Kuroda struggles in Yankees debut
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Apr 07, 2012 
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Hiroki Kuroda is expected to bring some consistency to the No. 2 spot in the Yankees rotation, but his debut was not encouraging. Kuroda struggled through an 8-6 loss to the Rays. It was the Yankees second straight loss to start the season, and they’ll need a win tomorrow night to avoid a season-opening sweep. Kuroda allowed six runs — four earned — on eight hits and four walks through 5.2 innings. The two unearned runs came in an inning when Eduardo Nunez made an error, but Kuroda also walked back-to-back batters. It didn’t help matters when Joe Girardi let lefty specialist Clay Rapada face five batters — two of them right-handers — in a two-run seventh. Rapada got only one out and nearly gave up a two-run homer to Evan Longoria (it was ruled a double on fan interference, and the two runs scored a batter later on a bloop single by Matt Joyce). Nick Swisher’s three-run homer in the ninth was too little, too late.
Associated Press photo
KURODA
The new longman
#SJ44washere
Well, they sure made a valiant effort.
Pitching can’t put them behind the 8 ball all the time and then expect them to come back.
Hughes changes the equation tomorrow.
Onward and Upward.
Here’s another good thing about tonight. No Kim Jones.
How may hits did Madden’s shifts take away tonight? I can think of at least 3….2 on Alex and one on Tex
Does anyone else kinda not like that these losing versions of game reports are up about .54 seconds after the last out? I understand it’s journalism, but damn…
Watch your back David Phelps, somebody wants your job.
#SJ44′d
Other teams are going to take notes on Maddon’s shift
AZ88 April 7th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Other teams are going to take notes on Maddon’s shift
—
Hopefully Girardi is taking notes as well.
Come off it; 2009 started the same way and look how that ended. And those first two losses were against the Orioles.
Other than that questionable bunting with 2 strikes call (or did Molina miss the call?), Girardi is getting schooled by Maddon so far in the first two games. At least 10 outs due to the shift so far.
Does all this shifting by Maddon and rival managers reflect insight into Kevin Long’s hitting philosophy, Yankees here-ball tendencies, a mixture of both?
edit: hero-ball tendencies.
Johnny April 7th, 2012 at 10:37 pm
Come off it; 2009 started the same way and look how that ended. And those first two losses were against the Orioles.
——————————————-
After all as long as you make the playoffs it really only matters how you are playing at the end of the season… It seems the hottest team at the end of the year wins the WS now, not the best teams anymore.
Thanks Joe for letting Rapada face Longo. If you can’t use him right then take him off the roster. Easily the dumbest thing Girardi did in two days. And there is lots of competition for that.
Happy Easter everyone. Tomorrow Sir Phillip gets us our first W!
Not worried about 2 losses, or CC, or Kuroda, or the offense, and especially not Mariano, but damn those shifts are killing us.
He did a great job managing. He helps his team win ball games. I wish I can say the same for our mediocre manager; who btw is about ready to do is typical post-game wrap up rhetoric.
One day Joe will actually be sincere instead of his superficial fluffed canned analysis.
I too wish all of you who celebrate Easter a very happy, joyful, and blessed Easter.
Hope the Easter Bunny is good for you and leaves a Yankee win in your Easter basket.
UnKnown April 7th, 2012 at 10:40 pm
Thanks Joe for letting Rapada face Longo. If you can’t use him right then take him off the roster. Easily the dumbest thing Girardi did in two days. And there is lots of competition for that.
Happy Easter everyone. Tomorrow Sir Phillip gets us our first W!
———————————————————-
(1) Rapada against Longo
(2) Intentional BB to get to Pena
(3) Nunez @ SS tonight
Seem like the top 3 so far?
I’m OK with Nunez at SS though if he thinks he needs the playing time to really get going and or Jeter needs the rest to stay fresh
it’s 2 games into the season….long ways to go….but a couple of things to take away….
1) I think this Nunez plays ss or 3b against lefties thing needs to go away. He’s a decent hitter and he can do some things offensively….but he’s an error machine defensively. He’s a back up….and should play every now and then like a back up…..if Jeter or Arod needs a day off….then give them a day off. Let Gardner play 2) Clay Rapada is a pure LOOGY….which means he should basically never face a right handed hitter in a game within reach…..and especially not one as dangerous as Longoria.
