Game 46. Teix wakes up. Yanks win 9-2.

Finally, Mark Teixeira seems to be over his respiratory ailment and seems to be waking up. Four hits, 2 HR and 5 RBI today.

Oakland got one off of the slow-starting CC in the first. The Yanks tied it up in the second on a HR by Cano (7).

Chavez doubled, went to second on a bunt and scored on a Jeter single to put the Yanks up 2-1 in the third. Hit #3153 for Jeter put him into 16th place on the all-time list passing Paul “Big Poison” Waner, but he wasn’t done.

A Hr by Josh Reddick tied it in the third at two apiece, but the Yanks went ahead 3-2 in the fourth on a HR by Teix (7, 321 career).

The Yanks broke it open in the fifth. Stewart singled, and Jeter beat out a bunt for a single. This bunt hit, hit #3154, put Jeter into a tie for 15th on the all-time list with George Brett. Granderson flied out, Stewart to third, then A-Rod made it 4-2 with a SF. Cano doubled, and Teixeira then singled in two to make it 6-2.

With the bases loaded in the 8th, Jeter got plunked. 7-2.

In the 9th, Teixeira got a 2-Run HR (8, 322). Finally, the Teix we have been waiting for. His HR made it 9-2.

Jeter had 2 hits, 2 rbi. Teix the 4 hits, 2 HR, 5 RBI. 3 hits for Cano. 2 hits apiece for Swish and Chavez.

CC 7 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 2 walks, 4 K. He goes to 6-2, 3.66.

Wade the eighth. 1-2-3 with 2 K. ERA to 2.08.

Eppley the 9th. 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk, 0 K. ERA 2.89.

A 9-2 win. Yanks now have won 4 in a row.

Game 46. Today’s lineup

This Memorial Day weekend, take time to remember what this weekend is for.

Here’s today’s lineup and stats.

Yanks 24-21, 3rd in A.L. East, 4 1/2 back.
Right now, in the 2nd W.C. slot. OPS+ 111, ERA+ 104.
Even with their Pythagorean record.

BA/HR/RBI  SB/att  OPS+
Comments at side and bottom

Jeter SS .339-5-16  3/4   127    leads AL in hits             
Granderson CF .262-14-25  1/3  141    still should run
Rodriguez DH  .285-7-18  6/6  118
Cano 2B .294-6-19  1/1  122
Teixeira 1B .231-6-23  1/2  86
Ibanez LF  .270-9-27  2/2  132
Swisher RF .243-8-29  0/0  110
Chavez 3B .279-3-6  0/0  105    .217, 1 RBI in last eight games
Stewart C .242-0-5  0/0  45     8 for 33

Sabathia LHP  5-2, 3.78  ERA+ 112

Jeter still at 3152 hits, tied with Paul Waner and two behind George Brett. Since May 4th, .240-0-1 in 75 at bats.

A-Rod is tied with the demoted (and now Dl’d) Nunez for the team lead in steals.

In his last twelve games, Teixeira is .286 with 2 HR. Maybe it’s a sign he is finally getting over the bug and coming around.

 

Game 41. Yanks lose 5-2. Where’s the SB? The Littleball?

I have been getting on this team for waiting for the three-run HR. Case and point. Bottom of the 8th. Down by a run, Granderson gets on. He doesn’t even TRY to steal second. Why not? Now, Alex hit one to the warning track with one out (1 HR since 4/27, warning track power now?), but they are waiting for the possible HR? Whatever happened to littleball? As I’ve written, Granderson has had seasons of 26, 20 and 25 steals. In the last 85 (I probably had 90 before, looked it up. 85) games, he’s tried to steal just SIX times. Six. Has the power gotten to him? 41 HR last year, 13 so far this year. It’s nice. But I thought we got a well-rounded player, not a one-dimensional one. Do you want to know why the Yanks are now 21-20? There you go. There’s one reason. One-dimensional.

A one-run loss. NO ONE STEALING BASES. For those of you who have knocked Brett Gardner in the past, what are you thinking now? For this team looks SLOW and OLD without Gardner. I’ve never missed Gardner as much as I do now. Station to station baseball is what doomed Boston for YEARS. Simple offensive fact: You have to RUN the bases.

