Game 131: The Captain Returns, Part III

August 26, 2013 by Mike Axisa 319 Comments

For the third time this season, Derek Jeter is coming off the DL to rejoin the Yankees following a leg injury. His return lasted all of one game the first time before a quad injury sidelined him for more than two weeks. The second time it was four games before a calf injury sent him back to the DL. Obviously the Yankees and Jeter are hoping the third is a charm and the Cap’n will stay on the field for the rest of the regular season (and playoffs!).

Barring a surprise waiver trade in the coming days, the Yankees are now as healthy and full strength as can be. This is it, this is the team. We don’t have to wait for any more injured players to return*. Jeter’s return boosts the lineup and whatever intangible qualities he offers boost the clubhouse. His mere presence helps the team in a way I can’t explain. The Yankees with Jeter are a much better team than they are without him regardless of what he’s hitting. Very few players transcend on-field production like that.

Here’s the lineup that will face reigning NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey:

And on the mound is right-hander Phil Hughes, who has actually put together two straight quality starts, including six innings of two-run ball against the Blue Jays last week. Needless to say, he needs to do that again.

The Yankees are playing in another domed/retractable roofed stadium, so the weather doesn’t really matter. If you’re curious, it’s supposed to rain on-and-off in Toronto these next few days. First pitch is scheduled for a little after 7pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

* I’ve said this before.

Eddard

We’re very conflicted tonight. There are two equally powerful forces working against each other tonight. You’ve got the obligatory Phil Hughes loss but on the other hand you’ve got the club fired up for the Captain’s 3rd return. I know I predicted a loss earlier today but I think the Captain puts them over the top. I’d say Phil Hughes gets the win but let’s not get carried away here.
- Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
  
  You make the whole forum more interesting, Eddard.
- OldYanksFan
  
  Phil Hughes and the Yanks might Win this game?
  PHIL HUGHES and the Yanks might Win this game?
  BUT YOU SAID WE WILL ALWAYS LOSE 2 OUT OF EVERY 5 GAMES!
  
  YOU SAID IT.
  Right here.
  I read it.
  WHY ARE YOU CONTRADICTING YOURSELF?!?!?!
I’m a looser baby, so why don’t you kill me? (Formerly not the droids you’re looking for…)

Best lineup of the season?
- forensic
  
  But where’s Chris Stewart???
  - trr
    
    That’s WHY it’s the best lineup of the season
- Anderson Silva
  
  It sure feels like it.
forensic

Nice, no Cone but there is Leiter!
VT Yankee Fan

My 6 year old can’t stop grinning because the Cap’n is back. I’m never going to get him to sleep tonight.
Darl

Anyone else having trouble loading comments? Sometimes I see new comments, refresh, then get stuck with only old stuff…
- RetroRob
  
  I have seen that happen once or thrice, including earlier today. It usually clears itself up. No idea why it happens because even hitting refresh won’t bring back the missing comments.
- Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
  
  yep
- forensic
  
  I haven’t had comments disappear when I’ve been logged in (though it has happened when not logged in). There have been a bunch of issues with comments the last bunch of weeks though, including weird timestamps, comments placed in a weird order, and the total number not matching what it says at the top.
- Get Phelps Up
  
  I’ve been having those issues for weeks now.
- OldYanksFan
  
  These are Buffer issues.
  Try eating some bran…
forensic

Wow, that looked like strike 3.

Where’s roadgeek adam’s umpire analysis???
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek Roadgeek Adam
  
  Momentarily.
  
  I was busy working on my research of the Northern State Parkway…
  - forensic
    
    lol, that was quick.
    - http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek Roadgeek Adam
      
      It’s up and I’m disappointed. My most hated member of the umpire roster is at Citi Field tonight.
      - forensic
        
        I assume that’s the legally blind Angel Hernandez.
        
        http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek Roadgeek Adam
        
        You got that right. Knowing our luck we get him Friday.
        
        forensic
        
        Is there any rhyme or reason to the rotation (not from base to base) of the umpiring crews from series to series, or is it pretty much random?
        
        http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek/ Roadgeek Adam
        
        Not really sure I know the answer to that.
        
        Michael Young nearly took his head off tonight. Miffed it missed.
  - Eddard
    
    I thought I saw Balkin Bob Davidson at 1st
Eddard

There’s Phil’s run. That should last him 2/3rd of an inning.
- forensic
  
  and people say I have no faith in Hughes…
Anderson Silva

nice to have an early lead, especially with Hughes pitching
Wheels

Good start.
Bob

Quick question, how do they determine home-field advantage for wildcard playoff game? Is it better overall record or head to head?
- forensic
  
  Better season record.
  - Bob
    
    Thanks
Anderson Silva

Look at that, he got to 2 strikes and gave a hit. I have never seem him do that.
- forensic
  
  It’s absurd that he’s given up 12 homers after an 0-2 count. It’s like he’s allergic to easy outs.
  - Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
    
    12?
    - forensic
      
      That’s what Leiter said in the scouting report. I haven’t looked it up, is it wrong?
      - Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
        
        5 this year, according to B-Ref.
        
        Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
        
        12 since the beginning of last year though. Maybe that was it.
        
        forensic
        
        Ah, sorry. I just went back and listened to it. He does say 12 this year, but right before that he said the 58 homers over the last 2 years, so maybe the 12 was supposed to be the 2 years but he misspoke.
Tom

Better record determines it. If tied then it is head to head..
forensic

So, wow, Matt Harvey’s partially torn UCL seems to have come out of nowhere. That’s a real setback for their franchise.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek Roadgeek Adam

Alright, the fact that I’ve been asked for this, here we go.

Jim Reynolds (HP) – One of “1999-25″ umpires, Reynolds has a pitcher’s zone, not ridiculously hated zone, has a tendency to call strikes in favor of the pitcher to right-handed pitchers. He has a tendency for bad calls, but not that common. He also will not likely eject you, as he’s gotten less and less ejection worthy lately.

Balkin’ Bob Davidson (1B) – Alright, if you know the name Bob Davidson, you know the word balk. He is the most balking umpire in the leagues and if you even make a minor misstep, you will be called out on it. He also doesn’t take crap from anyone, infamously last year getting into a nose-to-nose fight with now-fired Phillies manager Charlie Manuel that got him a suspension. Interestingly, he has one of the fairest strike zones in the game, but one of the shortest tempers, including infamously ejecting Youppi!, the Expos mascot.

Quinn Wolcott (2B) – Fourth straight? series I believe with a rookie umpire (Hamari, Little twice). Wolcott is brand new as of May 27. People see him as an umpire with a big future. Early reports of him show a fair strike zone, but until we see more of him, hard to judge.

James Hoye (3B) – Working his 11th season of baseball, Hoye is a patient umpire, especially with the fact that he’s only ejected <20 people since his debut. Hoye, anytime he gets a called seems to get stuck being compared to Jim "STRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKEEEE" Joyce. Hoye's strike zone is erratic, however, we will not be seeing it, since he is the 4th umpire in a 3 game series.

I’m not going to be 100% sure if Quinn Wolcott is just here for today, but this is John Hirshbeck’s crew. If John Hirshbeck, one of my favorite umpires, is here tomorrow, I will review him tomorrow. (I’ve had some of my most hated umps (Davidson, Meals, etc) in these, but not one of my Top 5.)
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek Roadgeek Adam
  
  I keep misspelling John Hirschbeck’s name. My bad.
- forensic
  
  Nice!
Wheels

So sick of crowds booing A-Rod.
Tom

Nice inning for Phil.

Just needs to navigate the top of the lineup 2 more times and hopefully chew through the AAA bottom of the lineup the Jays are rolling out these days.
Anderson Silva

Ichiro got embarrassed on that AB. That was ugly.
- Mickey Scheister
  
  He certainly showed why he’s batting eighth tonight.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  He’s been an embarrassment at the plate all year. Par for the course.
  - forensic
    
    Good to see you’re back. ;-)
Anderson Silva

Im watching the Jays broadcast and they have that little K zone feature at all times on the screen. One thing I have noticed so far with Hughes is that he throws A BUNCH of FBs in the middle of the plate, like middle middle.

It’s no surprise he gets killed.
forensic

Well, this is a bad start to the inning.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Hughes starts are just so hard to watch.
Even in the games where he pitches well.
- forensic
  
  Yup, I’m even just tired of seeing his face and mannerisms on the mound.
forensic

Thanks for that bad baserunning.
Itsallhowuseeit

Robbie limiting damage
Orville

OF COURSE he still gives up the run.
- the Real Greg
  
  Can’t really get angry at that one. That pitch was in the dirt.
Eddard

Unlucky there but he blew him away twice, should have done it again.
Pseudoyanks

How does he hit that pitch?
the Real Greg

Phil Hughes BaBIP: .315
- forensic
  
  It’s .429 so far in this game, it must be a fluke…
  - the Real Greg
    
    I’m not suggesting anything.
forensic

Jeter in midseason form…
- the Real Greg
  
  Not exactly true because he was scorching in the second half last year. The DPs were a problem earlier.
Dro413

It’s absurd that Philip is still starting. Put him in the bullpen already or get rid of his ass!!
the Real Greg

Cito Culver, Cashman?
- forensic
  
  huh?
  - the Real Greg
    
    Who he thought would replace Jeter.
    
    I would guess because he used a first rounder on him.
Kramerica Industries

You know, it was 1-0 when I took off, and 1-1 when I arrived. Fine.

I check the log, and see it came on a two-out hit against someone hitting well under .200. No, that’s not fine at all.
- forensic
  
  Don’t forget that he also walked a guy who is 0-11 this season.
  - Kramerica Industries
    
    Hughes allowed Pillar to get on base at least two or three times last week, too.
    
