The Yanks go for lucky number seven in a row tonight as the O's come to town for the middle series of the homestand.
Baltimore should have centerfielder Adam Jones back in the line-up tonight. The centerpiece of the package Seattle swapped for Erik Bedard after the 2007 season, Jones has not played since tweaking his hamstring last Wednesday. Before leaving the line-up, the 23 year-old had really blossomed this year, hitting .370/.426/.669 and combining with Nick Markakis to form 2/3rds of a good young outfield. Unfortunately for the Orioles, the other third of their outfield is an abject wasteland, as the assorted garbage they've trotted out to left this year has hit .219/.318/.320. Yikes.
Rookie Brad Bergesen takes the hill for the Orioles. The Yankees have never faced him before, so that could spell trouble for the Yanks. Hopefully the Yankees will give Bergesen the same treatment they gave Scott Richmond in Toronto last week. After ptiching well in high-A and AA last year, Bergesen was called up after just 11 AAA innings this year. He carries a 5.71 ERA and 1.76 WHIP through his five MLB starts. He's struck out just 4.6 per 9, but has walked only 2.6 per 9. It'll be interesting to see how the Yankees' patient approach fares against a pitcher who appears to be around the plate consistently. The league is hitting .348 against Bergesen thus far, but he may be a victim of bad luck - he has a .364 BABIP against - far higher than the league average of .302. Most pitchers end up around the league average as the season progresses, and since Bergesen rarely registers a K, his unusually high BABIP has a major impact on his numbers.
The Yankees counter with CC Sabathia. The big lefty has faced the O's twice already this year. After a poor Opening Day outing, CC dominated the O's on May 8th, tossing a shutout and stiking out eight against only four hits and a base-on-balls. Sabathia followed that up with another strong outing in Toronto last Thursday.
Brian Bruney is slated to be activated from the DL in time for tonight's game. Bruney will provide some desperately needed help to the bullpen, particularly with Phil Coke likey unavailable tonight after using up 36 pitches to get 4 outs last night. No word on the corresponding roster move yet, but I would imagine Berroa, Tomko, Veras, Aceves, Ramirez, and Albaladejo are all being dicussed. My guess is that it will be Edwar - he, Aceves, and Albaladejo are the only ones with options left. The other two have been good of late; Edwar has not.
The O's come in having alternated wins and losses in each of their last nine games. Having lost their previous game, that would make them due for a win tonight. But the Yanks have some good mojo working, so at 7:05, 7 days after their last loss, the 6'7" Sabathia will throw the game's first pitch, as the Yanks look for 7 in a row. And CC says "Don't you mess with me".
On the seventh hour,
of the seventh day,
of the seventh month,
seven doctors say:
"He born for good luck"
And that you'll see
I've got seven hundred dollars
Don't you mess with me
Hey - with seven hundred dollars you could get yourself a nice Legends Suite for tonight. Plenty of good seats available.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Better Off Without Him?
Since A-Rod has returned, the Yankees are 8-2 in the 10 games in which he has played. Prior to his return, the team was 13-15.
Mark Teixeira is 13-of-36 with five home runs, 13 RBI since his return. Prior to his return, he hit .198, with 5 homers and 15 RBI.
It is clear that the Yankees now have the best 3-4 combo in the Bigs.
So do you still think that we are better off without him?
The Jackson Report: 5/19/09
The heroics of Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner have been throughly enjoyable, but I think most (informed) Yankee fans are hoping that they are just stop-gaps. This is of course due to the presence of Austin Jackson at AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre. It's been a while since we checked in on the prized farmhand, so shall we?
Late last week he was moved up in the batting order from sixth to second. He was originally placed further down in the order to acclimate him to the AAA environment, but he has shown a consistent ability to get on base, although he hasn't shown the power he displayed at times in High-A and AA. He recently told Chad Jennings that he was working on trying to get base hits and avoid striking out, which begins to explain why he still hasn't gone yard in AAA. AJax seems to be succeding in one of those pursuits at least.
Don't be surprised if the power comes around this summer.
Late last week he was moved up in the batting order from sixth to second. He was originally placed further down in the order to acclimate him to the AAA environment, but he has shown a consistent ability to get on base, although he hasn't shown the power he displayed at times in High-A and AA. He recently told Chad Jennings that he was working on trying to get base hits and avoid striking out, which begins to explain why he still hasn't gone yard in AAA. AJax seems to be succeding in one of those pursuits at least.
