Game 101: Yankees at Royals
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jul 25, 2007 
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Here are the lineups:
YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Phillips 1B
Cabrera CF
Mussina RHP (4-7, 4.97)
ROYALS
DeJesus CF
German 2B
Teahen RF
Butler DH
Gload 1B
Sanders LF
Gordon 3B
Buck C
Pena SS
Meche RHP (7-6, 3.63)
Pregame chatter: A-Rod is 8 for 20 against Meche with three homers. … The Yankees have won five straight, 10 of 12 and 14 of 18. … Robinson Cano is 14 of his last 24 with 8 RBI. … The relievers have allowed two earned runs in their last 16.2 innings. … The Royals released Scott Elarton after he was lit up by the Yanks last night. … Scott Proctor has returned after visiting his family following the birth of his son, Cooper. There were cigars waiting for every player in the clubhouse today.
UPDATE, 8:34 p.m.: Sweeny Murti updated his blog and has some good stuff.
UPDATE, 9:48 p.m.: Joba Chamberlain is the greatest Chamberlain since Wilt. His line for Scranton tonight: 5 4 0 0 1 10. 88 pitches/57 strikes.
UPDATE, 9:52 p.m.: This from the AP: Yankees traveling secretary David Szen is involved in a tax investigation and is taking a leave of absence.
“We understand that the government is investigating personal tax issues regarding David Szen,” Yankees spokesman Howard Rubenstein said Wednesday. “The Yankees have cooperated with that inquiry. David Szen has requested and has been granted administrative leave.”
Ben Tuliebitz, the Yankees’ assistant media relations director, is taking over Szen’s duties.
UPDATE, 9:53 p.m.: Szen is the team exec who arranges travel, hotels, tickets and other matters for the players and coaches. You Seinfeld fans will recall that George Costanza was the assistant to the traveling secretary.
UPDATE, 11:12 p.m.: Robinson Cano is 3 for 4. He is 17 of 28 in the last seven games, raising his batting average from .275 to .299.
Hideki Matsui has four home runs and 11 RBI in the last six games and has hit safely in 20 of the last 21 games.
UPDATE, 11:27 p.m.: Mariano Rivera had not pitched since the first game on Saturday. So it makes sense to get him some work. We saw what happened in the spring when he sits too long.
I’m not certain why Vizcaino pitched. But kep in mind that he was warming up with the score 3-1. Once he warmed, he might as well pitch. Relievers hate what they call “dry humps” in the bullpen.
With the impending return of Giambi, I’m interested to see who is going to sit. Melky has earned that spot in center and Phillips at 1B. So do Damon, Matsui and Abreu take turns riding the pine??
Congrats to Scotty Proctologist.
2007 Yankees,
No, Giambi should become a pinch hitter.
How I would give my left arm to switch the starters for tonight. Meche may be overpaid, but from what I remember during his days in Seattle, hew was very consistent and keeps his teams in the game. Lets hope Moose gets his act together.
Well, it could mean more days off for Abreu and Damon (and Giambi won’t play every day, either). That could benefit all three players in August and September. Giambi’s obviously not worn out, because he hasn’t played much, but he’s still an injury risk, and being able to give each of those guys a day or two off a week should help them and help the team.
That’s a lineup!!! I can’t believe I’m reading this!!! Fire Joe ASAP!!!
okay, NOW this is a game thread…
Peter, what do you have against the 2 of the 3 the Yankees won against Minnesota prior to Anaheim prior to the All Star break? IE how come you said they won 14 of 18 and not 16 of 21? That was the turning point of the season, why you choose to ignore it whenever you quote the streak is beyond me. Sorry to be anal, but you continue to do this and it is getting annoying.
Back to baseball, let me be the first to say I am surprised he has Duncan on the bench again, thought one of these days he would try him at 1st, guess not with Moose pitching, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we win tonight and see a bit of a house money lineup tomorrow.
Including 7/2/07…Yankees are 16-5, while Boston went 12-8…picking up 3.5 games in the process…. Yankees will stay hot….Cleveland will rain on Boston’s parade, as will Tampa ( that will be a laugh riot, huh ? ), Baltimore (LOL) Seattle and the Angels…IMO, Yankees have the division lead by 8/15/07….IMO…
You guys have to realize that Duncan coming up was a response to the horrendous hitting by Damon. Now that Damon is hitting again and Phillips hitting fairly consistently, do you realistically expect Duncan to start? I know it’s nice to have underdogs to root for but you have to put your best 9 in almost every day and Duncan is not in that 9.
Would be good if Moose turned it around a little bit tonight. The Royals are young and a little free-swinging, so maybe nibbling at the corners will work against them.
I’m just hoping for some good pitching tonight after the display over the last few games. I was right up there with Pete last night…bored out of my mind watching that game.
I’ll say it again – I really hope Scott “Sparky” Proctor gets it going, for our sake and for the fact that I’m really rooting for him as a person.
Peter, when is Molina catching his first Yankee game? Tomorrow?
Molina is catching Igawa tomorrow and Duncan will probably be in the lineup against the lefty starter for the Royals.
The additional players gives Joe the chance to rest some players, mix and match, and give guys like Matsui half days (as a DH). That will keep everybody fresh for the stretch run.
This is an older team. When you have the chance to rest some folks, you do it.
OT:
Brewers traded for SD’s Scott Linebrink
http://www.rotoworld.com/conte.....38;id=3006
After Beckett’s last vile-mouthed rant, wouldn’t it be nice for him to catch a line drive off his throwing arm, right after striking out the first 2 batters, then the guy who hits the ball can scream at him while he is down on the ground crying like a baby ….” Yea F*** You Beckett, you Mother F*****, you’re out !!! a**hole ! ” wouldn’t *that* be cool ? wait …did I actually say that ? I was supposed to only *think” that….
Saucy and Jeff NJ — Thanks for the laughs!
You know, it’s actually Melky’s fault that Duncan is not in the lineup. Duncan was supposed to take Damon’s place as DH, and give him a few days’ rest, but Melky came up with that slightly sore abdomen and had to miss part of a game, so Damon got the start. And what do you know? Damon starts to hit!!!! Nothing like a little job competition, I guess.
Thicke, nobody wants a player on another team to get injured.
Doreen,
I agree, stars need to be kicked in the butt sometimes.Its
no coincidence that Damon started hitting. They need to
know they are replacable.
I’v been against Giambi comming back,but if that means
more competition,which leads to bringing out the best
than Im all for it.
Mussina will pitch 6 1/3 and allow 2 runs tonight.
He’s due for a solid performance.
I agree wit Sj again. Duncan Thursday against the lefty along with Molina.
DUncan is a good story but if Damon hits he plays.. He can run much better and is an established star…
Duncan will get some AB’s he needs to take advantage of them….
Worry about Giambi in a week or 2… Again play whoever is doing well. I Like Melky in Center his D and arm are to important…
I hope you are right MyrtleBeach
Ben…not even Beckett ? I am joking, of course. But I can’t hold in my disdain for that jerk. I mean, by default, I don’t like him because of the uniform that he wears, but he is clearly in need of an attitude adjustment. How about I just root for him to get raked tonight and give up about 7 runs…is that OK ?
giambi coming back doesn’t mean “more competition.” it means melky sits and damon returns to CF. joe torre doesn’t start rookies when he has viable, veteran options, especially not veterans making a boatload of cash. it means melky will possibly spell damon, mastui and abreu to get them half-days or days off and it means giambi may or may not supplant phillips at first base. whether phillips or melky sits, the team is weaker defensively.
it also means you’re doing exactly what you did with sheffield last year, adding a NAME to the roster, but not necessarily the performance that generally accompanies that name. having THE jason giambi back in the lineup will be a huge boost. having a shell of giambi is going to hurt the team, and badly. if giambi comes back strong, then it’s all moot. you can’t keep a productive giambi or damon out of the lineup. but what are the odds he comes back strong. this is sheffield at 1st all over again and the results will be similar.
as for bringing up joba, where are all the people who were worried about his development and his health? suddenly it’s okay to abandon the plan for the kid because the yankees are within spitting distance of a playoff spot? if i recall, it was sj44 who said, “i’d hate to be the gm responsible for getting joba chamberlain injured.” suddenly that risk is worth the possible reward?
I just hate Beckett (and Papelbon too, I suppose) when he gets overly emotional over routine innings, double plays, and inning-ending low-pressure strikeouts early in the game. It comes off as arrogant and just plain annoying to other fans. I’m personally glad that most Yankees don’t wear their emotions on their sleeves like that. I guess that garbage works up in Boston, but not in NY.
It would be interesting to hear would some of these Louisville players have to say after facing Joba and Hughes back to back. – Can’t be easy
Thicke, I root for that every night he pitches.
