ALCS Live Chat on Thursday (and other scheduling updates)
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Oct 13, 2009 
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The Yankees – quite understandably – are taking it easy today but will return to the field for workouts tomorrow and Thursday before Game 1 on Friday night. The Angels are working out in California today and tomorrow, then flying east tomorrow night and will workout at the Stadium on Thursday.
As important as all that, though, is this: The LoHud Yankees Blog ALCS Live Chat is on Thursday night at 7!
Chad Jennings and I will be coming to you live from The Journal News newsroom, and taking all your questions on the Yankees-Angels showdown. We had a huge turnout for the ALDS version and and I’m hoping that the later start time will allow some of you that weren’t able to jump on at work to join us. You can find the live chat here (and feel free to send some questions on the site ahead of time).
great that the chat is after work!
Repost:
As for who will be replacing Damon next year (hopefully Erica isn’t around to see this), hopefully Cashman will look into this trade:
Josh Willingham
Ryan Spillborughs
Carlos Gonzalez
I would mention Delmon Young since he could be nontender by the Twins, but that dude has a serious attitude problem, and a free swinger.
Figgins would be nice and the only free agent I would sign to play LF. Upton and Crawford would also be nice but the Rays will not trade within the division..
Oh Ed-
I sure am watching….
oooh- a nightime live chat!!!!
Wait… I have dinner plans.
Ed, what makes you think that those teams would be willing to give up those guys? And at what cost? The rest of MLB is not our minor league system. I don’t mean to be a jerk, but comments like that are why most people hate Yankee fans. Don’t mean to offend you personally.
Also, why don’t we wait and see what happens over the next week(s) before we kick guys (read: Damon and/or Matsui) out the door.
Carlos Gonzalez isn’t getting traded by the Rockies.
It will be very interesting to see what the Red Sox will look like after next season.
Bay a free agent this year and Alex Gonzalez has a $6 million option
Next year: VMart, Beckett, Lowell, Ortiz, and Varitek
So over the next two years they will need to either resign or replace their starting LF, SS, C, 3B, DH, 2nd pitcher and backup catcher.
Unless Theo has some top secret plan the Red Sox may be looking at some serious rebuilding years. Not to mention Bay, VMart, and Beckett are all going to demand some serious cash and none of them are probably worth that much.
Would anyone start Gardner in LF for any of these games
I would.
The other option would be to get a CF, and move Melky to left. They may not be willing to do that for big dollars/long term if they really think Ajax will be the real deal. Or, have an outfield left to right of Melky, Gardner, Swisher; although that would be a weak offensive outfield.
But let’s win the WS first, we will have months to discuss the moves we will want to see.
Gardner hasn’t played LF all year. There is no chance they are starting him in LF in the ALCS.
Its not fantasy baseball. Teams aren’t going to make radical changes when they have a chance to go to the WS.
Johnny Damon had a bad ALDS. That doesn’t make him benching material. You just look for him to turn it around in the ALCS.
Ed, I don’t think Crawford will be traded this winter. The Rays may try to extend his contract, if that fails then they will keep him and see where they are in the standings near the trade deadline.
If they are out of the race they will trade Crawford to any team that gives them a decent haul. Trouble is Crawford gives them the best shot at being in contention.
I can somewhat see Figgins coming in to man Left Field, but Damon is saying he would go year to year on a contract. That might just be the stop gap move the Yankees would consider making, and letting Jackson develop in the minors while looking at Crawford as a FA pickup.
I’m not sure if Figgins will want to play the outfield. He will also want to start. The Angels will probably be looking to keep him as well, so his price will go up.
I don’t see the Yankees looking to get Bay or Holliday.
Gardner won’t start in left. If Damon continues to struggle, it’s possible that Melky moves to LF and Gardner starts in CF. But Damon would need another 2 games like his last for Girardi to think about it.
SJ44 has it right. Let’s see what Damon does in Game 1 and then go from there.
Willingham hit .260 with 7 errors as an outfielder.
Spillborghs hit .241.
Gonzalez is virtually untouchable.
The Rays are not trading Upton without a king’s ransom in return. Crawfords option will be picked up and a likely extension will be worked out.
Delmon Young-NO!
Bay wants to resign with the Red Sox.
Damon and Matsui’s future with the Yankees is probably dependent on how well they play during the rest of the postseason and if we win the WS, bringing extra revenue.
You don’t sit Damon any more than you sit Teixiera. Damon was the team MVP at one point of this season. If you do anything, if Damon is continuing to stuggle, you pinch run Gardner early in the 6th or 7th and leave him in the game to play CF and move Melky to left.
SJ
I’m not speaking of Damons offensive performance.
Just a way to tighten our outfield defense.
The Angels go first to third on everyone well. But against Damon, it’ll be a cakewalk.
I think we’ve all learned a lesson from Torre’s lineup gaffe, no?
Hey, who’s the most dangerous guy in the Angles’ lineup?
The most underrated thing about the Tex signing is that there are really no guys worth big time free agent money in the next few years (I would say big time money is 18 mill plus).
Pujols and Mauer are the only guys I can think of and I can not see either team letting them go.
That is another reason why the Red Sox not getting Tex was huge and why I stated before the Red Sox are in big trouble after next season.
Nobody is scared of Brett Gardner standing in the batter’s box. At first, yes, they are afraid. Digging in to hit? No.
Sorry, but Damon starts every game.
Damon is 16-48 lifetime against Lackey.. He doesnt have that much success against weaver.. If Damon has another 0-4 night, may be Joe will think (but still not do it though) about not starting him..
