Interleague issues for the Yankees
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- June
- 24
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The Nationals, Marlins and Braves are 85-118 (.418) against teams not named the Yankees.
They are 5-2 against the Yankees.
The Yankees are 5-8 in interleague games. Other teams in the AL East:
Red Sox 8-5
Rays 8-5
Jays 5-8
Orioles 9-4
Thanks again, Luis Castillo. It should be even worse.
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on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 9:25 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
The only good news is that the Red Sox haven’t exactly plowed through the NL this year like they have in previous years.
The other good news is that the Yankees are still tied for a wildcard berth despite playing horrendous baseball for the past 2 weeks.
I’m just one person and can’t make a difference around here… but this site is just too negative for me and that is a major disappointment because I soak the information up and learn a lot from many of you. I’m just not mature enough to ignore the nastiness.
Maybe I’ll come back after registration or when someone isn’t allowed to make fun of a dead WFAN caller.
Congrats to the bridge jumpers and trolls…you beat me.
questions from the last post…
the lack of a real person doing advanced scouting is an interesting point. I know with the video technology available that may not be as valuable as it once was, but I’m curious how many other teams still have advance scouts on the payroll…also, the video technology only works if the Yankees use it…any one with the inside info on how players utilize the video scouting reports?
Thanks
Fans are passionate, and right now the Yankees stink.
I am gobsmacked at the amount of ” fans” that say they have to leave here now that people are “negative”??
Is this Disneyworld? Should we all stand in line lockstep and uvulate?
this team is a huge failure so far. And yes we have been led to believe from our ubermasters that we are the bestest, greatest, most prideful blah blah blah ad nauseum.
May I politely suggest the problem is we as fans NEED to eagerly swallow the pablum we are fed by our team and its minions, so WE can feel we are the bestest and brightest, and when we slowly awake to the reality that up is down, and in is out, we rightfully get pissed?
Bye Bye pollyannas, many of us love this blog, maybe you should start your own blog for the groupthink koolaid drinkers.
Jays are 5-8 in interleague, not 4-8. We beat Cincinatti last night.
As far as the advance scouting thing, logic would tell me that it would be better to see with your own two eyes than rely on someone elses report. However, randy l. or SJ44 probably would have better insight on how valuable a live set of eyes would be.
the positives of the blog far out way the negatives…it’s a lack of mental toughness IMO if you can’t handle it…
just approach the site as a normal conversation/debate and ignore the crap…pretty easy IMO
that should be positives out-weigh the negatives…i think
I’m going to repost this from the last thread as I’d like to get some opinions on it:
I hope people on this site start seeing how much of a vapor lock Swisher is. He has no business batting 2nd in this lineup. I’d rather see Cano, Melky, or Gardner there if Damon is hurt.
Don’t let his numbers fool you, the man has no baseball sense and it has cost the Yanks a handful of games so far.
There is no reason why having ARod in a slump should cause the whole lineup to shut down. It’s like this team lives and dies by ARod. Which is all well and good when he is playing like himself.
I saw this on another website, and think it nails our problem right on the head…..
“”Go with the Parcells Rule, or whoever said it: You are what you’re record says you are. Slightly better than mediocre.
We improvise new teams on the fly each year to cover up for the previous year’s weaknesses. And we overpay to fix the problems, but, since there are so many problems (owing to our stunning lack of player development this decade), we can’t solve them all with money. So we wind up hodgepodge teams that are prone to fold like bad poker hands. And it’s ultimately no big deal to most of the players, since they’ve already won the lottery.”
Hokiehill -
But the negatives ARE way out!
Sox are really 8-5.
IBF,
There are ways to get something out of this blog.
1. Never read (much less post to) a game thread — that’s left as a playground for the mindless.
2. Memorize the handles of the six intelligent posters, scroll past everyone else on the non-game threads without reading anything but the name at the top.
3. Once in a while if you have nothing whatsoever to do, scroll through looking for new handles and check out the contents of their posts just on the small chance and some new person has arrived bringing an IQ above replacement level.
3. If you like to comment on Pete’s topic, do it early if you don’t have to waste time on steps 2 and 3.
4. Accept that most sports fans are no more intelligent than most players — that is, a little below the national average.
5. Blogs are a great resource for the lonely and the bored — don’t begrudge them their space here.
Follow this plan and you can enjoy the parts of this blog that are worth it.
2 observations:
1. Even the Nationals and Orioles have active blogs. You can be disappointed in your fave team and still stay engaged. What, you’re gonna take your ball and go home if they don’t win 95-100?
2. If you were coaching a little league team and a kid did what Posada did, not running out a grounder, you chew’d his butt out. (See Castillo, Luis) That’s the kind of baseball behavior you expect out of a punk with an attitude, not one of your team leaders. Very sad — that Jorge would do it, and that Girardi can’t seem to deal with it.
Joey’s Poodle, you just about summed up how I treat this blog. Nice to see it in writing.
DB
June 24th, 2009 at 9:48 am
As far as the advance scouting thing, logic would tell me that it would be better to see with your own two eyes than rely on someone elses report. However, randy l. or SJ44 probably would have better insight on how valuable a live set of eyes would be.
=============
I’d be curious about that too, do you guys have any insight? I remember SJ saying that most teams are cutting down on advance scouting and relying on video for the most part. I mean, I doubt it has much if anything to do with the current woes, but I’d be curious what two eyes could pick up that a camera couldn’t
SJ were you posting during the game thread last night? Or was that another imposter?
“Patrick — Good numbers… to me the bigges thing is five runs or less in 11 of 13 games and three runs or less 7X. ”
Yeah it’s pretty shockingly bad. Before June 9 (first game vs sox) the Yankees hadn’t been shut out all year. Since then, they’ve been shut out 3 times (vs Boston, Washington and Atlanta).
The offense has to wake up soon.
Posada didn’t not run out a grounder. He didn’t run on a dropped 3rd strike.
I can tell you from a wide range of experiences that NOTHING you can get from phone calls and videos is as valuable as in person scouting.
I don’t know what the Yankees are doing, but read somewhere that Long/Girardi are much more interested in/reliant on video and that as a result the Yankees stopped advance scouting. I asked Pete to see what the truth is
If the Yankees are not doing advance scouting it is incredibly foolish, shortsighted and as I mentioned on the last thread Penny-wise and Pound-FOOLISH
The other question is, does Pete post on the blog as Mo’s flatcutter???
Conspiracy theorists believe so…
86w183
June 24th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I can tell you from a wide range of experiences that NOTHING you can get from phone calls and videos is as valuable as in person scouting.
====================
Can you elaborate?
