Game 112: Yankees at Rangers
-
- August
- 4
YANKEES (61-50)
Damon DH
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A. Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Nady LF
Cano 2B
I. Rodriguez C
Christian CF
Chamberlain RHP
Joba Chamberlain (4-3, 2.24) vs. the Texas hitters.
Vicente Padilla (12-5, 4.52) vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: The Yankees have won two straight but are coming off a 3-4 homestand. … The Yankees are 25-24 on the road. … Bobby Abreu was 12 of 27 on the homestand with 11 runs scored, nine RBI and four homers. … Cabrera is 3 for his last 23, which explains his absence from the lineup. … The bullpen has a 7.09 ERA over the last eight games. … The Yankees have won 21 of their last 29 games against Texas and 11 of the last 12 in Arlington. … The Yankees are watching 300 in the clubhouse.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 6:44 p.m., GIESE ON FRIDAY: Joe Girardi said Dan Giese will start Friday. Rasner is going to the bullpen. Ian Kennedy is Fredo it seems.
UPDATE, 6:52 p.m.: Phil Hughes will pitch for Scranton on Thursday. Carl Pavano will pitch for Trenton that night. Hughes will be up to 60-65 pitches.
UPDATE, 6:54 p.m.: We talked to Mariano Rivera, who said to check back with him after BP as he wants to play catch first. He seemed to be moving a little stiffly. Marte would close if needed.
UPDATE, 7:45 p.m.: Mo played long toss, shagged flies and said he’s ready to pitch.
UPDATE, 7:50 p.m.: Lots of e-mails about Phil Hughes’ velocity. Here is what he said to Chad Jennings tonight:
“It was good. Obviously it was in short stints, so maybe that had something to do with it, but the last couple outings I’ve been 93, 94, 95 so that was encouraging. That was the one thing, I didn’t know how my arm strength would be coming back after not throwing for two months, so that was good.”
UPDATE, 8:21 p.m.: Shave the ’stache, get a big hit. Baseball is a simple game.
The Big G cracked a few jokes before the game about shaving his infamous ’stache. The clubhouse kids, he said, wanted to save the hairs. But they’re gone. “That kind of creeped me out,” Giambi said. “Who knows what they’d find in there?”
UPDATE, 10:01 p.m.: Well, that can’t be good. The trainer comes out to the mound and goes back with Joba. No word from the Yankees what happened.
UPDATE, 10:39 p.m.: The Yankees announced that Chamberlain has a stiff right shoulder. That could mean just about anything, none of it good. We’ll talk to Girardi later, but don’t expect much in the way of information.
UPDATE, 10:49 p.m.: So it seems that Xavier Nady is the man. Huge shot there for the Yankees.
UPDATE, 11:24 p.m.: Mo said he could pitch before the game but wasn’t warming when Damon doubled. That would seem to indicate he’s out again.
No word beyond what they said initially on Joba. … This could be asking a lot of Marte. The leadoff walk is a bad sign, obviously.
UPDATE, 11:27 p.m.: Sorry for the technical issues with the blog tonight. One way or another, we’ll get it fixed hopefully. I have nothing to do with the tech side.
Meanwhile, David Robertson is warming. Mo must be out.
UPDATE, 11:33 p.m.: Rays lose, Sox lose. Yankees life and death with Texas. This would be a big opportunity to miss.
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on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 4:46 pm by Peter Abraham.
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lol Christian’s so great he catches too!
Justin Christian can catch now too?
He is the man.
Pete, when you travel,who do you travel with? Other writers, the team plane, can you tell us what it’s like?
I know Joba can be prone to bouts of wildness, but two catchers seems a bit much.
Thank God, Christian is in the lineup. He truly earned his spot for tonight’s game.
I really wouldn’t be surprised to see him find a frequent spot out there. Obviously less at-bats, but he’s still hitting better than Melky.
love seeing christian in the lineup, nice reward for what he contributed to yesterday’s win
any lineup without melky is a good lineup
Christian is the fastest catcher ever
Wow…no negative posts about the line-up yet…keep the positivity!!!
“300″ its an old one!!! why that?
Christian earned this start. Let’s hope he’s as big today as he was yesterday.
300 is an amazing move. Seriously, one of the best ever. Maybe I’ll go watch it now.
Also, JC is the man, and Joe G still hasn’t learned that he has got to move Giambi in the line up.
Texas’ pitching is so bad. If the Yanks arms can limit the Rangers to 4-5 runs per game, 3 out of 4 should be a cinch.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3519111
Pete do you know anything about that story?
Rebecca — If you enjoyed 300, that’s fine, but if you really think it’s “one of the best ever” you need to have your head examined.
…And I wish I had an edit button.
Oops.
Giambi better show up and get a good start on the post-’stache era.
christian catching, hmmm now ive seen everything
Bryan: See, the thing is, for me it’s two hours of staring at the hottest guys in the known universe :-D.
(Yes, I know it’s two hours of shoddy writing and pure testosterone, but that’s not the point)
Rebecca: That’s perfectly acceptable.
wow, this might be a wakeup call for melky. starting a righty vs. Padilla in center. interesting
“Yankees…!! What is your profession..?!” AAAUUUU!! AAAUUU!! AAAUUU!!!
Rodriguez behind the plate and Christian behind the batter’s head.
300 - what better way to get pumped for a series.
thank god no melky. i hope christian does well if only to keep melky on the bench.
Rebecca: Couldnt agree with you more about 300!! a bunch of ripped, sweaty men in leather shorts? yes please.
