The AL East is supposed to be a three headed monster this year, even though the three teams expected to win the division are in 3rd, 4th, and 5th place. Here's my run down position for position of the Rays, Sox, and Yanks.
Catcher: Jason Varitek/Dioner Navarro/ Jorge Posada
Navarro hits for average, but no power and Varitek can't hit for either, despite his fine leadership and defensive skills. Jorge has the best bat and is still around league average behind the plate.
First Base: Kevin Youkilis/Carlos Pena/Mark Teixeira
Tough call here. All three are fine hitters, but Teixeira's defense puts him ahead of Youk and Pena.
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia/ Akinori Iwamura/ Robinson Cano
I still say Cano will win MVP this year, but Pedroia won it last year, and unless Iwamura or Cano can outplay him for an extended period of time he'll still be considered the best of the crop. He's someone who, as much as I hate to say it. play quality baseball. He gives his all, gets dirty, and plays well both offensively and defensively. Cano can dethrone him, but it will take a big year on his part to steal the spotlight from Pedroia.
Third Base: Mike Lowell/Evan Longoria/ Alex Rodriguez
Lowell is always an injury risk, and he's getting old. A-Rod is obviously a fine ballplayer, but his hip injury shows he isn't superhuman, and the nuisance he is with all his side stories (from Madonna to Steroids) demonstrate that he isn't the best around. That award goes to Longoria who plays gold glove caliber defense, and will hit above .300 with 40-HR potential. The fact that he is the youngest of the three helps him immensely, as he can only improve.
Shortstop: Jed Lowrie/Jason Bartlett/ Derek Jeter
4 World Series rings, team captain, fan favorite, postseason star, career .316 hitter. Is there anything more to say? Jeter has proven himself time and time again to be an all-star player, while Lowrie and Bartlett both haven't proven themselves to be perennial all-stars or anything like that.
Left Field: Jason Bay/Carl Crawford/Johnny Damon
Crawford's speed and defense set him apart from Damon and Bay. Damon is getting older, but maintains some speed and power. Bay mainly offers skills with the bat. Crawford can make many more plays in the field than Damon or Bay could, and he moves around the bases much quicker than the other two.
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury/BJ Upton/ Brett Gardner
Upton has the potential to be a 20+ home run hitter. He can also steal 35+ bases. Add in a high OBP and there isn't much more you can ask for. Gardner and Ellsbury's main draw is that they are fast, but Upton is just as fast and brings a powerful stick to the plate as well.
Right Field: JD Drew/Gabe Gross/Nick Swisher
Drew gets injured about as often as Carl Pavano, Gross is really only suited to be a bench player, offering no extreme tools. Swisher is an on-base machine, brings power to the plate, and is a great clubhouse presence. SuperSwish is clearly the better of the three.
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz/Pat Burrell/Hideki Matsui
Burrell has hit at least 29 home runs each year since 05. His lowest OBP in that timespan was .367, and he's slugged over .500 every year since 05. Burrell is the most reliable bat out of the three. He's only played in less than 144 games once since 2001. While we know Ortiz has power, his wrist was a big problem last year, and that may be a recurring problem. Hideki has so many issues with his knees he isn't even in consideration here.
Rotations:
Beckett/Lester/Wakefield/Penny/Masterson(Dice-K's injured)
Shields/Kazmir/Garza/Sonnanstine/Niemann (Coming Soon: David Price)
Sabathia/Wang/Burnett/Pettitte/Joba
Last time we looked at rotations, we said the Rays' was the best in baseball. However, without Price I wouldn't call them the best around. Niemann and Sonnanstine may prove me wrong, but we have to wait to see that. Our Yankee rotation is ridiculously talented, though very injury prone. We have Phil Hughes in the wings if someone is hurt, and he's a pretty talented 6th starter. If Wang keeps pitching like he has, then the rankings might change, but for now I'd say we've got the best staff of the three. CC, AJ, Wang, and Joba are all ace-caliber, and Pettitte is a very dependable veteran. Until they prove me wrong, I'm saying we have the best rotation around.
