pinstripepress

The bottom line is this - I’ve reached the decision that this team has been run badly since Brian Cashman has become the GM. Sorry Brian, I used to defend you, but the proof is in the pudding. Since 2001, this team transformed and went the completely wrong route. Things need to change drastically if we ever want to get back to greatness, because Boston has taken over.

So in game 1 of this series, we were given a gift in the 7th inning, and late came back to win the game. Last night, we were given a gift AGAIN, but this time the manager’s lack of common sense prevented any comeback. Here’s the scenario - Teixeira gets a big hit, then Gardner pin-runs for him, then proceeds to steal 2nd and 3rd (loved that). Next, A-Rod walks, so you have a man on 1st and 3rd with only 1 out. Cano comes to the plate, and he’s been swinging a pretty hot bat - now wouldn’t you think Girardi would send A-Rod to 2nd, knowing that Gardner is on 3rd with 1 out and he could score if the Nats threw down to 2nd?!  Common sense would tell you that he would, but the fact remains, he didn’t send him. Instead, Cano grounds into a game-ending double-play (after a great at-bat). Extremely frustrating to watch.

Let’s talk about the other part of this game, which was Wang’s performance. Even though he ended up surrendering 3 runs in 5 innings, there were some good signs from the Taiwanese hurler. After getting  a little loose out there, Wang was definitely getting the ball down consistently, and he was producing nothing but ground-balls - very good sign. The velocity was kind of ranging from 91-94, which isn’t bad, and the slider was looking good too. I think he may finally be realizing that he needs to mix up his pitches, instead of constantly forcing the sinker in there. To me, he earned his next start in Atlanta, but he needs to continue to build his confidence to the level that you won’t have to be concerned anymore when he takes the mound. If you can get him pitching well with C.C., Burnett, get Andy straightened out, make Hughes a permanent starter, and throw Joba back in the pen where he belongs….then we’re really gonna be cookin’ with gas.

Today the Yanks are “supposedly” playing the final game of the series, but the rain may throw that idea right in the toilet. It is supposed to be Joba against Stammen, but we’ll see what happens in a few. Either way, we’re taking on the Marlins next, a team that we owe a lifetime-beating from the 03′ World Series (even though they’re a completely different team now).

P.S.   Keep Cervelli catching, trade Matsui, and DH Posada!

Ok, so now we’ve lost 7 straight to Boston, and 1 game behind 1st-place. Believe it or not, things could be a lot worse. We could be 6 games out on top of all this, so let’s take a deep breath. With that said, I am extremely disappointed with our inability to win these games, because we should’ve won at least 3 of the 7. Last night we battled and battled, but it was too little-too late. The best thing I took out of it was Teixeira’s performance - I’m really becoming a big fan of this guy, and he’s showing me a lot. I think he may easily be the best acquistion in about 13 years for this team, and I’m really impressed with his toughness. Most times you don’t know about a guy’s composure and mindset until you watch them for a while, and I’ve seen plenty already. Alex Rodriguez on the other hand, even though he’s looked at as the most gifted athlete in the game, shows me NOTHING. Yea, he’s had a couple of big hits this year, and he’s smacked some homers, but that’s about it. He looks like a limp…you know what. If he pops up to the infield tonight, I will throw up in my mouth!

Let’s transition to the most important topic from last night, the pitching. Wang’s velocity was there, but his control was horrid, and his confidence has clearly been deflated. This guy used to not be phased by annnnything, but since this injury, he’s a different person. Being that his next start would probably be against Washington, I think you should leave him in the rotation - I know it sounds crazy after what he’s shown, but MAYBE if he can get a good start like that under his belt, he can get on a roll from there. Now, piggy-backing on that, Phil Hughes should be in the rotation and Joba Chamberlain needs to be in the bullpen. I’ve gone back and forth a little about Joba, but can you imagine if we had him being dominant again in the pen, and teamed him with Bruney, Aceves, Coke, and Mo?! Coke has really shown his toughness again of late, so that could be a very respectable bullpen once Bruney returns. Hughes has also shown that he’s grown, and did not look phased at all in Boston (always a positive). He’s threw strikes, he had life on the fastball, and only made 1 mistake to Youkilis - otherwise the game was ours. Anyway, he should be a permanent starter with this team, case closed.