My only complaint with the lineup is what I’ve been saying these last few days. Giambi needs to be moved down with Nady taking the 5th spot. I don’t care how many mustaches Giambi shaves; he’s a rally killer. Get him away from A-Rod and maybe A-Rod sees some decent pitches to hit.
Could someone please make another joke about Pete making a slight mistake and omitting the F in CF?
“We are…SPARTA!!!”
lets go yankees!
300 is what they should watch in the clubhouse before every series with Boston.
“christian catching, hmmm now ive seen everything”
I heard he’s taking Rasners next start.
Seriously. Does Giambi have naked pictures of Girardi. Glad he shaved the stache. But he doesnt belong at the 5 till he gets hot again.
Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine in HELL! (Texas is just as hot..)
Girardi is probably trying to get Giambi going by sandwiching him between A-Rod and Nady. Hoping he’ll see some pitches to hit.
Torre used to do that with the #2 slot by moving players up to it when they were slumping.
The downside to this strategy is that A-Rod might get pitched around.
(Homer predictions) damon, cano, christian
Rebecca, that comment you made shows what kind of person you are. If only the same thing could be said about you.
Who comes to a baseball blog to argue about the “hottest man on the universe”. Wow, I thought different of you. Desperate.
Glad to see Christian being rewarded for his play yesterday. Plus, Melky needs to see that if he doesn’t produce, he will be replaced.
Christian is planning on starting at the plate and running with the ball when teh batter hits it out there. Betcha he beats the ball there.
he earned it. youre on notice melky. step it up now.
Hopefully the Melky everyday CFer era is over.
Why not switch Giambi and Cano?
Laura, Christian is being awarded with a start at catcher. Anyone here think, Pudge is playing center?
It was hard to watch 300 in the theatre and eat my M & M’S and raisen nets next to my wife. I had to sell her on”the guys ripped is computer generated”.
“… Cabrera is 3 for his last 23, which explains his absence from the lineup. …”
As if three months of a sub .300 OBP and sub .600 OPS wasn’t enough.
It would be kinda cool if on the last day if we secured a playoff spot or are out to give everyone a chance to play some different position. I say Arod pitches
Something tells me that Joba is going to finally get some run support tonight. The Yanks have hit Padilla well in the past.
Christian isnt going to replace Melky for long, but it’s good to see him get a shot at some playing time and give Melky a day off.
Hey, I recognize Christian can administer angels’ last rites. My question is can he play CF? Better yet, HAS he played CF?
300 is one of the gayest movies ever! Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but let’s call it what it is.
No, you won’t see A-Rod on the mound. Why risk injury like that?
Giambi is getting pitches to hit and he is not hitting them, he had 2 great pitches to hit and hit both to right field/side.
Gotta love how everybody used to complain that Girardi changed the line up too much and now people are complaining that he isn’t changing the lineup enough. I really don’t think putting Giambi 6th instead of 5th is going to make too much of a difference. With Nady hitting, let Giambi get on base at his normal rate and the Yankees will score some runs.
Respect to Frank Miller but this should be shown before Sox series’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAvmLDkAgAM&feature=related
Sorry A Rod, no protection for you in the lineup again tonight. You’re on your own.
Too bad Shelley isnt on the team. He would have kicked someone(like in 300. when the messenger was kicked into the hole)going to second. I think he would have a good explanation for doing.
“Why not switch Giambi and Cano?”
Cano was in a 3 for 26 funk before yesterday’s PH appearance.
how does girardi expect us to win with nobody in centerfield tonight? talk about mailing in the game.
looks like abreu and nady have their work cut out for them in the field.
Let’s Try: And you know the Erin Andrews comments that appear on here all the time?
Anyway, I have a boyfriend, so no, I’m not desperate.
I just like my eye candy.
I’d consider flip-flopping Cano and Giambi, or bat Giambi 8th.
Wow. Can’t believe that Girardi had the equipment to sit melky.
Next step, get Giambi out of the 5-hole.
THIS IS JOOOBBAAAAAAAA!!!!
I would think Melky is just getting a day off. Those of you who think this is a shot at Melky or a possibility that he loses his starting job will be sorely disappointed tomorrow when he’s back in CF.
Those bums they should be getting ready for the game in that 110 degree heat!!
i hope that 300 inspire them to be fierce and agresive for the rest of the season!
Just two more months (hopefully three) of the Giambino, in any case.
“300 is one of the gayest movies ever! Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but let’s call it what it is.”
I remember there were two characters that seemed overly fond of each other. Still, it’s a good battle movie. The Yankees need it for inspiration.
GIDP tandem still in order, Nady batting in a spot wher RISP will be wasted. JESUS CHRIST GET IT RIGHT !
Fredo,
From the last thread. The mets have been trying to get Nady back since they traded him away.
If we don’t sign Nady, they will.
“I would think Melky is just getting a day off.”
Sadly, you are quite likely correct.
Anyone know what the fallout on this could be?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3519111
Melky=Scott Broscious of th 08 team. They dont expect him to hit. Just make plays on the field. We have other guys that need to pull their weight.
Rebecca, sorry, I just call it how I see it.
Brandon,
Are you referring to having Damon lead off and Jeter second?
I assume you are because you’ve been harping on it for days now. Get over it. It isn’t happening. You have a better chance of Carl Pavano pitching in pinstripes.
where*
Christian should at least play CF when the Yanks face a lefty. That wouldn’t overly expose him.
Except Scott Brosius built his legend on clutch.
