From the AP:
Yankees rookie sensation Joba Chamberlain was suspended for two games Friday and fined $1,000, a day after he threw consecutive 98-99 mph pitches over the head of Boston's Kevin Youkilis.
Chamberlain will not appeal the penalty and was set to sit out Friday night and Saturday against Tampa Bay. Under the Yankees' rules for him, the 21-year-old reliever wouldn't have been available to pitch Friday, anyway.
Chamberlain will not appeal the penalty and was set to sit out Friday night and Saturday against Tampa Bay. Under the Yankees' rules for him, the 21-year-old reliever wouldn't have been available to pitch Friday, anyway.
Posted by: Patrick
I was thinking a bit about Luis Vizcaino because of this Roger Clemens quote from Mark Feinsand:
It's been a funny year for Mr. Vizcaino, a pitcher who, coming into this season, had thrown 3 consecutive seasons of at least 65 games and an ERA no higher than 3.75. Nothing to bowl you over, but a solid mid to end of the pen guy. He had a terrible April (15 G, 1-1, 1 BS, 5.79 ERA) and a horrific May (10 G, 1-0, 1 BS, 9.00 ERA) and (a lot of) Yankees fans wasted no time dismissing him. As often happens in the fan base (and the blogosphere), we can be too quick to throw someone aside. It reminds me a bit of what happened with Proctor.
Of course, if you were just tuning in today, you wouldn't know that because Luis has been on fire for 3 months now, providing a huge rock where one was desperately needed. Dating back to May 28, he is 6-1 with 1 BS and a 1.27 ERA. When it seemed, at least, like everyone around them was hit or miss depending on your luck, Viz and Mo held it down. With some, he went from DFA candidate to bullpen savior in a relatively short period of time. Prospects aside, by himself, he's made the Randy Johnson trade look like a great one. He's been an important piece to the puzzle.
On Luis Vizcaino: “Viz is my MVP. He’s awesome; he doesn’t say a word, he takes the ball and gets the job done. I tip my hat to that kid; he’d throw every day if Joe asked him to throw.”
It's been a funny year for Mr. Vizcaino, a pitcher who, coming into this season, had thrown 3 consecutive seasons of at least 65 games and an ERA no higher than 3.75. Nothing to bowl you over, but a solid mid to end of the pen guy. He had a terrible April (15 G, 1-1, 1 BS, 5.79 ERA) and a horrific May (10 G, 1-0, 1 BS, 9.00 ERA) and (a lot of) Yankees fans wasted no time dismissing him. As often happens in the fan base (and the blogosphere), we can be too quick to throw someone aside. It reminds me a bit of what happened with Proctor.
Of course, if you were just tuning in today, you wouldn't know that because Luis has been on fire for 3 months now, providing a huge rock where one was desperately needed. Dating back to May 28, he is 6-1 with 1 BS and a 1.27 ERA. When it seemed, at least, like everyone around them was hit or miss depending on your luck, Viz and Mo held it down. With some, he went from DFA candidate to bullpen savior in a relatively short period of time. Prospects aside, by himself, he's made the Randy Johnson trade look like a great one. He's been an important piece to the puzzle.
Posted by: James
The first seven innings are a breeze to recap.
Chien-Ming Wang: He's GRRREAT. For the Yanks, Wang carried a no-hitter through 6 innings (not a perfect game as he had control issues for much of the game - 4 BBs over 7 innings). Wang gave up a single to Mike Lowell in the 7th to break up the no-hit bid, putting runners on first and second with no out (error by Jeter had put Youkilis on earlier). Of course, he's the Worm Killer, so he was able to induce a ground ball DP and a strikeout of Jason Varitek to get out of further trouble.
As good as Wang was, Schilling was just as good against all the Yankees... except for Robbie Cano who took him deep TWICE (in the third and the fifth and the second shot was longer than the first). Schilling also had issues with Jeter who was 4-for 4 for the game but was stranded early by Abreu and A-Rod.
Joba came in for the 8th and, though he gave up a 2-out double to Dustin Pedroia, got through the inning unscathed.
The same can't be said for the Red Sox pen as the Yankees scored a couple of insurance runs to try to put this game away. Okajima comes on for the 8th and after getting Damon to ground out, gives up a single to Jeter, a double to Abreu (scoring Jeter) and intentionally walked A-Rod. With Hideki Matsui up, Abreu and A-Rod advanced on a double steal and scored when Varitek threw the ball away making the score 5-0.
Top of the ninth... and to everyone's surprise Joba comes out. I dunno why. I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to pitch him one inning and give him a days rest so he can be ready when IPK is pitching on Saturday? It's not like like there's no one else in the bullpen, i.e. FREE CHRIS BRITTON! In any case, it works out to be an abbreviated inning as, after a Ortiz fly-out, Joba gets tossed from the game. Why, you ask? Well, according to the ump, he was deliberately throwing at Kevin Youkilis... whatever. Edwar comes in and walks Youkilis before striking out Mike Lowell and getting J.D. Drew to pop out to foul territory. 5-0. Yankees Win. Yankees Sweep. Yankees take first in the WC by percentage points. A good game and a good day for Yankees fans...well, except for maybe Joe P.
Chien-Ming Wang: He's GRRREAT. For the Yanks, Wang carried a no-hitter through 6 innings (not a perfect game as he had control issues for much of the game - 4 BBs over 7 innings). Wang gave up a single to Mike Lowell in the 7th to break up the no-hit bid, putting runners on first and second with no out (error by Jeter had put Youkilis on earlier). Of course, he's the Worm Killer, so he was able to induce a ground ball DP and a strikeout of Jason Varitek to get out of further trouble.
