06/23: IPK Rehab
Posted by: James
Anthony Rieber has a post up over at OTYB mentioning that Ian Kennedy did indeed make a rehab start, throwing 58 pitches over three innings for GCL Tampa.
06/23: Notable Links
Posted by: James
I really encourage reading this State of Major League Baseball panel over at the Biz of Baseball. Yes, the article is pretty long but there is a lot of good stuff there...and a lot to think about.
And this is from a while ago but hey, you might be seeing a lot more of the kid very soon so take a look at Mike Ashmore having a fun interview with Mark Melancon.
Finally, MLBTradeRumors has a great roundup of the players available for trade at each position. If you think the Yankees are in the market...you might as well know what's for sale, right?
And this is from a while ago but hey, you might be seeing a lot more of the kid very soon so take a look at Mike Ashmore having a fun interview with Mark Melancon.
Melancon: “Yeah, yeah. Let’s see. I’ve been skydiving before, bungee jumping, scubadiving.”
Ashmore: Now that’s some stuff that’s going to surprise some people. Tell me about skydiving, that must have been incredible…
Melancon: “What it’s like…it’s 40 seconds of freefall at 120 miles per hour. It’s pretty exhilirating.”
Ashmore: Now that’s some stuff that’s going to surprise some people. Tell me about skydiving, that must have been incredible…
Melancon: “What it’s like…it’s 40 seconds of freefall at 120 miles per hour. It’s pretty exhilirating.”
Finally, MLBTradeRumors has a great roundup of the players available for trade at each position. If you think the Yankees are in the market...you might as well know what's for sale, right?
06/23: 15th Round Pick Signs
Posted by: Patrick
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Yankees 15th round pick in the MLB Draft, RHP Matt Richardson, has signed with the club.
Via Peter Abraham.
Via Peter Abraham.
Posted by: James
Man, every time I watch a game, someone gets hurt. This time, it was Kyle Farnsworth who tried to snatch a Brandon Phillips grounder with his bare right hand. Farnsworth was taken out of the game and got three stitches in the webbing between his pinky and ring fingers for his trouble...but he doesn't anticipate going on the DL.
As for the game itself, it looked like a pretty good pitcher's duel as both pitchers were doing well going into the 4th. Of course, at that point, Andy Pettitte decided to make it interesting. Strictly in the interest of entertainment, of course. With one out, he walked Ken Griffey, gave up a single to Brandon Phillips and walked Paul Janish to load the bases. Pettitte then proceeded to strike out the Reds' young guns. he took out Votto on 4 pitches and worked the count to 3-2 before getting the Bruce to swing through a cutter.
The Yanks scored their first run in the bottom of the fifth when Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada singled and doubled to lead off the inning. Cano brought in Giambi with a sac fly...but that's all they would get as Melky K'd (this is not helping to stave off the masses calling for a switch with Brett Gardner) and Damon popped out.
The Yankees would put the game away in the 6th when Jason Giambi roped a two-out double that plated Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui. Jorge Posada followed with a double of his own to make the score 4-0.
Junior would hit his 601st HR to make it 4-1 but Mo would come on and close out the game...though he did make it interesting as the Reds had 3 shots with the tying run at the plate. Still, the Yankees break the losing streak and keep pace with the Red Sox, who also lost 2 of 3. Pirates and Mets, here we come.
As for the game itself, it looked like a pretty good pitcher's duel as both pitchers were doing well going into the 4th. Of course, at that point, Andy Pettitte decided to make it interesting. Strictly in the interest of entertainment, of course. With one out, he walked Ken Griffey, gave up a single to Brandon Phillips and walked Paul Janish to load the bases. Pettitte then proceeded to strike out the Reds' young guns. he took out Votto on 4 pitches and worked the count to 3-2 before getting the Bruce to swing through a cutter.
