Posted by: James
That's the title of Mike Lupica's latest story. I can honestly remember a time when Lupica was a decent writer and I looked forward to reading his work. I didn't always agree with it but at least it had a point and a certain validity to it. These days, it's as if he's going through the motions trying to find the most controversial angle on something and then blathering on about it. I would analyze his article but honestly, it's not even worth it - it's just silly.
Update: Ken Tremendous of FJM absolutely eviscerates Lupica for this story...and he doesn't even like the Yankees (which speaks volumes about how out of touch this article is)!
Update: Ken Tremendous of FJM absolutely eviscerates Lupica for this story...and he doesn't even like the Yankees (which speaks volumes about how out of touch this article is)!
Posted by: Seamus
Look out. Here come the Yankees. The Bombers pulled off another dominating performance, as they routed the red-hot Royals (very possibly the first time that phrase has been used since about 1985) by a score of 9-2. Roger Clemens turned in a great performance, allowing just four hits in 7 innings and every Yankee starter recorded a hit for the second straight game. The win brings the Yankees within 5.5 games of the wild card race as the Red Sox defeated Cleveland.
The Yankees jumped ahead early, scoring two in the first on a two-run single by Hideki Matsui and two more in the second on a two-run double by Johnny Damon. They wouldn't score again until they put up a 5 spot in the 9th, but they didn't need it as the Rocket turned back the clock (well, not really), allowing only two runs, one scoring on a wild pitch and the other on a home run via Ross Gload.
Alex Rodriguez added RBI #100 in the 9th with a base hit that scored Johnny Damon. Kind of odd that I'm mentioning this in July, and more incredible that even through two-thirds of the season, Rodriguez is still on pace for a whopping 165 RBI (165.306 to be exact but that's not possible).
The Yanks will go for five in a row tonight as Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound against Scott Elarton. Elarton is 2-3 with a 9.17 E.R.A. in eight starts this season. Game starts at 8:10 ET.
And lastly, I know this is a Yankee site but kudos to Jon Lester, who won in his first appearance in nearly a year after a battle with cancer. I was kinda hoping he'd pitch an 8-inning shutout performance before Papelbon or someone in the bullpen coughed up the lead in the 9th, but even as a Yankee fan I gotta be happy for the guy. It's a shame but sometimes it takes things like that for people to realize that we're talking about a game here.
The Yankees jumped ahead early, scoring two in the first on a two-run single by Hideki Matsui and two more in the second on a two-run double by Johnny Damon. They wouldn't score again until they put up a 5 spot in the 9th, but they didn't need it as the Rocket turned back the clock (well, not really), allowing only two runs, one scoring on a wild pitch and the other on a home run via Ross Gload.
Alex Rodriguez added RBI #100 in the 9th with a base hit that scored Johnny Damon. Kind of odd that I'm mentioning this in July, and more incredible that even through two-thirds of the season, Rodriguez is still on pace for a whopping 165 RBI (165.306 to be exact but that's not possible).
The Yanks will go for five in a row tonight as Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound against Scott Elarton. Elarton is 2-3 with a 9.17 E.R.A. in eight starts this season. Game starts at 8:10 ET.
And lastly, I know this is a Yankee site but kudos to Jon Lester, who won in his first appearance in nearly a year after a battle with cancer. I was kinda hoping he'd pitch an 8-inning shutout performance before Papelbon or someone in the bullpen coughed up the lead in the 9th, but even as a Yankee fan I gotta be happy for the guy. It's a shame but sometimes it takes things like that for people to realize that we're talking about a game here.
07/24: Joba & Kennedy to AAA
Posted by: James
After starting their seasons in A Tampa, Ed Price is reporting that the Yankees promoted Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. I'm sure that both Joba and Kennedy will be on inning/pitch counts for the rest of the season.
They take the spots of Chase Wright and Tyler Clippard, who have both been sent down to AA Trenton. Wright had never pitched above A ball prior to this year so that makes sense. He has only 20 AA innings to his credit so far and since he's a lefty - he'll have plenty more shots in the future. Clippard will get more shots too - the kid is only in his age 22 season. He struggled mightily after he was sent back down to AAA and he can take the time in AA to find the control that he lost in the majors. He'll be back soon enough, I'm sure.
So for me, the next obvious question becomes; when does Alan Horne get his shot? Hopefully, soon because if Joba and Mini-Moose show positive signs at AAA, I wouldn't be surprised at all if either makes the team out of spring training next year. Wang, Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy and Horne - tell me that doesn't look quite enticing.
