The Yankees were very close to losing their first game after scoring first on Monday night, but some late-inning heroics from a pair of scrap heap pickups gave the Bombers an unexpected come-from-behind win over the Orioles. New York won 6-4 in ten innings.
Pronk smash. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Pronkilicous
Jim Johnson’s shook. The Orioles All-Star closer has now blown three saves in his last three appearances, this time coughing up a one-run lead when Travis Hafner slugged an opposite-field solo homer on a sinker that didn’t sink enough. In his 16 years as closer, Mariano Rivera has never blown three consecutive save opportunities. Johnson did it in his second full season on the job.
Pronk only tied the game, however. The Yankees and Orioles went to the tenth inning after David Robertson wiggled out of a mini-jam in the bottom of the ninth, and that’s when Ichiro Suzuki started the game-winning rally with a leadoff double into the right field corner. He was cheating fastball like a mofo and the extra-base hit was unexpected given his sub-.600 OPS coming in the at-bat. Vernon Wells doubled him in one batter later, then Hafner plated an insurance run with a two-out single off lefty Brian Matusz. After scoring three runs in the first eight innings, the Yankees score three runs in the span of ten batters in the ninth and tenth innings.
Shaky Sabathia
Two things stand out about CC Sabathia‘s outing. One, Baltimore’s left-handed hitters went 4-for-7 with four two-strike (!) hits against him. That never happens. Sabathia usually eats up same-side hitters, but Nick Markakis and Chris Davis looked mighty comfy in the box. Three of the four hits came off sliders — including a total hanger Davis crushed for a solo homer — a pitch lefties have whiffed on with 48.3% (!!!) of their swings during the PitchFX era.
(AP/Patrick Semansky)
I don’t know this for sure obviously, but I do think Sabathia’s reduced fastball velocity has something to do with that. The fastball and slider are not mutually exclusive, one works off the other, and if hitters only have to gear up for 89-91 instead of 93-95, it becomes a little easier to hang in on the breaking ball. For what it’s worth, PitchFX says Sabathia averaged 91.3 mph and topped out at 93.1 mph against the O’s. Lefties came into the game hitting .191/.261/.293 (.248 wOBA) with a 39.1% strikeout rate against CC this season, so this isn’t a long-running problem. It was just a problem on Monday night.
Secondly, Sabathia should have been out of the game after Markakis doubled to tie the game in the seventh. He was approaching 100 pitches and righties have tagged him for a .276/.320/.442 (.329 wOBA) line this year, plus three right-handed hitters in Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones were due up. That’s on Joe Girardi; Shawn Kelley was warming up and his super-high-strikeout ways were better suited for that spot.
Anyway, Sabathia allowed eleven hits in 6.1 innings of work, the third time in his career he’s allowed double-digit hits in back-to-back outings. It’s the first time he’s done it without going at least seven innings in one of the two starts. CC struck out only two batters and got nine swings and misses out of 102 total pitches. Is this the new reduced velocity Sabathia? Possibly, but I think this was a bad start more than the new normal.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Leftovers
The Yankees scored their first two runs on solo homers — Robinson Cano in the first, David Adams‘ first career dinger in the second — but it wasn’t until the sixth that they scored again. Lyle Overbay drove in that run with a solo homer off left-hander Troy Patton, which was very unexpected. He came into the game with five hits (.119 AVG) and one walk (.136 OBP) in 44 plate appearances against southpaws.
Once again, big ups to the bullpen. Kelley struck out three of the four men he faced — he owns an MLB-best 43.4% strikeout rate (min. 10 IP) — while Robertson and Mariano Rivera chipped in scoreless innings. Boone Logan recorded a pair of outs as well. Three and two-thirds scoreless from the bullpen is the backbone of any come-from-behind win. Outside of Brett Marshall biting the bullet last week, the relief corps has been crazy good in recent weeks.
