s at 1, and it’s CC vs. Verlander. In one way, I hope they get it in. In another, I’m going to the games on Friday and Sunday, and I’d rather see CC and Pettitte rather than Burnett and Mitre.
Melancon slams the door in SWB win
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been meaning to mention this for two days now, but I inexcusably kept forgetting. Mike Ashmore was able to trick talk the Yankees’ seventh best prospect and Double-A Trenton lefty Jeremy Bleich into answering questions from us lowly fans. All the details are available here, so head on over and ask something that’ll make us look intelligent. I’m curious to know what his first big purchase was with his $700,000 signing bonus.
Meanwhile, check out Matt from Fack Youk’s first hand report from Bleich’s start last night.
Triple-A Scranton
Game One (4-3 loss to Columbus in 7 innings) makeup of yesterday’s rain out
Reegie Corona, 2B & Eduardo Nunez, SS: both 1 for 4 – Corona doubled, scored a run & K’ed … Nunez K’ed twice
Matt Cusick, 3B: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 E (throwing)
David Winfree, 1B: 2 for 3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K – quietly having a nice year
Jon Weber, RF & Jesus Montero, C: both 0 for 3 – Weber K’ed twice … Montero allowed a passed ball
Chad Huffman, LF: 0 for 2, 2 K
Robby Hammock, DH & Justin Snyder, CF: both 1 for 3 – Hammock scored a run & K’ed … Snyder’s up from Trenton because SWB doesn’t have a true CF with Colin Curtis on the DL & Greg Golson in the bigs
Dustin Moseley: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 11-6 GB/FB – 58 of 101 pitches were strikes (57.4%) … the pitching staff has been a wreck will the recent callups, so I’m sure the bullpen appreciates the six innings
Royce Ring: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0-2 GB/FB – just 12 of his 26 pitches were strikes (46.1%)
Swisher day-to-day with biceps soreness
Posted by: | CommentsVia Marc Carig, Nick Swisher left tonight’s game with soreness in his biceps, and is listed as day-to-day. An injury to another outfielder is the absolute last thing the Yankees need, so let’s all hope this isn’t too serious. For what it’s worth, Swish has never had a biceps injury before, and in fact he hasn’t missed more than seven days with an injury since 2005.
Nagging injuries happen all the time, but the recent injury bug makes this seem worse than it really is.
Yankees sign Tim Redding
Posted by: | CommentsYes, it’s true. MLBTR says so. The Yankees signed 32-year-old righty Tim Redding to a minor league deal after the Rockies released him earlier today. He of course made one very disastrous start for the Yanks back in 2005, and since then he’s put up a 4.98 FIP in 386 innings for Nationals and Mets. It’s just a depth move since the Triple-A Scranton staff is in a little bit of flux, so as long as he doesn’t see a day with the big league team, it’s cool.
Game 33: If not by day, then by night
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yanks lost a tough one earlier today, despite Javy Vazquez’s best efforts. They’ll get a chance at quick redemption, though, in the nightcap. I just wish that Girardi put his team in a bit of a better position.
Normally I refrain from lineup criticism. Guys will get days off, and we’ll see players we don’t like in the lineup from time to time. With tonight’s lineup, though, I have to say something. Jeremy Bonderman is pitching for the Tigers. He hasn’t been good since 2006, and has been pretty bad in the early parts of 2010. Maybe his BABIP signals bad luck, maybe it signals that hitters have a good read on his stuff. I don’t know. The one thing I do know is that Bonderman throws with his right arm.
Despite the pitcher’s handedness, Girardi has decided to start Marcus Thames. With Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson out with injuries, Thames figures to see plenty of action. That includes, unfortunately, time against righties. He’ll also see time in the field, much to our collective chagrin. But tonight is the ultimate offense. He’s in the lineup against the righty and is playing the field. In spacious Comerica Park, no less. I’m sorry, but this makes no sense.
I would rather see Greg Golson in the lineup and playing the field. At least he’ll track down fly balls to left. Thames, though, gets the double whammy. His bat isn’t valuable against righties, and his defense remains atrocious. I don’t know how Giradi can justify this one.
Thankfully, Phil Hughes is on the mound, and he strikes out guys and induces ground balls. So maybe, if the Yanks get lucky, the Tigers won’t hit any to left. But, because Thames is there, Murphy’s Law clearly states that they’ll hit it to him plenty. It’s just the way these things seem to work out.*
*Yes, I’m kidding. But only kind of.
