Exhibition Game 20: Yanks beat Mets, 9-3

MLB.com goes back to spring training when the Yanks were 11-8 in posting their boxscore. Hence the “Exhibition Game 20” headline above, and spring training (summer camp?) in my categories. In any case, the Yanks improved to 12-8 with a 9-3 win over the Mets at Citi Field.

Clint Frazier hit a 2-run HR. Mike Tauchman had 3 hits and an RBI. Gleyber Torres had two hits and an RBI. Miguel Andujar had two hits and an RBI. Erik Kratz, who just turned 40 last month, drove in two runs.

The pitching line:

Michael King (Winner) 4 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 3 K.
Britton 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Kahnle 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Ottavino 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Heller 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.

The Mets featured ex-Yankees Robbie Cano, Melky Cabrera, Eduardo Nunez and Dellin Betances. Betances made one of the Mets’ four errors.

They’ll play another exhibition game tonight, this time at Yankee Stadium.

In other news, Domingo German took back some words he said the other day that made it seem like he was walking away from baseball. Still, don’t expect him until 2021, what with his suspension.

Ex MLB umpire Rick Reed passed away at the age of 70.

WS Game 1: Ex-Yank Nunez’ 3-run PH HR ices game for Boston, 8-4.

Ex-Yankee Eduardo Nunez hit a 3-run, PH HR in the bottom of the seventh to cap off an 8-4 Boston victory over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series.

Boston jumped on Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw for 2 runs in the first, thanks to an RBI single by Andrew Benintendi, who had four hits in the game. Matt Kemp homered for LA in the top of the second to cut it to 2-1.

Manny Machado, who drove in the other 3 Dodgers’ runs, tied it in the top of the third, but but J.D. Martinez, who singled in a run in the first, doubled in a run in the bottom of the third to make it 3-2 Boston.

LA tied it in the top of the fifth, but Boston got two in the bottom of the fifth to go up 5-3. In the top of the seventh, the Dodgers got a run to cut it to 5-4, but Nunez’ HR in the bottom of the seventh iced it for Boston.

Dodgers: Turner 3 hits, Freese 2 hits, Machado 3 RBI. Kemp HR. Kershaw the loss.
Red Sox: Benintendi 4 hits, Martinez 2 hits and 2 RBI, Nunez HR, 3 RBI. Leon 2 hits. Barnes the Win.

For Clayton Kershaw, another postseason dud. For all his regular season success…

Neither he nor Chris Sale pitched more than 4 innings.

 

Ex-Yanks Garcia to Toronto, Nunez stays w/Boston. Lincecum attemping comeback.

Jaime Garcia only had 8 starts at the end of last year with the Yanks, going 0-3, 4.82, ERA+ 94. Disappointing. The free agent went to Toronto on a 1 yr., deal, $8MM.

Andrew Cashner went from Texas to Baltimore, 2 yr, $16MM

Eduardo Nunez is staying w/Boston on a 1 yr. deal. There was thoughts of bringing back Noon-E but that isn’t happening, and it does appear that Miguel Andujar has first dibs on that 3B job.

One intriguing workout today was held by Tim Lincecum. About 20 teams, inc. the Yanks, attended the workout. The 33 yr. old was great for SF from 2008-2011, winning 2 CYA and tossing 2 no-hitters. At age 28, it went downhill. He is 41-48, 4.94, ERA+ just 72 since 2011 and wasn’t in the majors at all last year. When last in the majors, he was 2-6, 9.16 for the Angels in 2016. YUK. His fastball is apparently back to 90-93 (he had had hip problems) and most likely would be worth a further look-see on a minor league deal.  In a recent photo, he appears bulked up, and maybe the year he took off helped him recover. Worth a flyer on a minor league deal?

 

Astros get Cole. Do Yanks counteract?

Forget about Gerrit Cole.

The Houston Astros traded four players to the Pirates for Cole last night. Do the Yanks now counteract, and how?

The addition of Cole gives the Astros a formidable rotation headed by Keuchel, Verlander and Cole.

Keuchel does become a free agent after 2018 and could be a Yankees target then (of course, he’d have to shave off that hideous beard of his).

But how do the Yanks counteract that now? Can they?

For the time being, Clint Frazier, Chance Adams, Miguel Andujar and anyone else who may have been discussed as trade bait for Cole are still Yankees. That may prove to be a good thing.

There isn’t much space left under the cap that the Yanks have adamantly said they want to stay under. Depending on what numbers you want to go by, probably $16-$20MM.

Do the Yanks want to spend that on one guy or two? How close to that cap do they want to go?

Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn are still on the free agent market, but what is their price and will it drop?

Can the Yanks still make a deal for Michael Fulmer, Patrick Corbin (just agreed to $7.5MM in arbitration), or can they entice the Rays to trade Chris Archer ($6.416MM) within the division? If the Rays are trading Archer within the division, you can imagine what they might want back.

