Hughes (and Melky) vs. Benson
-
- August
- 17
If you’re looking for a game to follow today, Scranton is about to face Lehigh Valley. It’ll be Phil Hughes vs. former big leaguer Kris Benson.
Melky Cabrera joined Scranton today and will be in their lineup batting first and playing center.
Hughes will be able to get to around 100 pitches today. The ones to pay attention to are the last 20 or so. That will reveal his arm strength to some degree and whether he is ready to return to the majors.
The Yankes need a starter for Saturday’s game in Baltimore and Hughes could be it.
Chad Jennings is on the scene in Allentown.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 4:53 pm by Peter Abraham.
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whats the best way to follow it?
Let’s go Phil!
Good luck to Phil and Melky.
minor league baseball game day link for the game:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/gameday/y2007/gd.html?2008_08_17_swbaaa_lhvaaa_1
Well at least I hope Hughes plays good.
I`m sorry to participate in the ridiculous fantasy trade proposal thing but I have a question.
After the season would this be a reasonable trade proposal?
Matsui+Kennedy+Melky for Matt Kemp?
If not would replacing Matsui with Damon be reasonable?
Nady has been with us for 3 weeks and he already had 7 HRs.
Isn’t Pavano also pitching today?
One of them should take the 5th starter spot.
Maybe the other replaces Rasner?
Your link is wrong. Unless you are encouraging us to contribute to the blog.
S.A.
Thanks for the link… gotta love the picture of Melky…as he awaits his AAA AB….
If they don’t pick up Marte’s option after the year will they get draft picks for him?
Here is the link Pete meant to post.
http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/Blogs/SWBYankeesBlog/tabid/552/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4225/Pregame-notes-Hey-look-its-Melky-Cabrera.aspx
Stupid Question August 17th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I`m sorry to participate in the ridiculous fantasy trade proposal thing but I have a question.
After the season would this be a reasonable trade proposal?
Matsui+Kennedy+Melky for Matt Kemp?
If not would replacing Matsui with Damon be reasonable?
PATHETIC TRADE OFFER
LA IS NOT TRADING HIM, AND GET OFF THE KICK
GO ON URE XBOX AND MAKE THE TRADE OFFER, BC IN REAL ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
Sorry ‘bout that. Just curious
Melky should not be leading off he is going to make them lose to! Supposedly they are trying to win a Championship themselves.
Can Milton Bradley play center?
C’mon Hughes, do good tonight. We need you back to pitch effectively for our stretch run.
And also, good luck to Melky on his new team. Hopefully this will be his wakeup call and he will fight his way back to the majors.
Winning isn’t the only thing they worry about in the minors. They want to get players right, and if they are injured that is where they rehab.
They obviously want to give Melky as many ab’s as possible.
Curious Brett how old are you?
“Can Milton Bradley play center?”
You should feel greatful that you have an excellent center fielder right now.
melky will prove all of you wrong.
he is the next bernie williams hair apparant
i bet most of you would have gotten rid of roy holliday when he was was sent to single A in 2000. 2 years later he won the cy young.
Hope they both have good games.
BTW, the Yankees are now 5 GB in the AILC of Boston, Minny, and Chicago. Boston will have a .5 game lead on the two central teams in the WC standings.
If the Yankees can win some games, it could get very interesting.
he is the next bernie williams hair apparant
Does Bernie have any hair right now?
lol, about the only thing Melky has on Bernabe is hair.
“melky will prove all of you wrong.
he is the next bernie williams hair apparant”
YOU MADE ME SPIT OUT MY MILK! HAHAHAHA! Thanks for the laughs. Maybe Melky can be King of triple A!
Looks like someones parents forgot to lock the computer. Gosh where did all these children come from?
hair apparent.
lol, about the only thing Melky has on Bernabe is hair.
Not even.
YES YOUR RIGHT LOL! THE only GOOD think about Melky Cabrera is he does have great hair!
Well, for what little it’s worth, Gardner’s raking since he came back. That’s like 2 of 3 games, but still. He even got an XBH today.
Unless we see serious improvement from Melky in the plate patience department, I’m almost liking Gardner’s chances of being an acceptable regular better. He is a very solid fundamental hitter for a kid, even though he’s a Juan Pierre in the power department.
We’ll have to see.
I’ll feel much better about this season if Hughes and Joba are in the same rotation and pitching lights-out come September. At least then we can have claimed to have taken some steps forward, no matter how few.
melkyisgod/brettisgod…what is going on here?
It’s too bad Melky isn’t the next Oscar Gamble hair apparent instead. Now THAT would be entertaining!
Melky + Kennedy + Igawa = AAA gold.
.....
So who is the next ‘god’ to emerge? brittonisgod? christianisgod? betemitisgod? rasnerisgod? traberisgod?
melkyisgod is mimicking me. But why choose Melky as a god? Seriously!
Brandon,
What are you saying? That melky’s a better player than Bernie or that Bernie has great hair? I’m confused.
brettisgod + melkyisgod = a very low standard for deification.
BBB: nice one!
“i bet most of you would have gotten rid of roy holliday when he was was sent to single A in 2000. 2 years later he won the cy young.”
This is a good reason why we shouldn’t bury Hughes, or even Kennedy.
It takes time for some guys to put it together. However, you can rightly criticize Cashman for having the season ride on them figuring it out.
If the Yankees aren’t any younger or most cost-effective in two years, I wouldn’t have any objections to firing him. His plan would have failed. It would be that simple. But he hasn’t had full control of the organization for very long.
Sorry didn’t see the new thread…
When Matsui gets returns, Damon must play centerfield in almost every game.
Giambi at first, Nady in left, Damon CF, Abreu RF and Matsui at DH – that’s what they need to do in every game remaining this season if they are still pursuing a playoff spot.
Matsui didn’t have surgery this season so he could come back and help the team make a playoff push. He didn’t do this rehab so he could sit on the bench for the last 38 games and play a couple of times a week depending on how his knees feel.
