ByCarl Pavano last lost a game three years, two months and 17 days ago. I guess he was bound to lose one at some point. That’s about the only nice — albeit sarcastic — thing I can say about tonight’s embarrassing 12-1 loss in Anaheim. And as I’ve always learned, if it’s 1:15 a.m. and you don’t have anything nice to say, just go to bed. So feel free to vent away, just as Pudge did when he attempted to but failed to egg on Vladimir Guerrero. · (65) ·
SI Yanks drop Game One
By · CommentsTriple-A Scranton begins the quest for the Governor’s Cup tomorrow. Chase Wright will take on some kid named David Price in Game 1 of the best-of-five series against the Durham Bulls. Check out those pitching matchups, that’s as good as it gets. I just wished they’d flip Igawa & Hughes, that way Phil’s guaranteed to make another start (he’d be on regular rest).
Double-A Trenton takes on the Akron Aeros (Indians) tomorrow in a rematch of last year’s Eastern League Championship Series. The Aeros will be without a rehabbing Travis Hafner as well as their ace Scott Lewis. Eric Hacker gets the ball in Game 1.
High-A Tampa’s season is over, they did not qualify for the playoffs. The Daytona Cubs lead the Fort Myers Miracle (Twins) 2-1 in the best-of-five Florida State League Championship Series.
Low-A Charleston’s season is over, they did not qualify for the playoffs. The Augusta Green Jackets (Giants) lead the West Virginia Power (Brewers) 1-0 in the best-of-five South Atlantic League Championship series.
Short Season Staten Island (10-7 loss to Jamestown) Jamestown leads the best-of-three series 1-0 … Jon Albaladejo will start Game 2 tomorrow with Jeremy Bleich likely to relieve him after he gets his work in
Addison Maruszack (17): 4 for 5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB
David Adams (3): 3 for 5, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E (throwing) – if your 1-2 hitters get on base a combined 7 times and no one drives them in even once, you deserve to lose
Dan Brewer (8): 1 for 5, 2 RBI, 2 K
Mike Lyon (24): 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Braedyn Pruitt: 0 for 5, 1 K
Mitch Abeita (19): 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K – matches his regular season HR total
Jack Rye (13): 0 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Jahdiel Santamaria: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 E (throwing)
Ray Kruml (11): 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K
David Phelps (14): 1.1 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1-2 GB/FB – yeah, that’s a bad way to start the series
Cory Arbiso (22): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2-2 GB/FB
Jacinto Gonell: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 1-5 GB/FB
Andy Shetrone: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1 HB
Josue Selenes: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2-0 GB/FB
The Rookie GCL Yanks’ season is over. The GCL Phils won the league championship.
Game 144: From worst to first
By · CommentsOver the weekend, the Yankees dropped two out of three to what was the worst team in baseball. They’re now a game and a half ahead of the Padres, who hold a 55-88 record. Bet you couldn’t have called that one on Opening Day.
Old friend Gary Sheffield has hit the 249,999th and 250,000th homers in MLB history. Just thought that’d be a little something interesting to talk about before the game.
Last week, Dave Pinto pointed out that Mark Teixeira is doing his job and then some since coming over to the Angels. He was hitting .380/.469/.645 with the Angels at the time of his writing, though the Angels were just 19-14 since the trade, which had actually brought down their win percentage. He’s now at .360/.441/.610 as an Angel, and the team is now 20-16 since the trade.
Why the discrepancy? Pitching. What else. Before the trade, the staff pitched to a 3.85 ERA, striking out 6.2, walking 2.7, and giving up a homer per nine innings. Since the trade they’re pitching to a 4.56 ERA, though they’re striking out more (6.6 per nine) and walking fewer (2.2 per nine). They’re giving up 1.45 homers per nine, which seems to be the difference.
Enough about Anaheim. I’d just like to win a few more games before the season is over.
Your lineup:
1. Johnny Damon, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Jason Giambi, 1B
6. Xavier Nady, LF
7. Hideki Matsui, DH
8. Robinson Cano, 2B
9. Ivan Rodriguez, C
And on the mound, number forty-five, Carl Pavano.
Where did you go, Robinson Cano?
By · CommentsWhen we all do our post mortems on the 2008 New York Yankees, Robinson Cano will be one of the main cast of characters.
Coming off of two stellar years, Cano’s 2008 season has been a disappointment. On the season, Cano is hitting .264/.299/.403. Much of that poor line can be attributed to a start that saw him hitting .150/.213/.230 at the start of May, and over his last 441 plate appearances, he’s hitting a respectable .294/.323/.450.
