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 45. 3 Hrs lead Yanks, Nova, 6-3.

The Yanks beat Oakland 6-3 behind homers by Teixeira, Cano and Swisher.

Ivan Nova went 7 and improved to 5-2, but with a still too-high ERA of 5.46. He went the 7, 3 R, 6 h, 1 walk, 4 K and 2 HR given up.

Boone Logan for the 8th, 1 Ip, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K, 2.95.

Soriano got his 4th save. 1 IP. 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks and 2 K. 2.20.

The Yanks got 1st and 2d in the 1st, one out but got nothing.

They got a one-out double by Swisher in the 2nd, but nothing.

In the third, they got a break and capitalized on it. You never want to give a team four outs (or more) in an inning. With two out and Granderson on first, Coco Crisp (the Cereal Boy) misplayed Cano’s drive into a two-run error. 1-0 Yanks. Teix made them pay even further with a 2-run HR (#6, 320 of career). 3-0 Yankees.

The Yanks could have tacked on in the fourth. Chavez walked, Martin doubled. After Jeter made an out, Granderson was intentionally walked to load the bases. A-Rod, still looking for Grand Slam #23 to tie Gehrig’s record, GIDP.

Nova gave up a HR in the bottom of the fourth. 3-1.

The Yanks got three in the fifth. Cano led off with a HR, #6 for the season. Teix doubled but was thrown out going for 3 after the ball got away from the left fielder. Ibanez doubled and Swish hit HR #8 on the year to make it 6-1.

Nova gave one run back in the bottom of the fifth, then gave up a solo HR in the seventh.

That was it for the scoring. 6-3 Yanks, and they go to 24-21.

Game 44. Teix back to 3rd in lineup today

The Yanks try to stay above .500 today. Teixeira is back up at 3rd in the lineup.

22-21, 4th in A.L. East, 5 1/2 back. Even with the Pythagorean mark, OPS+ 108, ERA+ 102.

Jeter SS .341-5-16  3/4  130  Hit count: 3149
Granderson CF .250-13-24  1/3  134  Still want him to RUN!
Teixeira 1B .229-5-20  1/2  78   Needs to get it going. 
Rodriguez 3B .276-5-15  5/5  109   See below
Cano 2B .304-5-17  1/1  127
Swisher RF .239-7-27  0/0  102  See below.
Jones DH .217-4-8  0/0  93    See below.
Martin C .179-4-10  1/1  79   See Below.
Nix LF .263-2-4  0/1  129  5 for 19. 

Pettitte LHP  1-1, 2.51. ERA+ 171.   3rd start of his comeback.

Jeter leads the AL in hits. 3 behind Waner and 5 behind Brett on the all-time list. But since May 4, hitting .231 (15 for 65), with last night’s RBI as his only RBI in that period (16 games). All hits are singles except for one double, and there have been 6 GIDP.

A-Rod has just 1 HR since 4/27. Of his 43 hits, only 10 are XBH. Where’s the power?

Swisher:  .177 since 4/28, 1 HR, 4 RBI.  11 for 62, 17 strikeouts in that span (compare lack of HR to A-Rod; same time period).

I have to wonder if Mustelier, at this point, would be a better option than Jones. Mustelier in 42 games AA/AAA? .337-8-29. 5/9 in SB.

I also have to wonder if a 40 year old Posada could hit better right now than Martin. (Not catch better, mind you…)

Pettitte is looking for career win #242, Yankee win #205.

Game 43. Still problems, but a 3-2 win.

The Yanks went to 22-21 tonight, but the offensive woes continued.

Phil Hughes was strong through six,  2 R, 5 H, 2 walks and 7 K. He goes to 4-5, 4.94. It’s still below average, but from where he once was at, it marks improvement.

On the down side, it also marks the ninth straight start in which he has given up a HR. The guys on My 9 noted that it is one behind “Black” Jack McDowell in 1995 with 10 straight starts.

After a 1-2-3 first, I got ticked off right away. In the bottom of the first, with one out, Granderson walks. He doesn’t even try to steal. Now, the Royals did pitchout with A-Rod up. Ok. But Grandy is still just 1 of 3 this year. You can’t just wait on Cano or A-Rod to do something. MAKE THINGS HAPPEN! I miss Gardner. I miss the times when Rickey Henderson would MAKE THINGS HAPPEN! Grandy doesn’t go. Nothing happens.

Down 1-0 in the third, I really got ticked off. Martin walks to lead off the inning and Wise is up. Wise strikes out. For most of the at bat, Wise, 2 for 20, does NOT try to bunt. Are you kidding me? You are having trouble scoring runs, and a 2 for 20 AAAA player isn’t bunting? He makes out. Jeter GIDP. Aaaaaargh.

Hughes gives up a HR in the fourth. 2-0 KC. In the bottom of the inning, Cano hits #5. 2-1. A-Rod singles and steals second. 5 for 5 in steals. Do you know A-Rod is second on the team in that? Behind Nunez’ 6 for 7? Why isn’t Jeter or Grandy going?

