NY Yankees News, Information & Community

Losing Streak Over: Yanks rally late to demolish Twins

July 1, 2013 by Mike 41 Comments

Ten runs? Ten runs! That’s like, a series worth of runs for this offense. The Yankees scored double-digit runs for the first time since May 10th and just the fourth time overall this season. I missed the bulk of the run scoring — I saw the first and last inning on television, listened to everything else on the radio — but at this point I’m not complaining. Whatever it takes to wake the bats up. The Twins usually do the trick.

Robinson Cano is officially en fuego, following up Sunday night’s homer with two more on Monday, plus he tacked on a double. That is very good news. The Yankees need him to hit like a superstar. Brett Gardner had two hits and Zoilo Almonte had three, but the biggest play of the night was Twins setup man Jared Burton throwing away a pickoff throw and allowing a) the tying run to score from third, and b) Ichiro Suzuki to go first to third with no outs. That set up the game-winning run, though the team tacked in plenty of insurance afterwards.

Ten runs is nice, but Andy Pettitte had a nightmare first inning and a really shaky outing overall. There were a ton of hard-hit balls right at people. It could have been a lot worse than what the box score says, which isn’t anything special anyway: four runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. Andy hasn’t pitched well at all since coming off the DL. On the bright side, he did strike out two batters to move passed Whitey Ford for the franchise strikeout record at 1,958. That’s pretty cool. Congrats to him.

The bullpen held Minnesota to four base-runners in four scoreless innings, striking out five. David Robertson had three of those strikeouts in the eighth. The Yankees piled up 14 hits, their fourth highest total of the season and the fourth time they’ve had double-digit hits in the last six games. It took them 19 games to get their previous four double-digit hit games. Everyone in the starting lineup reached base except David Adams, who is killin’ them softly at the hot corner. They need help at third in the worst way.

And finally, this was the 600th win of Joe Girardi’s managerial career, so congrats to him. Five-hundred and twenty-two of those have come with the Yankees. MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some other stats, and ESPN the updated standings. The Yankees are five back of first place in the AL East and two up on last in the loss column. They’re three back of a wildcard spot. Phil Hughes and Samuel Deduno is your pitching matchup Tuesday night.

Culver homers in River Dogs loss

July 1, 2013 by Mike 40 Comments

RHP Graham Stoneburner has been placed on the DL for an unknown reason, reports Donnie Collins. It might just be a phantom DL thing to clear a roster spot. RHP Kelvin Perez was activated.

Triple-A Scranton (1-0 loss to Pawtucket)

C J.R. Murphy: 0-3, 1 BB — nine walks and nine strikeouts at Triple-A … 41/33 K/BB on the year
RF Fernando Martinez: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K
CF Adonis Garcia: 1-2, 2 BB
LHP David Huff: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 7/2 GB/FB — 65 of 98 pitches were strikes (66%)
RHP Chase Whitley: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2/1 GB/FB — 15 of 26 pitches were strikes (58%)

[Read more…]

Game 82: Crunch Time

July 1, 2013 by Mike 466 Comments

I don’t think it’s a stretch to consider these next 14 games the most important two weeks of the season. The Yankees are stuck playing the Orioles three times next weekend, but the other eleven games are all against the Twins and Royals. The schedule won’t get much more favorable. If they can win nine or ten of these next 14, they’ll remain in the hunt with their injured guys on the horizon. If they lose nine or ten, it’ll probably be time to close up shop and sell at the deadline. Going 7-7 in the 14 games really doesn’t clarify their situation. They either need to win a bunch or lose a bunch.

The first of those eleven against the Twins and Royals is tonight in Minnesota, a place the Yankees typically thrive. They’ve won 12 of the 15 games they’ve played at Target Field since it opened four seasons ago (playoffs included), but those Yankees teams were very different. They could actually score some runs, for starters. History won’t win you anything, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t somewhat comforted by New York’s domination of the Twins over the last decade or so. Here’s the lineup Joe Girardi is running out there against southpaw Scott Diamond:

CF Brett Gardner
SS Jayson Nix
2B Robinson Cano
RF Vernon Wells
DH Travis Hafner
LF Zoilo Almonte
1B Lyle Overbay
C Chris Stewart
3B David Adams

And on the mound is one of four 2010 Willie, Mickey and Duke Award winners, left-hander Andy Pettitte. That mouthful of an award is given annually by the New York Baseball Writers Association to a group of players forever linked in baseball history. Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera took home the honors in 2010.

Perfect baseball weather with no clouds or any threat of rain tonight in the Twins Cities. Because of the whole time zone thing, the game doesn’t begin until a little after 8pm ET. You can watch on YES. Enjoy.

Injury Updates: Jeter (ankle) has started running the bases … Frankie Cervelli (hand) has started taking batting practice … Curtis Granderson (hand) is still limited to playing catch. He can’t swing a bat yet.