I’m glad to see all that talk about it being 107 degrees in Arlington, Texas was nothing but a big exaggeration. I just checked… it’s only 103.6 lol
This is great seeing Christian starting in CF - I’ve been saying for weeks now that it’s just a matter of time before Christian replaces Melky in the line-up - let’s hope he keeps it up, and then in Sept, we can have another look at Gardner…
Gardner, BTW, had a tough time with the AA>AAA transition and then was fine, so I think that with time, he’ll be fine at the MLB level…
Sadly kickbacks occur for all teams. Not sure why the article chooses to focus just on Yankee prospects when 20 individuals from a variety of teams are being investigated.
I guess by putting “Yankee prospects” in the title gets more page views.
True, Rebecca, and I think Brosius hit better than .250 as a Yankee.
“Anyone know what the fallout on this could be?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3519111”
Some fired scouts, some of whom might be jailed, and an international draft.
Melky is just getting a day in the 107 degree heat. Don’t read anything into it.
As much as I want to scream every time I read “Christian replacing Melky in the lineup” comments I’ll keep it to myself. Then tomorrow I can read all of the “Why is Melky back in the lineup!?!” comments.
“Anyone know what the fallout on this could be?”
Some scouts get fired? I’m not shocked that this story broke, a lot of people have been talking about how corrupt the Latin American signing is. I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps the guy that was in charge of Latin America signings that was fired a few months ago has something to do with this.
Just out of curiosity, where are folks from? I’ve been out in the Bay Area, CA for 11 years — originally from Westchester.
What is the deal with Girardi continuing to hit Giambi 5th. I almost feel bad for ARod. Almost.
Why play Christian against a tough righty?
“Melky is just getting a day in the 107 degree heat. Don’t read anything into it.”
Why do you want to spoil our fun? :p
Phil- 27 in ‘08,
The Red Sox and White Sox are also involved. A Red Sox scout was recently fired when he refused to answer questions from the feds. The investigation took off when a White Sox scout was questioned at an airport about the $40,000 in cash he was carrying.
ZMAN7777,
What difference does it make if Melky hits lefties or righties? He cant get the ball past the infield these days.
I remember Brosious hitting .250 a couple times. Correct me fellas if im wrong. Maybe im mixing his stats with Hayes or Ryans son.
“What is the deal with Girardi continuing to hit Giambi 5th. I almost feel bad for ARod. Almost.”
His wife is contesting the pre-nup agreement. I DO feel sorry for him.
I don’t think it would hurt if they moved Giambi down in the order.
EricVA how many GIDP do I have to witness from Capt. 643 ? and how many more times is Giambi’s .198 w/ RISP going to be useful for this team over Nady’s .333 w/ RISP…huh. I guess I don’t have reason in this. When Kinsler makes a simple play on a hard shot by Damon my guess is we’ll go back to this.
20 min from San Diego.
“Not sure why the article chooses to focus just on Yankee prospects when 20 individuals from a variety of teams are being investigated.”
Might be new news. That there was an issue with this kind of thing is old news. 1st time I’ve seen the Yankees organization included in it though. Around the time Inoa signed with the A’s, the Yankees gassed a member of their international scouting staff. Wonder whether there is a connection?
My point, SoS, was that I don’t think Christian is an everyday player. I’m not defending Melky at all.
Brandon,
I’m not saying your argument doesn’t have merit. I’m just saying it’s not happening.
Man I was hoping that Giambi was going to drop to 7th and Nagy & Cano would be moved up…..Unless Jason starts to hit this is a move that must be made soon….
northern New Jersey, but shortly moving to the Bronx.
Melky went up to Girardi and asked “Why am I not playing?” Girardi simply responded “This is Sparta!!!”
Christian = Endy Chavez.
Gardner is batting .186 in his last 10 games at AAA, he doesnt not deserve another chance here at all this year, 2 names i am sick of hearing on this blog are Manny and Brett Gardner and #1 is gardner.. Lets GO YANKEES 2nite. Hope Nady and Abreu shared what every they r drinking with the rest of the boys on the plane
Fredo Corleone,
Per ESPN:”Last week, the Red Sox’s Dominican scouting supervisor, Pablo Lantigua, was fired after MLB investigators confronted him about allegedly skimming signing bonuses, according to an MLB source.”
I guess a headline on ESPN about the Yanks is sexier than one about the Red Sox.
if you cant win after watching 300 you cant win at all
Rebecca-I support you in your comments. It’s good to see the female side every once in a while. The Erin Andrews, etc. comments can get a little tedious. Although, I think I would rather watch several players on the Yankees, as opposed to the computer generated ones, but that’s just me.
ZMANN7777,
I agree that Christian isnt the answer. But Melky does need a day off and our championships didnt have 9 players batting over .300. Ill take his .250 if he keeps playing good defense and not do like his bff Cano first pitch swinging. Id prefer to see Cano,Jeter,Giambi step up.
There’s a town in northwestern New Jersey called Sparta.
I wonder if they show 300 at their ootball games…
ZMan - Morris county NJ
Girardi probably wants to break up the lefties.
Doesn’t matter where Giambi/Nady/Jeter/Arod hit…. we should pound Padilla tonight, if we don’t, we’re in trouble.
We are going to have to keep this game 3-1 or 2-0 to win it
my god the way today’s lineup is made it setups GIDP off the top, a walk or hit w/ Abreu, Arod no pitches and Giambi pop up, Nady then comes up w/ no one on and Robi Cano is his protection ? …I’ll see you guys later. 
Rebecca,
Don’t even reply to people like that. Somebody who’s willing to insult you based on saying you like to look at good-looking men needs to get a life.
Plus, every guy here is perfectly willing to watch topless women run around for two hours. So we’re even…right?
:-p
Articles about a variety of teams have been running on this topic for at least two years now. The Yanks already fired someone a few months back. Maybe MLB is serious about cracking down on it…but I doubt it. Selig’s usual pattern of action is to wait, wait, then wait some more until he is forced to act much too late after the fact.