Closer:
Jonathan Papelbon
Troy Percival
Mariano Rivera
Mariano doesn't dance on the mound, has 4 World Series rings, and is the most successful post-season closer of all time. There is no question he wins here. Mariano's ERA has only risen above 2 once since 2003. Mariano's Groundball/Flyball ratio is much better than Papelbon's, and he composes himself well on the mound, while Papelbon overcelebrates like a 2 year old.
Manager:
Joe Maddon
Terry Francona
Joe Girardi
I hate to say it, but Francona is a class act. He keeps all his players happy, he's respectful, and he can manage a ballgame well. He has 2 World Series rings, while Girardi and Francona haven't won any while managing.
That's a brief breakdown, we'll go deeper as the season progresses and stats, injuries, and reputations change.
4/17/09
At Long Last...
Sorry for the horrendously long wait...
Without further ado, here is my review for "The New York Yankees Essential Games of Yankee Stadium".
Firstly, I would like to talk about what this set actually looks like physically. As you can see by the picture, it comes in a metal case with a really nice picture of the Old Yankee Stadium. There are 6 DVDs in total, with each game on a single disk. On each DVD, there is the box score from the game that's on the disc, which is pretty cool. As a reminder, the 6 games shown are 1976 ALCS Game 5 (Chambliss' Walk Off), 1977 WS Game 6 (Reggie 3 HR), 1995 ALDS Game 2 (Jim Leyritz Walk Off), 1996 WS Game 6 (Clincher), 2001 WS Game 4 (DJ Walk Off), and 2003 ALCS Game 7 (Aaron Boone). There are a bunch of extras too, including...
Unlike Yankeeography, WS Videos and other such products, there isn't any commentary to go along with the game. It is just the broadcast of the game from when it happened. Although commentary can contribute a lot to the viewing experience, it's not necessary for these games, simply because of their intense excitement. Watching the broadcasts, for me, brought me back to wonderful experiences I had as a kid. I immediately remembered watching a lot of these games with my Dad, which is always a fantastic memory to go back too. For the games in the 70s, it was the first time I was able to see these games in full, so I was able to have new experiences as well. For the younger people, it's really valuable to be able to watch these older games, because it can really enrich your Yankee fandom. Reliving these spectacular moments also just gets me so pumped. For example, when I watched Tino hit his HR in the ninth to tie it and Jeter finish the ballgame with a shot to RF, I literally started cheering and doing a little bit of a fist pump with a huge grin on my face. It's so much fun to be able to have these epic games at your disposal because it can give you quite a boost to remember these amazing moments in baseball history.
The quality of the games is fantastic. I've seen other recordings of these games, and a lot of the time the audio lags a lot, which is so frustrating. The video and audio are perfectly clear, and the viewing experience is very very nice. It's just as though you were sitting watching the game in '76, '77, '95, '96, '01, or '03. The only thing I don't like is the fact that Joe Buck commentates some of the games. To be honest, his Boston bias has always made me angry.
I would really recommend giving this set a look. It's worth every penny. I personally love to relive these great Yankee moments, and I'm sure that you all will too.
Injury Update
Angels' Right Fielder/ DH Vladimir Guerrerro tore a chest muscle and will be out for at least a month.
Kansas City Third Baseman Alex Gordon had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip (same as A-Rod). He'll be back in 10-12 weeks.
Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey will be scratched from his start on Sunday because of forearm tendinitis.
Mariners' catcher Kenji Johjima was placed on the 15 Day DL because of a strained right hamstring.
On our home turf...Hideki Matsui's knee (which he had surgery on in September) filled with liquid. He's limited to pinch hitting duty for a while, so Juan Miranda may see some playing time.
Xavier Nady is on the 15 day DL. Xman will have an MRI tomorrow.
Kansas City Third Baseman Alex Gordon had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip (same as A-Rod). He'll be back in 10-12 weeks.
Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey will be scratched from his start on Sunday because of forearm tendinitis.
Mariners' catcher Kenji Johjima was placed on the 15 Day DL because of a strained right hamstring.
On our home turf...Hideki Matsui's knee (which he had surgery on in September) filled with liquid. He's limited to pinch hitting duty for a while, so Juan Miranda may see some playing time.