    What an irritating pitcher.
    - forensic
      
      Yup, a hit (his first career hit after starting 0-17) and a walk.
- the Real Greg
  
  If you aaw the hit, you would have been more angry.
Wheels

Damn, almost got him.
Cy Pettitte

Hughes is such trash, I’m happily counting down the starts until this gas can is gone.
Frank

Girardi better have a VERY short leash with Hughes.
Anderson Silva

please get rid of his ass
Orville

Really a shame that Phelps went down. I’d take him over Hughes any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
28 this year

Make Joba a starter to replace Hughes. Only half serious but like really.
the Real Greg

Did Cashman really think that CC after shoulder surgery, Kuroda who’s ancient, and Hughes and Nova who can be up and down were going to carry this team to success?
- the Real Greg
  
  Forgot Pettite who’s ancient as well.
- Dalek Jeter
  
  Yeah, Cashman is suuuuuuuuuch a dumbass…they only have what…the 6th best overall staff in Baseball. Our struggles this season have everything to do with how bad/depth lacking our pitching has been and nothing to do with the fact that the 3-4-5 was Cano-Wells-Overbay for most of the season.
  - the Real Greg
    
    And that could have been avoided with a deeper farm system which goes back to Cashman.
    
    I look at Boston again, They trade Iglesias, they have Middlebrooks. They move Iglesias to third, they have Bogaerts.
    - Dalek Jeter
      
      A-Rod was replaced by Adams, Outfielders this season: Almonte and Mesa, Catcher: Romine (aka the guy who everybody has been begging to start regularly behind the plate), starters: Nova and Hughes, Bullpen: names too numerous to list. Come on Greg, stop.
      - the Real Greg
        
        Almonte I will give you, he has potential.
        
        Romine was going to be up here anyway at some point, especially now that we know Cervelli was going to be suspended.
        
        Nova and Hughes were already up here.
        
        The others: No
        
        Dalek Jeter
        
        So because Romine came up and he would have been up to replace a guy who got hurt/suspended (otherwise known as the reason for having depth) he doesn’t count? And how come WMB and his negative WAR counts but Adams doesn’t? I don’t know why I’m responding. You’re a troll and you’ve won by getting me to argue…but I just need to make the point that nobody can be this fucking thick.
      - forensic
        
        Well, a couple of the guys you mention were already in the Majors, one was removed from the 40-man before being re-added, one is being begged to start because the other option is even worse, and one of the OFers is on the border of being removed from the 40-man (at least in many of our opinions).
        
        Those aren’t exactly shining examples of depth or a great system.
        
        the Real Greg
        
        Exactly.
        
        Dalek Jeter
        
        Still trying to understand how a guy with a wRC+ of 80 and an fWAR of -.1 is a shining example of depth, or a guy with a total of 9 big league appearances.
Anderson Silva

Can they put together a good AB against this guy? He is crap this season.
forensic

That was an impressive inning from the 3-4-5 in the lineup.
- the Real Greg
  
  8 pitches.
  
  Thanks for the tease last couple of weeks guys.
Joey C

Another game where the Yanks look like they’re sleep walking. I mean these at bats have been awful.
- the Real Greg
  
  They fell back to sleep since the second game of the DH against the Blue Jays
  - Dalek Jeter
    
    Wait, you mean the stretch that they’ve gone 3-2 since?
    - the Real Greg
      
      I meant the offense not the whole team.
      - Dalek Jeter
        
        But I thought there was no way “CC after shoulder surgery, Kuroda who’s ancient, and Hughes and Nova who can be up and down” could carry the team to success???!?!?!?!
        
        forensic
        
        Well, CC and Kuroda did lose in that stretch, with Nova getting a ND.
        
        the Real Greg
        
        Well that comes down to the definition of success.
  - Rolling Doughnut
    
    Really? I thought they lost 2 of 3 to a very good team.
Frank

Dickey looks tough tonight. Can’t give up another run.
Eddard

They just can’t hit that knuckle ball. Dickey may be 0-2 against them this year but he basically had them beat both times until two late HRs by Overbay and Soriano turned the tide. I just don’t know if Phil is going to keep it close enough this time.
- Pasta Stumbling Sojo
  
  He had them beat until… they beat him? Does their performance against him not count if it comes in the second half of the game? You must have loved CC’s performance the other day when he had the Rays beat, except for that minor detail of him blowing the lead later in the game.
  - Anderson Silva
    
    What he tried to say but couldn’t is that it looks like only the Yankees can’t hit Dickey hard this season (even though they won 2 games)
    - Pasta Stumbling Sojo
      
      I agree that’s not what he said. :)
      
      And yeah, the Yankees didn’t hit Dickey as well as other teams have hit him, but they also haven’t hit the rest of the league as well as other teams.
Eddard

Pillar cannot hit that FB. Blow it by him.
Dalek Jeter

God damn, I can’t believe how shitty that Hughes is.
- Wheels
  
  An A-Bomb!
  - Wheels
    
    Yeah, this is in the wrong spot.
Dalek Jeter

ABOMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
forensic

A-ROD!!!
Eddard

Another big HR from Alex!
Wheels

A-Rod nukes Toronto.
Anderson Silva

POWER!
forensic

BOOOOO ICHIROOOOOO!!!!!! :-)
Dalek Jeter

I hate Brett Lawrie. I have no idea why, but I just despise him like he’s Pedroia.
- forensic
  
  I really hate him too. The way he acts and some of the stories and pictures from Milwaukee just really turned me off on him. I even hate him more than Bautista and Encarnacion.
  