So he is on second, one out. Ibanez and Swish can’t get him in.

To the fifth, and the biggest play of the game may be on something the Yankees have NOT been doing—-bunting.

Teix singles. Martin HBP. Two on, none out. Wise bunts, as he (2 for 21) should. It actually goes for a HIT!

Bases loaded, none out.

Jeter singles, hit #3149, to tie the game. Bases still loaded, and the Yanks still don’t take advantage.

Granderson grounds out, which leads to the game-winning run. But no one knew it at the time, and the Yanks don’t pad their lead.

Cano is walked intentionally. Bases loaded & one out. Do the Yanks tack on? Are you kidding me? A-Rod & Ibanez both strike out.

It could have been fatal.

Girardi worked the pen. Wade 2/3, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 0 K. 2.18.

Logan 1/3, 0 R, 1 h, 0 walk, 1 K. 3.12.

Eppley 1/3, 0 R, 0 h, 0 walk, 0 K. 3.24.

Rapada 2/3, 0 r, 0 h, 0 walks, 0 K. 3.95.

Soriano 1 IP and gave us a scare. For with one out he gave up a double. He got a groundout. Runner to third. A grounder to A-Rod. The throw. Teix made a GREAT play in stretching for the throw and keeping his toe on the bag. Just got him. Yanks win 3-2.

Soriano 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks and K. Save #3, ERA 2.35.

Swisher is slumping so badly, he is down to .239.

…and to think. Wise’s bunt may be the play of the game…

Game 42. Teix dropped to 7th as Yanks try to stay above .500

The weather forecast isn’t good and the weather itself hasn’t been good today. We’ll see if they get it in. If they do, Teixeira has been dropped to 7th.

Yanks 21-20, and fighting to stay above .500. They are 4th in the A.L. East, 5 1/2 out, and just one game in front of cellar-dwelling Boston.

OPS+ 109, ERA+ 103. Even with the Pythagorean record. (They are what some elements say they should be).

Jeter 6 .347-5-15  3/4  135 leads MLB in H. 3147 career hits, 5 behind Waner.  
Granderson .258-13-23  1/3  137   I’d like to see him RUN! Steal, Curtis, GO!  
Cano  .309-4-16  1/1  124
ARod-DH  .270-5-15  4/4  106    1 HR since 4/27. With Gardner, Nunez not
there, the Yanks leading basestealer!
Ibanez .273-9-27  2/2  140  team leader in OPS+, tie for RBI
Swisher .252-7-27  0/0  111
Teixeira  .226-5-20  1/2  76  dropped to 7th, hot Ibanez is at 5 
Chavez  .291-3-6  0/0  109
Martin .168-4-10  1/1  71   needs to get off the Interstate

Kuroda RHP   3-5, 4.50  ERA+ 94.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Which one shows tonight?

 

Game 40. Teix out again.

Well, we are nearing the quarter-pole. Teixeira is out again today. Hopefully it’s helping that ailment go away.

If you didn’t hear, Kerry Wood retired yesterday. He announced it before the game, faced a batter during the game, struck the batter out, and that was it. You may recall that Wood did a nice job in relief for the Yanks for a short time in 2010. A great young talent (who had a 20K one-hitter back in 1998), it’s too bad injuries kept him (and Prior) from realizing their full potential.

Yanks 21-18, 4th in A.L. East, 4 1/2 out. Even with their Pythagorean record. OPS+ 111, ERA+ 104.

They are 3 for their last 48 with RISP.

Cano DH today.

Jeter SS .360-5-15  2/3  144   3146 hits, six behind Waner
Granderson CF .263-13-23  1/3  142   Run, Curtis, Run!
Cano DH .310-4-16  1/1  125  Average getting there, now for the RBI
Rodriguez 3B .286-5-15  4/4  118  Only one HR since 4/27
Ibanez RF .255-8-24  2/2  127
Swisher 1B .252-7-26  0/0  116   slumping lately
Martin C .167-3-9  1/1  67  needs to get off the Interstate 
Wise LF 2 for 15, 1 sb
Nix 2B  Also 2 for 15, 1 HR, 2 RBI

RHP Ivan Nova 4-1, 5.44   ERA+ 78   hope that ankle is ok

Game 39. Teix out. Andy must be the stopper

Only one start into his comeback, Andy Pettitte is called to be the stopper tonight. The Yanks have lost three in a row, four of five, and now head into interleague action vs. the Reds.

Mark Teixeira, fighting a respiratory ailment since before Opening Day, FINALLY gets a night off to deal with it.

Yanks 20-18, even with the Pythagorean record. OPS+ 111, ERA+ 102.
4th place in AL East, 4 1/2 out.

They are 3 for their last 41 with RISP.