I don’t know if it means anything (probably doesn’t) but I heard Kevin Long on the Susan Waldman report before the game say that their plan was to focus on the fastball and sit on that pitch. Is that a team wide approach? If it was, it sure didn’t work. There was no reason why they couldn’t score runs off Hanson yesterday. They had him on the ropes in almost every inning. What happened to working a count and looking for a pitch to hit?
It’s been fun.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I’m just one person and can’t make a difference around here… but this site is just too negative for me and that is a major disappointment because I soak the information up and learn a lot from many of you. I’m just not mature enough to ignore the nastiness.
Maybe I’ll come back after registration or when someone isn’t allowed to make fun of a dead WFAN caller.
Congrats to the bridge jumpers and trolls…you beat me.
————————-
See Ya!
Stultus — It’s like the difference between watching plays and television. There is a complete absence of depth in video analysis…
Video won’t tell you if defensive positioning is tipping pitches and it won’t give you any humanistic things as to how players react to certain things.. who gets flustered? Who gets mad? Who never loses intensity? For whom does it come and go…. all valuable things to know about opposing players and none of which will come out of video tape.
DB,
This blog is no different than any other in having only about a half dozen regulars worth reading. Where it is different is in the heaving masses that show up here to mask their presence. Anyone who gets good at filtering out the noise can enjoy them just as much as they do the six who shine pretty much alone on other blogs.
Stultus, I skimmed through the game thread and noticed posts from SJ too. Most did not sound like him and I’m pretty sure he has said he doesn’t post in the game thread.
Evan Roberts: it’s pretty obvious the players don’t like Joe.
Huh? It’s not obvious to me – Evan must be getting his info from Francesca. I guess whenever a team slumps (no matter how badly), it’s because they don’t like the manager. Great insight from Evan here.
I made a comment last night that did not get posted .
all I stated is peter a boston fans loves to rip the yanks and that would never fly in a boston paper or nespn and it got blocked!!!!!
Why? The truth hearts if you say something negative about any boston team you are banished but NY media love to bash NY teams, is that not true?
Post more, Joey’s Poodle. Your posts are very insightful and sensible. I’d like some more Murphy Dog, as well.
My trick is not to read much of the posters’ comments at all. I sure enjoy Pete’s comments, though. His wicked sense of humor does not seem to ever flag nor does it fail to make me smile.
I love posting on this blog, but the comments left in last night’s game were just way too negative for me.
I still think its disgusting that during a game thread you have 10 “fans” almost cheering for Jeter to GIDP. Are these people happy if they are right. It completely grosses me out
yeah evan is a shrewd announcer. the players will purposly lose because it does not matte to them and only shows bad on the manager!!!!!
the logic is impossible to believe.
the yanks are losing right now because no offensive player is doing his job, it is that simple. none, nada, zippo offensive players are producing to any level.
pete leads the gang with negative digs and then acts like the other lunatics that post the season is over are just crazy….
sit swisher and make him watch baserunning video’s and play gardner, melky, and damon in the OF for a few games even against a lefty tonight.
gardner has been playing good lately…
joba needs to man up tonight and throw strikes…
Guys think of this blog as your neighborhood bar and game threads are right after a 3-for-1 special.
I don’t post a lot in games and don’t read much because there is so much overreaction by both the writers and the readers.
Erica — I don’t think anyone was “rooting” for another DP from Jeter… just frustratedly predicting more failure.I am a huge Jeter admirer, but I have called him Captain DP more than once… but I was hoping for a base hit there as were 90 percent or more of those who take part here.
DB,
re: Swisher and baseball sense
It is amazing how many of the little things that Swisher does wrong. Especially for someone who is the son of a former ML player. Usually, the kids of big league ballplayers are like coaches’ sons. They do all the fundamentals right, almost always make the right decision, even if they don’t always have the physical talent.
Swisher’s baserunning has been dreadful, he has thrown to the wrong base regularly, and had numerous mis-plays in the outfield that mostly have not been called errors.
At the plate, I don’t like to criticize too much, since hitting is so difficult; but I am not sure if he has a great eye, or just doesn’t swing much. His strikeout frequency and swinging at a lot of pitcher’s pitches seems to say that he mostly doesn’t swing until he has to; rather than picking out a good pitch to hit and swinging at it, regardless of the count.
Is there a more over-paid athlete on the planet than Derek Jeter?
George really screwed the pooch in the late ’90’s. First, w/Bernie, and then even more so w/Jeter. Instead of securing them early on w/fair market value contracts, he backed himself into a corner and ended up WAY over-paying for both.
The Yanks will be paying for that latter mistake through 2011.
Doris from Rego Park I think it’s sick that you use that handle. How would you like it if one of your parents was dead and someone used their name for the screen name? Like Dave’s Dead Father. Because that’s what you do every time you insult that woman and her family.
“I do believe this slump will end. I am, though, very surprised it did not end after they beat up on Santana last week.”
Yeah well that’s because the Yankee catcher for the Santana game hasn’t been seen much. And the Yankees haven’t won much. Girardi won’t change it either. Posada would probably sulk and then beat him with a bat and then go and get the good ole golden sombrero for the Yankees. Oh he already did that part.
Personnel moves —
1. Tomko out, Dunn or Melancon in
2. Berroa out, Duncan in
3. Swish to watch for a while… 1 RBI in 12 G
Not to get off the topic of how good/bad this blog is, but one thing I’ve noticed recently…
Does it seem to anyone else that Cano rarely fouls off pitches? When a lot of players get in bad counts, they tend to foul off pitches until they find one they like or strike out. Cano has so much raw talent that he puts those borderline pitches into play, and often they turn into outs. This also happens on the first pitch somewhat frequently.
Another thing to look at is that Jeter frequently swings at the first pitch, too. I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing, but could it be that Cano is, in part, modeling himself after Jeter? I realize that Jeter works more walks than Cano does, but the initial approach seems kind of similar. Cano just ends up having results, both good and bad, after fewer pitches because he hits so many balls into play.
That said, I’m kind of torn as to where Cano’s spot in the lineup should be. Honestly, I see him as a good candidate for a #2 hitter because of how much he makes contact. He would also probably see some good pitches with Teix behind him. With his OBP, however, he has less chance of being on base for Teix and Alex. This will be more feasible next year when Damon is likely gone, as I don’t see Girardi moving Damon down to 5th.
Maybe I’m off base with Cano. I’m usually stuck with Gameday because I don’t have cable for the summer, so it makes it hard to get a good feel for his ABs without actually seeing his swings.
Joey’s Poodle, what amazes me is how much traffic Pete actually gets. I know he updates more frequently than any other blog and he does have access that most people don’t, but there are blogs by other beat writers that don’t get as much traffic. In Pete’s defense, on the rare occassion that I have emailed him, even to thank him, he has returned my email within a few hours.