Don't be surprised if the power comes around this summer.
Come Back Anytime, Twins
The Yankees ran their winning streak to six last night, finishing off a four game sweep of the Twins. While Monday's game lacked the walk-off heroics of the three that preceeded it, it still managed to up my blood pressure thanks to the continued high wire act that is attempting to get innings from the Yankees' relief core. Complicating matters, the pen was walking the tightrope without a net last night, as Mo was unavailable after throwing 44 pitches over three innings the last two days.
But back to the beginning. Pettitte staked the Twins to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Mauer and Morneau continued their hot hitting with a pair of RBI singles. I feared that my in-person losing streak would run to four games.
Thankfully for the Yankees, and for me, Glen Perkins extended his streak of giving up at least 4 ER to five consecutive starts, and would do so in the most efficient fashion possible. Jeter and Damon got it started with back-to-back singles, and Teix and A-Rod followed with back-to-back homers to left field to make it 4-2 Yanks. You could have hung your laundry on A-Rod's blast, a Winfield-like lined shot that never got more than 15 or so feet off the ground.
After retiring the ice cold Nick Swisher on another deep fly ball to left field, the Yankees got the line moving again with hits from Cano, Cabrera, and Cervelli, sandwiched around a fly out by Ramiro Pena. That would be it for Perkins: 0.2IP 7H 6R 6ER 0K 0BB. Ouch.
But back to the beginning. Pettitte staked the Twins to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Mauer and Morneau continued their hot hitting with a pair of RBI singles. I feared that my in-person losing streak would run to four games.
Thankfully for the Yankees, and for me, Glen Perkins extended his streak of giving up at least 4 ER to five consecutive starts, and would do so in the most efficient fashion possible. Jeter and Damon got it started with back-to-back singles, and Teix and A-Rod followed with back-to-back homers to left field to make it 4-2 Yanks. You could have hung your laundry on A-Rod's blast, a Winfield-like lined shot that never got more than 15 or so feet off the ground.
After retiring the ice cold Nick Swisher on another deep fly ball to left field, the Yankees got the line moving again with hits from Cano, Cabrera, and Cervelli, sandwiched around a fly out by Ramiro Pena. That would be it for Perkins: 0.2IP 7H 6R 6ER 0K 0BB. Ouch.
[UPDATE 5:13 PM: The Twins placed Perkins on the 15 day DL today with the same injury Chien-Ming Wang had - inability-to-get-anyone-out-itis. Wang's manifested in his hips; Perkins' in his pitching elbow. The Twins called-up old friend Sean Henn to take his roster spot. I have a feeling Twin fans will be hoping for a speedy return for Perkins.]
R.A. Dickey finished off the first for the Twins and used his knuckler to shut the offense down through the 5th. The Yanks would tack on another run in the 7th, with Texeira going deep again, this time left-handed, marking the second time this year he's homered from both sides of the plate in the same game.
Pettitte spent the rest of his night pitching into and out of trouble, aided by some great defense from Robinson Cano, with help from Teixeira, and a bare-handed pick at third by Pena that would have made Scottie Barehand proud. Pettitte even got in on the act himself, knocking down a hot shot comebacker from Joe Crede in the 5th and catching Brendan Harris between 3rd and the plate to help himself out of a 2 on, 1 out jam.
R.A. Dickey finished off the first for the Twins and used his knuckler to shut the offense down through the 5th. The Yanks would tack on another run in the 7th, with Texeira going deep again, this time left-handed, marking the second time this year he's homered from both sides of the plate in the same game.
Pettitte spent the rest of his night pitching into and out of trouble, aided by some great defense from Robinson Cano, with help from Teixeira, and a bare-handed pick at third by Pena that would have made Scottie Barehand proud. Pettitte even got in on the act himself, knocking down a hot shot comebacker from Joe Crede in the 5th and catching Brendan Harris between 3rd and the plate to help himself out of a 2 on, 1 out jam.
Carlos Gomez continued to endear himself to the Yankees. Following Friday night's exchange with Teixeira, Gomez went in wide, high, and hard on Jeter in the 4th, breaking up a potential double play. I'd have to say Gomez now joins Ellsbury and Huff on the list of people who should be dusting themselves off in a future game against the Yanks this year.The Yankees would have the last on laugh on Gomez though, as he came to the plate in the the 7th with the bases loaded and the Twins trailing by two. Jose Veras had entered the game one batter earlier, and walked Michael Cuddyer on five pitches. Instead of making Veras show him a strike, Gomez jumped on the first pitch, flying out center to end the threat. That's why you entered the night with an OBP under .300, Carlos.