In addition to the two big hits, Hafner also pulled a foul ball down the right field line and clear out of the ballpark in the sixth inning. Literally out of Camden Yards and onto Eutaw Street. Overbay and Adams had two hits apiece while Cano homered and walked twice. Freddy Garcia limited his former team to three hits and two runs in six innings on 66 (!) pitches. That was annoying.
Cano slid for a ball in the second inning and the YES cameras showed him flexing his right wrist afterwards, but he stayed in the game and was apparently fine. Reid Brignac clipped Garcia’s foot at first base while running out a ground ball and was fine, though he was walking gingerly at first.
Awful night for first base ump Eric Cooper, who incorrectly called a) Brett Gardner safe on a snap throw from the catcher, and b) Matt Wieters out at first on a bang-bang play. Both plays occurred in the sixth inning and the Yankees benefited both times, so hey I’m not complaining. Still, two awful calls.
For whatever reason, Buck Showalter was checking every ball in the dugout after it was removed from play. Either it was one of his control freak things or he suspected Sabathia of doctoring the ball. Maybe CC has lost velocity because the Vaseline-lubed ball is slipping out of his fingers?
Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings
Solid graph right there. MLB.com has the box score and video highlights while FanGraphs has the other stats no one cares about. ESPN is the place for the updated standings. The White Sox took care of business against the Red Sox, so the Yankees now leads Boston by two in the loss column. Baltimore is five back.
Source: FanGraphs
Up Next
Same two teams on Tuesday night, when Phil Hughes gets the ball for the Yankees. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez is expected to be activated off the DL and make the start for the Orioles. If he isn’t … I have no idea what they’ll do instead.
Gumbs stays hot; triples in Tampa win
By · CommentsRHP Gabe Encinas is done for the season with some kind of elbow surgery according to his Twitter feed. No idea if it’s Tommy John surgery or bone chips or something else entirely. He was placed on the DL last week. Meanwhile, C Peter O’Brien was named the Low-A South Atlantic League Offensive Player of the Week.
Triple-A Scranton (6-5 loss to Columbus in ten innings, walk-off style)
- 2B Corban Joseph & RF Brennan Boesch: both 0-4, 1 BB — CoJo whiffed twice … Boesch scored a run and struck out three times
- LF Zoilo Almonte: 2-4, 2 R, 1 BB
- DH Thomas Neal: 2-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K
- CF Melky Mesa: 1-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
- RHP Sam Demel: 2 IP, zeroes, 4 K, 0/1 GB/FB – 15 of 27 pitches were strikes (56%)
ByVia Ken Davidoff: Right-hander Michael Pineda “received strong reviews” for his 51-pitch Extended Spring Training start on Saturday. No word on his velocity, but he reportedly touched 95 in previous outings. I think this was his fourth ExST start, but don’t hold me to that.
The Yankees are planning to have the 24-year-old Pineda make two more ExST starts — one on Thursday and another next Tuesday — before starting his official 30-day rehab window by sending him out with one of the full-season affiliates. They want to get him stretched out to 65 pitches before starting the rehab clock, and I’m guessing they’ll use all 30 days to make sure he’s completely ready. I guess the state of the rotation in late-June will determine what happens after that, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The good news is Pineda continues to make progress. · (22) ·
Game 44: B’more
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(Presswire)
This series is about as important as a mid-May series can get. The Orioles gave the Yankees fits down the stretch last year and currently sit four games back in the AL East, so these three games will give the Bombers a chance to create some distance in the division race. Almost no lead is insurmountable this time of year, but that doesn’t mean having decent-sized cushion isn’t a big deal. Here’s the lineup that will face former Yankee right-hander Freddy Garcia…
- CF Brett Gardner
- 2B Robinson Cano
- DH Travis Hafner
- 1B Lyle Overbay
- LF Curtis Granderson
- 3B David Adams
- RF Ichiro Suzuki
- SS Reid Brignac
- C Austin Romine
And on the mound is the Indians’ leader in homers hit by a pitcher over the last 40 years (two), left-hander CC Sabathia.
