Chat this afternoon
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on May 21, 2010 
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Just another reminder that Sam and I will be video chatting this afternoon at 1. We’ll talk about Jorge Posada’s injured foot, Nick Swisher’s finally healthy biceps, the Yankees suddenly shaky bullpen and whatever else becomes a topic of discussion.
Stop by http://www.lohud.com/protalklive to get in on the conversation.
Randy, there’s nothing wrong with Winn or Thames as extra OFs (well, Thames ONLY on an emergency basis); how an any team, even the Yankees, predict or account for losing 2 outfielders (Granderson and Swisher)? Also, Cashman actually came out and said it, bluntly: he had a budget that Hal would not allow him to go over. He chose to sure up the pitching (with Javy) instead of the OF and clearly that was the right thing to do.
I agree the relief is a real problem. I’m not about to say that Robertson is back after one outing, but if he is, that helps. Still, Joba is just an inconsisent pitcher (going back to last year – this is not a small sample size), Marte is not reliable and Mitre is what he is. Logan stinks. It’s not a good pen – but it would help if the Yankees sent Logan back to AAA which, for some reason, they are hesitant to dod.
If the Yanks suffer any more injuries, what can you do? There are only so many that a team can take………..and only so many holes a team can fill.
The Yankees in deep doo, doo which is reality. Please, it’s May 21st and they still have one of the best records in baseball. They’re not in deep doo, doo, but going through a bad time in which they have to play better, but their pitching is what really let them down this week.
The Rays look tremendous. I haven’t seen a team play so perfectly. They beat us in every facet. Hopefully we get them back in July. I also hope Miranda continues his success in the DH role and proves he belongs. Go Yanks !
the yankees simply need to upgrade at the fourth outfielder position and as soon as teams start trading or dumping salaries.
over the winter, i advocated signing molina even though he would cost more and not be overall better than cervelli. the reason was that with posada’s age it was likely that jorge would miss some significant time.
i felt the yankees needed three catchers and not two. in my plan, cervelli could have been at triple a and ready when necessary.
by having cervelli as the back up on the yankees, there’d have to be be a journeyman like moeller who was bad enough that they’d go to triple a and be ready if an injury to posada happened.
posada, cervelli, and moeller is not as good as posada, molina, and cervelli.
cashman passed that up because of the extra million to molina.
just watched molina throw out ichiro on a espn highlights.
you think the rays would have stolen 6 bases off him the other night.
i don’t think so.
They should use Cervelli’s helmet to plug the oil leak in the Gulf . 2 of his helmets might do it !
The Yankees needed Cervelli on the ML level. I didn’t want him at SWB so that he’s taking time from Montero’s development at catcher.
Jeter, Miranda, and DRob were all positives from last night. Tex and ARod not coming through is costing wins. I hope swish is OK cause he sure looked rusty.
They left Andy in for 1 batter too long, I’m not putting this loss on him. The Yankees should have scored at least 3 more runs last night.
Tampa looks like the better team right now in just about every way…
Tampa writer feeling good about his team and downplaying the Yankees situation. We’ll see how good they are when they lose some of these players due to not drawing any people in Tampa and can’t afford them when they want to get paid.
http://www.draysbay.com/2010/5.....nd-depth-a
Last night, Tex and Arod not coming through hurt big-time. The Yankees need Jeter, Tex, Arod and Cano to carry this team through this trouble time. Time to cowboy up.;)
crawdady-
the yankees have been under .500 ball for over two weeks.
they just lost their overall advantage against other teams at the catcher position.
the bullpen is a mess. the fourth outfielder is a mess.
maddon is doing a number on girardi in taking it to him and being more aggressive.
when do you see girardi doing something like stealing 6 bases against the rays ?
when girardi has the advantage like against the red sox this week , he attempts 1 stolen base in two games.
way to take advantage of a weakness joe.
i like girardi, but he’s not the scrappy small ball manager i thought the yankees were getting.
but back to my original point.yeah, the yankees are in deep doo doo right now.
unless you consider .500 ball for two past weeks and likely the next 4 weeks acceptable .
randy l -
To be sure, they’re not at the end of the tunnel, but in my optimistic view of things, I do still think the faint glimmer of light is visible, if only because Granderson is on or ahead of schedule to return.
Before Swisher went down for a few games, they were doing okay rotating Winn and Thames in left. Not great, but okay. I know part of the equation for the outfield this year was to save money and not have to tie themselves to any long-term contracts for a 4th or 5th outfielder. Thames has at least hit, which is why he was brought here. He’s doing his job. Winn has been disappointing; I really thought his early season woes were due to not playing enough, but he’s been playing more and not really doing too much with it.
My concern for this team is really with the bullpen, but if Robertson is truly clicking, that is a big help.
I’m not in total denial; it’s been a brutal two weeks. I think the injury to Aceves is the most devasting. When he went down, Park was still on the DL. And it’s going to take a few outings for Park to get back to being stable. He had settled nicely right before hurting himself. Now he’s performing as he did right at the beginning of the season. Not well, to say the least. Tex has been a disappointment, but the offense really has managed to put together enough runs to win all the games they lost (with the exception of the one against the Twins), in spite of the fact that on all those nights they could have scored more.
I think they can play .500 ball no problem.
” I didn’t want him at SWB so that he’s taking time from Montero’s development at catcher.”
crawdaddy -
well, you’ll enjoy watching moeller the next month or so then.
you got your wish.
doreen-
i don’t know the exact time they’re expecting granderson back.
when is it?
I normally get nervous during Subway Series because the Yanks always have the built-in pressure to beat the Mets, but I don’t feel this way now because of the way they are playing. The only thing I really feel is hate for interleague play and worry that our pitchers are going to get hurt. I would love for them just to stand and the plate and take 3 strikes.
randy l -
One thing about Molina. Last year he was out of shape, and he wasn’t as sharp defensively as he’d been in the two seasons prior. He helped himself out by getting back into shape for this season. But I think the Yankees liked what Cervelli brings to the offense – he can bunt, he has some speed and he isn’t an automatic out at the plate. I think as much as possible, they were looking for versatility with as many players as possible. Now, that being said, their 4th and 5th outfielders don’t bring that versatility to the table, but that could be just the nature of the beast.
There is no denying there are multiple problems. However, the Yankees played the Twins, Tigers, Sox and Rays and still have the 2nd best record in the AL.
Granderson is going to be starting rehab soon maybe within a week or so; he’s doing well.
They have that record because of how they played early. If the Yankees keep playing like this, they are going to find themselves behind the Sox soon enough; they don’t have a big cushion. Again, though, they’ve done the best they can with the injury situation, which has been brutal.
Attendance smack is really not worth mentioning. The Rays only have been around 12 years, 10 of them were historically bad teams. Their metro area is around 2-maybe 3 mil compared w 15+ mil in the tri state area and all the tradition the Yanks have over 100 years then u add in all the transplants in Florida, it’s a tough market. They need to build a new ballpark in Tampa or Orlando
randy l -
As is normal operating procedure for the Yankees, they’re not giving exact time frames, but the general tone of the discussion about Granderson is positive. There have been no setbacks and I read that they are planning out his rehab games.
You know me, randy, I’ll always see the silver lining.
“I think they can play .500 ball no problem.”
doreen-
i think so too, but playing .500 ball is a big let down from being the loaded team they started the season with.
both of us would have been concerned had we known granderson and posada were both going to miss 6 weeks or more before mid season.
that’s two plus players out of the line up.
it’s just very disappointing that things have gotten to this point , but it is what it is. time to regroup and make the best of it.
i’m not even thinking of the rays right now. if the yankees can still hold onto the wild card lead though july first, i’ll consider that a success.
they can make a run at the rays later when hopefully they’re at full strength.
