Game Threads Archives - Page 4 of 332

Game 52: Party like it’s 2010

June 2, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Last night’s win was one of those wins that makes you feel good all day, you know? The Yankees had a tough go of it in Baltimore, but they came out and laid a beating on the Blue Jays early in the series opener. Always nice to see them turn things around so quickly. Hopefully it continues tonight.

Tonight the Yankees have a chance to do something they haven’t done since way back in 2010, and that’s win 32 of their first 52 games. At 31-20, the Yankees currently have their best record through 51 games since that 2010 team also went 31-20. Only three times this century have the Yankees won 32 of their first 52 games: 2002 (34-18), 2004 (33-19), and 2010 (32-20). Pretty cool the Yankees are where they are. Here is the Blue Jays’ lineup and here is the Yankees’ lineup:

The internet tells me it is cool and cloudy in Toronto tonight. I’m not sure whether the Rogers Center roof will be open. Tonight’s game will begin at 7:07pm ET. You can watch on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) was scheduled to hit a little bit today. Joe Girardi said it is unlikely Ellsbury will be activated during this series.

Awards!: Congrats to Judge, who was named AL Rookie of the Month for the second straight month. He’s the first Yankee ever to win the award twice, and he did it back-to-back months. Sanchez won it last August, so Yankees have been named AL Rookie of the Month in three of the last four months. Is that good? That seems good.

Game 51: North of the Border

June 1, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

(Photo Credit: Flickr user James D. Schwartz via Creative Commons license)

For the first time this season, the Yankees are in Toronto to take on the Blue Jays. They’d played in every other AL East ballpark prior to this. The Blue Jays started the season terribly, but they’re playing much better of late, and tonight is their first chance to even their record at .500 since the fourth game of the season. I don’t want that to happen.

Anyway, the Yankees dropped two of three in Baltimore earlier this week, in the first series of this four-series streak against division rivals. The offense has started to come back to life the last few days, so that’s cool. Hopefully it continues tonight. The more runs, the better. Here is the Blue Jays’ lineup and here is the Yankees’ lineup:

The internet tells me the weather is great in Toronto tonight, so the Rogers Centre roof might be open. Tonight’s game will begin at 7:07pm ET. You can watch on YES locally and MLB Network nationally.

Game 50: How about a series win in Baltimore?

May 31, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Yesterday I mentioned the Yankees have not won a series at Camden Yards since September 2014, but I was wrong. They haven’t won a series in Baltimore since September 2013. Yikes. That was ten series ago. The last time the Yankees won a series at Camden Yards, Phil Hughes started the final game. Yeah, it’s been a while.

Tonight the Yankees are looking for a second consecutive strong outing from Masahiro Tanaka following back-to-back disaster games. He was awesome last time out, though the A’s don’t have the most imposing lineup. The Orioles should provide a bit more of a challenge. Just win the series, dudes. Win series and good things will happen. Here is the Orioles’ lineup and here is the Yankees’ lineup:

Another cloudy night in Baltimore, though there’s no (heavy) rain in the forecast. Last night there was a ton of rain in the forecast and it never showed up, so who the hell knows. Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm ET. You can watch on WPIX. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Greg Bird (ankle) played a three-inning simulated game at first base today. He is scheduled to begin an official minor league rehab assignment tomorrow and play six innings with High-A Tampa … Didi Gregorius (hand) is still sore after being hit by a pitch last night. He could have played tonight, but they’re giving him a day to receive treatment and heal up. X-rays last night were negative.

Roster Update: The Yankees have sent down Bryan Mitchell and called up Gio Gallegos, the team announced. Gallegos now takes over as the “pitches once every ten days and everyone wonders why he isn’t throwing more strikes” reliever.

All-Star Game Voting: Earlier today MLB released the first AL All-Star Game voting update. Here are the results. Mike Trout is the league’s leading vote-getter with 776,937 votes. Judge is second with 730,438. Pretty cool. Castro currently has a slim 536-vote lead over Jose Altuve at second base. Holliday (third), Gregorius (fourth), Gary Sanchez (fourth), Headley (fifth), Gardner (11th), and Jacoby Ellsbury (12th) are among the notable vote-getters at their positions. Here’s the All-Star Game ballot.

Game 49: Waiting For The Offense To Come Back

May 30, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Not-so-fun fact: the Yankees have not won a series at Camden Yards since September 2013. How? I mean, you’d think you’d win a series by accident at some point since then, right? But no, the Yankees keep losing series in Baltimore. A loss tonight clinches another series loss in that admitted beautiful ballpark. Pretty annoying, I’d say.

