At Oakland, bottom of the 8th, Yanks up, 1-0.
The A’s Rickey Henderson doubles with one out and then scores when the next batter grounds out to shortstop.
Yes, he scored from second on a 6-3 groundout.
Think Bucky got a call from Big Stein after this one - especially the way Eric Plunk ended it for the Yanks in the 11th?
Happy Mother’s Day!” to all the Moms out there today. (Holy cow! Where would we be without Mom?)
Mother's Day souvenir charm issued to fans on Mother's Day in 1967 - which was also the date of Mickey Mantle's 500th career homerun.
“
Last night I had a dream that it was June and the Yankees record was 55-20.
So, are they going to win 37 of their next 45?
Well, if they do…you heard it here first.
I was just looking at the A.L. East Standings as of this morning:
| Rk | Tm | W | L | GB | R | RA | pythWL | Home | Road | ≥.500 | <.500 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYY | 17 | 12 | .586 | — | 5.1 | 4.1 | 17-12 | 12-6 | 5-6 | 2-1 | 15-11 |
| 2 | TBR | 17 | 14 | .548 | 1.0 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 18-13 | 9-10 | 8-4 | 1-4 | 16-10 |
| 3 | BAL | 14 | 16 | .467 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 13-17 | 7-8 | 7-8 | 5-11 | 9-5 |
| 4 | TOR | 14 | 17 | .452 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 16-15 | 6-5 | 8-12 | 10-11 | 4-6 |
| 5 | BOS | 14 | 17 | .452 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 14-17 | 8-8 | 6-9 | 9-12 | 5-5 |
| Avg | 15 | 15 | .500 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 15-14 | 8-7 | 6-7 | 5-7 | 9-7 |
.
And, besides the Rays just being one game back now, after their terrible start, what caught my eye was the number of games the Yankees have played, to date, against team at .500 or better. Just three times this season, so far, as of May 5th? Talk about having an easy start to your schedule…
Interesting stuff from Jared Diamond –
As greatness continues to elude Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes remains on the lookout for his missing fastball, a slew of Yankee castoffs are actually thriving in smaller markets. A Yankee fan can’t help but wonder if the team held on to the right pitching prospects.
Perhaps the most striking success story is that of Nationals setup man Tyler Clippard. He won three games for New York in 2007 but was traded that offseason for another reliever, Jonathan Albaladejo. (Albaladejo compiled a 4.70 ERA in parts of three years with the Yankees and was released in November.) Since going to Washington, Clippard has gone 16-11 with a 2.84 ERA (through Wednesday).
Then there’s Ian Kennedy, a former first-round draft pick once expected to join Chamberlain and Hughes in a powerful Yankee rotation. He has found a home in Arizona after being traded as part of the Curtis Granderson deal, pitching to a 3.82 ERA in 233 innings for the Diamondbacks. Hughes has a 4.73 ERA in 186 2/3 innings during the same span.
And the list continues: Jeff Karstens, who was traded for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady in 2008, is 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA for Pittsburgh this year. Mark Melancon, who was traded for Lance Berkman last year, has a 1.72 ERA in a league-most 18 games for Houston. Michael Dunn, a lefthander the Yanks dealt for Javier Vazquez in 2009, has allowed just four earned runs in 37 relief appearances in the past two seasons. Even Ross Ohlendorf, who went 1-11 for the Pirates last season, has had an above-average adjusted ERA the past two years.
Instead, the Yankees are left with Hughes and Chamberlain—two pitchers looking less and less likely to ever live up their extraordinary expectations.
Hard to argue with any of that, right?
Via Wally Matthews -
Alex Rodriguez may not be the New York Yankees’ captain, but lately he has taken to playing the role of one in the clubhouse.
Derek Jeter, of course, is the real captain, and with A-Rod, you are never sure if what you are getting is genuine or the baseball equivalent of an actor portrayal.
But if you had stumbled from an alternate universe into the visitor’s clubhouse at Comerica Park after the Yankees had dropped their third straight game to the Detroit Tigers, 6-3, on Thursday afternoon, it would have been easy to mistake the tall fellow in the light gray suit in the right corner of the room as just another player, and the slightly taller fellow in the charcoal suit holding court along the left-hand wall as the boss.