7/1-7/4 Series Preview: Minnesota Twins

July 1, 2013 by Mike 51 Comments

Joe West gives zero f**ks. (Leon Halip/Getty)

Whenever the Yankees have needed a few wins over the years — and they certainly need a few right now — they could always count on the Twins. New York has won 67 of 87 (!) games against Minnesota during the Ron Gardenhire era (including playoffs), and four of those 20 losses came against in-his-prime Johan Santana. The Bombers are also 12-3 at Target Field, which is where these four games will be played. Hopefully the domination continues.

What Have They Done Lately?
The Twinkies just split a four-game series against the Royals and have won just three of their last nine games. They sit in fourth place in the AL Central at 36-42 with a -28 run differential.

Offense
At 4.2 runs per game with a team 97 wRC+, the Twins are pretty close to a league average offense. They are currently without CF Aaron Hicks (57 wRC+), OF Darin Mastroianni (51 wRC+), and OF Wilkin Ramirez (57 wRC+), all of whom are on the DL and will not return in time for this series. OF Josh Willingham (113 wRC+) has been dealing with a knee issue and is day-to-day. He should return at some point this week if not tonight.

As usual, the centerpiece of the Minnesota offense is C Joe Mauer (144 wRC+), who quietly continues to be one of the best hitters in the world. 1B Justin Morneau (107 wRC+) is still productive even if he isn’t the hitter he once was. Rookie OF Oswaldo Arcia (126 wRC+) has had a nice start to his big league career and 3B Trevor Plouffe (118 wRC+) has bounced back well after missing time with concussion and leg issues earlier this year. OF Clete Thomas (115 wRC+ in limited time) has stepped in as the leadoff hitter with Hicks on the DL and DH Ryan Doumit (92 wRC+) has been his typically okay but not great self.

The rest of the lineup is a bit of a mixed bag. OF Chris Parmelee (91 wRC+) has some power and SS Pedro Florimon (71 wRC+) has some speed while IF Brian Dozier (87 wRC+) has a little of both. IF Eduardo Escobar (69 wRC+) and IF Jamey Carroll (46 wRC+) round out the lot of position players. The Twins are currently using a three-man bench even with Willingham banged up.

Starting Pitching Matchups

Monday: LHP Andy Pettitte vs. LHP Scott Diamond
The Twins struck Rule 5 Draft gold with the 26-year-old Diamond in 2011 — technically, they traded for his rights in Spring Training that year and didn’t have to jump through the Rule 5 hoops — as he pitched to a 3.54 ERA (3.94 FIP) in 27 starts a year ago. He opened this season on the DL after having offseason surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, and he’s since posted a 5.40 ERA (4.48 FIP) in 14 starts. His walk (1.88 BB/9 and 4.9 BB%) rate is excellent and he gets plenty of grounders (47.8%), but he misses no bats (4.23 K/9 and 11.0 K%) and will give up the long ball (1.17 HR/9 and 10.8% HR/FB). Diamond is the pitch-to-contact philosophy personified. He’ll throw his upper-80s four-seam fastball almost two-thirds of the time, using it to set up his low-80s curveball and changeup. It’s worth noting he’s had a reverse platoon split during his entire big league career. The Yankees didn’t see Diamond at all last year, but they crushed him for five runs on ten hits in a four-inning start in 2011.

Tuesday: RHP Phil Hughes vs. RHP Sam Deduno
Deduno, who turns 30 tomorrow, was called up a few weeks ago and has pitched to a 3.32 ERA (3.79 FIP) in seven starts. His strikeout rate (4.98 K/9 and 13.0 K%) is terrible, but he limits walks (2.91 BB/9 and 7.6 BB%) and doesn’t give up any homers (0.42 HR/9 and 6.9% HR/FB) because he gets a freakin’ ton of ground balls (60.7%). That’s not just a small sample size thing, he has a 59.0% career ground ball rate in parts of four big league seasons. Deduno lives off his low-90s four-seamer and cutter, but he also throws a ton of low-80s curveballs and a handful of low-80s changeups. It’s worth noting he has a decent-sized reverse platoon split — lefties have gotten him for a .307 wOBA in his career, righties a .351 wOBA — which might have to do with the cutter. Deduno started a game against the Yankees late last year, but he was forced from the game after just 1.2 scoreless innings with an eye issue.