Good first innings of AAA ball for Joba. Got the leadoff hitter to ground out to second.
Gave up two opposite field singles, both runners advanced on an error by the RF. So, its second and third, one out.
He promptly strikeouts the next two guys, the final out being Jay Bruce, one of the best OF prospects in baseball, to get out of the inning unscathed.
Joba should not be touched until the 2008 season. I don’t want to see him turn into another Liriano, and considering his injury history (which his current routine has helped him avoid adding another chapter to) I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I doubt Cashman will go for it. Torre, however, is already salivating at the thought of riding a young power arm until it falls off.
joba first inning line
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
swo….I 100% agree with you…Compare the celebration of Rivera to that of Beckett or Papelbon. Need I say more ???
From Jayson Stark:
Duncan was just the second player in the last 50 years to hit three home runs in the first three big leagues games he ever batted in.
Duncan was only the third player in the last 50 years to drive in seven runs in the first three games in which he got a big league at-bat.
Kasey -
Regarding people’s seeming “change of heart” about certain circumstances. My theory is that the more certain scenarios are discussed, the more you wrap your thoughts around them, the more you can see the other side. You don’t necessarily change your mind, but you can see a possible upside to things you thought would be disasters, sometimes, anyway. Also, there is sometimes a feeling of inevitability. A person may not feel that Joba Chamberlain should be brought up, but if it looks like it’s going to happen anyway, well, might as well look for the positive instead of wallowing in the negative. You hope it ends up being a good thing. I’m not 100% convinced Joba will be up here; I more wish he would not be, but if he is, then I’ll certainly support his efforts.
Wow I feel bad for him. Yeah we beat the living crap out of him. But we’ve been doing that to everyone, and it was his first start off the dl. I think releasing him was a little rash.
Hey, it’s not “Papelbon.” It’s “Cinco Ocho.” He told WEEI a couple of weeks ago that that’s his new nickname.
JUST IN ….
Scott Linebrink dealt to the Brewers from San Diego for 3 minor league pitchers.
Linebrink has been a dependable middle reliever. So much for him in the Bronx…
SJ,
Didn’t Phil take care of Joey Votto yesterday, too? fly out, fly out, strikeout. I think he’s some kind of top prospect did well at that world/usa game.
I think Hughes knows that time in the bigs is not a given (because of injuries etc.) so I think he’s not going to take anything for granted when he comes back up. I think he’ll be even better than expected because of it.
Per Pete, July 24, 2007:
“Shelley Duncan stayed in the lineup and will remain there as long as he hits.”
Duncan hasn’t played since. Amazing that Torre would say one thing and do another.
Like day & night. Mo walks professionally off the mound to high five his mates.
Paperbon acts like a kid that got his first (fill in the blank). That’s Boston for ya.
Linebrink’s ERA has risen over a run in the last month. I read somewhere that insiders are concerned he is injured. I wouldn’t have made the trade. He can be a free agent, and the Brewers included two of their top prospects in the deal. Seems like a panic move to me, with the Cubs catching up in the standings.
Ben, don’t make me laugh…Cinco Ocho ???..How about…
” Ice-Ho Pug-No ” ????
Amazing that people, throughout history, have said one thing and done another. Imagine that.
3 strike outs so far for Joba.
The thing is, it sounded like Paps had given himself the nickname, which makes it even lamer.
cinco ocho? how clever. what a bunch of clowns on that team.
worth noting: youkilis is at 3B tonight and hinkse at 1B, lowell’s sitting. could just be giving lowell a breather, or this could be a step towards boston dealing him somewhere.
also worth noting: fausto carmona has ridiculously good stuff. he couldn’t harness it at all coming out of the bullpen but he seems to have found himself as a starter. i hadn’t watched him pitch since last year, but he looks really good (so far).
Scoreless second for Joba. One walk, 2 K’s.
Totals after 2: 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 BB, 4 K’s.
41 pitches, 25 strikes.
Another scoreless inning for Joba, with 2 Ks.
4 strikeouts thru 2 innings. Now keep in mind they said that team strikes out alot.
To be honest re Joba coming up. I’m indifferent. If the Yankee brass thinks that’s the right thing to do I’ll certainly enjoy watching him. If we have better options, that’s fine too, either way we have much to look forward to with the ’08 rotation.
Faded -
So, you want our lead off guy — who we really need to return to form — who’s been hitting his way out of his season long slump to sit so that Duncan can play?
Amazing that you’d want the team to put worse players on the field because it’s a heartwarming story. He’ll DH when an OFer sits because he’s got bad numbers against the opposing starter, or when an OFer needs a complete day off.
after two innings joba line
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
2.0 2 0 0 1 4 0 0.00
mel,
Phil did K joey votto yesterday and votto is a top prospect.
As SJ said before Jay Bruce who Joba K’d today is one of the absolutely elite prospects in the entire game – top 5.
Jose will catch Kei tomorrow.
Jeff NJ,
It’s really going to be just a mental thing. Can he handle it? There are some things going against him, like having to follow a near flawless Phil in your first triple-A start. Moving through the system so quickly. Having the GM scout your games, etc. Hopefully he embraces it and realizes that it’s been done before.
Anyone watching? Does he seem nervous? Or are those “good” balls?
whozat -
What I’m saying is, if you’re not going to start the kid, don’t SAY you’re going to start the kid. Torre does stuff like this all the time. It’s not fair at all to his young players.
Ideally, I would like to see Matsui, Damon, and Abreu getting more days off, and that would easily open a spot for Duncan, who can also play first base instead of Phillips.
A CRY FOR HELP!
Please don’t feed the TROLLS tonight! They aren’t worth the pixels that they take up. If we stick with it, they will crawl back into their holes.
GO YANKS!
And the amazing thing is that he does not look as sharp as I have seen him before. Perhaps a bit over anxious.
Thanks CB. So Bruce is more highly rated than Votto? I think Votto was in the outfield in that all-star game (the one Joba pitched at.) In fact one of the talking heads (Olney?) said that Joba and Votto were the two that really stood out.
Why would Jose catch Kei? That’s when we need our offense most. Weird decision.
Anyone think Brett Gardner has any chance to make the team next year? He’s hitting about.300. Maybe he can replace Bobby next year?
Jim,
I think it’s called “hazing”.
Gardner does not have the kind of power you like to have in a corner outfielder. Not that Bobby has much either.
Wow Bobby Crosby back on the dl. A player with such promise spends most of the season on the bench.
Am I the only one wondering what the cigars were for?
But with this lineup do you really need to have the typical player playing rf? As long as Alex stays here I don’t really think you need to worry about power.
Gardner has a better chance at being the CF of 2009+ than Melky.
He’s the future lead off hitter of this team.
His wife just had a baby, and that is usually what men do after a baby is born. Smoke cigars.
Bruce is a better prospect than Votto and Votto is good. Bruce has the chance to be really special. He’s akin to Cameron Maybin of the Tigers and Tabata with the Yankees. Special types of talent.
I think the Molina move is twofold. One, they want Jorge to catch Moose again. Two, perhaps Molina, who is an excellent caller of games, can help Igawa.
I kind of like it because I think Moose has to pitch a helluva lot better before he plays the “personal catcher” card.
Also, if he wants to pitch Game 4 of a potential playoff game, he is going to have to pitch to Posada. If he can’t, then Hughes will end up getting that start.
Minor League Musings:
1. What’s a (Toledo) Mudhen?
2. What’s the story on Mark Bellhorn? Rehabbing or trying to stay in the game?
I think he is trying to hang on.
6 Ks in 2.2 innings for Joba. 4 in a row.
jennifer,
That’s what I thought, too. Didn’t don the ‘stripes for a little while?
Sounds like Joba is dominating. Is anyone watching. 6 stikeouts thru 2 plus.
jennifer
I think the teams offensive struggles early in the season show that, yes, you DO want that offense from RF. Let’s assume Alex stays next season (I think he will). He’ll probably be great, but probably not near-historically so. Jorge will probably have a normal year, as opposed to the career year he’s having. Brett Gardner’s upside is a CFer and leadoff guy — if he can keep his OBP up, his speed could make him a really dynamic sparkplug. But a corner guy he’s not.
mel,
jay bruce played right field for the u.s. team in the futures and made some absolutely phenomenal throws. He’s fantastic. The chance to be an absolute star. Votto is also very good but bruce is at another level up.
Joba strikes out 4 in a row.
Did anyone ever think the yankees would have these kind of arms in their system?
Yeah he did 9 games in 2005. For some reason I thought it was more than that.
Yeah, I am. I must have jinxed him be cause the next 2 batters singled. As I said, he does not look quite as pinpoint type sharp as I have seen him in the past.