Here was Jeter, given the day off against his will by his manager, rolling his suitcase toward the team bus, head down and uninterrupted by reporters, while five yards away, A-Rod was taking on the various roles of clubhouse greeter, maitre d’ and team spokesman.
Spotting a scrum of reporters waiting to interview Eduardo Nunez, Jeter’s replacement for the day at shortstop who made the error that cost the Yankees the game, A-Rod was quick to offer his assistance.
“You guys are going to need some help,” he said to the group. Then he summoned a Spanish-speaking team employee to serve as Nunez’s interpreter.
A few moments later, after Nunez had mumbled out his mea culpa, it was A-Rod’s turn to act as the elder statesman of the clubhouse, delivering a de facto pep talk to Nunez, expounding on the nuances of playing shortstop — you will remember he used to play the position a long time ago — and taking the time to remind his listeners, “Hitting is something I know how to do very well.”
This is so wrong. Go to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium and see what happens after the visiting team takes BP. You’ll see Jeter, Cano, Swisher, Gardner, Granderson and Teixeira grouped behind first base doing their wind sprints. And, much later, maybe 15 minutes before the start of the game, here comes A-Rod to do his sprints – but he’ll do it about 40 yards away from the group, out in right field, by himself. He’s not one of the boys, at all.
I’ve seen this at many, many, Yankees games.
Also, just before the game, you’ll see Cano and Jeter do long toss. Who does A-Rod do his long toss with? Eduardo Nunez – that’s who! Typical A-Rod, getting a rookie from Latin America to be his caddy of sorts. He did it with Melky. And, he did it with others in Texas. (That’s why Buck banned the speaking of Spanish in the clubhouse – because A-Rod started a clique there.)
All A-Rod was doing yesterday was taking care of his clubby concubine. That doesn’t make him a leader, not at all.
Chavez now has a small fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.
He could not stay healthy in Oakland. So, it should be no shock that he’s injured now in New York.
After starting the 2011 season by winning 12 of their first 18 games, with today’s loss, the Yankees have now dropped 6 of their last 11 games. Is this the start of a major skid for New York? Or, just a bump in the road?
My prediction? On July 1st the Yankees will be much closer to a .500 team than a .600 team.
Of course, we’ll have to wait eight weeks to see if that comes true or not.
I mentioned this in 2009 and in 2010. And, they’re doing it again this year. Here’s the details:
Thousands of avid runners, passionate baseball fans, cancer survivors, and supporters from across the country will descend on Yankee Stadium on August 7, and it won’t be to see the Bronx Bombers play the Red Sox. Instead, they will be supporting the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, which opened registration today for its annual Runyon 5K at Yankee Stadium.
The only charitable run/walk that uses the legendary ballpark as its course, the 5K will take place on Sunday, August 7, 2011. The event is on track to reach a three-year total of $1 million raised to fund groundbreaking cancer research by the nation’s most innovative young scientists.
Registration for individuals and teams opened today at www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium and is limited to the first 4,000 registrants. For a $40 registration fee and a minimum fundraising requirement of $60, participants can run or walk the Stadium’s concourses, climb stairs between levels, appear on the video board, and follow in the footsteps of their favorite players by taking their own victory laps on the warning track that circles the field. After July 7, the registration fee will increase to $50. Family members and supporters will have the opportunity to view the event from the Delta SKY360° Suite overlooking home plate.
100% of all funds raised by participants will go directly to top cancer researchers, some of whom will be on hand to answer questions about their cancer research. “You can’t win the World Series without the best team, and we can’t strike out cancer without supporting the most brilliant minds of our time,” said Lorraine W. Egan, Executive Director of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. “This is a great opportunity for fans to enjoy the Stadium, and – most importantly – for every participant to make a real impact on cancer.”
In his last 13 games, from April 16th through May 4th, Alex Rodriguez’s BA/OBA/SLG line is .143/.232/.245 (in 56 PA). He has also whiffed in 13 of his last 49 ABs.
You can’t get much colder than that. Seems like it was just yesterday that A-Rod was tearing it up in Spring Training.
Hopefully #13 will see better days ahead – and soon.