As good as Wang was, Schilling was just as good against all the Yankees... except for Robbie Cano who took him deep TWICE (in the third and the fifth and the second shot was longer than the first). Schilling also had issues with Jeter who was 4-for 4 for the game but was stranded early by Abreu and A-Rod.
Joba came in for the 8th and, though he gave up a 2-out double to Dustin Pedroia, got through the inning unscathed.
The same can't be said for the Red Sox pen as the Yankees scored a couple of insurance runs to try to put this game away. Okajima comes on for the 8th and after getting Damon to ground out, gives up a single to Jeter, a double to Abreu (scoring Jeter) and intentionally walked A-Rod. With Hideki Matsui up, Abreu and A-Rod advanced on a double steal and scored when Varitek threw the ball away making the score 5-0.
Top of the ninth... and to everyone's surprise Joba comes out. I dunno why. I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to pitch him one inning and give him a days rest so he can be ready when IPK is pitching on Saturday? It's not like like there's no one else in the bullpen, i.e. FREE CHRIS BRITTON! In any case, it works out to be an abbreviated inning as, after a Ortiz fly-out, Joba gets tossed from the game. Why, you ask? Well, according to the ump, he was deliberately throwing at Kevin Youkilis... whatever. Edwar comes in and walks Youkilis before striking out Mike Lowell and getting J.D. Drew to pop out to foul territory. 5-0. Yankees Win. Yankees Sweep. Yankees take first in the WC by percentage points. A good game and a good day for Yankees fans...well, except for maybe Joe P.
08/29: IPK Speaks
Posted by: James
Jim Baumbach from Newsday talked to Ian Kennedy in Syracuse and the video was just posted at On The Yankees Beat. He seems pretty soft-spoken, polite and genuine. It's definitely worth a look if only to get a feel for what kind of guy he seems to be. Everyone will see what kind of pitcher he is soon enough.
Posted by: Patrick
The final episode of The Bronx is Burning aired last night. And the Yankees won! I knew they would. Good team. ;)
At any rate, I thought I'd see what everyone thought about the series, now that it's over. I enjoyed it and, in all, have the same thoughts I had after I watched the first episode. It was about the Yankees and I'm a Yankees fan. I'm not going to take it as the gospel, but I'm going to sit back and enjoy it for what it is and that's what I did.
Favorite moments? The funny ones tend to stick out to me. Munson and Lou in the shower, Steinbrenner watching the game with the college kids and Reggie and Billy telling Gabe Paul to relax a bit. The part with Joe D and Reggie in the last episode was cool, too.
"When haven't we been friends, Gabe?"
At any rate, I thought I'd see what everyone thought about the series, now that it's over. I enjoyed it and, in all, have the same thoughts I had after I watched the first episode. It was about the Yankees and I'm a Yankees fan. I'm not going to take it as the gospel, but I'm going to sit back and enjoy it for what it is and that's what I did.
Favorite moments? The funny ones tend to stick out to me. Munson and Lou in the shower, Steinbrenner watching the game with the college kids and Reggie and Billy telling Gabe Paul to relax a bit. The part with Joe D and Reggie in the last episode was cool, too.
"When haven't we been friends, Gabe?"
08/29: Joba vs. Gagne (8/29/07)
Posted by: Patrick
Since the trade deadline:
Joba: 8 G, 0-0, 0 S, 0 BS, 10.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 17 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, .121 BAA.
Gagne: 11 G, 1-1, 0 S, 2 BS, 10 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 13 K, 9.00 ERA, 2.20 WHIP, .383 BAA.
Baseball Tonight had a great stat, care of Brent Nycz:
Joba: 8 G, 0-0, 0 S, 0 BS, 10.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 17 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, .121 BAA.
Gagne: 11 G, 1-1, 0 S, 2 BS, 10 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 13 K, 9.00 ERA, 2.20 WHIP, .383 BAA.
Baseball Tonight had a great stat, care of Brent Nycz:
Joba Chamberlain is the first pitcher since 1900 to start his career with 8 scoreless appearances with one strikeout in every appearance.
08/29: Just 1 GB in Wild Card
Posted by: Patrick
After going down 5-0 after the 1st inning, the Angels outscored the Mariners over the next 8 innings, 10-1, to win 10-6. With our win, we are just 1 game back in the Wild Card.
Posted by: Patrick
Men (that's Mike plus Ben) have word that Ian Kennedy will take Mike Mussina's next start on Saturday.
Going into this season, who would have thought that all 5 of Joba, Phil, DeSalvo, Clippard and Kennedy would see Major League action... it's been an interesting year.
Going into this season, who would have thought that all 5 of Joba, Phil, DeSalvo, Clippard and Kennedy would see Major League action... it's been an interesting year.
Posted by: Patrick
Behind 7 good innings (6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks) from Andy Pettitte, the Yankees took the first of the final 6 games against the Red Sox, 5-3. They got on Matsuzaka early. After loading the bases with 1 out, Matsui grounded into a fielder's choice for RBI number 91 and Posada doubled to score Abreu to make it 2-0 to end the first inning.
The Red Sox picked up 1 run in both the 2nd and 3rd innings, thanks to a Manny Ramirez home run and a David Ortiz sacrifice fly. Manny would leave the game in the 7th with back spasms. The score remained 2-2 until the Captain took Dice-K deep to right to get the lead once again, 3-2. The Red Sox would tie it up once more with a Jason Varitek lead off homer in the 7th.
But, the Yankee struck right back in the bottom half of the inning. It started with an Andy Phillips single. Wilson Betemit ran for him and Melky sacrificed Betemit to second. Johnny Damon came up and came through with a huge 2 run shot to make it 5-3.
