05/04: Kennedy Demoted
Posted by: Patrick
In order to make room for Darrell Rasner, Ian Kennedy was demoted. Joe Girardi says that Kei Igawa is the "leading candidate" to replace him in the rotation. At least, for now.
Posted by: Seamus
Mike Mussina has spent the last 15 days silencing critics, and gave us a gem Saturday afternoon as the Yankees got back to the .500 mark with a 6-1 victory over the Mariners. Mussina allowed only a run on seven hits in 6 innings and recorded his 3rd straight victory.
Not only was the pitching good, but the Yankee lineup DESTROYED Mariners' ace Felix Hernandez. They knocked him around to the tune of six runs on 12 hits in 5 and 2/3. Johnny Damon was the star of the show, with two doubles and a two-run homer. Derek Jeter also had three hits, and Matsui, Abreu and Cabrera had two apiece. The only hitless Yanks were the usual suspects, as Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi and Morgan Ensberg put up goose eggs.
The Yankees will go for the sweep this afternoon at 1:05 E.T. as Darrell Rasner will be making his 2008 debut against Carlos Silva. Silva is off to a great start this season, as he is 3-0 with a 2.79 E.R.A. in six starts.
Not only was the pitching good, but the Yankee lineup DESTROYED Mariners' ace Felix Hernandez. They knocked him around to the tune of six runs on 12 hits in 5 and 2/3. Johnny Damon was the star of the show, with two doubles and a two-run homer. Derek Jeter also had three hits, and Matsui, Abreu and Cabrera had two apiece. The only hitless Yanks were the usual suspects, as Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi and Morgan Ensberg put up goose eggs.
The Yankees will go for the sweep this afternoon at 1:05 E.T. as Darrell Rasner will be making his 2008 debut against Carlos Silva. Silva is off to a great start this season, as he is 3-0 with a 2.79 E.R.A. in six starts.
Posted by: James
He's had 26 PA against lefties this year and hasn't gotten a hit yet. Yep, he's worked 5 walks and gotten hit 3 times...but no hits. That works out to a lovely line of 000/.296/.000/.296...AWESOME.
For anyone interested, he's hitting .214/.333/.536/.869 versus righties...and that's with a .152 BABIP (which is astounding) so maybe there's a hot streak coming down the pipleline at some point? The Yankees could sorely use it. Still, you gotta wonder, since you know his option isn't getting picked up, how long of a leash does Giambi get? You figure that the brass will eventually figure that they can do something more productive with his roster spot. Hmm...as the Yankee world turns...
For anyone interested, he's hitting .214/.333/.536/.869 versus righties...and that's with a .152 BABIP (which is astounding) so maybe there's a hot streak coming down the pipleline at some point? The Yankees could sorely use it. Still, you gotta wonder, since you know his option isn't getting picked up, how long of a leash does Giambi get? You figure that the brass will eventually figure that they can do something more productive with his roster spot. Hmm...as the Yankee world turns...
Posted by: James
Mike Ashmore, of the great Thunder Thoughts blog, finished a great Q&A recently and if any prospect watchers haven't checked it out, I would def. recommend it. Mike interviews Trenton Thunder pitching coach Scott Aldred on each pitcher on the starting staff. It's a nice way to get a first-hand look from someone who works with each player on a regular basis. There are interviews on Chase Wright, Daniel McCutchen, Jason Jones, Phil Coke, and lastly, George Kontos.
Here are some highlights:
Chase Wright:
Daniel McCutchen:
Phil Coke:
George Kontos:
Go check out the full interviews if you get a sec.
Here are some highlights:
Chase Wright:
SA: “Chase is a great pitch guy, (we’re) really working on getting his breaking ball serviceable so it becomes a Major League pitch for him. The other stuff’s there, the sink on the ball. Changeup, split. We’re just working breaking ball right now.
Daniel McCutchen:
SA: “Breaking ball command. The spin and break is there. Power changeup. Commands his fastball pretty good, should improve. Some delivery issues, minimal. Really learning how to command the breaking ball instead of overthrowing it.”
Phil Coke:
SA: “Coke, work with his breaking ball. He’s kind of like Chase Wright a little bit. Changeup’s there, his fastball command, even though you haven’t seen it yet, is pretty good. It just hasn’t shown up yet. But we’re just working on spin and break with his breaking ball. Making it quality so he’s able to handle left handed hitters at a higher level.”
