06/16: Thanks Jason!
Posted by: Patrick
Due to increased time requirements at work, Jason has decided to stop blogging here at YanksBlog.com. I just wanted to mention it, so that no one would be confused, and I also wanted to thank Jason for his contributions the site. I'm sorry to see him go.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading.
Posted by: James
We play today. We win today. Das it.
Great combination of timely hitting and great hitting today as Andy Pettitte was pretty much dominant over 8 innings. He scattered 4 hits and gave up one walk and one earned run while striking out 4. Andy really had the D'Backs hitters off balance all day, putting up a impressive 14-6 GB-FB ratio. Andy could very easily be 9-2 at this point...and he's always been a second-half pitcher so this could have been a special season for him. The only run off Pettitte came on a 2-out single from Stephen Drew (age 24) that plated Mark Reynolds (will be 24 in a month) who had doubled to lead off the inning.
As for the Yankees offense, the team pounded out 12 hits and worked out 6 walks. Honestly, the score probably could have been quite a bit higher as they did end up leaving 10 guys on base and grounded into 2 double plays. The first two runs of the game scored in the first when A-Rod walked with the bases loaded (Melky, Jeter and Abreu all singled) and Hideki Matsui grounded out to the second baseman. The next two runs scored in the fourth as Bobby Abreu led off the inning with a walk and came around on a A-Rod double. Alex was plated on a Godzilla double before Cano and Phelps struck out to end the threat. The game was pretty much over at that point but the Yanks did put up 3 insurance runs in the 7th. A-Rod and Jorge both singled to start off the inning and both came around to score on Hideki Matsui's single who was then plated on a Josh Phelps single. 7-1 Yankees - 9 games in a row - nice.
As easy as the Yanks made it look, sweeping the D'Backs was no easy task. They came in 10 games over .500 and leading their division and the Yankees made them look second-tier. I don't know how much longer they can continue this torrid winning pace but man is it fun to watch...and with the Tigers loss this afternoon, the Yankees move even closer to the wild-card lead (now 3 games back on the loss side).
Great combination of timely hitting and great hitting today as Andy Pettitte was pretty much dominant over 8 innings. He scattered 4 hits and gave up one walk and one earned run while striking out 4. Andy really had the D'Backs hitters off balance all day, putting up a impressive 14-6 GB-FB ratio. Andy could very easily be 9-2 at this point...and he's always been a second-half pitcher so this could have been a special season for him. The only run off Pettitte came on a 2-out single from Stephen Drew (age 24) that plated Mark Reynolds (will be 24 in a month) who had doubled to lead off the inning.
As for the Yankees offense, the team pounded out 12 hits and worked out 6 walks. Honestly, the score probably could have been quite a bit higher as they did end up leaving 10 guys on base and grounded into 2 double plays. The first two runs of the game scored in the first when A-Rod walked with the bases loaded (Melky, Jeter and Abreu all singled) and Hideki Matsui grounded out to the second baseman. The next two runs scored in the fourth as Bobby Abreu led off the inning with a walk and came around on a A-Rod double. Alex was plated on a Godzilla double before Cano and Phelps struck out to end the threat. The game was pretty much over at that point but the Yanks did put up 3 insurance runs in the 7th. A-Rod and Jorge both singled to start off the inning and both came around to score on Hideki Matsui's single who was then plated on a Josh Phelps single. 7-1 Yankees - 9 games in a row - nice.
As easy as the Yanks made it look, sweeping the D'Backs was no easy task. They came in 10 games over .500 and leading their division and the Yankees made them look second-tier. I don't know how much longer they can continue this torrid winning pace but man is it fun to watch...and with the Tigers loss this afternoon, the Yankees move even closer to the wild-card lead (now 3 games back on the loss side).
Posted by: Seamus
I'm not quite sure that being at the game where the Yankees got over the .500 mark is really something to brag about on June 13, but nonetheless it was an all-around, good-feeling night at the Stadium. The Yanks won their 8th straight game, giving them a winning record for the first time since they were 8-7 on April 20. The Red Sox and Tigers both lost, so the Yankees picked up a game in both the A.L. East (8.5) and the wild card race (4.5).