Xavier Nady is on the 15 day DL. Xman will have an MRI tomorrow.
Tribute to Nick Swisher
Nick Swisher is quickly becoming a fan favorite, and Conor and I are both huge fans. Here's a small tribute to SuperSwish.
In Michael Lewis's Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game there is a story about the friendship between Nick Swisher and catcher Jeremy Brown. Brown was an overweight hitter who was only drafted because Billy Beane was enthralled with his extraordinary ability to get on base. Brown was ridiculed for his size and for having "titties" as the scouts said. Swish tried to inspire Brown, "'All that stuff they write in Baseball America--that's bullshit. You can play. That's all that matters. You can play. You think Babe Ruth was a stud? Hell no, he was a fat piece of shit."..."Just like Brown.'" How great is that? He inspired a fat guy, by making sure he knew that Babe Ruth was fat too.
After Xavier Nady went on the DL, Swish drew an X on his elbow as a tribute to the X-Man and his elbow injury.
Swish won an emmy for "Swisher Unscripted" a pre-game show that aired weekly.
He runs "Swish's Wishes" which helps children in need with everything from medicine to education.
Swish commented on his pitching experience by comparing it to an etch-a-sketch, shaking away the bad part of the game and starting over again.
Swisher is the man. He was selected by the Oakland A's in the 2002 draft, with the compensation pick Oakland received for Johnny Damon signing with Boston.
Swisher isn't ever a question, he's the answer.
Swish played D1 baseball at Ohio State, and he would've played D1 BBall, D1 Football, D1 Hockey, D1 Swimming, D1 Track and Field, D1 Tennis, D1 Lacrosse, and D1 Soccer, but he was too busy saving the world, finding a cure for cancer, teaching Superman how to fly, teaching Aquaman to swim, and working on a solution for global warming.
Swisher was extremely close with his grandmother, Betty Lorraine Swisher, who raised him. He points to the sky for her after every hit, and has her initials tatooed on his chest. She died from brain cancer in 05.
Swisher is a class act, a funny fellow, a BA ballplayer, a quality character, and in general a complete and total gangsta'. We look forward to his future with the Yanks.
You stay classy Nick Swisher, and remember...if you ain't first, you're last.
In Michael Lewis's Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game there is a story about the friendship between Nick Swisher and catcher Jeremy Brown. Brown was an overweight hitter who was only drafted because Billy Beane was enthralled with his extraordinary ability to get on base. Brown was ridiculed for his size and for having "titties" as the scouts said. Swish tried to inspire Brown, "'All that stuff they write in Baseball America--that's bullshit. You can play. That's all that matters. You can play. You think Babe Ruth was a stud? Hell no, he was a fat piece of shit."..."Just like Brown.'" How great is that? He inspired a fat guy, by making sure he knew that Babe Ruth was fat too.
After Xavier Nady went on the DL, Swish drew an X on his elbow as a tribute to the X-Man and his elbow injury.
Swish won an emmy for "Swisher Unscripted" a pre-game show that aired weekly.
He runs "Swish's Wishes" which helps children in need with everything from medicine to education.
Swish commented on his pitching experience by comparing it to an etch-a-sketch, shaking away the bad part of the game and starting over again.
Swisher is the man. He was selected by the Oakland A's in the 2002 draft, with the compensation pick Oakland received for Johnny Damon signing with Boston.
Swisher isn't ever a question, he's the answer.
Swish played D1 baseball at Ohio State, and he would've played D1 BBall, D1 Football, D1 Hockey, D1 Swimming, D1 Track and Field, D1 Tennis, D1 Lacrosse, and D1 Soccer, but he was too busy saving the world, finding a cure for cancer, teaching Superman how to fly, teaching Aquaman to swim, and working on a solution for global warming.
Swisher was extremely close with his grandmother, Betty Lorraine Swisher, who raised him. He points to the sky for her after every hit, and has her initials tatooed on his chest. She died from brain cancer in 05.
Swisher is a class act, a funny fellow, a BA ballplayer, a quality character, and in general a complete and total gangsta'. We look forward to his future with the Yanks.
You stay classy Nick Swisher, and remember...if you ain't first, you're last.
