Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Yankees.com: Yanks’ bullpen gives way in 10th at Baltimore
Vidal Nuno allowed the first run of his Major League career on Tuesday, and it came at a most inopportune time for the Yankees.
Nate McLouth pounced on the rookie left-hander’s inviting cutter to deliver a game-winning home run in the 10th inning, lifting the Orioles to a 3-2 victory over New York at Camden Yards.
“It was just a little bit off, and he took advantage of it,” said Nuno, who was making his third big league appearance. “That’s all—one pitch, and it cost us the game. But I’ve got to forget about it, work hard tomorrow and get ready for my next outing.”
Nuno had entered the game after starter Phil Hughes and four relievers held the Orioles to two runs through the first nine innings. A surprise contender to make the Yankees this spring, Nuno had tossed eight scoreless big league innings before McLouth’s drive.
“It hung for just a second, just long enough for him to get a good swing on it and put it in the seats,” said reliever David Robertson, who struck out three in a scoreless eighth. “I’ve had it happen to me, too. It stinks whenever you make a mistake like that and lose a ballgame.”
For the first time this season, the Yankees lost a game in which they scored first, falling to 19-1 in those contests. New York’s 19 such victories to open the season established a new American League record.
Well, that sucked.
On the bright side, the relievers did a very nice job tonight. I had no problem with going to Nuno there. The other top relievers had all been used (besides Mo, but there’s no way he’d ever come in to pitch on the road in a tie game) and they needed to have someone give them length. Nuno was as good a choice as any, he just gave up a home run. Oh well, it happens.
Luckily, the Red Sox lost tonight, so the Yankees maintain their lead. Hiroki Kuroda goes tomorrow in the rubber game of the series. Let’s hope he pitches well!
In other news, the Attorney General cleared waivers, so now there’s nothing keeping the Yankees from dumping Brignac when Nunez returns.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Yankees (28-16) @ Orioles (23-21), Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 2-3, 5.88) vs. BAL:Miguel Gonzalez (29, RHP, 2-2, 4.58)
Lineups
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .256/.330/.387, 0.8 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .296/.344/.575, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .288/.345/.513, 1.5 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .267/.379/.552, 0.7 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .264/.301/.493, 0.7 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), RF: .211/.250/.211, 0.2 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .333/.368/.611, 0.1 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .230/.308/.283, 0.3 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .160/.192/.240, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .266/.329/.464, 5.5 bWAR
Baltimore
Nate McLouth(L), LF: .277/.365/.423, 0.8 bWAR
Manny Machado(R), 3B: .319/.353/.513, 2.6 bWAR
Nick Markakis(L), RF: .293/.342/.397, 0 bWAR
Adam Jones(R), DH: .319/.354/.492, 1.3 bWAR
Chris Davis(L), 1B: .318/.411/.675, 1.9 bWAR
Matt Wieters(S), C: .229/.301/.410, 0.4 bWAR
J.J. Hardy(R), SS: .240/.272/.427, 0.4 bWAR
Chris Dickerson(L), CF: .323/.344/.484, 0.1 bWAR
Yamaico Navarro(R), 2B: .333/.400/.556, 0 bWAR
Lineup Total: .288/.343/.477, 7.5 bWAR
Whatever.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Yankees.com: Hafner delivers clutch homer before Yanks win in 10th
BALTIMORE—Travis Hafner’s ninth-inning homer tied the game and Vernon Wells’ ground-rule double provided the lead an inning later, powering the Yankees to a 6-4 victory over the Orioles on Monday at Camden Yards.
Hafner’s opposite-field homer, his eighth, came as Jim Johnson blew his third consecutive save opportunity for Baltimore. Ichiro Suzuki opened the 10th with a double off Pedro Strop and scored as Wells delivered the go-ahead blow to left-field. Hafner added an RBI single to give the Yanks a two-run cushion.
David Robertson picked up the win and Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless home half of the 10th for his 17th save in as many chances. That put an end to a night of lead changes that saw the Yankees place a late advantage in CC Sabathia’s back pocket before the lefty stumbled in the seventh inning.
Lyle Overbay’s solo home run in the top of the seventh off left-hander Troy Patton boosted New York to a one-run advantage, but Nick Markakis and J.J. Hardy answered with run-scoring doubles to chase Sabathia in the home half of the inning.