  (plus, he’s on my fantasy opponent’s team this week)
  - Frank
    
    He’s just a hard nose player who plays with passion. Nothing wrong with that. Would love the Yanks to have him.
  - Dalek Jeter
    
    I don’t ‘hate’ Bautista and Encarnacion. They bother me because they’re talented (and probably PED’ing) and on a division rival. Lawrie just seems like…such a cock.
    - Darren
      
      Agreed. I mean, maybe he’s a kind-hearted, down to earth fella, but more likely he’s a douchewrangler.
    - forensic
      
      Eh, the way they act on the field after homers and stuff just bugs me. I shouldn’t take things like that so seriously, but I really prefer people to act like professionals who have done it before.
Alkaline

A BOMB!
the Real Greg

He is so lucky that he fouled it off. If that had gone in play, I would have been pissed.
Alkaline

DROPPP ITTT!!!
Anderson Silva

pathetic AB by Cano
Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)

Darn.
the Real Greg

Just walked Jeter,

let’s swing at three straight pitches.
- the Real Greg
  
  A level talent, C level baseball IQ
  - Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
    
    Being aggressive there isn’t a bad idea.
Darren

Wow, I’m surprised Gardener just got his 500th hit tonight. It kind of shows you how amazing it is to hit 3,000. I mean, Gardener’s no rookie and a pretty decent hitter and he’ll probably never even sniff 1,500, maybe not even 1,000 if his injury bad luck continues.
- Alkaline
  
  Eh, not that surprising. He got 132, 13, 128 hits in 3 healthy full seasons. One season to injury. First season was only 40 games, second 108.
- Alkaline
  
  Eh, not that surprising. He got 132, 132, 128 hits in 3 healthy full seasons. One season to injury. First season was only 40 games, second 108.
  - Darren
    
    I mean, it’s not surprising once you look at the stats, of course. It’s surprising from an intuitive/feel point of view. It seems like he’s been here for a long-ish time.
Alkaline

So today was a shitty work day. Could someone tell a fun story? Joke? Anything?
- forensic
  
  The Blue Jays are gonna win the World Series.
  
  Funny enough? :-)
- Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
  
  So two men walk into a bar. A third ducked.
  
  Ba-dum, tissssssssh.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oShTJ90fC34
- Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
  
  Or, my personal favorite:
  
  So a panda walks into a bar holding a badly punctuated wildlife manual. He orders a burger and eats it, takes out a gun and fires it into the air, then turns to walk out.
  
  Just before he steps out of the bar the bartender yells, “Wait! What was that about?”
  
  “See for yourself,” the panda replies. He tosses the badly punctuated wildlife manual into the bartender’s hands.
  
  Sure enough, when the bartender opened the book to the entry for “panda”, this was written on the page:
  
  PANDA – Eats, shoots, and leaves.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YYpxvvQeMQ
  - trr
    
    Horse walks into a bar.
    Bartender says, “Hey Buddy, why the long face?”
Frank

I gotta say Soriano has greatly improved over the years as a defensive OFr.
Dalek Jeter

Unlike most people, I didn’t expect Soriano to be terrible in the outfield, but I’m still pleasantly surprised by how well he’s played defensively.
Rolling Doughnut

Is anyone up in the Yankee pen?
Anderson Silva

his stuff is so mediocre. That breaking ball is very crappy.
- the Real Greg
  
  There was another one.
Joey C

Hughes itching to give the lead right back. He just can’t help himself!
Rolling Doughnut

Oh FF sake. Take him out already.
Frank

Get up somebody Joe. This game on the verge of slipping away.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Need a very, very short leash.

If only there was a way for the bullpen depth to have been a little bit higher quality…
Kramerica Industries

It’s taking Hughes absolutely no time to give the Jays the lead back, isn’t it?

Amazing.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

WTF was that Ichiro??????
Leg-End

Phuckin Hughes.
Cy Pettitte

Hughes is the worst, it’s the fucking Blue Jays. Stop sucking so much.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

When did the Yankees reacquire Bobby Abreau?
Joey C

Game Over.
Anderson Silva

wow, FUCK ICHIRO
forensic

BOOOOO ICHIROOOOO!!!!

(for real this time)
Dalek Jeter

God. FUCKING. DAMNIT. ICHIRO
Wheels

Oh no, Ichiro
Kramerica Industries

And it just gets better and better now.
the Real Greg

That’s rare for Ichiro
- Wheels
  
  He’s been pretty damn good in the field for sure.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Awful.
Bullpen now please.
Frank

Tough error there. But a bomb nonetheless. In YS, it’s a 5-2 game.
the Real Greg

But at the end of the day it acts just as the sac fly, if the Blue Jays do not score again
Eddard

Girardi should have had Preston in this ballgame. If another score runs it’s over.
- the Real Greg
  
  You do know Preston isn’t here, right? And that that decision was not Girardi’s decision?
  - forensic
    
    It’s not all his decision, but I guarantee he has some input on it.
    - the Real Greg
      
      No I know that. The question is who has the final say in the matter.
Joey C

Gonna be 6-2 before this inning is over. At least. Way to go Phil.
fabricio

dam hughes sucks
the Real Greg

In fact I can’t even blame Ichiro. Hughes is just awful.
Frank

Doesn’t matter. Predictable Hughes. Third time through the order- he gets lit up.
UncleArgyle

Remember when Phil Hughes was an effective starter? Yeah, me neither.
Kramerica Industries

Even when the Blue Jays absolutely suck, it’s still asking way too much for Phil Hughes to pitch a half-decent game in Toronto.