Happy Easter, UnKnown.
Go PJ!!!
Joe, “yeah well, he (kuroda) did okay he gave the club a chance to win”
I just can’t take Girardi. If only Big George was alive..
Our hitters, especially Tex, all have weaknesses and Maddon exploited it. Other teams will do the same thing until our hitters prove they can adjust.
1st inning error which increased Kurodas pitch count, the shifts, and our LOOGYS not doing the job just killed the teams chances at a comeback.
I think Kuroda will be fine….he got squeezed a bit tonight and I think that through him off his game…..I’m really not all that worried about him.
Look out AL, the Tigers are for real. I wonder if Verlander will lose a game. Kidding. Well, kinda’ kidding.
trisha – true pinstriped blue April 7th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
I too wish all of you who celebrate Easter a very happy, joyful, and blessed Easter.
Hope the Easter Bunny is good for you and leaves a Yankee win in your Easter basket.
////
Same to you, trish
“Joe, “yeah well, he (kuroda) did okay he gave the club a chance to win”
That really was a silly thing to say. I think he said 4 ER and he gave the club a chance to win.
darbodla, tomorrow should be another interesting day because the Chucky Doll is going against Max Scherzer.
I think Hughes will be good tomorrow…..Madden will stack the lineup with lefties again though…so he’ll have to be careful with Pena and stupid Matt Joyce
Chavez may have gotten it right, swinging at a pitch neck high, therefore if you hit the ball it doesn’t go where it normally does, thus beating the shift.
Chavez is a genius!
I didn’t watch the entire game but I saw Kuroda getting smashed, there were 3 balls that barely stayed in the park.
Good night all -enjoy the holiday tomorrow.
Maybe we’ll see a bunt or two tomorrow against Hellickson.
Maybe Eric Chavez should be the hitting coach.
Happy Easter (& Passover)
Baseball is back !:O) Aside from the L , it was a fun game to watch.
“I didn’t watch the entire game but I saw Kuroda getting smashed, there were 3 balls that barely stayed in the park.”
he didn’t have command of anything….he was behind a lot more than he usually is and also was getting squeezed a bit I thought…..he walked 4 guys which you don’t see much from him…..got behind and had to come over the plate and got hit….it happens to anybody that does that. I still think he’ll be ok….
I saw Kuroda getting smashed
*******
Off hot sake?
Happy Easter everyone….Go Phil’s (Mickelson and Hughes!)
Sweep tomorrow?
Jim Abbott on Centerstage tonight. Quite an amazing guy.
I want to launch a Twitter that mocks SJ44′s panic tweets. I could go viral on that platform.
“Sweep tomorrow?”
Yeah – GO TIGERS!!!!
Good one, Trisha
Lol
Gotta say this again. You cannot get down on our offense is they have to continually come back due to poor starting pitching. You do too much deficit spending, you end up in the poor house.
Bret The Hitman April 7th, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Maybe Eric Chavez should be the hitting coach.
No if that happened everybody would be on the DL
A nice crisp win tomorrow and things will seem better.
Let’s hope we get one.
Bad game. LoHud is taking it well. SJ? Not so much. I don’t follow him on Twitter, but it sounds like same ol’ SJ44. Mr. Hyde will rant and rave right after a game, then Dr. Jekyll makes an appearance the next day to tell everyone, “Simmah down, everyone. Simmah down.”
Joba –
trisha-
I like that phrase.
“You do too much deficit spending and you wind you wind up in the poorhouse”.
Good one.
Happy Easter.
Great job by Swish to hit a meaningless homer. Cant stand that guy
“Great job by Swish to hit a meaningless homer. Cant stand that guy”
he’s going to be a great Houston Astro next year – probably will win an MVP playing all his games for a team with no pressure
Hopefully Hughes has that sizzling fastball with command tomorrow.
No need to worry about stat pad Sish. He will be replaced by Melky Cabrera. The real mcoy.
Swisher’s home run got the game within two, and then we had the tying run at the plate. It was hardly meaningless.
trisha – true pinstriped blue April 7th, 2012 at 10:50 pm
darbodla, tomorrow should be another interesting day because the Chucky Doll is going against Max Scherzer.