That’s enough for the rant, though. The Yanks have the pitching advantage. Let’s hope the top of the lineup can get on base and then drive in some runs, because the only guy in the bottom third I’m remotely confident can drive in a guy is Cervelli.
Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter, DH
2. Brett Gardner, CF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Robinson Cano, 2B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Marcus Thames, LF
8. Francisco Cervelli, C
9. Ramiro Pena, SS
And on the mound, number sixty-five, Phil Hughes, number sixty-five.
Yanks drop third in a row, fall 2-0 to Tigers
Posted by: | CommentsTwo things happened for the first time of the season today: the Yankees were shutout, and Javy Vazquez pitched well. Like really really well, but we’ll get into that in a bit. It’s also the first time since the final series of the 2009 regular season that the Yanks have lost three consecutive games, and just the second time in 2010 that they scored fewer than three runs in a game. The good news is that they’ll have a chance to correct all the wrongs later tonight in game two of the doubleheader.
Biggest Hit (by the Tigers): Damon sets it up
Photo Credit: Duane Burleson, AP
Considering that both starting pitchers came into this afternoon’s game sporting seven-plus ERA’s, it’s only natural that we were scoreless into the 6th inning. BABIP king Austin Jackson led off the frame with a bonafide single to left-center on a hanging breaking ball, one of Vazquez’s few mistakes. After feeding arch-nemesis Johnny Damon fastballs and changeups in his first two at-bats, the Yankee righthander broke out the curveball the third time around for a first pitch strike. The next pitch was actually pretty good, a changeup that faded down and away and probably would have been taken for a ball by most mere mortals, but Damon’s inability to do anything wrong allowed him to hook the pitch into right.
No runs scored on that play, by Jackson cruised into third and set the Tigers up with men on the corners and zero outs in the inning. Teams have scored just about two runs in similar situations this year, which is exactly what Detroit pushed across after the series of ground balls found some holes. Damon’s single improved his team’s chances of winning by almost 13%, more than either of the two run scoring plays.
Biggest Out (by the Yanks): Take your pick, Ramiro Pena edition
Even though they were shutout, the Yankees were not without opportunities to score in this game. They loaded up the bases in the 2nd inning on two singles and a walk, but Pena fouled off a pair of low-90′s heaters before harmlessly flying out to center on a third fastball to end the inning. The out decreased the Yanks’ chances of winning by 7.6%.
Fast forward to the 7th inning, when the Yanks put themselves in a position to immediately answer Detroit’s runs with some of their own. Randy Winn singled with one out to reach base for the third time of the game, but Pena again got beat by a fastball, this time grounding it to short for a basic and easily turned 6-4-3 double play. This one decreased the Yanks’ chances of a win by 7.8%.
Not to pick on the young utility infielder, but his three at-bats combined for more than one-fifth of a loss. Tough day, but that’s why he’s a part-timer.
Good To Jav You Back
After five um, less than stellar starts, Vazquez was back at it today after nine days of rest and two intense bullpen sessions. Whatever he and Dave Eiland worked on during that time seemed to make a world of difference.
Even though his fastball again sat more in the upper-80′s than the low-90′s, Vazquez threw all of his pitches with what appeared to be much more confidence, and perhaps just as importantly, he worked at a very quick pace. There was no mindless walking around on the mound, no shaking off, Vazquez just got the ball and threw it. Exactly what he needed to do.
Somewhat wild in the first inning, Javy settled down beautifully and began hitting Jorge Posada‘s glove with all four pitches. After retiring 14 of the first 15 men he faced, Vazquez rather inexcusably walked Ramon Santiago and Gerald Laird with two outs in the 5th, though he rebounded after a visit from Eiland to strikeout Adam Everett on three pitches. Granted, Everett is basically an automatic out, but in his last few starts, that’s a situation that Javy would have allowed to spiral out of control.
The final line includes seven innings, five hits (all singles), just the two walks, and seven strikeouts. Hitters swung and missed 16 times, an outstanding number, and Javy threw first pitch strikes to all but eight of the 27 men he faced. More than two-thirds of his pitches were strikes, and quite frankly this was the Javier Vazquez the Yankees acquired back in December. He was saddled with his fourth loss of the year, but he pretty damn good this game, and has something to build on. I hope he has his head up in the clubhouse.