9 runs last night….mark it down. 1 run tonight
Struck out Bruce to end it. 7 Ks thru 3.
7 so thru 3. bring him up now!! LOL
7 k’s but a TON of pitches for Joba. Still pretty cool. Who doesn’t like this kid?
I think Brett Gardner will end up being included in a trade down the line. I don’t see ever playing CF on a fulltime basis for the Yankees.
Chamberlain in inning 3: DEALIN’. Strike throwing machine this inning. Strikes out the first two guys, then gives up a 1-2 single to right to Joey Votto. Gives up another hit, then wild pitch’s the runners to second and third. He settles down to strike out Jay Bruce to end the inning.
Three inning totals: 4 hits, 1 BB, 0 runs, 7 k’s.
He’s thrown 62 pitches, 40 strikes.
This is my last update as I am beginning my final vacation of the summer. Enjoy the rest of the week everybody and let’s hope the boys can bring home some more road wins.
Joba 7 strike outs in 3 innings.
Very impressive that last inning. Gets two outs on K’s. Then gives up two hits. Wild pitch moves runners up to 2nd and 3rd with Jay Bruce up.
Joba K’s Bruce to get out of the jam.
after three innings joba
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
3.0 4 0 0 1 7 0 0.00
Faded –
Wasn’t PETE the one who wrote those words? Joe said “We’ll see if we can ride this horse for a little bit.”
That’s pretty different than what Pete wrote. Shelly had what, a single in the first KC game? Who are you going to sit so that he can play, and why? Meche is a righty, so you want your lefties in there, and Andy is a less K prone hitter that can play 1B better. It’s kinda a no-brainer.
High pitch count isn’t good though. Does he usually have a high pitch count? Or you think it is nerves?
thats a lotta pitches fer jabba
Joba just pitched out of the same jam as the 1st inning. Louisville must be thinking, “Wasn’t this guy in single-A?”
A few too many balls, but the strikeouts will nudge the pitch count higher.
Through 3IP, 7 of the 14 have struck out. 50%!!!
8 Ks in 3.1 innings. 6 Ks in a row.
9 Ks in 3.2 innings. 7 in a row.
NINE K’S!!!!!
Sick!
POp up to end 4th. 9 Ks, 0 runs.
thru 4 innings joba
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
4.0 4 0 0 1 9 0 0.00
Someone mentioned this yesterday about the special baseballs for A-Rods at-bats –
how do they know if #500 wasnt just a foul ball during the same at-bat? just curious.
Fantasyland in SWB was fun. Back to reality. Moose on the mound. Sigh.
Jennifer,
One small thing that has come up with Joba is his pitch count. They have tended towards being high. Much of that has to do however with the absolutely ridiculous number of strike outs he gets.
The yankees have had him on a strict pitch count all year so he winds up not pitching that many innings. He strikes out a lot of guys, gets to his pitch count limit and gets pulled.
He has started getting better with being economical with his pitches.
Good question Steve. All I know is Alex isn’t very happy about it. Sees it as a jinx.
Rain dealy in Scranton I am assuming he is done.
Rain Delay in Scranton.
Okay thanks CB. He won’t pitch very deep into games if he strikes out 10 a game.
rain delay in swb
Papi has struck ot both times up for Boston tonight. I like it. Carmona is pitching a gem. If Beckett could pick up the loss it would be so sweet.
Rain delay in scranton. Joba is already at 74 pitches (48 strikes). Don’t know if he’ll come out again.
Beckett and the Red Sox losing 1-0 !
Rain delay over.
No way dude. We should be pulling for Boston, as distasteful as that is.
Boston has 15 games left against Tampa. We have a MUCH better chance of surpassing Cleveland.
Did you hear all the heckling on A-rod’s popup? Good stuff.
Ugh stop it with the stupid balls. :*( they are a jinx.
Jim Johnson, you are right, of course. But I simply cannot root for the Bosox. A congenital thing.
Somebody wrote that Joba hit 101 mph on one scout’s gun back in the 3rd inning.
I missed most of Mikes last start. I know it is only 2 batters into the game. But do you see this as better than his last start?
LOL. Moose is channeling Joba. The force is with him.
Lose the battle to win the war. We’ll beat them in October
Is Joba still in there?
Duncan with a double.
and a clean inning for mike.
Kasey said:
“if i recall, it was sj44 who said, “i’d hate to be the gm responsible for getting joba chamberlain injured.â€? suddenly that risk is worth the possible reward?”
He says a lot of things that are insightful, yet usually dead wrong. His analysis is slanted towards what have you done for me lately. Here are several examples:
SJ44 said everything that follows:
“Farnsworth has to pitch the 8th inning, IMO. You can’t keep him in drydock and pitch guys like Bruney and Proctor two innings every outing.”
“Anybody who thinks Arod isn’t opting out is insane.
He’s opting out. Why wouldn’t he? The industry is flush with money, he is in the prime of his career, and he is having a magical season. ”
“That’s why this team needs to add offense at the deadline. They can’t find enough pitchers to make up for what’s lacking on the pitching staff this year.”
“April games against Boston mean nothing. Sox fans and uninformed Yankee fans get all riled up for them and they don’t mean a damn thing.
Its a LONG season. Those games will offer no indication of the season ahead for either team.”
“Yes, Proctor did a horrible job. Faced the heart of the order and gave up one hit. Terrible.
I think some of you need to realize its April and not everybody starts out of the chute on fire.”
“Duncan is hitting .172 in AAA so far this year. He has a better chance of seeing Trenton (AA) than the Yankees this season.”
“The more you watch Bobby Abreu bat, the more you have to think they are close to making him a part-time player.”
“At some point, you can’t play a guy everyday who can’t hit. I don’t care what he has done in the past.”
“Great team on paper, horrible on the field. Has been all year and its not changing.
Can’t wait for the trade deadline. Then, we see if Cashman is living in the real world or not.
If he isn’t a seller at the deadline this year, he should be fired on the spot.”
“Time to torch it Brian and start anew. The grand plan in the off-season didn’t work. In fact, its been a disaster.
Blow it up and start over. If not, hope for a good draft position for next season because you have a team that’s going nowhere this year.”
“Add Matsui to the list of guys who are shells of their former selves on this roster. The roster is full of guys who are past their primes. ”
“To me, its simple. DL him, send Henn to Scranton, and call up Villone and Britton. Send Vizcaino for a bunch of tests and see if there is a problem.” —
“Too much whining about calls. They have played like crap for this entire season. That’s why they aren’t going anywhere.”
“Let’s put it this way. I move Cano before I even think about moving Hughes, Kennedy, Chamberlain, Horne, Tabata, or David Robertson (a GREAT young bullpen arm, tearing it up in Charleston).
Let’s examine him as a player.
Speed? Average at best. He’s never going to be a basestealer and he is a so so baserunner.
Defense? Average. Better than last year but, not exactly a Gold Glove defender. He’s adequate. Nobody is going to mistake him for Roberto Alomar.
Offense? This is where we can all disagree the most on him. My opinion? A good, not great, offensive player. No concept of the strikezone, he doesn’t walk, no power, and he just can’t hit with RISP. Even worse with the bases loaded. He’s not getting better. In fact, we could argue he is declining. That’s troubling to me”
I left out the relentless rants about how the “season is done”.
The guy cant look beyond the last slump. Usually the above absurdities are followed by a chorus of “I agree with you 100%” lines.
We are all guilty of doing this from time to time, getting caught up in the heat of the moment whether positive or negative. One could just as easily post similar comments of mine that were wrong too. SJ44 seems to do it more than most. Lets all try to look a little bit farther than the latest slump or hot streak when evaluating this teams needs.
SJ wanted to sell cano, have a trade line sell off, add offense to the number 2 offensive producing team in all of baseball, use farnsworth in the 8th, anointed anyone who thought AROD stays as “crazy”. The last thing the yanks need is offense, AROD isn’t going anywhere, Farnsworth is out of the 8th, Cano is perhaps their most untradeable player, and this season is far far from over. The wild card looks like a real possibility and with 6 games remaining with the sucks, the division is still very much up for grabs.
BJ
BJ
I’m generally a Moose supporter, but was there some time in his past where he stared in at the ump and all of the sudden those knuckle-curves were called as strikes?
I know a vet has more leeway to do this, but he would be better off if he just got over it and used that giant brain to get hitters out rather than fight the plate umpire.
101 would be the highest Joba has ever been clocked at (even on inflated guns).
He hit 100 by the stadium gun at the futures game but that gun was supposed to read high.
It’s very good to see him throwing so well. He was over throwing at the futures game and his last game when Cash went to see him he got bombed. By far the worst game he’s had as a pro and his command was off.