They need to play matsui as much as his knees tolerate – that means he has to be in the line up every day as long as his knees aren’t getting more swollen.
Why is that?
If the yankees are going to make the playoffs they will need to win around 70% of their remaining games.
That’s an enormous tall order for a team that’s been so bad for so long this year. But it’s possible. Do pull that off they will need to go on an incredible run. That run will have to lead by the offense. There is no way around that. The offense will have to catch on fire.
In order to win 70% of its remaining games the yanks will need to average scoring around 8 runs per game. That’s right – 8 runs per game. Their team ERA is around 4.3. If you assume that’ll continue to be their team ERA for the remaining 38 games (an optimistic assumption perhaps) they’re going to give up around 165 runs.
If you give up 165 runs over a 38 game stretch you’ll need to score around 300 runs over those same games in order to play .700 baseball.
There’s really not much you can shave off the team’s expected runs allowed to make their winning percentage go through the roof – team ERA of 4.3 is not bad. Even if they miraculously decreased that by 10% for the rest of the season they’ll still need to score a huge number of runs in order to play .700 ball over the remainder of the season.
It’s been the offense this year that put them in risk of making the playoffs.
If they are going to make the playoffs, the offense is going to have to score 8 runs a game. To do that you need all of your best hitters playing everyday and playing at a high level.
If you want to see what you have for next year you play Gardner. But if you’re serious about trying to make the playoffs you play Damon in CF as much as Matsui’s knees allow. That’s a must.
Could it be a sign?
Brian LaHair at the plate with two men on.
“brettisgod
August 17th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
melkyisgod is mimicking me. But why choose Melky as a god? Seriously!”
Is someone who’s using the name Brettisgod asking this question seriously
What are you saying? That melky’s a better player than Bernie or that Bernie has great hair? I’m confused.
young Bernie hair > over Melky
It is Dustin Pedroia’s 25th birthday today. I’m sure you will all want to extend your best wishes to him.
Birthday cards and Rograine gift certificates may be sent directly to Fenway!
Brandon,
LOL. And obviously Melky has the better arm.
Brandon,
LOL. And obviously Melky has the better arm.
Bernie’s accuracy >>> Melky’s
ray, I’m not sure you should bring Pedroia into the equation when we’re talking about great player hair.
brett gardner barely has any hair but the looks suits him. I AM CALLING IT NOW! MELKYS FIRST BAT WILL BE A POP UP!
Nick, all the more reason for the Rograine gift certificates.
Argh. Seattle almost did it. Ichiro slapped at the first pitch with the bases loaded. Seattle had 16 hits to Minny’s 17.
I can’t believe I’m actually sitting here pondering this, lol, but now I’m trying to figure out who has the best hair in baseball currently. I guess I’d go with Khalil Greene?
DEREK JETER HAS VERY BAD HAIR! Manny Ramirez also has VERY bad hair. A-ROD keeps his hair nice and highlighted.
BBB,
You can leave Jeter and A-rod out of that convo.
Eric Byrnes has pretty good hair. Has anyone seen Nady without a cap?
Mo says “Who cares about hair?”
melky is a gamer. remember who hit a HR off carmona last year in game 2 and threw a runner out at the plate in the very next frame? melky cabrera.
the guy is a money player. he is always in the middle of rallies and makes plays in the field.
him and cano brought a spark to a lifeless team. gardner hits a weak groundball in the 13th inning off an awful royals reliever and suddenly it has erased all the good melky has done for us in the past 2.5 years?
remember how he robbed manny of that HR?
melky is not going anywhere. once he gets hot, he can carry a team. a .300/20 HR/20 SB guy with GG defense do not grow on trees.
This is pretty cool from the Times:
Rodriguez, who finished with five runs batted in, homered to the entrance of Monument Park to tie the game. With two out, the next four Yankees combined for the cycle to produce three more runs.
Hey melkyisgod! If Melky is so good? Why is he in TRIPLE A? Exactly. You lose.
Mel: It’s so funny that you mention Byrnes cause just a few days ago, a few friends and I had a big drunken debate over who is more Jeff Spicoli-esque, him or Greene. I say it’s Khalil all the way.
Also, I think Jeter’s hair deserves to be in the conversation just for its retro 1992 Kid’N’Play comedic value alone!
Hey, when’s the last time the Yanks won a game going into an off day? All I can remember lately is frustrating losses leading into off days filled with recrimination, bitterness, and doubt.
At least now we can to enjoy an off day with (false?) hope.
Are two people actually arguing who is better between Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner? Shouldn’t it be an argument of who sucks less, since neither is exactly a great all around player yet, if ever?
Does anyone think Melkyisgod and Brettisgod are one in the same?
MELKY CABRERA JUST WAKED! LOL! He can’t even get a triple A hit? NOT COOL MELKY!
i wish the milb gameday had pitch speeds
Does anyone think Melkyisgod and Brettisgod are one in the same?
IDK I’m still trying to catch the similarity in the text
stolen base for the melk man
No Jennifer. I promise you that. I would be sick before praising that clown. Seriously.
At worst Melkyisgod and Brettisgod have to be twins, because they both lack taste in who they worship as baseball players.
melky out at home on a single
By the way, with 3 games coming on the turf in Toronto, don’t expect to see Damon start all 3 in the field.
We need a handwriting expert to figure this one out…
melky making things happen already
Before we even figure out if melkyisgod and brettisgod are one in the same, how old do we think him, or they are?
Melky is a downer in any bating line up,very irratic batter.He can be build him up like kyle and then trade for what you can get.
Is Scranton ready for Anna Benson? I think not….
Yes, Melky out at home allowed Miranda to advance to 2nd on the throw. Which set him up to score on Shelley’s ground rule double. Just like Melky planned.
8?, 10?
After doing a detailed analysis on “melkyisgod” and “brettisgod”, I have concluded that they are not the same person.