Mark- I had an uncle Mark who died a few years ago. Please change your handle
the yankees and the san fran giants have the same record., yes the giants. the team that has bengie Molina as their cleanup hitter.
my confidence in this team on a scale of 1 to 10 is negative
stuart,
If your post got blocked it’s because you used questionable language. If your post got deleted it’s because Pete didn’t like what you said and deleted it himself. This has happened to me and you will never hear from Pete about it, if that’s what happened.
I got good news regarding Swisher. Nady will be back soon.
I think it’s crazy to think that Pete posts as Mo’sflatcutter. I seriously don’t think that’s his style. But I don’t understand why he hasn’t banned the guy seeing all he does is tries to incite riots here. He is the definition of outrageous troll.
“Is there a more over-paid athlete on the planet than Derek Jeter?”
Depends on what your definition of worth is.
The combination of what Derek does on the field plus what merchandise sales the Yankees get is probably worth more than what they’re paying him.
Bradon, I made that same comment about Cano last week. I’ve noticed it too. He puts balls in play that other hitters foul off. I think it might be more of a lack of a game plan though. Instead of focusing on a zone and looking for a good pitch to hit (like he did in the beginning of the year) h is just up there hacking. He gets behind in the count and starts swinging at everything. The ball he got hit with last night he tried taking a cut at.
Some people might disagree with me here, but I thought one positive to take from last nights game was the way Wang pitched.
If it weren’t an interleague game, based on his pitch count, he easily could have went 7 solid innings.
I know people see the 3 runs, but if A-Rod gets to that ground ball, which he should have, no damage is done that inning.
The ball is going to be put into play against Wang. A-Rod needs to come up with those grounders.
“Mark- I had an uncle Mark who died a few years ago. Please change your handle”
Definitely as rude as you are stupid.
I don’t watch nearly as many games as those in NY, but the ones I’ve seen I felt like Cano fouled off a lot…
Bradon = Brandon…sorry
“Yeah well that’s because the Yankee catcher for the Santana game hasn’t been seen much. And the Yankees haven’t won much. Girardi won’t change it either. Posada would probably sulk and then beat him with a bat and then go and get the good ole golden sombrero for the Yankees. Oh he already did that part.”
Wow, you’re really dumb if you believe Posada is the reason why the Yankees as a whole have been in a slump.
“the yankees and the san fran giants have the same record., yes the giants. the team that has bengie Molina as their cleanup hitter.
my confidence in this team on a scale of 1 to 10 is negative”
You do realize that the Giants play in the NL west and the Yankees play in the AL East right?
I think I have a total handle on who the self entitled nut who poses as Doris is because it all adds up. Let me guess you only name your children after dead people. Do I have it you obnoxious jerk?
I love how everyone dissects and kills Arod’s every move and every at bat because he is making $30 million.
How about Mr. Jeter making $22 million. He signed a huge ridiculously overpaid contract as well, yet everyone seems to forget that.
The Yankees sure as hell are not paying him $22 million to kill every rally with DPs.
Also, I was not pleased with Posada’s effort last night, specifically the throw he made from his knees that sailed into center field.
I’m sorry, but that was unacceptable.
mark, did I just read you correctly? Do you really think the Yanks offense is not productive because Francisco Cervelli is not catching? oh boy. Here we go, more Posada truthers.
I was pretty shocked at how many anti-Posada remarks there were last night. He is having a tough time at the plate and he made the error but he isn’t the only batter slumping. Also for what it’s worth the pitching has been very good lately. If you rip him when there’s a bad pitching performance you have to give him props when the guys pitch well.
The truth is, catchers have very little effect on their pitchers so either praising or ripping Jorge for the pitchers is silly. But if you believe in this stuff you have to stay fair.
‘You do realize that the Giants play in the NL west and the Yankees play in the AL East right?”
I don’t think the last week of games gives anbody confidence that the results would be much different no matter where the Yanks play.
One of the things I have noticed during this losing streak is that the games have been a lot quicker. When the Yanks are winning the average game is about three and a half hours cause they are taking pitches and fouling off, and going a lot deeper into counts.
There was a LOT of first pitch swinging last night. And the most frustrating part about it to me, was that the starter was wild and walking a lot of batters esp in the beginning. So I couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden first pitch swinging seemed like a good idea.
“You do realize that the Giants play in the NL west and the Yankees play in the AL East right?”
Giants record in interleague play: 7-4
Yankees record against 2 of the worst teams in baseball, a team with the worst offense in baseball, and a team that maybe has 2 guys who are not on the DL: 5-8 (really should be 4-9)
Patrick,
I can’t speak for everyone else, but what really upset me about Posada last night wasn’t that he made an error, but rather how it happened. And I have a hunch a lot of people were upset by that as well.
Being lazy and attempting to throw a runner out from your knees isn’t acceptable from an effort standpoint to me. I can live with some errors and strike outs, however I can’t deal with laziness.
mark,
What are you referring to with doris from Rego Park and dead people?
Actually, that runner had the base stolen. Posada threw from his knees in an effort to be quicker. The better move would have been not even throwing the ball. Laziness was NOT a factor
Boogie,
Posada had a terrible night, I’m not disputing that. He didn’t run to first, made a terrible error, struck out a zillion times, etc. However, it’s not like he was reason #1 the Yankees lost. Nobody on the team hit with RISP, it was pathetic.
Of late, Posada has become everyone’s favorite whipping boy. Whenever something goes wrong it seems like a lot of people blame Posada. The truth is, the entire team was awful last night and has been awful for the last 13 games. I’m perplexed when people focus on one guy whether it be A-rod, Posada, Swisher, Cano, Jeter, etc. They have all been bad.
No more of this Cervelli is better than Posada junk.
First, there’s not one reason or one player responsible for the lastest yet familiar struggles.
Erica, fans are just frustrated, no fan wants Jeter to hit into a DP. Personally, I am amazed that the Yanks can keep fielding 200-million dollar teams and get such inconsistency in every place. Bullpen, starters, slumping offense. That’s part of the frustration.
If they can’t produce with the talent they have on the field, then I wouldn’t mind seeing a coaching and GM change at the end of the season. Cashman has not always been calling the shots, but lately he has. I have no idea who’d replace him or who’d want to replace him but with the resources the Yanks have, they should be a better team than they are now.
Also, I’m sick of long-term contracts and no-trade clauses. I think it would be in the Yanks best interest to stop signing guys for over 6 years. I know the baseball FA contracts are evolving towards longer contracts but why would you guarantee a player 200 million or 300 million dollars? It’s insanity and a huge risk.
Boogie down, how do you equate throwing from your knees laziness? The guy had a sick jump and it was his only chance to throw him out. Please, that play had no bearing on them losing the game.
Stultus-
Are you trying to say that signing A-Rod to 10 years may not have been the best idea ever?