I really can’t believe it. Granderson. A guy with speed. Maybe Girardi needs to put the take sign on more often, or call for steals himself. Something MUST be done. This team doesn’t run with guys who SHOULD run (like Granderson).  There aren’t too many guys who can run, or bunt. They don’t bunt. No hit and run. Granderson gets on and they don’t try littleball at all? No hit and run? No try for a steal? Guys never bunt. No littleball, no a-b-c baseball. I hate to say it, but in playing like this, the Yanks deserve to lose.

Ibanez hit a 2-run HR in the sixth (9, 261 career). There’s your runs for the day. HR or nothing. No littleball, no a-b-c baseball, wait for the HR. CC couldn’t hold it.

In the top of the 7th, CC gave up a HR, got an out, gave up ANOTHER HR. An infield single and  a strikeout. CC then WALKED three straight batters to give Cincy the lead at 3-2.

CC (5-2) 7 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 5 walks, 6 K. ERA 3.78. 3.78 is too high for someone supposed to be your ace.

Wade 1 1/3. 0 R, 1 H, 1 walk, 2 K. 2.25.

Logan 1/3, 2 R, 2 H, 0 walk, 1 K. 3.18. He left with two out and two on in the 9th.

Soriano then gave up a double to let the game get away. 5-2 Reds. Wise tried, but couldn’t get it. Miss Gardner yet? Maybe he gets it. And without Gardner in the lineup (or Nunez at AAA), this team doesn’t run… not even those like Grandy run.

Soriano 1/3, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 2.57.

21-20. And deservedly so.

I have to wonder why the media doesn’t ask about the lack of making things happen? About WHY Grandy isn’t running? Why no aggressive baserunning? Or are guys who used to run (Jeter/A-Rod, etc.) just too old to do so anymore?

No running equals what you got the last two games. One-run losses.

Game 41. The lineup

We’ve hit the quarterpole, and the Yanks are just 21-19. Mediocre. They have to start picking it up soon, in every facet of the game.

21-19, 4th in A.L. East, 5 1/2 back of those surprising (best record in A.L.) Orioles. Even with the Pythagorean record, which says that they are what they should be. 21-19, no better or worse via some kind of luck. OPS+ 110, ERA+ 103, and that’s not too much above the mean (100). Hence, once again, the 21-19.

Jeter SS .355-5-15  3/4   140
Granderson CF .256-13-23  1/3  136
Cano 2B  .302-4-16  1/1   119
Rodriguez 3B .278-5-15  4/4  112
Ibanez DH .264-8-25  2/2  132
Swisher RF .260-7-27  0/0  117
Chavez 1B .288-3-6  0/0  111   15 for 52
Wise LF   2 for 17 (.118) 1 SB  .118-0-0  1/1   -8 (Minus 8)
Stewart C   6 for 30, .200-0-5  0/0  24

Sabathia LHP   5-1, 3.77   ERA +  113

Notes: Jeter’s 59 hits lead the majors. 3147 career, five behind Waner, seven behind Brett.

For the life of me, I can’t understand why Granderson has decided to stop stealing bases. Since August 9th of last year, he has only attempted to steal SIX times, going 4 for 6. In other words, in the last 90 games, Granderson is just 4 of 6 in SB. This from a guy 26 for 27 in 2007, 20 for 26 in 2009, and 25 for 35 last year. This lineup is struggling to score runs. Struggling to get a hit with RISP. It seems as if Granderson is power only now, and that is just wrong. Curtis must run!    

A-Rod has just one HR since 4/27. Stuck on 634. He needs 185 hits for 3000, 92 RBI for 2000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q2Qx6gVXq0

Check the link. If only the Mick were alive to teach this to Granderson, Gardner, Wise…

Interesting horserace. Could this be like 1978, the last year a horse won the Triple Crown? Affirmed over Alydar that year by what, length, head and nose? Here we have I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister, with I’ll Have Another winning by a length and a neck. Apparently Bodemeister may not race the Belmont. That’s too bad. It’d be great to see those two repeat the great Belmont stretch run of 1978, where the Triple Crown was won by a nose by Affirmed. Alydar was a great horse. In any other year…. much like Bodemeister appears to be now.

