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.
Posted by: David
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!
