Pregame notes: Preparing for Pineda
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on May 27, 2011 
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This is the way the Yankees road trip begins, with a 22-year-old kid who throws with more consistent velocity than any other starting pitcher in baseball. Justin Verlander averages 95 mph with his fastball. Mariners rookie Michael Pineda averages 95.6.
Felix Hernandez is the King. Pineda’s been called the Prince.
“Mostly fastball-slider,” Joe Girardi said, giving a brief scouting report of tonight’s Seattle starter. “His fastball gets up to 96-97, and his slider is like a power-curveball, too. It’s got good depth. The thing about this young man is he throws a ton of strikes. He’s around 70 percent first-pitch strikes, so you have to be ready to hit.”
In the past, the Yankees have had some problems with even mediocre pitchers when they’ve seen them for the first time. It hasn’t been so glaring this year, and even if it had been, with this guy it’s hard to lean on the “first time” excuse. He’s unfamiliar, but more significantly, he’s good.
Mark Teixeira said he would look through a lot of Pineda video before tonight’s game, but he also said it’s hard to take too much out of a film session. First-hand experience is the only thing that fully prepares a hitter.
“At the end of the day, personal experience and seeing his pitches is the best thing,” Teixeira said. “… The guys’ movement, especially on a two-seamer, slider type pitch, doesn’t look like it moves that much on TV. You look at Mo, everyone talks to me about Mo, oh, how does he only get away with one pitch, this and that? Well, on TV it looks like it moves that much but in actuality, from the time it leaves his hand to the time it gets to you, it moves a foot or two. So, on TV, you can’t see movement very well.”
The Yankees are going to run into a lot of pitching talent this trip. Tonight they’re jumping straight into the fire.
“This is a young kid with a lot of talent,” Girardi said. “It’s going to be a challenge, so you have to be ready to hit.”
• Dave Robertson was very clearly affected by his trip to Alabama. Just talking about it seemed to make him physically feel that devastation. “Seeing my hometown destroyed, it’s difficult,” he said. “It’s disturbing.” Robertson left at 7 a.m. and was at the park before 1:30 local time. “It’s tough to know that I have to leave right now,” he said. “Just leave it as it is.”
• Nick Swisher is back in the lineup to test the left-handed swinging he’s been trying to fix for the past few days. “Today, come in here with a fresh mind, ready to go,” he said. “I feel good. Now I’ve just got to go out there and show you guys.”
• The only injured players to make the road trip were Phil Hughes and Colin Curtis. Hughes is out here to keep throwing, but Girardi said there’s nothing new to report on him. Curtis is doing some rehab work out here, but it seems he mostly wanted to come on the trip just to be home for a few days. He’s from Seattle, and he’s staying here throughout this West Coast trip. He’ll go back to New York in about two weeks.
• Girardi on Eric Chavez: “He’s closer, but he still is not to where he can run yet. As far as doing a lot of baseball stuff, he can’t do it.”
• Francisco Cervelli did some early throwing work, but Girardi said that’s just regular work for a backup catcher who hasn’t played a whole lot. Just staying sharp, not much more.
• Even after the Buster Posey, Girardi said he would not be in favor of a rule change to protect catchers (and Girardi’s been involved in his share of collisions). “I was always taught a certain way to block the plate and protect yourself,” Girardi said. “Sometimes you get vulnerable as a catcher. I’ve had a separated shoulder, and I’ve had a broken nose, but I always thought it was just part of the game. When you’re playing with a competitive spirit, you’re playing for a lot.”
Associated Press photos
Oh joy. Throws 95 and 70% first-pitch strikes.
Love that comment from D-Rob on where High Socks for Hope came from: “That was a smart wife thing.”
Wise man gives credit to his best support!
I like our chances against a hard thrower.
BD
Props to you for sticking with the game thread on Tuesday night.
I got home around the 5th inning and they were losing 4-1. But by the tone of the game thread you would think it was 20-1.
It was you and the otherphil and a herd of ignoramuses. You showed a lot of patience with some of them.
Ogando part deux
Good thing pitching doesn’t win games!
Good thing pitching doesn’t win games!
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Pretty stupid to try to bring this up on a night when the Yanks are facing a team whose inept offense has mired them in suckitude.
WC:
Left you a note on the last thread.
Could be a long night deep in the heart of Texas. 7-6 Rangers over Royals……at the end of 2
Lets hope Hosmer has a multi hit game.
BD (Boston Dave) May 27th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Yanks need to spin a trade for LHP Charlie Furbush….
came in to save Porcello and has gone 4IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 5k.