Wednesday: LHP CC Sabathia vs. RHP P.J. Walters
The Twins have really had to scrape the bottom of the pitching barrel this year. The 28-year-old Walters has a 6.03 ERA (5.24 FIP) in seven starts, and he comes with the low strikeout rate (4.98 K/9 and 11.8 K%) required of all Minnesota starters. He doesn’t really limit walks (3.93 BB/9 and 9.3 BB%) and he has been homer prone (1.31 HR/9 and 11.6% HR/FB) because he doesn’t get a ton of grounders (42.4%). A trio of upper-80s fastballs — two-seamer, four-seamer, cutter — set up a mid-70s slider that he throws more than 30% of the time. He’ll use a low-80s changeup on occasion. Walters has never faced the Yankees despite spending parts of each of the last five seasons in the show.

Thursday: RHP David Phelps vs. RHP Kyle Gibson
Minnesota called up their top pitching prospect last week, and he held Kansas City to two runs in six innings while striking out five and walking zero. A fine debut, to be sure. Before the call-up, the 25-year-old Gibson had a 3.11 ERA (2.96 FIP) in 15 Triple-A starts with good peripherals: 7.67 K/9 (21.3 K%), 2.72 BB/9 (7.6 BB%), 0.39 HR/9, and 58% grounders. He works primarily off a low-90s four-seamer that sets the stage for his mid-80s changeup and nasty low-80s slider. That’s the pitch that got him drafted 22nd overall in the 2009 draft. Obviously the Yankees have never faced Gibson before, but I suppose it’s worth noting Zoilo Almonte and David Adams saw him in Triple-A back in April.

Bullpen Status
The Royals roughed up Kevin Correia yesterday, so Gardenhire had to get four innings from his bullpen. Closer LHP Glen Perkins (1.88 FIP) did not pitch but setup man RHP Jared Burton (3.91 FIP) did. Long man RHP Ryan Pressly (3.27 FIP) threw two innings and middle man RHP Josh Roenicke (5.22 FIP) threw one as well. LHP Brian Duensing (2.95 FIP) and LHP Caleb Thielbar (2.74 FIP) are the matchup guys while RHP Anthony Swarzak (3.25 FIP) and RHP Casey Fien (3.09 FIP) round out the eight-man bullpen. It’s a sneaky good pen. Not great, but effective.

The Yankees are in good shape as far as their relievers go, and in fact we’ve reached the point where Mariano Rivera and David Robertson need get some work in. Neither guy has pitched since last Tuesday, and Rivera hasn’t even warmed up since then. Robertson warmed up on Wednesday, that’s it. Check out our Bullpen Workload page for exact recent reliever usage details. For the latest and greatest on the Twins, check out Twinkie Town and Aaron Gleeman.

A-Rod will begin minor league rehab assignment tomorrow

July 1, 2013 by Mike 79 Comments

Alex Rodriguez will begin a minor league rehab assignment with Low-A Charleston tomorrow, the Yankees announced. He is scheduled to play a minimum of three innings. It’s supposed to rain in Tampa basically all week, which is why he’s being sent out of town.

Because he missed Spring Training, I have to think they’ll use the entire 20-day rehab window. That puts A-Rod on schedule to return just after the All-Star break, assuming no setbacks. That’s not the safest of assumptions, as we’ve learned this year. Still, great news. Even a diminished Alex is the team’s best right-handed hitter by a mile.

Possible Trade Partner: Philadelphia Phillies

July 1, 2013 by Mike 166 Comments

The Yankees are in a very dangerous place right now. Their glut of injured players are due to start returning in 2-3 weeks, but the current roster simply isn’t good and the team is fading fast. They’ve lost five straight and 21 of 33, falling to 6.5 games back of the Red Sox for first place on the AL East. They’re four back of a wildcard spot. It’s a deficit they can still erase with 81 games to play.

The re-injuries to Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis (and Curtis Granderson to a lesser extent) should keep the Yankees from relying on the injured players too much. Even when guys start coming off the DL, there’s no guarantee they’ll help the offense. Heck, there’s no guarantee the team will even be close enough to the race for the lineup additions to matter. The season is half over and the Yankees need to start improving the offense — the time for patience has come and gone. They need help and they need it right now.

Over the last few days, we’ve heard them connected to both infielder Michael Young and catcher Carlos Ruiz. Those two aren’t the only Phillies who fit with New York though. In fact, the Fightin’s are a great trade match for the Yankees, and I’m not talking about Brian Cashman’s white whale (Cliff Lee) either. Here are a few more fits.

IF Chase Utley
Once one of the very best players in all the land, age and injuries have reduced Utley to a merely above-average player. He’s hitting .284/.348/.517 (138 wRC+) on the year, and that is broken down into a 144 wRC+ against righties and a 123 wRC+ against lefties. The rebound against southpaws is nice to see after a few years of below-average production. Utley is a left-handed power hitter who draws walks (8.5%) and doesn’t strike out much (14.7%), and it’s worth noting that he’s also one of the very best base-runners in the game. I’m not necessarily talking about bulk stolen base totals, but being a high-percentage base-stealer and going first-to-third on singles, stuff like that.