DB,
That’s why I made the comment about me usually getting stuck with Gameday. It would be a lot easier to judge his ABs if I could see what kind of swings he takes. I may spring for the MLB.com package to watch games online, I just feel like I wouldn’t get my money’s worth. Who knows.
doris from Rego Park some guy’s handle referencing this die-hard fan (Met fan?) who passed away or something. There was an article in the Times about her.
I didn’t know that either until last night.
the difference between jeter and arod is about 7 years on a contract…..
that is a significant difference.
btw guys the yanks will make the playoffs but again there slowness to replace the likes of tomko and berroa is head scratching………..
swisher should sit some, overplay is exposing his flaws..nady will help in this area..gardner has earned more time….
peter did block my post and there was no bad language just mockery of the new england dislike of anything negative about there teams. I think they control the media there more then they do in Iran………….
If you want to get on someone, get on Swisher. Swings at the first pitch with a pticher with no control and strands 5 men on base. The guy is abysmal.
right now besides gardner no one is playing well offensively and gardner is a complementary player..
arod, jeter, tex, swisher, matsui(on base 3 straight times but PH in NL parks), no one is stepping up…………
Brandon, if you are in the tri-state area don’t waste your money they black out Yankees games. BUT!! I have seen some underground sites patch in the YES feed, check out all the gameday blogs and ask around when the game is on.
stuart,
There is no way to “block” your post unless it hits a language filter. It’s not like they have someone on the other side looking at every post before it shows up on the blog.
They can certainly delete your posts if they don’t like it but the only reason it will be blocked is because of server side issues, spam filter or language filter.
stuart, Pete can’t block your post unless there is a keyword you used that is blocked. He can’t physically ok every post on this blog, it’s humanly impossible. He can delete it after you post it however. Which he has done to me once or twice.
PA,
You continue to devote disproportionate focus to how “lucky” we were that Castillo dropped the ball.
Castillo is part of the Mets’ team – he cannot be excised from the team so the latter can be analyzed separately. Nor can you decide the ball twisting away from Castillo was “lucky”, since the elements are also part of baseball.
Besides, “luck” is the residue of design, as the saying goes, and Tex was running hard all the way to create the winning run.
Another viewpoint might be that the Yankees took advantage of a sloppy play by Castillo, who is PART of the Mets’ team.
Does Cano drop a pop-up like that? It’s possible – anything is possible – but Cano has unreal hand-eye and is nearly supernatural on pop-ups, where ever he has to wander for them.
Guess what? Cano is PART of the Yankees’ team. One reason the Yankees are better than the Mets is they’re superior at 2B.
If Cano doesn’t make the difficult look seamless nearly every night, the Yankees don’t enjoy a distinctive defensive edge at the position over nearly every team.
If you are going to harp on the Castillo play, provide some balance.
“Unlucky” was CC feeling uncomfortable enough to have to leave the game in the second inning. Otherwise, Tomko never would have seen daylight.
But you can’t whole-heartedly say that, either, because Tomko, unfortunately, is part of the Yankees’ team – albeit, a part that would not have gotten exposed in that game unless something freakish or “unlucky” happened, which it did.
Singularly harping on how “lucky” the Yankees were lacks context.
I remember last year watching Baltimore at Boston on MLB package. Ramon Hernandez dropped a popup, straight in the air, behind home plate, that would have ended the game and given The Orioles the win.
It was a much more routine play than even Castillo’s – the latter was trying to follow the trajectory of the ball, which the wind was having its way with, I even thought, ‘he may have some troub-YEAH!”, so it wasn’t entirely unpredictable.
Hernandez flat out dropped the ball, the Boston runner scored from third, and the Red Sox eventually tied the game.
“Lucky MFs” I thought, but then I also thought – “what do I expect – Ramon Hernandez is the bleepin’ Baltimore catcher.”
On a general note – man we are slumping and if a SP puts up a crooked number we have no weapons to counter.
Still dangling in Wild Card spot, however.
Perhaps this is as low as it gets.
To comments about the IGT – I concur. I realize I have no interest in communing with hand-wringers for nine innings.
My lone regret – I miss Dynasty is Destiny’s haiku as they happen
DB,
Your focus on Swisher is very odd considering the entire offense is slumping right now.
Mark in Tampa, Doris in Rego Park was a big Mets fan who called into the FAN all the time. She had a distinctive cough. She died at a pretty young age and had lung cancer or something like tht. That explained the cough. She never complained about her health that I remember. I found out about it reading about it too.
You have to be some sick kind of ghoul to make fun of a dead person by using their identity.
I don’t know what a Posada truther is. All I know is that things started going south as soon as he came off the DL. You want to call it coincidence fine. I call it more than that.
Re: Cano and patience.
I think Cano has been mcuh more patient this year, a lot fewer give away at-bats by swinging early at questionable pitches. Except when runners are in scoring position. It seems that he gets more anxious, and like any of us under pressure, falls back into comfortable habits, which for him seem to be swinging at anything that comes his way. His RISP numbers bear this out.
Hard to single out Cano, though, the entire team seems to tighten up with runners on. It is very strange, you would think that with as many runners as they do get on base, the hitters would start to settle down and hit more to their capabilities as they are put in those situations more often. They seem to be going the other direction, though.
I don’t get how the Sox DWARF the Yankees in developing pitchers. Evan Roberts just went gaga over Bowden, Buccholz and Bard. Hmm, the Yanks have Joba and Hughes…. and is Bowden so fantastic? How is that dwarfing the Yankees? I get the idea that the Sox should be respected, but it’s hard to take these people seriously when they exaggerate to a ridiculous extent to make their point.
Erica – newly OPPC
June 24th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Stultus-
Are you trying to say that signing A-Rod to 10 years may not have been the best idea ever?
=================
It’s not just A-Rod’s contract. But yes. When he opted out and signed again for basically 300 million for 10 years, I thought that was insane. Then some media fools started touting it as some sort of “home” discount.
I just think if you are gonna have guaranteed money like they do in baseball, it doesn’t make sense to sign players, especially players in their late twenties to early thirties, to such long contracts.
But by that method that would also mean no CC and no Tex. That seems crazy now because they are great players, but in 5 years who knows what kind of players they will be. They won’t be as good, most likely. Giambi was fun to have around, but was his 7 year contract worth it? No, it wasn’t. And A-Rod will keep producing I believe, but will he be worth 20 million per year in 2015? I doubt it, even with whatever inflated contracts will be at that time.
Teams have got to be wiser and more frugal, look at Magglio’s contract. If he gets a certain number of ABs this season, he gets another guaranteed year with an 18 million dollar salary or something. That is insane. Look at Zito’s contract, what a joke.
Hopefully this recent downward economic spiral will have a lasting effect on how GMs go forward in the future.