I was expecting he might struggle a bit with his command with his first game at triple A by over throwing but he’s throwing great.
I’ve noticed the umps call alot of knuckle curves balls when they are strikes on Mike. They don’t seem to like when he stares in either. He should learn to let Jorge handle it and say something to the ump. It is clear when Mike is pissed. Whereas if Jorge said something on he and the ump would know.
BJ –
That was longer than the Michael Vick indictment – - – I’ve posted a thousand ideas that were later proved wrong, but please don’t publish a compilation. Some folks are too positive, some too negative. Lighten up.
10!
You mean for Joba?
we all know that Moose isn’t going to get any run support tonight.
I’m not trying to indict anyone. I enjoy SJ’s commentary and mean no disrespect to him or her. I’m just trying to highlight how often we are wrong with kneejerk analysis colored by the most immediate results on the field.
BJ
Chamberlain has struck out 10 through 5 scoreless innings.
yup
The Melkman knocks twice. The Melkman delivers.
WOOHOO
Way to go Melky! NICE!!!
I think reverse psychology is just wonderful.
88 Pitches through 5 for Joba, struck out 10, Ever had to tell a guy to strike out less batters?
Melky is the Yankees centerfielder
I am really impressed with everything I’ve heard and read, but I just need one good inning from Joba come September, the EIGHTH!
Farewell Farnsworth, bring in Joba!
Joe,
You’re so right. The biggest “problem” in his development so far has been striking out too many guys and in turn not throwing enough innings.
I wonder if he comes out for the next frame.
That was a really cute homerun celebration by Melky and Cano together… like two little kids, heh. I hope they show it again, it looked rather complex.
BJ,
Interesting read. However I don’t think SJ wanted to run Cano out of town. As I recall, I believe his point there was sound. Cano is young and one of the valueable young trading chips the Yankees have. Simply put, if the right deal came along, you’d have to consider trading Cano. Nothing too crazy about that.
“Cooper Proctor”? Doesn’t really roll of the tongue now, does it?
Steve Dvorak,
Every ball is individually numbered, so they would know exactly which ball is hit out.
Re Joey Votto: He used to be considered one of the very best prospects in the game, but he fizzled a bit and has been moving slowly. Recently, BP ranked him as the number 2 1b prospect in the minors. He projects as a good major league player someday, but probably not an All Star.
And Bruce is behind Upton, Maybin and Tabata and maybe Pie in terms of OF prospects.
Isn’t Cooper the name of the oldest Manning son? Maybe he plans to have 3 sons and have them be much better relief pitchers than he is?
(I think if that was the plan, I’d name them all Mariano)
I think it’s funny how we have 12 different people giving us the same play-by-play with Chamberlain.
Just like last night with Hughes.
Bob,
BA had bruce as the number 2 prospect in all of baseball midseason just behind justin upton and in front of maybin.
Tabata wasn’t in the top 25.
Ouch. Crisp out at home to end the BoSox 6th.
Nice catch by Johnny considering that he hasn’t played lf.
Joba done.
Joba is done for the night. 10k 1BB 4H and no runs. 88 pitches and 57 strikes
UGH BOBBY STOP IT WITH THE BUNT!! when has he layed down a bunt and had it work???
the Melkman delivered ? very nice !
Tabata has been doing everything you would expect from the youngest player in high A ball, except hitting for power. He has consistently been above .300. So eff BA. Austin Jackson (great name for a major leaguer, don’t you think?) has been awesome since his promotion to Tampa.
CB-
Do you have an opinion about bringing Joba up to the big club for eighth inning work? Have they stretched him out over the year or not?
Sterling sounded a bit too excited on that DP
Wait Til Next Year,
I love Tabata and think he’ll be terrific.
Jay Bruce is 20, shown power and hitting well in Triple A. Let’s hope that’s exactly where Tabata is next year.
I don’t usually post, nor do I say outlandish things when I do, but with that stat line Joba is ready.
He may not be his dominant self up in the AL at first, but he will be better than any 5 starter in the league. Arguably any 4 starter, too.
The kid is special. With that kind of line it doesnt matter if he’s put in the pen or not. If he’s as special as he appears, he’ll succeed in any role. If he doesn’t succeed he wouldn’t have met anyone’s expectations anyway.
I don’t care that it’s his first AAA start. Not many kids can get hit in AA like he did last start, get promoted, and then dominate the next level.
Will Abreu ever dive??????
Moose is getting squeezed. I’ve seen 4 pitches go right over the corners/edge of the plate that were called balls. Definitely has added to the number of men on base. He seems to be pitching well so far. Needs a couple lucky breaks
forget the pen, let’s bring up Joba for the rotation, Hughes for the pen!
No bobby will never dive, the ground along with the wall is electrified. didn’t you know that? “P
Mike always gets squeezed the umps also miss his knuckle curve stikes.
or how bout this jeff put both in the rotation
Chris –
Abreu clearly dove into a fence as a child and cannot approach within 20 ft of a fence without suffering the heebee geebees.
That said, I exercise the option if he hits the rest of the year
Who is that ??
Who’s the person wearing Mussina uniform ??
The pitch count (51) is a little high, but gosh, no runs in the first three!!
top cat,
Prior to his last start, he hadn’t given up more than 3 runs in 8 straight starts.
He hasn’t been nearly as bad as many Yankee fans have made him out to be.
Lost in the Joba madness is Horne’s start for Trenton tonight. 7 k’s in 8 innings, 1 earned, a few too many walks(4) but all in all a good bounce back start from Horne.
As long as Abreu catches the ball, I couldn’t care less if he dives or not.
Also, Betances pitched 3 innings for Staten Island.
ahhh… that’s a strike
Wow -Carmona has the hated BoSox shut out going into the eighth! He seems to have had a huge year.
I am rooting for a long extra-inning game with a lot of take-out slides!
Wow we have stud pitches in the minors!!
Get ready. The inning in which Moose implodes is imminent.
I say don’t pick up Abreu’s option. He’s too soft, so-so fielder due to his not wanting to dive or crash into a wall.
Sign Hunter and have a 4-man OF with Matsui, Hunter, Cabrera and Damon (use Damon as DH combo with Giambi)
mehh I’d rather pay abreu 16 mil for one year than pay Tori hunter 100mil for x amount of years.
Varitek just got caught stealing. Lol. What was he thinking?
I’d rather pay Rowand for 4 years than Abreu for one more.
Rattachewy…save your negativity for the Red Sox…
Steve:
Abreu sees more pitches than anyone, walks more than just about anyone and is only a 1 year commitment if we exercise the option.
Hunter strikes out a lot, is getting older/nicked up and we’ll be stuck with him for 3-4 years (how much fun is that with a declining Damon?)
What exactly is the “good stuff” on Sweeney’s blog?
Cash isn’t trading the top pitching prospects.
So really, Sweeney’s comments are kind of all fluff.
I can understand shying away from big Hunter $$$, but I’ll be pissed if the Yanks sign A Jones.
I used to be convinced Moose was just a huge whiner–which he is–but he really is getting the shaft from the umps.
…huge implosion there, huh, troll ???
Lugo just got caught stealing, sweet
Betances line in Staten Island
4 2 1 1 0 2
looks like his elbow is ok, we’ll see how he feels tommorow
lets here it for Moose. Still, hate to be negative, but at 73 pitches (22 in the 4th), we may only get 5 innings outta Moose. That means for bull pen inning tonite, with IgLy going tomorrow.
Me too Steve – After Ichiro got that crazy money ($18M-20/year)it makes all of these OFs look expensive. I’m not eager to commit to Byrnes, Hunter, Rowand or A. Jones for a huge money deal.
I’ve kind of gotten comfortable with this year’s OF and we’ll pour Miracle-Gro on Tabata!!!
TKinDC,
What the Yankees do with Joba may be the single most important decision the organization has to make this season (let’s put the arod resign deal as off season).
In Phil and Joba the yankees have two once in a generation type arms in the system. How often do you ever get one?
Getting two at the same time at the same age sets them up to have one of the best rotation in baseball for the next generation. It’s not even like one is 28 and the other 22.
Since turning professional, Joba has struck out almost 38% of all batters he’s faced. That’s not K’s per 9 – that’s total batters. That is phenomenal.
Tonight in his AAA debut 20 batters faced and 10K.
He misses bats. Right now, IMO major league hitters will not consistently be able to make contact on his fastball or slider. They are devastating pitches.
My major concern with him is the development of his third pitch. His change up is Ok but not great. Same with the curve.
He’s going to need that pitch as a starter at the major league level. By “need” I mean with that third pitch he becomes a dominant front line starter.
In the majors I can’t see him wanting to throw his weakest pitch. At the same time in the pen he just won’t need it. He’s not going to learn to throw that pitch.