Mike Mussina was great in his second straight start, allowing just two runs on six hits in 7 and 2/3 innings. The offense was hot yet again, as Jorge Posada tied the game with a solo shot in the 2nd inning, A-Rod hit his league-leading 25th to put the Yanks ahead in the 3rd, and Hideki Matsui added a 3-run shot in the 4th. Rodriguez also had an RBI single, bringing his league-leading RBI total to 66.
Kind of perplexed as to why Joe Torre insisted on bringing in Mike Myers in a 7-2 game in the 9th. Bruney allowed two runners, but even back-to-back-to-back homers would have only tied the game and Bruney faced only one batter in the previous inning. But who cares, the way the Yankees are playing now I would've been content with him throwing Derek Jeter on the mound as long as they would still have held on.
The Yanks will go for the sweep in a matinee this afternoon at 1 E.T. Andy Pettite will be going up against Doug Davis.
Mike Mussina was great in his second straight start, allowing just two runs on six hits in 7 and 2/3 innings. The offense was hot yet again, as Jorge Posada tied the game with a solo shot in the 2nd inning, A-Rod hit his league-leading 25th to put the Yanks ahead in the 3rd, and Hideki Matsui added a 3-run shot in the 4th. Rodriguez also had an RBI single, bringing his league-leading RBI total to 66.
Kind of perplexed as to why Joe Torre insisted on bringing in Mike Myers in a 7-2 game in the 9th. Bruney allowed two runners, but even back-to-back-to-back homers would have only tied the game and Bruney faced only one batter in the previous inning. But who cares, the way the Yankees are playing now I would've been content with him throwing Derek Jeter on the mound as long as they would still have held on.
The Yanks will go for the sweep in a matinee this afternoon at 1 E.T. Andy Pettite will be going up against Doug Davis.
Posted by: Patrick
From USA Today:
Via Yahoo!
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is heading toward suspending Jason Giambi next week if the New York Yankees slugger does not cooperate with former senator George Mitchell's investigation on steroid use, according to a high-ranking MLB official.
Via Yahoo!
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
Led by great pitching (4 wins, 1 save, 58 K's, 2.43 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), Joseph (River Ave. Blues) defeated James by the score of 6-3. James won runs, home runs and saves while they tied in average at .286. Offensively, James was led by Alfonso Soriano (5 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .350 AVG) while Joseph was led by David Ortiz (5 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .381 AVG). James' pitching staff yielded only 1 victory (Kelvim Escobar), but they did manage 4 saves (2 from Jenks, 1 from Wagner and Valverde). James Shields had a 2 win week for Joseph to go along with 14 K's. Greg Maddux and Jason Hirsh also pitched up victories while Aaron Harang and Erik Bedard had 17 and 15 K's, respectively. Papelbon was responsible for Joseph's lone save.
I topped Ben (River Ave. Blues), 6-4. My offense put up 46 runs and 46 RBI, but I still lost the offensive side, thanks to Ben's 13 homers, 5 stolen bases and .290 average. A-Rod had a huge week, hitting .400 to go with 7 runs, 4 home runs, 16 runs batted in and 1 stolen base. Jeter scored 11 runs of his own. Albert Pujols (4 R, 4 HR, 9 RBI, .364 AVG) and Jimmy Rollins (5 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .438 AVG) were Ben's big performers. My pitching staff managed to catch fire this week, putting up this line: 5 wins, 8 saves, 45 K's, 2.12 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. That WHIP number isn't great and Ben beat it with 1.18. I had 5 players with 1 win each (Kazmir, Verlander, Mo, Buehrle and Zito) to go along with 3 saves from Embree, 2 saves from Dotel and Mo and 1 save from Borowski. Ben's 3 wins came from Daniel Cabrera, Chad Cordero and C.C. Sabathia while his 4 saves came from Bob Wickman (2), Cordero and Dempster.