Tighten the defense? I’ll borrow a page out of Olney’s brilliant pre-ALDS (tongue-in-cheek) analysis on BBTN. “The best way to keep the Angels from running on you is to not put ‘em on.”
Would anyone start Gardner in LF for any of these games
I would.
____
If Gardner starts, he is playing CF. they are more comfortable with melky at the corner than gardner.
Great, I can finally partake in a chat.
I don’t know what the Yankees will do in LF – their OF just isn’t very good. Swish is fine and he played very well in the OF during the Twins series, but Damon has struggled for the last couple of months – he may be on his last legs. If he wasn’t, you know he’d be hitting because the guy is clutch. I realize a team does not need to have all superstar players, but still – you want to build the best team possible. I have no idea what we’ll get from Melky and Gardner next year – Melky will probably remain the same or regress and Gardner can’t hit. The problem is, I don’t want Bay or Holliday – that’s just way too much $$ and too many years to tie up into those guys.
How is Gardner an upgrade over Damon in LF? He can’t throw and he isn’t a LF.
The Angels will go first to third on Gardner just as much, or more, than they will on Damon.
There is no reason to tinker with the lineup.
Taking Damon’s bat and experience out of the lineup makes zero sense.
I wouldn’t even have Molina catch AJ in Game 2 because this team needs Posada in the lineup.
You don’t sacrifice outs in the post-season. Especially against good teams like the Angels.
“The Yankees are taking it easy today”….that’s it Sam? Not very insightful. You really can’t think of anything else to talk about? How about something as simple as “Will Molina catch Burnett again even though Jorge got 3 at-bats last time that happened?” or something about what they’re up to on their off days. Just because there isn’t a game doesn’t mean you should be taking the day off until the chat later. Come on man, stir the pot.
Carlos Gonzalez has an amazing arm. I saw part of the Rockies/Phillies game last night and he nearly gunned down Victorino at third. I wouldn’t mind having an OFer like that in our system, lol.
I think the Rays will be looking to move Upton this winter, but not to the Yankees or the AL East. They have tired of his act. It is looking like Maddon vs. Upton, one has to go. It will be interesting to see which the Rays choose.
The Rays recent trading history suggests they are not shy about trading their players, and not necessarily at a huge cost. They dealt Dukes, Kazmir, and Jackson for very little in return, although admittedly Dukes is not in the elite category. They gave up on Delmon Young awfully quick for a guy who was the no 1 prospect in all of baseball. They got great return(Garza, Bartlett) for him, he was traded because of the same issues B.J. has.
Sorry, I can’t see Gardner starting, and if he does it would be in CF. Melky and Gardner have rarely been in the OF together without Gardner in CF.
Oh, there’s still the roster issue. How many pitchers? 11 again?
Melky is not a corner OF – he doesn’t put up nearly big enough numbers for that spot. I like AJax, but he’s so raw -he won’t be ready maybe until 2011 or 2012
If you are going to bench Johnny for a poor alds performance. You’ll have to bench everyone not named Jeter, Alex, Mark. Only Jeter and Alex actually had good ALCS’s.
I think most of us will agree we think the yankees hitting will be better in this series than the minny series.
i think the yankees have a huge offense game in game 1 vs. lackey.
Hey, who’s the most dangerous guy in the Angles’ lineup?
———————————————————-
My guess is Abreu, followed by Hunter.
Need to keep Figgins off the bases[hitless against Boston]
Actually Aybar is the one I wouldn’t take lightly, hit> .300 from both sides of the plate has speed and plays good defense
How is a team that won 106 so far possess an OF that, “isn’t very good”?
That’s not true.
Damon has had his moments in left but, overall, has played a decent LF. Melky has been solid in CF and Swisher has improved bigtime in RF as the season has gone on.
In fact, one could argue Swisher made two of the biggest plays in the ALDS defensively.
The OF is fine. Every team has weaknesses. You don’t win 106 games (and counting) with big weaknesses in any one area of a team.
The Yankees don’t possess any big weaknesses at the present time.
Betsy, i think we see Jackson on the team at some point after May 15 next season.
SJ44
October 13th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
How is Gardner an upgrade over Damon in LF? He can’t throw and he isn’t a LF.
The Angels will go first to third on Gardner just as much, or more, than they will on Damon.
————————-
That’s really laughable…. You make a point on offense and I totally agree that Gardner is no Damon.. But on defense, Gardner can’t throw?? And ppl will run more on him than Damon?? I really really thought you were better than this….
Upton will cost a decent amount for them to trade, even though his trade value went down this year, he will still get bring them a decent amount back.
Crawford will cost the Rays a decent amount. I’m not sure they have the money to keep him. They only had a slight up tick in attendance at their games which may likely fall off again because they didn’t get to the playoffs this year.
He is a face of the franchise type player for the Rays, but finances may dictate his days there are coming to a close.
I’m not totally convinced that Bay will be signed by the Red Sox. They might decide to sign Holliday over him. Bay doesn’t give great defense and his offense doesn’t seem enough to cover the defense problems.
I think Damon and Matsui could be back if they are going for shorter term deals and lower costs. Matsui also wants to play in the field. Maybe a platoon approach with both of them splitting time in the field and at DH? More field time for Damon due to Hideki’s knees.
SJ, glad you’re here as I wanted to ask you a question about Phil.