That’s why I’ve been of the mindset to leave him in the minors.
Part of my opinion was based on how the team was playing. Just as Cashman has said before that the major league team hasn’t “earned” the right to veteran reinforcements (up until recently) I haven’t though the club “earned” the right to have Joba’s development plan altered.
There have been many young pitchers who have thrived coming up quickly to enter a pennant race. There have been many who have failed. It’s a risk. There’s no two ways about it .
I think things are changing however. We’ll have to see. The club is playing better – that’s the key thing. Tonight changed things – I expected him to pitch very well but if he’s going to dominate in AAA the same exact way he dominated winter ball in Hawaii then there may be diminishing returns for him in the minors. What will he be learning?
There’s no doubt he has a better arm than anyone else the organization. No on in the major league roster is even close. He’s probably better than Mussina right now.
I think it’ll get to the point where, much like Tim Lincecum earlier this year, Joba just can’t be ignored. He’ll just be too good for AAA.
What I would personally do is keep him down in Scranton and see how he does. I’d give him a September call up and work him in slowly. If he’s comfortable in the majors and in the pen I would put him on the post season roster. He could be devastating coming out of the pen in a short series.
Ultimately I think Cashman, Stick Micael, Mark Newman, Nardi Contreras, and Gill Patterson really, really know what they are doing and I trust their decision.
They are the ones who took the chance drafting Joba when 40 other players were taken earlier. They are the ones who have done a phenomenal job developing him. They’ll make the right call. They know him.
Updated Betances
5 2 1 1 0 3, he won the game
Dellin Betances (AKA “Baby Unit”), is a local kid too (Lower East Side)!!
yanks really need to get back to being patient with Meche. His pitch count was thru the roof and then we handed him 2 straight easy innings and a 9 pitch inning in the 4th. A 2 run lead with moose is far from safe
sick 6-4-3.
I dont like Jeter’s range to his left, but our infield is very competent.
YankeeJosh said:
“Interesting read. However I don’t think SJ wanted to run Cano out of town. As I recall, I believe his point there was sound. Cano is young and one of the valueable young trading chips the Yankees have. Simply put, if the right deal came along, you’d have to consider trading Cano. Nothing too crazy about that.”
He may not have wanted to run him out of town, but his comments clearly indicated a desire to trade him. I can only interpret what I see on my screen, and when a guy or gal writes ‘trade cano’ I thin it means he/she wants him traded.
At some point we will see if he can eat humble pie and say “I was terribly wrong” about that inclination. I certainly was wrong about Vizcaino fairly recently. Go figure.
BJ
nice inning moose
Sorry for the prospect overload but tonight has been one of the better night for Yankee prospects this season. Action jackson, who appeared to be cooling off, is 3-4 tonight in Tampa with a triple. Action is hitting .371 since his promotion over a month ago. In 2 years or so we could have him and Tabata in the outfield. WOWOWOW
Thanks CB – I’m sure that the plus, plus fastball can help those secondary pitches a lot.
With the current remaining schedule and the fact that the road to the wild card seems pretty clear of obstacles (our schedule is a ton easier than Cleveland’s – we have a tough stretch in mid to late August and then it is back to the little sisters of the AL)
I think your plan makes sense. A September call-up when the minor league season is over. I’d make it a priority to do what they didn’t do with Edwar – develop him in the 6th or 7th or laugher games. Then see if he can be Zumaya for us this year before he is Verlander for us next year.
Its fun after years of nothing in the minors to have the suspense of potential stars in the system (it might not always be so fun once we have rookies up here in the big club)
somebody make meche throw more pitches. And hit them when they ‘re over the plate
We need to get some insurance runs!!
Dustin Pedroia got hit by a pitch tonight and the next time up got some chin music from Fausto Carmona and hit the deck. Pedroia got up went nuts and stared down Carmona as if he was going to go to the mound and do something…Pedroia 5’9″ 180 lbs, Carmona 6’4″ 220 lbs
Is Buck nuts. He thought that was a strike?? That was no where near a strike.
I truly dislike Pedroia. I can’t really explain it, I just don’t like him.
Pedroia’s such a whiner. He’s like a little bug that won’t go away but you don’t have the heart to squash it.
5’9″ is also a stretch…i was at fenway for the Chase Wright fest sitting in the row next to the Boston on deck circle and Pedroia is pushing 5’7″ at most
*Dhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Red Saaaawks LOSE!*
Hahhahahahhha
Don’t look back, baby.
Boston just lost 1-0
BJ
River Ave Report, who did ya score those seats?
The Yankees are keeping Joba. It’s not debatable.
btw, The decision to draft him was made by Oppenheimer.
BJ,
It was very interesting just reading how one poster’s emotions and thoughts changed from day to day. And yes, we all do it.
Personally, I thought Pavano would give us something this year, that Clippard was the best option (post Hughes injury) for a number 5 starter and that Andy Phillips was a 4A player. Igawa since returning has been better than Clippard was.
Definitely wrong on the first two. Jury is still out on Phillips but I hope I’m wrong.
90 pitches in the 6th inning…do we really need double barrel action? Let Mussina earn his g-damn 11 million.
How did Joba do tonight? followed this thread through the rain delay but did not see a final result.
My best friend and I have NYY season tickets in Sec 39 in the Bronx, but I go to college in Boston so whenever the Yanks are there I go
Now managers do you let Mike try to get the last out?? I say you do.
dontfirecash – Couldnt agree more. Dusty is like one of those annoying guys you go to school with. Cant explain – someone who has a little bit of the Napolean complex going on and is also a bit of a pretty boy and overall a loser.
In five years I dont think he’ll really be doing anything spectacular. While, hopefully, Cano is doing something.
Beckett threw 114 pitches, 80 strikes and = Losing Pitcher.
Couldn’t happen to a bigger jerk.
Damn one step to the right and Alex would have had it. Well Mike is done. Did a pretty good job, high pitch count killed him. Figures the yankees bats went cold when Mike pitched.
Joe…you got to be kidding me…RON VILLONE????
Two 2 out hits, and that is it…god damn, let him finish!!!
TK over under of 10 how many f bombs will he drop tonight (Beckett that is). I believe he lost his last start in a very low scoring game.
Very surprised he didn’t give Mussina one more batter. Villone makes me nervous, even if he just retired Gordon on one pitch.
I don’t like this move. I’m not a big Moose fan, but let the guy battle and get that final out.
That pic was worth its weight in gold…I think Moose was giving a golf clap…or some sarcastic crazy clap.
Lol!
Damn that scared me. I thought he had a good swing. Mike still in line for the win. Now hopefully we score a few runs and give the pen some breathing room. You know Joe will use Scott and he hasn’t pitched in weeks (or so it seems).
Terrific outing for the Moose. BTW, velocity on his fastball consistently hit 90 as far as I can tell tonight, not the 86-88 I was quoted earlier.
BJ
WHo pitches and who catches when Beckett and Schilling go out together? Any ideas?
Jenn- – - I’ll take the over.
Entire team is like school in summer. The whole organization has a Napoleon complex.
Mike is still sitting on the bench, pretty interesting considering the pitcher usually goes back to the clubhouse.
Yeah Johnson, good to see Mike’s velocity up, would have been better if his pitch count wasn’t so high, which is interesting since he didn’t seem to be in too much trouble.
I bet Schilling pitches; he’s probably more adept at hiding the Vaseline under his cap.
Yankees suck chants? Pretty funny from cellar dwellers.
Schill, don’t forget the catsup he hides in his sock.
What the heck are they chanting out there in Middle America, in the land of John Brown?
Phillips should sac. bunt.
Since Moose returned from his hammy, he’s pitched in 14 games, only reaching 7th inning twice.
Or not!
We Need Tack-On Runs big time. We’ve got a rusty Proctor next inning I assume.
How’s about some AP heroics?
come on meche, leave a mistake up over the plate…..
nice to see both Rogers and Contreras get lit up tonight!
Speaking of 5’9″. How tall is Cano? During Villone’s warm up, I was watching him stand between Jeter and A-rod and he looked dwarfed.
Kill Schill-(ing)-
_the land of John Brown?_
what team does he play for??
that was a pretty good bunt, if it was a little further out, Andy would have been safe at first.
Top Cat – are you seriously dissappointed with this Moose outing? You’ve been killing him all game and he leaves with a lead in line for the win.
He isn’t what he used to be, but he did well tonight.
A-B-C ball as Sterling would say.
Now we need a single or a double. Lets get some more!!
Two things:
They are not trading Joba Chamberlain. Are. Not. Trading. Him. It’s not happening unless St. Louis wants to give them Pujols. Teixeira is not worth a young cheap pitcher with that kind of ceiling.