A couple of losses in a row and all the ‘GMs’ and ‘Chicken Littles’ come out as usual. This board will never change. I can’t beleive the poster who is all over Cashman for not bringing back Molina. LOL!!!!!!!!!!! For all the level headed fans here, and there are alot of them don’t get me wrong, its May 21. Every team goes through a rough stretch. The Rays are a very good team, but they too will hit a rough stretch or two. Meanwhile,I like what I am seeing from Miranda so far. Has a nice swing and seems to have a good eye at the plate. Robertson looked the best he has all season so far Hopefully, he’s starting to get his act together. Supposedly, Singleton spoke to Aceves, who after a bullpen workout, said his back wasn’t even an issue, so maybe he will be back soon. Granderson isgetting closer too. Joba will getstraightened out and MO goes through this every year at some point. He’ll be fine. Lets not panic people. This team will be fine.
I guess the only thing that can stop this Tampa team is their owner who wants to cut payroll for next season.
Well, what can you do? The Yankees have been decimated by injuries; there’s no way to plan for that. It’s disappointing because our luck has been awful, not because the organization has done a bad job.
“One thing about Molina. Last year he was out of shape”
I thought “out of shape” is the Molina family default position.
who would have thought at the beginning of the season that come May GGBG would be our best OF!?
Tampa is clearly the better team now, just as Boston was the better team at this time last year. I still contend the Yankees can beat the Rays if everyone gets healthy. But when that will be, no one knows. The Yankees team that started this season with Granderson in the line-up looked like a very, very good team. Unfortunately our pitchers chose this week to have some very bad games. The starting pitching has to get it together over the next couple of weeks in order to give this diminished line-up a chance to win games.
Anyone have any theories as to what is wrong with Tex? He started May so hot and I thought it would be like last year; he’d get clicking and not really look back. But he seems to have regressed again.
doreen-
i thought the yankees had the option of just being absolutely loaded having cevelli at triple a as an insurance policy that they would almost for sure collect on.
it’s very hard to get a ready to go triple a catcher because the veteran catchers don’t want to do it.
they had the option of having cervelli there and tey passed on it.
now , what has happened , is what i figured would happen, and the yanks are stuck with moeller.
cervelli would not have cut into montero’s playing time. cervelli already can play at the big league level. he didn’t need to play as much as montero . cerveli could have gotten his at bats at dh or playing third base or outfield which wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
“I thought “out of shape” is the Molina family default position.”
they do have that pillsbury doughboy look down pat.
You can’t have Cervelli in AAA blocking Montero’s development.
Its more important for Montero to develop as a catcher than it is worrying about the backup catching situation in NY. Cervelli can do the job if they just get him to calm down back there. He cost them bigtime with his foolish throw to second base last night. Changed the entire Crawford AB and the momentum in the game. However, that’s what you get when you are playing young and inexperienced players everyday. Gotta deal with the growing pains.
Montero’s development is important because they can continue to gain an enormous offensive advantage developing him as an everyday catcher at the major league level. As they have had all these years with Posada.
With AJ’s slow leg kick, even Molina wasn’t stopping the running the game the other night.
That, nor the 4th OF situation, isn’t what hurt them this week.
In order:
1. The bullpen.
2. Tex not hitting.
3. The injuries.
The bullpen has leaked all week. Blew the Twins game on Sunday. Blew the big lead to the Red Sox on Monday (before Arod and Thames bailed them out) and Tuesday.
The tack runs allowed by Logan and Melancon was the difference of the game on Wednesday.
Even last night, that tack on run Park allowed changed the entire way you attack the 9th inning.
The bullpen was awful on the homestand and they have to be MUCH better.
Tex….If he’s going to continue to hit like Randy Winn, that’s a BIG problem.
The injuries are what they are. NOBODY in baseball has a contingency plan to cover half their lineup going down with injuries at the same time.
With Granderson possibly going on a rehab assignment next week, he could be back soon.
Swisher is already back.
If the starters pick it back up again, the bullpen can find somebody who can get outs, and Tex starts hitting, they will be fine.
Its May 21. They don’t have to play for the Wild Card, nor is the season over.
Still a long way to go.
Randy,
If you want to push the panic button, go right ahead.
Furthermore, it’s been only ten days since they lost the first game at Detroit on May 10th. They lost 3 out of 4, took 2 out of 3 from the Twins, split a 2 game series with the Red Sox and lost the 2 game series to Tampa. Yep, they’re in deep doo, doo for going 4-7 in that time span. However, if their starting pitching can turn it around which is very possible then I think their fortunes can change very quickly. Even with their depleted lineup, if our starting pitching and Joba and Mo had pitched better, we should have been at least 6-5 during that same time span.
Things can happen quickly. Why it was a mere 2 weeks ago and a lot of folks on this board were laughing at the Dodgers & Joe Torre. Now Torre’s Dodgers are in 2nd place just 1 game back of SD.
The Yanks will hit their stride soon as well. These things happen every year. A team has injuries and another team gets hot & seems invincible. If you look at the Yankee BA you see some folks that appear to need a correction from too high to lower & some are too low and they are due to get hot. When everyone is hot or cold at the same times, it can be a long season, and not very successful. But let’s face it the Yankees are scoring lots of runs! Enough anyway. If I’m Tampa, I’m excited over 2 wins at NY, but I think how close the games became from a very weakened Yankee lineup. Of course they must remember the 2/3 they lost at the Trop as well.
It is way too early to look at the standings as anything can happen.
RayVT, so true about how things can happen and change very quickly during a 162 game season.
I don’t have as much confidence as I should that Tex is going to start getting hot and staying there……that said, things are looking a little brighter on the injury front. I don’t absolutely love the rotation, but they are not going to be this bad – so that’s also something to keep in mind. The pen is going to kill this team though because only Mo is trustworthy and you never know when he is going to get into a game. You know the other guys will pitch because the SP are not going 9 or 8 most of the time, but Mo only pitches in a tie game at home or with a lead on the road.
JM
One thing about Tex that isa problem is he is trying to pull everything. Rays left whole left side of infield open, even with 2nd and 3rd none out, and he didn’t try to hit it there. He should at least try and go up the middle to get out of his slump.
Randy,
Cervelli would have cut into Montero’s time in AAA. If you have 2 young catchers at one level, somebody isn’t getting PT. That’s why they split up Romine and Montero.
Plus, you add Molina bat, or lack of it, to this lineup right now and it weaker than it already is.
Still a game of pitching. If the bullpen did its job this week, they win Sunday, Tuesday and maybe even Wednesday and we aren’t having this conversation.
Three positives came out of last nights game:
1. Jeter. Best swings he’s had all month. Hopefully, its the start of something.
2. Robertson. If he can pitch like that, it helps the bullpen in a BIG way. Again, another hope that is the start of a good run for him.
3. Miranda. Its pretty clear the guy can hit. However, I was more impressed with the walk he drew from Choate after going down 0-2 and looking bad.
They may have something in Miranda that can be a real asset going forward. A kid with his power as the DH will help this lineup when it gets back to full health.
Good article on perspective.
“For the next 4-8 weeks, the Yankees’ goal should be just to stay afloat. And that’s not a tall order.
“That’s always the first thing: You try to deal with it and tread water,” general manager Brian Cashman told FanHouse.
The Yankees should get center fielder Curtis Granderson (groin strain) back by the end of the month; he is close to going out on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment, which would last no more than just a few days….”
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/0.....d-for-now/
Regardless of what the media went on and on about this offseason, the Red Sox do not have enough pitching to overcome the Yankees. As long as Javy gets back on track, the Yankees have a much better pitching staff than them.
And it is very easy to worry about how great the Rays look after these 2 games. But baseball is a game of highs and lows. It is a very long season. A month ago this team look unstoppable.
The Rays simply will not play .700 plus baseball the entire season. They are at a high right now and they have not seen a low so far this season. But if there is anything you learn about the baseball season and the grind of 162 games, is that the low always comes at some point.
“We’ll see how good they are when they lose some of these players due to not drawing any people in Tampa and can’t afford them when they want to get paid.”
I think Cashman does a decent job, but let’s see him work with the budget that young Mr. Friedman works with in Tampa.
Those guys have built themselves an outstanding team and organization. Some in part because they had high picks after so many years of futility, but some also because of some shrewd moves such as D. Young/B. Harris for Garza/Bartlett, Huff for Zobrist, signing Pena off the scrap heap, actually hitting with some of their draft picks (Pittburgh and KC have had high picks to – doesn’t guarantee anything), and building a functional bench with guys like Aybar, Rodriguez, Kapler, etc. Plus they have two Top 10 prospects at the ready in AAA should something go awry.