The Red Sox got their first taste of Joba in the top of the 8th. He faced (and walked) Kevin Youkilis first. He then got a fly out from Ortiz and a strike out from Eric Hinske. After a Mike Lowell single, he K'ed J.D. Drew to end the 8th. That's 10 innings for the big man - and 0 ER.
Mo came in to face the bottom 3rd of the Sox order in the 9th and it couldn't have gone better. He struck out Varitek and Crisp before retiring Lugo on a line up.
Both teams had 7 hits and 3 walks. The Red Sox left 15 runners on base to the Yankees 8. Damon (2 for 4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Jorge (2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI) were the only Yankees to collect more than one hit. Jeter, Cano and Phillips each had a hit.
Tomorrow at 7:05 PM ET, we have Roger Clemens (5-5, 4.34) up against Josh Beckett (16-5, 3.21). It'll be Roger's first start against Boston this season.
The Red Sox picked up 1 run in both the 2nd and 3rd innings, thanks to a Manny Ramirez home run and a David Ortiz sacrifice fly. Manny would leave the game in the 7th with back spasms. The score remained 2-2 until the Captain took Dice-K deep to right to get the lead once again, 3-2. The Red Sox would tie it up once more with a Jason Varitek lead off homer in the 7th.
But, the Yankee struck right back in the bottom half of the inning. It started with an Andy Phillips single. Wilson Betemit ran for him and Melky sacrificed Betemit to second. Johnny Damon came up and came through with a huge 2 run shot to make it 5-3.
The Red Sox got their first taste of Joba in the top of the 8th. He faced (and walked) Kevin Youkilis first. He then got a fly out from Ortiz and a strike out from Eric Hinske. After a Mike Lowell single, he K'ed J.D. Drew to end the 8th. That's 10 innings for the big man - and 0 ER.
Mo came in to face the bottom 3rd of the Sox order in the 9th and it couldn't have gone better. He struck out Varitek and Crisp before retiring Lugo on a line up.
Both teams had 7 hits and 3 walks. The Red Sox left 15 runners on base to the Yankees 8. Damon (2 for 4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Jorge (2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI) were the only Yankees to collect more than one hit. Jeter, Cano and Phillips each had a hit.
Tomorrow at 7:05 PM ET, we have Roger Clemens (5-5, 4.34) up against Josh Beckett (16-5, 3.21). It'll be Roger's first start against Boston this season.
08/28: It's About Time
Posted by: James
Eagle-eyed Joe P. over at River Ave. Blues points out that Chris Britton has finally been recalled. He found the blurb at the end of Tyler Kepner's game recap. I would read the rest of the article - Moose's quotes seem so desperate. As someone who has liked him for a while, I honestly feel for the guy.
Mussina is the most analytical of pitchers, but he seems mystified by this slump. He talked about the small slice of the game that pitchers actually control. But even that much has gone awry, shaking his confidence deeply.
“Right now, I let go of it and I don’t feel like anything good is going to happen,” Mussina said. “It’s tough to pitch that way. You can’t play the game that way to feel like you have no control over anything, and that’s how I feel right now.
...
The Yankees owe Mussina more than $11 million for next season, but he seems to be nearing the end. It is a scary and sudden reality, and it has knocked him as low as he has ever been.
“It feels like I’m never going to pitch well enough to get to the sixth or seventh inning again,” Mussina said. “That’s just how it feels right now.”
“Right now, I let go of it and I don’t feel like anything good is going to happen,” Mussina said. “It’s tough to pitch that way. You can’t play the game that way to feel like you have no control over anything, and that’s how I feel right now.
...
The Yankees owe Mussina more than $11 million for next season, but he seems to be nearing the end. It is a scary and sudden reality, and it has knocked him as low as he has ever been.
“It feels like I’m never going to pitch well enough to get to the sixth or seventh inning again,” Mussina said. “That’s just how it feels right now.”
08/28: It Is What It Is
Posted by: Patrick
Here it is. 2007 New York Yankees, this is your life. I feel pretty good about these next 31 games because of who we are playing. We have 6 with the Red Sox and 3 with the Mariners. Besides those 9, we have 22 games against bad or mediocre teams: 6 games with the Devils Rays (.389 winning percentage), 3 with the Royals (.442), 6 with the Blue Jays (.504) and 6 with the Orioles (.450).
I believe we can still win the division. Even at 8 games back. Crazy? Maybe. Optimistic? Yes. But, the reason I feel that way is because of those 6 games with the Red Sox. We can get it down to 2 games back all on our own. But, I think that that is what we need to do - win all 6 games. That's not gonna be easy, but it can be done. We swept them in a 5 game series last year - different time, different circumstances, whatever, I don't care - we can do 6 this year. If we do that, I think we'll win the division. If we lose one game (if we win 5 out of 6), we'll be 4 games back and, though we could make that up, I don't see it happening. So, we take those 6 games, we win the division. The Red Sox also have a weak schedule the rest of the way out, except for us, so we need to sweep them twice.
Even if we fail to do that, we're only 2 games back of the Mariners (thank goodness). I've said all along that all we need to do is get in the playoffs. Get in the playoffs and anything can happen. We have 3 games against the Mariners, as I said. So, that'll be our opportunity to gain ground. Hopefully we can maintain pace with them to where we don't need to sweep them, but at least we'll have the chance. In their final 33 games, they have 6 against the Angels (.588), 3 against the Tigers (.542) and 5 against the Indians (.562), in addition to the 3 against us. So, they've got a bit tougher schedule than we do.
