HOF announcement tonight.

Baseball makes its HOF announcement tonight, as we see who the writers put in the Hall to join Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, who both were selected by committee earlier.

You need 75% to get in.

As of this writing, 211 votes, 51.2%, are known.

Derek Jeter is still running unanimously at 100%, we will see tonight if that still holds up and if Jeter will join Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous selections.

Larry Walker, in his last year on the ballot, is at 83.7%. Curt Schilling is at 78.7%.

But only a little over half of the votes are known. Usually when the other, non-publicized part comes in, players drop, and someone like Schilling then is really on the bubble.

Barry Bonds and one-time Yankee Roger Clemens are at 71.6 and 70.6% respectively, thus a little short and expected to drop once more votes become known.

So it appears as if Jeter and Walker get in and the question is whether Jeter is unanimous and if Schilling joins them

Other notables: staying on the ballot would be Omar Vizquel, Gary Sheffield (the one -time Yankee at 36%), Scott Rolen, Billy Wagner, Jeff Kent, Todd Helton, Manny Ramirez, one-time Yankee Andruw Jones (23.7%), Sammy Sosa, Andy Pettitte (the Yankees’ great is at 10.4%) and another former Yankee, Bobby Abreu (6.2%).

You need 5% to stay on the ballot. Abreu is on the bubble. Pettitte stays on, but isn’t getting much support.

It appears like these notables will drop off the ballot, among others:

Ex-Yankees Jason Giambi (1 vote), Alfonso Soriano (0). Eric Chavez (one vote). Brian Roberts (0) and Raul Ibanez (0). 

Also dropping off would be Cliff Lee (1), Adam Dunn (0), and Paul Konerko (1).

The bold is players with Yankees’ connections, even if ever so briefly.

WS Perfect Game Pitcher Don Larsen passes away at age 90.

Don Larsen, who authored the only perfect game in WS history on October 8, 1956, has passed away from esophageal cancer at the age of 90. The only other pitcher to throw a postseason no-hitter was Roy Halladay in the NLDS in 2010.

Larsen pitched for the Browns (1953), Orioles (1954), Yankees (1955-1959) KC A’s (1960-1961) White Sox (1961), Giants (1962-1964) Colt .45s/Astros (Houston was called the Colt .45s before going into the Astrodome–1964/1965), Orioles again (1965), and Cubs (1967).

He pitched in five WS, and was part of two WS Champions in 1956 and 1958. He won the 1956 WS MVP.

Pitching on the last St. Louis Browns team in 1953, and the first Baltimore Oriole team of 1954, he went 10-33 in those years, losing a MLB leading 21 in 1954.

But things changed when he was traded to the Yankees, for whom he went 45-24 in the next five years, and for whom he pitched that perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series—-a game my father attended. Things got rough again after leaving the Yanks, as he went 1-10 in 1960. Pitching on poor teams before and after pitching for the Yankees hurt Larsen’s career numbers.

For his career, Larsen had an 81-91 record, ERA 3.78, ERA+ 99. His 162 game average would be 48 games, 20 starts. 9-11, 3.78.

He pitched in 10 WS games, starting 6. He was 4-2, 2.75 in WS play, and started Game 7 of both the 1957 (loss) and 1958 (ND) World Series for the Yankees.

He pitched seven shutout innings in winning Game 3 of the 1958 WS.

Larsen was also a good hitting pitcher, hitting .242 with 14 HR in his career. In 1958, he hit .306 with 4 HR.

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Would be remiss in not pointing out the passing away of David Stern, age 77, former NBA commissioner who suffered a brain hemorrhage 3 weeks ago.

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There hasn’t been much action on the Yankees’ front, so an update on the HOF voting, via a tracker set up by Ryan Thibodaux:

With 115 votes, 27.9% counted, as of now, these ex-players would reach the 75% necessary to get in:

Derek Jeter, 100%
Larry Walker 86.1%
Curt Schilling 79.1%
Barry Bonds 76.5%
Roger Clemens 76.5%

As late ballots come in, and some voters remain anonymous, those numbers generally DROP, thus really putting Schilling, Bonds and Clemens all on the bubble.

Bonds and Clemens will have some voters, especially the anonymous ones, NOT voting on them because of steroid suspicions.

We’ll see if Jeter continues at 100% and joins Mariano Rivera as a unanimous selection.