Photo Credit: Duane Burleson, AP
Things That Made Me Not Smile
Comerica was eating balls hit to the outfield alive this afternoon. Alex Rodriguez hit a ball on the screws and had it caught at the wall, ditto Derek Jeter. On a bright and sunny days, those two shots are in the people.
Joe Girardi had Boone Logan warming up in the 6th in case he needed him to come in and put the fire out. He’s pretty much the last guy I’d want to see on the mound in that spot. Even the 8th inning, Logan was brought in to keep a winnable game close. He did the job, but sheesh. Roll of the dice.
Nick Swisher being unable to reach base after hitting the line drive off Rick Porcello to lead off the 7th. The replay showed that he ran hard out of the box, the bounce just went Detroit’s. So it goes.
Kevin Russo pinch running for Posada in the 9th. If Greg Golson‘s not going to be used in that spot, then send him back to Scranton. Ridiculous.
Michael Kay singing Jay-Z in the booth. Just stop it, man.
Things That Made Me Smile
Swisher is really doing great a great job of hanging in against offspeed stuff this year. I dunno if that’s because of the work he did with Kevin Long to quiet his stance or whatnot, but it’s working. He stayed back well and solidly singled to center on a changeup in the 2nd.
Brandon Inge dropping Posada’s foul pop up in the 4th. One pitch later, the ball’s in the gap and Jorge’s on second. They didn’t score in the inning, obviously, but capitalizing on those mistakes is a good habit to get into.
Two two out walks for Winn plus the single later on. Good stuff. Too bad the offensive black hole was hitting behind him.
WPA Graph & Box Score
MLB.com has the box score, FanGraphs the nerdier stuff.
Up Next
Right back at it with game two of today’s day-night doubleheader set to begin at 7:05pm ET. That one will feature Phil Hughes and Jeremy Bonderman. This is Bonderman’s eighth year as a big leaguer, but he’s less than four full years older than Hughes. Crazy, huh?
Game 32: Win or come back in a few hours
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Photo Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
Day-night doubleheaders are fun for no one but the fans. I’m sure the players, the coaches, the beat writers, the grounds crew, all those guys probably hate it. I dunno about you, but I have a hard time complaining about watching two Yankees’ games in one day. Well, I guess I could complain if Javy Vazquez gets smacked around again, but I have a feeling plenty of others will pick up my slack.
Greg Golson, not Juan Miranda, is in the house, and there’s apparently a mystery pitcher waiting at the hotel in case they need to add an arm between games. My money’s on Jon Albaladejo. Here’s the lineup…
Jeter, SS
Gardner, CF
Teixeira, 1B
A-Rod, DH
Cano, 2B
Posada, C
Swisher, RF
Winn, LF
Pena, 3B
And on the mound, Javier Vazquez.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm ET, and the game can bee seen on YES. Enjoy.
Yanks add Golson, not Miranda
Posted by: | CommentsIt seems the injury situation has changed the Yankees outlook. Instead of recalling Juan Miranda they’ve added Greg Golson to the roster (via Chad Jennings). I assume Miranda is still with the team, and we might see him activated before the second game. Alex Rodriguez is DHing in the first game, so perhaps they’ll option Kevin Russo after Game 1 in order to summon Miranda before Game 2.
Bullpen may be hurting, but not as badly as last year
Posted by: | CommentsFor most of the past two weeks we’ve focused on the bullpen. Opposing teams have seemingly hit the Yanks’ relievers well, which induces a sense of angst among the fanbase. The starters have pitched so well, but it seems as though the lead isn’t necessarily safe once a non-Mo, or even at this point non-Joba, reliever enters the game. That’s mostly perception, I think, but there’s no denying the insecurity many of us have with the current bullpen.
Last year the problem was much worse. In 71 April innings the bullpen allowed 55 runs and opponents hit .267/.350/.498. Part of that was the starting pitching (and, really, it was mostly Chien-Ming Wang). The starters had pitched just 126.1 innings in 22 starts. That left more than three innings per game for the bullpen to cover. The bullpen would also find itself short at times because of Wang’s short starts. Still, there was no questioning the faults with the unit. Pitchers like Edwar Ramirez, Jon Albaladejo, and Jose Veras just weren’t getting the job done.
This year things haven’t gone quite bad. The relievers had to cover only 50 innings in April. The starters, even with Javy Vazquez‘s woes, averaged more than 6.1 innings per outing, which placed less pressure on the bullpen. Fewer appearances meant fewer runs, too, as the bullpen allowed just 24 in those 50 innings, holding opponents to a .237/.312/.366 line. True, there were some troubling performances mixed in there, but overall the situation didn’t look as bad as April 2009.
