Game 70. Yanks ppd.

The Yanks were ppd. tonight. They will play a day/night DH on Wednesday, thus postponing the return of #23 (retired) Don Mattingly to the Bronx (albeit as Dodgers manager).

Kuroda will start the afternoon game vs. Ryu, and Hughes the nightcap. Even though the Yanks didn’t play, there was a lot going on behind the scenes.

Teix to the 15-day DL. Youk needs surgery for a herniated disk in his back. Youk out 10-12 weeks which means a return after Labor Day.

Screw it, just shut him down for the rest of the year and (since it’s a one -year deal) let him go.

 Adam Warren was brought back up along with switch-hitting OF Zoilo Almonte.

Chris Bootcheck was DFA’d.

Game 66. Offense reaches new low in 18-inning loss, 3-2

I know I’m one of Mo’s biggest fans. I also know that he came in with a man on, one out, and gave up a hit, int. walk and hit and the Yanks then lost 3-2.

But he isn’t the story of this game. For he didn’t lose it (figuratively and realistically—-the L was put on Claiborne).

The Yankees offense lost it. For they reached a new low today.

In losing 3-2 in EIGHTEEN innings, consider this: Robbie Cano hit a 2-run HR in the first.

I had a 1/2 day of work today since I work a 1/2 day on Saturday. When I pulled into the parking lot at work today to start my shift, Robbie hit his HR. 2-0. 1st inning.

When I got out of work, it was 2-2 in the 15th. I drove to a bar for a few before heading home.

The Yanks lost 3-2 in 18. You aren’t dumb. You can do the math. The Yanks got 2 in the first on Cano’s 16th HR. They lost 3-2 in 18. You can figure out the rest.

The Yanks’ offense put up SEVENTEEN straight goose eggs on the scoreboard.

Mo should not have been in this game. Esp. after his ass picked up splinters off the bench for SEVENTEEN innings.

Kuroda was masterful. I feel most sorry for him and Warren (more on him in a bit). Kuroda 8 IP, 2 R, only 2 H. 2 walks and 3 K. 2.78 ERA but only a 6-5 record to show for it.

Robertson a scoreless 9th. 0 R, 2 hits, 0 walks and struck out the side. 3 K. ERA to 2.30.

Logan 2/3. 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks and 1 K. 1.45.

Kelley 1/3. 0 R, 0 H 0 walks and 1 K. 4.62.

At this point, it became painful to watch. It was a war of attrition.

God Bless Adam Warren, who with this offense putting up nothing but zeroes, went out every inning knowing that if he gave up a run the game was over.

Warren tossed six shutout innings. 0 R, 4 H, 2 walks and 4 K. ERA to 3.12. He got some help when Wells gunned down a runner at the plate.

Six shutout innings in an extra-inning game. Where you knew in each one of those innings that if you gave up one run the game was over.

Great job.

Claiborne pitched a scoreless inning in the 17th but with one out gave up a hit in the 18th.

Then Mo picked out the splinters from his ass from sitting on the bench so long and gave up a hit, int. walk and a hit. Ballgame over and a 3-2 loss.

Claiborne 1 1/3, 1 R, 2 H, 0 walks and 1 K. 0-1, 0.86.

Mo’s ERA stays at 1.48. 0 IP, 2 H, 1 walk, 0 K. 

The 4-5-6-7 hitters in today’s lineup, Teix/Hafner/Youk and Wells, went a combined 0 for 28 with 12 strikeouts.

Want to know their batting averages?  Teixeira (0-5, 3 K), just off the DL, is now 8 for 49, .163. Hafner (0 for 8, 3 K) is in a HUGE slump and down to .220. Youk (0 for 7 and 3K) is down to .219 and Wells (0 for 8, 3 K) is down to .229.

Read that last paragraph again. 4-5-6-7. 0 for 28. 12 K.

Averages now .163=.220=.219 and .229.

Need I say more?

On top of that, Brignac came into the game late. He’s now 4 for 30 as a Yankee.

But the Yanks don’t promote OF Thomas Neal, who was at what, .339 for SWB entering tonight? Granted he doesn’t have power (2 HR for he AAA club) but how long will they let Hafner/Youk/Wells struggle? They were ok in April but have coming crashing down to earth and in doing so are showing why their previous clubs let them go.

Today was painful and excruciating to watch. Great pitching performances were wasted by a pathetic offense putting up 17 straight goose eggs.

Today, the phrase “Bronx Bombers” was laughable.

“Bronx Banjo Hitters” was more like it.           

 

 

Game 66. Lineup, stats, comments.

The Twins signed Cody Eppley.

Catcher  J.R. Murphy was promoted by the Yanks from AA Trenton to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (SWB).

Yanks 37-28, 2nd in A.L. East, 3 games behind Boston. OPS+ 89, ERA+ 111. (100 is average).