And that's a part of my optimism here. The good teams that we play are the ones that we need to pass. Every other team we play is below .500 except for the Blue Jays, which are just above. It's funny how that worked out. The stage is set. Now, like always, all we have to do is go out and win. Easier said, then done. But, it begins with a single game. Let's go, Yankees...
I believe we can still win the division. Even at 8 games back. Crazy? Maybe. Optimistic? Yes. But, the reason I feel that way is because of those 6 games with the Red Sox. We can get it down to 2 games back all on our own. But, I think that that is what we need to do - win all 6 games. That's not gonna be easy, but it can be done. We swept them in a 5 game series last year - different time, different circumstances, whatever, I don't care - we can do 6 this year. If we do that, I think we'll win the division. If we lose one game (if we win 5 out of 6), we'll be 4 games back and, though we could make that up, I don't see it happening. So, we take those 6 games, we win the division. The Red Sox also have a weak schedule the rest of the way out, except for us, so we need to sweep them twice.
Even if we fail to do that, we're only 2 games back of the Mariners (thank goodness). I've said all along that all we need to do is get in the playoffs. Get in the playoffs and anything can happen. We have 3 games against the Mariners, as I said. So, that'll be our opportunity to gain ground. Hopefully we can maintain pace with them to where we don't need to sweep them, but at least we'll have the chance. In their final 33 games, they have 6 against the Angels (.588), 3 against the Tigers (.542) and 5 against the Indians (.562), in addition to the 3 against us. So, they've got a bit tougher schedule than we do.
And that's a part of my optimism here. The good teams that we play are the ones that we need to pass. Every other team we play is below .500 except for the Blue Jays, which are just above. It's funny how that worked out. The stage is set. Now, like always, all we have to do is go out and win. Easier said, then done. But, it begins with a single game. Let's go, Yankees...
Posted by: Seamus
After watching the first few months of the season where the Yankees struggled despite such a high scoring margin, a lot of Yankee fans probably thought that it's a shame that scores aren't cumulative over the course of the season and run into the next game. After an 18-9 roasting earlier in this road trip via the Angels and now a 16-0 loss in Detroit in the thick of a pennant race, the only consolation is that tonight's game against Boston will start with a score of 0-0. The loss last night puts the Yankees a full 8 games behind the Red Sox, deeming this upcoming series more important for the Yankees in terms of keeping up with the Mariners in the wild card chase than anything else. Seattle lost to the Angels, so they remain 2 back, but fell 4 behind the Angels, which can become significant should the Mariners catch them in the standings.
Mike Mussina logged yet another awful outing, going only three innings and allowing 6 runs off 9 hits in a game he knew was especially crucial, considering all the speculation about what may happen to his spot in the rotation. Obviously he's not going to be replaced by Kei Igawa (I say "obviously" but there are no surprises with this staff), but as we approach September 1, we may see a young guy like Ian Kennedy or Steven White get a shot once the roster expands to 40 players.
As for the Yankees' offense last night...oh wait, there was none (/paragraph).
The Yankees will be coming off a 2-5 road trip heading into tonight's game against the Red Sox, but on the bright side the momentum from other games always seems to be totally discarded coming into these series as if there is a separate season that consists only of Yanks. vs. Red Sox games. The Yankees will send Andy Pettite (11-7) to the mound to face Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-10) in a matchup featuring two pitchers who all in all have both pitched better than their won-loss records. Game starts at 7:05 ET.
Mike Mussina logged yet another awful outing, going only three innings and allowing 6 runs off 9 hits in a game he knew was especially crucial, considering all the speculation about what may happen to his spot in the rotation. Obviously he's not going to be replaced by Kei Igawa (I say "obviously" but there are no surprises with this staff), but as we approach September 1, we may see a young guy like Ian Kennedy or Steven White get a shot once the roster expands to 40 players.
As for the Yankees' offense last night...oh wait, there was none (/paragraph).
The Yankees will be coming off a 2-5 road trip heading into tonight's game against the Red Sox, but on the bright side the momentum from other games always seems to be totally discarded coming into these series as if there is a separate season that consists only of Yanks. vs. Red Sox games. The Yankees will send Andy Pettite (11-7) to the mound to face Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-10) in a matchup featuring two pitchers who all in all have both pitched better than their won-loss records. Game starts at 7:05 ET.
Posted by: Patrick
George King reports that Scott Boras says that Andrew Brackman will have Tommy John surgery. Not a surprise, of course.
Posted by: Patrick
This is my weekly recap of the performance of the YanksBlog.com teams in the Yankees Bloggers Fantasy Baseball League.
Last Week
James lost to Aziz (Pride of the Yankees), 7-2. Aziz took runs (by 6), runs batted in (by 1), stolen bases, batting average, saves (by 2), ERA and WHIP (by 0.07). They tied in home runs at 10 and James won wins and strikeouts - both by healthy margins.
James' offense was led by Brandon Phillips, who hit .400 with 8 runs, 3 home runs and 8 runs batted in. Bengie Molina hit .429. Aziz's greatest contributions came from Magglio Ordonez (6 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, .440 AVG) and Brian McCann (4 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .258 AVG). Howie Kendrick scored 8 runs, drove in 1 and hit .423, Bobby Abreu scored 3 runs, stole 4 bases and hit .417 and Ichiro Suzuki scored 4, drove in 4, stole 2 and hit .464.