Update: Per Mike A., Kevin Whelan gets promoted back up to AA. I'm assuming he goes back to the pen after making 7 starts in A Tampa. With the arrival of two starters to AA Trenton, Brett Smith gets bumped down to A Tampa. Yes, Brett Smith of the 2.97 ERA, .192 BAA and 61 hits allowed in 91 IP. He does need to work on his control though so maybe that was the thinking there.
They take the spots of Chase Wright and Tyler Clippard, who have both been sent down to AA Trenton. Wright had never pitched above A ball prior to this year so that makes sense. He has only 20 AA innings to his credit so far and since he's a lefty - he'll have plenty more shots in the future. Clippard will get more shots too - the kid is only in his age 22 season. He struggled mightily after he was sent back down to AAA and he can take the time in AA to find the control that he lost in the majors. He'll be back soon enough, I'm sure.
So for me, the next obvious question becomes; when does Alan Horne get his shot? Hopefully, soon because if Joba and Mini-Moose show positive signs at AAA, I wouldn't be surprised at all if either makes the team out of spring training next year. Wang, Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy and Horne - tell me that doesn't look quite enticing.
Update: Per Mike A., Kevin Whelan gets promoted back up to AA. I'm assuming he goes back to the pen after making 7 starts in A Tampa. With the arrival of two starters to AA Trenton, Brett Smith gets bumped down to A Tampa. Yes, Brett Smith of the 2.97 ERA, .192 BAA and 61 hits allowed in 91 IP. He does need to work on his control though so maybe that was the thinking there.
07/23: Cano BOA Player of the Week
Posted by: James
Robbie Cano won his second career Player of the Week award and shares the honor with the CFer of the team the Yankees just bludgeoned, B.J. Upton.
Who wanted to trade the guy?
Cano hit .500 (17-34) with a double, a triple, two home runs and nine RBI. The 24-year-old slugged .765, had a .528 on-base percentage, and scored eight runs with 26 total bases. In a game against the Blue Jays on July 16th, he went 2-for-4 with a home run. During a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cano went 11-for-18 with a home run and six RBI.
Who wanted to trade the guy?
Posted by: James
I know they come in 11 games under .500 but don't let that fool you, these guys aren't nearly as bad as they used to be. Yes, they started the season off badly and at the end of April, their record did stand at 8-18. However, things have definitely turned around - just look at their record.
From May 1st until now: 35-36 (.493 winning percentage)
From June 1st until now: 24-19 (.558)
So far in July: 9-7 (.562) and they're coming off series wins against Detroit and Boston and a series loss to Cleveland where the scores were 4-5, 6-5 and 3-5.
Long story short - the team can play and it would be extremely short-sighted for the Yankees (and their fans) to overlook this team.
Still, when you look at the probable pitchers for the series, the Yankees definitely lucked out.
-Clemens vs. Odalis Perez (who has been bombed recently - 7.47 ERA after the ASB)
-Wang vs. Scott Elarton (who is coming off a DL stint and has been bombed in his rehab starts to the tune of 22 ER in 20.6 IP)
-Mussina vs. Gil Meche (I know he's pitched well so far...but sooner or later, he'll have to remember that he's GIL MECHE and looking at his 5.18 ERA in July, I think he has. Also, look at those Home/Away splits.)
-Kei Igawa vs. Jorge De La Rosa, (26 year old lefty had a very good March-April but has been lit up since then, to the tune of a 6.51 ERA in his last 10 games.
The Yankees can hit these pitchers (knock on wood), so it'll come down to the pitching staff (again).
From May 1st until now: 35-36 (.493 winning percentage)
From June 1st until now: 24-19 (.558)
So far in July: 9-7 (.562) and they're coming off series wins against Detroit and Boston and a series loss to Cleveland where the scores were 4-5, 6-5 and 3-5.
Long story short - the team can play and it would be extremely short-sighted for the Yankees (and their fans) to overlook this team.
Still, when you look at the probable pitchers for the series, the Yankees definitely lucked out.
-Clemens vs. Odalis Perez (who has been bombed recently - 7.47 ERA after the ASB)
-Wang vs. Scott Elarton (who is coming off a DL stint and has been bombed in his rehab starts to the tune of 22 ER in 20.6 IP)
-Mussina vs. Gil Meche (I know he's pitched well so far...but sooner or later, he'll have to remember that he's GIL MECHE and looking at his 5.18 ERA in July, I think he has. Also, look at those Home/Away splits.)
-Kei Igawa vs. Jorge De La Rosa, (26 year old lefty had a very good March-April but has been lit up since then, to the tune of a 6.51 ERA in his last 10 games.
The Yankees can hit these pitchers (knock on wood), so it'll come down to the pitching staff (again).