Not sure if this is what needs to be done, but my growing sense is that the Yankees will need to trade for a third baseman and start DH’ing Alex on a regular basis.
Alex, physically, looks terrible. He’s unable to rotate through the ball or to generate torque on his swing. I don’t know if this is something that is going to get better with one day off a week.
And their offense needs him a great deal. For that brief period of time when Alex was at least hitting for power while Tex was hot the offense was very good (though the rest of the team was hot then too…).
I think they may need to trade for a 3b and DH Alex in order to give him more rest and keep his bat as fresh as possible. Standing out on the field and needing to pivot to make plays at 3b can’t be helping his hip.
Neither Pena nor Ransom is the answer out there.
The obvious guy to go and get would be Mark DeRosa. With his versatility he could play 3b and on days when Alex is OK to play 3b DeRosa could move over to another position or come off the best.
For this season, I don’t know how much 3b Alex can play. DH’ing him hurts as you lose Matsui’s bat (which has been sorely missed this trip to the NL…). But at this point if you can get a decent 3b (which is never easy) I think the team would likely be improved.
Does Cervelli catch Joba?
bodhisattva -
I’m hoping it’s rock bottom, too.
I’m trying to wean myself from the game threads. Last night I read them, and refrained from posting until the end. But I think the time has definitely come. I did without them for a long time before. And unlike the discussions here when there is no game going, the game threads add little to my enjoyment of the game itself or ‘the game’ in general.
bodhisattva,
I remember a play about 3 or 4 years ago when Manny popped out in the 9th against CWS, but Crede dropped the ball in foul territory. A play that a little leaguer makes 10 out of 10 times. Next pitch, 2 run homer, red sox win. I don’t remember that being referred to as a gift win for the next month though. You win some that were given to you, and you will give some away, invariably.
the team is scuffling horribly right now and there’s no shortage of culprits. To me last night might have been Jorge’s worst in pinstripes all things considered. You cannot excuse that horrible lob throw from one knee on the SB, but that was world class effort compared to his refusal to run after whiffing on a pitch in the dirst. A gutsy manager would have replaced him there.
Still what matters most is the big picture. The starting pitching is improving. The bullpen is improvoing, and the proven talent in the lineup can’t be this bad forever.
Still someone has to make Cashman justify wasting two roster spots on Tomko and Berroa.
Patrick, I just don’t get how people give the guy a pass.
He is way over-exposed. He is a bench player who should bat in the bottom of the order. Any more than that and his mental prowess shines through like a Lighthouse Beacon.
“raymagnetic June 24th, 2009 at 10:27 am
“Is there a more over-paid athlete on the planet than Derek Jeter?”
Depends on what your definition of worth is.
The combination of what Derek does on the field plus what merchandise sales the Yankees get is probably worth more than what they’re paying him.”
That’s what I always think about and it is never mentioned since Jeter is an Angel who can’t be touched…he is probably the most overpaid athlete in Sports, an over the hill soft hitting shortstop w/ no range to his left…if you look at the tape from every game this year, I bet as many as 10 hits or more could have been prevented w/ a SS w/ more range….the Yankees need to be cold blooded like the Red Sox when running their organization but they’ll probably sign him for at least 3 more years …..you can’t keep paying someone for his accomplishments in 1998
DB,
I equate it to laziness because if you are going to attempt to throw someone out, come out of your stance and fire.
If he had such a great jump, why even bother to throw the ball? Instead you think its smart to make a lazy throw from your knees that sails into center field? Give me a break.
I’m not a “Posada basher” like a lot of people are on this blog. I like Posada a lot, and I think having him catching and hitting for us still gives us the best chance to win the game.
However, I wasn’t pleased with the effort shown on that particular throw. I believe if youre going to attempt to throw someone out, come out of your stance and make a good, clean throw to second.
CB.
Good post and I agree. Watching him at Fenway for a few games a couple of weeks ago (my seats are very close to 3rd base) he appeared very stiff. He did not seem to be as fluid as he normally is IMO.
-dennis
I live in upstate NY (as in Potsdam, about half an hour south of Canada). But I’ll look for those feeds you mentioned; that sounds like it would be my best bet, because often I’m busy and only following the game for half an hour to an hour here or there anyway, so paying for something that I’m only going to use intermittently is kind of a waste.
So what have I missed ?
I flew down to Atlanta for tonight’s game. I will bring the Yankees luck!!!!
Anyone know any good restaurants in Atlanta?
“All I know is that things started going south as soon as he came off the DL”
It’s kind of interesting that Posada said to Kim Jones in an interview on the BP show that he (paraphrasing) doesn’t ruin anything that was going well with this team.
This was in Cleveland when he just came off the DL. Probably just a coincidence though……….hopefully.
I think the problem with dumping Berroa is that when someone needs to go in for Arod you are down to bare bones with just Pena. Look at the game or two when Jeter sat out. If Arod sat out those games too who plays those two spots? With Ransom coming back you probably send Berroa down. Or Pena depending on who they feel more comfortable with.
I stopped doing game threads for the most part. Sometimes I post toward the end. Most times I don’t. They’re not fun or informative. Since Pete lets that dunderhead Mo’sflatcutter stay around the gamethreads are in the sewer.
Someone said the Mets lohud blog is empty. Maybe we should go there during games?
“Clay Buchholz Loves Laptops June 24th, 2009 at 11:05 am
I flew down to Atlanta for tonight’s game. I will bring the Yankees luck!!!!
Anyone know any good restaurants in Atlanta?”
isn’t Atlanta’s airport great? I think it’s my favorite airport in America, huge but organized very well w/ the train and concourses plus the great selection of stores and restaurants…almost feels like it’s own city
I’ve never been but everyone always says to eat at The Varsity when you visit Atlanta, it’s an Atlanta institution
dennis,
He looks much worse than either Lowell or Utley have looked. I guess much of that is time. But they’re not going to have time to wait inside of the season.
You guys are picking up a lot of momentum. It’ll be interesting to see how Smoltz pitches.
Did you happen to see Bob Ryan’s column on Matsuzaka? He argues that the 2009 Sox are a better team without him. Not so sure about that, especially as Smoltz hasn’t yet thrown a pitch.
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....nt_add_up/
You know what I’d like to see in the future…the yanks wear alternate jerseys and add a gold trim to their colors, I think it would be cool
Clay.
An Atlanta legend is the Varsity in downtown ATL. I think it is on North street. Really fun lunch spot.
-dennis
A little Mets news to make us feel better about our GIDP situation-
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ru.....mlb,172411
Mark in Tampa
June 24th, 2009 at 11:00 am
bodhisattva,
I remember a play about 3 or 4 years ago when Manny popped out in the 9th against CWS, but Crede dropped the ball in foul territory. A play that a little leaguer makes 10 out of 10 times. Next pitch, 2 run homer, red sox win. I don’t remember that being referred to as a gift win for the next month though. You win some that were given to you, and you will give some away, invariably.