Amazing.
forensic

I sure hope they give Hughes a QO after the season and then figure out a way to re-sign him. Can’t afford to let this depth get away.
the Real Greg

Well done Yankees farm people for failing with Hughes
- Joey C
  
  Can’t blame it all on them. Hughes has never exactly shown himself to have much at all above the shoulders. He’s soft.
  - the Real Greg
    
    Fair enough. Another problem with selecting him in the first place.
Anderson Silva

what a joke. Why does he keep throwing that shitty ass slider? Why is he still on the game, or the team for that matter?
- Wheels
  
  Who else have we got?
- the Real Greg
  
  Because Mr. Cashman didn’t think of having proper pitching depth IN HIS SYSTEM.
  - Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
    
    They had pitching depth.
    They’re all hurt.
    - the Real Greg
      
      Get more pitching depth. Scour the depths of the Earth.
      
      The Mets just picked up Dice-K, Roy Halladay might be available, Dan Haren’s available.
      - Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
        
        Dice-K is awful.
        Awful pitchers don’t count as depth.
        The Yankees have plenty of guys in the system who could be awful.
        
        the Real Greg
        
        In desperate times you have to use the spaghetti on the wall theory.
        
        Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
        
        Not with pitchers you know are awful. You may as well just hope Hughes puts something together if you’re going to do that.
        
        Dalek Jeter
        
        Any awful pitcher is better than the Yankees pitchers because Cashman hasn’t signed them.
        
        /greg country.
      - forensic
        
        Dice-K? Seriously???
        
        the Real Greg
        
        Again, desperate times.
        
        Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
        
        Deperate times don’t call for getting worse players.
        
        the Real Greg
        
        Halladay and Haren have the track record that I would take them over Hughes right now.
        
        Dice-K and Hughes are about even.
        
        forensic
        
        Getting him is way beyond desperation.
  - Dalek Jeter
    
    Warren, Marshall, Nuno, Phelps, Pineda (was supposed to be healthy by now)
    
    Yeah, it’s totally Cashman’s lack of preperation that his 6th-10th starters have gotten injured. Everybody knows the Red Sox are 20 guys deep.
    - the Real Greg
      
      Then get more. As I said, scour the depths of the Earth.
      
      That’s why you can never have enough starting pitching.
      - Dalek Jeter
        
        There is a reason that Dice-K is starting for the Mets (is he even still), there’s also a reason (multiple actually)Halladay would be available, there’s also reasons Haren isn’t starting literally anywhere in baseball. You act like there’s some fucking wunderkind in some independent league throwing 99 easy with a killer breaking ball. This isn’t the 19-fucking-40s. If there was such a guy he’d be on the internet in a week and in a professional league/ML organization under contract in weeks.
        
        the Real Greg
        
        Well then what do you want them to do? Pray?
        
        Darren
        
        I don’t think that kind of player existed in the 1940’s, except for, ya know, black guys.
Rolling Doughnut

Huff is up two innings too late.
UncleArgyle

About three batters two late Joe
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Phil Phailed.

Is Dan Haren still available?
- forensic
  
  Amazingly enough, I think Haren could be even worse than Hughes. Not sure I understand why people want Haren so much because he pitched ok against some of the worst offenses in the NL.
  - the Real Greg
    
    Desperate times, my friend
Eddard

And this is why I thought they’d drop the opener. Oakland’s winning. They’ll need to take the next 2 or they’ll be eliminated.
- Crime Dog
  
  Still got a chance. This isn’t the June offense, they can put up 5 or 6 runs still.
Frank

Game over. No way they score 3 off Dickey.

Just insert Warren as starter rest of the year. Hughes is done as a Yankee. Might as well see what Warren can do as a starter.
- Dalek Jeter
  
  When the Yankees comeback and when you need to change your name to Frank Was Wrong.
the Real Greg

You know if you believe that warming up hurts a pitcher, when should Girardi have had Huff warming there? Just curious.
- Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
  
  Huff is completely expendable.
  First sign of trouble.
Crime Dog

That’s gotta be the last start Hughes makes, barring an injury to someone. I’d rather see Huff or Warren or Bootcheck take the starts. Something to make it seem like, you know, the teams trying to win. Hughes hasn’t had a really good start since July 2nd vs the Twins. His last couple of starts were decent but it always feels like he’s teetering on disaster.
- Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
  
  Oh, come on. I’d take him over CC.
  - Crime Dog
    
    No way. CC has a long track record of success. I’d bet on him rebounding next season. They’re having equally bad seasons, at least CC has the past on his side
  - the Real Greg
    
