River Avenue Blues

DotF: Payton homers for Scranton, King dominates for Trenton

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RHP Brody Koerner’s season is over. He was hit by a line drive over the weekend and Conor Foley says Koerner’s arm was broken. Ouch. It’s unclear whether he needs surgery, but, either way, he’s done for the year. Koerner, the team’s 17th round pick in 2015, bounced between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton this year, and he figured to get an extended look with the RailRiders the rest of the way after the recent trades thinned out their pitching staff. Tough break for him, no pun intended.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (8-3 loss to Rochester)

  • CF Mark Payton: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI — three homers in his last six games … he hit six homers in 94 games all of last season
  • DH Luke Voit: 1-4, 1 K — first game since coming over in the Chasen Shreve/Gio Gallegos trade
  • 1B Mike Ford: 0-4, 1 K
  • SS Abi Avelino: 1-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI
  • RHP Luis Cessa: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 0/1 GB/FB — 13 of 20 pitches were strikes … he was limited to one inning tonight in case the Yankees need him to fill in for J.A. Happ at some point … Happ came down with hand, foot, and mouth disease and was sent home today (no, really)
  • RHP Brady Lail: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 1 WP, 2/1 GB/FB — 28 of 52 pitches were strikes (54%) … gave up the homer to Tyler Austin, who only had to change dugouts after the trade
  • LHP Stephen Tarpley: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 6/0 GB/FB — 28 of 52 pitches were strikes (54%) … the batter he hit? Austin

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Game 105: Tanaka Tuesday

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(Elsa/Getty)

Goodbye trade deadline, hello actual baseball. The Yankees did not sneak in one last trade prior to this afternoon’s deadline, though they made six deals in the last seven days, effectively swapping Brandon Drury, Adam Warren, and Chasen Shreve for Zach Britton, J.A. Happ, and Lance Lynn on the big league roster. Works for me. I was really hoping for that last minute Jacob deGrom blockbuster. Alas.

Anyway, the Yankees are back in action tonight, with the first of two against the Orioles. The O’s really tore things down prior to the deadline. Adam Jones remains because he invoked his no-trade clause, otherwise Britton, Kevin Gausman (Braves), Brad Brach (Braves), Jonathan Schoop (Brewers), and Manny Machado (Dodgers) are all gone. No Schoop or Machado? Thank goodness for that. The Yankees won’t miss them.

On the mound tonight is Masahiro Tanaka, who tossed a three-hit shutout last time out and has looked very good since returning from his dual hamstring strains. Getting the good version of Tanaka the rest of the season would be like trading for an impact pitcher. At his best, Tanaka is a true difference-maker and a pleasure to watch. Go beat up on the skeleton crew the O’s are sending out there tonight, boys. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Giancarlo Stanton
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. CF Aaron Hicks
5. 2B Gleyber Torres
6. 1B Greg Bird
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. DH Neil Walker
9. C Kyle Higashioka

RHP Masahiro Tanaka

Baltimore Orioles
1. SS Tim Beckham
2. 2B Jace Peterson
3. CF Adam Jones
4. DH Mark Trumbo
5. 1B Chris Davis
6. LF Trey Mancini
7. RF Joey Rickard
8. 3B Renato Nunez
9. C Austin Wynns

RHP Yefry Ramirez

It is cloudy and humid in New York and there is rain in the forecast later tonight. Shouldn’t be anything that interrupts the game unless it goes to extra innings, which I hope aren’t necessary. Tonight’s game will begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on YES. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: J.A. Happ has contracted hand, foot, and mouth disease and was sent home today. For real. That’s what we get for making fun of the Mets. Brian Cashman called it a “mild” case and Happ is still scheduled to start Saturday. I assume Lynn would fill in if Happ can’t go.

Roster Move: Welcome back, Ryan Bollinger. The journeyman southpaw was called up today to replace Adam Warren. Lynn has not arrived yet, so Bollinger is the placeholder. He was scheduled to start for Double-A Trenton today, so he’s available for super long relief, but again, I hope it’s not necessary. Bollinger spent one day on roster when the Yankees were in Texas back in May. Today is his second day as a big leaguer.

