Game 154. 0-ffensive. Yanks blanked for third straight game.

You can’t win if you don’t score. For the third consecutive game, the Yanks were shut out as they lost to Toronto 3-0.

Lately, Joe Girardi’s bullpen moves have been questioned, leading Girardi to become very testy lately in his dealings with the media. Even when he appears to make the right move, as yesterday, it doesn’t work out.

CC Sabathia pitched his heart out, pitching seven shutout innings,  but was pulled for Tyler Clippard in the eighth. Clippard gave up a two-out, three-run HR to Jose Bautista to lose the game.

The Yanks managed only three hits all game. With injuries to Headley, Teixeira, Castro …. and the youngsters now on the team, the lineup lately has looked like a spring training lineup.

I worked all day yesterday, but did hear one thing on the radio on the way home. At one point in the game, Gardner was on first base. Gardner has 16 SB this season. This from a guy who led the league a few years ago. A guy who stole 49 and 47 not long ago. In other words, Gardner isn’t running enough. He should have at least twice as many steals as he has now (that goes for Ellsbury too, who has just 18). Sterling and Waldman mentioned that he doesn’t run enough, then wondered how, when he finally decides to try and steal, he tried to do so on an 0-2 pitch with two out—-the easiest pitch for the other team to pitch out on. Sure enough, Toronto pitched out and Gardner was out. Sigh.

The loss drops the Yanks to 79-75. They are 4 1/2 games out of the final wild card spot with just 8 games to go. Their tragic # is 4.

They need to go 3-5 in the last 8 games to avoid a non-winning season, which would be their first since 1992. Even at that, they have to go 5-3 even to match their worst season since 1992 (which was 2014 at 84-78). Those 8 games are against the three teams ahead of them, Toronto, Boston and Baltimore. Not only that, Tanaka, who will miss his next start, may miss the other one as well.

Sabathia 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 3 walks, 2 K. 4.02
Clippard (L, 3-5, 3.60 AZ/NYY) 1 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 2 walks, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.

 

The Minors. Playoff baseball. SWB, Trenton, Tampa, all win.

AAA: SWB shut out Lehigh Valley 7-0 to go up 2 games to none in their best of five series. Not only that, but the Railriders now go home for the remainder of the series. Phil Coke pitched seven innings, 3 hits, no walks, 7 K. 3 hits, 2 doubles, 2 RBI for Donovan Solano. 2 hits, RBI for Mason Williams. I wonder if Williams can contribute to the big club in 2017. Kyle Higashioka 2 RBI, Jake Cave 2 hits.

AA: Trenton beat Reading 9-4 to go up 2 games to none in their best of five series. The series now shifts to Reading. Dustin Fowler 2 hits, 2 RBI. Dante Bichette, Jr. 2 RBI. Miguel Andujar, Billy McKinney and Sebastian Valle each had 2 hits and an RBI.

High A: Tampa went up 2 games to one in their series with a 9-8 win. Rashad Crawford had 3 hits, a double, triple and HR, and drove in 5 runs. Gleyber Torres had 3 hits, and Trey Amburgey had a 3-run HR.

Low A: Charleston was off. They are down 1 game to 0 in their series.

The Minors. Tampa wins game 1.

I’ll get to the major league game tomorrow morning. And what a Game! The last several innings were back and forth, kept us on the edge of our seats, and in the end, the Yankees prevailed by the skin of their teeth. But that is for tomorrow morning’s post.

As for now, the minor league postseason.

Tampa won game 1 of their postseason series, 2-1 in 13 innings.

The bullpen pitched six no-hit innings.  No runs, No hits, 2 walks and 10 K in those  6 innings.

Gleyber Torres had 2 doubles. Rashad Crawford had 2 hits.

In the 13th, Thairo Estrada singled, and Torres doubled for the winning run.

A great game here, and wait until you hear the major league wrapup!

 

The Minors. Regular season ends, playoffs to begin.

The regular season is over and the playoffs will be starting. In yesterday’s regular season finals:

AAA: SWB (91-52) won 4-3 in the bottom of the 10th. Clint Frazier solo HR. Donovan Solano two doubles.

AA: Trenton (87-55) gave up 5 in the 10th and lost 11-6. They finished 2 1/2 back of Reading, but still got a wild card spot. 3 hits, double, solo HR Miguel Andujar. 2 hits, double, HR, 3 RBI Dante Bichette, Jr. Francisco Diaz 2 hits, RBI. 2 hits each for Abiatal Avelino, Mike Ford and Billy Fleming.

High A: No game. Tampa starts their playoffs today (Tuesday). They were 35-31, 4th place in the second half, but were first half champs at 42-27. The strangeness of the split season: Clearwater (Phillies affiliate) had the best record in the league overall, but didn’t win either half and are out of the playoffs. Tampa’s overall record was 77-58. By contrast, Clearwater was 82-54 but they go home. Go figure.

Low A: Charleston (76-63) won 14-2. Mandy Alvarez 4 hits, 2 RBI. Jhalen Jackson 3-run HR, 4 RBI. Hoy Jun Park 2 hits, triple, 4 RBI. 3 hits for Kyle Holder, 2 hits for Vicente Conde. Estevan Florial 2 hits, RBI. 2 hits Luis Torrens. Charleston was 34-36 (3rd) in the second half after winning the first half with a 42-27 mark. In this league, Augusta, the Giants’ affiliate, got the shaft because of the split season format.