Thanks to the late rallies, the Yankees remained 19-0 in games in which they have scored first. Sabathia allowed four runs and 11 hits over 6 1/3 innings and is winless in his last four starts.
CC didn’t look great again, but the bullpen was nails, like they’ve been just about all season. The Yankees’ offense hasn’t hit that well overall, but they’ve managed to get their hits in more meaningful situations and they did that again tonight.
This is either:
a) The worst good team in baseball
b) The best bad team in baseball
Yankees (27-16) @ Orioles (23-20), Monday, May 20, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 4-3, 3.19) vs. BAL:Freddy Garcia (36, RHP, 0-2, 5.51)
Lineups
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .261/.332/.394, 0.8 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .295/.337/.563, 1.5 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .260/.378/.530, 0.7 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .259/.297/.475, 0.7 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), LF: .267/.313/.267, 0.2 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .286/.333/.429, 0.1 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .241/.281/.328, 0.2 bWAR
Reid Brignac(L), SS: .250/.294/.375, -0.4 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .182/.217/.273, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .262/.319/.444, 3.5 bWAR
Baltimore
Nick Markakis(L), RF: .291/.340/.391, 0 bWAR
Manny Machado(R), 3B: .328/.362/.527, 2.6 bWAR
J.J. Hardy(R), SS: .235/.269/.416, 0.4 bWAR
Adam Jones(R), CF: .322/.358/.500, 1.3 bWAR
Chris Davis(L), 1B: .313/.406/.660, 1.9 bWAR
Matt Wieters(S), C: .230/.304/.410, 0.4 bWAR
Danny Valencia(R), 3B DH: .333/.333/.667, 0 bWAR
Steve Pearce(R), 1B LF: .217/.321/.391, 0.2 bWAR
Alexi Casilla(S), 2B: .209/.244/.256, 0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .283/.336/.470, 7.0 bWAR
Whatever.
NJ.com: McCullough: As Yankees rely on Lyle Overbay, he continues to contribute
It is worthwhile to consider where the Yankees might be without Overbay. He joined the team for a four-day tryout in the final week of spring training. He displaced Juan Rivera, who has played in a handful of Triple-A games for Arizona since the Yankees cut him loose. Overbay, meanwhile, has flourished at the big-league level.
The Yankees employ two other options at first base, Mark Teixeira (strained wrist) and Kevin Youkilis (lower lumbar strain). Both are plodding through rehabilitation, taking batting practice at the team’s complex in Tampa, Fla. When Teixeira returns, which could occur early next month, Overbay’s spot on the roster is not guaranteed. But until then, his presence is vital.
Manager Joe Girardi indicated there was little plan to spell him in the coming days. Lefties overwhelm Overbay, but he has punished right-handed pitchers, batting .316 with six homers, seven doubles and a .954 on-base plus slugging percentage.
“When his swing is there and his timing is right,” said Yankees teammate Vernon Wells, also his long-time teammate in Toronto, “he’s still as dangerous as ever.”
Overbay has been an important cog in the Yankees’ surprising early success. He’s ninth among AL first basemen in Baseball Reference’s version of wins above replacement, which isn’t all that great, but because of the timing of some of his hits he’s probably been a bit more valuable than that.
Because of his struggles against LHP, Overbay’s overall OBP is a bit lacking. Unfortunately the Yankees don’t have an option to rest him against LHP right now so their only choice is to run him out there every day, where at least he appears to be contributing on defense.
Because of how well Overbay has hit righties this year (.316/.362/.592 vs. .119/.136/.190 against lefties) and how not well Mark Teixeira has hit lefties righties over the last three years it’s tempting to think that the Yankees should platoon the two if Teixeira makes it back. The problem with that line of thinking is that 105 good PA for a 36 year old player doesn’t mean he’s suddenly established a new level and it further confounds already complicated roster issues.
Here are Overbay and Teixeira’s respective splits vs. RHP since 2010.