Looking at the Bullpen
It's early, and we can't draw big conclusions about the bullpen obviously, but let's take a look at everyone we have that could be in the 'pen this year. Here's a list of our relievers that we could see in the bigs for a significant amount of time this year....
Mariano Rivera
Brian Bruney
Damaso Marte
Mark Melancon
Jose Veras
Edwar Ramirez
Jon Albadejo
Phil Coke
David Robertson
Alfredo Aceves/Sergio Mitre/Brett Tomko/Kei Igawa
Mariano is obviously the closer, as he is the greatest in the history of the game, and he is the best closer in baseball right now (although Joakim Soria and Joe Nathan are close).
Typicaly a team will have two set-up men, guys who they can trust in the 8th to hold a lead. One of those spots is rightfully Brian Bruney's, as when he is healthy he has always been effective, and has done fine so far this year, with 10 K's in 5 innings of work and a 3.60 ERA.
The other spot is supposedly Damaso Marte's, but he was innefective as a Yank last year (he had a 5.40 ERA in 18.1 innings as a Yankee last year. He walked 10 and struck out 24 as a Yank last year). I'm not a Marte fan, despite his track record in Pittsburgh and Chicago. He doesn't seem to be as effective as he used to be and he got a deal he didn't deserve this off-season ($12mm/3 years). If Marte isn't effective the Yanks could shop him, or make him primarily a lefty specialist. If he needs to be moved out of the set-up role we could see the spot taken over by....
Mark Melancon has been deemed the heir to Mariano Rivera. The 24 year old righty is popular amongst all scouts and statisticians. He has been said to have great make-up, meaning he shouldn't have a hard time dealing with the New York scene. So far this season Melancon has struck out 14 in 7.1 innings of work, only allowing one hit, two walks, and not having let in a run. Last year, between Tampa, Trenton, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre he had a 2.27 ERA over 95 innings of work, striking out 89 and walking 22 in that time. Melancon should be in the bigs by June at the latest, and don't be surprised if he quickly becomes an intricate part of the relief crew.
Jose Veras was a big part of the pen last year, with a 3.59 ERA over 57.2 innings of work. Veras averaged over a strikeout per inning, and maintained a 1.40 WHIP. Veras will most likely stay in the pen all year and is mostly a 6th or 7th inning guy. His 2.17 K/BB ratio was fine, but his 4.53 BB/9 is higher than we would have liked. Veras is fairly dependable, but is rarely dominant.
Edwar Ramirez, the 165 pound Dominican,was a staple in the 08 rotation. He had an acceptable 3.90 ERA in 08, but his GO/AO ratio of 0.56 is dangerous, especially if New Yankee Stadium keeps producing home runs like it has so far. I like his 10.25 K/9 ratio, but when Edwar gets hit, he gets hit hard. Edwar is a fine strikeout pitcher, but if a batter makes contact it can be dangerous. Edwar will keep his spot in the bullpen unless he proves he can't hold it down, which could happen if he has 2 or 3 bad outings in a row.
Jonathan Albadejo was awarded the last spot in the bullpen, and it is because of him that Joe Girardi decided not to have a long reliever in the 'pen this year, he thought Albadejo would be more useful. He had a 0.93 ERA in 9.2 innings of Spring Training work, and struck out 8 over those appearances. He earned his spot through Spring Training, and it is up to him to justify the spot as the year goes on.
Phil Coke amazed everyone last year, when he came up for 14.2 innings, and struck out 14 while only allowing one run. Coke is a converted starter and will primarily be our lefty specialist this year. Coke came out of nowhere last year, as he was never supposed to be a star, but he had a great stint in the bigs, which earned him his roster spot this year. He could be the first effective Yankees lefty specialist since Mike Stanton, and we'll see what he can do when he must faces the likes of David Ortiz, JD Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, and Carlos Pena, who are the most prominent left handed hitters on the rival Rays and Sox.
David Robertson was just sent to triple A to make room for Juan Miranda. Robertson pitched 30.1 innings for the Yanks last year, striking out 36 while holding a high 5.34 ERA. The 24 year old will be back in the Bronx at some point this year, but he's behind Marte, Bruney, Melancon, Albadejo, Coke, and Veras in terms of being able to pitch consistently and effectively.
