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.

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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.

 

 

Yanks’ game suspended, meanwhile, Seattle’s Cano suspended, too.

The Yankees game vs. the Nationals was suspended after 5 1/2 innings with the score tied at 3. The game will be resumed Wednesday at 5 PM, before the regularly scheduled game.

I hate inter-league games at NL parks where the Yanks lose the DH. Masahiro Tanaka started tonight and batted 8th in the lineup.

My grammy beating a rug had a better swing than most pitchers. I am a traditionalist when it comes to baseball except for the DH. Watching a pitcher hit is like enduring Chinese water torture.

Because of inter-league, and the possible need for another PH on the bench, Clint Frazier was called up from SWB and David Hale was DFA’d (again… the Yanks DFA’d him earlier this year, he went to the Twins, THEY DFA’d him and he came back to the Yanks. Some spring for Hale). How long Frazier’s call up lasts, who knows. It could be just for these 2 inter-league games vs. the Nationals.

Robbie Cano was suspended for 80 games by MLB. A couple things about this. When asked if he knew about PED use by Cano, and if that was why the Yanks didn’t re-sign Cano when Robbie became a free agent, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman stated that he had no knowledge, because knowledge requires you to report it and if not reported, it is a $1MM fine. But, Cashman stated, knowledge is one thing and suspicions another. A very telling line by Cashman.

Maybe there were suspicions. The Yanks did offer 7 years and $180MM, but were blown away by Seattle’s $240MM, 10 yr offer.

Maybe the suspicions made the Yanks low-ball Cano.

The suspicions would be this: Cano’s two best friends on the Yankees were A-Rod and Melky, both of whom were busted. His charity was run by someone whose name became linked to Biogenesis. It could be Robbie was getting away with it for years but finally was caught.

What he was caught for was furosemide, the generic of Lasix, a diuretic. Furosemide in and of itself is not a PED, or steroid. But it can be used as a masking agent to hide steroids. Cano denies that it was used for that purpose, but MLB apparently had evidence that it was.

So Cano is suspended for 80 games, and is ineligible for the postseason should Seattle make it.

But here is the rub. The suspension begins immediately. Cano was appealing the suspension until he had his hand broken while hit by a pitch the other day. So he’d have been out 6-8 weeks anyway because of the break. So the suspension runs concurrently with his time on the DL.

This is wrong. MLB should change the rules so that any suspension like this starts AFTER THE PLAYER COMES OFF THE DL. That is why Cano dropped the appeal, because he knew that because of the broken finger, he would miss only a few weeks of REAL time.

Cano is listed as one of the top 10 2B of ALL TIME. His HOF credentials just took a serious hit today. Because of this, he may never make the HOF.

Game 12. The Kraken wakes up in 10-7 Yanks’ win. Benches clear.

Gary Sanchez was 2 for 36 before Wednesday night’s game. But he did have 4 career HR off of David Price. That’s a lot considering Sanchez’ short MLB career so far.

Price was the remedy Sanchez needed to right himself. Make that 5 career HR now.

Sanchez went 3 for 5, scored 3 runs and drove in 4 as he hit two two-run HR in the Yanks’ 10-7 win over the Red Sox in a game that featured two bench clearing incidents.  The win evened the Yanks’ record at 6-6.

Not only did Sanchez have a good game, but so did Giancarlo Stanton. Maybe he has righted himself too.

You wonder if the weather has had a factor. Now that it is finally started to get warmer and the Yanks (except for that opening series in Toronto’s dome) can finally play games in temps over say, 45, will they heat up along with the weather? Some players just have trouble playing in the cold…

One disturbing trend that continued is that for the fourth time this year—in only 12 games—is that a Yankees’ pitcher gave up a grand slam. I wonder if that is a record. Four grand slams given up in just 12 games at the start of a season? Sheesh.

The Yanks got four in the first and knocked out Price, who left because of a sensation he felt in his pitching hand. Gardner singled, Judge walked, Stanton tripled home two, and after Didi popped up, Sanchez hit his second HR of the year, a two-run shot, to make it 4-0.

Tanaka gave up a HR to Hanley Ramirez in the bottom of the first. He really has to concentrate on not hanging his splitter and on throwing his fastballs off the plate. His fastballs, if left over the plate, aren’t overpowering batters and get crushed.

In the third, Sanchez doubled, Walker singled, and Austin singled in Sanchez. Tyler Wade bunted into a force, and the Red Sox took offense at Austin’s slide (I remember when a takeout slide was normal. The game has really changed. See the 1977 ALCS and McRae taking out Randolph for example) and the benches cleared.

In the fourth, Gardner and Judge singled and Gardner moved to third on a flyball by Stanton. Didi got in Gardner with a SF and Sanchez hit his third HR of the season, and second two-run HR of the game, to make it 8-1.

Smooth sailing, right? Wrong.

Tanaka fell apart in the fifth, giving up five runs, including a grand slam to J.D. Martinez.

The Yanks got two back in the sixth to make it 10-6. Gardner walked, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. After Judge struck out, Stanton singled in a run. Two wild pitches moved Stanton to third and he scored on a Didi SF.

In the seventh, Austin, whose hard slide began that benches clearing incident earlier, was drilled by Boston pitcher Joe Kelly, and charged the mound. He, Kelly, Tommy Kahnle, and Yankees’ 3B coach Phil Nevin were all ejected.

Aroldis Chapman had a shaky ninth inning, giving up a run before nailing down the win.

Gardner 2 hits, 2 walks, scored 3x.
Judge 2 hits, walk. Scored 2x
Stanton 3 hits, 3 RBI. Scored 2x.
Didi 2 RBI on 2 SF.
Sanchez 3 hits, 2 HR, 4 RBI. Scored 3x.

Tanaka (W, 2-1, 5.19) 5 IP, 6 R, 7 H, 2 W, 3 K. Gave up 2 HR, one a grand slam.
Green 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.57
Robertson 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.70
Chapman 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K. 3.00

No word on when Hicks, Ellsbury, Clint Frazier or Drury may return. I’d expect Hicks Friday in Detroit.

Also, with Tyler Wade hitting .111 and Miguel Andujar .107, we may be seeing Gleyber Torres replacing one of them soon. Keep an eye on that if Wade and Andujar don’t heat up soon.

Update: Hicks will be activated for Thursday night’s game vs. Boston.