Are you concerned about his shaky performance thus far? I really don’t think he’s feeling the pressure as I think he’s a very tough kid, but he’s clearly struggling. The Yanks were counting on him to be solid, but now….it is a bit concerning. What are you seeing from him that you weren’t seeing before and do you think it can be corrected?
AS to next year, are you concerned that Phil almost completely dropped his curve? I don’t get why he did that – he has a very good one (or he did) and it could have been a weapon. Now, he’s lost the feel for it – is that something he can just regain in ST next year? Thanks!
Hey, who’s the most dangerous guy in the Angles’ lineup?
———————————————————-
My guess is Abreu, followed by Hunter.
Need to keep Figgins off the bases[hitless against Boston]
Actually Aybar is the one I wouldn’t take lightly, hit> .300 from both sides of the plate has speed and plays good defense
___
Still dont like seeing Vlad at the plate either.
Why do you think Joe Girardi would tell anybody on Tuesday what he is going to do Saturday night?
There is no “pot to stir”.
If the team isn’t working out today, there is no reason for the media to be at Yankee Stadium.
Girardi isn’t going to tell anybody about his roster or lineup on Tuesday.
Definitely want 11 pitchers again, dropping Marte, who didn’t do his job, and probably, sigh, adding Bruney.
Do we need Hinske, or do we go with Speed and defense in Guzman?
Do you watch the games? Gardner has a weak throwing arm. He can’t throw anybody out and isn’t a LF.
Nobody is benching Damon for Gardner in LF. Not for offensive or defensive purposes.
That’s not an opinion, its a fact.
If you choose not to believe it, no skin off my back.
YT,
I didn’t mean it to be, but it could’ve been a trick question. Against the Yankees, the most dangerous hitter is Figgins. I don’t think he’ll be as big a factor as that stupid Aybar. And now Vlady’s got that monkey off his own back.
I think Torii more than Abreu. Abreu’s got this whole revenge thing going on. Maybe they’ll use it against him. Torii however’s got it going on, the whole football player intensity thing.
SJ,
Nice win by the ‘Fins yesterday!
If there was any guarantee that Matsui’s knees could hold up for even one week in LF next year, i would say put him out there. Even not playing the field, he had to be drained twice this year. no way he sees real time in lf next year. but i still like him as the DH and i dont agree with the idea that the dh spot should be freed up for others to get the day off.
Good AL teams have had a solid DH. (Matsui, Ortiz, VLad).
SJ, I’m talking next year. You yourself said (or maybe it was CB – if so, I apologize) that every hitter this year basically had a great year. We can’t count on that next year – the Yankees are an old team. Who knows who will fall off a cliff? Who knows who just sort of ease into a not-so graceful decline? The Yankees can’t assume they will get the same production out of their lineup next year as they did this year….Plus, Matsui will be gone (and maybe Damon).
sj,
any thoughts on arod? he’s busted out and gotten some huge hits. let’s hope he can keep it going. i see a world series mvp in his future.
Fan, have you really frequented this blog’s comments? On any given day it will digress into something non baseball related, usually movies or TV shows.. Geez, calm down. You have been the only person I’ve seen complain about the blog so far.
The day is still young and they have been doing 5 to 6 posts a day. What more do you want? Go take a valium or something.
Bay doesn’t give great defense and his offense doesn’t seem enough to cover the defense problems.
——————————————————
Bay isn’t a great fielder, but 15 assists this year with no errors in LF aint too shabby.
The lineup you saw for the first and third game will be what you see. No changes.
Likely the only change to the roster is Marte. You either bring back Brian, or Guzman (?).
Yesterday it was taking Hughes out of the 8th inning roll.
Now we’re benching Damon?
By friday, I expect the that Pena will be at short and Bruney will be closing.
Since Boston lost out on Tex, I think their plan is to move Youkilis to 3rd when they can dump Lowell, have VMart catch until they can sign Mauer, and then move VMart to first. In the meantime, they have Kochman to play first.
If Boston misses out on Mauer, their plans look much, much weaker, obviously. I don’t think the Yanks will get involved with the intention of signing him, just to drive the price up. They have the best collection of catching prospects in baseball right now, so I think they would choose to commit their big bucks elsewhere.
So, it is up to us. I would be willing to donate $$ to a “Keep Mauer in Minny” fund. as a way of keeping him away from Boston.
The first to third thing is the most overrated notion in baseball especially when you have the pitchers the Yankees have and the SO rate they have.
First off, you have to get on base to go first to third.
Their best hitters are Figgins, Abreu, Hunter, Morales, and Vladdy.
CC and Andy will probably be starting 5 of the 7 games in this series if it goes that far. Of that group Hunter is the only guy who is good against Lefties.
Figgins: .246 AVG, .325 OBP
Abreu: .267 AVG, .348 OBP
Morales: only 4 of his 34 HR against LHP
Vladdy: .250 AVG, .276 OBP
Tom in N.J.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Yesterday it was taking Hughes out of the 8th inning roll.
Now we’re benching Damon?
By friday, I expect the that Pena will be at short and Bruney will be closing.
*******
Don’t forget Hairston at third base. LOL
Tex’s friend, AJax will not be ready by 2010…he needs alot more time in AAA
Betsy,
About the only person who is perfect, or just about perfect, in the post-season in Mariano Rivera.
Judging Hughes on a Mariano scale, which some fans are wont to do, is foolish.
He got touched up a little. It happens. That’s baseball.
Overall, he is still throwing the ball very, very well.
He hasn’t ditched his curveball. He hasn’t thrown it a lot because the Twins are good off speed/breaking ball hitters.