Alfredo Aceves, Sergio Mitre, Brett Tomko, and Kei Igawa are all at triple A right now. The Yanks decided to keep Albadejo on the roster, rather than bring up a long reliever, and they have paid for it (see Chien-Ming Wang's last start). At some point the Yanks will come to their senses and bring up a long reliever. That spot will go to whoever of these 4 performs the best until that point in time. I personally think Igawa should get another shot, as he did perform well in Scranton last year. Aceves would be fine, but he's good enough to be an effective starter, so we're more likely to see him come up for a spot start, or be traded to a pitching starved team. You might be wondering where this leaves Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Those two are starting in Scranton, and Hughes is first on the list of people to call up in case of an injury to a starting pitcher. Neither of them will be used as long relievers because that could hurt their progression as pitchers. Someone in the rotation is bound to go down at some point, and we'll see what Hughes can do then.
There will almost certainly be one or two guys not on this list that come up to the pen at some point, but these are the people we will most likely see coming in to relieve our starters.
If I were Girardi I'd have Rivera, Bruney, Marte, Edwar, Veras, Coke, and Tomko on the squad. That would leave Albadejo, Melancon, and Robertson in Scranton. Melancon should be called up as soon as he is ready, and the Yanks should listen to offers for Marte, even if they have to pay some of his contract, because he doesn't seem to have adjusted to AL pitching since last year's trade from Pittsburgh.
Mariano Rivera
Brian Bruney
Damaso Marte
Mark Melancon
Jose Veras
Edwar Ramirez
Jon Albadejo
Phil Coke
David Robertson
Alfredo Aceves/Sergio Mitre/Brett Tomko/Kei Igawa
Mariano is obviously the closer, as he is the greatest in the history of the game, and he is the best closer in baseball right now (although Joakim Soria and Joe Nathan are close).
Typicaly a team will have two set-up men, guys who they can trust in the 8th to hold a lead. One of those spots is rightfully Brian Bruney's, as when he is healthy he has always been effective, and has done fine so far this year, with 10 K's in 5 innings of work and a 3.60 ERA.
The other spot is supposedly Damaso Marte's, but he was innefective as a Yank last year (he had a 5.40 ERA in 18.1 innings as a Yankee last year. He walked 10 and struck out 24 as a Yank last year). I'm not a Marte fan, despite his track record in Pittsburgh and Chicago. He doesn't seem to be as effective as he used to be and he got a deal he didn't deserve this off-season ($12mm/3 years). If Marte isn't effective the Yanks could shop him, or make him primarily a lefty specialist. If he needs to be moved out of the set-up role we could see the spot taken over by....
Mark Melancon has been deemed the heir to Mariano Rivera. The 24 year old righty is popular amongst all scouts and statisticians. He has been said to have great make-up, meaning he shouldn't have a hard time dealing with the New York scene. So far this season Melancon has struck out 14 in 7.1 innings of work, only allowing one hit, two walks, and not having let in a run. Last year, between Tampa, Trenton, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre he had a 2.27 ERA over 95 innings of work, striking out 89 and walking 22 in that time. Melancon should be in the bigs by June at the latest, and don't be surprised if he quickly becomes an intricate part of the relief crew.
Jose Veras was a big part of the pen last year, with a 3.59 ERA over 57.2 innings of work. Veras averaged over a strikeout per inning, and maintained a 1.40 WHIP. Veras will most likely stay in the pen all year and is mostly a 6th or 7th inning guy. His 2.17 K/BB ratio was fine, but his 4.53 BB/9 is higher than we would have liked. Veras is fairly dependable, but is rarely dominant.
Edwar Ramirez, the 165 pound Dominican,was a staple in the 08 rotation. He had an acceptable 3.90 ERA in 08, but his GO/AO ratio of 0.56 is dangerous, especially if New Yankee Stadium keeps producing home runs like it has so far. I like his 10.25 K/9 ratio, but when Edwar gets hit, he gets hit hard. Edwar is a fine strikeout pitcher, but if a batter makes contact it can be dangerous. Edwar will keep his spot in the bullpen unless he proves he can't hold it down, which could happen if he has 2 or 3 bad outings in a row.