Utley is owed approximately $7.5M through the end of the year and is due to become a free agent after the season, so he isn’t exactly easy on the wallet. He is cheap relative to his production, however. The Yankees are being reimbursed for a big portion of Mark Teixeira’s salary by … someone. Either the World Baseball Classic or insurance, depending on who you believe. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter who pays them back. It’s a big amount of saved salary that will more than cover the last few months of Utley’s contract. The money really isn’t the problem.

The Yankees have no need for a second baseman and Utley tried and failed to transition to third before the season, but first base is a viable alternative. He played a handful of games at the position earlier in his career, so it wouldn’t be completely foreign to him. Lyle Overbay turned into a pumpkin sometime in mid-May and Utley would be a fantastic replacement. Playing first would require an adjustment though, an adjustment and his willingness. Utley has ten-and-five rights and can veto any trade, so he’d have to be okay with leaving from the only team he’s ever known for the Yankees at a time when more legitimate contenders like the Orioles, Athletics, and hometown Dodgers figure to show some interest as well.

For what it’s worth, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Ryan Lawrence he would be open to moving Utley if the circumstances dictate a trade. “Even though he might be the most popular player, if there are things we have to do with some of these popular players that are going to make our club better, then we have to keep our minds open,” he said.

IF Kevin Frandsen
With all due respect to certified baseball player Jayson Nix, the 31-year-old Frandsen is a way better utility infielder. He’s a career .269/.328/.372 (88 wRC+) hitter in the big leagues but has found a home in Philadelphia, hitting .320/.382/.448 (129 wRC+) since joining the Phillies last year. The right-handed hitter does most of his damage against lefties (169 wRC+), which fits well with New York’s needs. Frandsen won’t steal bases or draw walks (5.5%), but he won’t strike out either (9.0%). Even if he has been playing over his head these last two years, he’d still be an upgrade over Nix if he reverts back to his career averages.

Frandsen plays first, second, and third bases regularly, but he hasn’t seen time at shortstop since 2009 and has only played there sparingly as a big leaguer. He has played short in the minors over the years — 25 games there as recently as 2011 — so it’s not something that is completely off the table. In fact, he’s played short about as often as Nix did prior to coming to the Yankees. Frandsen is a flat-out better player than Nix and would be an upgrade to the bench even if all the healthy guys return perfectly fine. As an added bonus, he is under team control as an arbitration-eligible player through 2015.

OF/1B John Mayberry Jr.
Mayberry, 29, became a platoon darling after cracking Philadelphia’s roster full-time three years ago. He’s a righty bat who’s hit .278/.302/.490 (116 wRC+) against lefties this year with a 130 wRC+ against them the last three years, basically since breaking into the league for good. His numbers against right-handers — 102 wRC+ this year and 91 wRC+ since 2011 — aren’t great, but they aren’t disastrous. Mayberry will draw some walks (7.7%) and he will strike out a bit (21.6%), which isn’t surprising.

Despite his size — he’s listed at 6-foot-6 and 225 lbs. on the team’s official site — Mayberry is a really good athlete who can legitimately play center field as well as the corners. He’s not a great defender in the center, but he can do it. Mayberry has also spent a bunch of time at first base, making him an ideal platoon candidate. He could partner with Overbay (or Utley!) or the outfielders on any given day depending on who else is in the lineup. Mayberry will be arbitration-eligible for the first time next year and remains under team control through 2016.

* * *

It’s hard not to dream about a blockbuster trade that sends Young, Ruiz, Utley, Frandsen, and Mayberry to the Yankees. That would shore up the corner infield spots, the catcher position, and bench in one fell swoop. Trades that big are complicated though, plus the Phillies have yet to decide to sell. They seem very tentative at the moment, but remember, they took the plunge and traded away Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence at the deadline last year. They made be tentative, but they have shown they will do it.

As for the asking prices … who really knows. They traded Victorino and Pence for prospects and okay young-ish big leaguers, but that doesn’t mean the same will be true this year. One thing I do know is that they won’t want rental players like Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. That defeats the purpose of selling. Adam Warren? Ivan Nova? Zoilo Almonte? The Phillies always target toolsy up-the-middle athletes in the draft, so would Mason Williams or Angelo Gumbs pique their interest? We have no way of knowing. All we do know is that the Yankees have a ton of position player needs and Philadelphia has several players who would fill those holes.

Fan Confidence Poll: July 1st, 2013

July 1, 2013 by Mike 128 Comments

Record Last Week: 1-5 (17 RS, 32 RA)
Season Record: 42-39 (310 RS, 326 RA, 38-43 pythag. record), 6.5 GB ALE/ 4.0 GB WC
Opponents This Week: @ Twins (four games, Mon. to Thurs.), vs. Orioles (three games, Fri. to Sun.)