Game 78: Yankees at Pirates
-
- June
- 25
YANKEES (41-36)
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Christian LF
Chamberlain RHP
PIRATES (37-40)
Morgan RF
Sanchez 2B
McLouth CF
Doumit C
Bay LF
LaRoche 1B
Bautista 3B
Wilson SS
Duke LHP
Joba Chamberlain (1-2, 2.36) vs. the Pittsburgh hitters.
Zach Duke (4-4, 3.91) vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: Damon (foot) and Matsui (knee and neck) remain injured. … This is the fifth start for Jobamania. He has yet to get a win but the Yankees are 3-1 in his starts. … The Yankees have lost three of their last four. … The Yankees are 8 of their last 45 with RISP (.178). … Jeter has hit in 12 straight at 15 of 48 (.313). He has reached base safely via hit or walk in 38 straight interleague games. … The Yankees have grounded into 10 double plays in their last nine games. … Remember when Edwar Ramirez went 13 games without allowing a run? His last nine games: 8.2 innings, 8 hits, 8 runs, 8 earned runs, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 5:43 p.m.: Here is the rotation for the Subway Series:
Game 1 Friday: Giese vs. Pelfrey
Game 2 Friday: Ponson vs. Martinez
Saturday: Pettitte vs. Santana
Sunday: Rasner vs. Perez
Why is Ponson starting at Shea Stadium? Girardi wouldn’t say. “Just the way I choose it,” he said.
UPDATE, 5:56 p.m.: You may have heard the story about John Challis. He’s the young man from Freedom, Pa., who is dying of liver cancer but had his first hit in a varsity game this spring and graduated with honors.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette did a wonderful story on him as did ESPN.
Freedom is about 30 miles from PNC Park and John is here today and was in the clubhouse before batting practice. He had a chance to meet most of the players.
Derek Jeter, who has a perfect grasp on what it means to be the captain of the Yankees, was terrific with the kid (as was Alex Rodriguez and everybody else) and hopefully John will have a great day. I can’t imagine for one second what he must be going through.
“The kid has no fear,” Girardi said with admiration. “He’s an amazing boy.”
UPDATE, 6:24 p.m.: Per Mark Feinsand of the News, Ian Kennedy will start for Single-A Tampa on Saturday at West Palm Beach. He is cleared to throw 65-75 pitches.
UPDATE, 6:27 p.m.: They’re showing highlights of a Styx concert on the scoreboard. Seems they were here in 2007. Those of you who want to cover the Yankees for The Journal News should send in a resume because I may kill myself.
UPDATE, 6:32 p.m.: Springsteen played here in 2003. Why not show that? People might like that. But no, we get Styx.
UPDATE, 6:52 p.m.: Mo Rivera was rooting for Turkey in the soccer match. The Sandman was a forward in Panama as a kid because he was tall for his age. Mo was very knowledgeable about the beautiful game. He was watching the game with rapt attention.
OK, you’re all caught up. Enjoy the game.
UPDATE, 7:12 p.m.: A-Rod going in hard to second gave them two runs there. Now we’ll see what Joba has.
UPDATE, 7:51 p.m.: The Big G (two more RBI, that’s 44) is going to need more Just For Men. The ’stache is here to stay.
UPDATE, 8:11 p.m.: Nice job by Joba, drawing a walk and getting a bunt down. He is the Babe Ruth of Yankee pitchers so far in interleague play.
Tough night for the “Derek Jeter Is Washed Up” cabal. Two doubles crushed to center and 3 for 3 with two runs scored so far. He’ll be hitting .315 before you know it and will score 100 runs.
UPDATE, 8:26 p.m.: In case you missed it, the Mets claimed Andy Phillips off waivers from the Reds. He will join the team on Friday.
UPDATE, 8:57 p.m.: Bobby Abreu’s decline seems halted. He’s 5 for 12 with two homers and five RBI the last three games.
It would appear Joba is well on his way to his first win as a starter. If only the Yankees had Bronson Arroyo instead.
UPDATE, 9:25 p.m.: Joba couldn’t end that inning (I mean how can he be expected to get Doug Mientkiewicz out?). But another stellar start for him. 25 innings as a starter, 22 hits and 25 Ks. One walk tonight. High-quality stuff from a guy who is quickly becoming their best starter.
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I don’t know if anyone has read this yet, but it made me chuckle..
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3459660
Why is that Pirate image making me go “O RLY?”
And I am officially concerned about Johnny Damon.
Also, was I reading that BR link right? Andy Pettitte is 2-2 with an RBI off this guy?
“And I am officially concerned about Johnny Damon.”
and it came out of nowhere, too. at least we knew Matsui’s knees were giving him trouble, and might have expected some down time for him thru the season.
Pete, is there anything to this Cano/IPk for Oswalt rumor or is it just nonsense as I expect it is?
As Pete said yesterday, Joe Girardi likes to pretend injuries don’t exist, which is my main problem with him.
Let’s bat Pettitte lead off.
Bob(the original): where you getting that from?
I doubt Cano for Oswault is even being discussed. That trade makes no sense for either team.
Why would we want Oswalt? He was always a tiny power pitcher (albeit a very good one) that was never going to last in the long run AND he’s having a horrible year in the NL.
WFAN had a Cano-Oswalt rumor.
I’ve said all along Cano is not an untouchable and I believe that to be the case.
I don’t however believe the Yankees would trade him for Roy Oswalt.
If they deal Cano, it will be for an under 30, top of the rotation arm. It won’t be for a 31 year old starter whom they would have to pay (in terms of more guarantees) to have him waive his no trade.
That’s old style Yankee Business and that won’t happen, IMO.
Bob(the original), that certainly sounds like nonsense. It’s bad enough when beat writers talk about unfounded rumors, but now you have all these major league trade rumor blogs that throw any old crap out there.
I hope the 3 catcher experiment ends this Sunday and we get a right-handed bat in here that can actually hit.
@Rebecca…I don’t Girardi is pretending they don’t exist, I think he just believes in playing things close to the vest. He’s old school- it used to be you never shared injury info with an opponent.
WTF Francis???
Okay, okay, we get it — you don\’t like Edwar Ramirez and you love when he gets pounded so you can rush online and say how he stinks, his changeup isn\’t good enough, and you\’re smarter than everyone.
getting back to maple bats below is the names of people on the committee. I understand that this is taking place during the season but doesnt it seem strange that only 2 players one of whom doesnt even swing a bat most of the time.
Major League Baseball and club representatives on the committee are: Sandy Alderson (San Diego Padres); Paul Dolan (Cleveland Indians); Joe Garagiola, Jr. (MLB); Dan Halem (MLB); Gerry Hunsicker (Tampa Bay Rays); Walt Jocketty (Cincinnati Reds); Howard Smith (MLB); and Dean Taylor (Kansas City Royals) . The Players Association representatives on the committee are: Phil Bradley (MLBPA); John Buck (Kansas City Royals); Aaron Heilman (New York Mets); Bob Lenaghan (MLBPA); Gene Orza (MLBPA); Steve Rogers (MLBPA); Michael Weiner (MLBPA); and Richard White (MLBPA).