Jonathan Albadejo was awarded the last spot in the bullpen, and it is because of him that Joe Girardi decided not to have a long reliever in the 'pen this year, he thought Albadejo would be more useful. He had a 0.93 ERA in 9.2 innings of Spring Training work, and struck out 8 over those appearances. He earned his spot through Spring Training, and it is up to him to justify the spot as the year goes on.
Phil Coke amazed everyone last year, when he came up for 14.2 innings, and struck out 14 while only allowing one run. Coke is a converted starter and will primarily be our lefty specialist this year. Coke came out of nowhere last year, as he was never supposed to be a star, but he had a great stint in the bigs, which earned him his roster spot this year. He could be the first effective Yankees lefty specialist since Mike Stanton, and we'll see what he can do when he must faces the likes of David Ortiz, JD Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, and Carlos Pena, who are the most prominent left handed hitters on the rival Rays and Sox.
David Robertson was just sent to triple A to make room for Juan Miranda. Robertson pitched 30.1 innings for the Yanks last year, striking out 36 while holding a high 5.34 ERA. The 24 year old will be back in the Bronx at some point this year, but he's behind Marte, Bruney, Melancon, Albadejo, Coke, and Veras in terms of being able to pitch consistently and effectively.
Alfredo Aceves, Sergio Mitre, Brett Tomko, and Kei Igawa are all at triple A right now. The Yanks decided to keep Albadejo on the roster, rather than bring up a long reliever, and they have paid for it (see Chien-Ming Wang's last start). At some point the Yanks will come to their senses and bring up a long reliever. That spot will go to whoever of these 4 performs the best until that point in time. I personally think Igawa should get another shot, as he did perform well in Scranton last year. Aceves would be fine, but he's good enough to be an effective starter, so we're more likely to see him come up for a spot start, or be traded to a pitching starved team. You might be wondering where this leaves Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Those two are starting in Scranton, and Hughes is first on the list of people to call up in case of an injury to a starting pitcher. Neither of them will be used as long relievers because that could hurt their progression as pitchers. Someone in the rotation is bound to go down at some point, and we'll see what Hughes can do then.
There will almost certainly be one or two guys not on this list that come up to the pen at some point, but these are the people we will most likely see coming in to relieve our starters.
If I were Girardi I'd have Rivera, Bruney, Marte, Edwar, Veras, Coke, and Tomko on the squad. That would leave Albadejo, Melancon, and Robertson in Scranton. Melancon should be called up as soon as he is ready, and the Yanks should listen to offers for Marte, even if they have to pay some of his contract, because he doesn't seem to have adjusted to AL pitching since last year's trade from Pittsburgh.
Today's Game
Our Dear Lord 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba only lasted 4 and 2/3 innings today, letting in 5 earned runs on 6 hits and 5 walks, while striking out 4. Not his greatest outing, but it's Joba, hell be fine. However, if he has another start like this we'll here all those discussions about he should be in the pen (especially with Marte, Veras, and Edwar playing as they have). But, just remember it's early in the year. Things will change. I mean, so far this year Emilio Bonifacio has been the NL MVP, David Price and Matt Wieters haven't played in major league games, and nor has A-Rod. If Joba is pitching like this in Mid-May, and Marte, Veras, and Edwar continue to be bad, then we'll talk about it, but for right now we don't have a big enough sample of games to draw any big conclusions about the team. I mean sure, we can use what we've seen to make some predictions or assumptions, but saying Joba has lost it this early into the year would be a huge overreaction. On a good news front, Mark Teixeira, Johnny Damon, and The Melkman have all hit home runs today, they were all solo shots..but still home runs.
UPDATE: Robby Cano just smacked a solo shot to right field. 5-4 Cleveland.
