River Avenue Blues

Yanks take early game behind Garcia, homers

by 84 Comments


Source: FanGraphs

I gotta say, that was a pretty solid win. The Yankees hit well, they pitched well, and they played defense well. What more could you ask? Let’s recap…

  • Back-to-Back: The Yankees have scored multiple first inning runs in four of their last five games, and on Saturday afternoon they did it courtesy of a three-run Nick Swisher homer –breaking an 0-for-17 skid — and a solo shot by Andruw Jones. Robinson Cano took a pitch off his right hand with two outs, which really caused the inning to snowball a bit on Franklin Morales. The Yankees don’t miss fastballs, it doesn’t matter how hard you throw, and Boston’s lefty put a few right in the happy zone.
  • Back-to-Back Part Two: Because one set of back-to-back homers wasn’t enough, Jones and Jayson Nix doubled up on solo shots in the fifth. Andruw’s was a little wall-scraper but Nix’s was a legit blast like the two first inning jacks. All four dingers came on Morales’ fastball and they collectively tripled his season total of dingers allowed.
  • Right Sweat Fred: How many innings out of Freddy Garcia would you have been happy with coming into the game? Five? That seems reasonable given the Fenway Park factor plus the fact that it was only his second start out of the bullpen. Freddy instead turned in 6.2 innings of one-run ball, going above and beyond all expectations. He struck out five (including at least one on his mystery pitch), walked two, and got lots of weak fly balls. It works for him. Unlike Hiroki Kuroda on Friday night, Garcia made the big early lead hold up. Major, major props to him. Star of the game.
  • Leftovers: Not only did Andruw hit two homers, he also made a great leaping catch at the wall and was able to double David Ortiz off first base in the sixth inning. It was a vintage 2005 game out of him … Alex Rodriguez and Swisher both got picked off first base in the third inning, killing a potentially huge rally. A-Rod was nabbed on a set play with the first baseman sneaking behind him, but outs on the bases remain the worst outs … Robinson Cano’s nine-game RBI streak came to end … Derek Jeter (three singles), Swisher (homer, single, two walks), and Jones (two homers) all had multiple hits … scoreless relief from Cody Eppley (four outs) and Chad Qualls (three outs) spared the big bullpen guns heading into tonight … the only real negative is that the Yankees allowed Justin Germano to throw 5.2 scoreless innings, so Boston’s bullpen is in good shape for the nightcap.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd score, and ESPN the updated standings. The win guarantees that the Yankees will leave this series having lost zero ground to the Red Sox int he standings, so now it’s time to get greedy and pad that lead. These same two clubs play again tonight, when Phil Hughes gets the ball against Felix Doubront. That one starts a little after 7pm ET. See you then.

Game 83: Let’s Play Two

by 659 Comments

It’s actually 8.5 now. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

Because one Yankees-Red Sox isn’t grueling enough, the two teams will play a pair of games today. We’re looking at eight total hours of eight-pitch at-bats, pitching changes, balls on the Monstah … the stuff that makes these games so drawn out and intense in the first place. So find a comfy chair and settle in, this won’t be a typical Saturday of baseball. Here’s the lineup…

DH Derek Jeter
1B Mark Teixeira
3B Alex Rodriguez
2B Robinson Cano
RF Nick Swisher
LF Andruw Jones
SS Jayson Nix
CF Darnell McDonald
C  Chris Stewart

RHP Freddy Garcia

This afternoon’s game starts at 12:30pm ET and can be seen on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy.

Roster Notes: Cory Wade has officially been added as the 26th man for today. He must do back to Triple-A tomorrow per the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Yankees do not have any minor leaguers waiting at the team hotel for a potential between-game roster move, so it’s these 26 fellas and no one else.

Start Your Trade Engines: D’Backs could deal Justin Upton

by 115 Comments

Via Ken Rosenthal, the Diamondbacks will consider trade offers for Justin Upton should they fall further out of contention in the coming weeks. Arizona is 40-43 at the moment, six games back in the NL West and five back of a wildcard spot.