Drive 4-5:
You’re making my point, dude. I’ve been seeing stuff on the Latin American signings for months, beginning with that White Sox scout. I saw the Red Sox scout thing late last week and some stuff with Bowden and the Nationals before that. This is the 1st I’ve heard of the Yankees being identified as an organization involved in this. But the problem as a whole has been well documented.
This is probably the best lineup we had in a while.
“if you cant win after watching 300 you cant win at all”
I was just thinking. In 300, they all ended up dying. Im not really sure how much of a motivation watching that movie is.
They’re watching 300? Don’t the yankees get their fix of big muscled men in thongs from seeing Giambi in the locker room every day?
give giambi a rest
I’m a little amazed that this hasn’t blown up in our ffaces yet, in the era of bloggers and 24 hour news…
Brandon, que piensas?
I’m picturing the whole team watching a scary movie…
Melky totally jumps into Edwar’s arms during a frightening scene, like Shaggy and Scooby.
Fair point on the Yankees offense. If there’s any team and any place where they should put up 8+ runs per game, it’s against the Rangers, versus that pitching staff, in 100-degree, heavy-air Arlington.
Regarding the kickbacks thing… obviously it goes against the Yankees’ interests to have employees getting kickbacks… (stealing money from the players and/or the team, essentially)). So, as far as fallout, it’s not like it was tampering or something unethical on the Yankees’ part, it’s soley on the employees who were demanding these kickbacks. So yeah, firings, charges, whatever… but it’s not like the Yankees were bribing the kids families or something that gave them an illegal/unethical edge over other teams.
300 has been spoofed more than night at the roxbury I dont know why the Yanks would watch that they should watch dark knight on bootleg.
“Don’t even reply to people like that. Somebody who’s willing to insult you based on saying you like to look at good-looking men needs to get a life.”
Maybe that person never had a girl look at him? Memo to men who dont have a six pack but rather a 12. Its o.k. to keep your shirt on at the pool/beach. Oh and dont wear a spedo/thong like Giambi. Im about an 8 pack right now. But working on it!! If anyone saw the movie meet the spartans. They spray painted their six packs. Im trying to find the right paint.
“I’m picturing the whole team watching a scary movie…
Melky totally jumps into Edwar’s arms during a frightening scene, like Shaggy and Scooby.”
Veras and Mo share popcorn A-rod covers his face during the bad scenes.LOL
Help Save Baseball. Stop the Pitch Count.
Please sign our petition and share this website with every baseball fan you know
http://stopthepitchcount.com/
How long will it take Girardi to lose patience with Giambi like Torre did last year?
“I’m a little amazed that this hasn’t blown up in our ffaces yet, in the era of bloggers and 24 hour news…”
It’s not a “Yankees problem” Rebecca. It’s a “Baseball problem”. People involved will likely be fired and/or worse and the whole international signing is likely to be a lot more regulated (i.e an international draft). As I understand it, Jim Bowden’s name aside, these scouts are not acting in concert with GM’s but instead looking to screw the organization by stealing money from them.
LMAO! I can totally see Joba humming the theme music, too.
Fredo Corleone,
In the reports I read a couple of weeks ago, the Yankees were named. One article had a quote from Melky’s mom saying that she was surprised to hear their scout’s name mentioned because all of Melky’s signing bonus went directly to her and she can account for all of it.
There are obviously a lot of underhanded people taking advantage of folks that are living near poverty. It’s good that some light is being shed on the subject.
It’s because it’s a baseball problem and not a Yankee problem that I’m surprised more hasn’t been made about this story.
From the July 17 NY Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/07/17/2008-07-17_yankees_try_to_avoid_scandal_involving_m.html
Until the draft rules are changed and the amateur draft becomes international, nothing will change down there. Buscones will continue to run rampant and corrupt scouts will continue to skirt the rules.
Looks like it’s time for another e-mail campaign to the ombudsman at espn.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=2826900
I REALLY hate the pitch count. Obviously it is dangerous if you let a starter go 120+ every time out. However to never let a starter go 100+ is a travesty and something that is wrong with the game.
“Help Save Baseball. Stop the Pitch Count.”
No offense, but what manager/GM/Team Owner is going to listen to some petition? If team doctors tell them it’s better to limit pitches, and I’m making an assumption that there is medicine behind pitch counts, they are of course going to listen to doctors over baseball fans.
Isn’t it possible that the examples you gave of guys who clearly didn’t need pitch counts were the exception?
On the pitch count petition:
What are they gonna do? Ban pitch counters? Besides the only reason teams keep pitchers from throwing too many pitches is the amount of money players are being paid. The teams should have the right to protect their investments. When you sign a pitcher to a 5 year $55 million dollar contract, you want to make sure he holds up over the terms of a contract. Holding him at a pitch counts helps achieve that goal.
When Venditte makes the big club, two-catcher lineups will be much more common. Not sure why Joba needs it, but Girardi has been pushing the right buttons lately.
Pitch counts are about keeping pitchers healthy.
I’d rather have Joba pitch 7 innings for 20 years than 9 innings for 10.
Christian is getting a start so relax.. his chances of being in there everyday is very low..
how is he as a center fielder? Melky needs some rest and to speed up his bat.
The Melky-Brosius comparisons are silly. Brosius was an established major leaguer when the yanks got him. He’d been a very inconsistent offensive player–and remained that way through his Yankees’ career–but always showed at least some power, which helped to make up for his offensive shortcomings.