Tonight is a big game for many reasons - first of all, we have to show these idiots that we can beat them; secondly, Sabathia was brought here to win this type of game and he needs to keep the ace-worthy performances going; and lastly, we can tie again for the division-lead going into the Mets series. Don’t get me wrong, I think we can still beat up the Mets if we lost tonight, but it just isn’t good for team morale. Come on boys, get it done.

Excellent victory by the Bronx Bombers! As we enter Boston tonight for a BIG 3-game series, we lead by 1 game and currently hold first place. We hand the baseball to A.J. Burnett, a guy that the Yankees brass took a chance on knowing that he had good numbers against the Red Sox, and a guy that Girardi purposely put in this game. He really needs to set the tone for the series, go out there, and put on a clinic against these cocky Bostonians. Burnett cannot leave the fastball over the plate, because these guys feast on those - he must instead hit the corners, mix in that nasty curve, and challenge the hitters without leaving the ball on a tee. If he can do that and give us 6-7 innings, I’ll be thrilled. I’m not asking for a complete-game shut-out, just a solid outing while giving us a chance to win.

Now, we all know that Boston has gritty hitters that rarely give at-bats away, but our line-up is superior to theirs right now. The way we’re hitting, and even more importantly coming up with timely hits, we should be able to score runs in this series and give our starters some good support. We hit Beckett pretty well the last time we saw him here, but the pitching couldn’t hold the lead - now that we’re playing well and they’ve struggled a bit at Fenway, the tables may turn.

I am slightly concerned about the bullpen and its consistency, but I think with Hughes putting on that show last night, we may be able to survive and get enough good performances between him, Aceves, Coke, and Mo. We also have to be aggressive on the basepaths and make them make plays. If we do all that, we can take 2 out of 3 and move on to the rest of our season before we see them again in August - again, not asking for a sweep, just win the damn series.

Let’s get back to this….

The Yanks once again rallied yesterday to come back and win, followed by Mo getting back on the ball and closing it out 4-3. This team has shown that they can find different ways to win, which is a characteristic you find in championship teams. Alfredo Aceves has clearly distinguished himself, and he may even take over the 8th inning the way things are going - however, the latest I read on Bruney is that he may be back as soon as a week and a half from now. If we can get back Bruney and keep him healthy, and throw him out there with Aceves, we really may have the bridge to Mo solved.

Now because of the great win yesterday, we have a shot to split the 4-game series tonight against Tampa, which will be the battle of the Andies - Pettitte vs. Sonnanstine. You’d like to see Andy get back into a rhythm, just for his mental state and to solidify the conistency of the rotation. I’m sure Tampa will play us hard once again tonight, but Sonnanstine has been horrible and you gotta figure we have a good chance to take this one. Then comes the trip to Fenway…

We’ve been waiting to see Boston for a while now, ever since we were swept. The Yankees are a completely different team than they were then however, and you can bet that it won’t be as easy a series for the Sox. If we can win tonight, we’ll go into Boston with a good momentum, with Boston losing more at Fenway lately. I think the game that will swing the series is game 1 - Burnett vs. Beckett. Girardi specifically set Burnett up so he can throw in this game, and if he is on his game, we have a very good chance to win the series. In fact, forget winning the series, I want to SWEEP. Those guys over there are wayyy too cocky and confident at this point, and we must send a message. Sweeping them in their building would not only do that, but it would take them a couple of notches down and put us in a very positive place (especially mentally).

Happy Monday, go Yanks.

Last night had a lot going on in game 1 of the series against Texas. At first, Burnett looked like he was going to dominate, racking up the K’s. Then, he gave up a 3-run homer. Then, the Yanks rally back and Mark Teixeira (in my mind) earned his pinstripes by showing a lot of toughness - he gets hit for the 2nd time by Padilla, and then breaks up a double-play by taking out Andrus with a powerful slide (allowing run to score). Then, the bats continue to hit all over the place, and Burnett settled down completely, throwing 7 strong innings. To finish it up, Tomko and Veras threw the last 2 innings, and we kept our 1-game lead in the division.