You pitch to the scouting report.
In fact, the one time he threw the curve, to Punto, just sped up his bat and allowed him to punch it into center for single.
Overall, going to the bullpen was the best thing to ever happen to Hughes. He helped the team win (they wouldn’t be here without his contributions), he had the most success he has ever had in the majors, and he was able to raise his level of confidence about being able to consistently get major league hitters out.
The #1 pitch a pitcher MUST possess to be successful in the majors is a well placed fastball.
Fastball command trumps everything. If you have it, you will be able to easily develop your secondary pitches.
Without fastball command, you are forced to pitch backward and its much tougher to succeed at the ML level pitching backward.
Mike Mussina did it for the last half of last season and then was smart enough to retire because he knew he couldn’t get away with pitching like that again.
Hughes will be just fine next year. The bullpen experience will make him a better starting pitcher.
Damon isn’t horrible in left. He has made some poor plays, but that seemed to be most during the time he was having eye problems. I’d be surprised to see his bat stay asleep. This rest period may do him wonders.
I wonder if Mauer will want to stay with the Twins. If the owners pony up more in salary than they have in the past, he might stay. I don’t think its a money thing with him as much as it is him wanting to be on a contending team. The Twins seem to only go so far, and they let so much talent leave.
Pujols is in a similar position. If they look to sign Holliday (despite the struggles of the playoffs they had) and seem like they will invest some in the team, he will probably end up staying there. I have read that he is looking for A-Rod level money though, and I don’t see them giving that large a contract.
Nobody is benching Damon for Gardner in LF. Not for offensive or defensive purposes.
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No way Damon with his power is being benched in Yankee stadium.
However, interestingly, Gardner hit .291 against lefties.
Damon might be replaced by Melky in the late innings of a Yankee lead, with Gardner in center.
Matt (MA)
Who would you pitch for game 4 for the Yankees? CC on short rest, Joba or Gaudin?
Rob Neyer (12:41 PM)
It would depend on how many pitches CC throws in Game 1, but I’d be inclined to ask Gaudin to give me his five best innings.
=====================================================
Jimbo (Brooklyn)
Well, then What if the Yanks win the WS (team of the Decade) that would be 2 WS wins, 9 playoff appearances…
Rob Neyer (12:44 PM)
Yeah, I went through this a few weeks ago in the blog, I think … If the Yankees win the World Series, they get that title. If they don’t it’s still the Red Sox, who get a measure of extra credit for the dramatic nature of their story.
We just swept the series against the Twins and the first thing I see today are comments drastically changing our lineup…I guess not much has changed while I’ve been gone the past few days.
On the Damon discussion, do those of you who assume he will be cast aside at the end of this season remember earlier in the season when he was one of the top producers in our offense? You may have forgotten but the people who really make these decisions don’t forget those things so easily. I don’t see Damon getting anything long term (here or elsewhere) but I would not be surprised to see the Yankees make a reasonable effort to keep him in pinstripes. (And no, I’m not trying to get in good w/ Erica)
Mauer stays in Minny.
Unless he wants to play LF for us next year.
(kidding)
mark,
you may be right. i could see theo trying to get mauer this winter, but he’d have to give up a ton.
the red sox need more than a cather. a ss, a 1b, a dh. i honestly could see them going all in on pujols if he ever gets to free agency, which i doubt
“Bay isn’t a great fielder, but 15 assists this year with no errors in LF aint too shabby.”
He is on the Manny Plan for outfield assists there in Boston, throwing runners out from deep short.
Mauer is the Twins and Pujols is the Cardinals. I do not see how either team can let them walk away. Esp. the Twins since Mauer is a hometown kid and they will have plenty of money with the new stadium opening up.
By Thursday we will have people on here calling for Hinske in RF and Arod to the bench if he goes 0-4 in Game 1.
Just the nature of the knee jerk fan base that sometimes inhabits the blog.
I said before the post-season that Arod would have a monster post-season and I stand behind that.
He loves hitting at Angels Stadium and I think he will stay hot in this series.
For all those who get bent out of shape about the Angels, the Yankees played 4 series against the Angels this year (I am counting the one game makeup as a “series”) and won 3 of them.
They are a better team than the Angels and, barring injury, the better team usually win Best of 7 series.
I think this team is too good to lose 4 games in a series to any of the remaining teams in the playoffs.
As long as they don’t suffer any injuries. Injuries to a key player or players can derail them.
Other than that, I think this is the year for #27.
No way Damon with his power is being benched in Yankee stadium.
However, interestingly, Gardner hit .291 against lefties.
Damon might be replaced by Melky in the late innings of a Yankee lead, with Gardner in center.
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Not to mention that starting Gardner takes away a key speed element via the pinch runner in late game situations, which Girardi opted to go to in all 3 games against Minn. I believe
Okay, so can we agree that the winner of this series wins it all?
“Mike Mussina did it for the last half of last season and then was smart enough to retire because he knew he couldn’t get away with pitching like that again.”
This is kind of the approach that Buchholz uses. Do you think that may be why he seems to keep coming up in trade rumors and why he was kept in the minors for so long?
“I could see theo trying to get mauer this winter”
Actually, I was thinking they would wait until his FA, Boston seems to be unwilling to pay the prospect price for top talent since they traded Hanley.
I really stirred the pot with the Gardner suggestion.
Moving Melky to LF and Gardner into CF for a game – I just don’t see how offensively it would change this team.