If Melky had 12 homeruns and 60 RBI right now, I’d feel a whole lot better about his .240 average. But, after a surprising burst of power early in the season, he hasn’t done squat, and his sub-.650 OPS is TERRIBLE.
Rebecca,
7 innings for 20 years…that would be amazing. He’d have a chance for 300 wins
1/2 of my prayers have been answered…Justin Christian is playing. Now all we need is to remove Giambi from the 5 spot.
I think 300 is a movie with that Australian actor in it.
Rebecca- What do you think if Joba throws 105 pitches his arm will fall off? Pitch counts and not allowing a guy to throw 120 every time is fine, but stopping your ace at 95 pitches every time out because of pitch count is atrocious.
Maybe the Yankees should watch Meet The Spartans, a spoof on 300.
Google you tube spoof on movie 300, and pick the 2nd one down You Tube 300 Spoof a 4 minute pretty funny exerpt.
Eric: He started at 21, so 20 years = 41. Doable, though not likely.
Al: Oh, I agree, 105 is different than 122. 105 will get you through 7.
“Al: Oh, I agree, 105 is different than 122. 105 will get you through 7.”
Fair enough Becca. That is one thing I’ve liked about Girardi he let Moose and Andy go 8 innings several times this year how many times did Torre do that?
Does anyone know if there are air-conditioned indoor batting cages at Texas?
Yes, mel, but it’s hot air.
Christian couldn’t hit worse than Cabrera if he tried. Bout time he got a start.
Mel,
Planning on taking some BP?
Al,
In all fairness, moose was a mess with injuries and didn’t have the stuff he’s showing this year.
Torre was probably hedging against the horrible inning that moose inevitably had every start. If you got 5 or 6 innings out of moose without too much damage, then go to the pen. The problem is that last year’s pen was not as dominant as this year’s pen.
“Does anyone know if there are air-conditioned indoor batting cages at Texas?”
Texans like to think they’re tough, so I doubt it lol
Stop pitch count petitions?
Get lives.
It is how the game is now. Deal with it.
Ok Ladies and Gentlemen,
Off to pub trivia followed by DVRed yankees game.
Fearless predictions:
Joba 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 8 k’s - 1 run
A-Rod and Abreu go yard.
Yankees win 6-1
Eric,
No, just wondering if the team is watching a movie cuz it’s too hot to take BP.
Of course after a long trip, I can understand. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Now Torre should have let Moose go 8 last yr? He was TERRIBLE last yr. He could barely get thru 5 let alone go 8.
Mel- Very true Mel Moose wasn’t as good the past couple of seasons. I just think letting a guy like Andy go 8 innings when he hasn’t labored shows that a manager has confidence in his starter.
Rebecca:
Also, JC is the man, and Joe G still hasn’t learned that he has got to move Giambi in the line up.
You are so right. We have to move Jason. Bat Cano behind ARod, Nady 6th and Giambi 7th. Alex and Cano will actually get something to hit, and it puts Robi in an RBI spot.
This time last year, if Moose could get passed the fourth inning it was impressive.
“Yes, mel, but it’s hot air.”
Maybe they need to invest in those water sprinkler things(when waiting in line)like Disneyland has.
New improved R-L-R-L lineup approved by many Peter Abraham bloggers:
Jeter
Damon
A-Rod
Abreu
Nady
Cano
I-Rod
Giambi
Christian
Girardi-You’ve had some 80+ lineup changes-try this one this week. By the way if you check the stats, Nady hits better further up in the lineup, so if you bat him no lower than 5th he could knock in 10 runs tonight!! We have our own Josh Hamilton. Beware Texas!
Al from BK
Are we talking about 105 degrees or the speed of
Phil Hughes fastball clocked on the radar gun this week. LOL!!!!
The difference between Torre and basically any other manager is that he thought relievers were expendable.
How about some early runs for a change? Give Joba an easy one.
“Of course after a long trip, I can understand. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.”
I think they are giving them unlimited ice to chew on while watching the movie.
mel,
Where have you been these days. Dont see you here in the mornings. I cant really post then(with having to take the bull by the horns at work),but i skim through it when i can. Is the U.S. going to take the gold back? Didnt beat russia as bad as they should.
The Yankees need to take 6 of 10 on this trip. I want to say 7 of 10, but that’s asking a lot.
Steve Phillips hating on Joba
Giambi is still batting 5th… why?
Jay — I believe I heard that Hughes should be ready to pitch at the major league level in 2 - 3 weeks, barring any new setbacks.
SoS,
Ice chips? They’re in the clubhouse, not the delivery room.
Basketball? The rest of the world playing for silver and bronze. Kobe will sacrifice offense to shut down the other team’s best player. They made the Lithuanian guard look like, well, an amateur. Also, LeBron is more familiar with the FIBA rules and Wade is healthy. There may be a PG controversy, but I think they’ll eventually go to a two-headed monster.
We’ll dominate in Gymnastics, basketball, track & field (Go Brian Clay!), and swimming. As a sports fan, I love the Olympics.
The people clamoring for Giambi to move down are unbelievably short-sighted. You can’t try to ride out every streak and slump. He’s still got a ~.900 OPS for the season.
Hey, I’m watching the weather forecast right now and it doesn’t look good for Texas tomorrow.
What did that idiot say about Joba?
Ugh…no…not Phillips again. What did he say?
Rebecca- I just went on Weather.com. Tomorrow’s forecast for Arlington is 102 and sunny.
PJH -
He’s saying seven decent innings is better from a starter than six dominant ones because of the effect it has on a team.
Thanks Steve, we all know that Joba’s pitch count gets up there pretty quickly. He’s freakin’ 22. Obviously there’s no way that he makes adjustments over the course of the rest of his career.