According to sundry Twitter repprts, Brian Cashman said today that Phil Hughes had cortisone injection on April 28th and now feels “110 percent better.” Reportedly, Hughes will begin throwing in two weeks. And, it will be a minimum six to eight weeks before his return. There are no further tests, exams, MRIs, etc., scheduled at this time.
Assume that Derek Jeter’s batting average remains low, compared to his lifetime mark, and his “power” remains MIA. At some point, should the Yankees send him for a medical exam? Is not the case of Jeter’s missing bat the same as the case of Phil Hughes’ missing fastball? Or, is it different for pitchers and hitters – and/or young players and older players?
If Boss Stein was around and in his prime, Jeter probably would have had his eyes checked by now, at the least…
That’s when Derek Jeter will get his career 3,000th hit. At least, that’s what I’m guessing now. What do you think? When and where will the Captain get the magic milestone?
Via Ben Shpigel -
Jeter, five weeks into what is shaping up to be the most closely scrutinized of his 17 seasons with the Yankees, is hitting .250 — some 60 points off his career average, and 20 points lower than his disturbingly unimpressive average of last season. He had no home runs and only two extra-base hits of any kind, both doubles. The only offensive category in which he leads the major leagues is infield hits — and, well, it isn’t his speed that accounts for that.
The intensity, even obsession, with which Jeter’s performance in 2011 is being followed was assured from the moment he, 36 years old and coming off his worst offensive season, was signed to a three-year, $51 million contract. Many believed his days as a truly effective hitter had passed, and that the Yankees, worried about their public image, were merely paying him as reward for his past accomplishments and sterling reputation.
The explosion in the collection and archiving of baseball statistics permits an even more varied appreciation of Jeter’s lack of impact. He has the highest ground-ball percentage (81.3) of any player in baseball, according to Stats LLC — an achievement that suggests an inability to regularly hit the ball with real authority. Only 4 of the 26 hits he has collected were classified as line drives by Baseball-Reference.com.
“He’s not too warm, he’s not too cold,” said Kevin Long, the Yankees’ hitting coach. “He’s just kind of lukewarm right now.”
After Tuesday’s game, in which he went 1 for 4, Jeter did not play down his problems in the first weeks of the season, but he said he saw signs of improvement.
“I think one thing you can’t do when you’re hitting is you can’t think,” he said. “You have to go up there and you have to react. I think the first few weeks of the season, I was thinking a lot and thinking too much, trying to worry about too many different things, and that’s difficult to do. Right now, I feel good.”
[Tigers Coach Gene] Lamont said the Tigers had not been positioning their infielders any differently to guard against what has become Jeter’s perhaps most noticeable offensive trait this year — the swinging bunt, 60-foot dribblers up the third-base line. He had 10 infield singles, and many have been nubbers or bouncers that do not reach the dirt of the basepaths, as opposed to sharply hit balls that ricochet off an infielder or shoot deep in the hole.
“If it goes on for three or four months, yeah, that would be alarming,” said [Joe] Girardi, who added: “Maybe he won’t put up 40 doubles, who knows? I can’t tell you. But the bottom line is we want him getting on base, and he’s been getting his hits.”
I have a feeling that Jeter is going to play the “All I care about is winning, not my personal stats, and we’re winning” card all season long.
And, you know what? Maybe he has a point?
If the Yankees are in first place, winning six times out of ten, then how much is Jeter’s suckage really hurting the team? If it’s not making the Yankees lose games, then, why do we care about it so much?
Home Games and Rain Outs
I meant to do this on Sunday, but then I went to the game instead, so better late than never with the Month in Review.
April (and March) Record: 15-9–(vs DET, 2-1; vs MIN, 2-1; @ BOS, 1-2; vs BAL, 2-0; vs TEX, 2-1; @ TOR, 1-1; @ BAL, 2-0; vs CHW, 2-2; vs TOR, 1-1)
Season Standings: New York, Tampa Bay (-1.5), Toronto (-3.5), Baltimore (-3.5), Boston (-5.0)
Team Offense: .812 OPS
The Good:
The Bad:
The Bench–I Like It
Team Pitching: 3.79 ERA
The Good:
The Bad:
The See What Sticks Strategy–I Like It
Highlight: April 14, 2011–Perhaps there’s a better game to choose from, but I have a soft spot for a game tying home run in the bottom of the 9th and a walk off win in the 10th if I am there to enjoy it. And I was there to enjoy it.