Game 136. Ellsbury & Austin lead Yanks to 5-3 win.

Jacoby Ellsbury homered, had three hits and drove in three runs, and Tyler Austin had two hits (both doubles) and 2 RBI as the Yanks beat Toronto 5-3 on Labor Day afternoon.

The win puts the Yanks at 71-65, 5 1/2 out of first in the AL East, still in 4th place, and keeps them 3 1/2 out of the second wild card spot. They still need to jump teams and probably have to go 18-8 against a tough schedule to make the playoffs.

But they aren’t going down without a fight.

Masahiro Tanaka, the Yanks’ best player this year (according to WAR on baseballreference.com) didn’t have his best stuff, giving up 10 base runners in 6 1/3 IP, but he gave up just two runs in improving to 12-4.

Because of some no-decisions early in the season due to the Yanks’ lack of hitting, Tanaka doesn’t have as many decisions as you’d think. He probably should be something like 17-6 or so. If he were that, he’d probably get CYA consideration. Maybe he still will. He has had an excellent season.

Tanaka gave up a run in the first, but the Yanks got two in the bottom of the inning on Ellsbury’s 2-run HR (7).

In the third, Austin doubled and scored on Ellsbury’s single to make it 3-1.

Austin doubled in two in the fourth to make it 5-1. Toronto made it close with two in the seventh.

Aaron Judge is still striking out too often, as he was 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts today and has some 35 strikeouts in 65 at bats. He didn’t take his offensive frustrations out to the field however, as he saved two runs defensively. His diving catch saved one run, and he robbed another of a home run. At 6’7 1/2″, he hardly had to jump to bring back a potential home run ball from clearing the 8′ high fence.

Tanaka (w, 12-4, 3.11) 6 1/3 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 3 walks,  4 K.
Holder 1/3 IP, 1 R, 0 H, 2 walks, 0 K. 6.75
Heller 0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 0 K. 6.00. Faced one batter, gave up a hit for 2 runs, one charged to Tanaka, the other to Holder.
Layne (H, 8) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 0 K. 3.32 (Bos/NYY)
Clippard (H, 20) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 3.25 (AZ/NYY)
Betances (S, 9) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 2 K. 2.05

We are still awaiting word on Wednesday’s starter, now that Green is out.

BTW, have you noticed how little Teixeira and McCann are being used during these important games?

The Minors.

AAA: SWB won 5-4, getting two in the 8th to tie, and walking it off in the bottom of the 9th. 3 hits, RBI Jose Rosario. Jake Cave 2-run HR. 2 hits each for Mark Payton and Cito Culver.

AA: Trenton beat Reading 4-0 on a two-hitter. Caleb Smith 6 IP, 1 H, 8 K. Dante Bichette, Jr. and Sebastian Valle with back-to-back solo HRs. Billy McKinney two hits and an RBI.

High A: Tampa lost both games of a DH.

Regular scheduled: Lost 5-4 in 10 after scoring one in the sixth and two in the bottom of the seventh to tie it up. Kevin Cornelius solo HR, 2 RBI. 3 hits, RBI Rashad Crawford.

Makeup of 9/1: Lost 6-4. Thairo Estrada 4 for 4, 3 doubles, RBI. 2 hits, triple, RBI Jeff Hendrix. 2 hits Trey Amburgey.

Low A: Charleston  split a DH.

Regular game: Lost 5-1. 2 hits, RBI Vicente Conde.

Makeup of 9/2: Won 4-1. Taylor Widener 4 IP, 1 H, 7 K. Mandy Alvarez 3-run HR. Kyle Holder 2 hits.

Game 133. Yanks lose game, Green.

The Yanks lost to Baltimore 8-0, getting just two hits, but most importantly, their rotation took a hit when Chad Green had to leave in the second inning due to elbow problems.

Green gave up a single and a 2-Run HR in the second, and after a walk, Nick Goody came in and gave up back to back HRs before getting the final out. Six runs, and that basically was the ball game.

With Eovaldi out, and now Green, the Yanks’ rotation is hurting. It appears Severino will have to go back into the rotation. No, I don’t believe Bryan Mitchell is stretched out enough or has made enough appearances since coming off his rehab to start.

So the rotation would now consist of Tanaka, Pineda, CC, Cessa, and Severino.

Dietrich Enns and Chance Adams, both of whom have done well in the minors, have been basically shut down due to innings limits.

Kirby Yates gave up a 2-Run HR later in the game for the final score.

The loss drops the Yanks to 69-64, 4th place in the division, 6 1/2 out. They are 3 1/2 out of the second wild card with 29 games to go. They have to jump three teams.

Jonathan Holder made his MLB debut.

Green (L, 2-4, 4.73) 1 2/3 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 2 walks, 3 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Goody 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 walks, 2 K. Gave up 2 HR. 4.66
Yates 2 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 1 walk, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR. 5.59
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 0.00 MLB DEBUT
Severino 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 7.05
Parker 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 2 K. 3.27 (Sea/NYY)