06/17: Technical Flaw Discovered!
Posted by: Patrick
Slumping A-Rod says he's figured out slump:
Steve wonders, as do I, what kind of technical flaw with cause a player of A-Rod's caliber to hit this poorly. But, if he's really figured something out, all the better!
Via Steve.
All was not lost for Alex Rodriguez during his 1-for-5 game with three strikeouts Friday night. He says he and Yankees hitting coach Don Mattingly discovered a mechanical flaw causing Rodriguez's recent slump.
"We figured it out, and I am going to be working with Donnie a little bit. It's a relief to know what it is," the All-Star third baseman said after New York's 7-5 victory at the Washington Nationals.
"We figured it out, and I am going to be working with Donnie a little bit. It's a relief to know what it is," the All-Star third baseman said after New York's 7-5 victory at the Washington Nationals.
Steve wonders, as do I, what kind of technical flaw with cause a player of A-Rod's caliber to hit this poorly. But, if he's really figured something out, all the better!
Via Steve.
Posted by: David
The Yankees had sixteen hits but like yesterday left men on base all game long. They were helped out in the eighth by walks from Nats reliever Gary Majewski including one to Derek Jeter with the bases loaded to tie the score at five.
Jaret Wright started and as been his case all year long he couldn't get through the sixth inning. He walked the first batter to start the inning and Lee Mazzili pulled him in favor of Scott Proctor. Mazzilli was managing as Joe Torre was serving his one game suspension for the the Randy Johnson ejection the other night vs. the Indians. Johnson has appealed his five game suspension.
Proctor was a victim of the hit and run and surrendered a bloop double down the right field line which scored Nick Johnson and extended the Nats lead to 5-3. Proctor settled down and pitched through the sixth and seventh without giving up any more runs.
Although the Yankees came back and won the story continues to be A-Rod and his utter ineptitude in clutch situations. He struck out three times tonight including the last one against Chad Cordero with the bases loaded in the eighth with the scored tied at five.
Alfonso Soriano hit a two run homer to center early in the game to give the Nats a lead at the time of 3-2. It was his twenty-fourth homer of the season. His offense looks good but his defense does not. He plays way to deep in left and although he has ten outfield assists, most of his throws are way off target.
After the Yankees tied the score in the eighth they put Kyle Farnsworth in the game and he got the first out on a comeback bouncer to the mound but left with back spasms. Rivera replaced him and was given all the time he needed to warm up. He retired both batters in the eighth to keep the score tied.
In the ninth, Bernie Williams led off with a homer off of Nats closer Chad Cordero and the Yankees added another run to extend the lead to 7-5. Rivera worked a perfect ninth to earn the win and move his record to 4-3 on the season. The series resumes tomorrow afternoon with Shawn Chacon going for the Yankees.
Jaret Wright started and as been his case all year long he couldn't get through the sixth inning. He walked the first batter to start the inning and Lee Mazzili pulled him in favor of Scott Proctor. Mazzilli was managing as Joe Torre was serving his one game suspension for the the Randy Johnson ejection the other night vs. the Indians. Johnson has appealed his five game suspension.
Proctor was a victim of the hit and run and surrendered a bloop double down the right field line which scored Nick Johnson and extended the Nats lead to 5-3. Proctor settled down and pitched through the sixth and seventh without giving up any more runs.
Although the Yankees came back and won the story continues to be A-Rod and his utter ineptitude in clutch situations. He struck out three times tonight including the last one against Chad Cordero with the bases loaded in the eighth with the scored tied at five.
Alfonso Soriano hit a two run homer to center early in the game to give the Nats a lead at the time of 3-2. It was his twenty-fourth homer of the season. His offense looks good but his defense does not. He plays way to deep in left and although he has ten outfield assists, most of his throws are way off target.
After the Yankees tied the score in the eighth they put Kyle Farnsworth in the game and he got the first out on a comeback bouncer to the mound but left with back spasms. Rivera replaced him and was given all the time he needed to warm up. He retired both batters in the eighth to keep the score tied.
In the ninth, Bernie Williams led off with a homer off of Nats closer Chad Cordero and the Yankees added another run to extend the lead to 7-5. Rivera worked a perfect ninth to earn the win and move his record to 4-3 on the season. The series resumes tomorrow afternoon with Shawn Chacon going for the Yankees.
Posted by: James
Looking at the pitching matchups going into this series with the Nationals, it looks like it could be an interesting series.