Lamentably, that would not be the final jam for the Yankee pen to face. Edwar Ramirez came in for the eighth, and as is becoming his calling card, surrendered both a HR and a BB. With Mauer on first and a 4 for 4 Justin Morneau at the plate as the tying run, Girardi summoned Phil Coke. Coke would get his revenge on Morneau: after surrending homers to him on Friday and Saturday, Coke whiffed him on three ugly looking swings to end the inning.
Things would not go as smoothly for Coke in the ninth. After walking the leadoff man, Coke traded a run for two groundouts, cutting the lead to a run. Gomez walked to put a very speedy tying run on base. But pinch hitter Mark Redmond grounded to Cano, running the streak to 6, completing the sweep, and giving Phil Coke his first Major League save.The Twins lost these four games in the Bronx by a grand total of five runs. It's not that far away, but I get the feeling that's going to be a long flight to Chicago.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Game 38: Glen Carl Perkins' Cadillac
The Yankees try to extend their season-high win streak to six tonight and go for the four game sweep against the Twins. It'll be an all southpaw match-up as Andy Pettitte goes to the bump for the Yankees and opposes Glen Perkins of the Twins.
I'll be at the game tonight. The Yanks stand at 1-3 this year in non-exhibition games with me in the house. So if the streak ends tonight you know who to blame. As Jay said yesterday, I'll just take a win - no walk-offs necessary.
Perkins has given up at least 4 ER in each of his last four starts. He went 12-4 in 26 starts last year despite having an ERA+ of 92 and a WHIP of nearly 1.50. Born and bred in St. Paul, he attended the University of Minnesota and now he plays for his hometown team. That's gotta be pretty cool, but not as cool as Carl Perkins.
So, apropos of nothing but a surname, here's the Drive-By Truckers with "Carl Perkins' Cadillac", a song about the early days of Sun Records, its mastermind Sam Phillips, his Million Dollar Quartet, and how if it hadn't been for an ill-fated car accident, it might be Carl Perkins' face on postage stamps and tacky velvet artwork.
I'll be at the game tonight. The Yanks stand at 1-3 this year in non-exhibition games with me in the house. So if the streak ends tonight you know who to blame. As Jay said yesterday, I'll just take a win - no walk-offs necessary.
Perkins has given up at least 4 ER in each of his last four starts. He went 12-4 in 26 starts last year despite having an ERA+ of 92 and a WHIP of nearly 1.50. Born and bred in St. Paul, he attended the University of Minnesota and now he plays for his hometown team. That's gotta be pretty cool, but not as cool as Carl Perkins.
So, apropos of nothing but a surname, here's the Drive-By Truckers with "Carl Perkins' Cadillac", a song about the early days of Sun Records, its mastermind Sam Phillips, his Million Dollar Quartet, and how if it hadn't been for an ill-fated car accident, it might be Carl Perkins' face on postage stamps and tacky velvet artwork.
A Man Of The People, A Walker Of Walks: Kevin Youkilis
[Ed: Note: Reader(s), I'd like to introduce you to our newest contributor, Matt. Although if you've been around here for a little while, you probably already know him.]
With Jay away this week, he's asked me to contribute to the site to keep some content going. Either that or he's gotten tired of the paragraphs long comments I've been leaving as "mmb1980" and figured I should leave my thoughts as actual posts. So to make my official introduction to all you Fackers out there, I'd like to tell you a story about a brief encounter I had with this little blog's namesake last year.
I've always had a bit of a different outlook on the Yankees-Sox rivalry. I'm by no means a Sox fan, but growing up in Connecticut, I've spent my entire life on the front lines of the Rivalry. Several of my closest friends, and even some of my relatives, are fans of the Sox. I spent the better part of four years living right in the belly of the beast while I attended Boston College. So you might say that compared to your average Yankee fan, I'm a little more tolerant of the members of Red Sox Nation - except for guys named "Sully" or "Murph". They are invariably drunk, ignorant, and looking for a fight.