Overbay: .253/.334/.430
Teixeira: .236/.333/.451
If you don’t want to go back to 2010 here are their splits since 2011:
Overbay: .255/.328/.420
Teixeira: .229/.326/.445
If the Yankees can alleviate their roster crunch I think it would be smart to keep Overbay around because I don’t think Teixeira is a good bet to stay healthy all year and if you are relying on Kevin Youkilis to be his only backup you are risking not having a backup at all. But I don’t think the Yankees would consider a 1B platoon if Teixeira is back and healthy. I could see a time sharing arrangement where they do a partial platoon giving Overbay half of the PA vs. RHP to ‘rest’ Teixeira if they can work out a way to do it with the roster. It’s not the optimal use of a valuable spot on the 25/40 man roster but it does keep Overbay in the organization in the event that Teixeira goes down again. Do you trade some day to day flexibility for depth? That’s a decision the Yankees will have to make.
Overbay is kind of mirroring the Yankees as a team right now in my mind. He’s having a better than expected start to the season, it’s been a lot of fun to watch, and it’s not likely to continue. However, unlike the Yankees, it’s not likely Overbay is going to add talent as the season proceeds. So while there’s a good chance both have had a few things go better than expected and it could be unsustainable, in the Yankees’ case that can be mitigated as they get some of their key contributors back.
And in Overbay’s case no matter how his season ends , he’s helping the Yankees put real wins on the board at a time when they need it badly and that’s pretty great.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Blue Jays (17-26) @ Yankees (27-16), Sunday, May 19, 2013, 1:05pm
TOR:R.A. Dickey (38, RHP, 3-5, 4.83) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 4-3, 3.19)
Lineups
Toronto
Melky Cabrera(S), DH: .283/.319/.376, 0.4 bWAR
Jose Bautista(R), RF: .250/.369/.523, 1.3 bWAR
Edwin Encarnacion(R), 1B: .248/.332/.497, 0.7 bWAR
Mark DeRosa(R), 2B: .222/.302/.463, -0.2 bWAR
Brett Lawrie(R), 3B: .191/.256/.345, 0.2 bWAR
Maicer Izturis(S), SS: .218/.242/.331, -0.6 bWAR
Colby Rasmus(L), CF: .233/.306/.414, 0.6 bWAR
Henry Blanco(R), C: .138/.167/.172, -0.5 bWAR
Emilio Bonifacio(S), 2B: .196/.224/.324, -0.6 bWAR
Lineup Total: .233/.297/.403, 1.3 bWAR
The Walking Dead
Curtis Granderson(L), CF: .267/.313/.267, 0.1 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .295/.337/.563, 1.7 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .286/.343/.506, 1.4 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .260/.378/.530, 0.8 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .259/.297/.475, 0.8 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), 3B: .232/.310/.286, 0.2 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .241/.281/.328, 0.2 bWAR
Reid Brignac(L), SS: .250/.294/.375, -0.4 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .182/.217/.273, -0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .262/.320/.444, 4.6 bWAR
Whatever.
MLB: Yankees add Brignac to their infield fold
NEW YORK—Twice this month, the Yankees have traded with the Rockies for a reserve infielder. New York acquired Reid Brignac from Colorado for cash considerations on Saturday, using the same avenue that brought Chris Nelson to the team on May 1.
Nelson has since been designated for assignment, and he was claimed off waivers by the Angels on Saturday. Brignac’s acquisition moved Alberto Gonzalez off the active roster. General manager Brian Cashman said Saturday that Brignac will platoon with Jayson Nix at shortstop and David Adams at third base, giving the Yankees more depth.
“This is just an evaluation of Alberto Gonzalez vs. Reid Brignac,” said Cashman of Saturday’s trade. “We feel we’re upgrading. It’s incrementally, but an upgrade nonetheless.”