(and 1 of the 2 hits was an infield grounder that Peralta should have handled and thrown out Gonzalez)
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It’s no suprise he’s doing well.
He’s from Maine. lol:
I’ve been listening to the Trenton game on the radio and Manny had control problems from the beginning.
He was able to do a good job escaping most of his trouble.
Hosmer = 2 for 2, 3 rbi so far
Looks like whatever problem Gardner had with basestealing, Crawford has caught.
The Rays are taking the Yankee approach to scoring runs tonight. They have gotten 2 run home runs from Casey Kotchman and Sam Fuld and are up 4-0 over the Indians.
I refuse to believe that home runs are a bad thing. I have been to 4 Rays/Yankees games in the past year and 3 of those were won or lost on the home run. The first game I went to Cano hit a tie breaking HR off Soriano, the second game Posada hit a tie breaking HR off Dan Wheeler(the score was tied because of a home run by the Rays too) and the 3rd was when BJ Upton hit a go ahead HR off AJ Burnett.
Also, in reference to that article posted, did the Yankees “rely” as much on the home run last season like they do this year? I seem to recall them playing a lot more small ball.
Maine-
Were you able to get any info. on Manny’s FB velocity ?
Looks like whatever problem Gardner had with basestealing, Crawford has caught
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Avila has been among the AL’s best in terms of tossing out runners. Dude should probably end up in the ASG.
“Ogando part deux”
Good call. This kid is due for a correction. Except for Texas( Loss) he really hasn’t seen a line-up quite like the Yankees.
LA is burning! Meet payroll? Details!
McCourt paid $14 million to rip out tennis courts to put in an indoor, Olympic-size swimming pool at one of his homes and to pay for that and his other mortgages he took $60 million on the land around Dodger Stadium. That debt is due in a couple of months.
O U C H !
I’m waiting to see if Long got Swisher to swing in a controlled fashion. To me Swisher just looked like he needed to get centered. Short to the ball. Don’t think. In Swisher’s case that shouldn’t be difficult.
Ogando part deux
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‘Cept that Pineda has been conditioned to start, whereas I’d question how long Ogando can be effective in his present role.
Vazquez and Maxwell with HRs, numbers 18 and 14.
I’ve been a fan of Maxwell’s forever. Too bad he can’t maintain a higher average. He’s been close to the Majors a number of years, just never broke loose.
Thanks Mell, Fantasy pickup for me.
BD (Boston Dave) May 27th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Yanks need to spin a trade for LHP Charlie Furbush….
came in to save Porcello and has gone 4IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 5k.
(and 1 of the 2 hits was an infield grounder that Peralta should have handled and thrown out Gonzalez)
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I’ve been following this along with a hockey game so I haven’t followed it to close.
They haven’t given any velo when I’ve been listening.
Can’t wait to see this kid pitch
hard fastballs? I’ll take it.
we’re due to see a killer game from posada, I’m calling this one
Mell no negative waves please, I have Ogando several times over.
MTU
The game is being delayed because of fog.
It was thick enough that the RF had trouble seeing a fly ball hit to him.
thanks Tar…
not sure why I stayed in the thread that long… but it worked out
“Vazquez and Maxwell with HRs, numbers 18 and 14. ”
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it’s Maris vs. Mantle part deux
jeeze!
hope they both keep it going.
Maine-
What’s next ?
A plague of locusts.
Paplbon is due for a blowup.
leadoff single to start the inning…
lets go Tigres.
followed by an RBI double.
1 down, 3 to go (to tie)
BD (Boston Dave) May 27th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Papelbon = Papelbum
that didnt last long
in true contract-year fashion, Papelbon K’s two and gets out of it with just 1 run.
Did the Red Sox fortunes turn once Lackey and Matsuzaka were DL’d or what?
MTU
No the black flies are worse than that.
When the Sux are winning games that Wakefield starts – that’s not good.
This makes me overanxious to start seeing the Yankees’ top pitching prospects in the ML, rather than trading them away for older veterans who have more guile, but also likely diminished stuff.
“Did the Red Sox fortunes turn once Lackey and Matsuzaka were DL’d or what?”
Teams get hot as well as cold. The RS are hot, but they’ll regress to their mean.
MTU
Trenton won a fog shortened game.
Maine-
Now that’s different. Fog.
Say hi to Mrs. Maine for me.
Teams get hot as well as cold. The RS are hot, but they’ll regress to their mean
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Yeah. That’s what they’ve been doing the past 3 games or so.