DotF Lite: Where’s Mike?
By · CommentsMike is out of commission for the next few nights. So I’m taking over the Down on the Farm reins for a few days. Don’t worry; I’m not staging a coup. I’ll have a link to the box scores and a few stat lines but not nearly as many as Mike features. Feel free to add more depth in the comments.
AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre lost to the Toledo Mud Hens 4-3(box score).
Alan Horne – 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K – He threw 96 pitches but only 53 for strikes in a losing effort
David Robertson – 2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K
Shelley Duncan – 1 for 4 with his 7th AAA HR of the year
The Mud Heads featured former Yankee farm hand and Major Leaguer Fernando Seguignol as their clean-up hitter. The Yanks owe a thanks to the 33 year old as he was once traded by the Yanks to the Expos for a pitcher named John Wetteland.
BySo things are good in Yankee-land tonight. While the Yanks have the evening off, an afternoon win brought the Bombers their seventh victory in a row. With a plethora of open threads lately, we figured now would be a good time for some site evaluations. Thanks to Mike’s tireless draft coverage, we’ve had a huge month traffc-wise, and today, Joe debuted first RAB podcast.
So I want to take this opportunity to ask you, our readers, to evaluate the site with a critical eye. If you think we’re doing a great job and shouldn’t change a thing, thank you, but we’re not fishing for congratulations. We’d rather reserve this thread for comments about what we aren’t doing or aren’t doing well. What would you do to improve the site? What would you like to see added to our coverage? Leave your ideas in the comments, and we’ll sift through ‘em over the next few weeks. The feedback would be a massive contribution to the site. · (95) ·
RAB trade deadline podcast
By · CommentsUpdate: After listening to the mixdown through the internal audio player, I changed the levels and uploaded a new version. So if you caught a broken link, it’s back up and running now.
We’re going to try something a bit different over the next few weeks, leading up to the July 31 trading deadline. It’ll be a weekly podcast going over the trade environment at the time. We’ll talk about needs, wants, rumors, and other potential maneuvers.
This week, it’s me going solo, though I’ll be joined by Mike and Ben as time permits. Also, if you’d like to “call in,” so to speak, just hit me with an email and we’ll try to work something out.
Today I talk about — what else — starting pitching, Cleveland’s situation in evaluating a return for C.C. Sabathia, bullpen help, and a defensive first baseman.
If you want to download the podcast, you can right click here and hit “Save As.” Otherwise, it will launch the podcast in a new screen. Otherwise, you can just use the audio player below.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Game 73: 100 pitches
By · CommentsCan you believe that, by the end of next week, we’ll be at the mid-point of the 2008 baseball season? It seems like only yesterday we watched the Yanks emerge victorious on Opening Day against the Blue Jays.
The story today, as it is every five day, is Joba Chamberlain. While Joba has yet to pick up his first win a starter, he’s done quite well for himself so far. In three starts spanning 12.2 innings, his ERA is 2.84, and he’s maintaining a high strike out rate. While he’s walked nine — that’s too many — his stuff has looked good. Today, he’s up over 100 pitches, and by all accounts, he’s basically off the pitch count now. It will be interesting to see how he does against a weak Padres lineup.
Hideki Matsui is out again. He says he’s available to pinch hit.
Game time is 1:05 p.m. Apparently, MLB likes to schedule getaway-day day games for teams that aren’t the Yankees or Mets. Go figure.
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Chamberlain P
Site Notes: Check back later this afternoon for the first RAB podcast, and we’ll have an ever-popular Open Thread tonight, topic TBD.
ByP-Abe notes that the Yanks signed a bunch of draft picks in the last few days, including 5th rounder Chris Smith and 8th rounder (and super sleeper) Dan Brewer. Smith is the kid that hit .708 with a .2100+ OPS as a senior in high school last year, and he’s already getting overhyped. They’re high school stats, throw them right out the window, they’re useless. Pete also notes that 7th rounder Kyle Higashioka was in the clubhouse yesterday and took BP with a team, while NoMaas shows that 6th rounder Brett Marshall was kickin’ it with the team during their recent trip to Houston. Signings for the top 3 guys will probably go down to the wire, but you can see all of the picks & signings here. · (25) ·
ByThe Freakonomics blog points to a study about the impact of jet lag on baseball players. As Scientific American summaries, “A new study shows that MLB teams that travel such distances to play a game could have up to a 60 percent chance of losing.” The study goes on to note that the advantage dwindles as teams get more acclimated to the new time zone and suggests that MLB factor in days of rest at the start of long road trips. Freakonomics also links to a Science Blogs post noting that the Amphetamines ban may account for the jet lag effect. · (6) ·
Tabata goes deep, SI looks like crap
By · CommentsTriple-A Scranton had a scheduled off day. Sidney Ponson showed up for the postgame spread anyway.
Double-A Trenton (9-8 loss to Harrisburg)
Ramiro Pena & Edwar Gonzalez: both 1 for 5, 1 R – Pena hit a solo jack … Edwar doubled & K’ed
Austin Jackson: 2 or 5, 1 R, 2 K – the HR streak ends at 4 games … rockin’ a .902 OPS this month
Colin Curtis: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 3 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB – hopefully he builds off this game
Chris Malec: 2 for 3, 1 HBP – picked off 2nd in the 9th inning of a 1-run game, ouch babe … 11 for his last 26
Reegie Corona: 1 for 4, 2 RBI
Jason Jones: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 7-3 GB/FB
Anthony Claggett: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – first runs allowed since May 22nd
Steven Jackson: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K
Bo Hall: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Game 72: The achin’ Yankees
By · CommentsWhile the core of the Yankee lineup has recently been hitting the tar out of the baseball, Hideki Matsui has not. In 57 June plate appearances, Matsui is batting .260/.351/.340 with just two extra-base hits. He’s hit just one home run since May 18.
Matsui has always been something of a streaky hitter, but something larger seems to be up. Hideki is not in the Yankee lineup tonight, and his left knee is under examination. Matsui, according to PeteAbe, will get his knee drained and may be heading for the MRI tube. He’s definitely not available for tonight’s contest, and I’m sure he’ll be sitting during tomorrow afternoon’s game as well. The good news, at least, is that this is not the same knee Matsui got surgically repaired last year.
The Yankees can ill afford another injury right now, and they will take every precaution possible with Matsui and his balky knees. The hot-hitting Jason Giambi gets the start at DH, and the swing-at-everything Wilson Betemit will attempt to man the first-base bag.
On the hill tonight is Darrell Rasner. Once the Cinderella story of the season, Rasner has struggled — or is that regressed? — a bit over this last four outings. He is 0-4 with a 5.09 ERA over that span, and he’s allowed 31 hits in 23 innings. He’s keeping the walks down and the strike outs up, but opponents are hitting .326/.356/.495 off of him. We need the good Darrell Rasner to re-emerge, and the weak-hitting Padres may be just the key. San Diego countering with Jake Peavy, one of the few legitimate stars on the team.
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Betemit 1B
Cabrera CF
Rasner P
Game Notes: The Yankees have re-signed Sidney Ponson. Sir Sidney finds himself in Scranton for now but could start one of the games of next Friday’s Subway Series double header.