The Yankees will be facing two pitchers who they have never seen before and it might be coincidental but it seems that the Yanks don't usually fare very well when that's the case. The first pitcher they face is Shawn Hill, a 25-year-old righty, who is making just his fourth start of the year (and he's done very well in his first three). He's also gotten some breaks too, i.e. his ERA is 1.80 while his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching - which I believe to be a better, while not perfect, indicator of how well a player is pitching) is 4.13. He has a good minors pedigree (another of my Harrisburg guys) of low walks with a serviceable amount of strikeouts. While the Ks have come down in the majors, he's still shown good command and looks to be a good pitcher. It'll be interesting to see whether he can hit his spots against a (usually) patient Yankees lineup.
Ramon Ortiz is more of a known quantity as he's pitched against the Yanks quite a few times in his tenure with the Angels and looking at the outings, he's done pretty well against them so far.. And don't let that 4.88 ERA fool you, his FIP is right there with Hill's at 4.19 and since hitting a high-point of 6.30 on May 12, he's put together a string of 6 straight solid starts (3.43 ERA, 7.3 Ks and 2.1 BBs per 9) and lowered that ERA to its current point.
Pitching last in the matchup is Michael O'Connor. Another Harrisburg guy with good minor league numbers, the lefty O'Connor has pitched very well for the Nationals since being brought up in late April. He's a good pitcher, posting a FIP of 4.06 while being able to get some Ks (6.27 per 9) when he needs to. He's still working on his control (4.18 per 9) and he's coming off his worst outing of the season so hopefully, the Yanks can work him around a little bit if he hasn't righted himself just yet.
Seriously, the three guys the Yanks go up against this series can pitch, and the dimensions of the stadium will only help them (there won't be a real homefield advantage though - I fully expect the crowd to be in line with what the Yanks see at Orioles games). Hopefully, the Yankees bats come to play for this series - we might need them. Course, some good pitching outings would be great as well.
Oh, and for those who haven't noticed, one of the few Yanks not slumping right now is Robbie Cano, who scored the Yankees only run with a solo shot last night and currently owns a 13 game hitting streak. He has put up a line of .453/.463/.660 to get his overall production for the year back into more acceptable territory. Take note that he hasn't walked once in those 13 games. Of course, if he continues to hit like this, it won't matter and if the Yanks keep winning series, neither will what any other team does.
The Yankees will be facing two pitchers who they have never seen before and it might be coincidental but it seems that the Yanks don't usually fare very well when that's the case. The first pitcher they face is Shawn Hill, a 25-year-old righty, who is making just his fourth start of the year (and he's done very well in his first three). He's also gotten some breaks too, i.e. his ERA is 1.80 while his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching - which I believe to be a better, while not perfect, indicator of how well a player is pitching) is 4.13. He has a good minors pedigree (another of my Harrisburg guys) of low walks with a serviceable amount of strikeouts. While the Ks have come down in the majors, he's still shown good command and looks to be a good pitcher. It'll be interesting to see whether he can hit his spots against a (usually) patient Yankees lineup.
Ramon Ortiz is more of a known quantity as he's pitched against the Yanks quite a few times in his tenure with the Angels and looking at the outings, he's done pretty well against them so far.. And don't let that 4.88 ERA fool you, his FIP is right there with Hill's at 4.19 and since hitting a high-point of 6.30 on May 12, he's put together a string of 6 straight solid starts (3.43 ERA, 7.3 Ks and 2.1 BBs per 9) and lowered that ERA to its current point.
Pitching last in the matchup is Michael O'Connor. Another Harrisburg guy with good minor league numbers, the lefty O'Connor has pitched very well for the Nationals since being brought up in late April. He's a good pitcher, posting a FIP of 4.06 while being able to get some Ks (6.27 per 9) when he needs to. He's still working on his control (4.18 per 9) and he's coming off his worst outing of the season so hopefully, the Yanks can work him around a little bit if he hasn't righted himself just yet.
Seriously, the three guys the Yanks go up against this series can pitch, and the dimensions of the stadium will only help them (there won't be a real homefield advantage though - I fully expect the crowd to be in line with what the Yanks see at Orioles games). Hopefully, the Yankees bats come to play for this series - we might need them. Course, some good pitching outings would be great as well.
Oh, and for those who haven't noticed, one of the few Yanks not slumping right now is Robbie Cano, who scored the Yankees only run with a solo shot last night and currently owns a 13 game hitting streak. He has put up a line of .453/.463/.660 to get his overall production for the year back into more acceptable territory. Take note that he hasn't walked once in those 13 games. Of course, if he continues to hit like this, it won't matter and if the Yanks keep winning series, neither will what any other team does.
