ByIf you are going to spend only 5 minutes online today, spend it reading Buster Olney’s indispensable ESPN blog. We all get caught up in stuff and radar readings and the hype surrounding young pitchers, but the cold hard truth is that baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical, as Yogi said. Check it out.
Update (12:03pm): Sorry folks, didn’t realize this was Insider only. · (3) ·
ByPosted by mobile phone:
For Scranton, that is. While the Yanks can expand their roster on Monday, the team has announced, for now, that Sidney Ponson will face the Tigers in Detroit, that Phil Hughes will pitch in AAA, and that Al Aceves will continue to just sit there while Rasner and Ponson struggle. I just have to hope that, at some point soon, the Yanks will replace these tried, true and tired arms they send to the mound two out of every five days with some other pitchers who might be able to get a few more outs. · (13) ·
IPK helps Scranton to the division title
By · CommentsTriple-A Scranton (8-6 win over Rochester in 10 innings) the win clinched the North Division title
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 BB
Melky: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI – scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error
Juan Miranda, Ben Broussard & Bernie Castro: all 0 for 3 – Miranda drew a walk, drove in a run, scored another & K’ed … Broussard drew a walk & K’ed
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 5, 1 K
Nick Green: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 E (both throwing)
Eric Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Chris Stewart: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K – quitely hitting .280 with a .725+ OPS
Ian Kennedy: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 1 WP, 4-6 GB/FB – 70 of 102 pitches were strikes (68.6%) … now there’s the IPK we all know and love
Phil Coke: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 11 of 14 pitches were strikes (78.6%)
Mark Melancon: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 3-1 GB/FB – 21 of 31 pitches were strikes (67.7%) … rare struggles
Scott Strickland: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
My RAB Fantasy Football League team
By · CommentsDuring the Yanks’ game today we held the draft for the first ever RAB Fantasy Football League. It’s a ridiculously deep league, 20 teams total, but the draft flew by in a cool 2 hours. Most of the teams were present, I’d say at least a dozen or so. The later rounds were brutal, the definition of slim pickin’s. Cedric Benson and Shaun Alexander both got drafted, that’s how bad it was.
I had the 17th pick in the scissor style draft, so all the super-elite RB’s were long gone by time I picked. Anywho, here’s my squad, with draft round in parenthesis:
QB: Vince Young, TEN (7)
RB: Ryan Grant, GB (1)
RB: Brandon Jacobs, NYG (2)
WR: Calvin Johnson, DET (3)
WR: Kevin Walter, HOU (8)
WR/RB: Rashard Mendenhall, PIT (4)
TE: Todd Heap, BAL (5)
D/ST: San Diego (6)
K: Jason Hanson, DET (11)
BN: Kevin Faulk, RB, NE (9)
BN: Mike Pittman, RB, DEN (14)
BN: Antwaan Randle El, WR, WAS (10)
BN: Dennis Northcutt, WR, JAC (13)
BN: Joe Jurevicius, WR, CLE (15)
BN: Chad Pennington, QB (12)
Honestly, I’m pretty happy with my team. Grant, Jacobs & Mendenhall are about as good a RB trio as I could have hoped for in a league this deep, and I can’t really complain about having Faulk as my number 4. I’m banking on Calvin Johnson continuing to expand on his superfreakdom, and I’m hoping Walter’s breakout last year was legit. If not, then I’m kinda screwed.
I was all set to take Jeff Garcia as my QB, but someone grabbed him a few picks before me, so I had to settle for Young. Pennington’s insurance, if nothing else. Not great, not horrific either. Todd Heap is Todd Heap, but someone grabbed Dustin Keller before I could get him for the bench. Baltimore’s bye week isn’t until Week 10, so I have time to grab someone off waivers.
The Chargers’ D is arguably the best in the business even with the question marks surrounding Merriman, so I was comfortable grabbing them in the 6th round. They don’t have a buy week until Week 9, so I can grab someone’s scraps to fill-in that week. Jason Hanson’s a good kicker, so I figured what the heck.
Like I said, I’m happy. That is until injury strikes.