    Hell no. CC at least has a track record. Hughes does not. He has only a good bullpen season and a great half season.
  - Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
    
    Thinly veiled sarcasm, my friends. At least, I might take Hughes over CC this year, but I know he’s the superior pitcher going forward.
    - Crime Dog
      
      Haha, missed the sarcasm. Sometimes its tough to tell who’s serious and who’s sarcastic around here.
  - Anderson Silva
    
    Not even Hughes’ parents would take him over CC.
    - forensic
      
      heh
Anderson Silva

so the Jays triple A lineup is hitting our crappy pitcher. Time for the so vaunted good lineup to hit the Jays crappy pitcher.
Joey C

Yanks desperately need to answer back this inning with a couple of runs. Get it to where one swing can at least tie the game. Good start from Sori. Be nice if Granderson did something productive.
- Joey C
  
  Way to go Grandy Man.
Leg-End

We need to score in this inning now, strike back quickly.
Wheels

Sori is good.
Tom

A 2 pitch pitcher with 2 kind of meh pitches is not going to be a viable starter. If both pitches are on he’s capable of putting together a decent start, but his secondary pitch is one that is very susceptible to platoons.

The average lefty has an .850 OPS against him this year (That’s a top 25 hitter in all of baseball, and that’s the AVERAGE lefty against Phil). That is a result of his only non-fastball being a slider (and not a very good one). He never learned how to throw a change and without a plus slider he’s going to continue to be lit up by lefties. The curveball was at least platoon neutral (think Ivan Nova) so back when he threw it he could actually get lefties out; scrapping that pitch in favor of slider helped against righties but without a change he’s basically a bullpen arm with 2 pitches.

If he was coming up through the system with his current stuff and pitch mix right now and you took away the pedigree and the prospect aspect of it he would be considered a bullpen arm with the possibility of being a spot starter.
Joey C

All of a sudden the strike zone has gotten bigger. Ump must have a date.
Joey C

Hughes coming out last week and saying he would be open to pitching out of the bullpen next year says it all. This guys is not a competitor. A true competitor who has confidence in his abilities would never come out and say that.
Joey C

Going to get nothing here. I’m sick.
forensic

It can’t be a balk if Bob Davidson didn’t even call it.
Leg-End

Can’t even get the ball in play for a run now.
- the Real Greg
  
  ARod is going back into juiced pumpkin mode.
  - forensic
    
    He just homered his last AB.
    - the Real Greg
      
      That’s why I said juiced pumpkin.
      
      Not suggesting that he is still taking steroids, although I wouldn’t put it past him.
Kramerica Industries

That’s the second straight game the Yankees have had that kind of wretched luck on a liner right back up the middle.
- the Real Greg
  
  Yeah but the runner was at third with one out. Have to get him in.
  - Pasta Stumbling Sojo
    
    To be fair, there were 2 strikes by the time Soriano was on 3rd. It’s harder to expect someone to get him in at that point when the overall league average of getting that guy in is around 50% with a fresh count.
    - the Real Greg
      
      I didn’t know that, Fair enough.
Wheels

Missed opportunity there.
Crime Dog

There’s no way that Phil Hughes gives this team the best chance to win every 5 days over other options right now. I was always a Hughes fan, and thought he could succeed eventually. But it’s obvious this is it. There’s about as much of a chance of him going 4 innings and giving up 5 or 6 runs as there is of him pitching a decent game.
- Leg-End
  
  He’s not even a 5 and fly anymore, he’s a 3 and fly.
  - Wolfgang’s Fault
    
    Granted, he wasn’t sharp, & he didn’t really have any command, but I’ve thought his actual stuff has been better over his past 3 starts. Just couldn’t put the ball where he wanted to, and Ichiro’s dropped fly ball didn’t help any. I also add that while it’s not an excuse, he just faced this same lineup 5 days ago. Gotta figure he had a problem trying to figure his way out of the lineup 3 additional times after going through it 3 times last week. Regardless, he has to do better than this.
Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)

Well that was depressing.

Kind of sad to realize that our offense sucks…and it’s a big improvement over our old offense.
Anderson Silva

0-5 with RISP while the Jays are 4-7. One team can hit mediocre pitching.
Eddard

There’s no chance Hughes loses his starting job just like there’s no chance they DFA Joba. Cashman does not want do admit failure, especially after he tried to throw ownership under the bus for the Soriano deal and it blew up in his face.
- OldYanksFan
  
  It’s the same old song with you. Cashman doesn’t take it personally. The vast majority of prospects fail. Even highly touted ones often don’t pan out.
  
  If you think Cashman’s ego would have him hurt the team, you just don’t have a clue.
  