Chris Britton looks a little bit like King Leonidas
Honestly, Would you rather have 7 innings from Rasner with 3-4 runs on the board or 6+ from Joba with 0-1 runs on the board. Ill take the Joba 0-1.
I usually like the Olympics too. Having been to one, I can say they truly are an awesome sports experience. But I can’t say I’m very excited about this years, for some reason. I don’t think that the US will dominate in swimming.
PJH: Yeah, but that’s not counting the hurricane.
Nate: Steve Phillips is a moron.
Mo expected to be available tonight, ABC news.
“Ice chips? They’re in the clubhouse, not the delivery room.”
Nice to see your sence of humor back mel. Cant wait till the offseason when people dont get ripped for talking about Lunch pales or Parachute pants. Its gotten tough trying to make people laugh in here.
Stop with the Kobe stuff please. But i do think this years team is more fit for the Olympics. Alot of players that can break you down and also play some defense. CP should be the point guard getting most of the minutes.
The bajamas has a 100m guy that seems to have our number. But yes overall we should win the overall medals count. Cant wait!! Phelps wins 9 golds.
Melky has every opportunity to blossom into more than a 4th or 5th OFer and he just hasn’t gotten it done. No power and he doesn’t get on base.
Sadly, the Olympics have become so corporate and commercialized. Watching is tough, at times.
Love to see how this lineup works:
Damon DH
Jeter SS
Cano 2B
A. Rodriguez 3B
Abreu RF
Nady LF
I. Rodriguez C
Giambi 1B
Christian CF
Also, on the soon to blow-up scandal about scouts skimming bonuses for prospects signed: I’m sure that with people from 5 or 6 organizations being looked into (including the Red Sox and Yanks) all we’ll hear from Essentially Sox Proponents’ Network is ‘Yankees this ..’ and ‘Yankees that’.
Wait … did anyone else hear helicopters hovering over head?
Sounds like the guys involved were either skimming from the teams or the prospects. Unless it turns out they were representing the prospects and those were legitimate fees, but it sounds like that’s not the case. Who gets what money when signed should be clearly outlined for all to see. If it turns out they’re being scum bags, they ought to be fired if they haven’t been already.
I forgot who but someone posed a link for petitioning against pitch counts. A futile petition, but it does remind me of the year Nolan struck out 383 guys. He pitched 326 innings when he did it. When Randy Johnson struck out 372, he pitched about 250 innings. But get a load of this:
Will White was a right-hander who pitched from 1877-1886. His first season for the Red Caps he pitched 27 innings. The Reds got him the next year and nursed him up to a mere 468 innings (30W, 21L, 1.79ERA) then to 680 innings (43-31, 1.99) in his third season. They eased up on him after that … to 517 innings. He pitched only 18 inning for the Wolverines in his 5th season. Apparently this was either the Carl Pavano phase of his career or the Manny Ramirez phase, because after he switched teams again (to the Red Stockings) he pitched 480, 577 and 456 innings over the next 3 seasons.
This led to the Scott Proctor phase of his career as he slacked off to 293 innings (his 9th season) before his arm finally fell off in his 26-inning, 10th (and final) season. He was born in 1854 so he started at age 23 and retired at 33. He died in 1911 but they probably buried his right arm way back in 1890.
Pitch counts? Feh … they’re the talk of limp-wristed, mamby pamby cry babies including Kevin Youkilis. Try 3,542+ innings in a career with 3,492 of them being spread out over just 7 seasons. Nolan Ryan was a wimp. The guy went 229-166 with a 2.28ERA too.
Rebecca,
Thanks, good to know. Of course back spasms for Mo doesn’t call for panic like it did in the past. We could cover him for a bit. Like late and tied.
“Phelps wins 9 golds.”
Now those aren’t unreasonable expecations, are they?
mel: Exactly.
Mo’s probably the one guy on the team that I trust to be completley honest
“Sadly, the Olympics have become so corporate and commercialized. Watching is tough, at times.”
Not to mention highly politicized.
Didnt someone lose their job in 2003 for keeping Pedro out there too long? Im sure he’ll sign that petition. There should be another for relief pitchers inning counts. Torre would go for that one.
9 for 9 Angel. If he doesnt win all 9. Then blame his teammates. No pressure at all being him.
Umm, how about blame the fact that there are other swimmers from other nations competing against him and NOTHING is guaranteed in a sport there a few thousanths of a second can be the difference between gold and silver?
Joe Mama,
Yea, that Joba really sucks.
Steve Phillips needs to find a new line of work. Maybe him and Mike Lupica could start a blog and then maybe they’d convince themselves that someone, someplace in cyberspace might take them as seriously as they take themselves. Both are fools.
Can we stop with the Giambi hating?The guy gets on base 40% of the time and hits for power.I’m happy with Nady also but it’s ONE WEEK.
Hasn’t been too much focus on Tampa Bay’s 5 game winning streak. It’s a little scary though. Yankees have all these games on the road. I believe the White Sox/Twins will fade and that the wild card will come out of the AL East. But I’m worried that the Yankees could finish in third place in the division
Damn Angel forget it. Way to rain on the parade. Now he’ll freakin come up with a cold or the runs. Thanks for believing.
Why should I believe? I’m not American, lol.
Sheesh.
Another thing with innings limits & pitch counts:
In 1974, Mike Marshall pitched 208 innings for the Dodgers, going 15-12 with 143K, 56BB and a 2.42 ERA.
What’s the big deal about that seemingly unspectacular season stat line? He was a reliever who saved 21 games in 106 appearances that year. He had a 14-year career and he pitched for 8 more seasons after that one.