Yankees make no additional deals prior to trade deadline

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(Presswire)

The 2018 non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone and the Yankees did not sneak in one last trade prior to today’s 4pm ET. They were still very active — perhaps the most active team, really — prior to the deadline. The Yankees made six trades in the last seven days, five of which directly impact the big league roster:

  • Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers, and Cody Carroll for Zach Britton. (RAB post)
  • Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney for J.A. Happ. (RAB post)
  • Chasen Shreve and Gio Gallegos for Luke Voit and $1M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Caleb Frare for $1.5M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Adam Warren for $1.25M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Tyler Austin and Luis Rijo for Lance Lynn. (RAB post)

Trades can still be made in August (and September), remember. They just require trade waivers, which can be a headache. The Yankees figure to monitor the market for a right-handed hitting outfielder (because Aaron Judge is hurt) and a catcher (because Gary Sanchez is hurt), though they are not urgent matters. They can definitely be addressed in August.

Ultimately, the Yankees got the rotation depth they needed in Happ and Lynn, though they were unable to land that high-end impact starter with long-term control. That pitcher wasn’t really available, depending on your opinion of Chris Archer and Kevin Gausman. Add Britton bolsters the bullpen as well, plus all that international bonus money will be put to good use. All things considered, a successful deadline for the Yankees. Onward.

7/31 to 8/1 Series Preview: Baltimore Orioles

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Schoop and Jones. (Getty)

The Yankees picked up their first series victory in three weeks against the Royals, and they’ll look to continue that streak against the other basement dweller in the American League: the Baltimore Orioles.

The Last Time They Met

These teams split a four-game set a few weeks ago, with both of the Yankees wins coming in the form of blowouts (10-2 and 9-0), and the Orioles picking up two one-run victories. Some notes from the series:

  • Greg Bird’s re-emergence began in earnest in this series, when he went 3-for-11 with two home runs, nine RBI, and a couple of walks. His OPS jumped forty points by the end of the series, and has risen another thirty since then.
  • Austin Romine had a big series, as well, going 4-for-12 with a pair of home runs.
  • Sonny Gray had one of his best starts in pinstripes in the final game of the series, tossing six scoreless innings, and allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out eight.

Check out Katie’s Yankeemetrics post for more information about the series.

Their Story So Far

The Orioles are, by winning percentage, the worst team in the majors. They’re entering this series at 32-74, and, thanks to deals that sent Manny Machado to the Dodgers, Zach Britton here, and Brad Brach to the Braves, they’re probably a bit worse than that record suggests. Though, they did just take three of four from the Rays by a combined score of 40 to 16, and they’re 5-5 against the Yankees – you can’t predict baseball, as they say.

Injury Report

Relievers Richard Bleier and Darren O’Day are done for the season, and outfielder Craig Gentry is out until sometime in August with a rib fracture. The Orioles are relatively healthy otherwise.

The Lineup We Might See

This isn’t going to be pretty, you guys. Though, Jonathan Schoop is batting .349 with 7 HR and 15 RBI since the Machado trade…

  1. Tim Beckham, SS – .224/.285/.333, 4 HR, 1 SB, 71 OPS+
  2. Jonathan Schoop, 2B – .244/.273/.447, 17 HR, 0 SB, 95 OPS+
  3. Adam Jones, CF – .285/.312/.434, 11 HR, 2 SB, 104 OPS+
  4. Mark Trumbo, DH – .252/.312/.430, 12 HR, 0 SB, 103 OPS+
  5. Chris Davis, 1B – .159/.245/.306, 13 HR, 2 SB, 52 OPS+
  6. Trey Mancini, LF – .229/.300/.375, 13 HR, 0 SB, 86 OPS+
  7. Danny Valencia, 3B – .268/.321/.423, 9 HR, 1 SB, 104 OPS+
  8. Joey Rickard, RF – .223/.293/.413, 6 HR, 1 SB, 93 OPS+
  9. Caleb Joseph, C – .230/.266/.360, 2 HR, 1 SB, 72 OPS+
Cobb, featuring an 80-grade pitch-face. (Greg Fiume/Getty)

The Starting Pitchers We Will See

Tuesday (7:05 PM EST): RHP Masahiro Tanaka vs. RHP Yefry Ramirez

Ramirez started against the Yankees back on July 9. It was the third start of his young career, and it didn’t go so well – he went four innings, and allowed four runs on nine hits and two walks. Despite that, Ramirez has been mostly effective for the Orioles since being called-up for good a month ago, pitching to a 3.49 ERA (122 ERA+) in 28.1 IP.