Seamus and Jen (NoSenseWorrying.com) tied at 5. Gary Sheffield continued his hot streak for Seamus with a .417 average, 6 runs, 4 home runs and 11 runs batted in. Jen's offense (which had 10 stolen bases for the week) was led by Carl Crawford (10 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 SB, .353 AVG). Miguel Cabrera hit .471 for the week, with 4 runs, 3 homers and 6 RBI, as well. Seamus had 3 wins this week (Brandon Webb, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana) and 1 save (Todd Jones). Jen's 2 wins came from Wang and Halladay while her 5 saves came from Hoffman (2), Fuentes (2) and Chris Ray.
Top 3 teams in the league:
1. Mike (River Ave. Blues) (63-34-3)
2. Ben (51-47-2)
T3. EJ (Pinstripe Potentials and Pending Pinstripes) (48-46-6)
T3. James (49-47-4)
This Week
James (T3rd, 49-47-4) vs. EJ (T3rd, 48-46-6).
Patrick (9th, 42-52-6) vs. Jen (8th, 42-51-7).
Seamus (10th, 39-56-5) vs. Mike (1st, 63-34-3).
Last Week
Led by great pitching (4 wins, 1 save, 58 K's, 2.43 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), Joseph (River Ave. Blues) defeated James by the score of 6-3. James won runs, home runs and saves while they tied in average at .286. Offensively, James was led by Alfonso Soriano (5 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .350 AVG) while Joseph was led by David Ortiz (5 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .381 AVG). James' pitching staff yielded only 1 victory (Kelvim Escobar), but they did manage 4 saves (2 from Jenks, 1 from Wagner and Valverde). James Shields had a 2 win week for Joseph to go along with 14 K's. Greg Maddux and Jason Hirsh also pitched up victories while Aaron Harang and Erik Bedard had 17 and 15 K's, respectively. Papelbon was responsible for Joseph's lone save.
I topped Ben (River Ave. Blues), 6-4. My offense put up 46 runs and 46 RBI, but I still lost the offensive side, thanks to Ben's 13 homers, 5 stolen bases and .290 average. A-Rod had a huge week, hitting .400 to go with 7 runs, 4 home runs, 16 runs batted in and 1 stolen base. Jeter scored 11 runs of his own. Albert Pujols (4 R, 4 HR, 9 RBI, .364 AVG) and Jimmy Rollins (5 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .438 AVG) were Ben's big performers. My pitching staff managed to catch fire this week, putting up this line: 5 wins, 8 saves, 45 K's, 2.12 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. That WHIP number isn't great and Ben beat it with 1.18. I had 5 players with 1 win each (Kazmir, Verlander, Mo, Buehrle and Zito) to go along with 3 saves from Embree, 2 saves from Dotel and Mo and 1 save from Borowski. Ben's 3 wins came from Daniel Cabrera, Chad Cordero and C.C. Sabathia while his 4 saves came from Bob Wickman (2), Cordero and Dempster.
Seamus and Jen (NoSenseWorrying.com) tied at 5. Gary Sheffield continued his hot streak for Seamus with a .417 average, 6 runs, 4 home runs and 11 runs batted in. Jen's offense (which had 10 stolen bases for the week) was led by Carl Crawford (10 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 SB, .353 AVG). Miguel Cabrera hit .471 for the week, with 4 runs, 3 homers and 6 RBI, as well. Seamus had 3 wins this week (Brandon Webb, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana) and 1 save (Todd Jones). Jen's 2 wins came from Wang and Halladay while her 5 saves came from Hoffman (2), Fuentes (2) and Chris Ray.
Top 3 teams in the league:
1. Mike (River Ave. Blues) (63-34-3)
2. Ben (51-47-2)
T3. EJ (Pinstripe Potentials and Pending Pinstripes) (48-46-6)
T3. James (49-47-4)
This Week
James (T3rd, 49-47-4) vs. EJ (T3rd, 48-46-6).
Patrick (9th, 42-52-6) vs. Jen (8th, 42-51-7).
Seamus (10th, 39-56-5) vs. Mike (1st, 63-34-3).