Dan giese is replacing rasner
If anything should be banned it’s showing MPH on outfield scoreboards and screens. Younger pitchers have a tendency to try and top out what what’s shown and consequently overthrow.
A member of the scouting staff with a radar gun behind home plate can relay to the dugout when a pitcher’s velocity drops off.
The more useful posting is the pitch count so the pitcher can see how economical he is.
Giese is fine as a long reliever…we’ll see how he does as a starter, I guess.
i hear you on espnews!!!!
good for dan giese lets see if hes the next aaron small
Genius analysis, jim.
“Why should I believe? I’m not American, lol.
Sheesh.”
Unless your Australian. It doesnt matter. I gotcha though. We’ll always have the Yankee as our common ground.
Geise? Why no IPK?
Sounded good on ESPNews Pregame…Go Yanks
Why Giese and not Kennedy or Aceves?
Matt: Tampa also has a ton of road games left, and unlike the Yaees, they don’t have a winning record there.
i think there gonna give IPK one more start at AAA before they bring him up
“The people clamoring for Giambi to move down are unbelievably short-sighted. You can’t try to ride out every streak and slump. He’s still got a ~.900 OPS for the season.”
Good for him and pursuit of a contract to another team next year. How does his .900 OPS help the team now? He hit .234 last month and 3 HR’s in the last 36 games (since June 18th). You want him at #5?
“and u r fat. GO SOX”
Is this the same weak troll from the angels game? The one that wasnt good enough to get his troll stripes? Did mommy take away the x-box?
Giese deserves the start.
ANSKY-
Love the Will White stuff.
Do you (or does anybody) know the name of that well-received chronicle of 19th century baseball? Been meaning to pick that up…
Ranger - I heard somewhere that Girardi and Eiland don’t think Kennedy is MLB ready and that he is getting away with pitches he wouldn’t get away with in the bigs.
This could just be a way of keeping his stock high for the offseason to trade him however.
ANSKY ;
You mentioned Mike Marshall. This article is a must read :
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-marshall051007
What is the point of trolls? People get off on pissing other people off? I don’t get it.
“ZMAN7777 August 4th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Just out of curiosity, where are folks from? I’ve been out in the Bay Area, CA for 11 years — originally from Westchester.”
Bay area here too…
Giese hmm… so instead of it being rasner for 4 and giese for 3, its not going to be Giese for 4 and then rasner for 3….
I smell a promotion for IPK or the franchise.
I think its a good move giving Giese the start on Friday rather than Kennedy.
The angels are the best team in baseball right now - by wide margin.
Throwing Kennedy into that kind of game is just asking a lot and stacking the chips against him succeeding.
I also think he needs more games in AAA. He’s throwing well down there - but not as well as he was last year when they called him up.
It would help him to build up as much momentum as possible before getting back to the majors.
Also - and this is peripheral but relevant - Kennedy grew up in orange county, not that far from Anaheim.
Pitching there for him would be a homecoming of sorts. On top of being his first game back he’d have to deal with pitching in front of friends and family - which entails arranging tickets, etc. and then performing in front of them.
That just makes it all the more likely for him to have issues from off the field affecting his performance.
Returning to the bigs after pitching so poorly is a challenge enough as it is.
Or it could be that they didn’t like the way he handled being sent down in the first place.
Kennedy isn’t ready for the majors.
“What is the point of trolls? People get off on pissing other people off? I don’t get it.”
The better question is why would someone want to be in another teams blog? Why would they spend all their time in finding other teams sites? Loser is the only answer i can come up with.
Giese has been very good in relief I am not sure moving him out of that role makes sense!!!!
I live in SOuthern Cal.. Kennedy has pitched in big games before he needs to do his job if called on, stop babying these guys.
why mess with the pen it is our strangth also how many innings can Geise give them? Best case 5!!!!
Thanks for the insightful post jim. Keep up the good work.
On another note, many of us were clamoring for a change in the rotation and I for one am not opposed to seeing Giese get another shot at starting. What’s the worst that could happen?
In the meantime, let this be a message to the young guys that you need to be consistent AND have a great attitude about pitching in NY.
And don’t get me wrong, I believe Kennedy will make a difference on this team even this season. But, if the organization thinks it best to keep him down in AAA, who are we to challenge their authority. They may know something we don’t.
I’d still probably go with Kennedy. I don’t think Giese can do it two times in a row against the Angels. Also, his second start against the Mets was kind of Ponson or Rasner-like.
Michelle, cool
— where in the Bay? San Jose here.
“Pitching there for him would be a homecoming of sorts. On top of being his first game back he’d have to deal with pitching in front of friends and family - which entails arranging tickets, etc. and then performing in front of them.”
Good point CB. Do you think this is a one and done for Giese?
Let’s go yanks!
I must admit that I feel more comfortable with Giese over Kennedy. But why not Kennedy over Rasner in long relief?
I would have liked for IPK to have gone up, Rassner DFA, but let’s be frank - right now it all depends on how Ponson does.
If Ponson gets shellacked tomorrow, then Giese may have to come in tomorrow anyway, which means IPK is back on Friday…..
Start Pavano!
wheeeeew! lolz! just saw the news pete posted and boy am i welieved. gooo dan gise or howeva us spell it!! lolz! my era is weally good wight now and i dont wanna wuin it by facing majow leaguews.
also i agwee with cb!! hes vewy smawt and i wanna subscwibe to his newlettew!! lolllz!!1
It’s a day off for Melky. They guy has played, like, just about every game. I wouldn’t read too much into that. I am glad Christian is getting a start; I’m glad Melky’s getting a rest.