It’s cloudy in Baltimore and the forecast calls for some showers later tonight. Hopefully they won’t be bad enough to delay or postpone the game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm ET and can be seen on YES locally and ESPN nationally. Enjoy.
Injury Updates (via the AP): Chris Stewart (groin) is feeling better but is still unable to return to anything more than emergency catching duty … Alex Rodriguez (hip) fielded grounders today for the first time since surgery … Kevin Youkilis (back) took batting practice on the field, fielded grounders at first and third, and made throws to the bases … Eduardo Nunez (ribcage) fielding some grounders … Joba Chamberlain (oblique) threw a bullpen session and is expected to make another minor league appearances this week … earlier today we learned Mark Teixeira (wrist) took some at-bats in a simulated game.
2013 Draft: Jon Denney
By · CommentsThe 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Jon Denney | C
Background
A star at Yukon High School in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, Denney created a ton of buzz and stood out during various showcase events last summer. He is committed to Arkansas.
Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 lbs, Denney has one of those rare pretty right-handed swings. He has a simple setup and a balanced swing through the zone, showing more than enough bat speed and strength to hit for both average and power. Denney is an aggressive hitter and will need to show more patience against better pitching. Behind the plate, he offers a strong and accurate arm but not much in terms of receiving and footwork. He’s a good but not great athlete, and Denney’s bat is good enough to carry him if he winds up moving to first base or left field. There are a bunch more video on YouTube.
Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Denney as the 22nd and 23rd best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, so they’re in agreement that he’s a back-half of the first round guy right now. Denney had a chance to play his way into top-ten consideration before struggling in front of some serious heat during an event in Arizona in March. The Yankees have been connected to the backstop recently and he fits their profile to a tee as an offense-minded catcher. They hoard those guys.
Ben Francisco and numbered days
By · CommentsThe Yankees were hit hard by injuries and setbacks in Spring Training, forcing them to mine the scrap heap for stopgap solutions in the weeks and days leading up to Opening Day. One position that needed to be addressed since the end of last season was a right-handed hitting complement for their three-lefty outfield. Andruw Jones played his way out of New York in the second half and finding a replacement was near the top of the offseason agenda.
Brian Cashman & Co. flirted with pretty much all available options during the winter, including free agent Scott Hairston and trade target Vernon Wells. The team eventually acquired Wells from the Angels, but not until the very end of camp, when injuries left the team without a left fielder and the lineup devoid of power. It wasn’t until the very end of the offseason that the Yankees imported Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz on minor league contracts to compete for Andruw’s role.
Neither guy made the cut as New York instead opted to take Ben Francisco north after he was released by the Indians. Since youngsters like Melky Mesa, Thomas Neal, and Zoilo Almonte had little chance of making the veteran-loving Yankees, Francisco’s relative youth and defensive competence won him the job over Rivera and Diaz.
So far this year, the 31-year-old Francisco has hit just .114/.220/.182 (12 wRC+) overall, including a measly 3-for-34 (16 wRC+) against left-handers. Three-for-34! A southpaw-heavy schedule allowed the Yankees to start Francisco in eight of 12 games at one point last month, and he responded with three singles in 25 at-bats. Worst of all, he batted either second or fifth in seven of those eight games.
“He’s struggled,” said Joe Girardi to Mark Feinsand two weeks ago. “He’s had some good at-bats, and he’s struggled somewhat. You don’t want a guy to feel like every at-bat is the end of the world. Just go out and play and take care of what you can take care of, and that’s really all you can do. Go out and have good at-bats … Just go out and have good at-bats.”
(Mike Stobe/Getty)
Are 40 plate appearances against lefties and 50 plate appearances against all pitchers a big, meaningful sample? No, but players on the right-handed half of a platoon aren’t privy to big samples. They get 200, maybe 250 plate appearances in a given season. There’s no guarantee Francisco will get enough playing time to see his .125 BABIP (.080 vs. LHP) return to his career .287 (.267 vs. LHP) average. Girardi is loyal to his players and has given Francisco every opportunity to bust out of this slump so far, but he has shown zero signs of snapping out of it.