====
It’s really a matter of perspective, and PA has decided to view the “gift” negatively. We took advantage of the mistake and profited from it = which is what Manny did in the scenario you recalled; it’s what good teams, good players do, if given a second chance.
Tex running hard, in this case, is like Manny not wasting his second opportunity. Tex doesn’t consider that he has no chance, and therefore, he always does.
Assuming that all that is said about Jeter and deterioration is true, who would anybody on this blog rather have at short? I can’t think of too many others. Hanley Ramirez? Sure, but FL isn’t moving him, and he may be worse defensively. Rollins? At .214? JJ Hardy? At .218 with just 6 HRs?
Would anybody really be happy with a traditional style good field/no-hit SS? I don’t think so. Jeter is still one of the elite at his position, but it is a position that normally does not see the type of offensive force that Arod, Nomar, Tejada, and Jeter brought to it.
Jeter may not be what he once was, but he is still pretty good. My only complaint with him is the tailor-made DP balls he seems to hit every time somebody is on first ahead of him.
“Jeter may not be what he once was, but he is still pretty good. My only complaint with him is the tailor-made DP balls he seems to hit every time somebody is on first ahead of him”
I am convinced this is 100% the reason the Yankees moved him into leadoff. Of course the Yankee brass would never admit this
dennis-Costanza June 24th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Clay.
An Atlanta legend is the Varsity in downtown ATL. I think it is on North street. Really fun lunch spot.
-dennis
—————–
Whataya Have Whataya Have….
Man, this blog has become a cesspool of negativity.
Get some Prozac, people.
It’s the neverending rain. It brings out the worst in people
CB.
He just does not look like he is athletically comfortable IMO.
I did see Ryan’s article. I do not think they are better w/out Dice K. However, he has been brutal. I thought he would take a step back this season after walking such a tight rope last year but I did not think he would be this bad. If I am not mistaken I think Pete picked Dice K for his Cy Young choice in his pre season predictions.
I am really intrigued on the Smoltz start. If he falters then its CLay Bucholtz time again as he has been great in AAA but we alll know that does not always translate to the bigs.
-dennis
Mark, that got me thinking about Posada. Yanks record when he went on the dl was 13-13. Their record when he got back was 27-20 and their record now is 38-32.
Posada has been IMO, the one who hasn’t taken to the whole loosey goosey atmosphere in the clubhouse. He’s old school business like Tino and O’Niell were. Perhaps you are on to something.
I’ll tell you one thing, it has nothing to do with Posada as a catcher. No one plays harder and wants to win more. 90% of the teams out there would jump at the chance to have him behind the plate. Posada truther was coined after 911 truther. A person who thinks that 911 was a conspiracy contived by the US govt so we could go to war.
Doreen,
I’ll be glad when we’re home again. I feel I have much more “control”, lol, of outcomes when I’m actually there
BTW: nice tour!
Cena said A-Rod should go to jail for using steroids
Considering all the places you can place blame for the Yanks’ poor performance lately, obsessing over Nick Swisher seems absurd to me.
Despite hitting pretty poorly for the last 2 weeks, Nick is still 26th in the AL in OPS. That’s not all walks, either – he’s 25th in OBP and 31st in SLG.
Despite some poor throws and a glaring missed catch, the defensive stats still show him as an average RF. I go to the games, and that’s what my eyes say as well.
People attack his baserunning, but he’s scoring about as often as anyone once you factor in plate appearances and his customary 6th or 7th slot in the batting order.
Yes, he’s inconsistent. Yes, he strikes out a lot. Yes, he had an awful May and an awful last two weeks. Yes, he’s made some bad throws and a couple baserunning blunders. But, overall, he’s been very positive for us.
People who think that Nady will be an improvement over Swisher are living in a fantasy world.
Erica,
I am sure of that, too. I was going to suggest as well that if he was declining, he should be moved down in the order, but then I realized that he is hitting .301 w/9 homers and 43 runs scored. That is what you are looking for at the top of the order.
Remember when it was almost automatic that the SS batted 9th in the AL and 8th in the NL? Jeter is a long way from that.
DB,
Nobody is giving Swisher a pass but it’s odd to focus on him when the entire team looks bad. He is in no way a “bench player” that’s just silly. He’s been a starter for his whole career and he’s been pretty productive in the Pinstripes thus far.
CB,
You might be right about A-rod. Maybe we do need a more drastic change to get him going.
Hey we get to see Joba, the 5 inning wonder tonight!
Wonder how many times he will shake off Posada on 3-2 to throw a slider in the dirt 3 feet out of the strike zone. I say 15 times.
“I am really intrigued on the Smoltz start. If he falters then its CLay Bucholtz time again as he has been great in AAA but we alll know that does not always translate to the bigs.”
True but when a guy has as much Talent as Buchholz he should do well (at minimal) in the majors.
Look at Hughes. Couldn’t have looked worse last year. And now he’s a completely different pitcher. Hughes was clearly hurt last year but we heard the same things about him as has been said about Buchholz in Boston – not tough enough, etc.
People seem to assume that Smoltz will throw well. I’ve been somewhat surprised by that given his age and labrum surgery (yet another surgery for him). But even if he doesn’t work out you guys have Buchholz and Bowden or even Masterson.
Not sure how you feel about this but I get the sense that Theo is going to trade Papelbon (not during the season of course…). Maybe not this winter. But I could see him trying to move him earlier than later to make sure he gets value back for him.
“Remember when it was almost automatic that the SS batted 9th in the AL and 8th in the NL? Jeter is a long way from that”
Actually- no. When was that common?
Here are some more numbers for you guys..
Yanks record since Mr. Jorge Posada has been back is…
11-12
60 % our pitching staff hates pitching to him (CC, Joba, AJ).. Future Hall of Famers hated pitching to him (Mussina).
He does NOT hustle.. He is a walking DP Ball. He walks away from Clueless Joe in the dugout.
Why did we resign a 37 year old Catcher/DH to a 4 year deal with we have Cervelli and that Jesus kid tearing the ball up?
Im also still wondering why Clueless Joe will pitch Tomko in meaningful situations but not The Gas Man Phil Hughes. Anyone smarter than me have some insight I’m missing?
“Cena said A-Rod should go to jail for using steroids”
Cena should just worry about beating “The Miz” and take his weekly injections.
CB.
I posted after the Yakee series when I saw Hughes pitch at Fenway he looked fantastic. Fenway gun had him at 94-95 and he had his great curveball going. He looked very, very poised as well. He will be a front end guy IMO.
I have never thought about that possiblity about trading Papelbon. Interesting. I guess it makes some sense with the bullpen depth. Saito will be traded within a few weeks IMO.