Upton, still only 24, is having a down year (92 wRC+) after placing fourth in the MVP voting last season. He’s battled thumb issues over the last few weeks but was not placed on the DL. I think it goes without saying that if Upton ever truly becomes available, the Yankees have to get involved. He’s so young and dynamic, capable of doing just about anything on the field. You’ll get speed, on-base ability, hard-to-find right-handed power, and a guy under contract through 2015 for just over $40M. No one in the farm system should be untouchable for a guy like Upton.

Yanks outlast Sox in wild Fenway affair

by 50 Comments


Source: FanGraphs

Eighteen runs, eleven pitchers, five lead changes, four hours. In other words, it was a typical Yankees-Red Sox game. I’m going to go ahead and assume that you’ve already seen — or at least know the outcome of — Friday’s game and will instead provide some thoughts rather than a traditional recap. Away we go…

  • Jumping on Josh Beckett early felt really good. During this week’s podcast I said I was hoping they would come out and put up a crooked number early, and the offense held up its end of the bargain. Too bad Hiroki Kuroda decided to have what was essentially his worst start of the season. He was getting hit awfully hard, even the outs. I was screaming at Joe Girardi to take him out in like, the second inning, but he managed to squeeze 17 outs from him and I’m sure that will be appreciated by the bullpen tomorrow.
  • Speaking of the bullpen, I thought Girardi did a fantastic job with the relievers. Boone Logan was in the game when he should have been, David Robertson was in the game when he should have been, and Rafael Soriano was in the game when he should have been. Each guy was brought into what was then the biggest spot of the game and they were the best man for the job.
  • That said, Logan needs the All-Star break more than anyone. He’s flat out gassed. This was his league-leading 42nd appearance in just 82 games. I’m sure we’ll see him in each of the next two days, however.
  • Critical Moment: Derek Jeter’s play to get the lead runner at third in the seventh. The Yankees were up two, the Sox had two on with one out, and Jeter didn’t have a chance to turn two given the location of the ball. Very heady play to get the lead guy because if he hadn’t, it would have been based loaded with one out rather than two on with two outs. Just an enormous swing.
  • They got zero runs out of it, but I loved the double steal in the fifth. Alex Rodriguez effective stole third three times in the span of eight innings dating back to last game. I did not like playing the infield in or intentionally walking David Ortiz in the fourth, but naturally both worked so I’ll shut up.
  • Remember when Mark Teixeira couldn’t hit against the Red Sox last season? He hit .133/.264/.200 in 72 plate appearances across the 18 games last year, but this year he’s 5-for-14 (.357) with two doubles and two homers in three games against Beantown. Small sample, obviously, but much better. His go-ahead triple was a homer in basically every other park but who cares. Got the job done.
  • Big ups to Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez for some clutch two-out, two-strike hits to tack on insurance runs in the seventh. Those are back-breakers for the other team and I love ’em.
  • Two outs on the bases are two too many. A-Rod was thrown out at home on the contact play — he had to hesitate a second to make sure the soft liner wasn’t caught — and Chavez was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. Hate those outs on the bases, so frustrating. Especially in Fenway, no need to force anything in a park where routine fly balls to left are doubles.
  • The Yankees scored ten runs on 14 hits — four for extra-bases — and four walks plus a hit batsman. None of those hits was a homer. Ten runs in Fenway and none were dingers. It’s only the second time the Yankees won without a homer all season, joining the 14-inning game against the Nationals.

All in all, it was a very satisfying if not nail-biting win. MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd stats, and ESPN the updated the standings. The Yankees are eight games up on the Rays and nine up on the Red Sox and we’re not even at the All-Star break. That’s fantastic. I hope you’re ready for Saturday’s doubleheader, that’s going to be a doozy. First game starts at noon-30.

Nuno dominant again in Trenton win

by 47 Comments

In case you missed it earlier, OF Tyler Austin will not participate in the Futures Game this Sunday. It’s unclear if he’ll be replaced on the roster but if not, the Yankees won’t have a representative at the game and that would be lame. In other news, both Dante Bichette Jr. (Not So Hot) and Melky Mesa (Man Among Boys) were each featured in this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet.