“Just in terms of your fan comments section, just say I’m holding onto him to piss everybody off,” said Brian Cashman to reporters over the weekend before going on to acknowledge the team always looks for upgrades and will pounce if a better right-handed hitting outfielder becomes available. Cashman is a great quote and he has an 80 troll tool, but he’s no idiot. He knows Francisco and the lack of a quality right-handed bat — the Yankees are hitting .228/.299/.359 (75 wRC+) against lefties this year — is a major issue right now.
None of the team’s righty bats in Triple-A are distinguishing themselves right now — Mesa is striking out in over 40% of his plate appearances while Neal and Zoilo own .739 and .623 OPSes against lefties, respectively — so any solution will likely have to come from outside the organization. The trade market should start to heat up with June on the horizon, but Francisco’s time has come. We’ve seen enough to know a replacement is needed regardless of who is on the DL and when they’re scheduled to be activated.
By3:48pm: It was a simulated game against some minor league pitchers, not an Extended Spring Training game. Teixeira’s still not ready for a full blown game, apparently.
1:30pm: According to the man himself, Mark Teixeira went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk this afternoon in what I assume was an Extended Spring Training game. No idea if he played first base or simply DH’ed. It was his first game action and it does not start his 30-day rehab clock. That will happen when he joins one of the four full-season minor league affiliate.
Teixeira, 33, has been sidelined since early-March with a tendon sheath injury to his right wrist. He suffered the injury while prepping for the World Baseball Classic with Team USA, so the WBC is paying his salary while he’s on the DL. Lyle Overbay (102 wRC+) has filled in admirably at first base, so the Yankees can afford be patient with Teixeira. Wrist injuries tend to linger and no one wants a setback, especially considering how much they need his right-handed bat. Plus the longer they keep him on the DL, the more money they save. · (25) ·
5/20-5/22 Series Preview: Baltimore Orioles
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Once upon a time, mid-May games against the Orioles were relatively meaningless, at least in terms of the AL East race. Baltimore was irrelevant for more than a decade until last season’s surprise 93-win effort, which forces us to take them seriously these days. Such is life.
What Have They Done Lately?
Quite a bit of losing, actually. The O’s got swept by the Rays this weekend, and they’ve now lost five straight, six of seven, and seven of nine. The Yankees took two of three from Baltimore back in mid-April, their fourth series of the year. Buck Showalter’s team is 23-20 with a +18 run differential, tied with Tampa for third place in the division.
Offense
Thanks to an average of 5.0 runs per game and a team 102 wRC+, the Orioles have one of the top offenses in the game. They rank sixth in homers (52) and third in steals (33) in all of baseball, so it’s a diverse attack. B’more has a number of position players on the DL, including 2B Brian Roberts (150 wRC+), OF Nolan Reimold (49 wRC+), C Taylor Teagarden (-100 wRC+ in very limited time), and UTIL Wilson Betemit (has not played this year).
(Otto Greule Jr/Getty)
The top seven spots of Showalter’s lineup usually do not change regardless of who is on the mound. LF Nate McLouth (114 wRC+) leads off, budding star 3B Manny Machado (138 wRC+) bats second, RF Nick Markakis (96 wRC+) bats third, CF Adam Jones (129 wRC+) cleans up, 1B Chris Davis (178 wRC+) bats fifth, C Matt Wieters (93 wRC+) bats sixth, and SS J.J. Hardy (80 wRC+) bats seventh. Pretty straight forward.