07/23: Giambi Takes BP
Posted by: James
Pretty much just what the title states. ESPN is reporting that Jason Giambi took 38 swings today in his first on-field BP session since his injury.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out between Damon/Giambi at DH and Damon/Cabrera in CF. If they're smart, they'll keep playing Cabrera in the OF - the upgrade in defense has been more than worth it so far.
The New York Yankees designated hitter also started running the bases and kept up a throwing program. He hopes to rejoin the Yankees by August.
"Everything is great so far," Giambi said. "Better than expected."
"Everything is great so far," Giambi said. "Better than expected."
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out between Damon/Giambi at DH and Damon/Cabrera in CF. If they're smart, they'll keep playing Cabrera in the OF - the upgrade in defense has been more than worth it so far.
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 and Jen (NoSenseWorrying.com) ended up in a 5-5 stalemate in what was the only tied game of the week. Runs, home runs, runs batted in and wins were all very close in this one. James' offense was led by Chipper Jones (5 R, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .444 AVG) and Manny Ramirez (8 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .391 AVG). Jen's side was led by Robbie Cano, who hit .500 for the week with 8 runs, 2 home runs and 9 runs batted in. Carl Crawford hit .474 (with 5 R, 1 RBI and 5 SB) while Dmitri Young hit .455. Miguel Cabrera (4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .423) and Shane Victorino (7 R, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .343) also turned in big weeks.
Jeremy Guthrie gave James a 2 win week (and 9 K) and Kelvin Escobar and Ted Lilly chipped in wins of their own. Jose Valverde had 3 saves while Billy Wagner and Bobby Jenks each had 2. Jake Peavy had 11 K. Jen had wins from Roy Halladay (9 K), Jason Marquis and Pat Neshek and 2 saves from Trevor Hoffman.
I defeated Aziz (Pride of the Yankees), 8-2, sweeping the batting categories while losing saves and ERA. A-Rod continues to astonish, contributing 10 runs, 3 home runs, 12 runs batted in, 2 stolen bases and a .346 average to my side. Hideki Matsui (8 R, 4 H, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .400 AVG) and Dan Uggla (4 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .462 AVG) were also hot. Aziz's side was led by Ryan Howard (7 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .700 AVG). Bobby Abreu (8 R, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB, .313 AVG) was also a major contributor.
My wins came from Mark Buehrle, Andy Pettitte (15 K), Scott Kazmir and Barry Zito while I was given 2 saves by both Mo and Joe Borowski and one each by Octavio Dotel and Alan Embree. Roy Oswalt, Andrew Miller and Oliver Perez picked up wins for Aziz while Francisco Cordero (3), David Weathers (2), Takashi Saito and Antonio Alfonseca helped him to take saves.
Joseph (River Ave. Blues) took a pretty comfortable victory over Seamus, 8-2. David Wright led Seamus' offense with 7 runs, 2 home runs, 9 runs batted in, 2 stolen bases and a .333 average. Eric Byrnes stole 7 bases, more than Joseph's side put together. But, that would be the only offensive category that Seamus would take. Joseph's offense was pretty balanced, but Carlos Beltran (6 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .321 AVG) made the most damage.
Pitching wise, Seamus failed to record a win, picking up 3 saves - all from Todd Jones. Joseph had wins from Erik Bedard (11 K) and James Shields with his lone save coming from Jonathan Papelbon.
Top 3 teams in the league:
1. Mike (River Ave. Blues) (92-63-5)
2. Dave (Pride of the Yankees) (84-68-8)
3. James (83-68-9).
This Week
James (3rd, 83-68-9) vs. Mike (1st, 92-63-5)
Patrick (6th, 75-79-6) vs. Seamus (10th, 60-90-10)
Last Week
James and Jen (NoSenseWorrying.com) ended up in a 5-5 stalemate in what was the only tied game of the week. Runs, home runs, runs batted in and wins were all very close in this one. James' offense was led by Chipper Jones (5 R, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .444 AVG) and Manny Ramirez (8 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .391 AVG). Jen's side was led by Robbie Cano, who hit .500 for the week with 8 runs, 2 home runs and 9 runs batted in. Carl Crawford hit .474 (with 5 R, 1 RBI and 5 SB) while Dmitri Young hit .455. Miguel Cabrera (4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .423) and Shane Victorino (7 R, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .343) also turned in big weeks.
Jeremy Guthrie gave James a 2 win week (and 9 K) and Kelvin Escobar and Ted Lilly chipped in wins of their own. Jose Valverde had 3 saves while Billy Wagner and Bobby Jenks each had 2. Jake Peavy had 11 K. Jen had wins from Roy Halladay (9 K), Jason Marquis and Pat Neshek and 2 saves from Trevor Hoffman.
