Thursday, September 21, 2017
NJ.com: What’s the Yankees’ magic number to clinch playoff spot? (9/21/17)
NEW YORK—Start the playoff countdown.
With the Yankees’ win over the Twins and the Angels’ loss to the Indians, New York’s magic number to reach the playoffs dipped on Wednesday.
Heading into play on September 21, the Yankees magic number to clinch a postseason berth is now just three.
That’s the combined number of Yankees wins and Angels losses that will guarantee at least a postseason berth for the pinstripes.
I guess the Yankees should start lining up their pitching for the coin flip game. I am hoping the Twins take the second wild card, because the idea of facing Mike Trout in a winner-take-all game is frightening.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Twins (78-73) @ Yankees (84-67), Wednesday, 9/20/2017, 01:05p ET
Twins: Bartolo Colon (R): (69.1 IP, 4.80 ERA, -1.2 RA9 WAR) vs. Yankees: Luis Severino (R): (184.1 IP, 2.93 ERA, 5.4 RA9 WAR)
Lineups
Twins
1. Brian Dozier (R) 2B .259/.346/.477, 3.7 fWAR
2. Joe Mauer (L) DH .308/.385/.424, 2.3 fWAR
3. Jorge Polanco (S) SS .253/.308/.404, 1.3 fWAR
4. Eddie Rosario (L) LF .292/.330/.515, 2.3 fWAR
5. Byron Buxton (R) CF .254/.316/.423, 3.4 fWAR
6. Max Kepler (L) RF .243/.315/.425, 1.2 fWAR
7. Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B .251/.309/.442, 1.3 fWAR
8. Kennys Vargas (S) 1B .251/.311/.453, 0.4 fWAR
9. Jason Castro (L) C .233/.325/.378, 1.2 fWAR
Team Total: 17.1 fWAR
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner (L) LF .265/.349/.426, 3.3 fWAR
2. Aaron Judge (R) RF .276/.412/.586, 6.6 fWAR
3. Gary Sanchez (R) C .277/.344/.530, 4.1 fWAR
4. Didi Gregorius (L) SS .292/.325/.491, 3.8 fWAR
5. Starlin Castro (R) 2B .301/.337/.452, 1.4 fWAR
6. Matt Holliday (R) DH .234/.323/.436, 0 fWAR
7. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF .267/.355/.407, 1.5 fWAR
8. Todd Frazier (R) 3B .222/.368/.431, 2.8 fWAR
9. Greg Bird (L) 1B .144/.255/.297, -0.9 fWAR
Team Total: 22.6 fWAR
TGS: Luis Severino’s start moved up to Wednesday against Minnesota
NEW YORK—Luis Severino was moved up two days by the New York Yankees and is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday the move was made to give Severino three more regular-season starts as New York tries to overtake Boston in the American League East.
Severino had been slated to start Friday at Toronto and will be replaced against the Blue Jays by Masahiro Tanaka.
A 23-year-old right-hander, Severino is 13-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 29 starts this season. He has not allowed more than one earned run in nine of 12 outings since the All-Star break.
“Our goal is still to win the division. We’ve clinched nothing at this point,” Girardi said. “We still have a lot of work to do in front of us, so it gives us the ability to start him three more times.”
Obviously if you can get more starts out of Severino it’s better, but the division is over. Boston’s schedule is a sick joke and they are not going to lose another three games during the remainder of the regular season.
Congratulations to them on their AL East title. I’ll take the consolation prize of winning the third order standings division title.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Twins (78-72) @ Yankees (83-67), Tuesday, 9/19/2017, 07:05p ET
Twins: Jose Berrios (R): (136 IP, 3.84 ERA, 2.4 RA9 WAR) vs. Yankees: CC Sabathia (L): (131 IP, 3.85 ERA, 2.7 RA9 WAR)
Lineups
Twins
1. Brian Dozier (R) 2B .259/.345/.478, 3.7 fWAR
2. Joe Mauer (L) 1B .306/.384/.423, 2.2 fWAR
3. Jorge Polanco (S) SS .251/.306/.404, 1.2 fWAR
4. Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B .254/.312/.446, 1.4 fWAR
5. Byron Buxton (R) CF .255/.317/.426, 3.4 fWAR
6. Eddie Rosario (L) LF .295/.332/.519, 2.4 fWAR
7. Robbie Grossman (S) DH .248/.369/.390, 0.7 fWAR
8. Chris Gimenez (R) C .211/.341/.357, 0.9 fWAR
9. Max Kepler (L) RF .243/.316/.420, 1.1 fWAR
Team Total: 17.0 fWAR
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner (L) LF .262/.347/.422, 3.2 fWAR
2. Aaron Judge (R) RF .275/.412/.587, 6.6 fWAR
3. Gary Sanchez (R) C .278/.346/.533, 4.1 fWAR
4. Didi Gregorius (L) SS .292/.324/.491, 3.8 fWAR
5. Chase Headley (S) DH .281/.358/.422, 2.2 fWAR
6. Starlin Castro (R) 2B .296/.332/.449, 1.3 fWAR
7. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF .267/.355/.406, 1.5 fWAR
8. Todd Frazier (R) 3B .226/.371/.439, 2.8 fWAR
9. Greg Bird (L) 1B .147/.248/.302, -0.9 fWAR
Team Total: 24.6 fWAR
NJ.com: What’s the Yankees’ magic number to clinch playoff spot? (9/19/17)
NEW YORK—The Yankees didn’t just beat the Twins on Monday night.