“If they deal Cano, it will be for an under 30, top of the rotation arm.”
Who would that be however? Off the top of my head I can’t think of anyone young and good and tradeable.
OK, Francis. I think you’ve played the joke out.
Better to sit Damon than have him out there injured. That lead to a poor year for him last year.
If he isn’t on the DL I wouldn’t think too much about it.
“I’ve said all along Cano is not an untouchable and I believe that to be the case.”
In my opinion if you list Cano as being available for trade then nobody should be untouchable. I’m sure Cashman would trade any player if the right deal came around.
To me, Cano is the type of player the yankees should be trying to keep on this team. Young, good defense, good hitting (hopefully he is coming around), athletic. For that matter I would include Melky as a player the Yanks should try to keep on the team. He isn’t nearly the hitter Cano is but he’s young and an excellent defender, plus he’ll do anything it takes to win.
Even though a guy like Melky doesn’t have a ton of value elsewhere, he is big for the Yanks because he brings youth and defense which the team is sorely lacking in.
Come on Pete another post calling out Edwar? Toss out yesterday’s blowout game and his bad outing versus Toronto back on June 3rd!, and Edwar has been great in June. The two homeruns in the game against San Diego didn’t bother me since he was throwing so well and Gonzalez got to him in his second inning of work. In the last 7 innings he’s pitched since yesterday he has 11 strikeouts to 2 walks and just 4 hits.
I’ll take that. I understand why you pointed that out, but he’s done a lot of good this month as well.
Drew, I agree. why would girardi want the other team to know that Damon and Matsui are unavailable!!! He is doing the right thing.
I don’t think Torre would have done anything differently.
Edwar’s last 7 appearances:
7.1 IP 6 H 3 ER 2 BB 11 K
I don’t think Francis was ever joking just to try and get a few laughs from a blog…
Seems like he just really hasn’t mentally matured like most have. Those are Francis the Praying Mantis’ real thoughts…
I was at a game in Toronto once (2005?) when Giambi broke his bat and it looked like it went right around his body and actually impailed the home plate umpire’s leg. They carried him off the field, as I recall.
No idea if it was a maple bat.
Is it possible for the Yankees to buy up all the RBI programs, so we’ll run that just like we do our Dominican Camps?
has anybody noticed that jeter at his best hits in double plays and a-rod at his best strikes out with runners in scoring position with less then two outs! they do it almost every day!
What if I said, “I hope the Yankees trade for Roy Oswault because he’s white and the Yankees need more white players.” ? Is that racist? Yes. The reverse is racist too.
i am starting a coalition to ban “Francis The Praying Mantis ” from writing racial things on this blog its not good for our envirment! So please stop with those baby stuff. THANK YOU!
Patrick,
One game doesn’t signal a turnaround.
The Yankees haven’t been happy with Cano all year. He stopped working out with Arod (one reason the Yankees extended him because he showed a work ethic not present in his past) and they realize he could bring a lot of value to the team in the right deal.
You weigh that against what you lose by trading him. Its not as clear cut (keeping him) as it once was.
He has been the worst offensive position player in the AL so far this year. Think about that for a minute.
That’s a HUGE dropoff.
If you are the Yankees, you have to look at the situation and decide whether its just an off year for him (meaning he will bounce back and be a force on the team for years to come) or deal him while he still has great value around the game.
I know his name has been around more than just rumor sites in the last week. People in baseball have intimated that his name is on the table in the right deal.
Before Brad Penny got hurt, there were whispers the Yankees and Dodgers were talking about a Cano-Penny (along with other parts) deal.
I know the Indians would be interested in a CC-Cano swap.
The problem with that deal is, if you don’t re-sign CC, you end up giving away Cano. They will not give away Cano.
If he was untouchable, like Joba for example, nobody in baseball would be saying, “in the right deal, they will move him”.
A couple of people I know in the game have said that to me in recent days.
Does that mean they will trade him? No.
Just tells me the Yankees aren’t happy with him and are listening.
“What if I said, “I hope the Yankees trade for Roy Oswault because he’s white and the Yankees need more white players.” ? Is that racist? Yes.”
No it’s not racist. It’s only racist if you said you wanted him because he’s white and white people make better ballplayers.
Posting an all-black roster sure has touched some buttons. Do you people also get upset when someone posts the ‘All-Triple-Word-Score team?’ or the ‘All-Cabrera team’? or the ‘All Australian team?’
Jerkface…thanks for simplfying my point, I tend to a get a little long winded sometimes, lol. Sadly I have to agree with Michael Kay for a second and say I think we’ve been spoiled a bit by Mo, expecting our relievers to throw zero’s up every apperance. I’ll take those numbers every time out from Edwar.
I’m not happy with Cano either but now is not the right time to shop him. The Yanks will be low-balled by other teams or otherwise will be tempted to undersell him. Best to wait to see if he gets hot and gets his numbers to a more saleable level.
Of course, if he does that, no one will want to trade him. Classic problem.
Edwar can not and will never be able to get major league hitters out on a consistent basis. You really can’t have guys like him as part of your late inning bullpen solution.
would have been a great story if he could, but he can’t.
Peter constantly cherry picks stats to support his agenda.. yeah Jeter is hot, beleive that and I have a home to sell. Jeter has GIDP 11 times..
Edwar is not remotely there worst pen arm unless you discount; ohlendorf, latroy, and Kyle.. he has performed better then those 3 off the top of my head…
in reality the yanks have 1 real consistent pen option and we all know what that is…..
I just do not understand aht Peters agenda is.. If Giradi allows you some free drinks and candy bars on the house will that make things all better with you????
is the guy being racist? arent there only like 8% african american players in the game? in no way am i agreeing we should get oswalt, whether he is black, white, or both, but his overall message isnt baseless unfortunately.
Not sure if this link will work but a story that will break your heart.Former negro League player Art Pennington lost everything in the recent Iowa floods.
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8518502&ch=4226713&src=news
“No it’s not racist. It’s only racist if you said you wanted him because he’s white and white people make better ballplayers.”
I think that was heavily implied in my hypothetical statement as well as several of Francis’s posts.
SJ,
I hear what you are saying regarding Cano but I don’t think its a good idea to trade him, especially when his value is at its lowest. I know how bad he’s been and I know one game doesn’t mean he’s turned it around. He’s had several games where people have thought he might turn it around and it hasn’t really happened yet.
I think any player would be dealt from the Yankees in the right deal except for A-rod, Rivera, Jeter and Chamberlain. Those are my untouchables because they are the best in the league at their position or have the potential to be (except Jeter who will never be traded for other reasons). Every other player in the Yankees system or on their major league team are tradeable in my mind.
Obviously I agree with you that there are certain guys I’d rather hang on to like Brackman, Melancon, Montero, Jackson, etc. The only difference here is I would add Cano to the list of players I’d rather hang on to.
Bob…what do you define as a consistent basis though? I’ll take 7 innings with 2 runs and 11 strikeouts from anyone. Hes not going to be Nelson or Stanton, but he can be effective in the bullpen.