06/15: June 15th vs. The Indians
Posted by: James
Todays' game against my namesakes can be recapped in one word: almost.
Joe Torre almost pulled Mike Mussina before the game changing home-run. He visited Moose on the mound and Mussina convinced him that he could get the third out. This has worked out well for Torre/Mussina several times in the past. Not this time as Hollandsworth deposited a 1-0 pitch into the black, becoming the 11th opposing player to hit there since Yankee Stadium was remodeled 30 years ago. In fact, it was the bottom of the Cleveland line-up that hit Mussina the hardest. For the game, Peralta, who came in 0-for-his-last-17, and Hollandsworth, hitless in his previous 19 at-bats, combined with Ronnie Beliard to go 9-for-14 with 7 RBI.
The heart of the Yankees order almost came through. With the bases loaded and no one out, Giambi grounds into a FC and one run scores. Then, after Miguel Cairo (pinch-runner for Giambi) stole second, Rodriguez and Posada both struck out, looking foolish on sliders that the rookie Fausto Carmona had set up by throwing straight gas (96-98 mph) for 4 or 5 straight pitches. That left the potential tying runs stranded and that would be the last offensive challenge the Yanks mustered. A-Rod is taking heat (as he should) but as always, he's accepting of it. He knows he's been a wreck at the plate recently and it's starting to look like the the slump (and maybe the boos, who knows) are starting to take a little bit of a toll.
I don't know when it'll happen but A-Rod will pull out of this. I just hope that's soon. With the rest of the boppers out indefinitely (and Johnny Damon felt a twinge in his right hamstring but he said he would play tomorrow night), someone has to get hot and carry the Yanks through the summer months. It should be A-Rod.
Joe Torre almost pulled Mike Mussina before the game changing home-run. He visited Moose on the mound and Mussina convinced him that he could get the third out. This has worked out well for Torre/Mussina several times in the past. Not this time as Hollandsworth deposited a 1-0 pitch into the black, becoming the 11th opposing player to hit there since Yankee Stadium was remodeled 30 years ago. In fact, it was the bottom of the Cleveland line-up that hit Mussina the hardest. For the game, Peralta, who came in 0-for-his-last-17, and Hollandsworth, hitless in his previous 19 at-bats, combined with Ronnie Beliard to go 9-for-14 with 7 RBI.
The heart of the Yankees order almost came through. With the bases loaded and no one out, Giambi grounds into a FC and one run scores. Then, after Miguel Cairo (pinch-runner for Giambi) stole second, Rodriguez and Posada both struck out, looking foolish on sliders that the rookie Fausto Carmona had set up by throwing straight gas (96-98 mph) for 4 or 5 straight pitches. That left the potential tying runs stranded and that would be the last offensive challenge the Yanks mustered. A-Rod is taking heat (as he should) but as always, he's accepting of it. He knows he's been a wreck at the plate recently and it's starting to look like the the slump (and maybe the boos, who knows) are starting to take a little bit of a toll.
"I don't have any answers," Rodriguez said. "I could have gotten a base hit that would have probably won it. So you can write the worst articles, say the worst things, and you're probably right right now. So go right ahead."
After the strikeout, Rodriguez didn't just tap his helmet on the dugout railing or take a few practice cuts while walking to the dugout this time. He's had 15 strikeouts in the past 11 games, but this time he was beyond frustrated. Rodriguez had problems putting his bat back in the wooden rack, so he proceeded to slam it in multiple times.
Rodriguez struck out on a high slider, a great pitch to hit, he said while shaking his head. But that wasn't the final out of the inning. Jorge Posada had the same opportunity with runners on second and third, this time with two outs. He struck out as well, giving the Yankees just one run in an inning where the bases were loaded with nobody out. But the fans didn't boo Posada.
"It's just what people expect from him," Johnny Damon said. "He's the highest-paid ballplayer. They expect him to do well all the time."
"We win and lose as a team," Derek Jeter added. "One person isn't going to be the reason why we lose. You can't put too much pressure on one particular person."
After the strikeout, Rodriguez didn't just tap his helmet on the dugout railing or take a few practice cuts while walking to the dugout this time. He's had 15 strikeouts in the past 11 games, but this time he was beyond frustrated. Rodriguez had problems putting his bat back in the wooden rack, so he proceeded to slam it in multiple times.