They took yet another step toward clinching a playoff berth.
With the Angels’ off day and a win over the Twins, the Yankees’ magic number to reach the postseason dropped one game to seven.
That’s how many combined wins or Angels losses the Yankees need to secure a playoff berth.
I don’t really consider the wild card game ‘the playoffs.’ I do consider it the postseason. With the division looking like a real long shot now, the Yankees are at least putting themselves into a position where they can set up their roster and rotation for that play-in game and then hope for the best.
It’s annoying, because they are probably better than Boston this year but Boston’s been lucky and the Yankees haven’t. There’s no reason to expect that luck (good or bad) to predict future results, but it has created the situation the Yankees are in now.
It’s amazing the Yankee are in contention given how terrible they’ve played lately. From the linked article:
- The Yankees are 5-1 in their last 6G and 8-2 in their last 10G…are 12-4 in their last 16G, matching their best 16-game stretch this season\
- are 16G above .500, matching their season-high watermark (were also 16G above .500 at the end of play on Saturday)
- are 22-12 since 8/14 and 35-22 since 7/20
- are 38-26 (.594) since the All-Star break.
They stink. They’re terrible.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Twins (78-71) @ Yankees (82-67), Monday, 9/18/2017, 07:05p ET
Twins: Ervin Santana (R): (193.2 IP, 3.35 ERA, 4.9 RA-9 WAR) vs. Yankees: Jaime Garcia (L): (29.1 IP, 4.60 ERA, 1.6 RA-9 WAR)
Lineups
Twins
1. Brian Dozier (R) 2B .260/.346/.480, 3.7 fWAR
2. Joe Mauer (L) 1B .306/.385/.424, 2.2 fWAR
3. Byron Buxton (R) CF .258/.320/.430, 3.5 fWAR
4. Jorge Polanco (S) SS .251/.307/.403, 1.2 fWAR
5. Eddie Rosario (L) RF .295/.333/.521, 2.4 fWAR
6. Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B .254/.312/.448, 1.4 fWAR
7. Robbie Grossman (S) DH .249/.369/.393, 0.7 fWAR
8. Jason Castro (L) C .234/.327/.380, 1.3 fWAR
9. Ehire Adrianza (S) LF .270/.335/.383, 0.9 fWAR
Team Total: 17.3 fWAR
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner (L) LF .259/.345/.420, 3.0 fWAR
2. Aaron Judge (R) RF .275/.413/.584, 6.5 fWAR
3. Gary Sanchez (R) C .281/.349/.538, 4.2 fWAR
4. Didi Gregorius (L) SS .294/.327/.495, 3.9 fWAR
5. Chase Headley (S) DH .281/.359/.423, 2.3 fWAR
6. Starlin Castro (R) 2B .297/.333/.451, 1.3 fWAR
7. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF .266/.352/.405, 1.4 fWAR
8. Todd Frazier (R) 3B .224/.373/.441, 2.9 fWAR
9. Greg Bird (L) 1B .150/.254/.310, -0.8 fWAR
Team Total: 24.7 fWAR
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Orioles (72-77) @ Yankees (82-66), Sunday, 9/17/2017, 01:05p ET
Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez (R): (134.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, -1.2 RA-9 WAR) vs. Yankees: Sonny Gray (R): (50.2 IP, 2.66 ERA, 2.9 RA-9 WAR)
Lineups
Orioles
TBA
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner (L) CF .259/.346/.422, 3.0 fWAR
2. Aaron Judge (R) RF .275/.414/.584, 6.5 fWAR
3. Gary Sanchez (R) C .283/.350/.543, 4.3 fWAR
4. Didi Gregorius (L) SS .295/.328/.491, 3.8 fWAR
5. Starlin Castro (R) 2B .294/.331/.450, 1.2 fWAR
6. Matt Holliday (R) DH .233/.321/.434, -0.1 fWAR
7. Greg Bird (L) 1B , -0.8 fWAR
8. Todd Frazier (R) 3B .228/.376/.449, 2.9 fWAR
9. Clint Frazier (R) LF .240/.273/.463, -0.2 fWAR
Team Total: 20.6 fWAR
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Orioles (72-76) @ Yankees (81-66), Saturday, 9/16/2017, 04:05p ET
Lineups
Orioles
1. Tim Beckham (R) DH .324/.359/.551, 3.3 fWAR
2. Manny Machado (R) 3B .266/.321/.490, 3.3 fWAR
3. Jonathan Schoop (R) 2B .300/.344/.527, 4.0 fWAR
4. Adam Jones (R) CF .283/.319/.470, 1.4 fWAR
5. Trey Mancini (R) 1B .292/.338/.503, 1.6 fWAR
6. Welington Castillo (R) C .291/.327/.508, 2.5 fWAR
7. J.J. Hardy (R) SS .211/.248/.308, -0.7 fWAR