No major league pitcher gets outs on a consistent basis other than super elite closers.
The fact of the matter is, Edwar has an insane strike out rate, he is giving up less hits than last year, and less walks. Some of his hits will go for HRs, but Edwar is an extremely valuable member of any bullpen.
glad to see we’re rolling out a lineup that has had such suceess vs. the pirates.
seriously why is melky leading off. i’d be more willing to see almost anyone else on the team lead off. (i dont mind melky, i just mind his obp…)
I don’t mind seeing all-black teams posted or all-jewish teams or whatever. It just seems to be that Francis is implying that black players are better and that the Yankees would benefit from having more of them. I just don’t get that sentiment. Good ballplayers are good regardless of their color.
Shame Spencer - thats not because they dont get a chance. thats because most black players go to the NBA where 85% is black or the NFL where 60% are black . I think that the reason is that baseball is to a slow game for black players they like more action and you get that in the NFL and NBA.
ok I know I might get attacked for suggesting this but an article in the post (link below) is saying that Carl Pavano is ahead of Phil Hughes in his rehab and can be back by August. After 4 years of B.S. and no production out of him, I think the Yankees would be stupid not to rush him back and use the hell out of him until he breaks down again - if you can get 2 solid months out of him at least it’s something. Even if he’s a set-up/middle relief type guy he can’t do anything worse then Hawkins has done or Farnsy/even Edwar recently. He has major league experience and has been successful when healthy - if he’s ready the Yankees should at the very least try a “Kerry Wood” experiment and throw his @$$ in the pen
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06242008/sports/yankees/pavano_may_return_before_phil_116865.htm
Edwar misses bats
alright… two questions… How legit is the rumor that Damon is headed to the DL and they are calling up gardner?
2. Isn’t there some trade involving the Yankees and Sheets..? Or is that one of these Melky is as good as Beltran type of deals…?
I don’t think Edwar is the problem with the Yankees bullpen.
They are paying Hawkins 3.5 million dollars and he is now the mop up guy on the team.
They are paying Farnsworth 5.75 million and he has given up 10 HR’s in 34 innings.
That’s over 9 million dollars for awful pitching. Edwar has outpitched both of them and is making the minimum.
Hawkins and Farnsworth are much bigger problems in the Yankee bullpen than Edwar.
IMO, the Yankees can solve both their bullpen and their rotation (for the short term) problems by making 2 moves:
1. DFA Hawkins and call up David Robertson. Robertson can pitch multiple innings and be an effective weapon (because he has swing and miss stuff) in the ‘pen.
At this point, if the only role Hawkins has on the team is being the mop up guy, it makes no sense to keep him. You don’t pay 3.5 million for mop up guys. Its a waste of money. Either trade him for a Single A arm somewhere or DFA him. Its time to make that move.
2. Move Rasner into the long relief role and call up Alfredo Aceves. Rasner’s best role is as a long guy. His stuff just isn’t good enough to be a starter and his ability to pitch in long relief really is his strength. He’s not a starting pitcher. Neither is Dan Giese for that matter. However, Giese has pitched much better than Rasner and you have to ride out his hot streak for as long as you can before you have to do the inevitable, find a replace for him.
Aceves is not your typical AA-AAA pitcher. He can work both sides of the plate, attacks hitters, and has better stuff than Rasner.
If the Yankees are going to praise (and protect, as in not trading) younger players, use them. Aceves doesn’t need AAA when you have guys like Rasner, and Giese for that matter, in the rotation. He has better stuff than both those guys.
By adding Aceves to the rotation, Rasner to long relief, and Robertson to the ‘pen, you add guys in the ‘pen (Rasner and Robertson) who can give you more length on a consistent basis. Something the Yankees lack right now.
As far as Aceves is concerned, he is the one guy of all these pitchers in the farm system who has actually pitched well enough over the course of the season to actually merit a callup.
He’s not just tricking people. His stuff is pretty damn good.
Instead of wasting a roster spot with Hawkins, be creative and start putting guys in roles that can actually help the team.
JMHO.
It would be interesting to know who these baseball people are that would move Cano in the right deal and what professional connection they have to the top Yankee brass. Hack sports writers don’t count.
now here we go Francis The Praying Mantis ! show us what you got ! lets see some baseball talk stop talking stupitty!
How is Hawkins a problem when he never pitches? lol Yes he’s going to be gone soon, I think everyone knows that. Robertson will be up anyday now since he’s getting his reps in at AAA.
Cash took a shot with Hawk, didn’t work and we move on. The beauty of a one year deal. And at worst, Hawk helped us win that game against Boston back in April, so thats worth at least 1 million right there, lol
SJ,
Good ideas for the bullpen, I agree with both moves. What do you think about McCutchen and Horne as options down the line?
Hopefully move #3 is trade Farnsworth (or DFA him I really don’t care) and call up Melancon.
I don’t think we would necessarily be low-balled on Cano. I think his pre-2008 production, age, and price tag carry a lot more weight than his 2008 production. I can imagine a lot of teams chomping at the bit to set him straight.
I also think that the #1 team that should be chomping at the bit to set him straight is the New York Yankees.
I can tolerate this all, and more, from young players. What I have no patience for is the veterans who don’t pull their weight.
2009 is going to be an interesting year for the Yankee outfield.
Joba rights the ship tonight against the Pirates ! Yo Ho Ho and bottle of Jo !!!!
SJ44 I believe that was quite possibly the most brilliant set of ideas that I have read on this or any other blog in a long time. I quite literally could not agree with you anymore. Especially your point about Aceves.. He seems to already know everything that a normal young pitcher should learn in the minor leagues… He also seems like an extremely capable option as the 4 or 5 starter… I just hope that we are not the only ones who have had these ideas.
Keep taking those cheap shots at Edwar, Pete. He’s still been quite good to this point, and I think he’ll be better as he gets more comfortable.
He can be flaky at times, but he has dynamite stuff.
The real reason for the recent disparity is because these players get instant money and don’t have to ride the buses in the minors. They just came off of free ride educations and have no intention to lower their standards of living.
Lets trade EdWar for a LHP im sure teams will want Edwar
I don’t buy any of these Cano-for-Oswalt trade rumors. That report comes from Jon Heyman - who often talks out of his arse when it comes to rumor mongering.
This is the same Jon Heyman who has also reported today that the Yanks, Rays, and Red Sox have all expressed interest in Sabathia when all indications show that none of these teams are likely destinations.
Theo isn’t going to trade for Sabathia. That’s not how he runs that team.
The Rays sure as hell aren’t going to trade for Sabathia when they have a very good rotation as it stands and they have David Price lurking around the corner. No way are they are going trade for Sabathia.
Cashman has shown that he’s not going to make the big splash like the Steinbrenner-controlled Yankees did.
Heyman also speculates today that Ichiro could he shipped out of Seattle and King Felix could also be had.
C’mon, that’s moronic.
Ichiro is going nowhere. If Seattle traded 23 of its 25 players on the roster - the two players remaining would be Ichiro and King Felix.
“has anybody noticed that jeter at his best hits in double plays and a-rod at his best strikes out with runners in scoring position with less then two outs! they do it almost every day!”
