Yanks Split And Lose No Ground
The New York Yankees got a good pitching performance from Freddy Garcia in Game 1 of the split doubleheader but self-destructed in Game 2 and ended the night with a split of the twin-bill with the Red Sox. You would have thought the Yankees got swept based upon some Yankee fans after the 9-5 loss. Quite frankly, it's very difficult to win a doubleheader and you had to think that Boston was due to breakout. In fact, tonight will be a tough one as teams that usually break a losing streak win a few in a row.
With all the issues that the Yankees have had, it is impressive that they are in first place in the AL East and have the best record in baseball. All of this without their staff ace, their second best pitcher, the all-time best relief pitcher and no regular positional player having a career year. None of this means that a trip down the Canyon of Heroes is guaranteed. Plenty of things can happen between now and the end of October and regular season performances mean nothing in the playoffs. The key for the Yankees will be to win their division, have no more injuries and hopefully be firing on all cylinders heading into October. So until then, let's enjoy where the Yanks are sitting right now as we head into the All-Star break and take a chill pill if they happen not to win this evening. Remember, baseball is a marathon not a sprint.
Yankees Draw First Blood With 10-8 Win
The New York Yankees erupted for four runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Boston Red Sox 10-8 at Fenway Park. In a game that has become familiar when these two teams meet, especially at Fenway, the Yanks blew a 5-run lead and and fell behind 7-6 heading into the 7th. After Robinson Cano was called out on strikes, Mark Teixiera delivered with a long triple to center field which put the Yankees ahead 8-7. Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez added to the lead with RBI's and the team of David Robertson and Rafael Soriano held the fort to secure the victory.
The Yankee victory gives them an 8 1/2 game lead over Boston and a 5 1/2 game lead over second place Baltimore. As a fan, the length of Red Sox - Yankee games is borderline ridiculous. It makes it pretty difficult to watch. The hype build-up for these games is over the top and you really need to take a step back and realize that this is not a playoff series. The criticism of Hiroki Kuroda by some Yankee fans is not justified. Kuroda has pitched well up to last night and it was evident that he did not have his best stuff. However, he did give the Yankees nearly 6 innings which allowed Joe "The Binder" Girardi to conserve his bullpen with a doubleheader today.
A split today would be great ensuring that the Yanks could be in the same position as they were on Thursday, 7 1/2 games ahead of Boston. The key for the Yankees is to get ready for the second half of the season and not worry about their blood rivals. Freddy Garcia will start Game One and Phil Hughes will go in Game Two. Of course the late game is on FOX which means we will have to endure the authoritative duo of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
End Of An Era
The New York Yankees suffered more than a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals last night. They lost the one constant they have had for the last 15 years. The one advantage they have had over every team in major league baseball. When Mariano Rivera crashed into the outfield wall at Kaufmann Stadium, the greatest closer in the history of baseball probably ended his career. It shouldn't end this way but it is hard to imagine that the 42 year old first ballot hall of famer will ever pitch again. A torn ACL and meniscus is hard to overcome for a younger man let alone a 42 year old.
Rivera had it all: class and excellence. He is respected by teammates and opponents. The Yankees will never be the same and now the heat will be on to find his replacement. The obvious choice will be David Robertson. Robertson has been outstanding as the Yankees main set-up guy, a similar spot that Rivera held back in 1996 for John Wetteland. The pressure will be on this young man from Alabama. It will be his job to replace a legend, not an easy task.
This Yankee team is floundering now. The middle of the line-up, particularly Robinson Cano and Mark Teixiera, are struggling. The starting pitching is in disarray. And now the bullpen will be put to the test as their main constant is gone for the season and possibly for good. We will learn a lot about this Yankee team. Will they be able to overcome this devastating blow?? Or with an aging line-up and inconsistent starting pitching will they fade away? The way things look now, this team is in trouble and someone will need to step up and start producing.