Meanwhile, of course you bring in a lefty to face Gordon. He had doubled off Moose in the second and is hitting .193 against lefties with 22 strikeouts in 83 ABs. With three lefties in the bullpen it would be irresponsible not to use a lefty against him.
The Yankees need to win games, not make guys feel good about themselves. Moose went 5.2 and allowed one run. He should feel just fine. He had two chances to end the inning and didn’t do it.
A rusty Proctor? More like a rested Proctor.
Wow. You should really stop impersonating Pete. You aren’t even putting the right link in for your name. Not to mention the fact you don’t have a line under the name or date.
I don’t think they could trade Joba even if they wanted to. Isn’t there some rule that you can’t trade a draftee for one calender year from the day they sign?
Damn I didn’t realize, usually I catch on, thanks for pointing it out.
I should be following this more closely, but Teixeira is in his contract year, yes? And as a Boros client, is there any way he’ll be anything other than a rental until free agency?
I can’t believe they’d trade Joba anyway. But if the latter is true, that more or less seals it. I hope.
CB –
‘In Phil and Joba the yankees have two once in a generation type arms in the system. How often do you ever get one?’
How often, erm – once in a generation?
Seriously though I hear ya, if things get close this year though Joba will be in the pen for sure. He wont need a 3rd pitch there and they can always put him back in Scranton for the first couple of months next yr to work on his off speed stuff and have Igawa hold the fort.
Top Cat, John Brown was the famous abolitionist who led a revolutionary raid against slavery at Harper’s Ferry. He intended to seize the Federal arsenal and with the weapon, free the slaves.
ABout him, Emerson wrote, “That new saint, than whom none purer or more brave was ever led by love of men into conflict and death,–the new saint awaiting his martyrdom, and who, if he shall suffer, will make the gallows glorious like the cross”
“Speaking of 5’9â€?. How tall is Cano? During Villone’s warm up, I was watching him stand between Jeter and A-rod and he looked dwarfed.”
Cano is listed as 6’0″ while Jeter and A-Rod are both listed as 6’3″. Melky and Viz are the shortest Yanks at 5’11″ while Petitte and Duncan are the tallest at 6’5″.
Richard-
Cano is listed at 6′ feet. In this “pic”:http://tinyurl.com/2ta9v9 he doesn’t look much different than Jetes and AROd.
hey look Bobby slid!! He didn’t dive but he slid!! WHOA!!
There’s your Abreu dive. Good enough for you guys?
Teixeira is not a FA until after the 2008 season.
there’s some abreu diving for you
Abreu overcomes his fear of diving? I think I am going to weep!
It was a slide, not dive
Torre must have beening missing Proctor for the last two days. He promptly brings Proctor in.
Thanks, Chris. I was over at MLBtraderumors looking for the date. Well hell. They still can’t possible trade Joba. Can they?
Brian M -
Re: Once in a generation
How many times where you live have you had a “100 year flood” For me, it is about every 5 years.
Just funning
Could he TRY to get out of the way??? I know it was way inside but I mean put a little effort into it.
Dusty = pip squeak, whiner who couldnt take a hard ARod slide to break up a 643
Ya, lets just spin into it just a little more.
Myers… interesting choice – let’s see if it pans out.
Hey, Pete, do any of the other AAA pitchers the Yankees have passed through Scranton have any trade value?
Is there no chance the Ranger would want of the other guys– Clippard, C.Wright, Karstens, Rasner, DeSalvo, Ohlendorf– in a deal for Teixeira, or if not Teixeira, Gagne, perhaps?
Do scouts project any of these guys to be formidable starters? Or do we overrate their potential (and trade value) because we know their names and they’re Yankees?
Harley,
They wouldn’t trade Chamberlain even if they could(which i’m pretty sure they can’t) As fake pete said there is no way that is happening.
Can our pen ever go 1 2 3????
Know we need to bring in our lefty specialist(I laugh)…
Proctor cannot throw more then 1 off speed to each batter, he has no idea where it is going..
get this guy out , please..
Kill Schill-(ing)-
ya snark detector needs an oil change
yeah..
now Viz and Mariano and close this out……..
Good bullpen management tonight or maybe I should say the pitchers are doing their jobs and bailing each other out.
TK, my feet are dry man!!
But go abut 250 miles south and you have one big lake.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_......stm#worcs
I hope America is ready for an invasion of the Brits, cos this island is sinking fast!!
What is the obsession with the 1-2-3 inning? I mean I know a few of them would be nice, but a very good WHIP is 1.00. If every reliever only allows 1hit or walk an inning I’d be pretty happy.
You know something, I’ve just had an ephiphany. Johnny Damon actually looks pretty good in LF, better than Matsui, and certainly better than Damon himself ever has looked in CF.
Can Matsui play 1st Base? I’d really like to find some way to add Giambi’s OBA, 4+ pitches-per-at-bat, and home run potential to the lineup. Feinsand, Susan, and Sterling were speculating earlier that the Yankees might keep Giambi on the bench 3-4 days a week when he returns. That would be a mistake. The Yankees need another home run hitter in this lineup.
We love you guys over here! 2 peoples separated by a common language. Come on across the pond.
Just don’t bring any of your chefs (except for the esteemed makers of Vindaloo (sp?) Curry)
Well then I’m glad to hear you know your history, Top Cat.
My snark detector could use an oil change and a lube job as well. You offering?
The problem witht e other prospects isnt that they arent good, it is that they are not the best. As Pete said the other day selling your fanbase on the idea you traded away your superstar for a prospect is tough enough, saying ‘we got their 4th best pitcher’ is an even tougher sell.
With Hiughes and Joba untouchable thats pretty much what they’d get, cos Kennedy aint getting dealt for Tex either. Horne or Marquez could go but Teaxas would never accept that. To be honest I wouldnt like the deal either. They both have huge potential too. Clippard is sliding fast.
In a weird way they might have more trade value next year when they really Joba is in the bigs and they really are the top prospects we have.
“A-Rod is 8 for 20 against Meche with three homers. ”
Pete, You should really stop jinxing him like this. somehow I think you’re doing this on purpose, being anti-A-Rod and all.
i’m tired of meche. how many pitches is this guy gonna throw anyway??
TKinDC-
its not personal. I now if we had a big lead, Torre would have left him in. Things will improve when Hughes steps in. I believe the best help the pen can get right now is if they don’t have to pitch nearly 4 innings of relief, on back to back days.
I think Texas would take Horne and another top prospect, (A.Jackson?) for Texiera. I don’t suggest the Yanks do that however as Horne could be great and Action Jackson looks absolutely spectacular in Tampa(major league comps, Vernon Wells and Tori Hunter)
Dont worry TK. But the chip shops are coming with us. Get ready to eat deep fried everything. Washed down with 10 pints and followed by a kebab.
I’ve got a fever, a fever for an A-Bomb
(or is that cowbell?)
Austin Jackson looks that good, eh? Better than Tabata? Some guy I know at SI calls him Little Manny. Then again, he’s a Sux fan.
Kill Schill-(ing)-
_My snark detector could use an oil change and a lube job as well. You offering?_
depends if you buy me dinner. And I’m worth it, I come with a guarantee.
Just a **** and a walk baby!
Why is Gil Meche still in the game at 120 pitches? Do they have a surgeon in the dugout to reattach his arm after the game?
wow. 499 this guy is unreal.
An A-Bomb for A-Rod!
Remember though TK, ARod is just like us – he puts his pants on one leg at a time. Only difference is once his pants are on he hits home runs.
Rattachewy,
People who believe in Jinx are morons….And by the way if you are religious believing in Jinxes is called the mixing of Religion and Magic and according to religious folk that’s not a good thing.
“i’m tired of meche. how many pitches is this guy gonna throw anyway??”
Well, I guess he should have stopped at 119.
How the entire United Kingdom avoids a collective coronary with the bangers, mash, and baked beans for breakfast (at least at the hostel in Leeds I stayed in) is a modern day miracle.
Now, the 10 pints and kebab is a thing of beauty.
I CALLED THE A_BOMB. Yeah -Me!!!!
That is some muscle!
woo hoo baby
I wouldn’t say Jackson is better than Tabata, although since his promotion to Tampa, Jackson has been one of the hottest hitters in the minors. He had showed signs of slowing down(.250 or so in his last ten games) but he was 3/4 tonight and his OPS is +1.000. He also plays a spectacular center field. Congrats on 499 A-Rod
thank you a-rod. now i can finally go to bed. ‘night y’all.
Alex Rodriguez has 1 more day as a 31 year-old. He could be the first player to hit 500 home runs before turning 32.
MELKY AND CANO ARE CRAZZZYYYY!!!!