BA/HR/RBI  SB/total att.  OPS+   Comments   Team Leader
Below Average

 

Gardner 8    .283-6-27  10/15  115 
Nix 6   .250-1-17  9/9  70
Cano 4  .277-15-40  3/3  128
Teixeira 3 .182-3-12  0/0  74     8 for 44 since return; 16K
Hafner DH .231-10-29  2/2  118     7 for last 51
Youkilis 5   .235-2-8  0/0  87       98 at bats. 7 for last 52 
Wells 7    .237-10-26  4/7  84         .129 since May 15
Suzuki 9  .259-2-11  5/7   72  
                  Wells & Ichiro signed through 2014. Bad move.  
Stewart 2  .282-3-10   2/2   93   Who’d have thought .282?

Kuroda 1         6-5,  2.84   ERA+ 144

Game 61. Yanks lose, 4-1.

Hiroki Kuroda had one bad inning, and it cost him and the Yanks the game as the Yanks’ four-game winning streak was snapped in Seattle last night, 4-1.

The Yanks managed just four hits in the game.

The loss drops the Yanks to 35-26 on the season. Their only run came in the first when Gardner doubled and scored after a walk, force, and RBI groundout by Hafner.

Kuroda went 6 1/3, 4 R (all in the third), 8 H, 3 walks and 6 K. He falls to 6-5, 2.84. With that ERA, he should have a better record. Tough luck for Kuroda.

Preston Claiborne finished up and was superb again. 1 2/3 scoreless innings, 1 H, no walks, and 1 K. His ERA drops to 0.49.

After a good April, Vernon Wells has been horrible lately. He is down to .236. Robbie Cano leads all regulars at just .276.

Want to know how badly they are slumping?

Wells: Since May 15: 8 for 73. That’s .110, 0 HR and 2 RBI in 20 games.

Cano: Since May 14: 17 for 79. That’s .215-5-14 in 22 games.

 

Game 56. Yanks lose rain-shortened game, 3-0.

The Yanks had perhaps their best lineup of the year tonight (for example, it was the first time all year Teix and Hafner were in the lineup together), but it was the same lousy offensive result as they lost a 3-0 rain-shortened game to Boston to fall three games back, and into a tie for third place in the A.L. East. Only three games separate the leader (Boston) from the two teams tied for third (NY and Tampa Bay).

Hiroki Kuroda went 5 1/3, 3 R, 8 H, 0 walks and 5 K. He falls to 6-4, 2.59. Boone Logan 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks and 1 K. 1.72.

The game was called in the bottom of the sixth with Austin Romine leading off the inning.

The Yanks got just two hits all night, one by Romine, who is now 5 for 41 for the season. (.122).

While it’s nice to have Teix back, you wonder how much he’s been rushed back, since he is now 1 for 9 with 7 strikeouts.

The Yanks’ adjusted OPS dropped to 90. What’s 90? It means they are 10% WORSE than league average.

Since beating Tampa Bay 9-4 on May 24, the Yanks have scored 4-3-1-1-4-1-4-1 and 0 runs. 19 runs in Nine games. Just over two a game. Four games in which they scored one run and another with none. None over four. You can’t win games like that (unless your pitchers throw and win 1-0 shutouts). Too much pressure on the pitchers (ERA+ 111).

Game 56. Lineup, stats and comments.

ESPN game at 8.

Yanks 31-24, 2 G.B., 2nd in A.L. East. Only 3 games separate 1st and 4th place. OPS+ 91; ERA+ 112. 100 is average.
3 games better than Pythagorean.

BA/HR/RBI  SB/att. OPS+  Comments   Team Leader
Way Below Average

Gardner 8 .258-5-21  9/14  100     Wish more SB.
Cano 4 .291-14-36   2/2  135     Without whom….
Teix 3      3rd game of season. 1 for 7. 5 strikeouts.
Hafner DH .248-8-25  2/2  128
Wells 7 .253-10-24  4/6  98  He & Pronk in slumps.
Youk 5  .254-2-8  0/0  99    71 AB. 3rd game back off DL. 
Ichiro 9 .257-2-9  5/7   72    Turned into Nix.
Nix 6  .248-1-14  5/5  71
Stewart 2 .262-3-8  2/2  84

Kuroda 1  6-3, 2.39   ERA+ 174

Teix and Youk have to shake off rust. Still, on paper, this is the best lineup they’ve had in a while.

Game 51. Mo’s streak ends at 18 as he blows it, 2-1 Mets.

Mo is usually automatic. This year he was 18 for 18 in save opportunities.

But all streaks end sometime.

The Yanks took a 1-0 lead in the sixth when Gardner singled, went to second on an error, to third on a groundout and scored on an Overbay single.

But that was the only run they’d get all night as Met phenom Matt Harvey was tough.

One thing about the NL parks and losing the DH. It really exposes the weak Yankees lineup to have Hafner out of it. A 5-6-7-8-9 of Adams (in the majors just two weeks), the aging Ichiro, Brignac, Stewart and the pitcher is weak, and so the Yanks lose 2-1 to the Mets again.