Yankees Limp Out Of Bronx
The New York Yankees dropped 2 out of 3 against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium as they head to Kansas City for a 4 game series against the Royals. The three game series against the Orioles saw poor pitching and poor hitting. The Yankees only scored 3 runs against the young Orioles. The height of ineptitude was being defeated by Brian Matusz, who had not won a game in a year.
Mark Teixiera is having one of his typical slow starts and Robinson Cano is struggling big time leaving the Yankees middle of the lineup totally unproductive. The starting pitching has been brutal and tonight will send rookie David Phelps to the mound to face the young Royals. You would think that the Royals would be the perfect tonic for the Yanks. But without Nick Swisher in the lineup, weak production from the 3-4-5 hitters and getting no production from Russell Martin, it's difficult to know what to expect. It's still early, but something needs to turn around soon or the natives in Yankeeland are going to be looking for some scapegoats. Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi anyone???
Big Comeback Masks Yankee Pitching Problem
Twitter world was exploding around 6pm yesterday as Yankee fans were screaming for General Manager Brian Cashman's head. You see word just came out that Michael Pineda was experiencing shoulder soreness after his latest bullpen session. It is such a problem that Pineda has been shut down and was sent back to New York for an MRI to determine if he needs shoulder surgery. The news coupled with another terrible start from Freddy Garcia had Yankee fans in an uproar. As the Yankees mounted an improbable comeback, fans' attention were now focused on the big days of Mark Teixiera and Nick Swisher and the continual descent of the Boston Red Sox and their loud-mouth manager, Bobby Valentine. However, the problem still exists: the Yankee rotation is in trouble.
For those of you who have read this blog, I have continually said that with the new playoff format if you end up being a wild card team it is going to be essential that you have a deep rotation. When Cashman acquired Pineda and signed Hiroki Kuroda, I thought it was a good move. Suddenly, the Yankees had six potential starters. Then with the news that Andy Pettite was coming back, things really looked good. Well, the Yanks suddenly find themselves with major rotation problems. CC Sabathia has not been his typical self but I believe that as the weather heats up so will CC. Ivan Nova has been a saviour. The kid is a gamer and is able to get outs when he needs them. Kuroda has been up and down and one would think he will right himself based upon history. But after that, there is nothing but trouble.
Phil Hughes has not been good. His last outing gave some hope and one has to wonder if Joe "The Binder" Girardi shouldn't have taken him out of the game after he walked the leadoff batter in the sixth inning. He also was done in by a Eduardo Nunez error in the 1st inning. However, a pitcher needs to pick up a teammate in a situation like that. Freddy Garcia has been a mess since the season has started. Reports indicate that his fastball is in the low 80's and that's not going to cut it.
Yankee fans are upset with Cashman because of what is going on with Pineda. The common belief is that Pineda was damaged goods. The Yankees maintain that Pineda passed their physical and they were satisfied that he was in good shape. But we do know that like Hughes last season, Pineda came into camp out of shape. You would think that going to a new team that Pineda would want to make sure that he made a good impression and come into camp ready to go. That was not the case and now the Yankees have pitching problems.
One can only imagine what would be going on right now if The Boss were still around. There is no doubt in my mind that Cashman would be getting ripped. One has to wonder if these developments will mean that Cashman will finally allow a youngster within the Yankee farm system to have an opportunity to make it into the rotation, similar to Ivan Nova a couple of years ago and Chien-Ming Wang back in 2005.
The comeback was nice, particularly against Boston in Fenway. But it happened during a game in April against a team that is in disarray, with a bullpen that is a joke. In October, the pitching is much better and I can't remember teams in the playoffs coming back from a 9-run deficit. The Yankees have set the bar that winning it all is all that matters. Unless something turns around with the starting rotation, there will be no parade down the Canyon of Heroes this October.
2012 Yankees – Red Sox Begins Today
This afternoon at 3pm the Blood Rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will have its opening act for 2012 at 100 year old Fenway Park. In fact, today marks the actual date 100 years ago that the first game was played at Fenway. The Yankees roll into Boston with a 7-6 record after holding on last night for a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox are 4-8 and in last place in the AL East.