Forgive me, but I’m taking the easy way out on a Friday…

  • Triple-A Empire State (win): 2B Corban Joseph (double, homer, walk), DH Ronnie Mustelier (single, double, homer), and RF Cole Garner (double and triple) were the stars on offense, though lots of guys chipped in. LHP Mike O’Connor allowed one run in five innings before the bullpen managed four hitless and scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
  • Double-A Trenton (win): Whole lotta offense, including two hits from 2B Jose Pirela (double and homer), three from 2B David Adams (two doubles and single), four from DH Zoilo Almonte (all single), two from RF Shane Brown (singles), and two from C Jeff Farnham (singles and homer). LHP Vidal Nuno was the big story, surrendering just one run in six innings in his latest gem. He allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out ten.
  • High-A Tampa (loss): CF Mason Williams had two knocks including a double while LF Ramon Flores and DH Slade Heathcott each singled. Slade drew another walk, his seventh in the last four games. 1B Kyle Roller and 2B Anderson Feliz both doubled. RHP Jose Ramirez struck out five and allowed one run in 3.2 innings before the bullpen melted down spectacularly.
  • Low-A Charleston (loss): Their only hits on the night were singles by 2B Ali Castillo, 3B Dante Bichette Jr., and C Francisco Arcia. That’s all the offense. LHP Matt Bashore allowed just two hits in six shutout innings before RHP Phil Wetherell chipped in two scoreless of his own. RHP Mariel Checo surrendered the walk-off dinger.
  • Short Season Staten Island (win): LF Taylor Dugas did leadoff hitters things, getting on-base three times (single and two walks). No one was able to drive him in though. CF Ravel Santana walked and struck out but both 3B Matt Duran and RF Exicardo Cayones each singled. DH Danny Lopez had two hits — including a triple — and drove in three. LHP Jeremy Bleich threw two scoreless frames in his latest rehab appearance, then RHP Andrew Benak relieved him with five scoreless.
  • Rookie GCL Yanks (loss): They had just two hits as a team, neither of which came from C Peter O’Brien, 1B Bubba Jones, 2B Jerison Lopez, RF Yeicok Calderon, or DH Ericson Leonora. RHP Graham Stoneburner allowed one unearned run in two rehab innings and RHP Jordan Cote followed by allowing one unearned run in 4.1 innings, striking out four against just one walk. He’s been very good in the early going.

Game 82: The Second Half

by 916 Comments

No Youkilis, no Pedroia, no Papelbon. Who am I supposed to hate? (Winslow Townson/Getty)

The Yankees officially kick off the second half of their season today, but they’ve only played the Red Sox twice so far. These two teams are going to see a whole lot of each other in the next three months, enough that New York’s current eight-game lead is hardly insurmountable. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time these two teams met at this point of the season so far apart in the standings. If the Yankees really take care of business this weekend, they could go into the All-Star break with a double-digit lead in the loss column over their greatest historic rival. That would be something else. Here’s tonight’s lineup…

SS Derek Jeter
CF Curtis Granderson
DH Alex Rodriguez
2B Robinson Cano
1B Mark Teixeira
RF Nick Swisher
LF Raul Ibanez
3B Eric Chavez
C  Russell Martin

RHP Hiroki Kuroda

Tonight’s game starts a little after 7pm ET and can be seen on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy.

Tyler Austin out of Futures Game

by 3 Comments

Via Keith Law, outfielder Tyler Austin will not participate in the Futures Game this Sunday. He was hit in the head by a pitch earlier this week and as not played since, though a CT scan came back clean and he has not been placed on the DL. There’s no word on his replacement and it’s entirely possible he will not be replaced on such short notice. Austin was the Yankees only representative and it would be incredibly lame if they had no one there, especially since Mason Williams plays the same position and was born in the same country. Get it done, MLB.