James took 7 pitching victories this week, coming from Kelvim Escobar (2, 12 Ks), Adam Wainwright (12 Ks), Billy Wagner, Jake Peavy (11 Ks), Matt Garza and Chad Billingsley. His saves came from Jose Valverde (3) and Bobby Jenks (2). For Aziz, wins were collected by Matt Cain and Heath Bell with C.J. Wilson (2), David Weathers (2), Francisco Cordero, Takashi Saito and Heath Bell picking up saves. Even with the loss, James has now clinched a playoff spot.
I came up with a 6-4 victory over 1st place Mike (River Ave. Blues), thanks in large part to my offense, which won 4 of 5 categories. I took R, HR, RBI, AVG, S and Ks while Mike took SB, W, ERA and WHIP. A-Rod had a great week, hitting .333 with 9 runs, 4 home runs, 8 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases. Matsui hit .440, Carlos Lee hit .414 and Aaron Rowand hit .440. Mike got 8 stolen bases out of Jose Reyes, which was 6 more than my entire team. Reyes also hit .310 with 7 runs. B.J. Upton (7 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .250 AVG) was a force for Mike.
My wins came from Brian Bannister, Andy Pettitte and Scott Kazmir (21 Ks) with saves from Joe Borowski (3) and Manny Corpas (2). Felix Hernandez, Derek Lowe, Yovani Gallardo (9 Ks) and John Smoltz gave Mike wins while Francisco Rodriguez (2), Joe Nathan and Jeremy Accardo gave him saves. Despite winning, I fell from 5th place to 6th place as I hold a tenuous grasp on the final playoff spot.
Seamus lost to Dave (Pride of the Yankees), 8-2. Seamus was able to take stolen bases (he had 10 of them) and batting average, but Dave took the rest, mostly by a good margin. Vladimir Guerrero (5 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .214 AVG) led his side. For Seamus, it's David Wright once again, with 7 runs, 1 home run, 7 runs batted in, 3 stolen bases and a .533 average. Rickie Weeks hit .450 with 6 runs, 1 homer, 2 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases.
Joaquin Benoit (2) and Dan Haren (19 Ks) won games for Dave while Brandon Webb and Jered Weaver did the same for Seamus. Dave had saves from Jason Isringhausen (5!), Al Reyes (2), Matt Capps (2) and Alan Embree. Both of Seamus' came from Todd Jones.
Top 3 teams in the league:
1. Mike (120-82-8)
2. James (108-88-14)
3. Dave (109-90-11)
Clinched playoff spots (3 available): Mike, James and Dave.
This Week
We now enter the final week of the regular season. If it ended after this week, the playoff teams would be Mike, James, Dave, Ben (River Ave. Blues), Joseph, (River Ave. Blues) and me. But, those last 3 spots aren't locked in yet. I'm a half game behind Joseph, Jen (NoSenseWorrying.com) is lurking just 2.5 games back of me with Aziz only a half game behind her. So, with 4 teams within 3.5 games of each other, there will be some battling over the last 2 spots specifically, as Ben looks pretty secure right now, even if he loses his game this week, as long as it's not a total blowout.
Games of interest to those final spots: 4th place Ben faces 1st place Mike, 5th place Joseph faces 7th place Jen, 6th place me faces 3rd place Dave and 8th place Aziz faces 9th place EJ (Pinstripe Potentials and Pending Pinstripes). Good luck to everyone still in the race.
The YanksBlog.com blogger match ups are as follows:
James (2nd, 108-88-14) vs. Seamus (10th, 74-125-11)
Patrick (6th, 102-101-7) vs. Dave (3rd, 109-90-11)
Last Week
James lost to Aziz (Pride of the Yankees), 7-2. Aziz took runs (by 6), runs batted in (by 1), stolen bases, batting average, saves (by 2), ERA and WHIP (by 0.07). They tied in home runs at 10 and James won wins and strikeouts - both by healthy margins.
James' offense was led by Brandon Phillips, who hit .400 with 8 runs, 3 home runs and 8 runs batted in. Bengie Molina hit .429. Aziz's greatest contributions came from Magglio Ordonez (6 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, .440 AVG) and Brian McCann (4 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .258 AVG). Howie Kendrick scored 8 runs, drove in 1 and hit .423, Bobby Abreu scored 3 runs, stole 4 bases and hit .417 and Ichiro Suzuki scored 4, drove in 4, stole 2 and hit .464.
James took 7 pitching victories this week, coming from Kelvim Escobar (2, 12 Ks), Adam Wainwright (12 Ks), Billy Wagner, Jake Peavy (11 Ks), Matt Garza and Chad Billingsley. His saves came from Jose Valverde (3) and Bobby Jenks (2). For Aziz, wins were collected by Matt Cain and Heath Bell with C.J. Wilson (2), David Weathers (2), Francisco Cordero, Takashi Saito and Heath Bell picking up saves. Even with the loss, James has now clinched a playoff spot.
I came up with a 6-4 victory over 1st place Mike (River Ave. Blues), thanks in large part to my offense, which won 4 of 5 categories. I took R, HR, RBI, AVG, S and Ks while Mike took SB, W, ERA and WHIP. A-Rod had a great week, hitting .333 with 9 runs, 4 home runs, 8 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases. Matsui hit .440, Carlos Lee hit .414 and Aaron Rowand hit .440. Mike got 8 stolen bases out of Jose Reyes, which was 6 more than my entire team. Reyes also hit .310 with 7 runs. B.J. Upton (7 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .250 AVG) was a force for Mike.
My wins came from Brian Bannister, Andy Pettitte and Scott Kazmir (21 Ks) with saves from Joe Borowski (3) and Manny Corpas (2). Felix Hernandez, Derek Lowe, Yovani Gallardo (9 Ks) and John Smoltz gave Mike wins while Francisco Rodriguez (2), Joe Nathan and Jeremy Accardo gave him saves. Despite winning, I fell from 5th place to 6th place as I hold a tenuous grasp on the final playoff spot.