But even still, something isn’t right with Robinson Cano. His power his down, and he’s doing a terrible job of getting on base. In fact, he’s drawn one base on balls in last 89 appearances and none since August 20. For a hitter who should be entering his prime offensive years, 2008 is a clear step back in the development of Robinson Cano.
Cano a 25-year-old second base who can hit .300 at the Major League level. He’s got power and great athletic ability, but he’s shown decreasing rate stats in each of the past two seasons. The Yankees, for 2009 and beyond, need Cano to put it together. He can’t become another flash-in-the-pan second baseman in the Bronx.
ByAccording to Tyler Kepner, Bernie Wlliams, a recent guest of President Bush’s and coach at a White House T-ball game, will make an appearance at Yankee Stadium before the year is out. Bernie’s publicist doesn’t yet have any official details concerning Bernie’s reappearance in the Bronx after a two-year Cold War with the Yankees, but this is one overdue détente. · (13) ·
Why George didn’t make the Yankees
By · CommentsAnd why Hank and Hal won’t either
It’s always entertaining when New York Magazine, the tabloid of the city’s vibrant magazine world, pushes itself into the sports scene. Their pieces are so full of broad generalizations, sweeping proclamations and incorrect facts as to obscure any larger point the magazine might be trying to make.
This week, with the Yanks’ season nearing an end and the team sitting uncomfortably in fourth place, Chris Smith examines the current state of Yankee ownership and wonders if the Yankees are fading without George Steinbrenner around to right the ship. “As the tyrant fades away and his team fades with him,” the magazine’s headline writers say, “it has now become all too apparent that the Boss was really the straw that stirred the drink.”
The only problem with this argument is that it’s just not true, and we’re once again stuck with a tired media trope that, if repeated often enough, becomes accepted fact.
Mr. Michael goes to Japan
By · CommentsVia our buddy Mark Feinsand, we learn that the Yankees are taking this Japan thing seriously. Clearly wanting to avoid another Kei Igawa debacle, they’ve sent Gene Michael overseas to scout things out. Among the rumored targets are Koji Uehara, a 33-year-old righty, Kenshin Kawakami, another righty, and Hitoki Iwase, a lefty reliever. Cork Gaines at MLBTR brings up Yu Darvish as well, though it’s not likely he gets posted this winter.
Hey, when you need something done right, you send the guy or guys you trust most. You definitely don’t send Mike Pagliarulo to do the job. Or else you get a scouting report like this:
“(Igawa) is considered one of the best starters in Japan and is having a good season. He is doing a good job of moving the ball around the zone and seems to be conserving himself throughout the game … He showed a good split and was adding on to his fastball in tough situations. He has enough to be a fourth or fifth starter in the U.S.”
I wish we had more of Pags’s scouting report. I wonder if he mentioned anything about Igawa leaving his changeup high in the zone, a pitch that might fool some in Japan, but one that major league hitters will deposit over the wall. Or take and draw a walk.
Personally, I’m skeptical about talent, particularly pitching talent, coming from Japan. Have we seen any of them sustain success? You can point to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who with a 2.88 ERA is powering the Red Sox. He’s walked 84 in 146 innings, though, which is never a good sign. Can he have consistent success with control like that? History would say no.
2008 Minor League Awards
By · CommentsAnother minor league season is in the books, but this year was a bit more tumultuous than last. I’d say more guys underperformed and disappointed than stepped up this year, which is the exact opposite of what happened last year. Graduation, injuries and ineffectiveness have been prevalent, but there have certainly been some bright spots.
Yankees’ affiliates combined to go 485-348 this year, good for a .582 winning percentage, marking at least the 17th consecutive season the affiliates have combined for an above .500 record. I say at least because B-Ref’s data only goes back to 1992, and I’m not going to spend the time to keep digging further. Take a second to get your head around how ridiculous a combined .582 winning percentage is – that’s better than a 94 win pace in a 162-game season. Insane.
Keep in mind that this isn’t some kind of best prospect list, it’s a recognition of the guys who had great years, regardless of prospect status. In order to keep things from getting redundant, the winner of the Player of the Year award isn’t eligible for the other major awards. Fun starts after the jump.
ByWith the Yankees in fourth place, it’s fairly safe to say that Sept. 21st will play host to the last baseball game ever at Yankee Stadium. Between now and then, the Yanks will be home just ten more times, and thousands of Yankee fans will make their final trips to the stadium. To that end, I’m sure souvenir hunters will be out in full force. I’ve already seen cops arrest would-be vandals, and now the Yankees (and Mets) have announced plans to beef up security measures during the final regular season games. That last game is going to be really messy from a security standpoint. · (13) ·