Defensively, it’s an improvement. Gardner has a below-average arm, but it’s accurate. Damon has a below-average arm.
Personally I’d rather watch Gardner scratch out some hits and a steal or two than wait around for Johnny to chip one over the wall.
Not trying to start a fight, here. Just don’t think the suggestion is that off-the-wall.
Did anyone read angels blog? What is that guy smoking???????
This is what he says
Catching
Offense- Napoli/Mathis vs. Posada/Molina. Posada is better than both of them. Lets not forget he had SURGERY this off-season, and he missed playing time this year. The idiot says its neutral with shades of halos? yeah, ok.
Defense- He said its neutral. Ill give him that.
2nd Base
Offense – “mini-ad: Yanks, but Cano’s there for his bat.” Really?
Defense – “Robinson Cano is garbage; Howie Kendrick and Maicer Izturis are not. mini-ad: Angels” He should get fired for that one alone. Cano has one of the strongest arms ive seen for a second basement.
Bench “Benches, yes, we are deeper, younger, faster, and more prepared for injury and replacement. The Yankees are old, getting older, and require key players to be healthy for their style of game to continue.
Advantage: Angels?” more prepared for injury? Because they have players like Jerry H JR who can play like every position, Nick swisher who can pitch (and effectively)(kidding on that one), Cervelli as a third catcher.. its funny..
“Stadiums:
Can the Yanks even fill their brand-new, one billion dollar stadium? No one can even afford to get in without mortgaging their townhouses or selling bums to the city. But there are two words for the advantage of the Angels at home. Words that strike such terror into the hearts of opposition everywhere, that they only dare be uttered during the playoffs: Thunder. Sticks.
Boom.
Ad: Angels.?
Last time I checked, Yankees had a better home record by like… 8 games?
“Oh, and my prediction! As largely irrelevant as it is, I guess I have to pick something, but I’m just unable to commit to a number. So I’ll say Angels in 1 because it’s going to be such a one-sided beating, the Angels won’t even have to show up for games 2, 3 and 4 to win the series.”
Seriously where did they find this guy? FIRE HIM NOW
Interesting thread on RAB regarding PH. My opinion is that he just needs to “pitch” a little more, use all of his pitches to set hitters up. Even at 95 he can’t throw FB after FB in the same location. Hitters will key in on it. Just ask Abreu about his AB vs Papelbon. He knew what was coming and just waited for it.
Since when is Damon an all-or-nothing homerun hitter, BigSix?
SJ, thanks – I appreciate the response. I agree about judging Hughes or anyone by Mo’s ridiculous standards, it’s just that I’ve read on other boards that people are concerned that Phil didn’t throw his curve much even before the playoffs. I do agree with your comment about FB command and Phil has that in spades. I suppose I’m just looking for something to worry about – I will put a stop to that ASAP.
Seeing the closers implode recently makes it all the more wondrous what Mo has done over a decade. LOL I still can’t get over Mauer’s breaking his bat – I could watch that over and over again, it was so ridiculous.
What are your thoughts on this series, by the way?
lol. I still had that ridiculous Halo wishful thinking blog up. Look what caught my eye:
“Given the Angels have starters Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and long relief/spot-starters Darren Oliver, and Matt Palmer (a veritable 11 game winner) all pitching out of the ‘pen, they have depth beyond the Yank’s wildest dreams. Who are you going to put up against it, the innings-limited Joba Chamberlain? The talent-limited Chien-Ming Wang? Good luck, there, hoss.
Ad: Angels, ever so slightly.”
Not only do they fail to mention that we have our own starters in th bullpen Hughes and Aceves. They don’t even know that Wang isn’t on the roster because he had surgery.
Gardner played leftfield last year when he came up. He did throw out runners at the plate against toronto and in the opening series against baltimore. He doesn’t have a strong arm but it is better than Damon’s. And Gardner doesn’t look like he is dizzy going after a flyball like Damon does.
But anyway you are not taking Damon out of the lineup. He is way too good of a hitter.
Melky has a cannon but a lot of times it doesn’t do the team very good because he isn’t very accurate.
Worrying about outfield arms is overrated the yanks played the angels I think 9 times this season and I dont remember watching them running wild on the outfield arms.
At this point there is no reason to let Damon OR Matsui go as long as they are up for 1 year contracts. Maybe one of them gets a two year contract.
Bay, Holliday, and Figgins all we be vastly overpaid in money and years.
There are no viable replacements for either and I do not buy this rotating DH thing b/c Joe has proved he is more than capable of keeping guys fresh. This team will suffer big time if they lose either.
IMO you sign Damon and Matsui to one year deals. Then you hope AJAX is ready to take over LF. You also hope that Montero can be the DH and play some time at C, giving Posada a rest and learning from Pena and Girardi in the big leagues.
Also, why do people think Melky will regress? If anything, you expect him to get better. The kid is what, 24 years old. He is younger than Gardner. Between Melky and Swisher IDK who is more underrated by Yankee fans. Swisher had a huge year at the plate and did not even hit many HRs at YS. Imagine next year if he can get it together at home.
The Yankees should just keep investing in pitching and I do not think they will hand out any other big time contracts to position players other than Jeter’s extension of course.
The idea of benching Damon is absurd to me.
I am not making excuses, but Damon said the last week of the season that he expanded his strike zone for an umpire and has been out of whack since. His plate appearances at the ALDS back that up completely.