Baltimore has received some of the worst DH production in baseball (72 wRC+), and their latest attempt at a solution is IF Danny Valencia (1-for-3 in his debut yesterday). Former Yankee OF Chris Dickerson (118 wRC+ in limited time) and 1B/OF Steve Pearce (95 wRC+) rotate in as well. IF Yamaico Navarro (154 wRC+ in limited time) is getting a shot to place second everyday while IF Alexi Casilla (32 wRC+) backs him up. C Chris Snyder (8 wRC+ in very limited time) backs up Wieters. Those top seven spots of the lineup are the ones New York has to worry about, the rest of the hitters are trivial.
Starting Pitching Matchups
Monday: LHP CC Sabathia vs. RHP Freddy Garcia
The Embedded Yankee takes on the Yankees. The 36-year-old Garcia owns a 5.51 ERA (6.21 FIP) through three starts with Baltimore, and they limit him to only 75-80 pitches. Sweaty Freddy has missed no bats (3.31 K/9 and 9.1 K%) nor has he gotten a ton of grounders (40.0%), but he does limit walks (2.20 BB/9 and 6.1 BB%). Homers are an issue (2.20 HR/9 and 20.0% HR/FB), as always. As you know, Garcia is a soft-tossing kitchen sink guy, living in the mid-to-upper-80s with his sinker. An upper-70s splitter is his go-to pitch, though he’ll also throw upper-70s sliders and changeups in addition to low-70s curveball. We’ve seen enough of Freddy these last two years to know what to expect.
(Rob Carr/Getty)
Tuesday: RHP Phil Hughes vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez
Gonzalez, 28, is currently on the DL with a blister on his thumb, but he threw a 55-pitch simulated game on Friday and is expected to be activated for this start. They could activate him for tonight’s game, but apparently they’re giving him an extra day. The minor league journeyman was not very good before the blister, pitching to a 4.58 ERA (5.34 FIP) in six starts. Obviously the blister and poor performance could be related. Gonzalez has seen his strikeout (5.60 K/9 and 14.6 K%) and walk (3.57 BB/9 and 9.3 BB%) numbers take a step back following his breakout 2012 campaign, plus his homer rate (1.53 HR/9 and 13.3$ HR/FB) has jumped despite an increase in ground balls (46.4%). Low-90s two- and four-seamers set up a knockout low-80s splitter-changeup hybrid that gave the Yankees fits last year. A mid-80s slider and upper-70s curveball round out his repertoire. Gonzalez held New York to three runs in six innings earlier this year after dominating them last year: 2.36 ERA (~3.05 FIP) with 28 strikeouts and six walks in four starts, including the ALDS.
Wednesday: RHP Hiroki Kuroda vs. RHP Jason Hammel
Hammel started on Opening Day for the Orioles following his strong but injury-shortened 2012 season, but he hasn’t been able to repeat that success so far. The 30-year-old owns a 5.72 ERA (4.83 FIP) in nine starts this year, and his peripheral stats have declined across the board: 6.44 K/9 (15.7 K%), 3.58 BB/9 (8.7 BB%), 1.25 HR/9 (10.9% HR/FB), and 42.8% grounders. He looks more like the guy he was from 2008-2011 rather than the guy he was last summer. Hammel’s pitch selection did change substantially when he got to Baltimore and he’s stuck with his new low-90s two-seam fastball-heavy approach. He’ll still throw a few low-to-mid-90s four-seamers. A mid-80s slider is his top secondary pitch, and he’ll also mix in a mid-80s changeup and upper-70s curveball.
(Greg Fiume/Getty)
Bullpen Status
The Rays did the Yankees a solid by working the Orioles’ bullpen pretty hard this weekend. Rule 5 Draft LHP T.J. McFarland (2.55 FIP) threw 2.1 innings and 43 pitches yesterday, taking him out of commission for at least one game and probably two. The fewer lefties at Showalter’s disposal, the better. RHP Pedro Strop (4.71 FIP) also pitched yesterday and has appeared in three of the last five games.