The Yanks scored their first run in the bottom of the fifth when Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada singled and doubled to lead off the inning. Cano brought in Giambi with a sac fly...but that's all they would get as Melky K'd (this is not helping to stave off the masses calling for a switch with Brett Gardner) and Damon popped out.
The Yankees would put the game away in the 6th when Jason Giambi roped a two-out double that plated Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui. Jorge Posada followed with a double of his own to make the score 4-0.
Junior would hit his 601st HR to make it 4-1 but Mo would come on and close out the game...though he did make it interesting as the Reds had 3 shots with the tying run at the plate. Still, the Yankees break the losing streak and keep pace with the Red Sox, who also lost 2 of 3. Pirates and Mets, here we come.
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that it seems likely that we'll see Sidney Ponson pitching against the Mets on Friday. This will be Sidney's second tour of duty with the Major League club. Back in 2006, he pitched in 5 games (starting 3) and was 0-1 in 16 and 1/3 innings with a 10.47 ERA. Hopefully, he'll do better this time around.
Posted by: Patrick
Steve Serby has a nice Q&A with Mike Mussina.
Via Steve.
Q: Your Yankee legacy?
A: A lot of guys never get a chance to play for the YankeesNew York Yankees . They're the most well known sports franchise in the world - and I got to wear the uniform.
A: A lot of guys never get a chance to play for the YankeesNew York Yankees . They're the most well known sports franchise in the world - and I got to wear the uniform.
Via Steve.
Posted by: Seamus
Dan Giese was nothing short of brilliant in his first major league start, but things fell apart after he made a bad throw to second in the 7th, and the Yankees lost their second straight to the Reds by a score of 6-0. The Yankees failed to gain ground on the Red Sox, who also lost their second straight, and lost ground on Tampa Bay, who won over Houston.
The game was a good pitchers' duel for the first 6 innings. Daryl Thompson (MLB debut) pitched 5 scoreless innings and Giese got the Yankees into the 7th inning with the game scoreless. The 7th was where it all fell apart, however. With nobody out and a runner on first, Brandon Phillips hit what should have been a double play ball back to Giese, who made an errant throw to second, and everybody was safe. Giese still almost got out of it, as he was one strike away from getting through the inning unscathed, but Edwin Encarnacion lined an 0-2 pitch to left field for a two run single. Jose Veras then relieved Giese and gave up a two-run homer to Corey Patterson, and the Reds would add two more insurance runs in the 8th.
While Giese's start was solid, you can't win a game when you score zero. It was kind of sickening to watch as the Yankees reverted back to some of their habits from earlier in the season. The Bombers left more runners on base (12) than the Reds even had runners (9). Meanwhile, the Reds put nine runners on base and six of them came around to score. Not really a recipe for success, but I guess you can't dwell on two games and Daryl Thompson was pretty good...I guess.
The Yankees will try to salvage a game from this series this afternoon at 1:05 E.T. before heading to Pittsburgh for a three-game set with the Pirates. Andy Pettitte will be taking the mound today and will face Johnny Cueto.
The game was a good pitchers' duel for the first 6 innings. Daryl Thompson (MLB debut) pitched 5 scoreless innings and Giese got the Yankees into the 7th inning with the game scoreless. The 7th was where it all fell apart, however. With nobody out and a runner on first, Brandon Phillips hit what should have been a double play ball back to Giese, who made an errant throw to second, and everybody was safe. Giese still almost got out of it, as he was one strike away from getting through the inning unscathed, but Edwin Encarnacion lined an 0-2 pitch to left field for a two run single. Jose Veras then relieved Giese and gave up a two-run homer to Corey Patterson, and the Reds would add two more insurance runs in the 8th.
While Giese's start was solid, you can't win a game when you score zero. It was kind of sickening to watch as the Yankees reverted back to some of their habits from earlier in the season. The Bombers left more runners on base (12) than the Reds even had runners (9). Meanwhile, the Reds put nine runners on base and six of them came around to score. Not really a recipe for success, but I guess you can't dwell on two games and Daryl Thompson was pretty good...I guess.