Like with most rivalries, records don't matter particularly this early in a long season. The scary thing for the Yankees is that they could be just what Boston needs to get on track. Tonight's pitching match-up is Ivan Nova versus Clay Buchholz. The Red Sox will be without Carl Crawford and Jacob Ellsbury and are reeling under the watchful eye of Bobby Valentine. Valentine has caused an uproar with his criticism of Kevin Youkilis.
There will be plenty of hype for this series as there usually is when these two teams meet. What you can also bank on are games lasting for four hours. I for one am not going to buy into the hype. There are 19 games between these two teams. It is too exhausting to make these games life and death. At the end of the day it's about qualifying to play in October. So everyone needs to take a chill pill. This is one series in April and the Yankees need to play well just like they need to play well in a series against Kansas City in May.
Here's hoping these games could be played under four hours.
What’s Up With Phil Hughes??
Phil Hughes had another disasterous start yesterday giving up 6 runs in 3 1/3 innings, allowing 8 hits and walking 2 while striking out 6. While the Yankee bats once again could not capitalize on chances to score, Hughes could not give his team a chance to win. It's really troubling to see a once promising career teeter on the brink of being a middling starter at best.
There has been no bigger fan of Phil Hughes than me. What sold me on the kid was when he relieved Roger Clemens in a playoff game against the Cleveland Indians. On that night, Hughes kept his team in the game and the Yankees came back to win their only game in that series. In 2009, the kid played a significant role as being the set-up man for Mariano Rivera in the Yankees World Series run. The following year, Hughes won 18 games and made the American League All-Star team. And then the bottom dropped out.
Hughes has had a terrible problem of closing out a hitter. He will get ahead in the count, 1-2 or 0-2, and can't put the hitter away. This kid was the crown jewel of the Yankee farm system. In reading about him, he loves being a Yankee and was clearly relieved when Brian Cashman did not complete a trade with Minnesota that would have sent Hughes to Minnesota as part of a package to get Johan Santana. It was not wanting to give up Hughes that nixed the trade as Cashman had a lot of faith that the kid could be a top of the rotation pitcher for years to come. Suddenly, there's a question as to whether Hughes can be a servicable back-end starter.
With the possibility that Mariano Rivera may retire at the end of this year, it would appear that David Robertson or Rafael Soriano could be the closer in waiting. As a result, there could be a spot open for a set-up man. With Andy Pettite weeks away from coming up to the Bronx and the possibility of Michael Pineda joining the team at some point, maybe it's time for the Yankees to consider moving Hughes to the bullpen. He has shown an ability to excel there as evidenced by his performance in 2007 and 2009. It may be the only way to save this kid's career as a Yankee.
Great Day In The Bronx As Yankees Win 5-0
On a bright sunny day in the Bronx, with Yankee great Jorge Posada throwing out the first pitch, the Yankees came out swinging and received a great game from Hiroki Kuroda to post a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Opening day was a rebound of sorts for some Yankees. Kuroda did not have a good start with the Yanks in his first game in Tampa against the Rays and there were many who were wondering whether or not Kuroda could pitch in the American League. Well, yesterday Kuroda went 8+ innings allowing 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6. If the Yankees get this type of performance from Kuroda throughout the season, the money spent to acquire him will be well worth it. It was a nice bounce back game from the former Dodger.
Alex Rodriguez had been struggling at the plate heading into yesterday's game. Well ARod went 3-4 with a monster home run to center field. Manager Joe Girardi's lineup switch, moving ARod to 3rd in the batting order and Robinson Cano to clean-up, seemed to be agreeable to the Yankee third baseman. ARod's production will be a key factor in the Yankees success this season.