Closer RHP Jim Johnson (3.82 FIP) threw 32 pitches and recorded one out while blowing the save on Saturday, his second blown save in as many appearances. He’s not in danger of losing his job or anything, but he is in the middle of a rough stretch. Setup men RHP Darren O’Day (3.79 FIP) and LHP Brian Matusz (3.27 FIP) are hell on same-side hitters. RHP Tommy Hunter (4.36 FIP) is the multi-inning middle relief guy, but he threw 2.2 innings and 37 pitches on Saturday. Might not be available tonight. LHP Troy Patton (5.29 FIP) and long man RHP Jake Arrieta (4.45 FIP) round out the 13-man bullpen, which will likely be whittled down to 12 when Gonzalez is activated.
The Yankees were rained out on Sunday, so their bullpen is as fresh as can be this time of the season. Left-hander Vidal Nuno will be available in relief this series since his start in place of the injured Andy Pettitte has been pushed back. Check out our Bullpen Workload page for exact reliever usage details. Now that Camden Crazies is close to defunct, I guess Camden Chat is the best Orioles blog by default.
Fan Confidence Poll: May 20th, 2013
By · CommentsRecord Last Week: 4-3 (27 RS, 21 RA)
Season Record: 27-16 (184 RS, 159 RA, 25-18 pythag. record), 0.5 games up in AL East
Opponents This Week: @ Orioles (three games, Mon. to Weds.), Thurs. OFF @ Rays (three games, Fri. to Sun.)
Top stories from last week:
- The week opened with a doubleheader against the Indians, and the teams split the two games even though the Yankees allowed one run total on the day.
- Following the two games in Cleveland, the Yankees returned home for three games against the Mariners. A late comeback led to a win over Felix Hernandez on Tuesday, but Phil Hughes got rocked in the following day’s loss. Seattle completed the series win on Thursday.
- The Blue Jays came to town for a three-game weekend set, and Hiroki Kuroda dominated in the series-opening win. Robinson Cano hit a pair of homers in Saturday’s win before yesterday’s game was rained out. No makeup date has been announced and the Yankees juggled their rotation.
- Injury News: Curtis Granderson (forearm) was activated off the DL. Andy Pettitte (trap) has been placed on the DL with a strain. Chris Stewart (groin) is day-to-day. Eduardo Nunez (ribcage) is expected to start hitting in the batting cage in a few days. Joba Chamberlain (oblique) will head to Tampa to continue his rehab. Travis Hafner (shoulder) received a cortisone shot and missed a few games with tendinitis, but he has since returned to the lineup. Cesar Cabral (elbow) officially started a minor league rehab assignment. Prospect Gabe Encinas (elbow) has been placed on the DL.
- The Yankees added two new infielders this week, calling up David Adams and acquiring Reid Brignac from the Rockies. Chris Nelson and Alberto Gonzalez were both designated for assignment to clear room on the roster. Nelson was claimed off waivers by the Angels. Both Brett Marshall and Dellin Betances were recalled for bullpen depth at various points during the week.
- Hal Steinbrenner confirmed the team has had contract talks with Robinson Cano’s new representatives. Talks about new contracts for Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have yet to begin, however.
- Both the NHL and the Yankees officially announced two hockey games will be played at Yankee Stadium next January.
- The Yankees are the “most likely landing spot” for Dominican outfielder prospect Leonardo Molina.
Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the interactive Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.
Triple-A Scranton (10-4 loss to Columbus)
- 2B Corban Joseph: 1-4, 1 BB
- RF Brennan Boesch: 1-2, 1 R, 3 BB – five walks and four strikeouts in four games here
- CF Zoilo Almonte: 0-5, 2 K — stuck in a 12-for-57 rut (.211)
- 3B Ronnie Mustelier: 1-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB, 1 E (fielding)
- RHP Caleb Cotham: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 6/1 GB/FB — 62 of 94 pitches were strikes (66%) … allowed four homers, so he’s up to seven in 13 innings at this level
- RHP Mark Montgomery: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1/3 GB/FB — 25 of 39 pitches were strikes (64%) … seven walks and seven strikeouts in his last 8.1 innings