So with that in mind, a few Sox fan friends of mine planned a trip to Baltimore last May to see the O's host the Sox. They invited me to come along, and since I was already going to be in D.C. that week for a family function, I decided to take them up on their offer. The Saturday game was scheduled for 7 PM - the game where Manny would eventually hit his 500th fertility drug aided career HR - allowing us all to sleep off our hangovers from Friday night before heading out for a late breakfast. As we walked back to the hotel from breakfast, it began to rain a little bit.
We arrived back at the hotel and stood waiting for the elevator when who should we find standing there next to us but Boston's crome-domed, goateed first baseman, his infant child, and his baby-momma. They were standing with a security guard, to whom Mr. Youkilis was explaining that they were intending to go for a walk, but were now unsure if they should go on account of the rain.
Having just been outside and wanting to be a good samaritan, I piped up. "It's not raining too badly. I think it's going to pass." No response. I was summarily ignored, big leagued by a Big Leaguer. So much for trying to be helpful. As the elevator arrived, Youk spoke again to the security guard, saying something along the lines of "I don't think we're going to go".
So there you have it. Kevin Youkilis: walk enthusiast both on and off the field, lacking in social graces, and quite possibly hydrophobic.
Realizing that we were staying at the Sox hotel, my old college roomate and I promptly returned to the lobby bar to do some day time drinking and see who we could see. Several players came and went over the course of the afternoon: Beckett, Wakefield, Delcarmen, Papelbon, Ellsbury, Jerry Remy. We saw that the players really enjoy their Starbucks, frequenting the barista next to our bar. We saw that Varitek, despite getting paid 10 million dollars to hit .220 last year, is a lousy tipper. And we saw that Manny utilized distractions created by his teammates to sneak in and out of a side entrance without being bothered. The throngs of Sox fans applauded and crowded around each and every guy, but I was unimpressed, and spent my time wondering if there was a way I could Nancy Kerrigan one of them without getting caught.
So that was my first meeting with the Sox last year. Later on in the season I had a little run in with Alex Cora and the artist-formerly-known-as Big Papi. If I don't wear out my welcome here, maybe I'll tell you all about that one another time.
With Jay away this week, he's asked me to contribute to the site to keep some content going. Either that or he's gotten tired of the paragraphs long comments I've been leaving as "mmb1980" and figured I should leave my thoughts as actual posts. So to make my official introduction to all you Fackers out there, I'd like to tell you a story about a brief encounter I had with this little blog's namesake last year.
I've always had a bit of a different outlook on the Yankees-Sox rivalry. I'm by no means a Sox fan, but growing up in Connecticut, I've spent my entire life on the front lines of the Rivalry. Several of my closest friends, and even some of my relatives, are fans of the Sox. I spent the better part of four years living right in the belly of the beast while I attended Boston College. So you might say that compared to your average Yankee fan, I'm a little more tolerant of the members of Red Sox Nation - except for guys named "Sully" or "Murph". They are invariably drunk, ignorant, and looking for a fight.
So with that in mind, a few Sox fan friends of mine planned a trip to Baltimore last May to see the O's host the Sox. They invited me to come along, and since I was already going to be in D.C. that week for a family function, I decided to take them up on their offer. The Saturday game was scheduled for 7 PM - the game where Manny would eventually hit his 500th fertility drug aided career HR - allowing us all to sleep off our hangovers from Friday night before heading out for a late breakfast. As we walked back to the hotel from breakfast, it began to rain a little bit.
We arrived back at the hotel and stood waiting for the elevator when who should we find standing there next to us but Boston's crome-domed, goateed first baseman, his infant child, and his baby-momma. They were standing with a security guard, to whom Mr. Youkilis was explaining that they were intending to go for a walk, but were now unsure if they should go on account of the rain.
Having just been outside and wanting to be a good samaritan, I piped up. "It's not raining too badly. I think it's going to pass." No response. I was summarily ignored, big leagued by a Big Leaguer. So much for trying to be helpful. As the elevator arrived, Youk spoke again to the security guard, saying something along the lines of "I don't think we're going to go".
So there you have it. Kevin Youkilis: walk enthusiast both on and off the field, lacking in social graces, and quite possibly hydrophobic.
Realizing that we were staying at the Sox hotel, my old college roomate and I promptly returned to the lobby bar to do some day time drinking and see who we could see. Several players came and went over the course of the afternoon: Beckett, Wakefield, Delcarmen, Papelbon, Ellsbury, Jerry Remy. We saw that the players really enjoy their Starbucks, frequenting the barista next to our bar. We saw that Varitek, despite getting paid 10 million dollars to hit .220 last year, is a lousy tipper. And we saw that Manny utilized distractions created by his teammates to sneak in and out of a side entrance without being bothered. The throngs of Sox fans applauded and crowded around each and every guy, but I was unimpressed, and spent my time wondering if there was a way I could Nancy Kerrigan one of them without getting caught.