If the Yanks are able to get someone like Corbin at $7.5MM, do they then go after infield insurance in a Jed Lowrie or Eduardo Nunez at $7MM? Do the math and those two additions, a pitcher at $7.5 and the infielder at $7MM and you are so close to that cap with barely any wiggle room.

Some move by Houston. Your move, Yanks. Meanwhile, Boston hasn’t done anything of significance yet. You know they will.

There is still talk of the Yanks waiting for Darvish’s price to drop. Even so, they probably would have to make a deal to shed salary. Ideally, it would be Ellsbury, and the Yanks would accept paying 1/2 his salary, but as has been mentioned before, Ellsbury has a full no-trade and no desire to go anywhere. Shedding 1/2 of Ellsbury’s salary may enable the Yanks to sign Darvish, but no one else.

The postseason chess games continue.

Now that Cole has been dealt, don’t be surprised if Josh Harrison and/or Andrew McCutchen are the next Pirates to go.

This, the Cole deal, could be the domino that warms up a “hot” stove league that has been very cold so far.

I am rooting for my Steelers today, but once again, it looks like the road to any Super Bowl trophy goes through New England. Whether it’s the Steelers or Jaguars up in New England next week, or the NFC team beating New England in the Super Bowl if the Steelers or Jags can’t take out New England in the AFC title game, to be the best, you’d have to beat the best and as of now, the best is still the Patriots.

This will be the seventh consecutive year that the Patriots are in the AFC title game.

As for the rest of the NFL who aren’t Patriots fans (like me), we are all waiting for Brady to finally show his age. Until then….

The other #9s. Infield options.

#9, as we know, is retired for Roger Maris.

But with this new year of 2018, it marks the 40th anniversary of the Yanks’ great comeback in 1978.

One key member of that team was Graig Nettles. Who can forget his defensive wizardry in Game 3 of that 1978 WS that turned the series around? Nettles was on 5 division winners, 4 pennant winners and 2 World Championships with the Yankees from 1973-1983. He led the AL in HR with 32 in 1976, led the Yankees in WAR (Wins above Replacement) in both 1976 and 1977, was a 5x All Star in his 11 years with the Yanks, and finished in the top 10 for AL MVP in 1977 and 1978.

Isn’t it about time Nettles, 73, was honored with a plaque in Monument Park?

And while they are at it, another player who wore #9, Hank Bauer, who played for the Yankees from 1948-1959, could be honored with a plaque as well for his WS record 17 game hitting streak. Bauer died in 2007. It’s 60 years since that streak ended in 1958.

1938, 1958, 1978, 1998… lets’ hope the Yanks 20 year streak of WS titles continues…

I am not saying co-retire the number 9, as the Yanks did with #8 (Dickey and Berra), but shouldn’t Nettles and Bauer have plaques? In the case of Nettles, especially, it is long overdue.

The Yanks may or may not be looking into additional infield help. Apparently they are talking with Ji-Man Choi about him returning to AAA SWB as insurance for a possible injury to Greg Bird. Choi was 4 for 15 for the Yanks in 2017, hitting 2 HR.

Todd Frazier and Eduardo Nunez are still on the free agent market and the Yanks could have interest in one or the other. Of course the market for them has to drop or the Yanks need to unload some $alary (Ellsbury, for example). But Richard Neer (spelling?) of WFAN suggests that the Yanks should just go with the rookies, Miguel Andujar at 3B and Gleyber Torres at 2B and see how they do and then make a move, if needed, at the trade deadline of 2018.

Will the Yanks get a veteran infielder, or will they go with two rookies to start the season? We’ll see.

So far the free agent and trade market has been glacially slow.

 

Game 135. Holliday weekend! Matt’s 3-run HR keys Yanks’ 5-1 win.

The Yanks’ struggles after a 38-23 start can be addressed to several factors. Matt Holliday, so good up to mid-June (and going into yesterday, .137-3-7 since June 12), got a viral infection, and spent time on the DL. Aaron Judge has cooled off considerably from his superman-like early performance (.190 since July 4), Aaron Hicks went on the DL (and may be headed back there. Since coming off the DL, just .207) and Starlin Castro spent 2 stints on the DL. All simultaneously, or it has appeared so. The problems at 1B have been documented (Bird’s injuries, Chris Carter) and Brett Gardner also has been known to cool off in the second half over the course of his career.

Every team has injuries, but the losses of Hicks (despite Clint Frazier doing ok in his absence), Holliday and Castro all at about the same time really hurt. And it can take a while to get it back, even when off the DL.

Yesterday, Castro missed the game due to an emergency root canal. Hicks hurt his oblique and you worry about him being lost for the season.