“brettisgod” has apparently never heard of the ”,” button. “brettisgod” uses countless exclamation marks and has frequent typos. His grammar is atrocious, saying “would of” instead of “would have”. “brettisgod” has, however, mastered the capslock key.
“melkyisgod” seems to have a better knowledge of baseball, using terms that might leaved “brettisgod” “confuded” (sic)
Both “melkyisgod” and “brettisgod” have one thing in common- they lack taste.
less than 13 because apparently it doesn’t let me type the less than sign.
I was thinking at least 12, maybe pushing 13
OMG MELKY IS JUST SO BAD! Sorry I had to say it. Now for certain Brett would NEVER GET TAGGED OUT! Have you seen the guy? He is freakin fast!
Yep, there’s that mastering of the caps lock again.
I don’t think that anyone between the ages of 8 and 13 would find their way to this site. And even if they did, they wouldn’t want to hang out with a bunch of old people who are cuckoo for their Yankees.
Well if they’re older than the age of 13, that really depresses me for where this world is heading
melky is more valuable in a bench roll too because he knows how to handle the bat and also has very good descipline at the plate and doesnt strike out much.
Yay, Taiwan beat China in softball!
Has anybody noticed the inability to correctly spell words?
heres a little stat as well:
melky will win more games with his arm than gardner will with his legs.
OH BE QUIET! YOUR SO ANNOYING! Melky strikes out MORE then ANY person on this team… I think. Correct me if I am wrong.
What exactly are the both of you debating? Who is the better 4th outfielder?
Who thinks that melky and brett should just have a fight to determine who the ultimate AAAA player really is?
Umm Chris it’s actually “to spell words correctly”
LOL. Rich Thompson trying to make things happen, too. Single, steal, thrown out at home on a single. Runner advanced to second on the throw.
But Hughes gets the K to end the inning.
“Umm Chris it’s actually “to spell words correctly†”
I never did well with grammar. I will freely admit that. Or is it that I will freely admit? haha
What are you? MELKYS BROTHER? I just cant imagine anyone liking him for such stupid reasons. Just so you know LEGS win runs not ARMS! DUH! Your making my head hurt.
melky is 6th on the team in strikeouts. john damon, abreu, arod, derek, and jermey giambi are all ahead of him
robinson cano is behind him slightley
gardner has 19 strikeouts in 19 games
melky cabrera has 56 in 117 games. dont forget melky is an intangabiles player too so his value is not only in the stats
Looks like we need a Melky vs. Brett cage match.
Or maybe a brettisgod vs. melkyisgod cage match instead?
Is there any Spanish players for Melky to talk to in Scranton?
“melky is 6th on the team in strikeouts. john damon, abreu, arod, derek, and jermey giambi are all ahead of him”
Uhh…When did Jeremy Giambi become a Yankee?
It’s okay. I’m still in high school so teachers bother me with stuff like that all the time.
Let Melkyisgod and Brettisgod fight and just continue talking about Yankee baseball.
Yeah, guys. Get a room. It’s not funny anymore.
yes
shelly duncan knows him from his time at the big league level
What are you making up words and stats now? There is no way Brett has 19 strikeouts in 19 games.
It’s not funny anymore? I don’t recall a time it was ever funny. It’s frustrating and mind boggling.
I think the only Spanish words are si, no, gracias, cerveza, and whatever “are you okay?” is in Spanish.
Im just going to ignore that dude because he is just trying to anger me. I can tell. I just want to talk baseball. Shelly Duncan speaks Spanish? And I thought Shelly got a very bad hand injury and couldn’t play for the rest of the season?
“What are you making up words and stats now? There is no way Brett has 19 strikeouts in 19 games.”
I’m not trying to add any fuel to the fire here, but Gardner has 19 strikeouts in 68 at bats…So yea, he does have 19 strikeouts in 19 games…
Brettisgod:
I’ve been patient. Now I’m not. Either stop with the stupid posts or you’re out. Enough is enough.
Phil Hughes,
2IP, 0 Runs, 1 SO, 2 Hits, 31 Pitches 26 Strikes.
Tu ta bien? That are you ok in Spanish
These two idiots should be banned. They might even be Sux trolls.
Melky Cabrera walks again. 2 AB’s, 2 BB, 1 SB.
Nice strike-ball ratio. Still would like to see more K’s though.
Why doesnt Melky try to hit the ball instead of keeping on walking?
At least Melky is working his walk.
The Yankees have been trying to get Hughes to focus less on striking people out and more on getting them to put the ball in play. They’ve even gone as far as teaching him how to throw a cutter. It’s seeming like they’re trying to make him primarily a ground ball pitcher.
(Because he can’t come back to MLB by just walking. He should try to hit) Sorry Peter I will be better.
Thanks, Ray. This thread was degenerating pretty badly; I was wondering if Phil was even pitching, LOL.
I read on another board that provided a link to Chad’s blog that Phil looked solid in the first – gave up two hits, but one was in IF single that should have been an error. He threw a couple of nasty curves and a couple of cutters. I just went on Chad’s blog and can’t find that entry, so I’m sorry I don’t have the link. Apparently, Chad indicated that Phil was throwing his FB about 91-92 (that seems very slow, but he admitted he wasn’t going by gun readings) and his cutter about 88-89.
CB, Joe said on the Joe Girardi Show that Matsui was going to DH
I think that’s stupid to try and change Phil yet again. It’s great to add a cutter and get ground balls, but making people miss bats and K’ing people is just as good
I think the reason they were doing that with Phil was a way to have him be more economical with his pitch counts and minimize the number of pitches he throws per inning, which was a big problem for him earlier in the season. He’d be at 80 pitches by the 4th inning and wouldn’t have much left.
Those are two things he needs to correct. He needs to get back to his Trenton-style where he got tons of groundballs and still struck out a better an inning. That is what made him the #1 prospect in baseball.