I have total faith that with some hard work with Kevin Long that Damon will be hitting again in the ALCS. If not… well, we can always bat him 8th
I absolutely do not bench Johnny Damon..my word, that is showing no faith in the poor guy. He’s been dreadful recently, but he’s also a very good player..and clutch. Bench him for Gardner? Now, he will need to get going – and hopefully he will do that and set the tables for the big guns.
m
October 13th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
lol. I still had that ridiculous Halo wishful thinking blog up. Look what caught my eye:
“Given the Angels have starters Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and long relief/spot-starters Darren Oliver, and Matt Palmer (a veritable 11 game winner) all pitching out of the ‘pen, they have depth beyond the Yank’s wildest dreams. Who are you going to put up against it, the innings-limited Joba Chamberlain? The talent-limited Chien-Ming Wang? Good luck, there, hoss.
Ad: Angels, ever so slightly.”
Not only do they fail to mention that we have our own starters in th bullpen Hughes and Aceves. They don’t even know that Wang isn’t on the roster because he had surgery.
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LOL anybody that says angels have a better bullpen is a moron.
Yankee Trader
October 13th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Nobody is benching Damon for Gardner in LF. Not for offensive or defensive purposes.
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No way Damon with his power is being benched in Yankee stadium.
However, interestingly, Gardner hit .291 against lefties.
Damon might be replaced by Melky in the late innings of a Yankee lead, with Gardner in center.
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Melky in left neutralizes the only legit outfield arm we have. Melky needs to be in CF. Angels will go first to third all day on Gardner. An OF arm isn’t only about throwing guys out – it’s a deterrent and at the very least, gives a baserunner pause.
“Seeing the closers implode recently makes it all the more wondrous what Mo has done over a decade.”
Mariano is the best of all time by a long shot. The only one within shouting distance is Eckersley. And there are miles from him to number 3, whoever that is.
The rest of the closers in the last 20 years are just pitchers who have reasonable success because most ML pitchers can go an inning without giving up multiple runs 75% of the time or more. It takes someone very special to get it done in the most important games at the rate that Mariano has done. We likely will not see it again, no matter who replaces him.
Benching Damon?
LOL. Can’t even dignify the suggestion by debating this.
Damon had his best swings in his final AB against the Twins. He’ll be fine.
Betsy,
I think the Yankees win this series in 6 or 7 games. I agree with Pat M. I think the Angels bullpen is their achilles heel and will cost them at least one game in the series.
With Joba in the bullpen, you have Joba, Hughes, Coke, Aceves and probably Bruney in front of Mo.
That gives Girardi a huge advantage over the Angels in a key component of a series.
Stolen bases are always overrated by fans. So far in the post-season, we have seen “speed” kill the team looking to utilize it rather than helping them win games.
Lots of baserunning gaffes in the post-season so far.
The Angels aren’t going to win this series by stealing a lot of bases. If that’s their plan, they will lose.
They are going to have to hit some balls out of the ballpark because I think the Yankees will score some runs in this series.
Erica – always OPPC
October 13th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
The idea of benching Damon is absurd to me.
I am not making excuses, but Damon said the last week of the season that he expanded his strike zone for an umpire and has been out of whack since. His plate appearances at the ALDS back that up completely.
I have total faith that with some hard work with Kevin Long that Damon will be hitting again in the ALCS. If not… well, we can always bat him 8th
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Erica, no need to try to justify Damon’s place in the lineup. No one seriously questions this.
Damon would only not be in there if there were some sort of injury. His swings were a lot healthier in his final AB, and JD is streaky. Another guy in our lineup who can produce a run in Yankee Stadium with one swing of the bat.
Why is it that some fans don’t even consider ballpark factor? Our team can win anywhere, but left-handed power throughout our lineup gives us a huge advantage at home, where we enjoy the extra game through the next two rounds.
I was very worried about Swisher in the outfield come the postseason, but to me he looks fantastic right now. Very confident as he made a few nice running catches in the ALDS not to mention the 2 plays where he got the runner at 2nd. If that improvement is all hard work related well good for him … and the fans.
I agree with SJ,
And to add to that I am going say right now:
The Yankees will steal more bases than the Angels in this series.
If the series goes to 7 games we will see CC 3 times, Andy twice, and AJ twice.
CC as a lefty will keep the runners close and their big base stealing threats (Figgins and Abreu) are both far worse against LHP. They have to get on base to steal.
Andy is well Andy. Enough said.
And Molina will be catching AJ. The Angels would just be running into outs trying to steal on Molina.
On the other side, the Angels catchers are pretty bad at throwing out runners themselves. I bet Jetes, Arod, and Gardner late in games take advantage of that.
On going 1st to 3rd. You have to potentially string together three hits in an inning for that to even be relevant. And if you only have 2 hits you need to put the ball in play against all the SO pitchers the Yankees have. I really do not see either of those scenarios occurring very often against the Yankee pitching.
That Angels blog is written for Angels fans. I wouldn’t get too worked up about it.
Boston will have a TON of turnover this year
1B – Youkilis/Martinez unless they trade for M. Cabrera or A. Gonzalez. The guess though is that Martinez is the #1 catcher and a liability at that position. Youkilis is rock solid defensively and offensively.
2B – Pedroia
SS – Gonzalez, but over the season will not his at all
3B – ???. Lowell is under contract but has really been hobbled and is getting old. Youkilis will get playing time there when Martinez is at 1B. Again you might get the blockbuster trade for Cabrera or Gonzalez
RF – Drew – he worries you a ton but they are stuck with him.
CF – Ellsbury – good, solid player.