-dennis
“Actually- no. When was that common?”
I guess I am dating myself, it was the 70’s, early 80’s. The Bucky Dent days, pre-Ripken.
We signed him to a 4 year contract, because for some reason Cashman dreamed up some alternate option at the end of the season in case Jorge had a steep decline. If he had negotiated with Posada before the season as Jorge wanted himself there is no way he is signed for 4 years and anything close to the 14 or 15 million he is making. Same goes for Mariano. Another terrible move by Cashman that is overlooked.
here’s a guy they can’t trade because nobody wants him,yet he’s on the Yankees 25 man roster
Cody Ransom
Hughes needs innings and to perfect that change-up so he has something to go to against lefties.
He looks good coming out of the pen adding velo. to his FB and just throwing 2 pitches, but his future is as a starter. And if he needs another pitch in order to be a good one.
I can’t get excited about how he looks when we’re trailing by 3 runs coming out of the bullpen. He’s not a reliever… he is not going to throw 95-96 on every pitch and only throw his curve as a starter.
Mark in Tampa
June 24th, 2009 at 11:28 am
“Actually- no. When was that common?”
I guess I am dating myself, it was the 70’s, early 80’s. The Bucky Dent days, pre-Ripken.
****
Ah, that explains it. I was born in 1980
Also while we need Posada to start hitting, he has no business being in the lineup tonight after not running to first yesterday. Yet, Giradi would never have the balls to call out Posada so that won’t happen and his grip on this team will continue to get looser and looser
Didn’t John Cena destroy the WWE? or am I thinking about someone else?
The Doris article from the times –
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12.....-park.html
Girardi is dead man walking. He knows it, the players know it.
All he can do is pray the team breaks out of his slump… like tonight.
CB
Even with having a 5 month head start on rehab, Lowell had last weekend off too. He was in a 1-13 slump and he said his hip was sore and stiff and his doctor (a different one than Alex’s) said that was normal with the surgery.
These guys are in unchartered territory for the most part. Lowell is 8 months post surgery now and was still limping in ST. Unfortunately, 8 months post surgery for Alex is November and he could be looking at surgery again right about then.
This may be a case of it is what it is this year with Alex.
CB, how about a twist on moving A-Rod off 3rd and to the DH spot? I wonder if any consideration would be given to moving Jeter to 3rd and going after a SS?
I highly doubt that would be done, but in reality that might be the better option.
Either way, they need to do something. Ransom/Berroa/Pena is not going to cut it.
“Didn’t John Cena destroy the WWE? or am I thinking about someone else?”
LOL eversince he was setup as champion, MY GOD IT JUST NEEDS TO END w/ HIM !
Srsly the best thing about Cena right now is that The Miz is making his life hell.
I agree CB…. DeRosa would be an excellent fit. We have no idea what is going to happen with Alex. He can also play RF.
Having a guy like that on the team would be very useful.
“Actually- no. When was that common?”
Before guys like A-Rod, Jeter, Nomar, and Tejada joined the league it was typical to see an all defense no offense shortstop in the lineup.
Off the top of my head take a look at the Red Sox and Mets starting SS for the 1986 series.
Rafael Santana had an OPS+ of 52 and he was the starter. The Red Sox best SS that year had an OPS+ of 79.
In fact out of 14 AL teams only 4 had SS that were at least league average offensively in 1986.
“Yet, Giradi would never have the balls to call out Posada so that won’t happen and his grip on this team will continue to get looser and looser”
One of the risks of hiring Girardi, who played with several of the guys he now manages.
In the Army, they try to move guys into different squads or platoons when they are promoted to sergeant to prevent this type of thing. They also require that an enlisted man who is promoted to commissioned officer cannot command the same unit he was once a part of.
Patrick,
At this point, I think it’s we can conclude that getting more work is placing strain on Alex’s hip that his causing him significant physical discomfort.
That’s unfortunate. One would have hoped that with more work he’d get stronger. But I guess the timing of the surgery was just too close.
Given that I don’t see how playing the field will help him for much of this season. And I don’t know how him playing the field is helping the Yankees. He’s been far below average defensively this year.
At this point I don’t know if marginal maneuvers like resting him one day a week will translate into major advantages. I get the sense that something more drastic is needed to take pressure off of his hip.
I think he should be DH’ing maybe 2/3rds of the games? Something like that?
You can say A-Rod is a cancer… but when he doesn’t hit, neither does the team. Fact.
Teixeira is never going to see anything to hit.
You may hate him, but this team needs him to perform for us to go anywhere this year.
go get DeRosa and let Cody Ransom go, also go get a decent RP to get them to the 9th inning H Street
No way a bench player is not silly..it’s exactly what he was supposed to be at the start of the season. His stats for his career are mediocre. The only reason why he is starting is because Nady went down. If Nady is healthy (obviously a big if) I’d much rather see a righty / lefty platoon with those two guys.
“Having a guy like that on the team would be very useful.”
Wasteful you mean, b/c he would command atleast 2 good propects, Shapiro doesn’t just give talent away. He is almost Billy Bean-ish.
How many people posting here and attacking Jorge were at the game last night? Could you tell on TV whether Jorge had any shot of beating the throw to first? Because I saw it, and I couldn’t tell.
Jorge saw the play better than anyone. If he decided it wasn’t worth running, I’d trust his judgment over the yahoos here whose little league coaches once told them to run everything out.
And again DeRosa a 3 mth. rental, WHAT IS THE LOVE AFFAIR W/ THIS GUY !
Fatcessa is going to explode today
Here’s to hoping GGBG makes it happen tonight.
I really don’t like him all that much, but I wonder what it would take to get Mora from the Os?
Wouldn’t think all that much, and he’d be better than anything we have on the roster now to spell A-Rod.
Dennis,
Just watching the way the boston FO operates as an outsider – I do think they’re at least considering a trade of Papelbon, especially given how strong the Boston pen looks now.
I have to think that each time they watch Bard throw they’re thinking that this is a potential closer and one who is under team cost control for years.
“And again DeRosa a 3 mth. rental, WHAT IS THE LOVE AFFAIR W/THIS GUY!”
He said to Kim Jones he wants to be a Yankee. Now everyone wants him.
who cares how long they have DeRosa, him and Street would turn this team around..Yankees never rented a player ?
“Jorge saw the play better than anyone. If he decided it wasn’t worth running, I’d trust his judgment over the yahoos here whose little league coaches once told them to run everything out.”
Players coming off hamstring injuries, especially older one, often have to make those kinds of trade offs.
The game was over and clearly we were not going to score yesterday… no reason for Posada to run out hard.
If it was a close game, then it is inexcusable to not run hard. But when we’re trailing by 3+ runs, then it is fine.