I think sometimes perception is not reality. How many DP’s do you think Jeter has hit into this year? Certainly no where near 1 a day.
“How legit is the rumor that Damon is headed to the DL and they are calling up gardner?”
Where did you hear this rumor at?
One bad year of Hawkins was worth the gamble over 4 years and 20 million that pitchers like Linebrink received. He had a bad year last year, and is doing better this year. Not worth the gamble.
JoeT 28 in 09!! MO FOR CY YOUNG!!
I agree with you 100% on the Pavano thing. if he is “healthy” use him. the guy is NOT a bad pitcher..just a big WUSS!!!!Throw his a$$ out there and eat some innings! they are paying him enough!
Edwar 1st 13 appearances were garbage time. His last several have featured higher leverage situations (protecting a lead/keeping a game close) and he’s been somewhat inconsistent in those spots. Walks too many to be reliable late inning guy.
This white/black thing is completely overblown, for what it’s worth. there’s pointing out where racism exists, and there’s overreacting to a comment on a friggin Yankee blog.
I think SJ’s got some excellent ideas. If Aceves is the seasoned guy they’re claiming he is, let’s see what he’s got. i still do think Rasner hasn’t earned himself a complete demotion, though. not after what he showed those initial starts.
i’m not a fan of these “Edwar Ramirez in his last X appearance” disclaimers. They make it feel like no player is entitled to some sort of mechanical problem, or just plain funk. It’s all, “he must be no good anymore. let’s take him behind the barn and shoot him in the leg.”
Lets not get any Double plays please?
Ok if SJ44 is calling for Aceves to be called up now, then I’m picking him up in my fantasy league before it happens for real.
Pavano actually is a pretty bad pitcher, he’s only had one good season in his entire career.
SJ44 -
When did Cano stop working with ARod? And isn’t Melky still doing so? It seems odd that Cano would stop and Melky keep at it (since they’re pretty much joined at the hip).
Greenberet: Exactly. Imagine being stuck with some mediocre middle reliever’s salary for the next four years.
Actually, don’t imagine it. Kyle Farnsworth.
“C’mon, that’s moronic.
Ichiro is going nowhere. If Seattle traded 23 of its 25 players on the roster - the two players remaining would be Ichiro and King Felix.”
Correct on both counts.
I love how ESPN is counter-programming its own soccer coverage with its studio crew talking about the game they’re supposed to be broadcasting.
“Edwar 1st 13 appearances were garbage time. His last several have featured higher leverage situations (protecting a lead/keeping a game close) and he’s been somewhat inconsistent in those spots. Walks too many to be reliable late inning guy.”
Not according to BR’s splits.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/psplit.cgi?n1=ramired01&year=2008#wpa-lever
Re: the old Pirates logo that Pete posted…
doesn’t that guy look like Mel Gibson?
Patrick,
No question, whether or not to trade Cano is something they have to be smart about. I think they will be.
They won’t give him away but, they will listen, IMO.
Too much chatter around it for me not to believe they aren’t listening.
For a change, that’s a positive. Instead of Cashman having to be the guy to create proposals to acquire a player or two, he is now in the position of listening to offers.
He can solicit offers and see if one blows him away you pull the trigger.
For example, what if a team offers the kind of bounty for Cano (or close to it) that Baltimore got for Bedard?
Instead of getting 4 solid prospects/players back, you get two really good players? If that were to happen, you gotta do the deal.
Not saying he will trade him, or should, for that matter. Just saying, he’s gonna listen. If teams try to steal him, he will say “no” and move on.
As far as bullpen guys, I think too many Yankee fans suffer from “Mariano Syndrome”. That is, they expect everybody in the ‘pen to be perfect like Mariano. Its an impossible standard for anybody to live up to.
For the role he has on the team (6th-7th inning, occasional two inning guy), Edwar is fine. In fact, they are getting a helluva lot more value out of Edwar than they are getting out of Hawkins, Ohlendorf and Farnsworth COMBINED, this season.
If I could remake the pitching staff for the short term, I’d do the following:
Starters: Pettitte, Joba, Moose, Aceves and Giese. I’d look to get another arm via trade at the deadline to fill a rotation spot because I don’t believe Giese will hold up.
Long guy: Rasner. 7th inning guys: Ohlendorf (on a short leash until Cox is ready), Ramirez and Robertson. 8th inning: Farnsworth and Veras split duties for now. Closer: Rivera.
I believe that bullpen gives them more flexibility because they would have a dedicated long man (something this team DESPERATELY needs), a couple of other guys who can pitch multiple innings (Robertson and Ramirez), a sinkerballer (Ohlendorf), a flamethrower (Veras), and a nutjob (Farnsworth) in front of Mo.
Obviously, they can do without the nutjob but for now, you do what you can do.
Sorry to beat a dead horse…but is a Melancon call-up still in the works after the ASB?
I’m really hoping we get to see him sometime before September.
When did Cano stop working with ARod? And isn’t Melky still doing so? It seems odd that Cano would stop and Melky keep at it (since they’re pretty much joined at the hip).
That’s real easy to explain. Melky hasn’t gotten a big contract yet.
Wow.
No wonder people like soccer.
raymagnetic-
click on yankees majors to minors in the links on the front page of this website first line of first article
Fred, Ramirez was in 5 games decided by 2 runs or less in his first 13 games. Not exactly garbage time, now is it?
SJ,
I see where you are coming from with regards to Cano. I wouldn’t want to trade him unless Cashman gets a team to overpay.
Your analysis of the pitching staff is spot-on IMO. When do you think Melancon, Cox, McCutchen and Horne could play a role?
SJ - That comment about the “nutjob” had me choking on my bourbon!
But I agree, now is the time to be bold. Make the moves (and that’s not the bourbon talking).
SamVA,
Thanks. Chad Jennings doesn’t have anything on his blog so I don’t know how true it is.
I guess we’ll see.
Stop referring to Ohlendorf as a “sinkerballer”. His sinker wasn’t particularly impressive as a starter, and now that he overthrows so much as a reliever, it isn’t really a sinker anymore.
I think people are taking Michael Kay’s words too much to heart, he’s the guy that said Cano isn’t working out w/ Melky and Alex but he needs tp relax there, because yesterday Melky was hitting and I don’t think he is slacking off. No one has expressed that about Robi. You’d think Pete would tell us if something like that was going on.
We can’t afford Damon on the DL. I love Melky, I really do, but he doesn’t take pitches like Damon does.
“We can’t afford Damon on the DL. I love Melky, I really do, but he doesn’t take pitches like Damon does.”
Rebecca,
No worries Gardner has a .414 OBP in Scranton. He can take Damon’s spot. He’s going to dominate when he gets to the show.
Rebecca, are you saying that Melky doesn’t get full credit for his two walks last night?
The mis-match between Cano’s contract and current performance makes him currently untradeable at any price the Yanks would accept. Just my opinion, but its pointless to daydream about moving him.
Good I don’t want to give up Cano. IMO he stays.