I think people forget just how long the baseball season actually is.
There are 121 games remaining after today. 121!!
How anybody can declare a team “in trouble” or the season “over” or, “play for the WC”, when they are in the position the Yankees are currently in, and with 121 games to go, is crazy to me.
Last year at this time, the Blue Jays were 27-16, and ESPN declared the Red Sox the “team to beat” in MLB.
How did that turn out?
Tampa is a very good team playing great baseball right now. That’s it.
Drawing any other conclusions is fools gold. One or two injuries or a bad 2 weeks of play changes everything for EVERY team. Even the Tampa Bay Rays.
I am really excited about Miranda.
The first time he stepped into the box this season, I was just said wow, because the way he swings the bat he just looks like he can hit.
IMO he does not have a swing that major league pitchers can expose. As long as he can keep a good grip on the strike zone like he did in that 9th inning at bat last night, he is going to be a good player for the Yankees.
” I can’t beleive the poster who is all over Cashman for not bringing back Molina. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!”
so you like having , by design, a mediocre journeyman catcher as your back up catcher ?
maybe you don’t know enough to know what you don’t know.
the problem you have is the problem that cashman has. you gambled on posada not going down for an extended time.
it was also a gamble that cervelli would do well. he has so far done better than just well. he’s been great as the back up.
now that he’s the main man back there the game changes. it’s not going to be so easy now.
the guy they picked up off the scrap heap, rene rivera had similar offensive numbers to cervelli for seattle for a season too . that was before he was released and out of mlb baseball for a year or so at age 26.
it’s an awful lot to put on a catcher with cervelli’s experience level so fast.
his biggest responsibility is handling the pitching staff. they’re struggling now.
don’t be surprised if his hitting suffers as his attention has to go there more in addition to having to take over more responsibility as the primary catcher.
idiots laugh a lot you know.
it’s really not a sign of intelligence.
“just as Boston was the better team at this time last year”
End of May last year, the Yankees were in first. With a 29-21 record. Boston couldn’t have been all that good at that point, right?
don’t care what Cash would do with a lower budget; he’s a very good GM and I’m very happy he’s running the team.
Pat, I read that article last night – definitely worth reading.
LGY, I don’t agree about the Sox pitching, but then think they are all going to turn it around. If we can assume that Javy will, then you can think the same about Lackey and Beckett. That said, there is no point worrying about them because the Yankees have their own issues to deal with.
The Rays? They did sort of slump a little at times, but I’m not going to hold my breath that they will go into a major slide. I’m not saying they won’t, but I’m not going to count on it. That said, you know the media is going to make this out to be how the Rays won because they are young and fast while the Yanks are old and slow. Hogwash. The Yankees were old and slow in Tampa and they took 2 out of 3. The Rays won because the Yankees are “eh” offensively and pitched terribly – neither of which have anything to do with speed or age or lack thereof.
Randy,
Go around baseball and look and see who are the #3 catchers in organizations. There is nobody out there. There just a bunch of Chad Moeller’s.
This year is the “gap year” for the Yankees.
You have both Montero and Romine perhaps a year away from being major league catchers. Even though Romine is in AA, he’s getting close.
If you have Molina on this roster and Cervelli in AAA, Montero isn’t catching as many games and that hurts his development. That doesn’t make sense to me.
Plus, Molina wasn’t good last year. He wasn’t. He didn’t block balls well, his throwing was so so, and his bat slowed even further.
It wasn’t practical to bring him back. Cervelli can do the job and they will survive.
Chad Moeller may not catch 10 games for the Yankees this year. If he does, so what?
You mean to tell me a team with Cano, Jeter, Arod, Tex, Swisher, Granderson, Gardner, etc, can’t survive 8-10 Chad Moeller caught games?
SJ44 May 21st, 2010 at 9:32 am
I agree SJ! Losing Ace, Park, Andy, and having Mitre & Javy cover really put the BP in a quandry. Add that Mo appeared human a couple of games and Joba having a couple of issues and everything seemed uncertain. (And it was!)
But normalcy will prevail as these guys are very good. Park is back & DRob looked good last few times. Mitre goes back to being a long man along with Ace soon and the other guys will shine. Boone goes back to AAA or AA, Melancon tries to figure out how to pitch in MLB from AAA as well. Failure often times breeds success.
One more positive I see that you alluded to is Miranda’s plate discipline. ESPN 2 nights ago discussed how amazed they were that Miranda could lay off a certain pitch with 2 strikes. He looks good to me. I am also pleased with his defense at 1B if needed. A tandem of Miranda/Thames at DH seems very good to me.
Betsy,
Nobody plays .700 ball all season. The Rays aren’t going to keep up this pace. Its impossible.
They are very good. They aren’t a 115 win team.
FWIW, the Yankees are one game better thru 41 games than they were in last year’s 103 win season.
Robertson’s appearance last night is a tremendous plus for the Yanks. He looked like his old self, which would be a huge upgrade for the pitching overall.
Jeter looked good too, although I am still worried about how slow he looks in the field. I still suspect something is bothering him (not his finger) which we haven’t been told about.
Granderson can’t get healthy and productive too soon. The loss of Posada on top of NJ is a huge blow to the offense; playing every day Cervelli’s numbers are likely going to drop fast and there is no way Thames, Winn, Pena, Russo, Miranda and crew are going to put up enough runs to keep us in contact with the Rays.
If we play at or below .500 until Granderson gets back, we will drop 7 or 8 games behind the Rays, be in the mix with the Twins, Tigers and Jays and the Sox will be nipping at our heels. And even with Granderson back, without Posada and NJ we won’t be the team we all thought we had.
So I was really happy to see Robertson pitch well and Jeter hit well, now let’s root for Tex and ARod to come on strong and Cano and Gardner to keep it up.
It will be a dogfight now but I still think we can do it.
“How anybody can declare a team “in trouble” or the season ”
sj44-
i don’t think they are in trouble for the season. i think they are in trouble through june 30th.
what i don’t want to see is the panic moves like bringing up hughes too early or bringing back wang when joba got hit with the line drive.
that means things like resting swisher until the biceps injuey heals and not rushing him back if he’s not really ready. or pitching any of the starters a few more innings just because they could.
i’m saying take the .500 record for a month , making no panic moves, and then when at full strength go after the best playoff position possible.
as you say injuries can hit everyone. if longoria and garza say go down, tampa’s not looking so good either. but right now that’s not the case.
Betsy,
I don’t think Lackey and Beckett are the same case as Javy. The reason I am optimistic about Javy is because of how much better he looked in his last start.
Beckett is a major problem for the Sox right now. He has been a mess so far this season and now he is on the DL. Can’t assume a guy on the DL is going to turn it around, because we really do not know how much his back is affecting him.
Before the season I said Lackey would struggle in the AL East and put up a 4+ ERA. I do not think pitching in Anaheim against AL West teams to now AL East teams in Fenway is a light transition.
Bucholz is up and down, but Hughes is a much better pitcher than he is right now. Matsuzaka is a mess. He literally almost cried after his last start and he threw his catcher under the bus. Wakefield is well Wakefield. An average pitcher with injury concerns.
SJ, oh I agree…… I’m really just trying to convey that the Yankees need to right their ship before we worry about the Rays. I generally don’t bother scoreboard watching as there’s really no point to it this early. Unless the Rays are the 1998 Yankees, which they aren’t, they will hit a bump in the road. Their pitching has been phenomenal, though.
Out of all this stuff Ray, Miranda may end up being the guy that takes real advantage of this opportunity.
He has a plan when he steps to the plate and his swing is compact, short to the ball, and solid.
I think he’s going to be a real asset for them.
I also think this DL time is good for Jorge. Get him completely healthy.
The calf strain, foot, toe, get healthy by the end of June and you have a refreshed and healthy Posada for the rest of the year. That can only help the Yankees in the long run.
