River Avenue Blues

River Ave. Blues ยป Game Threads

Game 41: Rainy D.C.

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(Presswire)

For the first time this season, the Yankees are heading over to the land of no DH. Tonight they start a quick two-game series in Washington and hey, this might be a World Series preview. The Yankees and Nationals are both very good, and if they qualify for the postseason, anything can happen. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. There’s a lot of season remaining.

Both the Yankees and Nationals come into this series playing very well. The Yankees are 19-3 in their last 22 games whereas the Nationals are 13-2 in their last 15 games. They just swept four games from the first place Diamondbacks in Arizona. Of course, the Yankees have played the majority of those last 22 games against very good teams, so they’re up for the challenge. Here are the starting lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Aaron Hicks
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. LF Giancarlo Stanton
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. SS Didi Gregorius
6. 1B Tyler Austin
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. RHP Masahiro Tanaka
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

Washington Nationals
1. SS Trea Turner
2. RF Bryce Harper
3. 3B Anthony Rendon
4. LF Matt Adams
5. 2B Howie Kendrick
6. 1B Mark Reynolds
7. CF Andrew Stevenson
8. C Pedro Severino
9. LHP Gio Gonzalez

Aaron Boone’s a “hit the pitcher eighth” guy, eh? Well, anyway, the weather forecast in Washington is a problem. There are on and off thunderstorms in the forecast pretty much all night, so we could be in for a delay(s) at some point. Sure hope not. Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on YES. Enjoy the game.

Roster Move: Welcome back, Red Thunder. Clint Frazier has been called up and David Hale has been designated for assignment, the Yankees announced. They now have a seven-man bullpen and four-man bench. Well, five-man bench this series, because of whole no DH thing.

Game 40: How about a Mother’s Day win?

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(Jim McIsaac/Getty)

Despite the shame of back-to-back losses a few days ago, the Yankees are wrapping up another very successful homestand today. They’ve gone 6-2 in the first eight games, so today will determine whether this is a great 7-2 homestand or merely a very good 6-3 homestand. Hard to complain about the way things are going right now. (Even though plenty of folks seem to be giving it their best.)

The bullpen is a mess right now after those last few games, so good thing Luis Severino is on the mound today, because he’s pretty much the only starter the Yankees can count on to pitch deep into the game. Tomorrow is an off-day and it sure would be swell to give all the regular late-inning relievers two straight days off. The offense scoring a boatload of runs would help. Win a blowout, dudes. Do it for mom on Mother’s Day. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. CF Aaron Hicks
7. 1B Tyler Austin
8. 3B Miguel Andujar
9. 2B Ronald Torreyes

RHP Luis Severino

Oakland Athletics
1. SS Marcus Semien
2. LF Matt Joyce
3. 2B Jed Lowrie
4. DH Khris Davis
5. 1B Matt Olson
6. 3B Matt Chapman
7. RF Mark Canha
8. C Jonathan Lucroy
9. CF Dustin Fowler

LHP Brett Anderson

The weather forecast has cleared up a little bit, but not much. There is rain in the forecast throughout the afternoon and evening. Hopefully they can play through it, otherwise the A’s are going to have to come back to New York for a makeup game at some point. Today’s game is scheduled to start just after 1pm ET and YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Update (12:22pm ET): The game will not start on time, the Yankees say. The rain isn’t supposed to let up anytime soon, so I don’t think the chances of playing today are all that good.

Update (2:53pm ET): The Yankees say first pitch is scheduled for 3:45pm ET. Make sure you have a lead after the top of the fourth, boys.

Game 39: Domingo on a Saturday

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(Presswire)

The Yankees have lost back-to-back games for the first time in a month, which is pretty annoying, but it was bound to happen at some point. Can’t go 17-3 in a 20-game span without the three. Anyway, the Yankees are the only team in baseball yet to lose three straight games at some point this season. Every other team has done it at least once already. It would be cool to avoid the year’s first three-game losing streak this afternoon.