GB:
8 of Edwar’s 1st 10 appearances were in Yankees losses where he entered the game with the Yankees trailing by 3 or more runs. In the 2 wins the Yanks were ahead by more than 4. GARBAGE TIME!
Wave Your Hat,
Robinson Cano is not exactly breaking the bank. It’s also a half season of underperforming. He is far from an albatross.
(still don’t think we should trade him)
Doreen,
This season. Melky still works with Arod. Cano does not.
Is that the reason why he is having a poor season? No idea.
But, like any job, if your bosses don’t believe you are doing whatever it takes to get the job done, it doesn’t look good.
I have long been of the opinion that the greatest value Robinson Cano will ever have for the Yankees is via a trade.
I have said that when he hit .350 in the second half last season, in the off-season and all this season.
If he hits .350 the rest of the season, I still believe it to be the case.
Why? I don’t think second base is a “need” position in MLB. Give me a gritty guy, who can play solid defense, take good AB’s and is a consistent hitter, and I’ll be happy.
I also think baseball is a game of consistency. If you only produce for half a season, that’s not good enough to make anybody an untouchable.
Re-distribute your assets to strengthen the team in other areas. First base, OF, starting pitching. All more important spots to me than second base.
Cano’s value to the Yankees offensively has come in the past couple of years when first base and the OF positions have been light in the heavy production department.
I’m of the opinion that for the Yankees to win (not just this year but in the future), you have to change the culture of the team.
Impatient, slug first, poor situational hitting guys like Cano (and others on the team) has ground this offense to a halt.
Its too all or nothing for my tastes. Its a big reason why the offense is non-existent in the post-season.
To me, you overpay for pitching, defense and contact hitting. That’s where the game is going. You don’t overpay for power in today’s game because you don’t know if its legit due to the changes in PED testing.
Some of these changes will take place in the off-season. With so many expiring contracts, the Yankees will look a LOT different next season, IMO.
Re: Cano if there is a deal out there that can begin this changing the culture process, I believe the Yankees have to give it real consideration.
There very well may not be that kind of deal out there. If there isn’t, no harm, no foul.
Nick: Yeah, he walked the same amount of times as Rasner
(that aside, I was really glad to see it last night!)
Cano’s contract doesn’t really effect his tradeability in my opinion. He doesn’t get paid much more (if at all) then he would get in arbitration and one or two of his free agency years are bought out.
Yeah, Fredo. Edwar’s opposition average of .143 in high leverage situations. What a bum that guy is!
GreenBeret7,
I saw your post last night regards the drag race between the Dodge Viper and the F-15… I saw something similar on a BBC show entitled “Top Gear” where a Bugatti Veyron against the Eurofighter Typhoon, incredible. If you are interested check it out on YouTube… Bugatti Veyron: 1001 HP, 0-60 in 2.3 seconds. Amazing vehicle…
Hey Jorge,
Cano’s got a pretty good size contract for his seniority. And he is an albatross right now. But I think he’s got better days in him - at least we’ve got to hope so.
Yes, but Rasner is known for his plate discipline. He may have been coaching Melky about it before the game.
It was reported last year that Melky worked out with A-Rod and his personal trainer in the mornings at a gym in NYC. It never said anything about Cano participating.
Cano and A-Rod worked out with Bowa and Borzello in the afternoon at the stadium. No more Bowa and Borzello may be part of the reason those workouts haven’t continued.
Nick: LMAO
Cano for Oswalt is awful. I’d never do that.
Cano for CC is intriguing. I think it would have to be contingent on an extension being signed. Of course, what happens at second base? A-gon I guess? Still though, Cano has such a lively bat. With the Yanks lacking position prospects, and high end youth at the ML level, Cano is tough to give up. 2B is replacable, but his youth and ability with respect to the current roster might not be.
Hawkins should be DFA’d.
SJ,
Melancon has thrown 45 innings according to the BaseballCube stats. Isn’t that a lot at this point, for a guy who’s coming of TJ, and hasn’t thrown alot in a couple of years? What’s his cap for the year? The innings seem high to me.
When Ramirez appears isn’t up to him. He’s allowed runs in 4 of 22 games and in the 8.1 inning streak Pete is yammering about, 4 came in a 0 inning, 4 run appearance. in 7.1 innings since then, he’s allowed 3 runs, 2 earned.
As far as Freddy’s garbage time, if Ramirez pitches shutdown innings in 2 or 4 run games and the game gets closer, that doesn’t mean that he had garbage time.
When Ramirez appears isn’t up to him. He’s allowed runs in 4 of 22 games and in the 8.1 inning streak Pete is yammering about, 4 came in a 0 inning, 4 run appearance. in 7.1 innings since then, he’s allowed 3 runs, 2 earned.
As far as Freddy’s garbage time, if Ramirez pitches shutdown innings in 2 or 4 run games and the game gets closer, that doesn’t mean that he had garbage time.
When Ramirez appears isn’t up to him. He’s allowed runs in 4 of 22 games and in the 8.1 inning streak Pete is yammering about, 4 came in a 0 inning, 4 run appearance. in 7.1 innings since then, he’s allowed 3 runs, 2 earned.
As far as Freddy’s garbage time, if Ramirez pitches shutdown innings in 2 or 4 run games and the game gets closer, that doesn’t mean that he had garbage time.
Unfortunately for Melky, working out with A-rod hasn’t done any good. Melky is a marginal hitter at best so its not like I’m that dissapointed in his performance. Cano on the other hand had elite hitting skills so its a lot harder to take.
I think part of the reason Cano has had such a bad start is bad luck. It sounds absurd but look at his BABIP. That doesn’t tell the whole story because Cano grounded out a lot and hit lots of weak popups for the first few months but luck has definitely played a role.
Patrick, let’s get real. Cano is locked in through 2011 at $6MM (09)/$9MM(2010)/$10MM(2011), with a further $2MM to buy him out of 2012. That’s a lot of money for somebody playing the way he is. He’s got to improve to be worth it.
Let’s simplify this. Edwar has come into a save situation 3 times. He got 2 outs to get a HOLD in one. He allowed 2 runs in two innings to allow a three run lead get to one but still qualified for a HOLD. He allowed 1 run in 1 1/3 in the 3rd opportunity to earn a blown save. 4 innings in save situations. 3 er (all homers) That’s something like a 7.00 ERA.
I wouldn’t trade Robinson Cano at all, he will break through this somehow.
Hey, Frank…Thanks. That drag race between the Dodge Viper and the F-16 Viper was impressive.
Brandon,
Cano hasn’t worked with Arod all year. Trust me, I know a little about this one.
Like I said, I don’t know if its a reason why he’s struggling. I do know its something the Yankees (his bosses) are not happy about.
JMO but, if Damon’s arch is hurting this much, they should DL him and call up Gardner.
The Yankees need a healthy Johnny Damon. His legs are his game. We went through this earlier this year with Posada, the last guy who had “never been on the DL” (like Damon) in his career.
They pushed it with Posada and they are still paying the price for it.
Just DL Damon now. Between his DL time and the ASB, you can get him healthy for the second half of the year.
Gardner is out of his slump and perhaps you catch some energy with him at the right time with a callup. Better to be safe than sorry on this one.