Unless I see Bud Selig hand over a Championship Trophy to a team on May 21, I can’t quite bring myself to give up on the season at this time because the Yankees are going through a rough patch.
That’s just me….I could be wrong.
“Robertson’s appearance last night is a tremendous plus for the Yanks”
It’s a start. I’d want to see 3-4 of those efforts in a row before declaring him back.
Billy D May 21st, 2010 at 9:34 am
Wow! Budgets! If you gave the Yankees Tampa’s budgets for last 10 years and Tampa’s 1st round (often 1st pick) for same 10 years, the Yankees would win it this year or at least have a great team. Tampa is winning because they are loaded with very top prospects.
The difference is the Yankees try to win every year instead of shooting for 2010 or 2011. Yes, that was Tampa’s goal. Make it to the WS in 2011. They over achieved and it hurt their support with a falling back to earth last year.
Cashman is very very good at what he does. He realized that the Yankees were going to need Pitchers & Catchers and he stocked up on them. He has a great 5 year plan, but every year the goal is to win it all.
When I look at the Yankees I see a loaded MLB team and a extremely well stocked minor league organization, especially at Pitcher & Catcher. That will go a very long way.
“I don’t think Lackey and Beckett are the same case as Javy. The reason I am optimistic about Javy is because of how much better he looked in his last start.”
Same class as pitchers? Sure they are.
LGY, I do think Javy is close to turning it around and that will be a HUGE lift.
I guess we’ll have to see about the Sox; I always err on the side of caution when it comes to dismissing them….
Tex needs to start hitting now! Last night he and Arod not getting guys in from 3rd with less than two outs cost the game. They go up 5-3 that inning and it changes everything…
I am not normally a fair weather fan but I had to stop watching for a while after that and turned it off in the 8th when it was 8-4…
AJ and Andy did not have great starts the last two games but they hung in there for 6+innings.
Billy D,
I did not say class.
It looked like Cano was absolutely safe when the Rays player swipe tagged him running down the first base line in the 8th inning last night. Anybody have a closer view of it ?
My bad LGY. Misread.
Tom:
Unless there was a thread hanging off Cano’s uni that Pena nipped with his glove, he looked kind of safe.
Was at the Sox game last night through work. Lester pitched a really, really good game. He had like 70 pitches through 7 innings.
I know Mauer and Morneau are really good, but the rest of that lineup is not great.
The Red Sox are hitting, and will continue to do so especially at Fenway. However, they are constructed like the Yankees from a couple of years ago with very little roster flexibility and no one from the top of the farm system to help out immediately.
They will be in it, but I don’t see them being in it at the end unless the Yankee injury curse continues all year.
Also, Pedroia is a good player. Made two outstanding defensive plays yesterday.
A lifelong Yankee fan, living in Boston for the last 15 years, and will never be corrupted to the dark side. But, you gotta give it to the Sox, they have a few legit ballplayers that I would take on my team any day.
No problem
.
I thought a couple weeks ago, Beckett would turn it around and have at least a pretty good rest of the season. But now that he is on the DL he becomes a much bigger question mark.
You know, I had wanted Jorge on the DL just so he could rest and heal, so I guess I can look at this as something of a positive (well, not quite because we’re going to miss him). The situation was really untenable as it stood, whatwith Jorge not being able to play even 3 days in a row. Getting him back will be like making a ridiculously unfair trade.
“A lifelong Yankee fan, living in Boston for the last 15 years”
__________________-
God help you ! How do you put up with those people !!?
“AJ and Andy did not have great starts the last two games but they hung in there for 6+innings.”
Andy- 5 innings, 7 runs, 6 earned
“Last night he and Arod not getting guys in from 3rd with less than two outs cost the game. They go up 5-3 that inning and it changes everything”
That was a turning point. Even if they had managed to get one of those runs home, it could have changed the course of the game. Beyond not scoring there, they also empowered Shields, who is one of those guys who if you don’t get early, you may not get him at all. After he got out of that jam, he retired 13 of the next 15 Yankees.
So, let me get this straight – The Yanks have lost 4 of last 5, and the season is lost? Did I get that right?
C’mon – let’s get real. There’s still 3/4 of the season left to play. Posada, Curtis, and Ace are not going to be on the DL for the rest of the year. Tex and Jeter are not going to slump for the rest of the year. The bullpen is not going to be undependable for the rest of the year – heck, Robertson pitched as dominant a two innings last night as you could want.
Are Tampa’s SPs going to run a 2 1/2 ERA for the rest of the year? Are they guaranteed to have an historic season and win 115-120 games? Are they immune to turning ankles rounding bases, or pulling up lame with groin/hamstrings injuries? And, when they have injuries, are they going to spend to bring in reinforcements?
It’s a long season. Let’s grow some brains, OK?
Agreed, Miranda’s most impressive AB last night may have been that walk, coming back from 0-2.
Also agreed, the Red Sox have a couple of winning ballplayers – Pedroia and Youkilis. Those guys are winners.
Joe, I’m from LI, too – mind if I ask where you are from?
SJ44 May 21st, 2010 at 9:51 am
This is why I love reading your posts! They are practical and level heaed. The Yankees have a lot of games left with Tampa!! The Yankees at full strength are extremely good. I like the Yankees chances!
Jeter – playing with some injuries (HBP)
*NJ – Out
Tex – slump
ARod
Cano – Playing Great
*Posada – Out
*Granderson – Out
*Swisher – Inj
Gardner – Playing above expectations
Yanks were missing almost half their lineup the last 1 to 2 weeks.
Add to that:
*Ace
*Park
*Andy
*Mo
With all the * denoting missing in action that is a lot of patchwork. I feel better with the patches this year versus last, but I will enjoy the ride to the top when these guys come together.
Anytime I hear the name Buster Olney, I immediately turn my TV on mute. He is on a one man mission to favorably compare this Rays team in every way to the ’98 Yankees.
I really feel with the lineup is constructed now due to injuries there should be some adjustments made to the batting order.
Number 1, I would flip flop Gardy and Jeter and let Gardner lead off. The chances of Jeter hitting into double plays with Gardner on are smaller.
Also, Jeter is a better hitter than Gardner and when the lineup flips from Jeter to Gardner in key/late situations, I’d rather have Jeter up there.
Next, I would not cater to Mark Texeira’s ego any longer. If he’s going to hit like this, he should not be our #3 hitter.
I would give Arod the instant at bat in the first inning and I would actually let Cano bat cleanup.
This would be my batting order.
Gardner
Jeter
Arod
Cano
Tex
Swisher
Miranda
Cervelli
LF (whatever warm body they throw out there until Grandy’s back)
That way when the lineup flips late in the game at least we have Jeter, Arod, Cano back to back.
Once Tex decides to start hitting again (are we waiting for June now?), maybe he can join the party.
One thing though Ray….I don’t count Nick Johnson in the mix.
As Tony Soprano would say, “He’s dead to me”.
The guy just can’t stay healthy and wasn’t hitting when he was here. That signing is not something Cash is smiling about at this point.
I’m glad they are giving Miranda a chance and I think he will do fine as the DH.
At this point, you can’t even look at a timetable for Johnson’s return.
I just assume he’s done for the year unless I see him in uniform one of these days.
“He is on a one man mission to favorably compare this Rays team in every way to the ‘98 Yankees.”
That’s Olney’s working thesis.
Me thinks that the Rays maybe more 2001 Seattle Mariners.
Randy l -
If I thought the Yankees were going to play .500 ball the entire rest of the season, that would be devastating. But I don’t think that’ll happen.
I think Moeller is fine and I think the decision to go that route was fine, because who really goes into the season saying, well, if Posada AND Granderson AND Swisher go down, AND Tex isn’t hitting, AND our first choice for a replacement outfielder from SWB is on the DL, then Moeller will pose a problem offensively. There are only so many contingencies that can reasonably be planned against.
And I absolutely agree that Miranda’s working a walk from and 0-2 count was really a nice development!
Jose Molina is terrible. There is literally no difference between Moeller and Molina. They are both terrible.
Remember when the Yanks lost Posada for the year? Guess who started the majority of the games and guess what team missed the playoffs.