As we saw last year, the Yankees can rebuild the bullpen on the fly. They added David Robertson, Al Aceves, and Phil Hughes to solidify the unit last year. This year they’re already ahead of the game. Job Chamberlain already performs Phil Hughes’s job, so there’s no need to find a setup man mid-season. That leaves a few spots to fill in middle relief. I think that, after what we saw last year, the Yanks can certainly find the right guys for the job.
Al Aceves might be out for a while, but Chan Ho Park is on his way back. David Robertson might be struggling, but if those woes continue the Yanks can try out a number of arms in the minors, including Romulo Sanchez, who pitched very well in relief of A.J. Burnett on Sunday night. Boone Logan might be terrible, but he has options. Damaso Marte might keep me on the edge of my seat, but he’s still been mostly good (though he could cut down on the walks). And, like Aceves last year, maybe Sergio Mitre can find success as a short reliever as well as a mop-up guy.
If last year taught me anything, it was to not panic over early-season bullpen woes. There’s no guarantee that the team can correct the problem — and really, it hasn’t been a huge problem lately. But I think this current front office has proven that it is willing to make changes to the bullpen when necessary.
Plus, if the starters keep pitching well, the bullpen will play a lesser and lesser role, anyway.
Remembering the Kid in his prime
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Ken Griffey scores the winning run during the 1995 ALDS. Photo Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
Ken Griffey, Jr. is tired. Despite his and the Mariners’ vehement denials this afternoon, rumors have been swirling this week that the Kid has been sleeping in the clubhouse. After an 0-for-3 tonight in which he saw just 12 pitches, he also appears to be sleeping at the plate and is now batting .200/.264/.225 through 87 plate appearances this year. His days are numbered.
For Yankee fans — this one, in particular — Griffey was a big thorn in the side of the team for the better part of the 1990s until one day, he wasn’t. To start the 2000 season, Griffey woke up in Cincinnati shrouded in irrelevancy, and he hasn’t been the same since. He’ll be toasted by the baseball literati when he retires later this year (or perhaps month), and he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, untouched by the stain of scandal. But he just missed being the greatest. Those nagging injuries have limited to an average of 102 games a year since leaving Seattle, and today, his 630 home runs are often forgotten.
As Griffey nears the end, I can’t help but think of the days of his torture. In his career, Griffey faced the Yankees 572 times in 133 games and hit .311/.392/.595 with 36 home runs and 102 RBIs. He destroyed the Yankees in the 1995 ALDS when he hit .391/.444/1.043 with 5 home runs in as many games. In many respects, that ALDS was the pinnacle of Griffey’s career. On the grandest stage in baseball, when the Mariners and Seattle as a town needed it most, the Kid came through, and much to my chagrin, he earned that smile.
For Griffey, that series spelled redemption in a personal way too. He absolutely hated the Yankees. His disgust stemmed from an incident when his dad was playing in the Bronx in which Billy Martin would chase children out of the clubhouse, and he always believed that George Steinbrenner did not treat his father well. Griffey got it out on the field and seemingly vowed never to play in New York.
Yet, for all of the Kid’s bluster over the Bronx, Griffey and the Yankees were subject to numerous rumors as the years wore on. After three disappointing years with the Reds, Griffey found himself the object of trade rumors. The Reds wanted more payroll flexibility, and the team explored trading him. Griffey said he would go to the Yankees or the Braves, and Griffey’s grudge, said Jack Curry in 2002, had faded. Bob Nightengale seemed to enjoy dreams of an outfield that would have featured Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui and Ken Griffey, Jr.
But Griff’s next trip to the Bronx wouldn’t come in 2003 via a trade. In fact, Griffey didn’t set foot in Yankee Stadium again until 2008 when he came with the Reds and then later the White Sox. Even in the twilight of his career, he still managed to hit .348/.423/.522 with one final Yankee Stadium home run that year.
This year, the Mariners come to town at the end of June, and Ken Griffey’s place on the team isn’t that secure to expect him to stop by for one final visit to the Bronx. Even if we never see him again with that menacing lefty stance, taking aim at the short right field porch, I’ll always remember the Kid for 1995. It seems like a generation ago that Griffey plagued the Yankees, and his final days on the field are ticking by.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