UPDATE: Johnny Damon scores in the 7th on a Vinnie Chuck throwing error, Tex goes to second. In the 8th, Jeter hits a solo shot (his first at the New Stadium) to give the Yanks a 6-5 lead. Phil Coke threw 1 and a third scoreless innings, with one strikeout only letting one baserunner. Jonathan Albadejo pitched one perfect inning. Brian Bruney pitched a perfect inning, striking out Travis Hafner and Shin Soo Choo. And now Mariano is pitching with one out in the 9th, Tony Graffanino is on first, while Asdrubal Cabrera is at the plate. He could get the first New Yankee Stadium save to seal the Yanks' first win at their new home. Stay tuned.
FINAL: Mariano strikes out Grady Sizemore and Mark DeRosa to get the save, and...BALL GAME OVER. YANKEES WIN. THAAAAAAAAA YANKEES WIN! Great first win at the stadium. Jeter gets the go ahead run with his homer, Mariano gets the save. We see home runs from Damon, Teixeira, Melky, Cano, and Jeter. That's a quality game. Bruney gets the win.
UPDATE: Robby Cano just smacked a solo shot to right field. 5-4 Cleveland.
UPDATE: Johnny Damon scores in the 7th on a Vinnie Chuck throwing error, Tex goes to second. In the 8th, Jeter hits a solo shot (his first at the New Stadium) to give the Yanks a 6-5 lead. Phil Coke threw 1 and a third scoreless innings, with one strikeout only letting one baserunner. Jonathan Albadejo pitched one perfect inning. Brian Bruney pitched a perfect inning, striking out Travis Hafner and Shin Soo Choo. And now Mariano is pitching with one out in the 9th, Tony Graffanino is on first, while Asdrubal Cabrera is at the plate. He could get the first New Yankee Stadium save to seal the Yanks' first win at their new home. Stay tuned.
FINAL: Mariano strikes out Grady Sizemore and Mark DeRosa to get the save, and...BALL GAME OVER. YANKEES WIN. THAAAAAAAAA YANKEES WIN! Great first win at the stadium. Jeter gets the go ahead run with his homer, Mariano gets the save. We see home runs from Damon, Teixeira, Melky, Cano, and Jeter. That's a quality game. Bruney gets the win.
Miranda Promoted: Robertson sent to Scranton
The Yanks called up Juan Miranda to the big league club because of Hideki Matsui's lack of success so far this season, and Mark Teixeira's injured wrist. Miranda was hitting .361/.425/.667 at Scranton, with 3 homers in 13 at bats. To make room for him, the Yanks sent David Robertson to Scranton, despite him hurling 2 scoreless innings, with 3 K's, in his only appearance so far this year. If Xavier Nady does need surgery we could see Robertson come back up to take his place on the roster, but I would rather see a long-man come up. I like Robertson and want him in the 'pen, but the Yanks aren't going to put someone like Damaso Marte or Edwar Ramirez in the minors since they have more big league experience (and Marte is expensive), thus Robertson is forced back to triple A. He turned 24 on April 9th, so he's still yougn and we'll see him in the Bronx again sometime soon.
4/16/09
Not the greatest of debuts...
The first ever regular season game at Yankee Stadium ended in a Yankee loss, as Cleveland just destroyed us in the late innings. CC pitched fine, with only one earned run over 5.2 innings. It was disturbing though that he had 5 walks, compared to his 4 strikeouts. He also threw 122 pitches (70 for strikes) in his short outing. Jorge Posada hit a solo homerun(the first at the stadium), Johnny Damon had the first ever hit at the new Stadium, Robby Cano went 3 for 4, and Hideki Matsui drew 3 walks over the course of the game (he also had a single in one of his 2 at bats). Our bullpen was terrible, with Jose Veras having 3 earned runs without recording an out, and Damaso Marte having 6 earned runs in one inning pitched. I think we drastically overpaid for Marte (12mm/3 years...when we could have brought in someone like Will Ohman for less, or called up Mark Melancon. I know its early, but he wasn't great for us last year either, and Bruney and Melancon are just better guys to have in the set-up role. I have faith in Jose Veras, despite his complicated delivery, but today wasn't his best game. You might like to know that after Marte served up that grand slam to Grady Sizemore the entire stadium chanted "We want Swisher." SuperSwish went 1 for 4 today with a double, and according to PeteAbe Swish drew an X on his elbow as a tribute to Xavier Nady and his stint on the DL. This guy is quickly becoming a fan favorite, and it seems like he's going to be a big part of the club this year.