Seamus lost to Dave (Pride of the Yankees), 8-2. Seamus was able to take stolen bases (he had 10 of them) and batting average, but Dave took the rest, mostly by a good margin. Vladimir Guerrero (5 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .214 AVG) led his side. For Seamus, it's David Wright once again, with 7 runs, 1 home run, 7 runs batted in, 3 stolen bases and a .533 average. Rickie Weeks hit .450 with 6 runs, 1 homer, 2 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases.
Joaquin Benoit (2) and Dan Haren (19 Ks) won games for Dave while Brandon Webb and Jered Weaver did the same for Seamus. Dave had saves from Jason Isringhausen (5!), Al Reyes (2), Matt Capps (2) and Alan Embree. Both of Seamus' came from Todd Jones.
Top 3 teams in the league:
1. Mike (120-82-8)
2. James (108-88-14)
3. Dave (109-90-11)
Clinched playoff spots (3 available): Mike, James and Dave.
This Week
We now enter the final week of the regular season. If it ended after this week, the playoff teams would be Mike, James, Dave, Ben (River Ave. Blues), Joseph, (River Ave. Blues) and me. But, those last 3 spots aren't locked in yet. I'm a half game behind Joseph, Jen (NoSenseWorrying.com) is lurking just 2.5 games back of me with Aziz only a half game behind her. So, with 4 teams within 3.5 games of each other, there will be some battling over the last 2 spots specifically, as Ben looks pretty secure right now, even if he loses his game this week, as long as it's not a total blowout.
Games of interest to those final spots: 4th place Ben faces 1st place Mike, 5th place Joseph faces 7th place Jen, 6th place me faces 3rd place Dave and 8th place Aziz faces 9th place EJ (Pinstripe Potentials and Pending Pinstripes). Good luck to everyone still in the race.
The YanksBlog.com blogger match ups are as follows:
James (2nd, 108-88-14) vs. Seamus (10th, 74-125-11)
Patrick (6th, 102-101-7) vs. Dave (3rd, 109-90-11)
Posted by: David
Phil Hughes only surrendered four hits in six innings but three of them were home runs. Curtis Granderson led off the game with a fly ball down the line in left which Matsui couldn't reach and the ball went by him to the wall. Speedster Granderson circled the bases for an inside the park home run.
With one on and two out, Hughes then got behind Yankee killer Carlos Guillen and he smashed a two run homer to right to make the score 3-0.
Jason Giambi homered to put the Yankees on the board but Phil Hughes lost location again and Marcus Thames launched a two run home run to left to end the scoring.
Robinson Cano hit a big three run homer to pull the Yankees to within one but they couldn't get any closer for the remainder of the game. The Tigers bullpen had to work just about the whole game when the starter left with shoulder stiffness.
Joel Zumaya worked the eighth and closer Todd Jones shut down the Yankees in the ninth with the help of a game ending 3-6-3 double play from Guillen.
The series concludes tomorrow night with troubled Mike Mussina against Tigers young ace Justin Verlander.
With one on and two out, Hughes then got behind Yankee killer Carlos Guillen and he smashed a two run homer to right to make the score 3-0.
Jason Giambi homered to put the Yankees on the board but Phil Hughes lost location again and Marcus Thames launched a two run home run to left to end the scoring.
Robinson Cano hit a big three run homer to pull the Yankees to within one but they couldn't get any closer for the remainder of the game. The Tigers bullpen had to work just about the whole game when the starter left with shoulder stiffness.
Joel Zumaya worked the eighth and closer Todd Jones shut down the Yankees in the ninth with the help of a game ending 3-6-3 double play from Guillen.
The series concludes tomorrow night with troubled Mike Mussina against Tigers young ace Justin Verlander.
Posted by: Patrick
After stringing together 3 iffy starts (though the 6 IP, 3 ER last one is plenty manageable), I guess some people were a little worried about Mr. Wang. I don't know any of those people, but I have read about them. This should help relax them a bit. Wang pitched a gem last night, allowing just 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts over 8 innings to pick up win number 15.
The Yankees offense gave him 7 runs and that was more than enough. Jeremy Bonderman had held them to 3 runs through the first 5 innings, but the 6th is where they blew it open, thanks to back to back RBI triples - the first from Melky that scored Betemit, Cano and Matsui and then, right after, another one from Johnny that scored Melky. In his first appearance since August 5, Brian Bruney pitched a 1-2-3 9th, retiring Marcus Thames, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen in order.
Melky's 3 RBIs (1 for 4, 1 3B, 1 R) led the offense, but Johnny (2 for 5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Matsui (3 for 5, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI) were right behind them. Abreu (1 R, 2 BB, 3 SB), A-Rod (1 R, 1 SB) and Cano (1 R) all collected a hit. Betemit was 0 for 3, but had a walk and a run. The only Yankees that failed to reach were Jeter and Posada.
Back to Matsui for a second, check out his numbers since July 3 (a span of 48 games): .365/.423/.651 (1.074 OPS), 49 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 44 RBI, 23 BB, 23 K, 2 SB and 5 SF. Hot. Here's some other numbers that will make you happy:
Johnny Damon since July 21 (26 games, 23 started): .358/.420/.557 (.977), 24 R, 10 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 12 BB, 18 K, 4 SB and 1 SF.
Bobby Abreu since July 2 (47 games, 44 started): .361/.418/.622 (1.040), 41 R, 10 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 19 BB, 29 K, 8 SB and 2 SF.