Jeter 6 .363-5-15  2/3  148    3145 hits
Granderson 8  .257-13-23  1/3  142   Why isn’t he running?  
Cano 4  .303-3-15  1/1  117  .176 with RISP
Rodriguez 5 .279-5-14  4/4  115   Also .176 with RISP
Ibanez 9 .255-7-22  2/2  124
Swisher 3 .252-7-26  0/0  119   8 for last 43
Chavez DH .292-3-6  0/0  118
Wise 7  2 for 12, 1 SB   He’s got to run if he gets on.
Stewart 2  .222-0-5  0/0  38   6 for 27    Can he bunt?

Pettitte LHP  0-1, 5.68    1 start, 4 R in 6 1/3    ERA+ 79

Game 35. Banged up Yankees post an 8-5 win.

So, where to start? Ivan Nova took one off his leg and although he went 5 1/3, he limped off with a bruise & could miss a start. Teix has been playing through illness, now it appears that Rapada has picked up a viral infection. Ibanez was HBP tonight and was removed from the game.

The Yanks did pick up a game on the Orioles with an 8-5 win. Nova wasn’t great, got hit by a liner, may miss a start but a W is a W. Teixeira, struggling through an illness, hit a 2-run HR to break a 5-5 tie, then later doubled and scored.

Nova was off from the get-go. He gave up two in the first. The Yanks tied it in the fourth on a two-run double by Swish, then went ahead the next inning on a HR by Granderson (12).

Nova however, gave up 3 in the fifth. It is unknown whether the injury hurt him in that inning or not.

Nova 5 1/3, 5 R, 7 H, 3 walks and 4 K. Not impressive. A no-decision, ERA to 5.44 (yuk) despite the 4-1 record. He may need to miss his next start because of the bruise.

If so, hopefully David Phelps takes the start. Phelps got his first MLB win tonight.

Down 5-3, the Yanks bounced back in the sixth. An error enabled the Yanks to tie the game, but with the bases loaded and one out, Jeter whiffed and Granderson flew out. Opportunity wasted.

Teix hit his two-run HR (5) in the seventh to give the Yanks the 7-5 lead. In the ninth Teix doubled and scored on a SF for the final tally, 8-5.

Nova’s stats are above.

Rapada 1/3, 0 R, 0 h, 1 walk, 0 K. 3.60.

Phelps 1 IP, 0 R, 3 h, 0 walks and 1 K. Shaky, but his first MLB win. ERA 2.96.  (1-1).

Logan 1 IP, 0 R, 0 h, 0 walks and 3 K. 2.30.

Wade 1/3 IP, 0 r, 0 h, 0 walks and 1 K. 1.59.

Soriano the 9th. Save #2. 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 k. ERA 2.57.

Jeter got hit 3143 to pass Yount.

A-Rod three hits, but it’s interesting to see the O’s play him as if he were Jeter. Not for power, and not to pull. Playing him to hit singles to RF.

The Yanks (20-15) won despite going 1-11 with RISP and stranding 10.

Robertson has been out with a sore rib cage. Sheesh.

A win tonight. We will see how this M*A*S*H* unit is tomorrow.

 

Game 29. Ibanez 2 HR leads Yanks, 5-3.

Raul Ibanez had 2 HR and 3 RBI, and Curtis Granderson added a solo shot as the Yanks held on to beat the Rays 5-3.

The Yanks got a taste of life without Mo as both Soriano and Robertson staggered in the 8th and 9th before closing it out.

Ivan Nova started and hopefully has started a new streak. The last time out, his loss snapped a 15-game regular season winning streak going back to last year. Nova, 4-1, 5.02 (ERA still ugly) went 7, 2 R both on HR, 6 h, 2 walks, 8 K.

In the 4th, Ibanez hit a 2-run HR to put the Yanks up 2-0. Granderson’s solo shot in the 5th (10) made it 3-0.

Nova gave up a HR to our old buddy Jose Molina in the 6th, then one to Luke Scott in the 7th. 3-2 and here things got hairy.

After the HR to Scott, Nova gave up a walk and a double. 3-2 Yanks, but the Rays had 2nd and 3rd, one out. A short fly couldn’t bring the runner home. Then Nova got the strikeout of the last batter he faced.

Ibanez’ 2nd HR of the game (5; 257 career) in the bottom of the 7th made it 4-2.

The Yanks would need that HR. Soriano came in and gave up a leadoff triple. He then struck out the next two hitters but then drove you nuts by letting in the run anyway on a wild pitch. 4-3. A walk, then another K.

Soriano 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 walk and 3 K. ERA 2.45.

The Yanks got an insurance run in the 8th when Alex singled, went to second on an e-8 by Upton and scored on Teix’s double. 5-3.

Jeter got hit #3137 in the game.

To the 9th. Life without Mo. Robertson in. GO, walk, single. K. Walk. Bases loaded, tying run on 2nd. Pena up. K. Nothing like making it interesting.

Robertson 1 IP, 0 R (ERA 0.00), 1 hit, 2 walks and 2 K.

Yanks go to 16-13.

Congrats to Josh Hamilton. 5 for 5, double, a record-tying 4 HR, 8 RBI. I couldn’t even do that in wiffle ball.