Kuroda went 7, 0 R, 4 H, 0 walks and 7 K. ERA 2.39.

Robertson went the 8th, 1 R, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 2.86.

Gardner saved a run with a great catch in the sixth.

But Mo couldn’t get anyone out. A double, single and error and another single led to two runs and dropped Mo to 0-1, 1.86 on the season.

Thank goodness the next couple of games are at the Stadium. They need the DH back.

UPDATE 1: From the LoHud blog.

Mariano Rivera made his 1,072nd appearance tonight, passing Dennis Eckersley for the fourth-most ever. Remarkably, this was the first time in all those games, on all those nights pitching where the cushion was nothing or close to it, that Rivera had blown a save without recording an out.

UPDATE 2: Joba back. David Huff Dfa’d. That didn’t last long for Huff.

Game 46. Yanks lose 6-3. Kuroda knocked out early.

It could have been worse. Hiroki Kuroda entered the game as the Yanks’ ace, 6-2, 1.99. After taking a liner off his calf, he left the game after 2+ innings pitched. The fear was the DL.

He probably won’t miss the next start. Losing tonight is one thing (6-3). Losing Kuroda is another.

Kuroda gave up a solo HR to Markasis in the first and then a 2-run HR to Davis in the same inning. When he left in the third, there were no outs and two on. The Yanks did get a run in the 3rd on a Cano single.

Preston Claiborne came in and probably should have used more time to warm up, since with an injury delay he had all the time he needed. 1st batter, 3 R Hr. Like Nuno the night before, the first runs he gives up in the majors is via the home run ball.  But it let the game get out of hand at 6-1.

Granderson HR’d in the 5th to make it 6-2, his first HR of the year, and David Adams got his 2nd MLB career hr in the  9th to make it 6-3.

Kuroda 2+, 5 R, 8 H, 0 walks and 0 K. He falls to 6-3, 2.67. An un-Kuroda-like performance.

Claiborne 2 Ip, 1 R, 1 H, that big 3-run HR. 0 walks, 2 K. ERA to 0.82.

Adam Warren 5 IP. Garbage innings, but what a job he’s done this year after that one terrible outing last year in his MLB debut. 4 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 0 walks and 2 K. His ERA drops to 1.14.

Game 42. Yanks shut out Toronto, 5-0.

Hiroki Kuroda has been the Yanks’ ace so far this year and he was again tonight. He gave up a leadoff double and then no other hit until the seventh inning as the Yanks shut out Toronto 5-0.

In making predictions, a lot of people had the Blue Jays (what with their winter acquisitions) winning the AL East and the Yanks near the bottom. As we have just passed the quarter pole, check the standings.

Kuroda (W, 6-2, 1.99) went 8, 0 R, 2 H, 1 walk and 5 K. Preston Claiborne pitched the 9th, gave up 2 hits, but his MLB ERA remains at 0.00.

The hitting stars are people you wouldn’t expect. A 3B (David Adams) playing in his third MLB game and a 3rd-string rookie catcher (Austin Romine) who was 4 for 35 in his MLB career entering this game.

In the first, Brett Gardner tripled and scored on a groundout by Cano.

In the fifth, Adams and Romine singled, Gardner walked and Nix got a SF.

The Yanks broke it open in the seventh with three runs.  Adams doubled and Ichiro put down a beauty of a bunt single. Romine doubled home a run, Gardner singled in another and Nix closed out the scoring with another SF.

Nix had a strange line. Two walks and 2 sac flies. 0 for 0 with 2 RBI.

Meanwhile, Ben Francisco batted fifth again tonight. WHY? Please, oh please DFA him. 5 for 44 this season. .114.

The Yanks put Pettitte on the 15-day DL and recalled Vidal Nuno.

Stewart should miss just a few days.

Game 36. Today’s lineup.

The Yanks are in first place by themselves entering today’s ballgame in KC. They are 22-13 and 1 game up. They are three games better than their Pythagorean record. OPS+ 102, ERA+ 112 (100 is average).

BA/HR/RBI  SB/Total attempts  OPS+  Comments  Team leader.

Gardner CF .259-3-14  5/8  99
Cano 2B .306-9-21  2/2  144
Wells LF .281-8-18  3/4  123
Hafner DH .270-6-18  1/1  149
Suzuki RF .272-2-8  5/6  89
Nix SS .253-1-6  1/1  77
Overbay 1B .263-6-20  0/0  113
Nelson 3B .200-0-2 0/0 39 as Yankee; Overall .231-0-6  0/0  50 (CO/NYY)
Stewart C .232-2-5  2/2  67

Kuroda RHP 4-2, 2.30 ERA+ 179

Yanks DL Nunez, bring up Alberto Gonzalez, move Teix to 60-day DL, meaning we won’t see him until June.

UPDATE: I almost forgot. Happy 88th to #8, the one and only Yogi Berra!