Patrick,
Tough to say on those guys. Horne is struggling with fastball command right now. Not unexpected, given his time off. Like McCutchen (who has also been up and down), I think we need to see how they are in another month.
Cox? Just off the DL. Probably have to see how it goes in the next two weeks to see if his tired shoulder is ok.
Melancon? I still think he’s going to be an option after the ASB. Frankly, I’m surprised he hasn’t been called up to Scranton by now. He’s dominating AA hitters.
Makes no sense to me to keep him in AA eating up hitters at that level.
“Cano is due to make $3 million in 2008, $6 million in 2009, $9 million in 2010 and $10 million in 2011. In 2012, Cano has an option for $14 million with a $2 million buyout. If that option is picked up, Cano will have another option in 2013 for $15 million with a $2 million buyout.”
Unless you’re the type of team that wouldn’t even sign their own young guys to this sort of deal, that’s not an albatross of a contract.
WYH,
Obviously its a lot for the way he’s playing now but its not a lot for the way most of us expect him to play. If you expect him to keep playing the way he has for the first few months then nobody would want him no matter how much he’s being paid. He could be playing for free and no team would trade for him.
Melancon’s innings are a bit misleading.
In a couple of his 3 inning performances, he threw less than 20 pitches.
It kind of skews his innings. A lot of low stress (in terms of pitch count) innings in his appearances.
Funny….WYH and I posted the same Cano numbers, but completely different conclusions.
Can’t judge a guy from half a season…
SJ I get that but it’s not the end all be all about Robi. Heck he was one of the guys actually hitting yesterday. Right now has Robi underperformed yes, but he will improve.
People talk about how Edwar has come back to earth after a series of good streaks.But Veras will follow the rest of the bbullpen.Every bullpen guys other then MO has had a good two weeks follow by there over to a now 4-5 Era.
“Why? I don’t think second base is a “need” position in MLB. Give me a gritty guy, who can play solid defense, take good AB’s and is a consistent hitter, and I’ll be happy.”
SJ44…perhaps I am overlooking the obvious or I am being naive but why are do so many Yankee fans criticize Pedroia. I understand fully that he is a Red Sox and so he will be hated by Yankee fans, but it seems like except for Youkilis Pedroia gets the most put downs here.
SJ44, I haven’t seen you put Pedroia down, but your description of what you would like to see at second base seems to fit Pedroia.
“Unfortunately for Melky, working out with A-rod hasn’t done any good. Melky is a marginal hitter at best so its not like I’m that dissapointed in his performance. ”
May not have helped his offense but his defense looks considerably better. I’m sure being in better shape has helped him in that regard.
Still too early to say what kind of hitter he’ll be at best. He’s still just 23. He needs a couple of years more of developing in my opinion before we’ll know what the end all be all will be with his offense.
Patrick, I don’t think we disagree really. My original point was that no one would trade for that contract given the way Cano is playing now, except on terms really disadvantageous for the Yanks. I think you would agree. Like everyone on this board, I hope Cano gets better and I suspect he will. He was too good too young to be really bad.
the last thread’s comments about an ‘all brother’ team seemed a little racist (to say the least) and I don’t want to resurrect it.
But it did get me wondering if two imaginary team could be conjured up, using opposing lineups that would have 9 guys playing against their own brothers. The pairs of brothers would all have to be on the opposing team, but they could play different (or same) positions.
Oh, and the brothers can be of any ethnicity … we’re not digressing to the last thread here.
Examples:
Robbie Alomar playing 2B on one team, Sandy Alomar playing C on the other. Or, 2 Molinas playing catcher on opposite teams.
Also, retired brothers teams or current brothers teams would be interesting to imagine. The Dimaggios and the Niekros would be on ‘past’ team while BJ & Justin Upton would be on opposing ‘current’ teams of course.
Interesting to see what lineups people come up with for current & past teams. Game time is 2 hours away.
However the brothers gets matched up by position, the opposing pairs of brothers would have to fill out all 9 positions on both teams. You can’t have 2 shortstops and 5 outfielders (or 2CFs and either no LF or no 1B) on one team just because one or both brother is a hall of famer.
2 complete teams. 9 families. And nobody plays on the same team as his own brother. Include DH and as much of a pitching staff as you want - just one starter, just one each L/R starter, L/R starter plus closer, a full rotation, full rotation plus closer, a full staff … whatever makes you feel good.
I suspect given time Melky will improve. Players who played full time at 21 have a good track record. However, can the Yanks afford to be patient with him?
It really stands out that in all of this discussion about Yankees post All Star break pitching there is nary a word about Ian Kennedy. Last winter he was a crown jewel of vaunted the Yankees young pitching. By the 4th of July he’s not even in the discussion, healthy or not. Amazing.
How was my description of the type of second baseman I like a putdown to Dustin Pedroia?
First off, It was a description of the type of second baseman I like. That’s not a putdown.
Second, I never mentioned Pedroia so, I have a hard time understanding why you think I’m putting him down.
SJ, I understand your opinion re:Cano, but he *does* play fantastic defense at a middle-infielder position, which is why–despite having atrocious offensive numbers–he’s still pulling a positive WARP (if only just barely; I think it was just above 1 last I checked).
Considering it’s safe to assume that this is about rock-bottom for Cano offensively–he has a track record that suggests he *will* hit again, even if he doesn’t hit .350 or get his OPS north of .750–he certainly still has positive value to this ballclub, without being a high-percentage slugger.
I don’t think that invalidates any your criticisms, but I think it’s worth pointing out that there aren’t many second basemen who can out-glove or out-range Cano, which is why I think he’s valuable even if his hitting doesn’t improve over the rest of the season, or the next few years (though I’m inclined to think it will).
The ripping on Edwar Ramirez is almost as comical as it is painful in its sheer stupidity.
18 of his 22 appearances have been scoreless. He had one dreadful outing against Toronto and other than that his ERA is 1.54. He enjoys a better than 2-to-1 strikeout/walk ratio.
And he’s in his second major league season.
If you focus on anyone’s 2 or 3 worst outings then that guy would stink, and that includes the greatest closer EVER.
Save your venom for Farnswurst (4.24) and Hawkrap (6.12), two highly paid veterans who are performing at dramatically lower levels.
On more thing, real baseball fans NEVER quote “holds”.
Question for SJ and others against Cano.
I realize his BA is slumping, but watching the guy hit this year does it seem like he’s getting good contact and being unlucky more than, he’s looking lost (like Melky for instance)?
I’ve seen games where he has rocked the ball every at-bat only to have someone make a good defensive play on him. Also, second base is not a need position, but isn’t the goal to get younger and play better defense? The defense the kid plays at second more than makes up for his current struggles at the plate.
Players who played full time at 21 have a good track record. However, can the Yanks afford to be patient with him?
Melky was a full-time player at 21 out of necessity. Matsui and Sheffield went down for most of the 2006 and Melky was a capable body in the minors.
It’s not like Melky played his way onto the team. It was dumb luck that he got the opportunity to start.
