Dodgers go 1 up, Boston 2 up in LCS’s. Didi has successful surgery; Machado

The Dodgers went up 3 games to 2 over Milwaukee and are one game away from returning to the WS with a 5-2 win yesterday in Game 5 on the NLCS. Clayton Kershaw, who has had postseason trouble in the past, pitched like the ace he usually is.

Boston took a 3 games to 1 lead over defending WS champ Houston in the ALCS, beating them 8-6 Wednesday night. Jackie Bradley, who hit a grand slam in Game 3, hit a 2-run HR in Game 4. Closer Craig Kimbrel has been shaky this postseason, but with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth, LF Andrew Benintendi made a diving catch to save the game for Boston. If the ball drops and gets past him, Houston at least ties, and probably wins, the game. Also, fans interfered earlier with a ball that went for an out instead of a HR, and that too, cost Houston. Was the call correct? Who knows, but there is a good article by Joel Sherman in the NY Post today criticizing MLB for continuing to use overweight, 66-yr. old umpires as the OF umps down the line.

Didi Gregorius of the Yankees had successful Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. Once again, he’s expected to miss at least half of the 2019 season.

Meanwhile, one possible replacement for Didi, Manny Machado, isn’t helping his free agent cause. As talented as Machado is, his lack of hustle and sometimes dirty play is turning a lot of people off.

In an interview on the Michael Kay show, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman states that teams have inquired about Gary Sanchez, but that Sanchez is unavailable, even after his disappointing 2018 season.

 

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Boston goes up 2-1 in ALCS, Dodgers even NLCS at 2 each.

I was working a lot of OT, so I didn’t see much of either game, but…

in the ALCS, how to piss a game away. 3-2 Boston, top of the eighth, and Roberto Osuna comes in to pitch for Houston. He gets two outs but also gives up two singles. He gets two strikes on the next batter. One strike away from getting out of the inning and keeping his team in the game. He hits the batter to load the bases. He gets two strikes on the next guy and hits him too, forcing in a run. Then he gives up a grand slam. Boston’s good enough without having games handed to them like that.

For Osuna, maybe some karma due to his domestic violence issue earlier this year.

The deciding run in the game? A HR by Steve Pearce, a guy one writer said wasn’t worth the Yankees calling up from SWB a few years ago. Um, ….

In the NLCS, the Dodgers got a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 13th to even the series up at 2 games apiece, 2-1.

Game 112. Yanks edge Chisox in 13, 4-3. Yanks pitchers strike out 20.

Sonny Gray pitched three scoreless innings of relief and got the win as the Yanks (70-42) edged the Chicago White Sox 4-3 in 13 innings Tuesday night.

Yankees’ pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts in the game.

CC Sabathia turned the clock back some ten years by striking out 12 in 5 2/3 innings, but left trailing 1-0, having given up a run in the third.

The Yanks didn’t get a hit until the sixth. In the sixth, they had runners on first and third with no one out but didn’t score.

The Yanks tied the game in the seventh when Miguel Andujar hit his 15th HR of the season.

In the top of the tenth, Giancarlo Stanton hit a 2-run HR (26) to put the Yanks up 3-1, but with two out in the bottom of the tenth, Zach Britton gave up a 2-run HR to Jose Abreu that tied the game.

In the top of the 13th, Didi walked with one out. After Torres struck out, Voit singled Didi to second and Andujar singled him in, 4-3 Yanks, the final score.

For the second straight night, a Yankee batter was robbed of a HR by Adam Engel. This time Kyle Higashioka was robbed.

Stanton 2 hits, HR, 2 RBI
Andujar 3 hits, 2 RBI

Sabathia 5 2/3 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 3 W, 12 K.  3.49
Green 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K  2.75
Robertson 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  3.35
Betances 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.  2.30
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.  3.57
Britton (BS, 2) 1 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.98 (Balt/NYY). Threw 2 WP, 1 HBP
Gray (W, 9-8, 5.40) 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 H, 4 K.

In other news:

Jacoby Ellsbury needed hip surgery this week. 6 month recovery time. Out all year.

Clint Frazier not happy at some comments Michael Kay made about Frazier’s stint on the DL re: concussion issues.