Last outing (vs. BOS on 7/24) – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Wednesday (1:05 PM EST): RHP Sonny Gray vs. RHP Alex Cobb

Cobb has been something of an unmitigated disaster for the Orioles thus far, with a 6.08 ERA (67 ERA+) in 103.2 IP. He does have the built-in excuse of a late start to the season, given that he didn’t sign until March 21 – but he has yet to put together a stretch of more than two solid starts in a row. And there’s nothing in his velocity profile that indicates that he’s not at one-hundred percent, either. Though, he has stopped striking people out, with a career-low 14.8% strikeout rate.

Cobb is a four-pitch guy, with a low-90s four-seamer, a low-90s sinker, a mid-80s splitter, and a low-80s curve.

Last outing (vs. BOS on 7/26) – 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K

The Bullpen

Heading into this season, the Orioles top relievers were almost certainly Zach Britton, Brad Brach, Richard Bleier, and Darren O’Day … and the first two are now playing for other teams, while the latter two are out for the season. Mychal Givens (4.78 ERA, 9.9 K/9, 4.1 BB/9) is slated to take over as closer, with Miguel Castro (3.26 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 5.5 BB/9) next in-line. Rookie Paul Fry (1.38 ERA in 13.0 IP) has been gaining more and more trust from Buck Showalter, as well.

The bullpen should be well-rested, though, thanks to a light weekend (4.0 IP between Saturday and Sunday) and Monday’s day off.

Who (Or What) To Watch

As was the case with the Royals, this is a bad team. And their most watchable player of the last several years – Machado – is now on the West Coast. As a result, the most interesting aspect of this series will be the Yankees ability (or lack thereof, as has been the case to-date) to beat-up on the basement-dwellers.

2018 Trade Deadline Rumors: Tuesday

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A lefty bat worth squeezing between Judge and Stanton. (Rob Carr/Getty)

The 2018 non-waiver trade deadline is 4pm ET today and wow have the Yankees been busy. The busiest team in baseball over the last week or so, right? Feels like it. The Yankees have completed six trades in the last six days, some more impactful than others. A recap:

  • Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers, and Cody Carroll for Zach Britton. (RAB post)
  • Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney for J.A. Happ. (RAB post)
  • Chasen Shreve and Gio Gallegos for Luke Voit and $1M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Caleb Frare for $1.5M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Adam Warren for $1.25M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Tyler Austin and Luis Rijo for Lance Lynn. (RAB post)

Eleven players out, four players and $3.75M worth of international bonus money in. Know what the crazy thing is? I am not at all convinced the Yankees are done. They could still use another outfielder (because Aaron Judge is hurt) as well as a catcher (because Gary Sanchez is hurt). Plus more pitching. I’d rather have too much than not enough.

We’re once again going to keep track of the day’s Yankees-related rumors right here, so make sure you check back for updates. The Yankees have made so many moves already that I can’t promise many rumors today, they might in fact be done, but I am open to being surprised. Chat about all the day’s trade deadline rumors and activity here.