Let’s see if CAIRO agrees with Cashman. Here are Brignac’s projections.
| % | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | GDP | HBP | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | BR | BRAR |
| 80% | 444 | 406 | 51 | 104 | 21 | 3 | 12 | 51 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 82 | 4 | 5 | .256 | .335 | .413 | .334 | 55 | 13 |
| 65% | 407 | 372 | 43 | 91 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 44 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 80 | 5 | 4 | .243 | .314 | .379 | .309 | 43 | 5 |
| Baseline | 370 | 338 | 36 | 78 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 77 | 6 | 3 | .230 | .293 | .345 | .285 | 32 | -2 |
| 35% | 333 | 304 | 30 | 66 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 73 | 7 | 2 | .217 | .272 | .312 | .261 | 23 | -8 |
| 20% | 296 | 271 | 24 | 55 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 69 | 7 | 1 | .204 | .250 | .278 | .237 | 15 | -12 |
BR: Linear weights batting runs
BRAR: BR above replacement level, adjusted for position
wOBA: Weighted on-base average
Here are Gonzalez’s.
| % | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | GDP | HBP | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | BR | BRAR |
| 80% | 299 | 278 | 34 | 76 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 39 | 4 | 4 | .274 | .329 | .412 | .327 | 36 | 8 |
| 65% | 274 | 255 | 28 | 66 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 39 | 5 | 3 | .258 | .304 | .373 | .299 | 27 | 2 |
| Baseline | 249 | 232 | 23 | 56 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 39 | 6 | 2 | .241 | .280 | .334 | .272 | 20 | -4 |
| 35% | 224 | 209 | 19 | 47 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 38 | 6 | 1 | .225 | .255 | .295 | .244 | 13 | -8 |
| 20% | 199 | 185 | 15 | 39 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 36 | 6 | 0 | .209 | .230 | .256 | .216 | 8 | -11 |
So yes, the Yankees have upgraded offensively from a .272 baseline wOBA with Gonzalez to a .285 baseline wOBA with Brignac. The upgrade is bigger if you assume Brignac will play mostly against RHP and you factor in their respective platoon splits (.283 vs. LHP/.267 vs. RHP for Gonzalez vs. .260/.291 for Brignac). Brignac’s .291 projected wOBA vs. RHP is actually identical to Jayson Nix’s projected wOBA vs. righties, but he’s probably a better defender (projects around +1 per 382 innings at short vs. Nix’s -1 at 224 innings). Gonzalez didn’t project much differently than Brignac defensively. Joe Girardi also noted that Brignac is a fly ball hitter and may be able to take advantage of playing in a disgraceful bandbox. Not necessarily his exact phrasing, but something along those lines.
So you have a lefty bat who can play SS, 2B and 3B reasonably well defensively.
With the way this season is playing out, seeking out every marginal upgrade no matter how insignificant it may seem makes sense. The Yankees’ depth is being tested heavily so adding to it whenever the opportunity presents itself is logical, especially when the cost is minimal.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Yankees.com: Cano’s two homers help Yanks take care of Jays
Every day, the spotlight that follows the Yankees seems to be trained on the players who aren’t with the team. But that changed Saturday, when Robinson Cano, the lone regular in an infield decimated by injuries, hit two home runs to lead New York to a 7-2 win over Toronto.
Cano, the only Yankees hitter this season to have a multihomer game, went deep twice off Toronto starter Brandon Morrow, accounting for four of New York’s seven runs. Cano, a quarter of the way into the season, leads the Yankees in batting average (.295), home runs (12) and RBIs (31).
And while that production may not be surprising, the circumstances might qualify as a shock. Established stars like Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have yet to play a game this season, but Cano is batting .362 (34-for-94) with seven home runs as New York’s No. 2 hitter.
Cano continues to put up an MVP-caliber season.
David Phelps, meanwhile, is showing that he is so much more suitable to a starting role than as a situational reliever. He pitched really well after needing a miraculous pick-off at second base to get out of a rough first inning.
Trafis Hafner returned to the lineup and hit a homer run off of a lefty! Hafner’s production against lefties this year is really impressive.
With R.A. Dickey pitching a little bit better as of late, this was a big win to guarantee a series victory. Let’s hope Ace C.C. shows up tomorrow!