Game 135: Lots of runs, please
By · CommentsJohn Parrish vs Darrell Rasner.
That about sums it up. I’m hoping for about 10 runs from the lineup, 5 innings out of Rasner, then 4 more out of Aceves. Let’s get it done.
1. Damon, CF
2. Jeter, SS
3. Abreu, RF
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. Giambi, 1B – ZOMG, BUT TEH LEFTIE!!11!1
6. Nady, LF
7. Matsui, DH
8. Cano, 2B
9. Pudge, C
And on the mound, Waiver Claim Rasner.
Notes: Clay Buchholz Loves Laptops interviewed blogging HOFer Chad Jennings, make sure you check it out … Derek Jeter’s retirement plan includes being a lazy bum … during the game the RAB Fantasy Football League draft will be held, I’ll post my roster later today
Two runs enough for Pavano and pen
By · CommentsPosted by mobile phone:
If the Yanks are to make an improbable run to October this year, if they are to overcome a six-game gap with just one month of the season left, they’re going to need contributions from three key players. Tonight, those players delivered.
We’ll start with Jason Giambi. The Giambino had, until recently it seems, been slumping badly. His offense since the All Star Break has disappeared, and as he heads into free agency, the Yanks are going to have to decide on his future. They need him to come through in big spots, and over the last few days, he has.
Giambi has now driven in three of the Yanks’ last four runs. He’s also delivered what would be game-winning RBIs in both of the last two contests. The Yanks need this lefty force in the middle of the lineup. Tonight, he came through.
Up next is the second baseman. This year has not been a banner year for Robinson Cano. An early-season slump put him in a big hole, and he still hasn’t really put together a sustained run as he did during the second half of 2007. Tonight, Cano picked up two hits, and while they were largely incidental to the game, those hits are good signs.
With the Yanks generating no offense from their catcher spot, they need Cano to have a hot September. It’s tough to overstate how much better the Yanks are when Cano hits as Cano can.
And finally, in the third spot is a pitcher. It is of course none other than Carl Pavano. We know his tortured Yankee history. We don’t know what Pavano can do for a month if healthy. Perhaps tonight, we glimpsed an omen of good things to come.
For six innings, Pavano kept the Jays’ hitters off balance. While he left a few pitches up, he allowed just three hits and one run on a walk and a strike out. The Jays put the ball in play, but nothing came of it. Somehow, on August 30, Carl Pavano is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA.
Who knows really if Pavano can keep this up? But with Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson running a high-wire act every time out, the Yanks need stability in the rotation. Maybe Pavano, pitching for his pride and a new contract, can, for a month, give the Yanks that. It’s the least he could do all things considered.
For one night, Pavano delivered, the Yanks scored just enough off of A.J. Burnett, and the bullpen held the game. For one night, the Yanks are still alive, hoping to stave off the inevitible.
Trenton walks off, Tampa gets walked on
By · CommentsTriple-A Scranton (9-3 loss to Rochester)
Justin Christian: 1 for 5, 1 R
Melky, Nick Green & Chad Moeller: all 0 for 3 – Melk drew a walk, scored a run & K’ed … Green drew a walk, drove in a run, scored another & missed a catch for an error … Moeller drove in a run
Juan Miranda: 2 for 3, 1 2B
Shelley: 0 for 2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
Ben Broussard & Chris Basak: both 0 for 4 – Broussard K’ed
Eric Duncan: 2 for 4, 1 K
Victor Zambrano: 4 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 6-4 GB/FB – 50 of 87 pitches were strikes (57.5%) … can’t get Kazmir anymore, gonna have to settle for Jamie Shields instead
Scott Patterson: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2-1 GB/FB – 23 of 40 pitches were strikes (57.5%)
Scott Strickland: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Steven Jackson: 1 IP, zeroes, 1 K
Game 134: Better late than never
By · CommentsEnjoy the game y’all.
1. Damon, CF
2. Jeter, SS
3. Abreu, RF
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. Giambi, 1B
6. Nady, LF
7. Matsui, DH
8. Cano, 2B
9. Pudge, C
And on the mound, Carl “hey look, he didn’t miss a start” Pavano.