This year, he has been a fly-ball machine and barely gets swings and misses. Remember that Baltimore game where he only had 1 swing and miss in the 90 pitches he threw? His movement has also been non-existent for the most part.
He needs to have the ability to do both, thats what made him the #1 pitching prospect in 06. They need to stop teaching him new pitches and changing his mechanics and just go back to what made him dominant.
Phil has always been a groundball pitcher. That changed after he came back from his hamstring injury. But towards the end the ratio was swinging back in favor of groundball outs.
But I agree that it’s crazy to mess with him too much. He needs to pitch without thinking too much.
Pavano worked around 2 line drive hits, but struck 2 batters and got a fly out to jackson.
1ip 2 hits 0er 2k’s 0 walks
Fastball command and using the changeup is the key.
Brettisgod, um no offense, but any new person reading this blog for the first time and see’s you just keep praising Brett Gardner realizes how stupid you are.
Okay, Brett has done surprisingly okay for his 2nd call up. But if he were a “god” then why would they have sent him down the first time. We may be seeing glimpses of his speed and okay hitting, but don’t forget how horrible he was his last time up. You are over doing it and are making a complete idiot out of yourself.
As for Melky walking. That’s a good thing. That means he is taking pitches. No offense but if he did that on the Big League team, he would have helped this team out a lot more. So shut up about him “not hitting” and give the kid a break. He may have been bad but Brett was just as bad when he was up last time.
Katie is definitely the voice of reason.
Mark,
Thanks. That’s at Trenton, no? I predict that Phil will come up and Pavano will go to SWB. If Phil struggles, Pavano will follow post haste.
Yea Carl pitching for the Thunder tonight.
It gets tiring reading how well Brett is doing and giving him credit for everyone else’s hits. It’s ridiculous and old.
How fast is Hughes fastball? I’ve seen reports where he throws mid 90s yet in his stint in the big leagues he rarely got higher than 90 to 92. Can we expect this guy to be a power pitcher or a guy that pitches to contact?
I know Hughes pitched extremely poorly at the beginning of the season, then got injured, but has anyone said that maybe he was injured at the very onset of spring training and just kept it to himself and tried to pitch through it?
School can’t get back in session soon enough. That will give these kids something to do other than filling this blog with nonsense.
Ok Katie. I am not going to praise Brett so much. I am only going to praise Brett when he plays good. I am going to stop insluting Melky so much to. I was just thinking that hits are going to look better to the MLB Yankees then walks. He has to get his average up. As for Brett I think the 2nd Brett you are seeing is the real true Brett. Brett did pretty good his 1st time up but like everyone said he worked on his hitting and now he is truly phenemenal.
“Brett did pretty good his 1st time up but like everyone said he worked on his hitting and now he is truly phenemenal.”
The only response that can be dignified with, is that it’s been 3 games, let’s not start putting a plaque in monument park just yet.
Phenomenal? No, not quite. He is doing better, I agree but he is not phenomenal. You can’t call him that until his batting average is over .300. And even then, you can’t call him phenomenal.
anyone else having major difficulty accessing chad’s blog?
Tidrow – In the past, he was a power pitcher. Now, its apparent the Yankees are trying to make him into a contact guy to get him to be more economical.
Kind of strange to tinker so much with the former #1 pitching prospect, but you have to trust that Cashman/Nardi know what they are doing.
Don’t encourage this kid. He’s probably no older than 10 and is doing this to get attention.
If he’s older than 10, then he is one of Ben Stiller characters in Tropic Thunder and, for those who saw the movie, it isn’t the movie star.
sj-
there was a caller on wfan named bill from manhattan who had the same idea as you in terms of buck showalter..i just found it funny when i heard it…wasnt you was it?
When I was 10, I wrote on the walls when I wanted attention. I didn’t post on blogs haha
2nd inning for Carl line drive hit, followed by a 1-6-3 dp, then 4 pitch walk, then a weak ground ball back to pavano for the 3rd out.
2ip 3 hits 0 er 2 k’s 1 walk
Hughes line so far:
3 5 2 2 0 3 – 60 pitches, 45 strikes
Obviously he is throwing a ton of strikes. Anybody know how his velocity is tonight or which pitches have been working for him? Looks like all of them from the 45 strike/15 ball ratio.
Chad’s blog is going so so slow for me and I think its because alot of pople want to know how Phil Hughes is going to do. I think we will have to just agree to disagree about Bretts abilities and thats that.
No offense but i’m wary of trusting Cashman when it comes to talent evaluation.
By the way, Melky is working the counts down there – 12 pitches over 2AB and took 2 walks and scored a run.
I read an interesting article today about Jonny Damon and him converting to a 1B next year if the Yankees do not get Texiera. Anyone know anything about that? I remember last year he took some ground balls there but didn’t know he would be an option.
No, it wasn’t me.
I just think any good organization needs to constantly examine how they do things…...can they do better, and grab talented people when they become available.
Buck Showalter is a talented guy. He would be an asset to the organization. Whether that would be as a consultant or in a larger capacity.
The post-96 crowd forgets but, Buck and Stick Michael rebuilt the Yankees. Not Joe Torre. Not Mike Francesa or Bill Maddon and not Brian Cashman on his own.
Buck and Stick made playing for the Yankees mean something again. They restored Yankee Pride.
If there are people in the organization threatened by hiring Buck, there is a simple solution? You get rid of them.
You can never have enough good baseball people in your organization.
That’s why so much has slipped through the cracks this year.
How much money does a player make in Triple AAA?
Pete- Please Banned this clown. brettisgod.
Can Damon make the throw to 2nd base on the 3-6-3 double play with his pop gun arm is what i want to know. If he can do that and field ground balls i don’t see why he can’t play first.
i agree with you 100%
do you think he would go for it? (showalter that is)
Phenomenal? No, not quite. He is doing better, I agree but he is not phenomenal. You can’t call him that until his batting average is over .300. And even then, you can’t call him phenomenal.”