 

Game 36. Yanks bats silent as CC absorbes first loss of 2012

You knew CC wouldn’t go undefeated, and tonight he suffered his first loss of 2012. The Yanks’ bats didn’t help matters in a 5-2 loss.

CC went 6, 4 R, 8 H, 4 walks and 6 K. ERA to 3.77, record to 5-1.

Freddy Garcia went 2, 1 run (unearned), 1 h, 0 walks and 3 K. His ERA dropped to a still-ugly 8.69.

It was a rough night for Chris Stewart—two passed balls.

The Yankees’ offense wasn’t much to write about. Just five hits. The only runs came on a Granderson HR, #13. He has 23 RBI. That means a lot of solo shots. Tonight’s happened to be a two-run HR, and truth be told, it seemed like a fan wearing a Yankees jacket interfered.

Granderson has 13 hr. 10 at home, 3 in Baltimore. Is that funky, or what?

Just checking some batting stats. No out, 2nd and 3rd, 0 for 3. Ugh. 1 out, man on 3rd, 1 for 7. 2 out, man on 3rd, 2 for 16. It goes on. It seems that when they get a guy on 3rd, the batting average sinks and they can’t get him in. Check it out yourself.      RISP tonight? 1 for 9.

Jeter one hit. 3144.

Game 36. Robertson to DL

Cody Eppley has been recalled. David Robertson (of the incredibly shrinking bullpen) has been D’L'd. He won’t pick up a ball for 7-10 days. Strained left oblique for D-Rob.

Yanks 20-15, 3rd place. 1 1/2 out. OPS+117, ERA+ 106.
They are one game BETTER than their pythagorean record.

BA/HR/RBI/SB/attempts, OPS+

Jeter 6 .367-5-15  2/3  151   9 hits behind Paul Waner, 11 behind Brett.
Swisher 9  .277-7-26  0/0  138
Cano 4 .303-3-14  1/1  113
Rodriguez 5  .292-5-14  3/3  122  See Below
Teixeira 3 .231-5-19  1/2  83   Need to get him going.
Granderson 8 .257-12-21  1/3  142   12 HR, 21 RBI mean solo HRs
Jones DH .240-4-8  0/0  115
Nix 7    1 for 10; hit a HR, 2 RBI
Stewart 2  .240-0-5  0/0  49     6 for 25

Sabathia 1   5-0, 3.51   ERA+ 123

Alex has 38 hits, 30 singles. The average is ok, but you wonder about the power. 3 doubles, 5 HR.

Game 31. Bullpen concerns? Call on CC

The best way to alleviate bullpen concerns? Get 8 or 9 out of your ace.

Which is exactly what CC did tonight. Not that I had concerns over Robertson (who was due for a bad game). But CC went 8 and gave up 2 runs (both unearned, we’ll get to that), 7 hits, 1 walk and 10 K. He improved to 5-0 with an ERA of 3.51.

The problem is, two unearned runs. Two errors, and you can guess who made them both. Nunez. At 3B tonight. A-Rod has DH’d in what—10 of the Yanks’ 31 games so far? If he or Jeter DH (and they have combined for half), then Nunez is in the field, and he’s got to be driving you nuts.

Nunez has four errors this year. He also is hitting .294 with 6 SB in 7 attempts. He drives you nuts. In the same game, he could make two errors but get two hits and two steals. You don’t know if he’ll win the game (the hits or steals) or lose it (the errors).

Because of Nunez, both of the runs CC gave up were unearned. You see CC’s line. 8 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 7 h, 1 walk and 10 K. 5-0, 3.51.

Soriano went the 9th. Robertson got the night off. Sori 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 walks or K. ERA 2.77.

Down 2-0 on those unearned runs, the Yanks tied it in the second. Granderson hit #11. Nunez walked, stole 2d and scored on a hit by Stewart. I like the “Victory is Mine” analogy to Stewie.

Three in the fifth broke the tie and gave the Yanks the lead and win. Cano a 2-Run HR. (3). It was a shot over the bullpen in RCF. After that, A-Rod doubled, Teix walked & after a DP, Jones doubled. 5-2.

The run in the 9th that Sori gave up made it 5-3.

As for Gardner? Shut down for 10 days.