SJ44
I didn’t think that you were putting Pedroia down at all. My question was why so many other Yankee fans put him down since he seems to me to fit the description of what you would like to see in someone at second base.
ansky, you have three DiMaggio brothers in the outfield, along with three alou brothers, the two Dean brothers pitching, the Boyer brothers playing third base, the Conigliaro brothers as DH, the Ripkin brothers playing Short and second.
sorry for all the typos in my last post. I’m getting apoplectic reading about Yankees prospects and the best short term rotation we can come up with is Andy, Joba, Mussina, Giese and Aceves.
If Aceves, 25 years old and a professional for 6 years, is that good, bring him up soon. Let’s find out if he’s another overhyped farmhand or the real deal. At least then they can decide if they need to pursue CC Sabathia now or can wait till he’s a free agent. This team has too many players in their prime years to give up on winning this year.
Guisseppe-
Nonetheless Melky did start and he did not play badly. Despite the injuries that opened the opportunity the Yanks chose Melky to bring up. My point holds.
86w183
“On more thing, real baseball fans NEVER quote “holds”.”
LOVE that line. Can we post it somewhere on every thread!
Drive, don’t worry about typos, Do what I do when I make them. I just blame Rebecca since she does my typing for me.
In my little hypothetical world here, guys can’t play on the same team as their brothers. To fill out a lineup is not too hard. To fill out two good ones is a little tougher because sometimes one brother was great but he other wasn’t.
Also, the ‘past’ teams would be easier to pick than the ‘current’ just because there are generations to choose from.
An all-star game played between pairs of actively playing brothers is probably the tougher challenge.
GreenBeret,
You’re right. And she’s so sweet she doesnt mind taking the heat LOL
Cano’s defense has definitely been a positive. In fact, to his credit (and why I don’t buy the “he misses Bowa” stuff) he’s having his best year defensively.
I think the question with Cano comes down to this. IF (and its still an BIG if) a great offer came down for him, does it make sense for the Yankees to do a deal for him or keep him and hope he gets going?
All I am saying is its not a clear cut, “he is untouchable” thing as it was prior to this season. If it was, his name wouldn’t be out there in baseball circles.
I don’t buy the “he’s unlucky” stuff. I think this is an example where stats (his BAPIP) don’t tell the entire story.
For a guy with his talent, he wastes an awful lot of AB’s with poor approaches given the game situation.
Some of it is youth. Some of it is just the fact that he thinks he can hit anything.
Has he had some bad luck this week? Yes. Overall though, he’s been God-awful at the plate this year.
Especially troubling for a guy with his skillset.
Don’t be so sure, Drive. She not only threatened me, but said I wasn’t allowed to buy her first book. That’s what really hurt. I have no fear of 115 pound girls. It’s their 250 pound brothers that I watch out for.
Remember when Pete would give us real information instead o picking a player to bash…yesterday it’s farnsworth..today it’s ramirez…lets try to guess who tomorrow is going to be….i call cano…
when will the journal news replace this francessa wanna be? thank goodness his paper is read by 30 people..
Cano has been unlucky all year. It is compounded by his sometimes poor approach at the plate, but he hasn’t been as bad as his batting line shows.
….
just submitted my 25 all star ballots full of Yankees. i know it’s a cheesy, biased thing to do but the game is in our house so I want as many Yanks there as possible..
Hey, Drew, what’s wrong with all those blogs throwing rumours around. It makes it more interesting. I bet the GMs love it. It makes it even harder to tell what is true. I bet Cashman reads them (or one of his staff).
Hey, we’re looking for some video posters to talk sports over at smackcaster.com. Everyone is invited. Including you Peter.
i have a feeling the yanks are gona play….better today.whatever that is.btw u the blackest team in baseball is the angels… that is a soulful team right there
Robinson Cano
April 6.1% BB, 12.3% K, .156 BABIP, 14 LD %, .151 AVG
May 6.7% BB, 5.8% K, .299 BABIP, 16 LD % .295 AVG
June 2.4% BB, 6.0% K, .293 BABIP, 24 LD %, .275 AVG
He’s hitting the ball w/ more authority The Fallen Phoenix is right he’s being robbed of some hits and his only problem is for some reason he can’t draw a walk to save his life. April .211 OBP, May .333 OBP, .298 OBP the good news is he is now in the last 2 months showing a slight improvement in his OBP %, he was at .211 in month number 1, the last 2 months it’s around .316 hopefully it continues to improve. Kevin Long spoke about his approach and how his swing was off balance, Pete has the audio I said on that same night it will take him a month to get back to his balance point hopefully his OBP % rises too, he’s batting .355 in his last 10 games, he just needs to work harder, Robi Cano is not a bat you give up on.
GB: My brothers combined don’t weigh 250 =P
And yes, you can buy my book
I don’t even know if there are 9 pairs of brothers who are currently active players. One might have to go back a few years (to the turn of the millenium) to get 2 quasi-current teams of good players.
ray,
The only thing wrong with Pedroia is that he wears the wrong colors.
Unless my brain isn’t working at full speed, there’s something missing in SJ44’s proposal of DFA’ing Hawkins and calling up Aceves and Robertson. Someone else would need to be sent down or cut. Who?
As far as these suggestions for trading Cano go, I’m generally of the opinion that no one is untouchable but some are harder to replace and harder to get equal value for. If the idea is to trade for a starter, its got to be for an ace or a #2 and one that you don’t think you’re going to lose next year. Cano could be the centerpiece of such a deal but there would need to be more included and if its not for someone who we’d be confident is going to be better than Hughes then what’s the point? Also to complicate matters, Cano is a great 2nd half hitter. How does it make us better for the stretch run to trade someone who I’d be willing to bet will be our best 2nd half hitter?
I understand why people come to the idea of picking Cano as the trade bait because its got to be someone young and talented and few would want to trade young pitching. Cashman should be working the phones and exploring every possible way to improve the team. I just don’t expect that there will be a big trade that will work for both the Yankees long term and short term interests.
Well, the DiMaggios had two in the AL and one in the NL, the Alous all played multiple positions in both leagues. The Boyers played in the AL and NL for Clete and Ken played in both leagues. On a technicality, Dizzy Dean played in both leagues, even though it was just one game in the AL as a stunt. The Niekros played i both leagues. Only the Ripkins and Conigliaros played in the same league.
Current Yankee team is 41-36, 5.5 games out of first, 4 in the loss column.
2007 Yankees on June 25th - 36-37, 11 games out, 10 in the loss column.
The Yankees are doing MUCH better and the other teams are taking care of Boston more often. The team is frustrating, no doubt about it, but I still believe in the end, the Yankees will be in first place! So chill out a little….enjoy the game.
You guys need to leave Pete alone. He’s posting the facts. That is his job. A journalist is not supposed to be a homer, he is supposed to see both sides of the plate, so to speak.
He’s simply pointing out facts that Edwar has struggled recently. Leave the damn guy alone he does a great job with this blog and is just posting statistics.
We could add the 5 Delahanty brothers and the two Waner brothers.
Ooops. Wasn’t aware that Rebecca was lurking….trying to get the dirt on people for her next book.
GB: Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez play on the same team!