Rodriguez struck out on a high slider, a great pitch to hit, he said while shaking his head. But that wasn't the final out of the inning. Jorge Posada had the same opportunity with runners on second and third, this time with two outs. He struck out as well, giving the Yankees just one run in an inning where the bases were loaded with nobody out. But the fans didn't boo Posada.
"It's just what people expect from him," Johnny Damon said. "He's the highest-paid ballplayer. They expect him to do well all the time."
"We win and lose as a team," Derek Jeter added. "One person isn't going to be the reason why we lose. You can't put too much pressure on one particular person."
I don't know when it'll happen but A-Rod will pull out of this. I just hope that's soon. With the rest of the boppers out indefinitely (and Johnny Damon felt a twinge in his right hamstring but he said he would play tomorrow night), someone has to get hot and carry the Yanks through the summer months. It should be A-Rod.
Posted by: Patrick
Mike A. (In George We Trust) has a 4.5 game lead in first place with Mill in second. I'm (Patrick) in 4th, James (Curry Monsters) is in 7th and Seamus (Dog Pound) is in 9th.
06/15: Yankees 6, Indians 1
Posted by: Jason
"A man can be destroyed but not defeated."
-Ernest Hemingway
Randy Johnson has always reminded me of a tragically flawed Hemingway character: Last night he was the epitome of Jack, the boxing protagonist of EH's "Fifty Grand." Jack, like RJ, is an aging combatant with waning (but not depleted) skills. In the story's final fight scene, Jack is performing better than expected against his opponent until he sadly disqualifies himself with a flagrant low blow. We are left to wonder: Why? Was the foul a futile rejection of time's inevitable handcuffs?
Sound familiar?
For 6+ innings, RJ was 90% the flamethrower of old. Retired 11 in a row. Good slider. Fastball at 95/96. Our man Jim Kaat (YES network) continually praised Johnson's location. The underperforming (vs. preseason expectations) Indians managed just a lone run in the 5th on two "seeing-eye" singles. In the top 7th, RJ's congenital mean streak returned as he buzzed Eduardo Perez inside. Did Posada's HBP necessitate the retaliation? No. Was this pitch an expression of frustration at the last 60 days? I believe it was. For the Yankees, the offense gave a revitalized RJ four more runs than he needed. The scoring was provided on HRs by John Damon and Andy Phillips and RBI hits by Robinson and Bernie.
What of Randy Johnson? I hope that Hemingway correctly describes what the Yankees universe can expect from the left-hander:
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places."
-Ernest Hemingway
Randy Johnson has always reminded me of a tragically flawed Hemingway character: Last night he was the epitome of Jack, the boxing protagonist of EH's "Fifty Grand." Jack, like RJ, is an aging combatant with waning (but not depleted) skills. In the story's final fight scene, Jack is performing better than expected against his opponent until he sadly disqualifies himself with a flagrant low blow. We are left to wonder: Why? Was the foul a futile rejection of time's inevitable handcuffs?
Sound familiar?
For 6+ innings, RJ was 90% the flamethrower of old. Retired 11 in a row. Good slider. Fastball at 95/96. Our man Jim Kaat (YES network) continually praised Johnson's location. The underperforming (vs. preseason expectations) Indians managed just a lone run in the 5th on two "seeing-eye" singles. In the top 7th, RJ's congenital mean streak returned as he buzzed Eduardo Perez inside. Did Posada's HBP necessitate the retaliation? No. Was this pitch an expression of frustration at the last 60 days? I believe it was. For the Yankees, the offense gave a revitalized RJ four more runs than he needed. The scoring was provided on HRs by John Damon and Andy Phillips and RBI hits by Robinson and Bernie.
What of Randy Johnson? I hope that Hemingway correctly describes what the Yankees universe can expect from the left-hander:
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places."
Posted by: Seamus
Most of the Yankees' bats were still asleep, but that didn't matter at all last night, as Robinson Cano's solo shot in the bottom of the 6th was all the Yanks needed in their 1-0 victory over Cleveland. Through all the injuries this year and all the struggles the Yankees went through the past week, losing four in a row, the Yankees sit in a tie for first place with Boston with a 36-26 record.
Chien-Ming Wang was great, allowing only five hits and striking out three in 7 and 1/3 shutout innings to improve his record to 7-2. Mike Myers and Kyle Farnsworth each recorded an out in the 8th without allowing Aaron Boone to score from second. Mariano Rivera picked up his 13th save with a 1-2-3 9th and lowered his E.R.A. to 1.91. Wang pitched in front of some solid defense as Melky Cabrera made another great catch in the 1st, making a running catch and slamming into the left field wall on a fly ball by Travis Hafner. As mentioned, Cano's homer was pretty much all the offense the Yankees were able to muster, but it turned out to be all they needed. Bernie and Jeter also had two hits each.