–
The chucky doll.. luv it.
He waited until we were down 5 runs to show up. He’s a joke.
Mot humorous moment of the game…and maybe the year. Gardner giving A-Rod hitting advice.
To me Buttholz looks more like a Mortician or maybe a corpse.
in the 9th inning.
MTU –
I hope you have a wonderful Easter.
I think Phil will come up big for us and shut down the Rays.
Think I’ll go and watch my DVRd version of The Ten Commandments. It started at 7 and it’s still going! Hopefully the commercials take up about 2 of those hours.
Night all! HAPPY EASTER!!!
Buchholz is the son of ESPN Corpse John Clayton.
He also had two walks and earlier in the game smoked a ball that just happened to be right at an outfielder.
Just blind Swisher hate.
How are people talking about an inconsistent offense 2 games into the season? I’ll take 6 runs everyday. Which is what we’ve done 2 games into the season.
Trisha-
I’d love phor Phil to play stopper.
We’ll see.
“He waited until we were down 5 runs to show up. He’s a joke.”
Swisher is the biggest clown in baseball today. Does anyone really believe he hits that HR if the Yanks are down, say, a couple runs? He only could hit it if it likely makes no difference in the game.
“The chucky doll.. luv it.”
I have a nice picture of him that I took when he was playing for the Pawsux. He was giving up a lot of runs and was really plissed at the umpire because he felt he was getting squeezed. he actually went after the ump.
I’ll see if I can find the pic. If I can I’ll link to it.
m, as SJ44 says, the Yankees runs scored total is hollow. They waste so many opportunities, so even though they scored 6 runs yesterday, they should have scored more.
Have a good evening.
Tomorrow is another day and a chance to make things better.
darbolda, here’s the picture.
Clay Bucholz Going After Umpire at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI
Did he say anything about CC, Mo? We gotta score 10?
2 days! Perspective, please!
This Yankees offense has been like this for 3+ years.
Cespedes gotta be the HR leader, no? Making Beane look good!
Monster 3-run smash from CESPEDES.
8 runs not enough support for KING FELIX????
Centerpedes is like Swisher – hits HRs but only when his team is getting blown out
But, but Cespedes won’t be able to hit mlb pitching…
Shoulda signed him.
Shouldve signed him.
To one degree or another, all offenses run hot & cold.
I’d probably consider it a problem if they hadn’t won nearly 300 games over the last 3 seasons.
To basically paraphrase the words of SJ, Jeers…
The Yankees have so many more opportunities to score than most other teams. But they fail to capitalize on a large percentage of them.
This regime doesn’t value bats – they overvalue pitching and they still can’t get good ones.
Even if they had Cespedas, they’d probably trade him for Wandy Rodriguez- can’t never have enough pitching, ain’t no way no how…
Phil to save the day tomorrow, lol.
SJ is panicking already? He should become a Met fan as they are undefeated – woo hoo!
So he’s saying they’re not opportunistic enough. Now, this is true.
Offense is inconsistent by nature. You have a good a chance to grab the wind a’s you do to have a “consistent” offense.
Remember Matt? Oi! He could go on and on about consistency.
The Yankees have always been offensive bullies, beating up on lousy pitching and also wasting ridiculous numbers of opportunities, but I find it ironic that SJ was getting on fans’ cases for harping on the Cervelli demotion (which I agreed with him), but now he’s losing his mind over 2 games. He hates Girardi, which doesn’t help.
I’ve never liked Nunez and the idea of constantly giving Jeter or Alex a half a day off is ludicrous.
“The Yankees have so many more opportunities to score than most other teams. But they fail to capitalize on a large percentage of them.”
That is true.
This is just the DNA of this group though. Been that way since 2010. A-Rod/Jeter can’t carry the load anymore, nor should they be expected to. No more clutch complimentary guys like Matsui/Damon/Posada.
Tex and Swisher can’t hit their way out of a paper bag half the time and Tex is useless when teams shift and Swisher is useless in any semi-big spot. Gardner/Martin are nothing special.
These guys are just names now. You look at a lineup with Jeter, ARod, Tex, Swisher, Ibanez, Cano, Grandy, etc. and it looks great. Look at the age and production, and it is not as impressive anymore. This isn’t 2007. Tex has been playing like he is A-Rod/Jeter’s age which is very scary
Can someone share SJ’s Twitter handle?