Now with the best record in the American League, the New York Yankees have got that swagger back. The swagger we’ve been so anxiously waiting for, and that we expect to see as New York fans. There’s a great feeling amongst this team right now, and it feels like they expect to win everyday now. Good pitching, good defense, timely hitting. The only hole at the moment is the bullpen, and how we get to Mariano, but I think that will be resolved before the end of the year. I still believe Melancon can be a big factor in the pen if given the opportunity, but either way, there will most likely be a trade for a reliever by the all-star break. Here’s a few options:

Heath Bell - Here’s a guy that turned into a good closer with the Pad’s, and the Mets basically gave him away for nothing. Since the Pad’s are most likely gonna fall out of the race not too long from now, Bell should be available, and it shouldn’t be that costly of a deal.

Scott Linebrink - I’ve always liked him, and even if the Chi-Sox are in the race, maybe we can serve up a good enough deal to pry him away. He’s not that closer, so that’s a good thing.

Huston Street - Street was part of that big Matt Holliday trade with Colorado, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to be out there right now. Hurdle was already fired, and that team is going nowhere. Street is still young, and has good stuff - let’s also not forget he was dominating as the A’s closer not too long ago.

Or of course, there’s Joba - but if he keeps pitching the way he did the other night, he’s not coming out of the rotation.

Tonight Andy is back on the mound, and he’s taking on Feldman, who has been very good for Texas. Should be a good match, but let’s hope we prevail. Expect more pitches to slip tonight…

So we never thought we’d see it, but our beloved New York Yankees were in 1st place before those damn Bostonians won last night - still, we’re a half-game behind 1st in the division. Finally got a great start out of Burnett, who hadn’t thrown well since that breakdown in Boston. We now enter Cleveland, where they certainly have some boppers, but most of the pitching ain’t so great. Tonight should be a nice match-up to watch, Pettitte vs. Lee - battle of the veteran lefties. Lately, we are doing what we need to do to win games - pitch well, play defense, and hit the ball when needed. The bullpen is still in question, especially with Bruney back on the DL, BUT we gotta go with what we have right now. Many people want Joba back in there, but it’s probably not going to happen unless he reached his innings limit, or if we deal for another good starter and Wang goes back to normal.

Regarding the set-up guy, I think the team really gave up wayyy too soon on Mark Melancon. This kid has dominant stuff, and was not given a fair shake his first time up. I understand he wasn’t superb every time out, but you have to let these kids battle through things, that’s the only way they’re going to learn how to pitch here. It’s the same with these pitch/inning-counts, it gets to be ridiculous. So I say we bring back Melancon and see what he really can do, because where else are we going right now for a back-end reliever? The only options are Joba (which they’re clearly not doing right now) or trading for an arm, which is most likely not going to happen this early in the season. Use your head boys.

Finally we got what we’ve been waiting for from the highly-touted Phil Hughes - 8 innings of shut-out baseball, and he probably could’ve gone out there for 9. This was BY FAR his best start since pitching in the majors, and it’s gotta be a big shot of confidence for this kid. When you throw a game like that against a great offense on the road, you’re cookin’ with gas. I have always believed in Hughes, and I picked him to emerge this year and stay in the rotation, so now this could be the performance he needed to keep him here for good. Here’s the kicker - Wang is sitting in the bullpen, and if he shows that he is back to normal, he has to be put back in the rotation right? If you ask me, you cannot send anyone down to the minors. You must keep everyone here, and simply stick someone in the bullpen - obviously the guy that makes the most sense is Joba, but that doesn’t seem like it will happen at this point since he’s thrown mostly good games as a starter. If you have to, put Hughes in the pen - the kid can throw strikes, give you a few innings, and get you a big strikeout when you need it. Especially with Bruney going back on the DL, you’re gonna need all the help you can get.