SJ44:
Was that the real you or the fake you calling Cervelli out for that kind of ridiculous throw down to 2B last night?
“Me thinks that the Rays maybe more 2001 Seattle Mariners.”
Or ’06 Tigers.
They are a very good team, don’t get me wrong, but I get tired of the whole ESPN mindset of looking at the current best teams, players, plays, etc. and rushing to call them the “best ever”.
I agree with SJ about NJ. I’m looking at Miranda being a possible long-term solution at DH. At the least, be a left-handed option.
“Guess who started the majority of the games and guess what team missed the playoffs.”
Actually, they were in a decent position to make a run and have a chance until they acquired Pudge and put him back there full time. It was more on Wang and the good Joba going down, though.
But, I do agree that if Posada was there all year, the ’08 team probably would have made the playoffs, or at least have been much closer than what they ended up.
“Me thinks that the Rays maybe more 2001 Seattle Mariners.”
Or ‘06 Tigers.”
This group has much better starting pitching than either of those two clubs.
“I’m looking at Miranda being a possible long-term solution at DH”
I was comfortable with the prospect of Miranda at DH this past winter before the Johnson signing. So, to think it will be Miranda against RH, and Thames against LH is fine with me. I never did like NJ in the 2 spot.
Billy D,
That was me. That was just a boneheaded play and the look on Andy’s face said it all.
Changed that AB and the game, IMO.
Andy has Crawford 0-2, he can expand the zone and get him to chase a pitch out of the zone.
At worst, he controls the AB.
He cost Andy a strike, frustrated him, changed the momentum of the game, and did it on the 1% chance he could throw out a runner at second. Just wasn’t worth it.
To me, that’s a false hustle play. Like sliding into first base.
Fans love that “hustle”, managers hate it because they know its a bad play.
Its part of the growth cycle of playing young players. Sometimes its a positive and sometimes its a negative. Last night was one of those negative moments.
i’ve got a business to get ready for memorial day weekend , so that’s my flurry of opinion for now , but i think the blog is going to spend a few testy days readjusting to the new conditions and the short term goals for this team.
i think the situation has changed and the sooner people digest that the more realistic they will become.
“They are a very good team, don’t get me wrong, but I get tired of the whole ESPN mindset of looking at the current best teams, players, plays, etc. and rushing to call them the “best ever”.”
I agree. The Rays are a very good, very deep team. ESPN’s propensity to overvalue the “Now” is annoying and silly.
The Rays are of course not going to play .732 ball all year but nobody should kid themselves, they are good. Their starting rotation is the real thing, their defense is excellent and Upton, Pena, Zobrist and maybe even Bartlett are all underperforming.
They are 30-11 right now. Let’s say Jorge takes 30 games to come back. If the Rays were to play .630 ball over that period they would be 49-22. If we play .550 ball over that period (better than we have been playing since the injury bug bit) we’d be 41-30. That puts us 10 games back and likely playing for the wild card.
So to win it all, we need to stay closer than that and we need to start playing better to do it.
SJ:
I agreed with you. At the very least, it changed the course of the Crawford at bat.
Young catcher mistake, which I assume someone talked to him about. He almost got Drew off of 2nd on Tuesday night and maybe felt a little empowered off of that, but he is going to need to dial it down and be a little smarter for the next month.
I think we all wanted Damon or Sui back to be the DH not Nick Johnson but it didn’t workout. I still think Cash could have held out longer on the Nick Johnson signing but I think they had enough with Damon’s demands. DH is not a big deal though and from the looks of things, The Yankees will be just fine with Miranda, Thames, and giving 1/2 days off to others.
I think loosing Granderson has hurt the most. When Swish got nicked up, having both Winn and Thames out there was really bad. I hope Russo gets to play LF tonight because Winn really sticks batting righty.
“i?ve got a business to get ready for memorial day weekend , so that?s my flurry of opinion for now , but i think the blog is going to spend a few testy days readjusting to the new conditions and the short term goals for this team.
i think the situation has changed and the sooner people digest that the more realistic they will become.”
Just because you’re being pessimistic doesn’t mean you’re being realistic too.
“i think the situation has changed and the sooner people digest that the more realistic they will become.”
Or else Vazquez pitches a good game tonight against an NL team, Hughes and the bats take care of business tomorrow, and CC pitches “you know who big” on Sunday in the Subway showdown.
Then all will be right with the world.
“Or else Vazquez pitches a good game tonight against an NL team, Hughes and the bats take care of business tomorrow, and CC pitches ?you know who big? on Sunday in the Subway showdown.
Then all will be right with the world.”
There you go.
“I hope Russo gets to play LF tonight because Winn really sticks batting righty.”
Sadly, I suspect it’ll be Winn. Flyball pitcher like Vazquez, pitching in a big yard. They’re more apt to go with a real outfielder than Russo.
They ought to call up Huffman. He can actually play the outfield and he is hot and hitting left handers well right now, and I’m sorry, the Yanks don’t need 12 pitchers right now they need three real outfielders.
“They’re more apt to go with a real outfielder than Russo.”
Watching Tuesday’s game, I thought Winn was a deep shortstop, not an outfielder.
Accuscore, the Magic 8 Ball of the 2009 postseason, says don’t panic.
http://sports.espn.go.com/bost.....id=5207391
I agree that Johnson should not be counted on since this is his second surgery to the same wrist. Cashman should have thought more about signing him when the reason his power was down last year was said to be due to wrist weakness. That meant something was wrong.
We shall see about Miranda. I hold some hopes, but don’t rely on a few games to make a judgment. He was a good stick in the minors but hardly overwhelming particularly when his age is considered. I’m hoping for a .270 average with some pop.
Hey guys, any comments on the umps over the last 2-4 games? I didn’t watch every frame of every game, but it seems from gameday, the comments, and what I did see on tv, they really stunk. Shields had an especially generous strike zone outside to LH batters.
Jopefully Javy jas a good game tonight.
Does Granderson play LF when he returns ? Might be an idea to take a little stress off his legs. You don’t want him to re injure the hammy running all around CF
Umps were terrible, and the league is too by-denying Joe G’s protest !
Wave–I agree with your concept about the Rays, but your math is a bit off. 49-22 woudl be eight games ahead of 41-30. Impressive math skills on my part. I am now ready to move on the multiplication and division.
“Watching Tuesday’s game, I thought Winn was a deep shortstop, not an outfielder.”
Shortfielder. Like in beer barrell softball. Didn’t really understand that positioning, unless he thought Rivera was going to be throwing something other than what he threw.
I think Miranda will be a Swisher type at the plate…. Plus power, lots of walks, 20-22% strikeouts with a bit more batting average.
The Duncan, Shane Spencer & Miranda types need a major injury to get a chance in the majors with the Yankees. This is his big shot… I love his short compact swing & I feel really good that he will do a good job.
sj44-
you and i have been around pro catchers and know there’s a mentality they have to have for the position. catching wears any player down. it’s a position that being a sparkplug type doesn’t fit. that’s better for a middle infielder to have.
that said, i have no doubt that even on his own cervelli would calm down a bit back there. from the beginning i never liked the high energy stuff back there. i think it’s the difference from being a fan and being around the game.
the false hustle stuff really rubs other players and coaching the wrong way after a initial period where it’s understandable to have it. it’s not a big concern because i think you’ll agree the grind of daily catching will tone him down anyway.
he is a really good young back up catcher.
“Does Granderson play LF when he returns ? Might be an idea to take a little stress off his legs. You don’t want him to re injure the hammy running all around CF”
I hope he plays CF. Gardner makes the plays, but he always looks like such an adventure. Granderson seems much more fluid as a CF.
I’ll tell you what, I think Crawford should be a Yankee next year regardless of how good Gardner plays. Imagine an OF with Crawford, Granderson, and either Swish or Gardner. Swish can play some OF, 1B, and DH; Gardner will play pleanty as will Granderson.
That play Crawford made last night was awesome! He is by far the best LF in baseball!