So that was my first meeting with the Sox last year. Later on in the season I had a little run in with Alex Cora and the artist-formerly-known-as Big Papi. If I don't wear out my welcome here, maybe I'll tell you all about that one another time.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Walka Walka Walkoff
Sorry for the delay but I was sitting in my car waiting to post that joke for 6 hours.
Three different innings, three different players, three pies in the face.
I think I'd settle for a regular old W tomorrow.
Game 37: Keep It Movin'
As A.J. Burnett looks to move the Yankees winning streak to 5, I'll be looking to keeping it movin' through some Sunday traffic on I-95.
I am embarking on a bit of a road trip this morning to the homeland of Brett Gardner that should span most of this week. That means content is going to be scaled back a bit, but I'm hoping our other contributors will be able to fill in the gaps. The journey should include a minor league Yankees game, a concert and some other fun stuff, so I'll put up some posts if the experiences are sufficently interesting.
Keep it movin', (do the K.I.M),
Keep it movin', (do the K.I.M),
Ain't got no time for shuckin' and jivin' (do the K.I.M.).
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Drama Queen
I wish A-Rod stop destroying the chemistry in the clubhouse with his selfish, attention-grabbing antics.
Someone should really...
Exactly.
Game 36: Out On The Weekend
Think I'll pack it in and buy a pick-up,
Take it down to L.A.,
Find a place to call my own, and try to fix up,
Start a brand new day.
See the lonely boy, out on the weekend,
Trying to make it pay.
Can't relate to joy, he tries to speak and,
Can't begin to say.
A Special Guest Apology
/Barry White voiceMelky, I'm sorry baby. I never should have given up on you like I did. The thing was... well, you just... you hurt me so bad. All of last season, Melky, the pop ups, the strike outs. I couldn't handle 'em. They were drivin' me mad. We didn't make the playoffs, and you know that the lack of production from CF was a major reason for that. I know you know that.
I never should have written that post after that walk off homer you hit against the A's where I said that you still shouldn't be starting. I shoulda looked at Brett Gardner's numbers, because they were no where near as good as yours, Melky. I guess sometimes we let our judgements get clouded by emotion, and we can't see the forest through the trees.
And now I'm torn, ya know? Because both of y'all did some amazing things last night and I don't know who to choose. Your numbers are almost exactly in line with your 2007 season, and back then you were a servicable Major League player. But now we're two years older and the road ahead don't look the same, ya dig?
But part of me is sayin' that it's too good to be true; that these numbers ain't gonna last. I'm worried are gonna do me wrong, just like you have in the past. You're gonna get all free swingin' and wild, causin' your on-base to drop to .300 like it was last year and then your gonna leave me high and dry. Please prove me wrong, Melky. I'm beggin' you.
But no matter what happens between us, I'mma aaaallllways remember last night:
Feel Good Story Of The Morning
From the Post (of all places). Meet the only person in the world who thought Brett Gardner would hit a home run last night:
"I met with several different children, probably 15 or 20, and one little girl, she gave me a bracelet," Gardner said of his pregame trip to Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital at New York Presbyterian yesterday, before he went out and played a huge role -- including delivering an inside the park home run -- in the Yanks' 5-4 win over the Twins. "I asked what it was for and she said it was for me and she told me that if I kept it I would hit a home run and she said I'd hit a home run tonight."
He kept the gift in his locker. He hit a home run. He did lots more. He met so many kids, he doesn't remember the little girl's name -- but he remembers her face. And he'll always remember last night.
This girl clearly does not have access to Baseball-Reference in her room. It took Gardner 222 Major League plate appearances to hit his first home run and two games later, when he wasn't even in the starting line-up, he rips around the bases for an inside-the-parker, which single-handedly brought the crowd back into the game. What are the odds?
I don't think anyone thought it was a good thing when Johnny Damon got ejected, but stepping into the #2 spot, Gardner singled in the fifth, hit the inside the park home run in the seventh and tripled to lead off the ninth. Not a bad night to catch a game in the Bronx.
Friday, May 15, 2009
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