Posted by: Patrick
A-Rod and Jeter are leading all-star voting, not just for the AL, but for all of baseball. The results as of June 12 show that A-Rod has 1,404,001 votes. The closest behind him at the hot corner is Mike Lowell with 528,895. Jeter has 1,161,162 with Carlos Guillen (409,813) in 2nd at short stop. Here is how other Yankees show up in the results:
First Base
3. Giambi, 358,164 votes
Second Base
2. Cano, 520,506 (trails Polanco by 51,732)
Catcher
2. Posada, 567,153 (trails Rodriguez by 112,250)
Outfield
7. Damon, 409,285
9. Abreu, 402,102
11. Matsui, 360,477
Posada is doing better than Pudge at pretty much every category. Posada's OPS is .967 whereas Rodriguez's is .762. Matsui being the 3rd of the Yankees outfielders is a little strange, as well.
First Base
3. Giambi, 358,164 votes
Second Base
2. Cano, 520,506 (trails Polanco by 51,732)
Catcher
2. Posada, 567,153 (trails Rodriguez by 112,250)
Outfield
7. Damon, 409,285
9. Abreu, 402,102
11. Matsui, 360,477
Posada is doing better than Pudge at pretty much every category. Posada's OPS is .967 whereas Rodriguez's is .762. Matsui being the 3rd of the Yankees outfielders is a little strange, as well.
06/12: We're Going Streaking
Posted by: James
Marcos Vechionacci over his last 10 games (including tonight): 19 for 41. That's a .463 average folks. Also, in his last two games, he's 6 for 9 with 5 doubles and 1 triple. In tonight's game, he's probably raised his OPS from .655 to .735 or so (this is a guess right now). That's a pretty nice jump in just one game, huh?
It's good to see Vech start to hit - he got hurt early in the year and so he's working his way back. His glove is considered great so seeing his bat start to heat up can only mean good things for the soon to be 21 year old third baseman at High-A Tampa. Check out E.J.'s old profile of Vech (his #16 Yankee prospect) if you need more of a background on the kid.
Also, Jeff Marquez continues to do very well in AA Trenton. Tonight's line: 7 inning complete game, 5 hits, 1 unearned run, 1 walk and 6Ks. Fun fact: Marquez was picked by the Yanks in 2004 in the first round supplemental round. How did they get that pick? They lost Type-A free agent David Wells.
Update: In the second game of the double-header, Joba Chamberlain has taken the mound for his first start at AA Trenton. Suffice it to say that he is DEALING. Here's his line for the night: 5 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts with a 4-2 GB-FB ratio. With Ian Kennedy's last performance...and the track record these guys are bringing to AA, this could be a very interesting summer in Trenton.
It's good to see Vech start to hit - he got hurt early in the year and so he's working his way back. His glove is considered great so seeing his bat start to heat up can only mean good things for the soon to be 21 year old third baseman at High-A Tampa. Check out E.J.'s old profile of Vech (his #16 Yankee prospect) if you need more of a background on the kid.
Also, Jeff Marquez continues to do very well in AA Trenton. Tonight's line: 7 inning complete game, 5 hits, 1 unearned run, 1 walk and 6Ks. Fun fact: Marquez was picked by the Yanks in 2004 in the first round supplemental round. How did they get that pick? They lost Type-A free agent David Wells.
Update: In the second game of the double-header, Joba Chamberlain has taken the mound for his first start at AA Trenton. Suffice it to say that he is DEALING. Here's his line for the night: 5 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts with a 4-2 GB-FB ratio. With Ian Kennedy's last performance...and the track record these guys are bringing to AA, this could be a very interesting summer in Trenton.
Posted by: James
How hot is Bobby Abreu right now? He hit his low point with a .602 OPS on March 29th and starting with his first game in June, he's been scorching. 19 for 39 scorching. Good Lord.
With his home-run in the first, he's raised his OPS all the way up to .752. 150 points of OPS in 11 games and 49 plate appearances. Just wow.
Bobby, every bad thing I thought about you over the first third of the season...I'm sorry. You didn't exactly give me a whole heck of a lot to work with...but still, I should have had a little more faith in your abilities. Just keep this up for ohhh...the rest of the season and you can consider that option year renewed.