  • 2:28pm ET: The Yankees will not be getting Cameron Maybin. He’s been traded to the Mariners. The Yankees reportedly remain in the hunt for a right-handed outfield bat, however.
  • 11:10am ET: The Yankees want a right-handed outfield bat to help cover for Judge, though they were not in on Tommy Pham, who was traded to the Rays. They want someone comfortable with a bench role. [Joel Sherman]
  • 10:49am ET: The Yankees have “zero interest” in Matt Harvey, and that was even before the Happ and Lynn trades. Not surprised. I couldn’t see the Yankees bringing him back to New York, especially since there’s little reason to believe he can pitch well in Yankee Stadium. [Andy Martino]
  • 10:36am ET: You can stop fantasizing about Harper now. “Bryce is not going anywhere. I believe in this team,” said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo this morning. [Chelsea Janes]
  • 10:21am ET: The Yankees have discussed Brad Ziegler with the Marlins. Unless there would be another deal coming a la Warren/Lynn, I’m not sure where he fits. Maybe they’re trying to drive up the price for the Red Sox, who have been connected to Ziegler. [Feinsand]
  • 10:20am ET: The Yankees are expected to add an outfielder today. Expecting to add an outfielder and actually adding an outfielder are two different things though. [Ken Rosenthal, Feinsand]
  • 10:09am ET: The Yankees have spoken to the Mets about Jose Bautista. The Mets don’t want to give him away though, plus the chances of a Yankees-Mets trade are always small. [Heyman]
  • 9:30am ET: In case you missed it last night, the Nationals have made Bryce Harper available. The Yankees haven’t checked in as far as we know, but still, this is pretty noteworthy. [Mark Feinsand]
  • 9:30am ET: The Yankees are among the teams with interest in impending free agent Andrew McCutchen. The Giants insist they’re not ready to sell even though they’ve fallen out of the race. McCutchen is definitely someone who could be on the move in August. [Jon Morosi]
  • 9:30am ET: The Yankees have also checked in on Curtis Granderson and Cameron Maybin, so they’re casting a wide net for an outfielder in the wake of Judge’s injury. I’d be all for a Granderson reunion. The R2C2 podcast episode alone would make it worth it. [Morosi, Jon Heyman]

Reminder: Your trade proposal sucks.

DotF: Seigler hits first pro home run in GCL doubleheader

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A couple notes to get us started:

  • IF Ronald Torreyes has rejoined Triple-A Scranton after a few tune-up games with High-A Tampa. “It’s good to have him back, and everything’s good at home, he said, so that’s important. His wife’s fine,” said RailRiders manager Bobby Mitchell to Conor Foley. Glad Mrs. Toe is okay.
  • With Gio Gallegos traded, OF Antonio Cabello has slid into MLB.com’s top 30 Yankees prospects. “He’s advanced in terms of his patience, plate discipline and ability to make repeated contact. He offers promising power potential as well thanks to his bat speed and strength,” says the write-up.
  • RHP Deivi Garcia ranked fourth in this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet. “(He’s) taken some of the biggest steps forward in the Yankees’ system this year. The righthander pairs a low-90s fastball with a power, downer curveball,” says the write-up.
  • RHP Ben Heller threw today for the first time since having Tommy John surgery in April, according to his Twitter feed. He’s still got a very, very long rehab road ahead of him, obviously, but good news. He’s making progress.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Game One (4-3 win over Rochester) completion of their June 24th game, which was suspended due to rain after the top of the fourth

  • SS Tyler Wade: 1-1, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB — he played in the original game
  • 1B Tyler Austin: 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI — homered in the original game and he did play today, but he was pulled from the game as the Lance Lynn trade went down
  • PH-SS Abi Avelino: 0-2, 1 K
  • DH Brandon Drury: 0-2, 1 K — played in the original game
  • PH-DH Mike Ford: 0-1, 1 BB
  • CF Billy McKinney: 0-1, 1 BB — also played in the original game … lots of names here I didn’t expect to ever see in DotF again!
  • 3B-SS-2B Ronald Torreyes: 0-3, 1 BB
  • C Kyle Higashioka: 1-1, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB — another guy who played in the original game
  • RHP Chance Adams: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 4/1 GB/FB — 26 of 40 pitches were strikes (65%) … started the original game
  • LHP James Reeves: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1/1 GB/FB — 23 of 42 pitches were strikes (55%) … just up from Trenton to help cover for all the recent trades
  • RHP Tommy Kahnle: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K — one pitch, one strike … gave up a hit on his only pitch and OF Zack Zehner threw the tying run out at the plate to end the game

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