A-Rod since August 2 (21 games): .372/.474/.705 (1.179), 23 R, 2 2B, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 14 BB, 1 IBB, 10 K, 7 SB and 2 SF.
Meanwhile, could the White Sox play any worse right now? Come on guys, just beat the Red Sox once. They'll get their last shot today at 2:05 PM ET. They've got Javy Vazquez going against Julian Tavarez, so you'd think they'd have a decent chance, but who knows. They've lost the first 3 games of the series by a combined score of 35-6.
Oh my gosh - the Mariners actually lost a game! I wondered when that would happen again. The Rangers didn't put up 30 runs, but 5 was enough, apparently. So, we gained a game in the Wild Card and are now down 2 games, while remaining 6 and 1/2 back in the division.
We have 33 games left in the season (6 against Boston and 3 against Seattle). Boston has 32 and Seattle has 35. Today, at 1:05 ET, we'll have a match up of 21 year olds as Phil Hughes (2-1, 4.96) will go against Jair Jurrjens (1-1, 3.29).
The Yankees offense gave him 7 runs and that was more than enough. Jeremy Bonderman had held them to 3 runs through the first 5 innings, but the 6th is where they blew it open, thanks to back to back RBI triples - the first from Melky that scored Betemit, Cano and Matsui and then, right after, another one from Johnny that scored Melky. In his first appearance since August 5, Brian Bruney pitched a 1-2-3 9th, retiring Marcus Thames, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen in order.
Melky's 3 RBIs (1 for 4, 1 3B, 1 R) led the offense, but Johnny (2 for 5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Matsui (3 for 5, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI) were right behind them. Abreu (1 R, 2 BB, 3 SB), A-Rod (1 R, 1 SB) and Cano (1 R) all collected a hit. Betemit was 0 for 3, but had a walk and a run. The only Yankees that failed to reach were Jeter and Posada.
Back to Matsui for a second, check out his numbers since July 3 (a span of 48 games): .365/.423/.651 (1.074 OPS), 49 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 44 RBI, 23 BB, 23 K, 2 SB and 5 SF. Hot. Here's some other numbers that will make you happy:
Johnny Damon since July 21 (26 games, 23 started): .358/.420/.557 (.977), 24 R, 10 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 12 BB, 18 K, 4 SB and 1 SF.
Bobby Abreu since July 2 (47 games, 44 started): .361/.418/.622 (1.040), 41 R, 10 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 19 BB, 29 K, 8 SB and 2 SF.
A-Rod since August 2 (21 games): .372/.474/.705 (1.179), 23 R, 2 2B, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 14 BB, 1 IBB, 10 K, 7 SB and 2 SF.
Meanwhile, could the White Sox play any worse right now? Come on guys, just beat the Red Sox once. They'll get their last shot today at 2:05 PM ET. They've got Javy Vazquez going against Julian Tavarez, so you'd think they'd have a decent chance, but who knows. They've lost the first 3 games of the series by a combined score of 35-6.
Oh my gosh - the Mariners actually lost a game! I wondered when that would happen again. The Rangers didn't put up 30 runs, but 5 was enough, apparently. So, we gained a game in the Wild Card and are now down 2 games, while remaining 6 and 1/2 back in the division.
We have 33 games left in the season (6 against Boston and 3 against Seattle). Boston has 32 and Seattle has 35. Today, at 1:05 ET, we'll have a match up of 21 year olds as Phil Hughes (2-1, 4.96) will go against Jair Jurrjens (1-1, 3.29).
Posted by: James
Funny note that I ran across the other day. It seems that Joba started off the year and not one of the first 16 hitters he faced made contact with his slider.
In other talented Baby Bomber news, Alan Horne was named the 2007 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year by the Eastern League. He's had a couple of rough outings the last few times out but it couldn't diminish how great he was for much of the year.
Hat tip to Pending Pinstripes and River Ave Blues for the Horne news.
That's right. This youngster is sporting a slider WHIFF rate of 1.000 in six appearances. Some of the victims: Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Pudge Rodriguez, Orlando Cabrera, and Vlad Guerrero.
In other talented Baby Bomber news, Alan Horne was named the 2007 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year by the Eastern League. He's had a couple of rough outings the last few times out but it couldn't diminish how great he was for much of the year.
The 24-year old has been the ace of the Northern Division leading Trenton pitching staff, compiling a record of 12-4 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP while striking out 158 batters and walking 51 in 142.1 innings of work this season. The 6’4”, 195 lb. hurler has been dominant for the Thunder all season, giving up one earned run or less in 13 of his 25 appearances and striking out at least six batters in a game 21 different times
Hat tip to Pending Pinstripes and River Ave Blues for the Horne news.
Posted by: Patrick
From George King:
Actually, GM Brian Cashman on Thursday brought up three names as possible replacements for the struggling veteran, mentioning minor leaguers Ian Kennedy, Steven White and, yes, even Kei Igawa.
Ever since Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif., when Joe Torre said he would have a talk with Mussina if he doesn't pitch well Monday, the inference is that the Yankees, who are in a must-win situation every night, would make a move with the 16-year veteran. Given multiple chances yesterday to say Mussina's spot in the rotation is safe, Torre danced around the subject.
Ever since Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif., when Joe Torre said he would have a talk with Mussina if he doesn't pitch well Monday, the inference is that the Yankees, who are in a must-win situation every night, would make a move with the 16-year veteran. Given multiple chances yesterday to say Mussina's spot in the rotation is safe, Torre danced around the subject.