On the mound today is rookie righty Domingo German, who was masterful in his first MLB start last weekend, tossing six no-hit innings against the Indians. Little Sunday has high-end stuff and he mixed his pitches well — he threw 25 fastballs, 35 curveballs, and 24 changeups last week. He throws hard but doesn’t live off his fastball. Fun to watch. Here’s to another good outing for German. Here are the starting lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. DH Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. RF Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. CF Aaron Hicks
7. 1B Neil Walker
8. 3B Miguel Andujar
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Domingo German

Oakland Athletics
1. SS Marcus Semien
2. LF Matt Joyce
3. 2B Jed Lowrie
4. DH Khris Davis
5. 1B Matt Olson
6. 3B Matt Chapman
7. CF Dustin Fowler
8. RF Mark Canha
9. C Bruce Maxwell

RHP Andrew Triggs

The weather stinks today. It is chilly in New York and it was raining this morning, and it’s going to rain again later this afternoon. The rain is supposed to start back up around 5pm ET or so. That should be enough of a window to get the game in. Fingers crossed. This afternoon’s game will begin a little after 1pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network out of market. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Tommy Kahnle (shoulder, biceps) and Adam Warren (lat) are going to Tampa tomorrow to continue their rehab. Kahnle threw his second bullpen session today and Warren is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session Monday … Brandon Drury (migraines) has started wearing yellow-tinted glasses at the plate because his vision gets “very blurry” at night, according to DJ Eberle. Drury said he liked the way they brightened things up for him. Aaron Boone indicated the glasses are more of a temporary measure than a long-term solution.

Game 38: Gray vs. A’s

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(Elsa/Getty)

Even with last night’s loss, the Yankees totally aced what was, on paper, their toughest stretch of the season. They went 18-3 in consecutive games against the Blue Jays, Twins, Angels, Astros, Indians, and Red Sox. Basically the six best non-Yankees teams in the American League. Going 12-9 or 13-8 during that stretch would’ve been cool. The Yankees went 18-3. Pretty great.

Of course, going 18-3 against those six teams does not mean the Yankees can rest on their laurels. The Athletics are in town for a three-game series this weekend and while they’ve lost three straight games and seven of their last eleven games, they are perfectly capable of making like miserable for the Yankees. The schedule does get easier now. The games won’t win themselves though.

Tonight, Sonny Gray gets to face his former team for the first time, and the same applies to Dustin Fowler. Those two were traded for each other last year. Fowler successfully rehabbed his knee injury, spent a few weeks in Triple-A to start the season, and was called up earlier this week. I hope he does well against every team except the Yankees. Hard not to root for Fowler after what he went through. Here are the starting lineups.

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. CF Aaron Hicks
6. 1B Neil Walker
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. C Austin Romine
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Sonny Gray

Oakland Athletics
1. SS Marcus Semien
2. LF Matt Joyce
3. 2B Jed Lowrie
4. DH Khris Davis
5. 1B Matt Olson
6. 3B Matt Chapman
7. C Jonathan Lucroy
8. RF Mark Canha
9. CF Dustin Fowler

RHP Kendall Graveman

It is cool and cloudy in New York today, and there is rain in the forecast later tonight. Much later tonight, so it won’t be a problem for the game. Tomorrow’s game though? That’s another matter. Anyway, tonight’s game will begin at 7:05pm ET, and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Tommy Kahnle (shoulder, biceps) could rejoin the Yankees at the end of the upcoming road trip, according to Aaron Boone. That puts him about two weeks away … Brandon Drury (migraines) is progressing but is not yet where he needs to be. His 20-day rehab window ends Tuesday, so the Yankees will have to make a decision about activating him or pulling him off rehab pretty soon here … Greg Bird (ankle) and Billy McKinney (shoulder) will have their rehab assignments moved up to Double-A Trenton next week.

Game 37: Sabathia for the Sweep

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(Getty)

It is May 10th, the Yankees are not yet one-quarter of the way through the 2018 season, and here they are trying to win nine straight games for the second time this year. Incredible. The Yankees are 17-1 in their last 18 games and they’ve played those 18 games against the best non-Yankees teams in the American League. What a run this is.