Make that .200, atleast.
Im not typing in caps locks or insulting Melky anymore. I am talking baseball.
Does anyone watch the Little League World Series? What is your opinion of it if you watch it?
It would be a cheaper alternative. That way Miranda has another year to develop. I know his arm is weak, but if he can do the basics, I don’t see how he wouldn’t be an upgrade to Giambi or Betemit.
I dont want to argue about him anymore. Its making me upset that people dont think he is good
we won 2 in a row, who will sit now.
Girardi will rest Arod against Brunett.
Phenomenal? No, not quite. He is doing better, I agree but he is not phenomenal. You can’t call him that until his batting average is over .300. And even then, you can’t call him phenomenal.â€
Make that .200, atleast.”
Good Point, but I do see him being a sub .300 hitter. If we can get him to bunt more it might help. He has great speed, so it might help with the double play balls we always seem to hit into. I see him more of a single’s hitter than anything but he can turn those into doubles if he hits it well enough. I guess we will just have to wait and see at this point.
Wow; Buck Showalter back with the Yankees as a consultant? I like the idea. He seems to be a very knowledgeable baseball man although he is known to be very controlling and headstrong. How would that go over with Cashman? If Showalter were hired as GM i could see it now; him and Girardi butting heads at every turn…lol
“brettisgod
August 17th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I dont want to argue about him anymore. Its making me upset that people dont think he is good”
Notice how you said “people”. Don’t you think that if you’re the only one who thinks he’s good, and everyone else thinks he is not good myabe he’s not Good?
Brett is, and will be a good player but please stop saying he’s god.
No lets try because some people on this blog like him. Brandon and bbb like him and think he is good. You cant say he isnt good because if he was that bad Joe Giradi would not say he is our new centerfielder.
Is funny how so many of you have lost faith in this team. I might be crazy but I still believe we’re going to the playoff and I’ll bet money on it.
I just can’t imagine all that talent go to waste.
Brett’s a scrappy player that we’re all pulling for. We need him to be good.
Next subject, please.
“Does anyone watch the Little League World Series? What is your opinion of it if you watch it?”
I’m from Ct and I enjoy watching the CT team play, I think they can actually win it this year. I was watching a game the other day and Florida was absolutely destroying the ball in the first inning. I forgot who they were facing, but I felt awful for the kid pitching. He let up something like 10 runs in the top of the 1st inning and was pratically in tears while he was pitching.
Katie…...It would be a cheaper alternative. That way Miranda has another year to develop. I know his arm is weak, but if he can do the basics, I don’t see how he wouldn’t be an upgrade to Giambi or Betemit. I totally agree with this assessment. Also; Damon has one more year on his contract so you can let him play out his last year in pinstripes at firstbase then send him on his merry way and let the youngsters take over.
Let’s try, I know some places that will take that bet right now, but I suspect Pete wouldn’t appreciate links to gambling sites on the blog.
If Giambi is cut loose and we don’t get Tex, I wouldn’t be shocked to see some type of Damon/Posada 1st base tandem as a stop-gap. Stop-gap to what, I can’t say.
Hughes has allowed 4 runs in 4 innings to the worst offensive team in the International league. 85 pitches thru four IP
ray( red sox fan)
did you know that livan hernandez’s lifetime batting average is twenty points higher than jason varitek’s average this year?
now ,i’m not trying to cause trouble.
i’m just saying.
... but good thing the red sox didn’t pick up livan,
it would have been embarrassing having the catcher dh’d for.
SJ—
Is Buck still affiliaed with Cleveland? I thought they had hired him as a consultant. I know he does ESPN but I thought he was also still also with Cleveland.
Does anyone know if SWB has a radio broadcast? I know the Poorsux do, so I wondered if we could get broadcast from SWB.
Brettisgod, it is excellent when your player walks. It means he is taking pitches and reading the ball well. What you want from you leadoff hitter is to get on base, however he has to do it.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that thinks it is totally reasonable for Damon. The only problem (well it’s not really a problem) would be who we put out in the outfield. Haven’t the Yankees proven they don’t want to rush Austin Jackson? So we could go out and get an outfielder instead of a 1st baseman. Nady in RF. Gardner or Melky battle it out for CF and if they don’t get an outfielder we could put Bret in LF. Atleast until we know what we have and then gradually bring Austin Jackson into the mix.
I think it’s safe to say that Bannister will never don pinstripes and that the Yankees will make every effort to extend Xavier Nady.
Can we place bets on those two things?
And I’ll place money on Giambi not being back next season.
In the 3rd for Carl line drive hit, force out at 2nd 1 out, bunt single, fly out 2 out, fly out to end the inning.
Pavano 3ip 5 hits 0 er 2k’s 1 walk
I know, I saw that game. I think they were facing South Dakota. I saw CT in the regional game since I’m in NYC but I am very impressed with the defensive plays these kids make. I am a Little League coach and it’s nice to see these coaching actually teaching good solid baseball too this kids. And the pitching hasn’t been bad, but I noticed most of these pitchers have curveballs and I am not a preacher of curves. Hopefully Little League will do something about that.
lmao …...Pete going all Jules on Brettis god
Pete: What does Brett Gardner look like?
Brett: What?
Pete: What country you from?
Brett: Brett is god.What?
Pete: Brett is god ain’t no country I ever heard of! They speak English in Brett is god.?
Brett: What?
Pete: ENGLISH, MOTHERF-ER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?
Brett: Yes!
Pete: Then you know what I’m saying!
Brett: Yes!
Pete: Describe what Brett is god looks like!
Brett: Brett is god…What, I-...Brett is god.?
Pete: Say Brett is god again. SAY BRETTISGOD AGAIN. I
dare you, I double dare you, motherf-’er. Say Brett is god one more gdamn time.