Ex-MLB player (and a former Yankee) Esteban Loaiza will get years in jail for running a drug ring. From the NY Post (edited):

Former Yankees pitcher Esteban Loaiza is expected to change his plea later this week in a felony cocaine distribution case, according to a report.

Loaiza — who was arrested in February in San Diego after authorities said they found 44 pounds of cocaine in a van parked in the garage of a rented townhouse — has a “change of plea” hearing listed in Southern California US District Court on Friday, WLS-TV reports.

The Tijuana-born Loaiza, 46, initially pleaded not guilty in February. A change of plea hearing results in a defendant submitting a guilty plea in “99 percent” of all criminal cases, according to the station’s legal analyst Gil Soffer, a former federal prosecutor.

…..

Federal investigators have said they believe Loaiza used the rented townhome as an intermediate destination for cocaine. Prior to his arrest, during which Loaiza was pulled over for a traffic violation and cops found a sophisticated compartment to hide contraband in his Mercedes-Benz, the former MLB star had crossed the Mexican border earlier that day, prosecutors said.

Authorities later obtained a search warrant for Loaiza’s rented home in Imperial Beach, where investigators said they found 44 pounds of cocaine stored less than 1,000 feet from an elementary school.

Loaiza, who posted bail in May, faces a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence and up to life in prison if convicted, according to the station.

Loaiza pitched for nine teams throughout his 14-season career, including the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox and Pirates. He retired in 2008 with a 126-114 record and a 4.65 career ERA. He was a two-time All-Star and the second-winningest Mexican pitcher in MLB history, second only to Fernando Valenzuela. In 2003, he finished second in the American League Cy Young voting and started the All-Star Game.

Game 106. Gray exasperates again, Yanks suffer bad 7-5 loss to O’s.

The way Sonny Gray pitched today, and the way Lance Lynn pitched in relief of Gray, the Yankees really have to consider pulling Gray from the rotation, placing him in the bullpen, using him as a mop up man, and replacing him with Lynn.

For today was completely unacceptable. You get knocked out of the box in the third inning by the worst team in baseball. A team 33-75, who has traded away some of their better players, and a team that resembles a AAA squad.

The Yanks (68-38) fell 5 1/2 games behind Boston with a 7-5 loss Wednesday afternoon. The Yanks are 6-6 against Baltimore. Boston has done to Baltimore what teams should do to Baltimore, going 10-2 against them. There is a 4 game swing out of the 5 1/2 right there. It is unacceptable that the Yanks are just 6-6 vs. the Orioles. Right there is costing the Yanks the division.

Gray took the wind right out of the Yanks sails right away, giving up five runs in the second inning. Gleyber Torres got his first of two homers for the day in the bottom of the second to make it 5-1, but made two lackadaisical plays in the field. 3B Coach Phil Nevin had some words for various Yankees in the dugout during a rain delay in the third inning. I guess some were directed at Gleyber.

Gray gave up two more runs in the top of the third to put the Yanks behind 7-1 to the worst team in baseball, a team with a .306 winning percentage. (That means 50-112 over 162). Gray was booed, and it looks like he’ll be booed out of NY if it isn’t happening already. Unacceptable. Yankees’ fans have a right to be pissed off at going just 6-6 against Baltimore and for Gray to be knocked out in the third inning against this team.

Lynn pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, and the bullpen pitched 6 1/3 scoreless total, but the crater-sized hole Gray put the team into was too much to overcome.

In the second, after Torres had hit that HR, the Yanks loaded the bases with two out but Stanton struck out.

In the fourth, the Yanks put two men on, both via error, but Shane Robinson GIDP.

In the eighth, Hicks singled and Torres walked. Bird walked to load the bases and Andujar singled in a run to make it 7-2. The bases were loaded with no one out but Romine struck out and Walker GIDP.

With two out in the ninth, Didi Gregorius singled and Hicks walked. Gleyber Torres hit his 2nd HR of the game, #17 on the season, to make it 7-5 but then Greg Bird popped up to end the game.