It’s not my $$, but he’s got to be worth every bit of what the Yankees paid Damon and Sui the last go around. 4-5years at 13mil seems worth it to me…
Joe,
Since Gardner’s splits are good + Granderson still showed weakness vs lefties + the groin injury I think when he comes back he will be in left field.
Cashman’s not going to bail out the vets on the team.
He’s already said we’re going to use internal solutions. So, yeah, it’s not ideal that we’re depending on the likes of Pena, Winn, Thames, and Russo, it’s not like we’re bereft of healthy talented players. He’s paying some players big bucks and they need to do their share. And the onus is on the pitching. Even without Jorge & Granderson, the pieces are there. It’s up to them to get it done.
Side note, sometimes the young guys look overmatched but overall I like how they’re playing.
Gardner, Cervelli, Pena @ times, and now miranda. Good stuff.
Be careful investing too much of your hopes and dreams in Juan Miranda. I am rooting for him to do well, but there’s a reason the Yanks spent money on Nick Johnson this year and did not save $$ by installing Miranda as the DH.
Based on his minor league stats, Miranda is likely to hit in the .250 range, with a low OBP (say .300 – .320) with (over a full season) 15-20 HR potential. That’s OK for a fill-in, but far from ideal.
I’m hoping that we do get NJ back at some point, and his early season BA problems stemmed from the wrist problem.
I really don’t understand why MLB even has a protest procedure. They virtually NEVER uphold a protest.
This last one is troubling. Because Girardi was not arguing whether or not Beckett was injured, but the process by which he was taken and out and replaced, which game the Sox an advantage in allowing their relief pitcher to take his time warming up.
I think it sets a dangerous precedent to not uphold this particular protest.
austinmac-
Wow, you are right! I subtracted 22 from 30 and got 12, which, well, what can I say? I feel better already!
Randy, Stop discrediting Cervelli!
I do think Randy Winn is playing himself off the roster.
Cashman is going to have to show, at some point, that he’s not going to cling to his off season mistakes to the detriment of the team.
Johnson going down is done. Everyone saw that one happening from a mile away. The SF Giants would personally like to thank Cashman for helping them avoid a 2 year deal with Nick Johnson which is what they were offering him at the time.
Winn, outside of a HR to win a game, has been horrid. You can’t keep throwing him and his below replacement level stats out there night after night.
Cashman knows those two failures make the decisions on Matsui and Damon even more magnified than before.
Add in Granderson and Park’s injuries and Vazquez’s struggles and his off season, at the moment, looks like a complete failure.
It won’t stay that way though. I believe Granderson, Javy and Park will contribute (along with Thames in a limited role), but he has to move on from Randy Winn at some point.
Going from Nick Johnson’s on base numbers to Juan Miranda is a drop down. Juan is going to hit some big HR’s and I like him a lot, but Nick Johnson, when healthy, is an on base pitch seeing machine. The idea behind signing him wasn’t bad, it’s just the guy is made of glass.
We need LF to become a strength to make up for what we’ve lost offensively in the DH spot.
I think Winn gets the weekend to show some kind of contribution. If he doesn’t, I think some of the Scranton guys get a shot at his spot until Grandy comes back.
SJ44 May 21st, 2010 at 10:11 am
I don’t count NJ either. I have watched Miranda for some time and wondered why he wouldn’t be a mainstay in NY already. I saw him in ST last year and he has awesome power. I like his upside.
Doreen,
I think I read (here) that Farrell signaled the ump when he went out. Francona was dismissive about the whole thing, like “whatever”.
If we win that game, maybe they uphold the protest.
“Kevin Towers has gone back to his roots.
Towers, the Padres’ former general manager, is now a special assignment scout with the Yankees, scouting amateurs in preparation for the June draft.
His focus is his area of expertise – pitching……………….
………….As you might imagine, he is greatly enjoying his work with the Yankees.
“I would be lying if I said that working for the New York Yankees wasn’t awesome,” Towers says. “When they lose a game, I’m like shocked: ‘What, are you kidding me?’ That’s the mentality over there. They expect to win every night.”
With that, Towers’ other phone rings.
“I’ve got to grab this call,” he says. “There’s an amateur pitcher I’ve got to see, and I’ve got to find out if he’s throwing.” — Ken Rosenthal
This blog is so enjoyable to read in the morning. Lots of information, respecting different opinions, no name calling…ideally the way it should be all the time
Well if Russo is not going to play some OF, then why did they call him up?
Winn can’t hit Right handed and Thames is hurt. The Yankees face 2 LH pitches this weekend and have no DH. They need another RH OF! makes no sence to call up Russo if he not going to play this weekend.
What am I missing?
Randy,
I agree and I think he will slow it down and be fine.
The growing pains with a young player, especially when the team is scuffling, is sometimes tough to watch.
As far as the umpiring is concerned……it was really, really bad in these four games.
The same crew worked both the Red Sox and Rays series.
They were bad for all of the teams. In particular, Angel Campos cost the Yankees the game the other night against the Red Sox with his blown third strike calls on McDonald and Hermida.
If a guy can’t call a pitch thrown down the middle of the plate strike 3, he shouldn’t be in the game, and his co-worker (Joe West) should keep his fat mouth shut about the pace of games.
The games would go a LOT faster if umpires called the strike zone that’s in the rulebook. That book these guys are supposed to learn and know all about which most seem to not know.
At this point, flipping a coin to determine balls and strikes is more accurate than the zones of some of these guys. Its a joke.
Wave-Now if the Yankes could only pick up games in the standings that easily. I completely agree with your Miranda forecast. That’s what his minor league numbers project.
Wave Your Hat
The Yankees spent money on Johnson because they wanted to replace Damon as a #2 hitter. As for Miranda, he always had very good walk rates in the Minors. He could fall flat on his face but if he can make contact he will hit.
upstate kate,
Let’s say it’s because the east coast losers sleep in late rather than it’s the west coasters.
Bob & SJ,
Thanks for that. I know we complain all the time about a call here or there, but it seemed blatant and often. And the blown calls on the bases. At least 2!
“Well if Russo is not going to play some OF, then why did they call him up?”
Bat off the bench? Guy who could hit for Winn or a pitcher late?
Not saying they won’t start him in some games, but do you have the kid make his debut as an MLB outfielder in that park with that pitcher (Vazquez)?
I look at Randy Winn and I see Tony Womack. Same tardiness on good fastballs at the end of their respective careers.
The difference is, Tony Womack was a jerk and Randy Winn is a really good guy you would like to see do well.
That said, they can’t go on much longer with him. When Granderson comes back, he could get DFA’ed.
Its tough to watch a guy having no chance with a decent major league fastball.
How would like to be Colin Curtis right now? Good spring, was hot in AAA, suffers a high ankle sprain and is on the AAA DL or he would be in NY right now and probably seeing a lot of playing time.
Talk about BAD LUCK!!
“I think it sets a dangerous precedent to not uphold this particular protest.”
I don’t really think it was possible to uphold it. After all, he was hurt, unless Boston put him on the DL to try to justify their actions.
But, part of the equation is what happens if they do uphold the protest, and replay from that point? Delcarmen still comes in, only this time he has all morning to warm up. Does MLB assign him a chaperone to ensure that he doesn’t throw anything for 6 hours prior to the game? So, there would be no advantage negated.
The protest system is set up to be able to overturn a gross mis-interpretation of the rules, not a judgement call, etc. I guess they could say in the judgement of the umpire, the health question was brought up, even if the trainer wasn’t out there yet.
The pine-tar game was protested by the Royals and upheld, the only upheld protest I can remember. I posted this the other day, but the reason it was upheld is because Tim McClelland called Brett out, when there was nothing in the rules that specified any penalty at all for too much pine tar. He made up his own rule/penalty, so they replayed from that point, with the HR counting.
JK-
The Yanks could have made Miranda the DH, and thrown the money saved on NJ at Damon. They chose not to do that, and I suspect their estimate of Miranda had something to do with it.
I don’t care what happens with NJ, Cashman did nothing wrong with Damon; it was Damon’s decision not to come back.
SJ44,
Colin Curtis luck this year = Alan Horne’s luck 2 years ago @ AAA when Wang, Kennedy, Hughes & Joba all went down.