4/15/09
How bout those Red Sox...
As I write, Boston is 3-6. One of their supposed "Ace-Caliber" pitchers, Dice-K, just hit the DL. He joins Jed Lowrie, Julio Lugo, and John Smoltz there. Their only offensive off-season pick up, Rocco Baldelli, has struck out in 5 of 11 at-bats. Jacoby Ellsbury is batting .194/.256/.194. He has no extra base hits, and only 7 hits total. JD Drew is batting .233/.281/.500. Nick Green is their current shortstop. Yes...Nick Green. The reigning MVP, Dustin Pedroia, is batting .179/.238/.308. Jason Varitek is batting .200/.286/.520. And don't forget that David Ortiz is hitting .176/.293/.206, and is yet to hit a home run. The "future of the Red Sox," Jon Lester has a 9.00 ERA through 11 innings. Tim Wakefield is currently the most successful pitcher on their team. Sure, it's early, but it is definitely nice to see the Red Sox playing poorly, no matter when it is.
Nady to the Dl; Yanks win
The Yanks beat Tampa today 4-3. Andy Pettitte pitched 7 and a third, with 6 hits, 3 runs, and 4 K's. He threw 62 of 96 pitches for strikes. Brian Bruney came in and got two outs, both strikeouts. Derek Jeter hit an RBI single, scoring Cody Ransom, to give the Yanks a 4-3 lead before Mariano came in to close out the game. It's great to come back from that 15-5 loss, and then win the next two games against the Rays.
On a less cheery note, Xavier Nady will be put on the DL with elbow pain, and may require surgery, and may be out for the year, as I wrote earlier. Before anyone says we need to get a replacement, just remember that we have Nick Swisher to play right. And he's been doing so well that Conor has him up in the "6 pound 8 ounce" category of Gods right next to Joba. Nady's gone, but we'll have A-Rod in the lineup in 2 or 3 weeks it looks like, so his loss from the lineup won't be huge. The main issue is that now Girardi can't rest Damon, Tex, Swish, and Matsui as often as he has so far. Melky Cabrera now moves into the 4th outfielder role, up from the 5th outfielder role. Nady's roster spot could be used for a pinch hitter/power hitter type like Juan Miranda, or it might be used to bring up a long man, which the Yanks badly need, as we were reminded in Wang's start. Dan Giese is an Oakland A now, and the Yanks don't plan on using Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy as a long man, as it could hurt their development, so we may see Brett Tomko or Kei Igawa take on that long reliever role. Alfredo Aceves conceivably could become the long reliever, but he's still young at 26, and the Yanks might not want his development to slow either. Remember that the Yanks might just send down a reliever for a long man, and then bring up Miranda to take Nady's spot. Whatever happens, we should see someone from Scranton in the Bronx soon.
On a less cheery note, Xavier Nady will be put on the DL with elbow pain, and may require surgery, and may be out for the year, as I wrote earlier. Before anyone says we need to get a replacement, just remember that we have Nick Swisher to play right. And he's been doing so well that Conor has him up in the "6 pound 8 ounce" category of Gods right next to Joba. Nady's gone, but we'll have A-Rod in the lineup in 2 or 3 weeks it looks like, so his loss from the lineup won't be huge. The main issue is that now Girardi can't rest Damon, Tex, Swish, and Matsui as often as he has so far. Melky Cabrera now moves into the 4th outfielder role, up from the 5th outfielder role. Nady's roster spot could be used for a pinch hitter/power hitter type like Juan Miranda, or it might be used to bring up a long man, which the Yanks badly need, as we were reminded in Wang's start. Dan Giese is an Oakland A now, and the Yanks don't plan on using Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy as a long man, as it could hurt their development, so we may see Brett Tomko or Kei Igawa take on that long reliever role. Alfredo Aceves conceivably could become the long reliever, but he's still young at 26, and the Yanks might not want his development to slow either. Remember that the Yanks might just send down a reliever for a long man, and then bring up Miranda to take Nady's spot. Whatever happens, we should see someone from Scranton in the Bronx soon.
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