Phil Hughes is runnin into trouble
yes trisha…on their website there is an audio link..its free
Hughes struggling. 4 Runs 7 hits in 4th inning. I wonder if his stuff is good. Sometimes numbers can be deceiving.
haha Vince love it!!
Hughes could be under orders to work on certain pitches and told not to worry about the score.
CB – excellent post at 5:24 p.m. It was exactly the idea that I was trying to get across but you articulated so much better. Matsui is not here trying out, he’s here because he is a much-needed veteran presence. His DHing of necessity puts Damon in center. Yes, if we’re in it for the playoff run, we need our veterans out there. If we were just playing out the string, then Matsui likely wouldn’t even be back and we could let the rooks get their time in.
Miranda is a BUTCHER in the field though… Betemit bad. He also is terrible against lefties. I see him as a platoon player off the bench.
We;ve had a revolving door of 1st baseman since Tino left. We’ve tried the likes of Sexon, Giambi, Sheffield, Betemit, Duncan, Minky, Andy Phillips, etc. We finally have an opportunity to get a GG 1st baseman like Tex who can also hit and is a switch hitter, we need to jump on it. 8 years for an offensive player is not that risky. Giambi was already 31 when we signed him and had the steroid allegation around him.
Cashman has said on numerous occasions that he is disgusted with the offense. Even Hank said Cashman told him that the offense was more of a concern going forward than the pitching. Thats why I doubt they bring back the same aging group that has failed us this year and they will do whatever it takes to shake up the offense. Now that doesn’t mean we will get Tex, but I’d imagine the offense will look quiet different next year. Not to mention… do Posada and Damon even want to play 1B?
Hughes. ouch. Probably doesn’t mean much.
RalphieD – thank you!
Goin there now.
SJ—I love your idea about bringing Buck back into the organization, but not as a field manager.
I think the experience he had here in the past and the type of player he was fond of did indeed help set the stage to what happened.
I don’t think Cashman would take kindly to this though.
I really wish that the Steins would Cash the president of the Yankees and hire someone like Buck to handle personnel.
When Buck first came in he had NOTHING to work with and I remember the resurgence just starting to take place. Guys like Stankiewicz who weren’t all stars, but played the game hard and played right helped set the stage for what was to come much later. Transition players like him and Stanley and Gallego to some extent changed the culture of the clubhouse and got us out of the Mel Hall era and into the dynasty.
Buck knew how to get the most out of the least in the beginning and I think he would have a great acumen for finding gamer/grinder types who aren’t all or nothing players. He also would have a good idea on how to build a club that complements itself.
I hope the Brothers Stein consider someone like him who is a link to the past and a link to how this recent run was built. Considering Stick is still in the organization, pairing him and Buck up in the front office would not be the worst idea in the world.
And Pete? Please ban BretisGod. You can’t even read through the forums here he’s so annoying.
Hughes getting rocked… maybe its best to just keep him down there for now. Atleast for another start.
I also think it may be wise to let him start next season in AAA.
Hughes updated line:
3.2 8 5 5 0 4 – 91 pitches, 63 strikes, 1 HBP, 2 2B, 2-run homer, responsible for man on first
He has a 100 pitch count tonight so it doesn’t look like he is through. It appears that he lost the strike zone this inning.
Got to full counts a few times and then laid an egg right down the middle so as to not walk anybody. Not good considering a lot of us were hoping this would be his last tuneup game before returning to the big club.
Leave brettisgod alone, the meds have obviously kicked in.
Too bad about Hughes. Hopefully they make up the deficit. They’re in a pennant race.
I think the answer is that neither Damon nor Posada want to play first base much/at all. But two disgruntled first basemen may equal one first baseman that is … gruntled.
Realistically, I doubt we will end up with Damon/Posada at first. Tex or no Tex.
And I don’t think Austin Jackson will be in the mix much/at all for 2009, still too soon.
Hughes done at 3 and 2/3rds 8 hits 5 er 0 walks 4k’s and gave up a homer and 91 pitches 63 for strikes 3-3 go/fo.
melky still has a .80 higher avg than gardner
Yep. You’re right. It was South Dakota that they played. I’m not a big fan of younger kids throwing breaking balls, it puts way too much stress on their arm, which is why 13 and 14 year olds are starting to have Tommy John Surgery. It’s completely ridiculous.
randy l. ( i can bunt)
August 17th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
ray( red sox fan)
“did you know that livan hernandez’s lifetime batting average is twenty points higher than jason varitek’s average this year?”
Hey randy. I wish I had something to refute your statement but what you say is absolutely true.
Varitek has been awful at the plate, and it is not just a case of hitting the ball where it is easily caught. I know some Yankee hitters have done poorly with RISP, but more often than not Varitek has been striking out in those situations.
It will be very interesting what the Sox offer him at the end of this year in terms of a contract.
All right, any watch Phil’s outing? Was the outing better than the numbers look? Because when I saw them I recoiled in disgust, well disappointment anyway.
whenever i hear the name kris benson, his wife comes to mind. are they even still together? lol
Anyone think that Hughes got a little nervous because he knows he’s playing to get back to the big dance? I’m not making any excuses because I haven’t been following his starts, but Girardi did say that either he or Pavano would be the 5th starter, depending on how they did in their outings.
(As an aside, I taped the Sux postgame and am watching it now, both for enjoyment and to listen to hear whether they think anything physically is wrong with Beckett and also whether Nancy looks to be DLd. Let you know what I hear…)
Chris you are so right. My brother is a pitcher and he throws a change-up but dominates mostly with fastballs. One of his friends who is about 13 is recovering from TJ surgery which is amazing at just a young age.
Yikes. Not a good outing for Phil
Ok, I obviously meant that he was through with his pitch count being so high already. I would imagine if they just told him to work on pitches they would have left him out there to finish off the 4th inning but they didn’t so that doesn’t sound good to me.