Didi 3 hits
Torres 2 HR, 4 RBI (but a couple of lapses in the field)
Andujar 2 hits, RBI

Gray (L, 8-8, 5.56) 2 2/3 IP, 7 R, 8 H, 2 W, 3 k. Gave up 1 HR.
Lynn 4 1/3 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 0 W, 5 K. 4.89 (Minn/NYY)
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.68
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.06

The Yanks signed 16 yr. old SS Alexander Vargas to a deal, using $2.5MM international bonus money.

 

Game 99. Tanaka brilliant in 4-0 Yanks win. Sanchez to DL.

Masahiro Tanaka was brilliant, pitching a three-hit, complete-game shutout, as the 64-35 Yankees shut out the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-0, Tuesday night.

Austin Romine drove in two runs, and earlier in the day, was awarded an award for hustle. Wow. Take that, Gary Sanchez.

Sanchez was placed back on the DL (with Kyle Higashioka coming back up), with an MRI showing he re-injured his groin injury. You can choose to believe that or not. A lot of people don’t. The problem is, with Sanchez’ past history, he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the Yanks did rush him back too soon from the injury and he is injured again. And maybe, as a lot of people suspect, it’s a way to “suspend” Sanchez without embarrassing him more publicly. Whatever. When he does come back, hopefully Sanchez learns his lesson, gets his head out of his you-know-what and becomes what we know he can be.

The Yanks gave Tanaka the only run he needed in the first inning when Gardner and Judge singled, both moved up on a WP and Didi got an RBI ground-out.

In the fifth, with one out, Drury was HBP. He would have to leave the game but fortunately, X-rays showed a contusion, no break. Neil Walker singled Drury to third, where Tyler Wade PR for Drury. Austin Romine’s RBI ground-out made it 2-0.

With Torres due off the DL, it’d be a simple replacement. Torres for Drury.

In the seventh Andujar singled and Bird doubled Andujar to third on a ball that hit the catwalk. That park the Rays play in is a joke. Remember the ball Clint Frazier hit earlier this season? Anyway, a SF by Romine made it 3-0.

To the ninth, Andujar doubled, and with two out, Walker singled to make it 4-0.

Andujar 2 hits.
Bird 2 hits.
Walker 2 hits, RBI
Romine 2 RBI

Tanaka (W, 8-2, 4.09) 9 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 W, 9 K. Complete game victory.

With Boston’s loss, the Yanks are five back.

 

Game 98. Sanchez’ lack of hustle costs Yanks, 7-6. Yanks fall 6 back.

Maybe Gary Sanchez needs a benching to light a fire under his butt. Twice he didn’t hustle and it cost the Yanks in a 7-6 loss to the Rays that dropped the 63-35 Yanks six back of Boston, who beat the Bad News Bears (sorry, I meant the Baltimore Orioles) last night.

Maybe he is taking his batting average (.188) into the field now, or maybe he is just a player that you have to stay on top of and keep lighting that fire under his butt, but there is no excuse for those two plays. None.

Luis Severino was not his ace-like self for the third consecutive outing, and you wonder about that.

In the first inning, with two out and a runner on second, Severino and Sanchez crossed signals and there was a PB. But the ball scooted away from Sanchez and went toward the third base coaching box. Sanchez seemed to jog after the ball. The runner meanwhile, rounded third and headed for home. Maybe Severino was a little late getting to the plate, maybe Miguel Andujar at third needed to go after the ball, but there was no doubt in watching Sanchez’ lackadaisical effort in retrieving the ball that more hustle was needed there.

And this is after Sanchez did NOT hustle on a groundball out in his first game back off the DL on Friday night.

But he wasn’t done. We will get to that later.

In the second, the Yanks tied the game at one apiece on an RBI single by Andujar.

But in the fifth, Severino gave up a 3-run HR. 4-1 Rays.

The Yanks got two back in the top of the sixth. With two out, Stanton, who went 4 for 4, singled and went to third when Hicks reached on an error. A PB made it 4-2, and Sanchez singled to make it 4-3.

But Severino gave runs right back. HR, double, single and Seve was gone. Chad Green in, and he gave up a single that made it 6-3. He got out of the inning but not before another run scored, 7-3.