8. Austin Hays (R) RF—/—/—, -0.2 fWAR
9. Joey Rickard (R) LF .248/.284/.356, 0.4 fWAR
Team Total: 15.6 fWAR
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner (L) LF .259/.347/.423, 3.1 fWAR
2. Chase Headley (S) DH .281/.359/.425, 2.2 fWAR
3. Aaron Judge (R) RF .276/.413/.587, 6.5 fWAR
4. Didi Gregorius (L) SS .291/.324/.482, 3.5 fWAR
5. Starlin Castro (R) 2B .296/.332/.453, 1.3 fWAR
6. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF .258/.347/.394, 1.2 fWAR
7. Todd Frazier (R) 3B .226/.373/.432, 2.7 fWAR
8. Greg Bird (L) 1B .151/.260/.292, -0.8 fWAR
9. Austin Romine (R) C .224/.281/.299, -0.4 fWAR
Team Total: 19.3 fWAR
Yankees.com: Didi’s 4 RBIs lift Yanks in Girardi’s 900th NY win
As far as the Yankees are concerned, the American League East race is far from over. New York, which manager Joe Girardi has repeatedly said is not content with the top AL Wild Card spot, used a four-RBI night from Didi Gregorius and another dominant eight-inning start from Luis Severino to win for the sixth time in seven games with Friday’s 8-2 victory over the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
The win—Girardi’s 900th as Yankees manager—kept the Yanks from losing ground on the first-place Red Sox as they try to pull off a late surge. New York remained three games behind Boston, which beat Tampa Bay in 15 innings Friday night.
“We have to bear down in these last couple weeks and go for the playoffs,” Gregorius said. “That’s what we’re shooting for.”
Did ANYone expect the Red Sox to lose that Tampa Bay game after getting it into extras? Oh well, that’s why it is so hard to make comebacks of even seemingly slim leads in the final month of the season. You basically need notable losing streaks to have a chance. Normal results are going to screw you.
Luckily, the Yankees HAVE the lead in the Wild Card chase, so the same basic idea applies. So long as the Yankees continue to win at a good rate, they will lock that spot up. Let’s just hope that they do, in fact, continue to win at a good rate.
I’m going to without internet for the next few days (I’m going on an Alaskan cruise for my wife’s birthday), so either someone else will throw a recap up or we’ll just go recap-less until I can log in again. I’ll have to find the Yankee scores like we did in the savage days - watching sports television scrolls!!
Friday, September 15, 2017
Orioles (72-75) @ Yankees (80-66), Friday, 9/15/2017, 07:05p ET
Orioles: Gabriel Ynoa (R): (19.1 IP, 4.19 ERA, 0.2 RA9 WAR) vs. Yankees: Luis Severino (R): (176.1 IP, 2.96 ERA, 5.0 RA9 WAR)
Lineups
Orioles
TBA
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner (L) LF .260/.348/.424, 3.1 fWAR
2. Aaron Judge (R) RF .277/.412/.589, 6.4 fWAR
3. Gary Sanchez (R) C .281/.349/.544, 4.2 fWAR
4. Didi Gregorius (L) SS .290/.323/.475, 3.4 fWAR
5. Starlin Castro (R) 2B .299/.335/.458, 1.4 fWAR
6. Chase Headley (S) 3B .277/.356/.422, 2.1 fWAR
7. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF .261/.351/.399, 1.3 fWAR
8. Matt Holliday (R) DH .230/.319/.433, -0.1 fWAR
9. Greg Bird (L) 1B .146/.252/.262, -0.9 fWAR
Team Total: 20.9 fWAR
Yankees.com: Judge’s 2 HRs fuel power show, rout of O’s
The Yankees settled back in at home Thursday night. With 14 of their final 17 regular-season games set to be played at Yankee Stadium, it was time to get comfortable. It was time, as manager Joe Girardi said, to take advantage of the schedule.
“It starts tonight,” Girardi said before the game.
It certainly did. The Yankees scored six times in the first inning and coasted past the Orioles, 13-5, to remain three games behind the Red Sox in the American League East. The Yankees continue to lead the AL Wild Card standings as well.
Huge win. The Yankees now have a SIX game lead over the Los Angeles Angels for the 2nd Wild Card. That’s pretty good. 14 games over .500. Not too shabby.
Let’s hope they keep it up tomorrow.