Lowlight: April 26, 2011–Again, there might be a better one to choose from, but I think this game has summed up Rafael Soriano’s season to date.
Not too many Hall of Fame careers on this list. Some close, yes – but, only one “for sure” guy…and that’s Jeter.
Last year, at age 36, Derek Jeter batted .270 on the season with an OPS+ of 90. (A league average OPS+ would be 100. So. Jeter was a below average offensive performer last season.)
This season, to date, at age 37. Jeter is batting .250 with an OPS+ of 62.
Since June 1, 2010, through last night’s game, Derek Jeter is batting .253 (over 541 AB).
If Jeter ends up hitting .250 or less this season, and continues to be a below average offensive performer, should he retire at the end of this season, rather than come back in 2012 as a 38-year old (coming off two terrible seasons with the bat)? And, if he does not retire, how much would it tarnish his Yankees legacy?
Via Wally Matthews –
[Phil] Hughes underwent his tests at the St. Louis office of vascular surgeon Dr. Robert William Thompson on Monday afternoon. Everything came back clean, which means he doesn’t have thoracic outlet syndrome, the serious and potentially career-ending circulatory condition that finished Jeremy Bonderman at 26, just two years older than Hughes.
But no news is not necessarily good news, since the Yankees are back to where they started a couple of weeks ago, with a young, seemingly healthy pitcher who has suddenly lost his fastball and with no rational or satisfying way to explain it.
The fact that Hughes doesn’t have TOS is good news for him, but the fact is the Yankees still don’t have Hughes, and all their double-talk and best-casing aside, they really have no idea when or if they will have him again this season.
There’s probably not a medical test left for the Yankees to give Hughes…is there?
I guess the rest of the YES boys don’t want to spend four days in Detroit, if they can avoid it.
Here’s the product description on this book via Amazon.com -
The idea of integrating baseball began as a dream in the mind of Branch Rickey. In 1947, as president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he defied racism on and off the field to bring Jackie Robinson into the major leagues, changing the sport and the nation forever. Rickey’s is the classic American tale of a poor boy from Ohio whose deep-seated faith and dogged work ethic took him to the pinnacle of success, earning him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame and in history.
Bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Jimmy Breslin is a legend in his own right. In his inimitable anecdotal style, he provides a lively portrait of Rickey and his times, including such colorful characters as Dodgers’ owner George V. McLaughlin (“dubbed George the Fifth” for his love of Scotch); diamond greats Leo Durocher, George Sisler, and Dizzy Dean; and Robinson himself, a man whose remarkable talent was equaled only by his resilience in the face of intolerance. Breslin brings to life the heady days when baseball emerged as the national pastime in this inspiring biography of a great American who remade a sport-and dreamed of remaking a country.
Back in September of last year, I was able to get an advance uncorrected proof of Breslin’s Branch Rickey and my first thought, before cracking the book open, was “What this going to tell me that I don’t already know?” And, boy, was I surprised.
Breslin’s Branch Rickey was very informative – but also very entertaining. It’s a quick read – but, a very, good one.
I sort of forgot about this one since I had that chance to give it a sneak peek seven month ago. But, recently – last week? – I heard Mike Francesa reference it on WFAN in passing and that reminded me that I wanted to mention it here.
If you were on the fence about this one, like I was when it first hit my hand, jump over to the “check it out” side and read it. You will not be disappointed.
Since “Raf” asked, I figured I would do a post on my trip to Monument Park at the new Yankee Stadium on Friday, April 29th.
In the two years and handful of months of the new Stadium, this was my first trip to “Monument Cave.” I had been to Monument Park at the old Stadium a few times – the last one being during a Stadium tour in 2008.
I was surprised how quick and easy we got into the Cave. We were there about 80 minutes before the first pitch and walked right in – no waiting in line, whatsoever.
Going in, you do feel like you’re entering the basement of the Stadium. But, once you come out into the Cave…er, I mean, Park.. it’s pretty cool. For sure, it’s nice to peek over the wall and get the view of the field that you would have if you were playing center field.