The Yanks got three back in the seventh. With one out, Walker, Gardner and Judge all walked to load the bases. Didi got an RBI groundout and Stanton singled in two runs.

To the ninth. Gardner reached on an infield single. Judge walked. Didi sacrificed the runners over, and Stanton, unsurprisingly, was intentionally walked to load the bases as Tampa Bay hoped for the game-ending DP. Hicks bounced into a 5-2 force at home. Sanchez then hit a hard grounder up the middle, that the second baseman, playing on the SS side of the bag, what with a shift on, fielded. He flipped to the SS covering, but the hustling Hicks beat the throw. The SS threw to first, and got Sanchez for the final out. Sanchez, thinking his grounder was an easy forceout, did not hustle out of the box. He only turned on the jets when he saw Hicks was safe at second. Too late.

Inexcusable. If Sanchez can beat it out, Judge scores the tying run, the bases are still loaded and maybe the Yanks get a hit to win the game.

Instead, they fall six back and are 13-13 since June 22.

Sanchez needs the riot act read to him.

Not surprisingly, all media outlets are calling out Sanchez after that poor display last night, and deservedly so.

Stanton 4 for 4 , 2 RBI
Andujar 2 hits, RBI

Severino (L, 14-3, 2.63) 5+ IP, 7 R, 6 ER, 11 H, 0 W, 8 K. Gave up 2 HR. Very unlike Sevy.
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.63
Warren 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.   1 HBP.   2.39
Cole 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   0.87 as a NYY.

Game 92. Bullpen comes through. Yanks 7, Indians 4.

What was supposed to be a pitching duel between Cy Young candidates Luis Severino and Corey Kluber turned into a bit of a slugfest, as neither pitcher had his best stuff. The Yanks (61-31) rallied late to win 7-4 and stay 3 1/2 back of Boston, who won their 10th straight.

Severino struggled right off the bat, giving up a double, groundout and single for a run, and after a caught stealing, gave up a HR. The Yanks were down 2-0.

In the third, Brett Gardner hit the first of his two HR for the game, a 2-run shot that tied it up.

Severino gave the lead right back to Cleveland, giving up a run in the bottom of the third to make it 3-2.

Didi Gregorius, who homered off Kluber twice in Game 5 of last year’s ALDS, tied the game with a HR (16) in the fourth, and later in that inning Stanton singled, advanced to third on an error on Hicks’ sacrifice bunt. Bird, heating up, doubled to make it 4-3. The Yanks loaded the bases with no one out but could not tack on more runs.

Severino gave up a HR in the fifth that tied the game.

In the eighth, Gregorius walked, and with one out, Hicks doubled him in. Hicks stole third and scored on a SF by Bird that make it 6-4.

Gardner hit his second HR (9) of the game in the ninth for the final score of 7-4.

Not a good game for Austin Romine, who got the golden sombrero (0 for 4, 4 strikeouts).

Gardner 2 HR, 3 RBI
Didi solo HR
Bird 2 RBI
Andujar 2 hits

Great job by the bullpen. 4 IP, no runs, no hits.

Severino 5 IP, 4 R, 9 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up 2 HR.  2.31
Warren 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.85
Robertson (W, 6-3, 3.19) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Betances (H, 14) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.  2.68
Chapman (S, 25) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.38

Other notes. Hopefully MLB is wrong. They give Boston a 62 percent chance of winning the division, the Yanks, 38 percent.

The Yanks are 16-13 without Gleyber Torres, 45-18 with him.

Ex-White Sox backup INF Sammy Esposito (member of 1959 AL Champs) has passed away at age 86.

As for Manny Machado wanting to play SS? He’s a great hitter, but if he comes to the Yankees, the Yankees already have Didi. The defensive runs saved above average stat has Manny at -20, Didi -1. Big difference defensively.

Albert Pujols tied Ken Griffey, Jr. on the all-time HR list with #630 last night. The only players with more are Barry Bonds 762*, Aaron 755, Ruth 714, A-Rod 696* and Mays 660.

Football player LeSean McCoy is in trouble, apparently beating the heck out of his girlfriend. We’ll see what kind of punishment the law and the NFL enforce.