LF – Bay or ???
C – option, but again Martinez is the catcher is weak defensively and doesn’t hit nearly as well at this position.
P – Beckett was hit hard at the end of the year and is up and down. Lester is a 1 or really good 2. Bucholz may get traded. Had his ups and downs. Dice-K – has he regressed and will not recover. Wakefield is he back or is his back what holds him back. Bowden was lit up.
Bullpen – Wagner may retire or is gone. Saito is probably gone. Bard will have to step up. Papelbon – there is a lot of talk that he might get traded. Of course he got roughed up in the playoffs but is a top closer.
Positions with questions: C, 1B, SS, 3B, RF, LF, Closer, Bullpen.
Bodhi-
Exactly. What people also fail to take into account is the THREAT of Johnny Damon. It is a lot more threatening to a starting pitcher to have a 1-4 punch of Jeter, Damon, Tex, and A-Rod then the alternative which would most likely be Jeter, Swish,etc… with Gardner in the line up. Its not a knock of Garnder, but offensively you cannot put him in the same breath as Johnny Damon.
Can’t believe we’re debating not starting Damon here today. Friday can’t come soon enough.
The only thing I think that bears some debate is what to do with Marte’s spot if he’s dropped. He should be dropped by the way.
Do you add another arm to the pen because there are back to back’s in the series or do you put Guzman on the roster to run in the late innings?
If you add an arm do you bring Bruney in?
I’m of the mindset that we bring the extra pinch runner in to give us late game options with the final spot.
If Bruney comes into a game, it’s either extra innings or a blowout since I don’t see Joe trusting him not to walk the first batter he faces.
Mark in Tampa,
Yeah, I know. Too bad the guy loses credibility. CMW has been out for most of the season.
Here’s his latest entry: John Lackey and Some Fat Guy to Face Off in Game 1: Tuesday Halolinks” Nice.
Swisher is not a great OF, and to his credit, he knows it and continues to work on getting better.
I’ll say this for our mediocre defensive COFs – they TRY to make plays. Swisher is still young and has some athletic ability.
Damon didn’t spend his career as a guy with a stick who had to be hidden on the corner, he’s a former CF who was once more athletic than he is today, and when he’s feeling good, he can still run down the ball.
Swish has really cut down on the rainbow throws and is making very good in-game decisions. He also is getting much better jumps than he did earlier, and is more familiar with our RF.
Still – COF is our weakest defensive link. Sometimes, I say a little prayer when the ball is headed Damon or Swisher’s way.
G Love,
With the Angels being so RH hitting dominant, I’m thinking Girardi will go with Bruney if Bruney has been throwing well in his side sessions.
If he hasn’t been throwing well, then I think they will add Guzman.
Each year is different but Damon was roughly 3-30 in the first 6 games of the 2004 ALCS before he “broke-out” in a rather significant fashion in game 7. The best is yet to come there.
First to third isn’t the issue, the Twins were going home to second on hits to Melky. You think the Angels won’t capitalize?
I am loving this outpouring of support for MPB Johnny Damon
I never get caught up in small playoff sample sizes.
Its not about stats. Its about who you want in your lineup.
Sorry but, I want Johnny Damon in my lineup over Brett Gardner or just about any other option.
He’s a clutch player, always has been, and is the best option the Yankees have in LF.
Anything else is video game material and not logical baseball thinking in the slightest.
SJ, stop killing our Carlos Gonzalez hopes, WE WILL GET HIM!
77 hours and 50 minutes until Game 1!!!!
How did it work out for the Twins? If memory serves me correctly, they are home now.
How did the Yankees win 3 of 4 series against the “impossible to beat” Angels?
Show some confidence in your team. Its better than anybody else left in the post-season and by a wide margin.
new thread
If the Yankees win #27, does Melky give up his number?
“First to third isn’t the issue, the Twins were going home to second on hits to Melky. You think the Angels won’t capitalize?”
There are very few outfield arms these days that can make a good runner even hesitate. I thought that the best outfield arm I have seen in a long time was on that guy Bautista in Toronto. But, you wouldn’t want him as afull time player, there are a lot of guys you would take over him.
I wonder why there seem to be many more pitchers who throw 95+ these days, but the outfield arms seem to be getting worse all the time.
SJ,
Bruney scares me in any kind of a big spot. Not that he’ll get hit hard, but that he’ll walk the ball park.
It’s funny how we at the blog always focus on the last player on the roster, but in this situation when it’s set in stone for the series you want to guess right.
My head tells me you bring the extra pitcher because of the back to back’s and the travel, but when I look at the list of who the extra pitcher may be i.e. Marte, Bruney, Mitre, Melancon…I start to think that if any of those four get into a game something has really gone wrong.
Whereas if we’ve used Gardner to run already and Jorge or Molina or Matsui is sitting on 1b late in the game, we’ll wish we had the pinch runner there.
It’s gonna be interesting to see which way the team goes.
BigSix
October 13th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I really stirred the pot with the Gardner suggestion.
Moving Melky to LF and Gardner into CF for a game – I just don’t see how offensively it would change this team.
Defensively, it’s an improvement. Gardner has a below-average arm, but it’s accurate. Damon has a below-average arm.
Personally I’d rather watch Gardner scratch out some hits and a steal or two than wait around for Johnny to chip one over the wall.
Not trying to start a fight, here. Just don’t think the suggestion is that off-the-wall.