That spot is for Hughes. Giese will get one or two starts, then Hughes will come up if he does well in Scranton. Rasner’s days are numbered with the Yankees at this point.
Bx is burning:
That and literally METRIC TONS more useless trivia info can be unearthed at:
www.baseball-almanac.com
You can also find & cross reference TONS of stats and historic factoids there, which prove the reasons why Red Sox trolls have always been (and will always be) little more than useless, unoriginal losers.
When they said that they would look to replace Wang with “internal” options I didn’t think that meant just Ponson and Rasner.
Could it be that they might want to have him dominate in AAA so he has some value in the offseason? Possibly a package for a first baseman? If he gets called up and proceeds to get hammered than we lose on the field and off.
lol^^^
“Or it could be that they didn’t like the way he handled being sent down in the first place.”
Ryan - what did IPK do when they sent him down? All I remember is a statement about how confident he felt prior to a game in which he actually did well, a statement which, when recounting, he prefaced with the knowledge that it was going to sound obnoxious.
What else did he do? I missed it somehow.
“Do you think this is a one and done for Giese?”
I think it all depends on how he is pitching in AAA. I don’t think they are going to call him up until they are certain he’s at a point where he can help the team by succeeding at the big league level.
And by succeeding all I mean is that he pitches decently enough as a 4/5th starter.
That’s means forget his statistics in AAA. It all depends on what the quality of his pitches looks like and how well he is commanding his stuff.
Kennedy can get AAA hitters out. Its a much more important question on whether he’s throwing pitches that will make him competitive at the major league level.
He’s throwing strikes and missing bats down there so those are positives.
But if they don’t think he’s ready - he’s not ready. It really gets down to the quality of the pitches he’s making down there. Statistics only partially reflect that quality in the minor leagues.
I get the sense they still think he has some issues to work on.
How Giese does may force their hand. But the more starts he gets in AAA the better.
Bx is burning:
Sorry but I don’t know the name of that specific 19th century baseball reference you’re talking about.
I don’t think Kennedy’s value can fall too much further. I would guess that it can only go up from where he stands. If he pitches to a 5.00 ERA, it would be an improvement.
That is true, IPK’s value would be higher if he doesn’t get smacked around up here but if I am a GM, I wouldn’t give up much since he still hasn’t proven to be anything more than a AAAA pitcher
Eep, please be okay Mo!
zman7777: oakland…i used to work in sunnyvale for the sabercats.
I dont think rasner needs to be DFA’d, he still has options left.
Oh no. Hope Mo is alright
Interesting Michelle. How many people do the SaberCats employ — apart from coaches and players?
Cheers, ANSKY.
I love baseball-almanac.
If I come up with the title of that recent history of the the early days, I’ll let ya know.
Folks, it’s not just about IPK.
It’s about Ponson, too.
If Ponson gets shellacked on Wednesday, IPK is back because Ponson is gone (either Giese or Rassner had to back him up, and if nothing else, the Yanks need a new long man in place for the weekend series in Anaheim).
If Ponson pitches well on Wednesday, then IPK will stay back in AAA, pending what happens on Friday.
this smells of the Yanks not wanting to DFA Rasner….
too bad…
Heres to Cliff Lee continue pitching like he has all year. This looks like a good day to gain ground.
IPK pissed Yankee management off when he was up this year. He deserves to be stuck in AAA. He acted like an arrogant idiot when he was up earlier. I’d much rather have Giese who’s pitched well for us. Give him a shot.
I don’t want Rasner as a long man, though. Scary thought.
“Could it be that they might want to have him dominate in AAA so he has some value in the offseason? Possibly a package for a first baseman?”
No. With the Nady/ Marte and Pudge deals the Yankees made a very loud statement that they are trying to win now.
That means they are going to do everything reasonable to win games. If they thought Kennedy gave them the best shot then he would be up here.
Another complication here is what to do with Rasner. He is out of options and he would never clear waivers.
I think if Kennedy gets called up to replace Rasner/Giese in the rotation then it will be Giese who gets sent down. I believe he still has options. Rasner will be the long man and Giese will get called back up when the roster’s expand.
The reason why you don’t want to just DFA Rasner is that he has trade value. He’s not great - but he’s cheap and would be fine as a long man out of the pen. He could be a decent guy to include in a trade as the 4th or 5th piece.
Or they could move him for a prospect in the lower minor leagues.
Rasner doesn’t have much value - but given how hard relievers are to find and how expensive - he has some.
I think this is just a spot start for Giese and the Yanks probably intend on promoting Kennedy to pitch next week instead.
Given his issues, I don’t think it would have been a sound strategy to throw Kennedy into the fire against the Angels in his first game back.
Kei Igawa is waiting in the wings!! lol
Just as soon as they add him back onto the 40 man roster
CB has a point.
You can’t DFA Rasner because he would never clear waivers. So many teas right now need pitching, or something remotely similar to it.
I mean, would you rather have Darrell Rasner starting, or Livan Hernandez?
Wait. I’m not sure I want the answer to that…
If the final game of the season at Boston is meaningless (one way or the other), the Yankees should pitch Igawa and Pavano as a going away present.
That’d be great Bx … thanks.
Game time is coming up so I’m going to do something besides dodge all the whiners’ & trolls’ comments. Sometimes I’ll just watch the game w/o reading what they have to say … what a concept.
Memo to all those tired of the whiners & trolls: Especially in losses, its much a easier way to enjoy the game for what it is.
Memo to the whiners & trolls: Relax … lighten up … get a life … or at least try using your other hand so it feels like someone else is doing it.
I’m fine with giving Giese the start as long as Giese is available to work