08/25: Villone to DL
Posted by: Patrick
To make room for Bruney, Villone was placed on the DL:
Bruney, 25, was brought up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when left-hander Ron Villone hit the 15-day disabled list with a mild lower back strain. ...
Covering first base on a Casey Kotchman grounder on Tuesday at Anaheim, Villone said he felt his back tweak, which he didn't think would be a major injury at the time.
But when Villone couldn't sit still on Wednesday in the bullpen and was uncomfortable flying to Detroit, the 37-year-old left-hander mentioned the issue to Torre.
Covering first base on a Casey Kotchman grounder on Tuesday at Anaheim, Villone said he felt his back tweak, which he didn't think would be a major injury at the time.
But when Villone couldn't sit still on Wednesday in the bullpen and was uncomfortable flying to Detroit, the 37-year-old left-hander mentioned the issue to Torre.
It was bad enough that the start of the game was delayed for four hours due to heavy rain, but the ending was a heartbreaker for the Yankees as Jose Guillen hit a walk off three homer with two outs off of Sean Henn to win the game.
The Yankees went ahead early with the help of A-Rod's 43rd home run but the Tigers belted around the Rocket for six runs in five innings and had a 6-3 lead mid way through the game.
The Yankees fought right back and tied the score on a two run double from Posada and a single from Matsui to score Posada with the tying run. Actually Posada should have been at third easily but eased up on his way into second for which he drew the ire of Larry Bowa and Joe Torre. Matsui, however, rescued him with his RBI single.
Joba Chamberlain pitched another perfect inning with a strikeout and Mariano Rivera escaped a bases loaded, one out situation. The Yankees could not get the big hit and it looked like Henn would escape but left a pitch to Guillen down and in and he hit it over the left field fence to win the game for the Tigers 9-6.
With the loss and a doubleheader sweep by the Red Sox the Yankees are now 6 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East. They have also fallen 3 games behind Seattle in the wild card race.
The series resumes tonight with Chien-Ming Wang on the hill for New York.
The Yankees went ahead early with the help of A-Rod's 43rd home run but the Tigers belted around the Rocket for six runs in five innings and had a 6-3 lead mid way through the game.
The Yankees fought right back and tied the score on a two run double from Posada and a single from Matsui to score Posada with the tying run. Actually Posada should have been at third easily but eased up on his way into second for which he drew the ire of Larry Bowa and Joe Torre. Matsui, however, rescued him with his RBI single.
Joba Chamberlain pitched another perfect inning with a strikeout and Mariano Rivera escaped a bases loaded, one out situation. The Yankees could not get the big hit and it looked like Henn would escape but left a pitch to Guillen down and in and he hit it over the left field fence to win the game for the Tigers 9-6.
With the loss and a doubleheader sweep by the Red Sox the Yankees are now 6 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East. They have also fallen 3 games behind Seattle in the wild card race.
The series resumes tonight with Chien-Ming Wang on the hill for New York.
08/24: Couple of Notes
Posted by: James
Yankees at the Tigers. HUGE series for both teams. Here are the pitching matchups:
Tonight: RHP Roger Clemens (5-5, 3.92) vs. LHP Andrew Miller (5-4, 4.42), 7:05
Saturday: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (14-6, 4.10) vs. RHP Jeremy Bonderman (10-6, 4.65), 7:05
Sunday: RHP Phil Hughes (2-1, 4.96) vs. RHP Jair Jurrrjens (1-1, 3.29), 1:05
Monday: RHP Mike Mussina (8-9, 5.22) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (13-4, 3.63), 7:05
My prediction? Pain...for the Tigers. Yankees take 3 of 4.
If you want to catch the Sunday game for free, check it out; MLB.tv is giving away the game.
Tonight: RHP Roger Clemens (5-5, 3.92) vs. LHP Andrew Miller (5-4, 4.42), 7:05
Saturday: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (14-6, 4.10) vs. RHP Jeremy Bonderman (10-6, 4.65), 7:05
Sunday: RHP Phil Hughes (2-1, 4.96) vs. RHP Jair Jurrrjens (1-1, 3.29), 1:05
Monday: RHP Mike Mussina (8-9, 5.22) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (13-4, 3.63), 7:05
My prediction? Pain...for the Tigers. Yankees take 3 of 4.
If you want to catch the Sunday game for free, check it out; MLB.tv is giving away the game.
08/24: Bruney's Back
Posted by: James
Brian Bruney is back in the majors. No word on whose spot he takes but it's probably Henn since he has options. If that's the case, Ron Villone is still on the roster and Chris Britton is not...unacceptable. Bruney actually didn't do so hot down in AAA while Britton has been well, fantastic. I don't really care who he rubbed the wrong way but the Yanks are in a playoff chase here, put that aside and bring up Britton!
08/22: Pot? Meet Kettle
Posted by: James
I am becoming more and more amused at John Sterling getting annoyed at home plate umpire Paul Emmel for calling balls and strikes clearly. Really John? You're gonna get on someone for not being clear? John Sterling gets so amped up for his (patented) HR calls that he breaks them out on seemingly all deep fly balls. I mean, how often can someone hear "It is High, It is Far...It is...Caught (Several Steps In Front of the Warning Track)" before getting confused? Really, I don't mind Sterling most of the time - it's just apropos that he's getting a little annoyed.
And as an aside, to any Yankee management who reads this, I get that you need other revenue streams just to cover the payroll but still, the sheer volume of ads during the radio broadcasts is just...wow.
And as an aside, to any Yankee management who reads this, I get that you need other revenue streams just to cover the payroll but still, the sheer volume of ads during the radio broadcasts is just...wow.
08/22: It Could Have Been Worse
Posted by: James