Tonight's pitching matchup will feature Randy Johnson against Jason Johnson of the Indians. The Unit will actually be facing someone with an E.R.A. higher than his. Probably a telling tale of where the two teams stand at this point in the season, Randy Johnson's 5.63 E.R.A. equates to a 7-5 record, while Jason Johnson stands at 3-6 with his 5.70.
Chien-Ming Wang was great, allowing only five hits and striking out three in 7 and 1/3 shutout innings to improve his record to 7-2. Mike Myers and Kyle Farnsworth each recorded an out in the 8th without allowing Aaron Boone to score from second. Mariano Rivera picked up his 13th save with a 1-2-3 9th and lowered his E.R.A. to 1.91. Wang pitched in front of some solid defense as Melky Cabrera made another great catch in the 1st, making a running catch and slamming into the left field wall on a fly ball by Travis Hafner. As mentioned, Cano's homer was pretty much all the offense the Yankees were able to muster, but it turned out to be all they needed. Bernie and Jeter also had two hits each.
Tonight's pitching matchup will feature Randy Johnson against Jason Johnson of the Indians. The Unit will actually be facing someone with an E.R.A. higher than his. Probably a telling tale of where the two teams stand at this point in the season, Randy Johnson's 5.63 E.R.A. equates to a 7-5 record, while Jason Johnson stands at 3-6 with his 5.70.
Posted by: Patrick
MLB.com reports that Derek Jeter is leading all AL players in all-star voting - with a comfortable lead of more than 345,000 votes over runner up Miguel Tejada. A-Rod has a huge lead at the hot corner while Cano has a much smaller lead over Mark Loretta. Johnny Damon is in the third outfield spot. Don't forget to vote.
Posted by: Patrick
From Ken Rosenthal:
Via Yahoo! Sports
If no agreement is reached and Mussina becomes a free agent, he will not simply sell himself to the highest bidder. He will want to play for a contender, remain in the American League and stay relatively close to his home in Montoursville, Pa.
His first two choices after the Yankees would be the Red Sox and Indians; his NL possibilities would be the Mets and Phillies. A return to the Orioles — a non-contender for the foreseeable future &3151; is virtually out of the question.
His first two choices after the Yankees would be the Red Sox and Indians; his NL possibilities would be the Mets and Phillies. A return to the Orioles — a non-contender for the foreseeable future &3151; is virtually out of the question.
Via Yahoo! Sports
06/13: Bernie and Godzilla
Posted by: Patrick
Alex linked to a couple of cool articles that I wanted to highlight.
One about Bernie Williams:
The other being a blog entry by Peter Abraham:
One about Bernie Williams:
Williams always speaks of Mattingly with reverence. Williams was a gawky rookie in 1991, and it was Mattingly, he said, who told teammates to go easy on him. Williams also learned an important lesson.
"He taught me a piece of advice that I take even to this day," Williams said Sunday. "He said to me: 'I don't really care what you do the night before or the week before — when you come to the field, you come ready to play. Mentally ready to play. You've got to be all there. You can't worry about maybe I don't feel too good today, or I don't feel 100 percent. You've got to go like: dude, get it done.' "
Almost 2,000 times now, Williams has taken the field, with aches most fans never hear about. He estimates that players are in top shape only 25 percent of the time. The other days are a grind, Williams said, but it is important for young players to see veterans playing hurt.
"It has more of a positive influence than you would ever know," he said.
"He taught me a piece of advice that I take even to this day," Williams said Sunday. "He said to me: 'I don't really care what you do the night before or the week before — when you come to the field, you come ready to play. Mentally ready to play. You've got to be all there. You can't worry about maybe I don't feel too good today, or I don't feel 100 percent. You've got to go like: dude, get it done.' "
Almost 2,000 times now, Williams has taken the field, with aches most fans never hear about. He estimates that players are in top shape only 25 percent of the time. The other days are a grind, Williams said, but it is important for young players to see veterans playing hurt.
"It has more of a positive influence than you would ever know," he said.
The other being a blog entry by Peter Abraham:
You kind of had to see this to believe it. But after the game today, Hideki Matsui went out on the field and did several running drills with his broken left wrist in a plastic cast. He then played catch with his translator, Roger Kahlon. Matsui threw a baseball to Roger, who caught it with a glove then rolled it back to Hideki.