This afternoon, the Yankees will face former Texas Ranger C.J. Wilson. The Yankees will counter with Phil Hughes. Hughes will be looking to pitch beyond 5 innings today which will mean that he will have to try to reduce his pitch count early on in the game. A strong game by Hughes will continue the good feeling among Yankee fans that Opening Day presented. It would also send an early message to the rest of the American League that the Yankees are poised for a great season in 2012.
Opening Day In The Bronx!!!
Today at 1:05pm, the Los Angeles Angels will be the opponent as the 2012 New York Yankees open their home season in The House That The Boss Built. Both of these teams are pre-season favorites to be legitimate contenders to represent the American League in the World Series. However, each team has struggled coming out of the gate over the first 6 games as the Yanks are 3-3 and the Angels are 2-4.
The Yanks were swept by Tampa Bay and then swept the lowly Baltimore Orioles. Despite the sweep of the Birds, the Yankees were terrible hitting with runners in scoring position. This seems to be a carryover from last year's playoff series against Detroit and was evident against the Rays. One would seem to think that this will turn around however the concern with an aging lineup is whether or not players are in the beginning of a career downward spiral.
An interesting subplot to today's game is how Hiroki Kuroda will settle in pitching in the Bronx Bandbox. The Angels have plenty of offensive firepower so Kuroda will have to be on his game. The Angels will counter with Ervin Santana who has had mixed results against the Yankees. Last season Santana was 0-2 against the Yankees with an ERA over 5. Hopefully, the Yanks can keep that trend going.
Season home openers are always exciting but there is no place like opening day at Yankee Stadium. Hopefully, the boys in pinstripes can kick it off with a win.
Joe The Binder Returns In Yankee Loss
Joe Girardi is noted for playing it by the book, his infamous binder. While I understand that it is important to know the history of matchups but as I have said before sometimes you have to go with your gut. Well there is no way that Joe "The Binder" Girardi will ever do that. In a move that I still find baffling, he decides to have CC Sabathia walk Sean Rodriguez and pitch to Carlos Pena with the bases loaded who then proceeds to hit a grand slam home run to give the Tampa Rays a 4-0 lead. While the Yankees came back to take the lead, the move tells us that we are in for another season of The Binder.
This is one game out of 162 so I'm not ready to push the panic button particularly since Sabathia has a terrible record on opening days: an ERA of 7.47 as the Yankee opening day pitcher and a career record of 5.66 on opening day. I'm not even upset about Mariano Rivera blowing a save. He is a human being and I'm confident he will bounce back.
But what is bothering me is that just like in last year's playoffs, the Yankees could not get a big hit to drive in runs. One of the big culprits once again was Mark Teixiera. Batting behind ARod he is going to have plenty of opportunities. I'm going to say this for the one thousandth time: he needs to go the opposite way. Speaking of ARod, he looked good yesterday both in the field and at the plate. If he can stay healthy, this could be a big year for him. It will be up to The Binder to make sure ARod gets the rest that he needs.
Tonight Hiroki Kuroda makes his Yankee debut against David Price. I'm sure The Binder has everything mapped out. The Rays bullpen was used up yesterday as Joe Maddon was also at his overmanaging best. The Yankees big 3 in the bullpen also made appearances yesterday for an inning each. Should be an interesting game with The Binder and Maddon matching wits.
Eklund’s Hockey Buzz
Pro Football Talk
Post Archive
- December 2013 (2)
- September 2013 (1)
- August 2013 (3)
- July 2013 (1)
- May 2013 (4)
- April 2013 (6)
- March 2013 (8)
- February 2013 (14)
- January 2013 (20)
- December 2012 (17)
- November 2012 (14)
- July 2012 (6)
- May 2012 (2)
- April 2012 (19)
- March 2012 (20)
- February 2012 (22)
- January 2012 (25)
- December 2011 (22)
- November 2011 (26)
- October 2011 (29)
- September 2011 (25)
- August 2011 (28)
- July 2011 (31)
- June 2011 (29)
- May 2011 (30)
- April 2011 (24)
- March 2011 (36)
- February 2011 (13)