Blue Jays (17-25) @ Yankees (26-16), Saturday, May 18, 2013, 1:05pm
TOR:Brandon Morrow (28, RHP, 1-2, 4.69) vs. NYY:David Phelps (26, RHP, 1-2, 4.33)
Lineups
Toronto
Melky Cabrera(S), LF: .284/.320/.373, 0.4 bWAR
Jose Bautista(R), RF: .254/.366/.532, 1.1 bWAR
Edwin Encarnacion(R), DH: .247/.328/.481, 0.6 bWAR
J.P. Arencibia(R), C: .230/.245/.480, 0.4 bWAR
Adam Lind(L), 1B: .275/.398/.450, 0.2 bWAR
Brett Lawrie(R), 3B: .198/.265/.358, 0.3 bWAR
Colby Rasmus(L), CF: .233/.308/.419, 0.5 bWAR
Maicer Izturis(S), SS: .217/.242/.333, -0.7 bWAR
Emilio Bonifacio(S), 2B: .194/.223/.327, -0.6 bWAR
Lineup Total: .239/.302/.421, 2.2 bWAR
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .261/.333/.398, 1.1 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .291/.333/.529, 1.4 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .287/.345/.513, 1.4 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .260/.383/.510, 0.7 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .259/.299/.481, 0.7 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), RF: .364/.417/.364, 0.2 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .231/.312/.287, 0.2 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .364/.417/.545, 0.2 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .158/.200/.263, -0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .268/.332/.454, 5.7 bWAR
Whatever.
Yankees.com: Kuroda stifles Blue Jays with eight two-hit innings
The Yankees of 2013 were expected to be an old story, not one rehashed and retold, but one with wrinkles, one that prompted observers to count the rings in the trunk and gray hairs on their heads. Aged to perfection was 2009. This season was merely about age, too much of it. The Yankees were the appropriate age to fall and not get up and to finish among the also-rans in the American League. And when injury visited them and then became guilty of felony piling on, the adjusted assessments were for an even more bleak season.
At the same time, the Blue Jays of 2013 were expected to move north in the standings, one year after the fall of the Red Sox and simultaneous with the decline of the octogenarians in the Bronx.
Now, 42 games into their seasons, the Yankees are in first place in the AL East, the Jays are in last, nine games back. And the status of each is due, in large part, to the Yankees’ dominance of the team from Canada.
The Yankees had their way with the Jays again Friday night. Their 5-0 victory was their seventh win in eight games against John Gibbons’ disappointing team. This one was a byproduct of wonderful pitching by 38-year-old Hiroki Kuroda and the exploits of a couple of kids who have yet to earn their (pin)stripes.
Damn, that was some purple prose right there from Marty Noble.
Hiroki Kuroda was once again dominant as he continues to make a strong case for his first All-Star Game appearance.
The offense was fascinating tonight with 4-5-6 doing nothing and yet the team still scoring five runs. Austin Romine looks a lot more comfortable at the plate. Perhaps being handed the starting job has calmed his nerves a bit? David Adams, meanwhile, looks like a legit big league hitter. When everyone gets back, he’ll obviously have to go back down to the Minors, but boy, he looks like he won’t make it an easy decision.
Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte is going to the disabled list. It sounds more like the Yankees just being extra careful with such an older player. Pettitte likely was going to miss his next start no matter what, and Cashman figures why go with one less bullpen pitcher than normal when they can just call up Vidal Nuno and keep things the same in the pen and make sure Pettitte is healthy. I think it is a smart plan. Surprisingly, though, the Yankees are playing it risky with Chris Stewart, choosing to instead just give him a couple of days off and hope he gets better. The issue with Stewart, of course, is that if he went to the DL, the Yankees would have to make a 40-man move and I guess they are not interested in doing so at the moment. Stewart apparently is even technically available if Romine were to get hurt. Alberto Gonzalez is the emergency catcher.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Blue Jays (17-24) @ Yankees (25-16), Friday, May 17, 2013, 7:05pm
TOR:Mark Buehrle (34, LHP, 1-2, 6.19) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 5-2, 2.31)
Lineups
Toronto
Melky Cabrera(S), LF: .279/.316/.364, 0.2 bWAR
Jose Bautista(R), RF: .262/.376/.549, 1.3 bWAR
Edwin Encarnacion(R), 1B: .240/.324/.474, 0.5 bWAR
J.P. Arencibia(R), C: .236/.252/.493, 0.6 bWAR
Adam Lind(L), DH: .286/.411/.468, 0.3 bWAR
Brett Lawrie(R), 3B: .204/.272/.369, 0.4 bWAR
Colby Rasmus(L), CF: .238/.314/.429, 0.5 bWAR
Emilio Bonifacio(S), 2B: .200/.230/.337, -0.5 bWAR
Munenori Kawasaki(L), SS: .235/.337/.279, 0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .244/.314/.427, 3.7 bWAR
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .253/.324/.380, 0.8 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .231/.306/.287, 0.3 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .298/.341/.542, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .295/.354/.527, 1.5 bWAR
Ben Francisco(R), DH: .125/.239/.200, -0.3 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .260/.300/.489, 0.7 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .286/.375/.429, 0.1 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .239/.280/.328, 0.2 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .063/.118/.125, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .256/.313/.419, 4.5 bWAR
Whatever.