CC Sabathia is on the mound tonight trying to clinch the sweep — the Red Sox have hit .227/.283/.367 (73 wRC+) against southpaws this season, I should note — and gosh, I could really go for a blowout win. So could the bullpen. Don’t get me wrong, all these comeback wins are awesome. A nice stress-free blowout win would be cool though. Score runs early, let the big man and B-team relievers take it home. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. LF Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. 1B Tyler Austin
7. DH Miguel Andujar
8. 2B Gleyber Torres
9. 3B Ronald Torreyes

LHP CC Sabathia

Boston Red Sox
1. CF Mookie Betts
2. LF Andrew Benintendi
3. DH Hanley Ramirez
4. RF J.D. Martinez
5. SS Xander Bogaerts
6. 1B Mitch Moreland
7. 2B Eduardo Nunez
8. 3B Rafael Devers
9. C Christian Vazquez

LHP Eduardo Rodriguez

It is cool and cloudy in the Bronx tonight and the internet tells me there is some rain in the forecast later on. Hopefully it’s nothing that delays the game. These Yankees vs. Red Sox games are long enough as it is. Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on WPIX locally and MLB Network out of market. Enjoy the game.

Game 36: Looking For Eight Wins In A Row

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(Mike Stobe/Getty)

Sixteen wins in 17 games! The Yankees have not done something like this since way back in 1953. The last few wins haven’t been easy, but the Yankees are rolling right now, and it sure is a lot of fun. Could really go for a blowout win though. Don’t get me wrong, close wins are fun in their own way. A few big innings and an easy game for the bullpen would be appreciated tonight.

Masahiro Tanaka’s overall season numbers are underwhelming (4.39 ERA and 3.81 FIP), but he’s strung together back-to-back-to-back strong starts, and he looks more like the good version of Tanaka we’ve seen over the years. The pitching has been exceptional during the 16-1 streak. The Yankees have a 2.06 (2.54 FIP) during these 17 games. Pretty great. Keep it going tonight, fellas. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. CF Aaron Hicks
7. 1B Neil Walker
8. 3B Miguel Andujar
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Masahiro Tanaka

Boston Red Sox
1. CF Mookie Betts
2. LF Andrew Benintendi
3. DH Hanley Ramirez
4. RF J.D. Martinez
5. SS Xander Bogaerts
6. 1B Mitch Moreland
7. 2B Eduardo Nunez
8. 3B Rafael Devers
9. C Sandy Leon

RHP Rick Porcello

Nice weather in New York today. Good night to be at the park. Tonight’s game will begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and ESPN nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: Tommy Kahnle (shoulder, biceps) threw all his pitches in a 20-pitch bullpen session this afternoon, his first time throwing off a mound since being placed on the disabled list. He said everything went well and he’s on track to return sometime this month … Greg Bird (ankle) will begin an official minor league rehab assignment with High-A Tampa tomorrow. The rehab assignment can run as long as 20 days.

Game 35: Rivalry Renewed

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(Presswire)

A well-earned off-day is in the books and the Yankees are back at it tonight with the first of three against the Red Sox. First place is on the line with week, though it is only May 8th, and there are 120-something games to play after this series, so let’s not go overboard with the importance of this three-game set. Still, every head-to-head win the Yankees can bank now is a win they don’t need later.

Coming into tonight the Red Sox (25-9) and Yankees (24-10) have the two best records in baseball, and this is the first time these two teams are meeting with the two best records in baseball since June 2002. Been a while, eh? Pretty cool. It’s good for baseball when the Yankees and Red Sox are both good at the same time. The rivalry had gone stale in recent years. How about a move into first place tonight? Sounds good. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. CF Aaron Hicks
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. 1B Tyler Austin
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Luis Severino

Boston Red Sox
1. RF Mookie Betts
2. LF Andrew Benintendi
3. 1B Hanley Ramirez
4. DH J.D. Martinez
5. SS Xander Bogaerts
6. 3B Rafael Devers
7. 2B Eduardo Nunez
8. CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
9. C Christian Vazquez

LHP Drew Pomeranz

It is a wonderful May night for baseball. A little chilly but the sky is clear. Tonight’s series opener will begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Greg Bird (ankle) played in an Extended Spring Training game yesterday and everything is going well. Aaron Boone said the Yankees expect to assign Bird to an affiliate for an official minor league rehab assignment “any day now” … Jacoby Ellsbury (oblique, hip, foot) has been sick the last few days and is doing light baseball activities. Playing in rehab games is still “a little ways off,” according to Boone.

Red Sox Rotation Update: David Price (scared of the Yankees) will not make his scheduled start tomorrow, the Red Sox announced. In all seriousness, Price is experiencing numbness in his fingers and is going back to Boston for tests. He exited his start against the Yankees last month with the same issue. Rick Porcello will start tomorrow and Eduardo Rodriguez will start Thursday.