Monument Park seemed a lot smaller in the new Stadium compared to the old Stadium. Perhaps that’s because the retired numbers are right in front of the monuments and plaques now and they used to be on the walk into the old one? And, it seemed like the plaques in the new Park were too high up on the wall. Maybe they want all that space below them for future plaques? Interestingly, the monster plaque for Big Stein didn’t seem as big/gross in person as it does on TV.
But, even with all that, Monument Cave didn’t seem as bad as I expected. Once you were inside it, you forget, sort of, that you’re in “the Cave” and you can enjoy walking around, checking it out, doing pictures, etc.
My son, who just turned seven, enjoyed the trip. It was his first time in “the Cave” too. I hope to get my nine-year old daughter out there later this season.
I still wish that Monument Park wasn’t hidden out behind the center field wall and not visable within the sight-lines of the Stadium when watching the game from the stands or on TV (like you could see it at the last Stadium). But, again, one you’re out there, checking it out, it’s not that bad.
A little small. Plaques could have better placement. But, not terrible.
I would not go out there every time I go to the Stadium. Heck, I may not go out there again after I get my daughter out there. But, I’m glad I got in there for the first time last Friday.
Here are the numbers to date for the Yankees Starting Pitching in terms of how often they have a “Quality Start”:
| Tm | R/G | GS | CG | SHO | QS | Best | Wrst | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | 3.67 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 74% | 53 | 75 | 1 |
| LAA | 3.46 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 71% | 57 | 91 | 19 |
| DET | 4.96 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 64% | 51 | 78 | 16 |
| BAL | 4.58 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 62% | 51 | 81 | 14 |
| OAK | 3.43 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 61% | 57 | 81 | 14 |
| SEA | 4.31 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 59% | 52 | 76 | 15 |
| TBR | 3.75 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 57% | 54 | 84 | 22 |
| LgAvg | 4.34 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 56% | 52 | 91 | 1 |
| TEX | 4.32 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 54% | 52 | 76 | 13 |
| NYY | 4.08 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 52% | 51 | 78 | 16 |
| KCR | 4.89 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 50% | 46 | 73 | 13 |
| BOS | 4.26 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 48% | 54 | 87 | 6 |
| CHW | 5.14 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 48% | 51 | 82 | 14 |
| TOR | 4.39 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 46% | 49 | 75 | 23 |
| MIN | 5.52 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 44% | 46 | 79 | 16 |
| 4.34 | 386 | 12 | 3 | 218 | 56% | 52 | 91 | 1 |
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So, about half of the time, the Yankees get 6+ innings out of their starter where he allows 3 ER or less. And, that’s below league average. And, that’s not good. How about their bullpen? How often, to date, are they allowing inherited runners to score? Here are those numbers:
| Tm | R/G | G | SVOpp | BSv | IR | IS | IS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAA | 3.46 | 28 | 11 | 4 | 31 | 4 | 13% |
| TEX | 4.32 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 13% |
| NYY | 4.08 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 35 | 7 | 20% |
| CLE | 3.67 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 41 | 9 | 22% |
| TOR | 4.39 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 52 | 12 | 23% |
| BOS | 4.26 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 34 | 8 | 24% |
| KCR | 4.89 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 47 | 13 | 28% |
| LgAvg | 4.34 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 40 | 12 | 30% |
| CHW | 5.14 | 29 | 9 | 6 | 41 | 14 | 34% |
| MIN | 5.52 | 27 | 11 | 4 | 59 | 20 | 34% |
| OAK | 3.43 | 28 | 12 | 4 | 43 | 15 | 35% |
| TBR | 3.75 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 52 | 19 | 37% |
| BAL | 4.58 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 33 | 13 | 39% |
| SEA | 4.31 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 30 | 13 | 43% |
| DET | 4.96 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 37 | 17 | 46% |
| 4.34 | 386 | 135 | 45 | 558 | 167 | 30% |
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Now, that’s much better! Clearly, the Yankees pitching success, this season – again, to date – has been all about their bullpen and less about their starting pitching. It will be nice if the ‘pen can keep this up. But, it will be even better if the starters do better than we’ve seen, so far.