Benjamin Linus, I guess you didn’t see AJ’s last game with Posada. He didn’t shake him off once and only really had one bad pitch. If it wasn’t for blind man Damon they might of actually had a chance in that game.
“I think he should be DH’ing maybe 2/3rds of the games? Something like that? ”
The question is, how much will this move actually help A-rod offensively? And will it offset what we lose by benching Matsui?
I’m not sure. A-rod’s doctors all sound optimistic about his recovery but so far we haven’t seen any results.
My hope is that A-rod pulls out of this slump so that the Yanks don’t have to make any significant moves. Maybe that’s me being too optimistic but it would solve a lot of problems.
“He said to Kim Jones he wants to be a Yankee. Now everyone wants him.”
Is that really it ? MY GOD, so I’m gonna waste Melancon or Dunn or Z-Mac for this guy ? yes I know he’s a tri-state born, but give a freaking break !
“He said to Kim Jones he wants to be a Yankee. Now everyone wants him.”
Did he say that before or after the Yanks stunk it up against the Nats and Marlins?
“No way a bench player is not silly..it’s exactly what he was supposed to be at the start of the season. His stats for his career are mediocre. The only reason why he is starting is because Nady went down. If Nady is healthy (obviously a big if) I’d much rather see a righty / lefty platoon with those two guys.”
Over his career, Swisher has been the better player both offensively and defensively. You can look it up.
As to the platoon, careerwise Nady has been marginally better than Swisher against lefties, while Swisher has been much better than Nady against righties.
Given the likelihood that Nady’s arm is going to be compromised, I can’t see why he’d start over Swisher against either lefties or righties. If the Yanks are sensible Nady, if he does come up, will be primarily a PH/DH.
“I really don’t like him all that much, but I wonder what it would take to get Mora from the Os?”
I don’t like Mora that much, but he’s a good idea as well given the situation.
I don’t think the O’s will trade with the yanks very easily however. They’ll hold them up for talent given it’s in the division.
I saw it.. AJ was just on point that night and has been
ever since he got out of that bases loaded jam vs the Muts.
I never said Jorge couldn’t call a game.. I’m just saying he is a horrific defensive catcher, a walking double play and seems to have some huge chip on his shoulder this year.
Lineup tonight should be
Gardner
Jeter
Teix
Cano
A-Rod
Swisher
Melky
Cervelli
If Damon can play, just swap him with Swisher
if the dodgers were crazy enough to do it would you trade AROD (torre hating him notwithstanding)for casey blake and manny?
We get rid of the 8 more years cry, AROD would absolutely agree to the trade since he wants to become a hollywood star more than a baseball player, we get one of these “scrappy all heart guys” in blake, we upgrade our defense in left field (as bad as manny may be he is miles better than damon), we get probably the best clutch hitter in baseball AND manny will only cost us a few more million this year and ONLY 20 mill next year compared to 240 million with AROD…
just a thought…
Posada playing with a chip on his shoulder should be a GOOD thing. Not a bad thing.
I like Cervelli too – but let’s not get crazy. This is a better team with Posada behind the plate.
oh and if you’re going to propose a lineup change – shouldn’t it start with jeter batting 8th or 9th? to minimize the double plays in important times in the game you need to put him in a low leverage batting spot…that or he needs to learn how to bunt to STAY out of the double play…
Benjamin – I disagree – lineup should be:
Gardner
Jeter
Cano
Teix
A-Rod
Swisher
Melky
Cervelli
Once done with the interleague garbage, Damon should bat third and Cano 5th, Arod 6th
The Yankees have really been playing well of late. Arod’s been clutch, the Outfield defense has been awesome, and Wang has returned to his 2006/2007 form. Girardi has really been pushing all of the right buttons, especialyl in these inter league games. Is it too early for a contract extension? And what can we say about Brett Gardner? He’s like the next Bernie Williams. I don’t know why this guy doesn’t play every single game in center? How about that Nick Swisher! I can’t seem to figure out why he’s worn out his welcome with a few other clubs. The guy is a complete player for crying out loud! And wait until Nady comes back! Watch out then. Nady is a big difference maker that will really add punch in the lineup, like he has on every team he’s played on. It just keeps getting better.
especially
I really like Jeter and his professional attitude.,and image
as the TEAM CAPTAIN.
~When someone is on first,and he’s the next batter,more often than not,he’s either hits a dbl play or a force out.When there’s a person on first and he’s batting it’s hope, he doesn’t hit to the SS or second base, time.
Once the error’s crept back in their game the wins slowed.
I hope the can turn around before they did to deep a hole,to compete in the 2nd half.
sab
~nobody in their right mind would touch Arod’s contract,for any player.He could pay the entire payroll of the Marlins,himself.
“I remember a play about 3 or 4 years ago when Manny popped out in the 9th against CWS, but Crede dropped the ball in foul territory. A play that a little leaguer makes 10 out of 10 times. Next pitch, 2 run homer, red sox win”
You really don’t see the difference between the Red Sox taking advantage of an error on the NEXT play and the Yankees winning SOLELY because Castillo booted that play?
I love the analogy of this blog being like the “local bar” where you can come in and just talk baseball. So while I don’t actually have my brew in hand, I wanted to share thoughts on what I have read so far and what I saw at Turner Field last night.
Sitting in the stands last night in Turner field was fun. Just not fun rooting for this team right now. It was not all bad though.
The good for me:
Wang – 1 bad inning, he is looking better and went 5 inn. His sinker looked decent and velocity/movement was good. I’m hopeful.
Hughes – This guy is starting to figure it out, and it is beautiful to watch. Stadium gun had him topping at 94mph. He just looked flat out dominant at times. I think we definately have something here.
Jeter/Cano – outside of these two (and maybe Tex) these are the only players that seemed to even have a good approach at the plate.
The bad for me:
The offense: The hitters are just flat right now. Something needs to be done about A-rod. He is the straw that stirs this drink, and without it/him the drink sucks. Notice that with his struggles, Tex is not getting ANYTHING to hit anymore which affects 1,2 and 5-9 hitters. You cant be 0-8 with RISP and have 11 LOB and expect to win anything. Don’t care how good the pitching is.
CB, I would take the trade for a 3B one step further and consider doing the second surgery sooner than later and just DL Arod for the rest of the season. He looks that bad. It’s worse in person. If this is what its going to be (and maybe he needs a little more time i dunno), then DH’ing does not help this team either. Let him get cut on, and come back next season after the 8-9 month recovery and have a healthy Arod for 2010. The clean up hitter, is too critical to have him looking this bad. Matsui or Posada can be the #4 and get better results at this point.
I look forward to being at Turner field again tonight and seeing Joba. As for the offense, I hope they can show some life.
My drinks are done, gotta call a cab.