The offense has certainly maintained some consistency now, which is another encouraging thing as we almost head into June. Marky Mark Teixeira is getting comfortable in his pinstripes (as expected) - let’s face it, even Tino struggled and got boo’d when he first got here. A-Rod just went 5-for-5 so he’s starting to hit besides just homering, Cano is back to stroking the ball, Melky hasn’t slowed down and suddenly looks like an all-star caliber outfielder, and Jeter is Jeter. Let’s not forget Cervelli, who has impressed everyone since coming up, and is making a very good case to stay here - Girardi may be forced to keep 3 catchers (unless they trade Molina). This team always seems to play well when the kids contribute, so maybe they should bring up Austin Jackson (hitting .358 at Scranton) and see what he can do? It would only be a good problem to have if he came here and hit.

There wasn’t a post yesterday, so I will surely make up for it today my friends. The New York Yankees have now won 7 straight games, man I almost forgot what that felt like. Andy Pettitte didn’t have his best on Monday, but he got the job done and pulled out the win (Coke was funny in the post-game interview). Then last night, C.C. Sabathia was great AGAIN, and looks to be headed on one of those dominant runs like he had last year with Milwaukee. Not only did we get great pitching, but the bats went nuts too - Mark Teixeira is suddenly on fire, Alex Rodriguez is hitting bombs, and the most pleasant surprise of them all…Francisco Cervelli! This kid has got game, and I don’t think many knew what he was capable of. He’s calling great games, playing great defense, and contributing with hits - he can even bunt! Plus he’s got speed for a catcher, and is clearly in good shape (almost Girardi-like). You got Burnett throwing pies in his teammates’ faces, Swish is always in good spirits and keeps the clubhouse loose, and this team is starting to really develop it’s own personality. Now what are we concerned about? Well…

The bullpen has got to be the one thing we’re worried about currently, however, it’s done it’s job nicely over the past few games. I think that Cashman will look to add to this pen at some point during the year, but for now, we gotta hope that it holds down the fort. Here are the guys that I currently have trust in - Mo (given), Aceves, Coke, and Bruney. Getting Bruney back and seeing him throw well last night is HUGE, and maybe we can start getting some good production by mixing in these 4 guys. You also have to wonder what’s gonna happen with Joba once he hits his innings limit for the year? You would think he’s gonna be put into the bullpen, which would solidify it even more, and you would think that we’d have Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettitte as the 4 starters most likely to pitch if we make the playoffs (knock on wood).

Anyway, there isn’t much to complain about these days, so let’s just enjoy the winning ride we’re on and hope that it continues as long as possible. I normally would never say this, but Boston actually helped us out last night by beating Toronto - now we’re only 3.5 games back. It will really get interesting this weekend when the Mets will take on the Sox, so let’s hope that they help us out while we help them out against Philly.

Whewww, what a weekend for the Bronx Bombers! It’s about time this team showed some fight! Now with 5 straight victories, the Yankees are 4.5 games back in the division, and starting to get into a rhythm at the right time. Even though John Sterling got about 10 different calls wrong on the radio yesterday, A.J. Burnett did his job and kept the team right in the game, and then….”it is high, it is far, it is….GONE!” Johnny Damon continues to be the most clutch player on team this year, and is compiling power numbers which could put him on pace for a record home run season.

Joba Chamberlain also did his job on Saturday, and was able to fight through and throw 6 innings. Phil Hughes only gave up 3 earned runs, but he still is not the Hughes that I saw that night in Texas when he was throwing a no-hitter. However, everytime I get impatient with him, I remind myself that the kid is still 22-years-old. I really felt like he would emerge this year and cement himself in the rotation, but doesn’t seem to be happening yet. I’m not giving up on him, but PH has to learn how to work through jams and be a consistent pitcher if he wants to succeed in the majors. You also have to like what you’re seeing from the bullpen lately - you had to think that they’d improve somewhat from the horrific performances earlier in the year, and with Bruney coming back maybe we could put a formidable group back out there.

Along with the nice winning-streak, we’ve won in crazy ways the past few games - 3 straight walk-off wins?! The Yankees have not done that in decades, and it just goes to show you that baseball is a very streaky game. You could be on top of the world, and then fall into a 10-game losing-streak, or vice-versa. You’re never as good as you look, or bad as you look. That my friends, is baseball.

So we finish off the 4-game series tonight with Minnesota, as Andy will take on Perkins - it’s only appropriate that we sweep, and it would also be nice for Andy to get back on a good roll.