Wow
Did anyone read the Schilling Interview ?? That man needs a mouth censor… Of course, it’d probably be broke by now…
“Schilling Goes Off On Bonds and McGuire”:http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....8;c_id=mlb
you can’t keep A-Rod down Pete
I’m going to games next Tuesday, Wednesday AND Friday – my only question is whether ARod can hold off on #500 until then. Unfortunately it is not looking likely.
Go AROD!
GODZILLA!!!
I think Schilling takes steroids. What’s the best way to not be a suspect? Speak out against it frequently.
wow — back to backs – with different pitchers no less.
a thrilla by godzilla!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
matsui!!!! He’s joining in on the fun
These Royals announcers are the most boring announcers I have heard in my lifetime.
Ok, now it’s officially a party.
Schill must take steroids by sucking them because that’s the only way to explain how his is mouth constantly is moving.
TK we are a heart attack waiting to happen. I used to work in a gym though so try to stick to better habits I learned there. With the odd fish supper of cousre. Kebabs are food poisoning waiting to happen though -steer well clear.
Diet aside, getting out of Leeds alive is no mean feat!
Well I guess Matsui is still hot. Another day off for Mo hopefully. Good stuff. Lets have another look at Henn.
KC must have realized how bad the bullpen is at this point, and just decided they were betting off letting Meche pitch himself into the ground, rather than have someone else come in
Thanks Arod and Godzilla, because of you two, I can now sleep. Nite.
Anthony,
KC actually has had the best bullpen in the majors since the beginning of June.
Well, I hope the KC coach was at least nice enough to carry Meche’s arm into the dugout for him.
I thought the same thing Sunny. Guess he didnt want his return from the DL to go unnoticed.
How long do you think it took for Francona to march down the hall and tell him to shut his mouth again? Picked a great day for it too. Beckett losing, Yanks still marching on.
Yeah their bullpen is their strength…
This is going to be an exciting August/September, wow.
Schilling is a *KOOK*
He says: “If someone wrote that stuff about me and I didn’t sue, am I not admitting that there’s some legitimacy to it?”
We’ve been saying that about the bloody sock for 4 years now, writers included. He hasn’t sued anyone. By his standards, the socks had paint.
Boston loses, Yankees will win again easily…but the game that we pick up does not count, because it is way too late in the season….LOL….
hahaha, maybe since june, but not since yesterday. 224 pitches? How many came from the pen… almost all of them? That was my point. They are going to be worn out no matter what. As soon as you have to use two men, three men, you’re using pitchers that are tired
Cano is hitting .299
What a turn around
It dont count because were playing a bad team.
They throw Meche out there trying to save their pen after yesterday and Gobble is already at 20 pitches.
We own the 8th inning. What ever happenned to that idiot Hello?Offense?
Matsui’s July numbers have been great:
.344 BA, 10 HR, 21 RBIs, 25 Runs.
Cano’s hitting .402 this month.
Thanks for all the info about Cano’s height. I guess from the angle of the center field camera, it made Cano looked shorter than he is. …… Go Matsui…. and then Phillips!!!
I don’t know if this was mentioned before, but for those of you who have hearts…
After Joba was removed, newly signed Scott Williamson stunk. 2/3 IP, 3 R.
Who replaced him? Edwar. 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H and 2 Ks (1 walk).
You have to be happy that he bounced back nicely from that last outing.
The trolls have been very, very quiet.
Nice that we keep our 2 or 3 best bullpen arms fresh for tomorrow’s Igawa-fest. Hopefully there is something to save by the time he leaves.
Let’s go ChiSox!
TK.
Do you mean Vizcaino…who is pitching now?
seattle losing again.
Why is Viz on the mound? Shouldn’t we give him another day rest? It seems to me we’re using him too much lately.
Whoops – that would be an E-Me!
I love Torre but why the Viz needs to make an appearance here is a little tough to take.
do we really need to see vizcaino in a 7-1 game? why not farnsworth here, save viz?
Looking forward to this weekend.I think we skip Beddard.
Everything is falling into place.
Boston is feeling the pressure.
Hey TK, where are you located? I am going to UK next Friday (August 4).
I gotta agree with Dimitri. We need Vizcaino for tomorrow with Igawa. There is no need for him to pitch after the Yanks got those runs. It should be Henn out there.
ill admit i was very skeptical about the idea of joba coming up to the bullpen… (for some reason i thought he was much younger).
my initial concern was not his stuff, but that torre wouldnt use him much (given the way he uses his pen). but lets not forget he used Mo quite a bit during his first year.. so why not the same with joba
the only concern is whether working in the pen this year messes his mechanics for the future if we wanted him as a starter
Ideally Vizcaino would get another day off. He pitched Monday. I can’t make a huge deal of it, though I too would have preferred Henn.
Joe always abuses those in the pen he comes to “trust.”
Using Viz, who is 2nd in the AL in appearances, with a six run lead is IDIOTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bronx B –
I am in the good ole USA – - – It was Brian M above that is up in Scotland or Northern UK.
Have a great trip and bring your rain boots
Ok, what’s it take to get Posada some time off? Now might not be the best time, but we’ve had Five “easyish” wins in a row and Posada has caught every inning of every game. Just insane.
pedroia reminds me of another boston punk danny ainge
Ooops, okay, Posada didn’t catch the first game of this blow out streak as that was Nieves but he did catch the day portion on Saturday.
Reggie Sanders just blew his chance of getting out of jail free. Now he’s going to have to stay in KC.
Good job, Damon! Now every Yankee has a hit. Oooh, things are feeling goooood.
torre said posada would get thurs off.
using viz isnt bad.. 6 runs should be a cake walk, but this is a huge game to win given bosox lost. i dont want to take any chances.. plus pitching every other day shouldnt be that big a deal
Todays was a perfect game to pitch Farnsworthless in. A game where he has 6 runs to work with. Vizcaino isnt going to be effective soon. Torre really needs help managing the bullpen. I dont want to hear Farnsworthless isnt effective pitching back to back days…he isnt effective pitching once a week. Thank you Dotel for being wild.
sorry bout that TK..
cheers Brian…
will take my boots..
Go Yanks!
Using Viz isn’t bad?
Are you kidding?
It’s moronic.
Farns should get the 9th, no reason why he shouldn’t.
Let’s go Yankees, tack on another run just in case.
I COMPLETELY agree…
YJ –
Posada is not playing tomorrow. Igawa is on his own.
I don’t like Jeter getting hit with first base open. If it isn’t Mo in the next inning I would expect a little justice.
(Can we bring Farnsworth in? Nobody will charge the mound with that behemoth on the hill!!!!)
VIP,
I know that’s the plan but given the nature of these games it seems smart to protect your catcher who could wear down.
What would have happened if Jorge got hus hand busted on a swing Sunday in an 18-3 (at the time) game.
I don’t have a huge issue keeping Posada in tonight but every inning you can save him is big as the dog days approach.
Seattle is the next team to catch in the WC race. Texas is beating them 5-3 with Seattle batting with 1 out in the 8th.
Assuming they lose and the Yanks win then their lead will be 1/2 game.
I’m following this game online — did Jeter get hurt at all on the HBP?
Steve – It hit him on the tricep. They put in a pinch runner and are apparently icing it now.
they took jeter out to get iced up qiuck as possible
4 games behind Clev in the loss column
6 games behind Bost
Tomorrow is a getaway day, yet both cleveland and KC have scheduled nite games.
Boston will have to fly from Clev to Tampa, and we’ll have to fly to Balt, were we play 2 innings to complete the June rain-delay game.
Dog days, indeed.
Watch for Farnsy to nail someone this inning.
My player of the game is THE MELKMAN –
Yours?
I guess Torre opted to use Viz because Farnsworth pitched last night. Remember his bad back.
Thanks for letting me know.
How about we think about the fact that we’re going to win this game.
Who cares who pitched the 8th. I dont. It worked for us. Viz is fine. So why does it matter?
did it look like it hurt?
Why Mo here?
Um…
Why?
Torre is a big problem with this team.
Attack away, Peter, but it’s true.
myrtlebeachfan
It matters because the Yankees need to win more than just today. Igawa pitches tomorrow, and suppose we need Viz. Okay, he now has pitched 2 days in a row. Friday we have the suspended game to finish and a regular game. Viz might not be available. That means Farnsworth, and what happens if you blow the game without your best.
Mo hasn’t pitched in a while so getting him work tonight is okay. But Vizcaino should not have been in.
I assume Mo is in because he needs the work. I do wish that Viz could have gotten an extra day off, though.
It’s been a few games since Mo pitched. The only thing I can think of is that, if too many days go by, he’ll get rusty. And perhaps — just a guess here — the fact that he’s pitching now may make him looser and better when we need him tomorrow.