  With Phelps and Nuno out, there is no one to replace Hughes with.
Pasta Stumbling Sojo

I think Sterling (yes, I’m stuck listening to him) wasn’t even watching when A-Rod struck out. He was babbling about how Granderson and Soriano have the green light to steal, and then you could hear the crowd cheering, then silence for a few seconds, then Sterling non-chalantly says, “Well A-Rod swung and missed, and he’s out.” And then continues to babble about Soriano and Granderson stealing. At least watch the game while you’re babbling.
Wolfgang’s Fault

Same round curve/slider in the same location to Reyes, Goins, & Lind, sandwiched around Ichiro dropping Encarnacion’s warning track fly ball & that’ll get you taken out of most ballgames.
your mom

Fuck you Phil Hughes! Make like a tree and leave.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

I’d be shocked if they take Hughes out of the rotation, but if they did, who should replace him?
Warren?
Huff?
Marshall?

Joba?
- the Real Greg
  
  Jose Quintana….Oh wait. Another Cashman blunder.
  - Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
    
    I’m guessing most teams wouldn’t add a pitcher of what was then Quintana’s track record and who hadn’t pitched above A ball to their 40-man roster. Frankly, I’m not sure any team would have.
    - the Real Greg
      
      Well the White Sox did and BOOM! A left handed quality starter.
      - the Real Greg
        
        And as a bonus, they didn’t even have to put him in the farm system that long. He was down there for 9 starts.
  - Crime Dog
    
    Oh please
- Tom
  
  If Huff looks good tonight, and with expanded rosters coming up I’d go with Huff, hope for 4-5 innings and back him up with guys like Hughes and Warren. And hope it might be too early in the game for the opposing team to PH for the righty bats.
  
  They also have an offday coming up and could push his next start back 2 extra days (either way I think his next start would be with expanded rosters.
- forensic
  
  At this point, I’d be fine with any of them.
- Crime Dog
  
  Would have to think that Joe would go with Huff just because of his #VeteranPresents
  
  He’s 28 and at least has a track record of pitching in the big leagues. Not a good track record, but he’s been here before. Plus he’s looked decent in a really small sample size
  - the Real Greg
    
    I would go with Huff as well.
Anderson Silva

Huff threw 3 pitches in the strikezone and still managed to walk the hitter on 5 pitches. How’s that even possible?
Wheels

Overbay hasn’t done shit in a long time.
Leg-End

Gallardo on waivers, any chance we got the pieces for him? He’s on a down year with a semi-expensive option for next year and a conditional team option for 2015.

ERA stinks but he can’t be worse than Hughes right?
- Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
  
  I wouldn’t want to commit to him for next year.
  As for pieces to get him, it might be a straight salary dump. I don’t think they’d have to give up much, if they take the contract.
Kramerica Industries

Holy shit you suck Vernon Wells.
Anderson Silva

Wells PH for Gardner? What happened?
- the Real Greg
  
  They brought in a lefty.
  - Anderson Silva
    
    Are you fucking kidding me? He has to be hurt. If he’s not, Girardi needs to be fired ASAP. Taking Gardner out in favor of Wells is officially sabotaging the teams’ chances of winning
    - the Real Greg
      
      It doesn’t feel right but statistically it is the right move.
Wheels

The hell is Wells swinging at?
Leg-End

Brilliant AB Wells, quality stuff.
Joey C

Wells is absolutely worthless. And yet they’ll bring him back next year when he’s even worse.
Joey C

SLEEP WALKING
Kramerica Industries

RHP hit almost .300 against Loup, so seeing back to back strikes in almost effortless fashion is pretty annoying.
the Real Greg

Brett hitting only .239 against lefties with a .305 OBP so the move makes sense statistically.

1-2 with a walk Loup but it is a SSS.

I’m in the middle on that one.
- Rolling Doughnut
  
  Makes binder sense but still. Not comfortable with it.
  - the Real Greg
    
    That’s why I said I was in the middle. Didn’t seem or feel right, but statistically it was sound.
forensic

Stepped away from the TV for a minute, but seriously Wells for Gardner???

Trying to weaken the offense and defense all at once?
- the Real Greg
  
  Check the above stats. They brought in Loup.
  - Wheels
    
    Screw the stats, Wells should never pinch hit for Gardner.
    - the Real Greg
      
      That’s why I’m in the middle with that move. It doesn’t seem right but the data says it is.
  - forensic
    
    I know they brought in Loup. It’s also Vernon freakin’ Wells.
    - the Real Greg
      
      Who is hitting .299 with a .348 OBP against lefties.
      
      2-4 career against Loup, but again SSS.
      - the Real Greg
        
        OPS also in favor of Wells .783 for Wells, .708 for Gardner
        
        Rolling Doughnut
        
        Yep. And in July-Aug he’s at or close to .300 in 100 AB.
        
        the Real Greg
        
        .300/.357/.400 in 100 AB.
        
        Spot on.
your mom

Can Huff take Hughes’ place in the rotation please?
Cy Pettitte

I like when Huff comes in and does that thing where he prevents the other team from running around the bases, unlike Hughes.
- forensic
  
  Hughes doesn’t always let them run around the bases.
  
  Sometimes they jog.
  - Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
    
    Usually they jog.
your mom

Need to rally here. This is the inning!
- trr
  
  I don’t know… I’m not feeling it tonight…
Wheels

Gonna have to win the next two games.
- Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
  
  I don’t know. I don’t think it really matters anymore with the A’s winning. If we lose tonight, I’m calling it.
  - Truther
    
    LOL
    - Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
      
      I don’t see why this is funny. Whether or not I watch the team all the time or HOPE they win or not and whether I think the chance they have is realistic are far from the same thing. And if I change my mind on this point, then I change my mind. So what?
      