But Holliday, in his first game back from the DL, hit a 3-run HR to key a 5-1 Yankees’ (72-63) victory. Maybe he can get back to where he was before June 12.

As for Judge, you hope and wonder when he’ll get it back. The Yanks can use it down the stretch.

Masahiro Tanaka continued his resurgence after a rocky start to this season by pitching seven strong innings to put him over .500 on the season.

The Yanks struck first when Chase Headley (3 hits) hit his 10th HR of the season, giving the Yanks a 1-0 lead in the second.

Boston tied it in the top of the sixth when Eduardo Nunez (tearing it up since Boston got him from SF; where was this Nunez when the Yanks had him?) doubled, went to third on a groundout, and scored on a WP.

Holliday broke that tie in the bottom of the sixth with his 3-run HR (17).

A triple by Ellsbury (who replaced the injured Hicks) and a single by Sanchez (3 hits) accounted for the final score of 5-1.

Tanaka (W, 11-10, 4.54) 7 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 2 W, 3 K.
Robertson 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.32
Betances 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. 2.29

With 27 games to go, the Yanks are 4 1/2 back of Boston in the AL East. Big pitching showdown tonight, Severino vs. Sale. The Yanks maintain a 1-game lead over the surprising Twins for the top wild card and have a 2 1/2 game cushion as far as dropping out of the playoffs altogether.

Game 66. CC, Didi, lead Yanks, 4-1.

CC Sabathia pitched six strong innings for the win, and Didi Gregorius’ sixth HR of the season, a 3-Run shot in the top of the seventh, led the Yanks to a 4-1 win on Thursday night and snapped their four game losing streak.

CC’s win enabled him to tie Kenny Rogers and Pedro Martinez on the all-time list with 219. He gave up a run in the fourth but lowered his ERA to 2.20. The Twins run scored on an RBI single by ex-Yankee Eduardo Nunez.

The Yanks tied it in the sixth on an Ellsbury single but should have had more. They had the bases loaded, no one out, and only scored one run.

But Gregorius’ HR in the seventh made up for it. Then came the Big 3.

Sabathia (w, 5-4, 2.20) 6 IP, 1 R,  6 H, 3 walks, 7 K.
Betances (H, 17) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 3.03.
Miller (H, 10) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 2 K. 1.26
Chapman (S, 12) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 2.25

The minors.

I’m heading away for the weekend so no reports for a couple of days.

AAA: SWB lost 5-1, getting just three hits. HR SS Carmen Angelini.

AA: Trenton won 3-0. Jaron Long, son of Yanks’ hitting coach Kevin Long, pitched 8 shutout innings. He is 6-1, 2.54 at AA this year, 11-4, 2.25 overall between Low A, High A and AA. He is a 22 yr. old righty. DH Rob Segedin 3 h, triple, rbi. 3B Dante Bichette, Jr. 2 hits, rbi, same with SS Ali Castillo. Two others with two hits each.

High A: Tampa won 10-6. 1B Rey Nunez 3 hits, double, 2 HR, 4 rbi. LF Ericson Leonora solo HR. C Trent Garrison 2 rbi. DH Mike Ford and CF Mark Payton each had 2 hits, rbi. Aaron Judge 2 hits.

Low A: Charleston won 12-0. SS Abiatal Avelino and 2B Tyler Wade with solo HR, Wade had 3 hits. 1B Bubba Jones with 2 doubles, 2 rbi. RF Yeicok Calderon 2 hits, rbi.

The minors.

AAA: SWB lost 11-2. Bryan Mitchell gave up 8 r in 4 2/3. DH Corban Joseph hit a solo HR.

AA: Trenton lost 8-2. 3B Dan Fiorito 3 hits, rbi. 3 others with 2 hits each.

High A: Tampa won 11-1. CF Mark Payton 4 for 4, HR, 2 RBI. DH Rey Nunez, HR, 2 rbi. RF Aaron Judge 3 hits, 2 doubles, HR, 3 RBI. 3B Eric Jagielo 3 h, rbi. Three others with two hits each.

Low A: Charleston lost 7-2. 2 RBI for CF Brandon Thomas.

The minors.

AAA: SWB scored 5 times in the top of the 9th to win 6-5. 2B Rob Refsnyder 3 hits, 3B Zelous Wheeler 2 rbi. RF Taylor Dugas and DH Corban Joseph 2 hits, rbi each.

AA: Trenton lost 4-3 in 12. 2 Hits, RBI LF Ben Gamel.

High A: Tampa hung on to win 8-7. SS Cito Culver 2 h, 2 rbi. 3B Eric Jagielo 4 for 4, rbi. C Trent Garrison 3 h, rbi and 1B Rey Nunez 2 doubles, rbi.

Low A: Charleston won 5-4. CF Brandon Thomas 2 h, HR, 2 RBI