MLB: Stewart could land on DL with injured groin
NEW YORK—Yankees catcher Chris Stewart could be heading for the disabled list after injuring his left groin running the bases in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Mariners.
Manager Joe Girardi said that Stewart was sent for an MRI after he had some trouble reaching third base on Robinson Cano’s run-scoring infield single in the seventh inning.
Stewart was seen by Girardi and head athletic trainer Steve Donohue after reaching the bag and stayed in the game for one more batter, but he was replaced by Austin Romine behind the plate when the eighth inning started.
“When he went around the base and stopped, he said he felt something,” Girardi said. “He said it didn’t pop. He said he was OK, but when we saw him run, he said it continued to hurt.”
It just doesn’t stop, does it?
Obviously the Yankees would have to make a 40 man roster move to get another catcher on the roster. That probably means the end of Ben Francisco’s reign of terror, most likely for Bobby Wilson. J.R. Murphy’s the only other possible option but if this is a temporary thing it doesn’t make sense to put him on the 40 man roster yet since the Yankees are already going to have a heap of problems getting their six players on the 60 day DL onto the roster at some point.
Add Wilson, give Austin Romine a legitimate chance to play 75% of the games, DFA Francisco, and then you can DFA Wilson when Stewart is back.
Yankees.com: Yankees drop rubber game amid more injuries
It was the grimace on Andy Pettitte’s face that set off alarm bells up and down the Yankees’ bench in the fifth inning on Thursday, the veteran lefty stiffly pacing around the mound after throwing a 77-mph slider past Kyle Seager’s bat.
Pettitte shielded his mouth with his glove, trying to plead his case for staying in the game, but he has been around long enough to know how this usually works. Pettitte lost his battle, and the Yankees did, too, suffering a 3-2 loss to the Mariners.
“Obviously, I’m realistic,” Pettitte said. “I know how these guys are. I asked them if I could stay out there and try to get through it out there. I’m hoping it’s a spasm and it settles down.”
The Yankees announced that Pettitte had a tight left trapezius muscle (neck, shoulders and upper back), and manager Joe Girardi—no stranger to injury updates in a season that has already been filled by them—is hopeful that Pettitte will not have to miss his next start.
Perhaps I’m just hopelessly naive, but I really do think that Pettitte’s injury is not bad enough for him to miss time. I was already working through scenarios for who would get Pettitte’s next start when I realized that, yeah, odds are Andy will be okay. The problem is that Chris Stewart, however, will likely not be okay. Stewart injured his groin and while it does not look like a major injury, it looks bad enough that they’ll probably need to put him on the disabled list since he’ll likely miss at least a week and you can’t very well have Austin Romine start every game without a back-up, so the Yanks will likely need to put Stewart on the DL and call up Bobby Wilson (who was himself a late scratch in tonight’s game, so he might not even be available). That means another 40-man move. I have no idea who it will be. Could Ben Francisco’s luck finally be out?
As for tonight’s game, it was a terribly frustrating loss. Jayson Nix came up twice in big spots and failed to get the job done either time. It kills me that the Yankees’ bench is so weak right now due to injuries that there was not even anyone for them to pinch-hit for Nix in the ninth with the tying run just a sac fly away.