With his home-run in the first, he's raised his OPS all the way up to .752. 150 points of OPS in 11 games and 49 plate appearances. Just wow.
Bobby, every bad thing I thought about you over the first third of the season...I'm sorry. You didn't exactly give me a whole heck of a lot to work with...but still, I should have had a little more faith in your abilities. Just keep this up for ohhh...the rest of the season and you can consider that option year renewed.
06/12: Dmitri Young
Posted by: Patrick
From Examiner.com:
Young is hitting .342 with a .410 OBA with 6 homers and 33 RBI in 57 games so far this season. These are well above his career numbers of .291 and .349. Defensively, he's played 403 games in left, 333 at first, 307 at DH, 102 in right and 54 at third.
Via PSD.
The smart money would have Young ending up back in the American League where he could DH every day. The Yankees, who have lost first baseman Doug Mientkeiwicz and DH Jason Giambi to injury, are rumored to be trying to pry Mark Teixiera away from the Rangers, but Dmitri could be an attractive plan B. He’d cost less at the outset, and with Teixiera on the cusp of free agency — and stating publicly that playing for the Orioles would be “a dream come true” — might be a better short term investment.
Young is hitting .342 with a .410 OBA with 6 homers and 33 RBI in 57 games so far this season. These are well above his career numbers of .291 and .349. Defensively, he's played 403 games in left, 333 at first, 307 at DH, 102 in right and 54 at third.
Via PSD.
Posted by: Patrick
From the press release:
Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and his former teammate, Gary Sheffield of the Detroit Tigers, have been named the Bank of America Presents the American League Co-Players of the Week for the period of June 4-10, 2007. Bank of America, the Official Bank of Major League Baseball, is the presenting sponsor of the American League and National League Player of the Week Awards, which reflect the company's long-standing tradition of recognizing achievements that inspire us all to seize opportunities to perform at our very best.
In seven games, Rodriguez posted a .400 batting average (10-25) with a .960 slugging percentage and a .515 on-base percentage. The third baseman hit four home runs and two doubles while adding 16 RBI and seven runs scored. Alex tallied five multi-RBI game performances and connected for two home runs in yesterday's Interleague game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rodriguez is batting .304 with a Major League-best 24 home runs and 63 RBI this season. This marks the second time Rodriguez has earned the A.L. honors this year and the 12th of his career. Rodriguez was also a co-winner (with Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels) for the opening week of the 2007 season, meaning that he and Florida's Miguel Cabrera have won the honors in the same week twice so far in 2007.
Sheffield finished the week batting .417 (10-24) with a 1.000 slugging percentage. The designated hitter added a triple, four home runs and 11 RBI in six games played. The right-handed slugger put together three multi-RBI performances, including a five-RBI effort at Texas on June 6th. Sheffield is currently hitting .281 with 17 home runs (third in the A.L.) and 43 RBI (10th in the A.L.) for the season. This is the 12th overall weekly award of his career.
In seven games, Rodriguez posted a .400 batting average (10-25) with a .960 slugging percentage and a .515 on-base percentage. The third baseman hit four home runs and two doubles while adding 16 RBI and seven runs scored. Alex tallied five multi-RBI game performances and connected for two home runs in yesterday's Interleague game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rodriguez is batting .304 with a Major League-best 24 home runs and 63 RBI this season. This marks the second time Rodriguez has earned the A.L. honors this year and the 12th of his career. Rodriguez was also a co-winner (with Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels) for the opening week of the 2007 season, meaning that he and Florida's Miguel Cabrera have won the honors in the same week twice so far in 2007.
Sheffield finished the week batting .417 (10-24) with a 1.000 slugging percentage. The designated hitter added a triple, four home runs and 11 RBI in six games played. The right-handed slugger put together three multi-RBI performances, including a five-RBI effort at Texas on June 6th. Sheffield is currently hitting .281 with 17 home runs (third in the A.L.) and 43 RBI (10th in the A.L.) for the season. This is the 12th overall weekly award of his career.