Hughes did not pitch well tonight for Scranton. Pavano holding his own at Trenton
Pavano: 3.0 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K
Hughes: 3.2 IP 8 H 5 R 5 ER 0 BB 4 K (91 pitches) pulled from game.
I was a pitcher for 12 years and I didn’t learn to throw a breaking ball until I was almost 16, because my coaches felt my arm was too young to be able to handle the strain it puts on your elbow. Apparently a lot of other coaches don’t feel that’s necessary. I mean 13 years old and having tommy john surgery? Where’s it gonna stop?
Not for anything, but Trenton doesn’t really equate to Scranton. Have all of Pavano’s starts been at Trenton?
WTF is wrong with Melky tonight? Trying to stretch a leadoff single?
I’m not hearing anyone say that there were any physical problems with Beckett. He just had a very poor outing.
Dr. I agree with you—I still think its foolish they are implying that Hughes has a guaranteed spot in the rotation next year. The smart thing to do would be to allow him to throw 150 dominant AAA innings and allow him to have a full minor league season to adjust to his new mechanics/pitches where there is no pressure. He also can build his innings up and get some confidence.
We rushed him here to begin with, there is no harm in letting him have a full year of AAA experience. Then in 2010 if he has shown dominance, he can slide right into the rotation and not have to worry about innings or anything. Thats why its good we can get Andy/Mussina on 1 yr deals and we should take advantage of it instead of rushing guys.
Carl in the 4th- ground out, Solo homer, fly out, strikeout
Pavano 4ip 6 hits 1 er 3k’s 1 walk 1 homer allowed
I know. I try to teach these young kids to stop throwing breaking pitches but all they see is this ML pitchers throw breaking pitches and they want to copy. Until Little League and/or MLB does something about it, kids aren’t going to stop.
Disappointing outing for Phil…....too bad, but hopefully he’ll do better next time.
Thanks Ray. I’m not quite as frenzied with a “foreign” presence during AAA games…
What’s the word on Drew?
By the way, Tom Caron and Dennis Eckersley said it wasn’t really a good sign that your team doesn’t play the Jays well since you have 10 more games with them.
Cool.
I am listening to the Thunder game. 5 of the 6 hits are singles, one a solo homer. Of the 5 singles 4 of them were hard hit lines drives. The other was a bunt for a hit.
Melky is pushing the envelope tryin to make stuff happen. 1 for 1 with 2 walks, an outfield assist and got thrown out stretching a single. Hey, he’s batting 1.000 down there.
I’m starting to think that the Yankees have tinkered with Phil a bit too much. First they changed his mechanics, now they’ve had him add a new pitch….....Phil should just be Phil. His stuff and mechanics were good enough for Phil to be drafted and they sure were good enough to be made the #1 pitching prospect in the game. Why do the Yankees have to fiddle with that?
Also, one bad start does not mean that Phil needs to spend all of next year in AAA or that he isn’t ready to pitch in the the majors.
Trisha,
No official word on Drew yet, other than the fact that he left the game after the 3rd inning with lower back tightness.
You are absolutely right Melissa. My cousin is 9 years old and knows how to throw a curveball. It drives me absolutely crazy.
JR I think we all know that Melky has the goods. I personally believe he got a little too full of himself and carried away with the fun of the Melky-Robby duo. Look at the miraculous turnaround Robby has had since Melky’s been gone. The kid isn’t stupid. He saw the handwriting on the wall, plus I would think he got a headsup from some of the guys in the clubhouse.
So if Robby can buckle down, so can Melky. This will be a lesson for Melky one way or the other. If he’s smart enough to play himself back up to the big club, the only thing that will remain to be seen is whether or not the lesson sticks.
And the mass exodus continues. Shawn Kemp will play professional ball in Italy. Reports say that Italy had to outbid Amsterdam by quite a few euros for his services.
Trisha,
Just one more quick thought. Indeed Toronto has played us very tough this year. Without looking it up I think the Sox record against them is 2-6 right now.
How the Sox play in this next road trip against Baltimore, you guys, and Toronto will play a huge part in their post season chances.
That’s crazy. I tell my brother to minimize how many change-ups he throw and he working on a splitter but he doesn’t use it. It’s just amazing how many coaches mess up kids future by teaching them how to throw a curveball.
Personally I’m not thrilled with the “progress” made by little leaguers and little big leaguers. When you see high school kids having TJ surgery it is horrendous. My nephew just turned 13 and spent the majority of his spring and summer on the “DL” because he hurt his elbow throwing. He isn’t even a pitcher! He ended up having to go to PT and have MRIs. The kid is 13! I think it’s sick. They really push these kids and the kids themselves are so damned competitive. It used to be that it was fun for kids. I truly think those days are gone.
Chad has a Hughes recap up on his blog.
Trisha and Melissa, I agree with both of you entirely. The pressure coaches begin to put on kids at an even younger age now is completely absurd. And with kids like that Inoa getting signed by Oakland at the age of 16, it just puts added pressure on kids to out perform everyone else and to pull out all teh stops to try and make something of themselves. It’s getting completely out of hand in my opinion.
Man Hughes got rocked. I think he is nervous because it has been said way too much that he can be coming up very soon. I think he should have one more start before they risk it.
Shawn Kemp? Well, that will certainly send David Stern into a tailspin.
Trisha, I agree with you 100 percent. Coaches are not as concern with the health of these kids as much as winning. I was one that was very happy that they put the 85 pitch limit. I remember watching coaches let their kids throw over 120 pitches at the age of 12. It’s just crazy.
ray
They were speculating on baseball tonight that Beckett is hurt. They talked about how he was running to cover a base as well as Some compensation he might have been making on some of his pitches
as the season is already over, I wish we could debate something more relevant….like who’s the hottest female olympian in these games?
SJ44: have to admit, i agree with these posts 100%. And i have been (and continue to be) a firm supporter of Cashman, Opp, and Girardi.
will you be submitting a recommendation, for the hiring of Buck, as a consultant?
so according to chad jennings, hughes didn’t have great velocity and was pretty hittable.
looks like the rasner show will continue, atleast another start
Thank you for that update gayle. I didn’t have a chance to watch that.