“How would like to be Colin Curtis right now? Good spring, was hot in AAA, suffers a high ankle sprain and is on the AAA DL or he would be in NY right now and probably seeing a lot of playing time.
Talk about BAD LUCK!!”
Bad luck for the Yanks too. Not many teams have depth at the 4th CF level, and we included in the teams that don’t, unfortunately.
Granderson is going to do more than contribute – he’s going to be great. If Cash’s off-season looks bad, it’s because of NJ. His trades were good/great then and they are still – if they don’t work out, it’s not because of faulty decision making. Granderson actually has already contributed, but everyone forgets that; ok, he got hurt, but every player gets hurt at some point. Hal had a budget and he stuck to it; that limit what Cash could do. He chose to sure up the SP instead of the OF……….the right move.
Wave Your Hat,
The plan was to get Damon out the field and have him DH most of the time.
I can understand why the Yankees didn’t put miranda at DH over the winter. Because that’s not their m.o.
They’d rather throw money at a questionable player (face it, AJ’s history pales in comparison to NJ) or a grizzled vet than go with system players on the cusp.
“I don’t care what happens with NJ, Cashman did nothing wrong with Damon; it was Damon’s decision not to come back.”
I hope that wasn’t directed at my comment.
“Wave Your Hat,
The plan was to get Damon out the field and have him DH most of the time.”
That was one plan, but that also cuts against the Yanks thinking Miranda could handle the DH duties.
Billy D May 21st, 2010 at 10:52 am
?Well if Russo is not going to play some OF, then why did they call him up??
Bat off the bench? Guy who could hit for Winn or a pitcher late?
Not saying they won?t start him in some games, but do you have the kid make his debut as an MLB outfielder in that park with that pitcher (Vazquez)?
=================================================================
You are probably right, but why not one of the other RH kids that are outfielders. The Yankees don’t need another infielder.
I really think it was a mistake to not give someone other than Winn a chance against the left handers this weekend.
We’ll see, but I’m putting Russo in LF today for GTLU…
M
it is just the game and late night posts are not enjoyable to read
it didn’t even occur to me that it had anything to do w/ east coast vs west coast
how long til colin curtis is off the DL?
I dont see how JG can keep Winn in the lineup. He is overmatched at the plate and always seems to be up in key spots. I can deal with moeller, barely, and russo and such, but winn is playing everyday and shouldn’t be there.
Wave,
Nick Johnson’s on base percentage seduces you. It’s better than Damon’s was when he’s healthy. Cashman envisioned Nick on base for Arod and Tex above 40 percent of the time. That’s huge.
While Miranda is going to prove to be a good source of power in the DH spot, he’s not going to get on base at the same clip Nick or Damon would have.
I think that’s why they didn’t give him the DH job. They thought with the additions of Nick and Grandy, they were covered from any Damon/Matsui drop off.
Now that Nick is on the DL and Grandy too, it’s a nightmare scenario. The lineup is thin outside of 4 guys. It’s not the typical lineup we use to win.
Granderson has to come back and contribute. We can’t go through growing pains with him when he comes back at this point. His offensive production will have to attempt to make up for some of what we’ve lost.
M,
Unless it’s a blue chipper, Yankees minor leaguers need injuries on the major league team to get a shot.
Cervelli would probably still in the minors if Posada & Molina didnt go down last year.
M, I don’t think that’s fair. First of all, what young pitcher was “on the cusp” that you wanted to be given a shot in the rotation? The Yankees felt AJ had turned the corner and they had to do something about the rotation. Cashman likes young players, but he also likes to win………
upstate kate,
haha. I was just teasing, there are crazies all over the country.
Patrick,
Why bother to play GTLU? You have a better chance of picking the winning bracket for the ncaa men’s basketball championship.
Wave, no. I was responding to GLove’s assertion that Cash’s decisions re: Matsui and Damon don’t look too hot right now.
G Love-
I agree with everything you said 100%. Your comment sounded like you were disagreeing with me but I don’t think you are.
Maybe where we disagree is that I don’t think Miranda is going to show enough power to be a real major league DH or first baseman, and his OBP will be disappointing. I think that’s the real reason the Yanks didn’t give him the job.
Betsy,
I was talking position players. They are few and far between. Can you name the last true rookie who wasn’t called up for an injured player in the previous season to be penciled in for a starting position on opening day? Jeter?
m -
Maybe you’re right about that.
It just seems like the whole idea of playing a game under protest is a giant joke, a procedure that’s there to assuage angry managers for the time being.
Wave Your Hat
Maybe where we disagree is that I don’t think Miranda is going to show enough power to be a real major league DH or first baseman
Have you seen the stats of DHs in the AL this year?
And Betsy, I was talking about NJ as the questionable player (though to be truthful, AJ was, too).
Wave,
I was agreeing with you.
I think Miranda, at best, is a .250 hitter with a lot of power and a ton of K’s and low on base percentage.
He’s not even Giambi like in that Giambi could always get on base.
The drop off from his on base percentage from Nick’s is so huge, the team can’t afford to carry Randy Winn as a regular in any capacity.
Add the loss of Jorge in there with Tex hitting like Richie Sexson at the end of his career and you can see how the lineup feels barren.
I haven’t felt this way about the team since 08 when we were throwing out the Chad Moeller/Melky lineups that coupled with Cano’s struggles turned the bottom of the order into a void.
Yeah, we scored 6 runs every night. I get it.
But the other team scored more and when there were opportunities for this team to come through, the lineup let us down.
Doreen,
I missed the whole thing, but at some point you gotta think that Girardi said something to the effect that DelCarmen should stop throwing if you’re going to honor the spirit of the procedure is being violated.
If Tito was being transparent and truthful, then he should have agreed.
“Have you seen the stats of DHs in the AL this year?”
Without hitting, NJ put up a wOBA of .332. I think Miranda may not do that well, but we’ll see. I hope he does.
JK- thanks for mentioning Shane Spencer.
Someone was posting earlier that maybe the order of the line up needs a shake up and I tend to agree. With all the injuries and the bottom of our line up looking weak right now, maybe it wouldnt hurt to shift some guys around. But I guess no one wants it to look like a panic move, and if the guys arent hitting it probably doesnt matter what order they bat in anyway.
M, but you used AJ as an example. In any case, the Yankees don’t have position players in the minors that we can even point to. AJax? I think they would have eventually given him a shot, but when Granderson is available, you have to make that move.
I don’t see how Winn stays on this team much longer. I made the same Tony Womack comparison the other morning.
it’s almost impossible to believe there isn’t a AAA or AA player who couldn’t do better right now. He couldn’t hit Papelbons 91mph FB that was served.
You got to feel for a guy like Curtis. I almost wonder why some minor league guys don’t push to play other positions. If Nunez could play the corner he’d be up and getting time. Same with Russo (I know he can, but might make Thames look like a young Barry Bonds out there).
Wow, I thought I was negative. It almost sounds like we should give up on the season……
I’ve been doing a lot of complaining about Winn, but how about Tex?
It’s May so no more excuses! Start Hitting Now!
Sure the pitching has not been great the last few games, but if the Yankee hit a little better with runners on, they would have won a couple more of the these home games. Now they hit the road again…
Hopefully they play at least .500 on this next trip and Tamp and Boston start loosing…
Good question about Curtis.
He has been out for almost a month. Last game played was April 28th. If it was just a sprain I would imagine he should be back reasonably soon. Have not heard anything on him recently.
GLove, you mentioned this before – you would really move Tex out of the #3 hole? Where would you put him? I admit that his woes are very concerning at this point.
It was the worst grade of sprain, the kind that Phil had in 2007. Curtis is going to be out for awhile longer.
Betsy,
Read it again. I used NJ’s history compared to AJ’s. Yes, I could’ve been clearer, but it’s clear the player in question is Nick Johnson.
And do you really believe the Yankees had zero questions about AJ’s ability to stay healthy?
That fastball Winn missed for strike 3 last night was a cookie.
He can’t hit the fastball.
Cashman sees it. He just has to let go from his off season plan and shift on the fly. I think he thought Winn was another signing he would be heralded for.