George Kontos:
SA: “George has some delivery issues that we’re trying to work on so he can be consistent with all three of his pitches. Four, actually. He throws curveball, though you don’t hardly see it in games. Once that’s resolved, you’re going to see a different George Kontos. He’s got a plus slider, the changeup’s coming, both fastballs. He’s got a real nice arm and a bright future. We just have to make sure we’re hammering this delivery issue right now. Get it resolved and then move on.”
Go check out the full interviews if you get a sec.
05/03: It's Not Just The Pitching
Posted by: James
I know that everyone is hating on the Yankees pitching and yes, for good reason...but let's not just throw the pitchers under the bus. In my mind, it's the offense that's just as big a problem. I mean, let's be serious - this was an offense that people were talking about getting 1,000 runs from. Well, that's not gonna happen when you are batting .254/.325/.403 as a team. Do you know what Yankees starters hit collectively last year? .293/.369/.469/.838. What're they hitting so far this year? .255/.326/.402/.728. Yes, I know about the injuries and the slow starts and all that but come on, if you're gonna rip on the team, be accurate; both the pitching and the hitting has not performed to expectations this year.
That being said, and yes, I know it's way too early, but despite all of the many bad turns, the Yankees are still 3 games out of a playoff spot...so, there's still hope here. Don't step onto that ledge just yet.
That being said, and yes, I know it's way too early, but despite all of the many bad turns, the Yankees are still 3 games out of a playoff spot...so, there's still hope here. Don't step onto that ledge just yet.
Posted by: Patrick
Taiwan's number one son and sweetheart to all the ladies, Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang, improved to 6-0 with a 90 pitch, 6 inning, 1 earned run performance against the Mariners on Friday night.
Wang's opponent, Erik Bedard, was pretty good himself, but was hurt by his team's poor defense.The Mariners committed 4 errors during the game, leading to 2 unearned runs. Those runs came early, with the first coming in the bottom of the first inning when, after a Melky Cabrera fly out, Derek Jeter reached on an error by the shortstop, Yuniesky Betancourt. Bobby Abreu proceeded to single Jeter over to second. After a Shelley Duncan strikeout, Hideki Matsui made them pay with an RBI single.
In the bottom of the second, Morgan Ensberg led the inning off by reaching on an error by third baseman Adrian Beltre. Jose Molina struck out, but Alberto Gonzalez singled, moving Ensberg over to third. Melky Cabrera drove both of them in with a double, making it 3-0, Yankees.
Wang held the Mariner bats silent through five, but in the sixth, Ichiro Suzuki led off with a single. And then he stole second. After a strikeout, he stole third. Raul Ibanez grounded out, scoring Suzuki. And then Wang retired Beltre to end the inning. At the time, the score was 3-1, and that would be all for Wang.
Kyle Farnsworth entered the 7th and - wait for it - pitched a 1-2-3 inning! Including two strikeouts, even. Joba had a relatively easy time in the 8th, retiring every batter he faced except for the pesky Suzuki, who stole yet another base.
The Yankees were able to get some insurance runs in the 8th where they collected 3 singles, a walk and a sac fly to put two more on the board. 5-1, Yankees, heading into the final frame.
Mariano was summoned to protect the 4 run lead and, well, you can't do much better than a 1-2-3 inning, right? That's exactly what he did. No save for him, but his ERA remains at 0.00.
Incredible pitching and defense from the Yanks tonight as Wang, Farnsworth, Joba and Mo combined for a 4 hitter, walking just 2 and striking out 8.
Tomorrow, at 1:05 PM ET, Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.73), coming off two good outings, will face Felix Hernandez (2-1, 2.22 ERA).
Wang's opponent, Erik Bedard, was pretty good himself, but was hurt by his team's poor defense.The Mariners committed 4 errors during the game, leading to 2 unearned runs. Those runs came early, with the first coming in the bottom of the first inning when, after a Melky Cabrera fly out, Derek Jeter reached on an error by the shortstop, Yuniesky Betancourt. Bobby Abreu proceeded to single Jeter over to second. After a Shelley Duncan strikeout, Hideki Matsui made them pay with an RBI single.
In the bottom of the second, Morgan Ensberg led the inning off by reaching on an error by third baseman Adrian Beltre. Jose Molina struck out, but Alberto Gonzalez singled, moving Ensberg over to third. Melky Cabrera drove both of them in with a double, making it 3-0, Yankees.
Wang held the Mariner bats silent through five, but in the sixth, Ichiro Suzuki led off with a single. And then he stole second. After a strikeout, he stole third. Raul Ibanez grounded out, scoring Suzuki. And then Wang retired Beltre to end the inning. At the time, the score was 3-1, and that would be all for Wang.