Maybe Hughes just hit a wall in this start, and will do better his next.
Carl in the 5th ground out, k, k,
5ip 6 hits 1 er 5k’s 1 walk 1 homer allowed
Sounds like he is done.
I hope Hughes was just trying to “save” his stuff for the Big Leagues. (I know a stupid thought). Clearly the kid needs another start in Scranton.
The question is, can we afford to let him make that start in Scranton or in the Big Leagues?
Regardless of how Phil did would not have changed Rasner being here. We do not have a 5th starter right now because Giese is injured. Hughes would have taken the 5th spot in the rotation while Rasner would have been safe until Joba comes back.
Now, not only did Hughes have a bad start in terms of IP and runs allowed but now we are hearing his velocity was down as well. That is not good at all.
Melissa I think it is unforgiveable. My nephew’s team was in the “postseason” the last time before he hurt his elbow and he was still in the minors (kid’s minors). Their team was playing the Marlins. The Marlins played like a well-oiled machine. If one of their kids made a mistake, or overran first base, let a ball drop, etc., the coaches would SCREAM at the kid and berate him. The kids were 10 and 11 year olds. My nephew’s team got killed because the other team was really incredible. But I had to wonder at what cost. It broke my heart to see kids being screamed at that way.
If it’s borderline at all, I think Hughes has to start again in Scranton. Even if that means Pavano.
I’ve always liked Nick Green. What a nice guy and hardworking player.
Well Joe said it will be either Hughes or Pavano, or other options in the minors. Lets hope that the other options he was talking about isn’t Kei Igawa. Although I can’t see it being him since he isn’t on the 40.
I seen that ALL the time. Parent are another factor in Little League. As a coach, you have to deal with parents all the time. They don’t just let us do the work and teach these kids. Just come and watch your son/daughter have fun. There is no reason to scream at a kid. It is sad to see coaches scream at kids who just want to play and have fun. They should let the kids have fun. Mistakes are a part of the game. Don’t make these kids feel bad about themselves. It’s just a game.
The Yanks are hanging on with a chance for the Wild Card. Boston has a lot of road games coming up. Five games out does not make them dead with 39 to play.
Unless Phil Hughes was specifically working on his pitches and not concerned with getting outs, he should stay in the minors. This isnt Spring Training. We’ve already seen how poorly Hughes is capable of pitching in the majors. Tryouts are over until the Yankees are eliminated in ‘08.
The thing that worries me about Hughes is his velocity or lack thereof. He seems to have stamina problems. When he was up with the big club he would start with a pretty good fastball in most games then fall off in velocity. Is he in good shape? Does he work out hard enough? I don’t know. Hopefully it’s just growing pains.
Sounds like it could be a dead arm period, which considering Phil has been pitching regularly after a long layoff makes sense. That would explain the drop in velocity, although apparently Phil’s velocity has dropped in each of the last few starts. Hmmm
Drive 4-5, anyone is allowed a bad outing. You say we’ve seen how poorly Phil can pitch in the big leagues, but we’re talking just a few starts from this year. What about what we saw from him in 2007? The kid can pitch, but obviously he does need another start in AAA
Michael Kay reference the Joe Girardi show in the game today, mentioning that he asked Joe if Melky will be back…Kay didn’t answer the question…does anyone know what Girardi said?
Juan Miranda has hardly been a butcher at first this season. Only 3 errors and dozens of fine diving stops. I had heard he was below-average in the field but this season he has been outstanding. His average vs. lefties is 120 points lower than against RHP
I doubt they would have him “work” on new pitches in a rehab start. The objective is to stretch him out and help him get his command and stamina back. Then you can start to work on things. Just because it has been revealed that he is learning a cutter, doesn’t mean they are telling him to only work on that. Also when you consider that the Yankees are itching to bring him back, it makes it even more curious for them to tell him to “work” on other things when he he has had pitch limits all these starts. And they yanked him 10 shy of his mark anyway, if he was working on things they would have tried to get him to work out of the jam.
Besides, his changeup is the most important breaking pitch he has to master anyway, before he tinkers with anything else.
i’ve been coming in here every day lately, swimming upstream and saying it:
I DO NOT CONCEDE ANYTHING!
not to the red sox
not to the devil rays
5 games behind in the w.c. with 6 weeks to go is not time to concede and start thinking about next year, no matter what the post says and no matter what pete says
Let’s Go Yankees!
Melky has seen 21 pitches tonight over 4AB…3 walks and a single with a run scored.
Scranton has come back to tie the game at 5. I wonder how close Scranton’s ballpark is from Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office. Any ‘Office’ fans out there? (premieres Sep. 25)
i just hope they haven’t messed this kid up beyond repair. now he has a dead arm? and he is working on a cutter? it seems he has regressed in each rehab start.
man thank god for joba
Melky can keep walking all he wants. He’s still a 4th outfielder, at best.
Dead arm periods are normal, especially coming back from inactivity such as Hughes’. No reason for concern.
I seem to remember hearing Hughes is a slow starter and seems to get better as a season moves on. If that’s the case he won’t do the Yankees any good this year considering there isn’t much time to allow him to build up a head of steam to reach his peak performance.
Maybe A-Rod’s 1st inning HR into Monument Park woke up the ghosts today. We can only hope.
most pitchers hit a dead arm period in ST, and this is essentially ST for phil again.
not worried at all, we’ll have him up all september.
hideki’s coming back, joba’s coming back and phil’s coming back just in time for the pennant race.
5 behind and now it looks like something’s wrong with beckett! the worm is beginning to turn!
Tidrow – he does seem to have stamina/injury/recovery problems.
For a guy with an ideal pitchers build (6’5, 230), it is very concerning. if you take out 2006, he has been pretty injury prone. nomaas.com did