The Yankees will try to salvage a game from this series this afternoon at 1:05 E.T. before heading to Pittsburgh for a three-game set with the Pirates. Andy Pettitte will be taking the mound today and will face Johnny Cueto.
Posted by: Patrick
During the crucial fifth inning in last night's game, Joe Girardi had Mike Mussina walk Reds rookie Jay Bruce, so that he could face Jolbert Cabrera with runners on the corners and two outs. This move backfired as Colbert doubled home what would be the deciding runs.
After the game, Mussina didn't appear to be pleased with the IBB decision.
I don't think it really matters, but I'd probably prefer he not tell the media these sorts of things. At least, not in this fashion. Oh well, it's Moose's personality, I guess, as the wily old vet.
After the game, Mussina didn't appear to be pleased with the IBB decision.
"I didn't get to choose. It was the path they chose. That was it," Mussina said. "You saw what I saw. Held up four fingers; I throw four balls." ...
Mussina was terse after the game and said his anger stemmed from the fifth inning. "A couple of things, but I'm not going to elaborate on it," he said. "I'm not talking about it."
Mussina was terse after the game and said his anger stemmed from the fifth inning. "A couple of things, but I'm not going to elaborate on it," he said. "I'm not talking about it."
I don't think it really matters, but I'd probably prefer he not tell the media these sorts of things. At least, not in this fashion. Oh well, it's Moose's personality, I guess, as the wily old vet.
06/21: THT on Phil Hughes
Posted by: James
Really really interesting article on Phil Hughes on THT today. Josh Kalk goes through and talks about the pitches Hughes throws, the release points, arm angle and consistency. He even has graphs! Seriously though, it's a pretty neat article to read. Here's Josh's conclusions though you should check out the full article to see how he arrives at it.
Phil Hughes has a huge amount of upside, but there still are concerns. If he continues to not use his slider and change-up, he effectively becomes a two pitch pitcher. Now despite what you might have heard, starters can make it in this league with only two pitches as long as they are both quality pitches and if he can control them well. Hughes' control doesn't seem to be an issue despite his spate of walks this year. Everything that I read makes me think his control will be between good and great. The quality, though, might be an issue.
The fastball that Hughes has shown so far is average at best. He might be able to spice up the movement with a lowered arm angle or make some mechanical adjustments to get back some lost velocity, but if it continues as it is right now, major league batters will hit it hard. His curve has extraordinary movement but maybe too much movement for his own good. If hitters don't have to worry about the slider and the change, identifying the curve will be that much easier because I don't see a good solution to how he can disguise the pitch any better than he already is.
I feel like it is paramount that he throws his slider or change-up more often (preferably both) to keep hitters honest. Even if neither of these pitches are plus pitches right now, the slider at least has that potential. Most of Phil Hughes' future is ahead of him and he should turn into a great pitcher, but he isn't there yet. Time will tell if he makes it or not.
The fastball that Hughes has shown so far is average at best. He might be able to spice up the movement with a lowered arm angle or make some mechanical adjustments to get back some lost velocity, but if it continues as it is right now, major league batters will hit it hard. His curve has extraordinary movement but maybe too much movement for his own good. If hitters don't have to worry about the slider and the change, identifying the curve will be that much easier because I don't see a good solution to how he can disguise the pitch any better than he already is.
I feel like it is paramount that he throws his slider or change-up more often (preferably both) to keep hitters honest. Even if neither of these pitches are plus pitches right now, the slider at least has that potential. Most of Phil Hughes' future is ahead of him and he should turn into a great pitcher, but he isn't there yet. Time will tell if he makes it or not.
Posted by: Patrick
The Yankees got a taste of the extremely hot Edinson Volquez on Friday night and he did to them what he's been doing to the rest of baseball, allowing just 2 earned runs over 7 innings. This actually brought his ERA up, from 1.64 to 1.71. He was followed by the Reds relief duo of Jared Burton and Francisco Cordero, both having great seasons of their own. Neither would allow a run.