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no way damon comes out with his experience & lh power
jd has done it all year & gardner has not proven he is a ml of.
jeter
damon
tex
arod
matsui
posada
cano
swisher
melky
is the best lineup
if gardner were to start in cf over melky i wouldnt have a problem if guzman makes the roster
my question is do we need hinske ?
Maybe the Angels didn’t like what they saw out of Kazmir on Sunday….
5. As well as Angels right-hander Jered Weaver pitched in Game 2 in the ALDS against Boston, he should move back in the rotation to Game 3 for the ALCS against the Yankees. Manager Mike Scioscia likely will stick with John Lackey for Game 1 at Yankee Stadium on Friday, but left-hander Scott Kazmir is a better call than Weaver for Game 2 there on Saturday. Why?
• Weaver was much better at home this year (9-3, 2.90) than on the road (7-5, 4.78).
• Weaver was much worse against the Yankees this year (1-1, 5.59 in three starts, including 0-1, 6.08 in two starts at Yankee Stadium) than Kazmir (2-1, 3.20 in three starts, all at home).
• Most importantly, it is slightly more advantageous to throw a left-hander against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, where you have to defend the shorter porch in right field, because you force their switch-hitters to bat from the right side. Right-handed starters got pounded by the Yankees in that ballpark. They were 10-19 there, including 3-14 since June 19. (Left-handed starters were 6-10). Including the postseason start by Nick Blackburn of Minnesota, 28 opposing right-handers have started at Yankee Stadium in the past four months and only three came away with a win: Roy Halladay, Chris Tillman and Kevin Millwood, and in each case they were supported by 10 runs.
Honestly, the Yankees are such a dominant offensive team in that ballpark that it doesn’t matter that much. Here are opponents’ records in games at Yankee Stadium, whether the starter gets the decision or not:
With right-handed starter: 14-37 (.275)
With left-handed starter: 10-20 (.333)
But I’d still rather throw a lefty at Yankee Stadium, especially when the right-handed choice, Weaver, is better at home and worse against the Yankees. Remember, Scioscia’s Game 2 starter is also likely to be his starter for Game 6, also to be played at Yankee Stadium — assuming he uses four starters and assuming the Angels can extend the best team in baseball that far.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....z0Tq4cW0IM
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jennifer,
Why would Melky give up #53 if they win?
To me, the three biggest batters in LAA’s lineup are Figgins, Abreu, and Morales. Keep those guys in check and the Angels are in big trouble. Luckily for the Yanks, those guys do not his lefties particularly well. I expect CC to start 3 games, and Andy to start twice in the series. That’s 5 out of 7 games where these three big hitters lose the platoon advantage.
Figgins (S) .630 OPS vs. lefties
Abreu (L) .735 OPS vs. lefties
Morales (S) 4 out of 34 HRs hit vs. lefties
I’m not sure if Marte makes the roster or not. Does Bruney get the call? Interestinly, Bruney has been better against lefties this year instead of righties.
http://www.baseball-reference......;t=p#plato
I fully expect the Yanks to go with 3 starters, and replace Marte with Fast Freddy or maybe (unlikely) Ramiro Pena.
oh never mind no one has #28. is that a sign?
Personally I’d rather watch Gardner scratch out some hits and a steal or two than wait around for Johnny to chip one over the wall.
Not trying to start a fight, here. Just don’t think the suggestion is that off-the-wall.
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You are on shaky ground, my friend. Precludes serious debate.
I hate to look ahead to 2010 but I noticed a lot of debates over next years lineup. First off I hope the Yankees dont go out and sign Jason Bay or any of the other 2010 free agents. (Chone Figgins would be nice but no need) Next sign Johnny to a 1yr deal and let him and Jorge platoon at dh and when not at dh they each can play leftfield and catch respectively. When Johnny dhs Melkey goes to left and gardner in cf. Cerevelli will see more time behind the plate because I doubt Molina is back. Melkey Gardner and Cervelli can continue to develop while Damon and Jorge can still contribute daily but also stay fresh.
SJ44
October 13th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Betsy,
I think the Yankees win this series in 6 or 7 games. I agree with Pat M. I think the Angels bullpen is their achilles heel and will cost them at least one game in the series.
With Joba in the bullpen, you have Joba, Hughes, Coke, Aceves and probably Bruney in front of Mo.
That gives Girardi a huge advantage over the Angels in a key component of a series.
Stolen bases are always overrated by fans. So far in the post-season, we have seen “speed” kill the team looking to utilize it rather than helping them win games.
Lots of baserunning gaffes in the post-season so far.
The Angels aren’t going to win this series by stealing a lot of bases. If that’s their plan, they will lose.
They are going to have to hit some balls out of the ballpark because I think the Yankees will score some runs in this series.
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dont foret robertson
I would think if they’re dropping Marte, it’s definitely going to be Bruney given the dizzying pace Joe’s going through pitchers in the late innings.
What about Hinske? In what situation is he entering a game against the Angels? PH for Melky? That’s all I can see.
Jennifer I think Melkey took 53 to honor Bobby Abreu so I doubt he would give it up. But then again when Abreu goes hitless in the series and fails to make a few catches against the wall Melkey might say to himself “this guy is garbage! Why am I honoring him?”
Girardi is not going to bench Damon and he should not even consider it. Damon is one of the best clutch hitters on the team. He will be fine.
I can understand wanting to give Gardner a start but that would be in center instead of Melky not for Damon. That makes more sense.
NEW
THREAD
nice. i have no speakers at work so this is good.
except that i usually bowl on thursdays :/