Clay rapada lol
It’s been pasted on here at least 5 times tonight.
sportsjc16
The Yankees offense so far has scored 6 runs per game off what is supposed to be one of the best pitching staffs in the majors. It’s not the offense. It’s pretty clear, our pitching has struggled so far.
And it’s only 2 games.
Thank you.
Girardi’s dumbassed managing cost the Yanks another game, only this time it was Nunez’s inability to make a routine play which compounded it.
Kuroda is not the #2 starter, he is the #2 starter by default, a pitcher less than a #2 to whatever degree merely filling the spot, and it’s debatable that his rank in the rotation is more game-based than media-fueled. One could seriously argue that the rotation after CC is three what I call #3.5 starters (better than #4s but not quite #3s) in Kuroda, Hughes, and Nova and a #4 or #5 in Garcia depending on how well he performs. Pineda and even Pettitte might be #3.5s at best this year.
The Yanks will need to acquire an ace or a #2 starter this season if they want the very best chance to win it all, the bottom line. The only pitcher like this they could realisitcally acquire is Felix Hernandez. Detroit is not trading Verlander. Boston isn’t trading Lester or Beckett and if they were trading either or both they’d no-duh never, ever trade with the Yanks. The Angels just signed Weaver to a $85M extension. San Francisco just signed Cain to an enormous extension. Lincecum is absolutely going nowhere for a really long time. Neither Halladay nor Lee would never be dealt with Hamels in his walk year. No way do you trade for Hamels in his walk year unless he is willing to sign an extension bigger than Cain’s, and no way is Philly taking less than the best four players they could possibly get – ditto if they put Halladay or Lee on the trading block. Miami is not trading their ace in their inaugural season as the Miami Marlins. If you still consider Johann Santana an ace or a #2 – I think he’s a former ace #3 who could be a #2 and longshot return to ace form as long as he remains healthy – I doubt the Mets would trade him to their far superior crosstown rivals moreoever the Yanks would want to give up much to get him considering his enormous remaining salary no matter how much he looks like Twins-era Santana or first-year-with-the Mets Santana.
If anything, the Yanks would be doing the Mariners a favor by offering a big package now. The Ms could begin LWKF (Life Without King Felix) sooner than later. ‘Say they traded him in the middle of 2014, his walk year. Will Ichiro even be an M by then? If he was it could be his walk year if the Ms give him only two years. They could lose KF and Ichiro in a matter of months – then what? Who’s to say Ichiro and/or Montero would be Ms or any kind of offensive force the team would desperately need them to be by then if they can’t get more hitters? Where is it written in stone that Montero will be an offensive force other than in blogs and comments sections? I just don’t see the Ms getting a package in 2014 as good as what the Yanks can offer right now/in 2012. Remember whoever trades for him will have to be able to afford re-signing him so they don’t give up a big package for a two-months and MAYBE the postseason rental, unless they want to risk giving up their farm for that which I doubt any sane team would do. Who the hell could Boston offer Seattle to land him? Tampa Bay couldn’t afford him. They will most likely lose Shields then Price when he becomes a free agent – how they keeping King Felix? Detroit is tapped out from signing Cabrera and Fielder. KF is not being traded to a division rival, AL Central team, also-ran Toronto, or AL East dreg Baltimore. I don’t see this guy electing to go free agent if the Yanks trade for him. The Yanks will blow him away like SF blew away Cain.
Considering there will be a logjam in the rotation once Pettitte and Pineda join the rotation, a trade for Hernandez starting with Hughes and Nova makes all the sense in the world considering neither Kuroda nor Pettitte will go to the bullpen and it would be extremely unwise to put Pineda there.
That begs the question: Who’s out of the rotation from Hughes, Nova, and Garcia when Pettitte and Pineda join the team? I’d say Garcia is one of the odd men out because he’s a Yankee for this year only and I don’t think the Yanks would demote Hughes (use his last option) or Nova (who had an out of nowhere solid 2011) so a 35-year old guy in his walk year can start. The other odd man out has to be Hughes or Nova. If you move Hughes to the pen, you risk Joba Chamberlain II and ruin his trade value cuz who’s giving up something for a guy who can’t keep his job moreover take it from a player a decade his senior (Garcia)? If you move Nova to the pen, you have a suspect backend of the rotation because what if Hughes gets injured and/or sucks again and what if Garcia isn’t as good as he was last year? You risk demoralizing Hughes or Nova (whoever is sent down.) A demotion to Nova could be devasting considering how well he pitched last year (#3 good.)