Kyle Farnsworth entered the 7th and - wait for it - pitched a 1-2-3 inning! Including two strikeouts, even. Joba had a relatively easy time in the 8th, retiring every batter he faced except for the pesky Suzuki, who stole yet another base.
The Yankees were able to get some insurance runs in the 8th where they collected 3 singles, a walk and a sac fly to put two more on the board. 5-1, Yankees, heading into the final frame.
Mariano was summoned to protect the 4 run lead and, well, you can't do much better than a 1-2-3 inning, right? That's exactly what he did. No save for him, but his ERA remains at 0.00.
Incredible pitching and defense from the Yanks tonight as Wang, Farnsworth, Joba and Mo combined for a 4 hitter, walking just 2 and striking out 8.
Tomorrow, at 1:05 PM ET, Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.73), coming off two good outings, will face Felix Hernandez (2-1, 2.22 ERA).
Posted by: Patrick
From Ronald Blum:
The good news was the New York Yankees catcher didn’t need an operation now. The bad news was that he will be sidelined for at least five weeks.
“I thought I was going to have to get surgery. We’re going to look at that option probably after the season,” Posada said before Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
“I thought I was going to have to get surgery. We’re going to look at that option probably after the season,” Posada said before Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
05/02: Hughes Will Wear Glasses
Posted by: Patrick
Bryan Hoch reports:
Hughes visited a Connecticut optometrist on Friday and was found to be "slightly nearsighted," he said, and was issued a prescription for glasses. Hughes could be sidelined until July with a stress fracture in his ninth rib, but when he eventually returns, he'll do so wearing a new pair of specs.
05/02: Veras Up
Posted by: Patrick
Kat O'Brien reports that Jose Veras is up in place of Phil Hughes. Darrell Rasner will come up and make the start tomorrow in place of Hughes, so someone will be headed down tomorrow. O'Brien says this could be Veras, but guesses that it will be Ian Kennedy, since the Yankees will not be needing a fifth starter until May 10.
05/02: Yankees vs. Tigers; 5/1/08
Posted by: James
Chris Britton actually pitched! Woo hoo! Okay, well, that's one good thing that came from tonight's game...and that's about it.
Outside of that...ouch. The Yankees scored early on a walk from Damon, a single by Jeter and a 3 run bomb from Abreu. 3-0 Yanks.
On the pitching front, IPK was doing all right until the third when he gave up a double to Ramon Santiago who then scored on a ground out. Still, Kennedy was doing all right and had even gotten to 2 outs and no one on in the inning. However, the next few batters would do the following; double, walk, double and a triple to make the score 4-0 Tigers. Kennedy lasted until 4 and 2/3rds and didn't give up any more runs before giving way to Albaladejo who got the final out of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, the Yankees would tie the game up on a walk from Jeter, a single from Abreu and a RBI single from clean-up hitter Shelley Duncan.
The Tigers picked up their remaining runs with 2 in the 6 and 2 in the 7th to win the game 8-4 and sweep the Yankees in the Bronx...a great way to start off the month. All in all, a very depressing game...but one that fits right in with the way this season has progressed so far. Still, think of it this way - this is about as unlucky of a stretch that I have ever seen from the Yankees so it's gotta turn around soon, right? Right??? Well, I guess we'll see - there's still a whole heck of a lot of baseball still left in the season...and if this team's gotta rebuild, then this looks like the season that it'll start getting done.
Outside of that...ouch. The Yankees scored early on a walk from Damon, a single by Jeter and a 3 run bomb from Abreu. 3-0 Yanks.
On the pitching front, IPK was doing all right until the third when he gave up a double to Ramon Santiago who then scored on a ground out. Still, Kennedy was doing all right and had even gotten to 2 outs and no one on in the inning. However, the next few batters would do the following; double, walk, double and a triple to make the score 4-0 Tigers. Kennedy lasted until 4 and 2/3rds and didn't give up any more runs before giving way to Albaladejo who got the final out of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, the Yankees would tie the game up on a walk from Jeter, a single from Abreu and a RBI single from clean-up hitter Shelley Duncan.
The Tigers picked up their remaining runs with 2 in the 6 and 2 in the 7th to win the game 8-4 and sweep the Yankees in the Bronx...a great way to start off the month. All in all, a very depressing game...but one that fits right in with the way this season has progressed so far. Still, think of it this way - this is about as unlucky of a stretch that I have ever seen from the Yankees so it's gotta turn around soon, right? Right??? Well, I guess we'll see - there's still a whole heck of a lot of baseball still left in the season...and if this team's gotta rebuild, then this looks like the season that it'll start getting done.