      I’m flattered by your obsession with my comments, but it is a bit creepy.
      - Truther
        
        Really funny.
Anderson Silva

another RISP that they will strand
Joey C

Pretty damning effort tonight for a team desperately trying to make the postseason. I know Hughes stunk it up, but the offense looked absolutely listless.
your mom

Well that’s pretty much the game folks. Hughes with another fail today.
Anderson Silva

Beautifully done Alex. Vintage choke job.
- Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
  
  Coming from the man who was knocked out by Chris fucking Weidman.
Rolling Doughnut

Ugly. Hughes sucked but the RISPfail is the killer tonight.
Cy Pettitte

Hughes: 4.2IP 7H 5R 3ER 3BB 3K
Huff: 3.1IP 0H 0ER 1BB 5K

hmm, wonder which one should be starting on a team desperate to make the playoffs.
- Mike
  
  Hughes.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

I know he’ll likely be lousy, but I’m all for Huff getting a chance to replace Hughes. Maybe Hughes can be of some usefulness in the bullpen.
- Crime Dog
  
  Basically this. Something’s gotta be done for the sake of being done. Joe’s been great this year but he really sticks by his guys. Stewart, Wells, Hafner, Hughes, etc… In many of those cases there was nobody to take their spot, but you gotta get Hughes outta there.
  
  Crazy thought: Phil Hughes is younger than David Huff. Remember when Hughes was a promising prospect? Me too.
Kramerica Industries

The St. Louis Cardinals are absolutely unreal at hitting with RISP. I have never seen a team so ridiculously good at doing it, especially Allen Craig. .450 average with RISP/2 outs. Crazy.
Cy Pettitte

They didn’t even put up a fight tonight against a terrible team, Jays pitchers breezed through this game. sickening.
OldYanksFan

Hughes was by no means good, but 2 of those runs were unearned. And another run came on a great pitch, that the batter manages to get a soft liner single on.

But again…. 2 runs. Offense fail.
- Frank
  
  Doesn’t matter. If this game had been in YS, Ichiro’s error wouldn’t have happened since that ball would have been in the seats for a 3 run HR. Hughes just isn’t any good. Bottom line.
Anderson Silva

you PH for and take Gardner out of the game but somehow Ichiro stays for the whole game. Girardi is a fucking dumbass.
- Cy Pettitte
  
  Ichiro has 12,000 hits if you include back through tee ball as you child in Japan. You can’t just take a guy like that out of the line up.
Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Averaging 3 r/g over the last 7 games, 2.25 r/g over the past 4 games. That’s not going to get it done.
(especially on days when Hughes is pitching)
forensic

Well, that sucked.
OldYanksFan

In his 6th year, Huff has a career ERA of 5.31 and a WHIP of 1.55.
What makes you think he will do better then Phil?
- Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)
  
  Over a full season, it’s unlikely he’d do better, and he may very well be worse.
  Over a month, when Huff has looked OK in his last couple of appearances, what’s the harm in taking a shot?
  The added benefit would be Hughes could possibly be useful in the bullpen.
trr

Not a good start to the series.
Gotta win the next 2

GOTTA!
Frank

If Yanks have any chance to make playoffs, they absolutely can’t keep throwing Hughes out there as a starter. Start Warren or Huff but they to try something. Hughes gives them hardly no chance to compete, much less win.
- Rolling Doughnut
  
  Hughes was not as bad as usual tonight. This one’s on the offense, which has been weak the third game of the last Jays series.
  - Frank
    
    Don’t know which game you were watching. But if you believe so, so be it. Watch him this weekend in Baltimore if he starts. He’ll get gang raped.
Humdinger

Thanks for coming up big for us Hughesy…ya POS!!!!!
- Mike
  
  Tell us how you really feel.
Frank

Sucks for Mets. Harvey and Hefner both needing TJ surgery.
Joe

Alex Rodriguez striking out with a runner at 3rd and less than 2 outs shows you exactly how dumb this team is. Sure A Rod can hit his 30 homers, but stats don’t prove he has any baseball IQ. There goes that notion that strikeouts don’t matter especially when it cost the Yankees at least 1 run and possibly more if Granderson’s and A Rod’s at bat resulted in something other than a strikeout. Granderson and A Rod both left at bats on the table where fouling off the 2 strikeout pitches could have resulted in something other than an out being made in their respective at bats in that inning. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, not every bad pitch thrown right down the middle can be hit out for a homerun. This team is just dumb for not realizing this. Hitters may not like it, but sometimes you have to accept shortening up and be willing to take singles on pitch right down the middle. It’s okay to try to swing for a homerun once in a while, but with this team it’s like every single at bat. It’s no wonder why when they don’t hit the homerun they can’t score. Taking long swings every at bat isn’t going to make this offense a better hitting team with RISP. Hitters have to learn to balance taking shorter swings with longer ones.