As for Nunez, one thing— Ronnier Mustelier is hitting well. He’s short and you don’t think the power will translate to the majors. But Mustelier is Ok at 3B. 2B, they say, lousy. Ok LF/RF. But he doesn’t play SS. Nunez can (insert punch line here….  ) But Nuney drives you nuts. In the same game he can have 2 hits, 2 SB …. and 2 Errors.

 

 

Game 31. Lineup, & Gardner suffers setback.

Brett Gardner suffered a setback, and there was more swelling in his elbow. Instead of coming back, it’s back in the MRI tube.

Yanks a mediocre 16-14, right on the Pythagorean mark. 3 1/2 out, 4th place. OPS+ 113, ERA+ 102

BA/HR/RBI/SB/ATT/ OPS+

Jeter SS .388-5-15  1/2  167     3138 hits, 3 behind Gwynn
Swisher RF .277-7-24  0/0  145
Cano 2B .270-2-9  1/1  92
Rodriguez DH .279-5-14  3/3  120
Teixeira 1B  .217-4-17  1/2  71   still battling illness
Granderson CF .274-10-19  0/2  151   still no SB?
Jones LF .222-3-5  0/0  94
Nunez 3B .265-0-5  4/5  80
Stewart C .238-0-4  51

Sabathia P   4-0, 4.15  ERA+ 104

Game 26. CC stops losing streak. 6-2 Yanks.

This is why CC gets the bucks. To be the ace. To be the stopper. To go deep into ballgames.

It was a rough beginning, but then CC settled in.

Jeter got a hit, then Teix hit a 2-run HR (#5) in the first. 2-0 Yanks. With 2 rbi last night, hopefully Teix is heating up. The Yanks need it, for even with the win tonight, the 14-12 Yanks still have only 1 HR and 4 RBI from Cano.

CC gave the lead right back in the bottom of the first. 2-2.

It stayed that way into the seventh. Cano singled, and with two out, Nunez broke a long hitless drought with a triple. Stewart singled (how bad is it that Stewart has as many RBI as Cano?) and Jeter hit a two-run HR (#245 of career) to make it 6-2. Put it another way. How bad is it that Jeter has more HR (5) than Cano has RBI (4)?

Jeter is at .404. His two hits take him to 3134, seven behind Tony Gwynn on the all-time list.

DeWayne Wise got a PH double filling in for Nix later in the game. Nix is 0 for 6 as a Yank. As for Wise, welcome to the Yanks.

CC went 8, 2 R, 7 h, 0 walks and 5 K. He goes to 4-0, but the ERA is still a bit high at 4.15.

MLB.com suggested that Soriano would replace Mo as closer. I differ. Robertson. Granted it wasn’t a save situation tonight with the four-run lead, but D-Rob had a 1-2-3 ninth, all by K.

He’s my guy for the ninth. It could be that Girardi alternates between the two.

Game 26. CC needs to be the stopper.

The Yanks have lost three in a row, and have lost Mo for the year. They need a win. They need CC to be the stopper.

They need the middle of the order to hit.

13-12, 4th in A.L. East. I read where the last time NY or Boston was 4th and the other 5th in the A.L. East was September 1992—when there still was just an East and West and there were seven teams in each division. OPS+ 112, ERA+ 101.

Cano 5th again. Notice A-Rod DHing again.

Derek Jeter SS .404-4-13  1sb/2att. OPS+ 173  3132 hits, 9 behind Gwynn.
Curtis Granderson CF  .274-9-17 0/2  161
Mark Teixeira 1B .227-3-14  1/1  69    ugh. .227. OPS+ 69. Ugh.
Alex Rodriguez DH .269-4-11  2/2  114   25 games in. 11 RBI
Robinson Cano 2B .255-1-4  1/1  79    4 RBI in 25 games. Enough said.
Andruw Jones RF .225-3-5  0/0  104
Jayson Nix LF 0 for 3, 1 K. Only 1 MLB game so far.
Eduardo Nunez 3B .250-0-4  3/3  53   0 for his last 16 or so.
Chris Stewart C  .235-0-3  0/0  54    Um… only 1 RBI less than Cano.

LHP CC Sabathia  3-0, 4.58  ERA+ 95