I defeated Aziz (Pride of the Yankees), 8-2, sweeping the batting categories while losing saves and ERA. A-Rod continues to astonish, contributing 10 runs, 3 home runs, 12 runs batted in, 2 stolen bases and a .346 average to my side. Hideki Matsui (8 R, 4 H, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .400 AVG) and Dan Uggla (4 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .462 AVG) were also hot. Aziz's side was led by Ryan Howard (7 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .700 AVG). Bobby Abreu (8 R, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB, .313 AVG) was also a major contributor.
My wins came from Mark Buehrle, Andy Pettitte (15 K), Scott Kazmir and Barry Zito while I was given 2 saves by both Mo and Joe Borowski and one each by Octavio Dotel and Alan Embree. Roy Oswalt, Andrew Miller and Oliver Perez picked up wins for Aziz while Francisco Cordero (3), David Weathers (2), Takashi Saito and Antonio Alfonseca helped him to take saves.
Joseph (River Ave. Blues) took a pretty comfortable victory over Seamus, 8-2. David Wright led Seamus' offense with 7 runs, 2 home runs, 9 runs batted in, 2 stolen bases and a .333 average. Eric Byrnes stole 7 bases, more than Joseph's side put together. But, that would be the only offensive category that Seamus would take. Joseph's offense was pretty balanced, but Carlos Beltran (6 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .321 AVG) made the most damage.
Pitching wise, Seamus failed to record a win, picking up 3 saves - all from Todd Jones. Joseph had wins from Erik Bedard (11 K) and James Shields with his lone save coming from Jonathan Papelbon.
Top 3 teams in the league:
1. Mike (River Ave. Blues) (92-63-5)
2. Dave (Pride of the Yankees) (84-68-8)
3. James (83-68-9).
This Week
James (3rd, 83-68-9) vs. Mike (1st, 92-63-5)
Patrick (6th, 75-79-6) vs. Seamus (10th, 60-90-10)
Posted by: Patrick
While pretty much everyone has hit well this month and Jeter, Posada, A-Rod (more than an RBI a game), etc. continue to do what they've been doing, Matsui, Cano and Abreu have been particularly hot. No coincidence, of course, but here is what they've done:
Since July 4, Matsui is hitting .366 with a .430 OBA and 1.219 OPS with 3 2B, 9 HR, 17 RBI, 8 BB and 2 SB.
Since July 2, Cano is hitting .403 with a .436 OBA and 1.103 OPS with 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 4 BB and 1 SB.
Since July 2, Abreu is hitting .386 with a .413 OBA and 1.056 OPS with 6 2B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 4 BB and 2 SB.
Since July 4, Matsui is hitting .366 with a .430 OBA and 1.219 OPS with 3 2B, 9 HR, 17 RBI, 8 BB and 2 SB.
Since July 2, Cano is hitting .403 with a .436 OBA and 1.103 OPS with 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 4 BB and 1 SB.
Since July 2, Abreu is hitting .386 with a .413 OBA and 1.056 OPS with 6 2B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 4 BB and 2 SB.
Posted by: David
The Yankees crushed the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the second day in a row with a tremendous offensive output. The Bombers used home runs from Matsui, A-Rod, Cano, Abreu and two from newcomer Shelley Duncan to beat Tampa Bay 21-4.
Andy Pettitte struggled somewhat through about six innings and the bullpen wrapped it up. With the win the Yankees are 9-3 since the All-Star Break and remain 7 1/2 games behind the Bosox in the AL East.
Matsui had a five hit day and Cano is now over .290 after starting the season slowly. The Yankees head on the road for four games with Kansas City starting tonight and then four in Baltimore including the conclusion of a suspended game.
Andy Pettitte struggled somewhat through about six innings and the bullpen wrapped it up. With the win the Yankees are 9-3 since the All-Star Break and remain 7 1/2 games behind the Bosox in the AL East.
Matsui had a five hit day and Cano is now over .290 after starting the season slowly. The Yankees head on the road for four games with Kansas City starting tonight and then four in Baltimore including the conclusion of a suspended game.
07/23: Yanks Sign Scott Williamson
Posted by: Patrick
Yahoo! Sports reports that we've signed Scott Williamson to a minor league contract. He pitched in 16 games for Baltimore this year, going 1-0 with a 4.40 ERA. Last year he was 2-4 with a 5.72 ERA in 42 games, splitting time with the Cubs and Padres. For his career, he's 28-28 in 344 appearances with a 3.36 ERA. A former NL Rookie of the Year award winner, Williamson is 31.