The bullpen was good again, though. That’s something!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Mariners (19-21) @ Yankees (25-15), Thursday, May 16, 2013, 7:05pm
Lineups
Mariners
Michael Saunders(L), CF: .278/.359/.506, 1 bWAR
Jason Bay(R), LF: .241/.344/.430, 0.6 bWAR
Kyle Seager(L), 3B: .286/.355/.483, 1.3 bWAR
Kendrys Morales(S), 1B: .266/.354/.417, 0.6 bWAR
Mike Morse(R), RF: .252/.313/.481, -0.2 bWAR
Raul Ibanez(L), DH: .224/.272/.526, -0.4 bWAR
Jesus Montero(R), C: .211/.258/.344, -0.2 bWAR
Dustin Ackley(L), 2B: .234/.291/.282, 0.5 bWAR
Brendan Ryan(R), SS: .133/.202/.133, -0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .241/.311/.403, 2.8 bWAR
New York
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .255/.327/.386, 0.7 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .243/.319/.301, 0.3 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .301/.345/.552, 1.6 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .301/.357/.538, 1.4 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .266/.301/.500, 0.5 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), DH: .143/.250/.143, 0.1 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .250/.250/.250, 0 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .238/.281/.331, 0.2 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .258/.292/.394, 0.5 bWAR
Lineup Total: .268/.320/.437, 5.3 bWAR
Aaron Harang was originally supposed to start but now it looks like it’ll be former Yankee Hector Noesi toeing the rubber.
I had a big long intro typed up then Phil Hughes came over and unplugged my computer so I’ll just say I hope the Yankees win but I think they will lose because their actual record is still too good for their Pythagenpat record and they are not done correcting yet.
Baseball Reference: From 1916 to 2013, as Starter, (requiring IPouts≤2 and R≥7)
You can click on the title to see the list of all 222 games by a starter who didn’t last one inning and gave up at least seven runs, but here is the list of Yankees who have achieved this memorable feat.
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | AppDec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
| 1 | Phil Hughes | 5/15/2013 | NYY | SEA | L 2-12 | GS-1 L | 0.2 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Bartolo Colon | 7/14/2011 | NYY | TOR | L 7-16 | GS-1 L | 0.2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Mike Mussina | 5/20/2008 | NYY | BAL | L 2-12 | GS-1 L | 0.2 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Orlando Hernandez | 6/18/2000 | NYY | CHW | L 4-17 | GS-1 L | 0.2 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Wade Taylor | 6/14/1991 | NYY | TEX | L 4-8 | GS-1 L | 0.2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Andy Hawkins | 9/26/1989 | NYY | BOS | L 5-9 | GS-1 L | 0.1 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Tommy John | 7/11/1979 | NYY | SEA | L 1-16 | GS-1 L | 0.1 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Ken Holtzman | 7/20/1976 | NYY | CHW | W 14-9 | GS-1 | 0.1 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Steve Kline | 7/24/1970 | NYY | OAK | L 0-11 | GS-1 L | 0.2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | Vic Raschi | 7/25/1953 | NYY | DET | W 15-11 | GS-1 | 0.2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Atley Donald | 1945-05-20 (1) | NYY | SLB | L 1-10 | 0.2 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| 12 | Bump Hadley | 8/18/1936 | NYY | WSH | L 2-9 | 0.1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| 13 | Roy Sherid | 1931-05-25 (2) | NYY | PHA | L 4-16 | 0.2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Allen Russell | 1919-07-05 (2) | NYY | WSH | L 5-11 | 0.2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Yankees.com: Hughes’ short start opens Yanks’ long night
NEW YORK—Raul Ibanez definitely hasn’t forgotten how friendly Yankee Stadium’s dimensions can be.
Last year’s postseason hero belted a grand slam into the right-field bullpen and then served an opposite-field two-run homer over the left-field wall, leading the Mariners to a 12-2 trouncing of the Yankees in the Bronx on Wednesday.
The early portion of the display came at the expense of former teammate Phil Hughes, who was battered for a season-high seven runs and could not make it out of the first inning.
Seattle sent 11 men to the plate in the first inning, 10 of them against Hughes, who allowed six hits and two walks in a 17-minute appearance before being removed from the shortest start of his big league career.
There have been just seven other starters in Yankees history to complete two-thirds of an inning or less while allowing seven or more runs; Orlando Hernandez was the most recent, permitting nine runs in two-thirds of an inning on June 18, 2000, against the White Sox.
So, about that Hughes extension…
It normally takes Seattle a week to score 12 runs.