Mariano has not pitched since Saturday. Gotta get him some work. We have been blowing people out lately.
Mo here because he needs to pitch some time.
We don’t want him rusty. Wasnt everyone complaining that Edward hadnt pitched and thats why he was horrible? So he needed work?
Well Mo needs work too.
My player of the game is Melky as well. At the very beginning of the game tonight, I discovered that my fish, who is also named Melky, had passed on. Needless to say, I was quite dismayed and promptly expressed my sorrow.
Not 2 minutes later, the Melkman delivered the 2-run homer! I guess he was aghast about the death of his namesake too.
Well we know Mo is pitching Friday in at least one game. Guess he is off tomorrow no matter what.
!
Nice win – tip your waiters – Goodnight!
Good win tonight!! Another one tomorrow would just be icing on the cake. Nice outing from the Moose.
BBB – sorry about the fish!
I think Melky (the fish) would be proud that Melky (the CF) played so well tonight.
God’s Speed little fishy.
winning tomorrow is critical ( i know winning every game is critical now).. but after gaining a game on boston today, it would be a killer take a step back.
Peter, since we have a six game win streak going do we get to see the playing cards make an appearance again? Seemed like good luck last time.
Mo does need work.
Viz does not need work.
I’d have to agree with Pete – Viz was probably up for the top of the 8th when the score was still 3-1 – it wasn’t 6-1 until after arod batted (three batters into the inning) so he’d probably gotten a good deal warmed up. That said, if Arod and Matsui hadn’t homered, it’d have been 3-1 bottom eighth – who do you want in – Farns or Viz? I think the Viz. You have to start warmups early and each pitcher has his own timetable – so Viz probably needed a full half inning (if it was a 1-2-3 inning) to get ready for the bottom of the eigth. And if the score was 3-1 I’d have killed Torre for putting Farns in. Darned if you do, Darned if you don’t. It’s not like relief pitchers have off switches.
Mo I can understand.
Viz was off yesterday..
everyone here is a bullpen expert..
farnsworth is available THursday.. Proctor has pitched once in 5 days..
everything is under control, experts….
Oh please. Just because he warmed up doesn’t mean Viz needed to come into the game. He could have saved those 21 pitches he threw. Another case of Torre not being able to manage a bullpen.
Sorry, I keep forgetting everyone here managed a major league team to four world series championships.
I tell you who isn’t a bullpen expert, you, Stuart and Torre.
Try to think a little.
Vizcaino is 2nd, once more, 2nd in appearances in the AL.
That he was off yesterday means less than nothing.
You really have no clue.
Sorry, sunny, most of us have never been attorney general either. If you don’t think that many Americans can’t do a better job testifying before Congress than Alberto Gonzalez, you have a serious problem.
Keep it up, dude. Seriously.
Igawa is going tomorrow and we’ll be lucky to get 5 from him. It’s all hands on deck. There is a game plus Friday. If Farnsworth is used tomorrow that means he won’t be available for the suspended game. Viz won’t be available because he was used. That means Proctor will likely have to go in the bottom of the 8th.
It would have been nice to save the bullpen bullets for the next two days when the pen is almost assured of being worked hard.
Thanks TK. I, too, like to think that Melky the Fish was smiling down tonight.
Gonzo is doing a crappy job of just being an Attorney General.
Back to baseball, I have problems with Torre’s bullpen methods, but if Viz was up and throwing for a good while, then stopping him all of a sudden doesn’t mean that’s better than putting him in the game.
Seatle 6
Texas 7
End of game.
I don’t know what you guys have going with Torre. He is one of the most successful managers ever and yet you harangue his every move. I was wondering how you would feel if we watched your every move and reported every out point that you made. I do not know what you do or what your credentials are but you should give us all a break and pick on the red sox manager or something. At least that would be a worthwhile endeavor. Torre sure as heck knows a lot more about his players and team than you do. And he has the stats to back him up. Why don’t you show us your job performance record. May be we should adjudicate that you need to be replaced. I don’t mean to be ranting so much but jeez you anti-torre heads give me ajata.
Don’t all you guys realize this Whoa character can manage the New York Yankees better from behind a computer screen than Torre? Why doesn’t he have a job in the majors! lol
Some people just can’t enjoy winning.
Almost made it the whole game without people whinning about something Torre did, oh well maybe tomorrow.
Hey does anybody know why Arod was so mad after that last at bat? They say it’s because he wanted to smack Dotel around for hitting Jeter, but do you guys think that’s the reason?
Don’t look now, but guess who’s:
-The hottest team in baseball
-8 games over .500 in just 11 days
-1/2 back of those Seattle Mariners, one of the Wild Card favorites (lol)
-not blowing games with the likes of Gagne, Putz, and Wickman
O.K. I’m not too naive to realize we’re taking advantage of the softest part of the schedule. But at least they’re doing it. Anything less would be unacceptable. I’ve been enjoying the offensive outburst this last week so much that I didn’t realize that the wins are really adding up. The whole first half was 1 step forward, 1 step back. Even though I know this can’t go on, I’m going to enjoy the ride.
BTW, don’t you guys have anything better to do than argue on a blog? You guys must be really miserable when the team loses.
I stated earlier that Dellin Betances had pitched for SI tonight. Turns out MiLB.com screwed up and said Betances pitched when in actuality it was Jason Stephens who pitched, not Betances. I apologize and I am dissapointed that it was not Betances pitching. I hope his elbow is ok.
4 rings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Torre has to find a way not to overuse Viz. I’m not confident that he has that skillset. I would rather he used Farns even if Viz had doing some throwing in the pen.
Good to see, however, that you realize that holding a job, be it the AG or the manager of the Yankees, doesn’t mean people that haven’t held the job may make better decisions.
mel,
Stop telling people what to post and what to think.
You sound like you would have been happy in Communist Russia.
whoa,
I’m not telling you what to do. I asked a rhetorical question.
As a communist, I’m deeply offended by your last comment, comrade.
Huge game tomorrow night…8 – 6 Yanks, you heard it here first!
Peter, I gotta ask you…. How can you be 100% sure that they won’t trade Joba ? …which begs the question, what will you say if they do ?
The American League playoffs are basically August 16-30. Check out the Yankees schedule then. It’s Thunderdome for the Yanks.
If the Yanks come out of that stretch of games with a winning record, we’re going to make the playoffs.
I like the fact that we’re getting Hughes, Giambi and maybe even Chamberlin for the stretch run. It should be fun.
mel,
There are limits to the efficacy of rhetorical questions when the obvious answer to that question is so blatantly contrary to one of the question posed. To wit, Torre’s failure to manage a pen can easily turn short term pleasure into long term pain. See Gordon, Tom.
Why, is the Russian version too revisionist?
Thicke
They won’t trade Joba because Cashman isn’t an idiot.
whoa,
My question wasn’t posed to anyone in particular, especially yourself. I feel that you all have valid opinions, even your own in re: to Joe Torre. Instead of saying you’re (once again, not talking to you directly) an idiot because you said this or that, I simply asked a question that I know the answer to. I KNOW you guys don’t have anything better to do than argue on a blog. Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it.
whoa, I am not saying that Cashman is an idiot. I am not even saying that Peter is likely wrong about what he said. I am leery of anyone saying with what appears to be 100% certainty that a MLB Minor League player is 100% untradable. Personally, and this is 100% IMO, trading Chamberlain for Mark T. would not surprise me & with all the other arms that we have, it would not kill us. Andy Phillips is not the answer at 1st, neither is Doug M., or Shelley and we all know that Giambi is a total liability there. IMO, The Yankees will not make the mistake of putting Giambi back at first again. He is not equipped to do anything but DH. I also think that if Cashman waits until the final hour, and nobody bites on a trade that improves us at 1st base that does not involve trading Joba, that we don’t need a super firstbaseman to win this thing. It would certainly help, but this is now a real team now, that is playing as a team and very well together. Great teams win championships when they peak at the right time and every true Yankees fan can see that this team is headed in that direction. My hope is that they stay on track and pull off this comeback. It will be the sweetest day to see them win the division AND see Boston not even make the dance.
Great win for the Yankees. This was against a major league pitcher too. As far as Giambi here is a few thoughts. This guy has not faced major league pitching for long while. Going to Tampa for a few games is not going to help him. Let him play at Scranton for a few weeks and then if he is doing well bring him back. Right now the team does not need a player coming off the DL who has to play himself back into shape and get his timing. We have sat through that scenario over and over. It is now time to win not let out of shape players play themselves back into shape on the major league roster.
“Mariano Rivera had not pitched since the first game on Saturday. So it makes sense to get him some work. We saw what happened in the spring when he sits too long.”
We saw what happened to someone else when they sat too long.