Oh the brothers CAN have played in the same league when they played. They just have to play on opposite sides in my imaginary game.
Steve’s right, we don’t need Pete to tell us that Edwar is not the setup guy that everyone wants him to be.
I do resent that he called our beloved Matsui a spare part (who might need a spare part on his left knee now.)
(Steve-some people have hate agendas w/ Pete, Girardi, and Cashman. They’re very easy to spot!)
Good call, Rebecca. We could go with the Greinke brothers and hop that Luke has a solid inning in him,
As easy to spot as P-abe’s agenda’s against Girardi, and any player he decides to dislike for some reason.
Posting Edwar’s stats with an arbitrary cutoff, without showing any in depth analysis of the actual games makes it look like he has a bias agenda.
Why he is choosing to now crusade against one of our better relievers is unknown to me.
***hop or hope….whatever***
Sox shortstop Julio Lugo has a brother (Ruddy) who at least last year was a relief pitcher maybe with Kansas City. JD Drew has a brother (Stephen) who he is playing against right now with the Diamond Backs.
There are several things wrong with the Boston second baseman.
1) you called him a “Red Sox” — why isn’t is ‘Red Sock’? The singular of ’sox’ is ’sock’. And please don’t give me some pseudo-reason why ‘Red Sox’ is correct singular usage, I won’t buy it.
2) Why is he losing his hair so prematurely? Guilt? Over what? Unless he’s part of some laptop theft ring, what’s he so stressed out about? Does someone in the organization force him to smuggle Dominican Happy Juice to a Red Sock to be named later?
3) When he swings at high strikes he resembles a Keebler elf chopping wood.
That’s just for starters.
I suspect Pete posted Edwar’s numbers because it’s an interesting factoid and he wanted to start a discussion. It’s called being a reporter with a blog. I don’t think you need to import an agenda into it. Why would Pete have an agenda against Edwar?
You know, GB, I at least have a really shoddy keyboard. What’s your excuse?
Ray, even in imaginary games, nobody wants Julio Lugo, except maybe to pinch run for one of the Giambis.
really shoddy fingers, Rebecca.
Nick,
Did you see his chin hairs? It’s like a pitchfork. Fugly.
Steve,
He could have picked Edwar’s last three, ten, twenty, or fifty appearances. It didn’t tell the entire story. It told the story that backed up the point he was trying to make.
I’m not going to go as far as say he’s manipulating the facts, but the facts also are that Edwar Ramirez has been very effective this season and looks much less one-dimensional than he did last season.
Why would Pete have an agenda against Edwar?
Because he is petty? Why would he feel the need to mention the constant lineup changes in a negative tone when every team in baseball changes their lineup practically everyday?
mel, what’s worse? The chin hairs or the clown hair?
4) the Rem-Dog calls him “Predroyer” — that’s wrong.
I started a “Rogaine” chant directed towards Pedroia when I was sitting above the Sox dugout earlier this year. To my disappointment only a few of the yuppies around us decided to chime in. Sean Casey was looking over at us and chuckling though.
5) Pedroia’s best friend on the team is Kevin Youkilis, who no one likes, not even Manny.
Pedroia does look like the little neighborhood toughie wannbe, trying to grow his first whisker. An Eddie Haskell with a couple of whiskers.
Rebecca,
I dunno. Isn’t he pre-pubescent?
Pete’s agenda with Edwar’s stats?
To show his faithful readers what an overrated and bad reliever looks like.
LOL. Just got junk mail from Field & Stream. The only reason why I opened it was to see who had printed “Woolly Bugger” on the envelope.
Alright I’m out of here a few things
according to Mike Ashmore Kevin Whelan to the DL (arm trouble)
And for the Chris Smith followers
His first hit in pro ball came today in 6th inning it was an RBI double. Until later Lohud.
mel: No idea
“I started a “Rogaine” chant directed towards Pedroia when I was sitting above the Sox dugout earlier this year. To my disappointment only a few of the yuppies around us decided to chime in. Sean Casey was looking over at us and chuckling though”
Sean Casey would do that, wouldn’t he?
Cano.. 4 hr, 27 rbi, .277 OBP, .335 SLG, .235 average
Pedroia.. 7 hr, 34 rbi, .330 OBP, .419 SLG, .284 average
Gee…I sure would trade Pedroia’s better stats in every category for full head of hair!
SJ44 has been saying trade Cano since last April. It’s nothing new. He is full of contradictions though. He wants to build with young players and keep payroll down yet he wants to trade their 25 yr old all star middle infielder. Strange. Why give up your one good young offensive player? Especially when you got, well, no one backing him up.
Rebecca,
That’s a good thing that you don’t know. I’d be really worried about your choice in men.
Ray, check the career averges and check back at the end of the year.
***averages***
ray,
It’s like fat vs. ugly.
You can change fat, you can’t change ugly.
I love how we are blaming the teams troubles on the 8th place hitting 2b.
It’s the crappy pitching, stupid.
They didn’t get the top starter last off season and it’s killing us.
And Hawkins as the 8th inning replacement for Joba really hasn’t worked out well.
Good matchup @ Fenway.
The Big Unit vs. the Knuckler
there you Peter with your usual Girardi dig.. Just so I know in advance who should he start in shea?/Giese?/ Does it really matter?
But Peter that is just you again if he allowed Yoohoo’s in the locker room would that appease you??
Joke……Like Giese vs Ponson in Shea matters, like we need to look at there GB/FB ratios…
BS
Say what you want about Pedroia but the guy is a winner and gets big hit after big hit.
Mel, it must be Geritol Night at Fenway.
Puddin,
I don’t think there’s any contradictions in what SJ is saying. He wants to get younger and have more payroll flesibility. He also wants to do it with players who resemble the type of the team we won four championships with rather than the one we’ve become this decade. They’re not mutually exclusive to one another.
ray,, again can’t buy a friend so you have to go to the yankee site???
talk to me about pedroia at the end of the yr…
you are a certifiable CLOWN…
pay someone to listen to you and be your friend…
Well, I mean, better Ponson against Pedro than Santana…
There are way too many pitchers on that list that begin with P, Pete.
….
Right.
Um. Moving on. So glad I’m going to the day game on Friday…
Game 1 Friday: Giese vs. Pelfrey
Game 2 Friday: Ponson vs. Martinez
Saturday: Pettitte vs. Santana
Sunday: Rasner vs. Perez
Why is Ponson starting at Shea Stadium? Girardi wouldn’t say. “Just the way I choose it,” he said.
========================================================
That’s right. When you’re the manager, you get to do neat little things like choose the matchups.
(Girardi knows deep in his heart that the Ponson will get harrassed less at Shea than at Yankee Stadium. Sad, but true.)
Game 1 Friday: Giese vs. Pelfrey ( Easy Yankee Win )
Game 2 Friday: Ponson vs. Martinez ( Battle of the washed ups…we eek out a W )
Saturday: Pettitte vs. Santana ( Andy comes through ! )
Sunday: Rasner vs. Perez ( Perez stinks it up a bit more than the RazzSter….completes the sweep ! )
Go Yankees !