To anyone who scoffs/balks/dismisses the idea of Hughes, Nova, Banuelos, and Betances for King Felix: Who should the Yanks get if not him? If you say no one, well, you’re basically saying the Yanks are winning it all this year with an ace, no #2, and possibly no true #3 either. Do I think the Yanks could make the postseason this year without KF? Yes. I think they will with or without him. I want him because he would be the perfect 2 to complete I think the best 1-2 punch in MLB and certainly the best 1-2 punch in the AL. Bottom line is he would greatly enhance the Yanks’ chances of winning it all this year and make the Yanks a perennial World Series contender with a bonafide 1-2 punch for years to come. These two would rival and I think be better than any 1-2 the 1977, 1996, 1998-2000, and 2009 World Champions had. Only the 1978 1-2 would be better than them (Guidry 25-3, sub 2 ERA.)
To conclude, you have to give up something to get something, it’s about winning NOW not later, and the 1995 on Yanks have made blockbuster trades which paid off with World Series championships. What season 1995 on did the Yanks make a blockbuster trade where they traded a top prospect or top prospects for pitching and/or hitting and get burned by it after that season? The trades for Cone and Clemens paid immediate dividends (four World Series championships with Cone, two with Clemens, two with both although I know Cone wasn’t much of a factor after his perfect game.) Say what you want about Knoblauch, but the Yanks won three straight WS with him and what did Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman amount to? Milton had a few decent years, Guzman an ok career. Ledee for Justice helped net a WS title. Soriano for A-Rod ultimately helped net a WS title. No one the Yanks traded for Randy Johnson amounted to anything. The Lowell trade? Oh please. The Yanks won three WS titles, went to four straight WS, and almost won four straight WS with Brosius who was the 1998 WSMVP and hit a BIIIIG HR in the 2001 WS. Lowell got lucky. ‘Dude had a very good career but he was no George Brett, Mike Schmidt, or A-Rod 2004 on. Let me know when Montero wins the WS with Seattle – a big LOL at that.
Not to mention they handed their closer a lead in the 9th inning yesterday – can’t get more of a sure win than that
There will be many more times between now and season’s end when the Yanks pitching will struggle in bunches and the lineup will hit into defensive shifts in bunches.
It’s just that it’s happening right out of the gate in April. Think big picture.
Too bad for the M’s they can’t play the A’s 162 times. They will be irrevelant come July like usual.
“8 runs not enough support for KING FELIX????”
~
whew! just barely.
Note re: the Clemens trade. I know it wasn’t top prospect/s for Clemens, but Bush was a farm system player and second in order of trade chips (Wells, Bush, and whoever the third guy was for Clemens.)
The Ms are not trading Felix to the Yankees.
“To anyone who scoffs/balks/dismisses the idea of Hughes, Nova, Banuelos, and Betances for King Felix: Who should the Yanks get if not him?”
These are the same people who this winter didn’t want to give up Brackman for Dan Haren a couple years ago and thought Noesi was untouchable for John Danks this winter
*last summer for Backman-Haren
blah blah blah blah blah
something about king felix
tsunami of crud
And Felix doesn’t even want to be a Yankee.
Nova and Freddy are going to get ROCKED in Camden
Duh Innings,
It is an even numbered year Beckett will not pitch as well as any of the Yankees 7 starting pitchers this year. He only pitches well in odd years.
We are not getting King Felix. Our seven starting pitchers are pretty good relax and watch them a while and you will probably agree.
There were twelve names on the M’s 2012 Opening Day roster that have never graced one previously, including seven rookies. Tonight, two of those players made their ML debut …
- Kawasaki collected his first hit, first rbi and first run scored
- Luetge struck out the only batter he faced
True “relevance” may yet be a year or two or three away but, the plan is in place and the future looks bright (good thing patience is my strong suit
)
Now I get the feeling the Yankees won’t score any runs later today