To his credit, Mike Mussina turned in another very solid outing, throwing 8 innings, allowing 4 runs and giving the pen a rest. It took him 110 pitches to get there, with 76 being strikes. It was the second time in three starts that Moose has thrown 8 innings. When was the last time that Moose threw 8 or more innings in two out of three starts? You'd have to go back to September 9 and September 14 of 2004, where he threw 8 innings each in back to back starts.
The Reds score first with a solo home run in the second, but the Yankees came back with a Johnny Damon RBI single, scoring Melky Cabrera, in the third. Moose hung tough with Volquez until the top of the fifth inning with two outs. After Edwin Encarnacion doubled and Corey Patterson sacrificed him to third, Moose drew a huge ground out from Paul Bako that kept the runner at third with two outs.
The Yankees elected to walk Jay Bruce and face Jolbert Cabrera. But, Cabrera (who was 2 for 2 coming into the at bat and ended up 4 for 4 on the day) doubled, scoring both Encarnacion and Bruce. Ken Griffey, Jr. followed with a single that scored Colbert. Brandon Phillips was retired, but the damage was done and the Reds had a lead that the Yankees would not be able to threaten. 4-2, Reds.
Outside of that three run fifth, Mussina's other seven innings would yield only that one run in the second. In relief, Billy Traber put together a 1-2-3 ninth to keep the Reds at bay, but the Yankees offense just couldn't get anything going, outside of an RBI single in the 7th, where Cano drove in A-Rod. Cano, who was 2 for 3, now finds his batting average at .232. This is the highest that it's been since almost a month ago (May 24).
The Yankees and Reds will pick it up again today at 1:05 PM ET. The pitching match up, to the general baseball fan, can probably be summed up as: "Who are these guys?" Daryl Thompson will make the first start (and appearance) of his major league career. Meanwhile, Dan Giese (1-1, 1.23) fills in for our wounded ace, Chien-Ming Wang.
To his credit, Mike Mussina turned in another very solid outing, throwing 8 innings, allowing 4 runs and giving the pen a rest. It took him 110 pitches to get there, with 76 being strikes. It was the second time in three starts that Moose has thrown 8 innings. When was the last time that Moose threw 8 or more innings in two out of three starts? You'd have to go back to September 9 and September 14 of 2004, where he threw 8 innings each in back to back starts.
The Reds score first with a solo home run in the second, but the Yankees came back with a Johnny Damon RBI single, scoring Melky Cabrera, in the third. Moose hung tough with Volquez until the top of the fifth inning with two outs. After Edwin Encarnacion doubled and Corey Patterson sacrificed him to third, Moose drew a huge ground out from Paul Bako that kept the runner at third with two outs.
The Yankees elected to walk Jay Bruce and face Jolbert Cabrera. But, Cabrera (who was 2 for 2 coming into the at bat and ended up 4 for 4 on the day) doubled, scoring both Encarnacion and Bruce. Ken Griffey, Jr. followed with a single that scored Colbert. Brandon Phillips was retired, but the damage was done and the Reds had a lead that the Yankees would not be able to threaten. 4-2, Reds.
Outside of that three run fifth, Mussina's other seven innings would yield only that one run in the second. In relief, Billy Traber put together a 1-2-3 ninth to keep the Reds at bay, but the Yankees offense just couldn't get anything going, outside of an RBI single in the 7th, where Cano drove in A-Rod. Cano, who was 2 for 3, now finds his batting average at .232. This is the highest that it's been since almost a month ago (May 24).
The Yankees and Reds will pick it up again today at 1:05 PM ET. The pitching match up, to the general baseball fan, can probably be summed up as: "Who are these guys?" Daryl Thompson will make the first start (and appearance) of his major league career. Meanwhile, Dan Giese (1-1, 1.23) fills in for our wounded ace, Chien-Ming Wang.