From a big picture standpoint, the bigger concern tonight is getting the offense back on track, not worrying about who wins in what building. The Yankees have scored only 37 runs in their last eleven games, and they scored nine of those 37 runs Sunday afternoon. I miss April, when it felt like the Yankees started each game with a three-run head start. Here is the Orioles’ lineup and here is the Yankees’ lineup:

Now the bad news: there’s rain in the forecast tonight. Not a ton, but enough that it could delay the game in the middle innings. It’s supposed to start sometime around 8pm ET and end around 11pm ET. Yuck. Hopefully it stays away long enough. Tonight’s game is scheduled to start at 7:05pm ET and YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) is feeling better, though he has not yet been cleared by doctors to resume baseball activities.

Game 48: Beat the O’s

May 29, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

This afternoon’s Memorial Day matinee at Camden Yards begins a stretch of 13 games in 14 days against AL East rivals for the Yankees. Two weeks from now, we should have a better idea of their status as a division title contender. The Yankees already have the fourth best postseason odds in the league (by a mile), but give me that division title. Not another wildcard game. This stretch is pretty darn important by late-May/early-June standards.

The Orioles come into this series having lost seven straight games — they’ve been outscored 38-17 in the seven games — and 13 of their last 16 games overall. They are weak and vulnerable right now. The Yankees are catching them at a good time. Then again, intra-AL East games never seem to be easy regardless of the opponent’s record. Just keep winning series. Here is the O’s lineup and here is the Yanks’ lineup:

It is cloudy in Baltimore today, though there’s no rain in the forecast until much later tonight, so the Yankees and Orioles should have no trouble getting this afternoon’s game in. Today’s game will start a bit after 1pm ET and you’ll be able to watch on YES locally and ESPN nationally. Enjoy.

Injury Updates: Aroldis Chapman (shoulder) played catch again today … Greg Bird (ankle) took live batting practice in Tampa. The tentative plan is to get him into minor league rehab games later this week … Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) is still shut down. He has not yet been cleared to resume baseball activities.

Game 47: End of the Homestand

May 28, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Holliday cracks a smile during Saturday's win. (Al Bello/Getty) — Holliday cracks a smile during Saturday’s win. (Al Bello/Getty)

Rain has turned this seven-game homestand into a six-game homestand, and this afternoon’s series finale with the Athletics will determine whether this is a good 4-2 homestand or a disappointing 3-3 homestand. Disappointing given the competition (the A’s and Royals are a combined 43-53) and the starting pitching (1.56 ERA on the homestand). The offense is ruining all the fun.

On the mound this afternoon is Michael Pineda, who, oddly enough, has been the Yankees’ most consistent starting pitcher this season. Who saw that coming? Given the way they’ve been swinging the bats over the last week or so, the Yankees will need Pineda to be sharp once again. Runs figure to be at a premium this afternoon. (Now watch the two teams combine for 27 runs and 39 hits.) Here is the A’s lineup and here is the Yanks’ lineup:

It is cloudy and cool in New York this afternoon, and there’s no rain in the forecast. Not the prettiest baseball weather, but it’ll do. Today’s game is scheduled to begin shortly after 1pm ET. YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Game 46: My Kingdom For Some Runs

May 27, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Over the last five games, dating back to Masahiro Tanaka‘s blowup in Tampa, Yankees starters have allowed six runs (five earned) total in 33.1 innings. None of the five starters allowed more than two runs in their starts. And yet, the Yankees went only (“only”) 3-2 in those five games because the offense is slumping so hard. The Yankees scored only 13 runs in those five games, and they’ve scored only 23 runs in their last eight games. Geez.

Things could turn around in an instant, of course. Tanaka threw literally the two worst starts of his MLB career back-to-back, then bam, he dominated and struck out a career high 13 last night. The offense has scored 13 runs in their last five games and they’re perfectly capable of putting up 13 runs in five innings this afternoon. I hope it happens. Few things in baseball are less enjoyable than a lack of offense. Here is the A’s lineup and here is the Yanks’ lineup:

Not a bad afternoon for baseball in the Bronx. It is cloudy out, but it’s a pleasant 72 degrees and there’s no rain in the forecast. Today’s game will begin a little after 1pm ET. You can watch on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Try to enjoy.

Injury Updates: Aroldis Chapman (shoulder) played catch today for the first time since going on the disabled list. He reported no issues … Greg Bird (ankle) is still on track to head to Tampa tomorrow and begin playing in minor league rehab games. His rehab work has gone well the last few days … Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) is following the concussion protocol and there’s not much he can do right now. He’s shut down until the doctors say he can resume baseball activities.