It’s not.
Lohud hasn’t been this dark since the Interleague massacre last season
Heres something to ponder about the amazing Rays..
Taking away the common opponents that the Rays and Yankees have played (Orioles, RedSox, White Sox, A’s, Angels – and they have played the A’s 3 more times than the Yankees and the Angels 3 less times). The Rays have then played the BlueJays (3 games), Royals (4 games), Seattle (6 games) and Cleveland (2 games) – the Yankees opponents were the Rangers (3 games), Detroit (4 games) and Minnesota (3 games) – plus they’ve played Boston 4 more times than the Rays have.
What am i saying – The Rays with a team that is 100% healthy, AND firing on all pistons
AND having played the sewage of the AL teams are only 5 games better than the yankees (Oh and they play the Astros this weekend and won’t face Roy Oswalt while the yankees face the Mets’ 2 best pitchers)
Patience…
We’re in the toughest division in baseball. Even Toronto is good. Cashman will not rest !
five iron from fenway May 21st, 2010 at 11:18 am
Good question about Curtis.
He has been out for almost a month. Last game played was April 28th. If it was just a sprain I would imagine he should be back reasonably soon. Have not heard anything on him recently.
************
It wasn’t just a sprain. It was Grade 2- which isn’t good
Can you name the last true rookie who wasn’t called up for an injured player in the previous season to be penciled in for a starting position on opening day? Jeter?
Soriano?
Betsy,
I would put Tex in the 5 hole. I’d rather see Arod get the automatic at bat in the first and I’d rather see Cano get up in the 4 spot with the prospect of guys on base.
I also think Tex will take being dropped in the order so personally he’ll start hitting right away.
The patience everyone gives him is well earned, but he’s not getting the job done at all here.
I’d also flip Jeter and Gardner. I’d rather Jeter-Arod-Cano-Tex be the meat of the order. I think Gardener slipping in between Jeter & the 3rd place hitter is a mistake at this point.
“Cashman sees it. He just has to let go from his off season plan and shift on the fly. I think he thought Winn was another signing he would be heralded for.
It’s not.”
I think Winn was just a roll of the dice and Cashman was hoping he’d get lucky. Remember at the time Cash was just trying to get outfield depth, which we badly needed (and still do).
As soon as outfielders start becoming available Cashman will go fishing.
pat May 21st, 2010 at 11:23 am
Can you name the last true rookie who wasn’t called up for an injured player in the previous season to be penciled in for a starting position on opening day? Jeter?
***********
I don’t think Cano was a replacement.
But I am blanking
thanks for the medical report.
A shame. It is hard not to root for guys like Curtis who seem to work their respective butts off.
Erica – so true!! But at least we’re playin the Mets this weekend. Maybe Castillo will hand us a win, ya know, make it a tradition? And that off day Monday is looking better and better…
pat,
Thanks. But to be fair, we don’t get the Heywards and Longorias to pencil in.
How does everyone feel about putting Swisher in the 2-spot? Or do we wait for Granderson to come back?
“Now they hit the road again…
Hopefully they play at least .500 on this next trip and Tamp and Boston start loosing”
Wouldn’t count on the Drays doing much losing. Kind a of cushy next 30 games IMO.
I’m not so certain that once Granderson comes back and begins to produce that Winn will be let go. Because once Granderson returns, Winn goes back to being what he was brought here to be – a replacement outfielder with occasional playing time. Unless something infinitely better comes along or becomes available, what move does he make? Who does he get that’s better than Winn? Or should I say less bad than Winn?
Only if they can replace him with someone from within the system will Winn be DFA’d, I think.
GLove, I know you don’t like Cashman, but saying he expected to be lauded for the Winn move? I don’t get that. Hal had a budget, period. Cash chose to secure pitching instead of the OF. Do you disagree with that move?
I thought Cano and Wang came up mid-season?
Grade 3 is the worst kind of sprain…
GLove, I can see that…….interesting. I don’t think Joe will ever do that, though – not to Tex.
Cano was called up when Bernie was DL’d and womack took over CF.
Wang? Was it Pavano or Wright who went on the DL?
Shame Spencer May 21st, 2010 at 11:25 am
Erica ? so true!! But at least we?re playin the Mets this weekend. Maybe Castillo will hand us a win, ya know, make it a tradition? And that off day Monday is looking better and better?
**************
I take credit for that.
I was sitting at a bar in Atlantic City watching that game. A Mets fan was sitting next to me and we were ripping each other all night. When A-Rod popped up he started taunting me and I yelled “He didn’t catch it yet”
He never did catch it
“I don’t think Cano was a replacement.”
Believe Cano’s ascension in 2005 was tied to the Yankees deciding they’d seen enough of Womack as the starting 2B after about a month.
I think Thames was a roll of the dice.
I think Winn was thought to be a piece of the puzzle for the whole season.
We heard a lot of talk about his plus defense and how his hitting last season was an aberration.
I think Cashman thought he’d challenge Gardner and be the late inning defensive guy for Swisher.
Right now, Winn can’t do either of those things. One injury exposed him. Two OF injuries (when Swish was out) really exposed him.
He’s not the reason we’re losing games. I blame Joba for his meltdown this week that set it all off.
Still, we’ve downgraded C and DH offensively. Turning LF into a complete offensive void is not acceptable.
I don’t expect him to make a trade, but we signed Winfree and Huffman for this kind of scenario, no?
I’d like to see someone who can turn on a major league fastball getting Winn’s at bats.
new thread
Cano was an in-season call-up. Was that Womack he replaced?
Yup – replaced Tony Womack on May 3, 2005. I don’t know if it was for an injury though; could be Womack was just woefully underperforming?
I think it’s the latter.
Erica
Cano was an ineptitude call-up for Womack during 2005 if memory serves.
pat -
Your memory serves well!
“Your memory serves well!”
Some days better than others.
Here’s a futures question – if Montero and Romine are good enough to hit the ML in 2011… you have Posada, Cervelli, Montero and Romine all ready to play. What are their options and how do the Yanks approach it?
pat -
Oh boy, do I hear that!
*Betsy – Hughes rules (Pleading the Fifth) May 21st, 2010 at 11:18 am
Wow, I thought I was negative. It almost sounds like we should give up on the season…*
30 teams start the season with hopes and aspirations of making the playoffs and the 8 available slots.
That leaves 22 teams on the outside looking in.
IMO there are only really 12 teams realistically competing for those 8 slots. The other 18 are just playing without any realistic hope of making the playoffs.
I honestly think baseball could expand their playoff system by at least 1 team in each league for the team that has the best overall record regardless of where they finish in their divison.
I think that fans that have teams in the hunt sometimes don’t fully appreciate their prospects in regards to other teams whose seasons from a playoff perspective are truly over already in May.
“Here’s a futures question – if Montero and Romine are good enough to hit the ML in 2011… you have Posada, Cervelli, Montero and Romine all ready to play. What are their options and how do the Yanks approach it?”
First, if I’m Cash, I have someone pry the smile off my face.
Then I do whatever makes sense at the time. Keep two, trade one, DH Posada.
Can the Yankees get back on track before they effectively get “lapped” by Tampa and before Boston makes some move(s) to energize and stabilize their team? Absolutely. Let everybody on the Yankees get healthy and then let’s see Tampa keep up this pace. I’d love to know the BABIP on Tampa right now, what’s the “luck” factor? And before we throw dirt on the grave of the 2010 Yankees, let’s see the kiddie corps in Tampa go through their first slump or significant injury. And let’s see how well Tampa has paced themselves by the time September rolls along. Maddon may well be burning them out given the Tampa panic that this is the last year they are all going to be together.
Not all teams with the best regular season record, go on to win the WS. Yankees have more than once, and last year was one of the wins.
Postseason isn’t about a teams regular seasons record. It’s a more open field, who’s playing the best at that time. This season is just 1/4 of the way in, way too soon to say who will be where.
I hope Miranda is like Cisco, who seen an opportunity opening on the team and went for it. I’m liking what I see so far, but hope he stays hungry and takes advantage of his incredible opportunity that’s been given to him!!
ray vt