Not getting one vote so far are sluggers Jason Giambi, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko and Alfonso Soriano—all of whom hit over 400 HR in their careers.

 

Game 84. Yanks win 6-2 behind 3 HR, but lose Gleyber to DL.

The Yanks kept pace with Boston, staying one game back (56-28, .667 winning pct., the Red Sox are 59-29, .670; with four less games, the Yanks would have to go 3-1 in those for a tie) by beating Atlanta 6-2, but had to put rookie sensation Gleyber Torres on the 10 day DL. The expectation and hope is that Gleyber comes back for the Subway Series against the Mets starting July 20.

It’s a hip injury.

Neil Walker and maybe Brandon Drury will man second base until Gleyber returns. Time for Walker (.188) to step up and earn his keep. He was close to a DFA before this. Tyler Wade will most likely be called from from SWB. Ronald Torreyes is away from SWB dealing with personal, family, issues.

We’ll see what happens. The Yanks were 10-9 when Gleyber made his MLB debut, and have gone 46-19 since he arrived. Some of the mediocre start you can blame on really cold weather, but you can also see the impact Gleyber had.

The Yanks got a run in the second on a double by Didi and a single by Bird.

In the third, Giancarlo Stanton hit HR #21, a 3-run shot, to make it 4-0.

Kyle Higashioka is 3 for 34 in his MLB career, but he become only the second Yankee (Alfonso Soriano) to have each of his first 3 hits be homers. HR #3 made it 5-0 in the third.

CC Sabathia gave up a run in the fifth and a solo HR in the sixth, but that was all the Braves would get on the day.

Aaron Judge closed out the scoring with HR #24 in the seventh.

6-2 Yanks.

Judge solo HR.
Stanton 3-Run HR.
Didi 2 hits.
Higashioka solo HR.

CC’s 243rd career win ties Juan Marichal on the all-time list.

Sabathia (W, 6-3, 3.02) 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 3 W, 5 K. 2 HBP. Gave up 1 HR.
Green (H, 11) 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K.  1.96
Betances 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  2.63
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  1.83

 

Game 94. Yanks shutout Orioles.

For the first time since they were 4-2, the Yanks are two games above .500 this season after they shutout the Orioles 5-0 Wednesday night.

The Yanks jumped on the board right away. Brett Gardner tripled leading off the bottom of the first and scored on a SF by Carlos Beltran.

Mark Teixeira’s 8th HR of the year, #402 of his career, made it 2-0 Yanks in the fourth.

Teix walked with the bases loaded in the sixth to make it 3-0.

In the seventh, Ronald Torreyes, playing 3rd because Chase Headley was a last minute scratch to due personal issues (hope all is OK), tripled, and scored on a Gardner SF.

Beltran finished the scoring in the eighth, when he hit his 20th HR of the season. Career HR #412 tied Alfonso Soriano on the all-time list.

Pineda (W, 4-9, 5.25) 6 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 2 walks, 8 K.
Betances (H, 24) 1 IP, 0 r, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K, 2.49.
Goody 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 0 K. 4.32.
Shreve 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H,   0 walks, 2 K. 4.30.

 

 

Games 71-73. Yanks win 3 in a row.

This will be quick. I apologize for no recent recaps, but I didn’t have home internet access. Something with Verizon and DSL lines.

Game 71. The Yanks got 3 HR, inc. a walkoff from Starlin Castro (10), to beat the Rockies 9-8. Chase Headley (4) had a grand slam, and Carlos Beltran hit his 19th HR,#411 career, to put him one behind Alfonso Soriano on the all-time list. Beltran’s HR was huge, as it cut an 8-4 Colorado lead down to 8-7 late in that game. Didi Gregorius then tied it with a single. Aroldis Chapman got the win.

Game 72. Rob Refsnyder got the GW RBI single, and Aaron Hicks hit his 3rd HR of the year in a 5-3 Yankees’ win. Tanaka (5-2, 3.01) with the win.

Game 73. The Yanks go over .500 to 37-36 with a 2-1 win. It was the best game Pineda pitched all year. RBI single for Beltran, and the winning run scored in the bottom of the eighth on an error. Once again, no runs DMC does the job. Teixiera returned to the lineup.

Pineda 6 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 walk, 8 K. Gave up HR. 5.51
Betances 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 2.97.
Miller (W, 5-0, 1.10) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 2 K.
Chapman (S, 15) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 2.70.

Games 67 & 68. Yanks back at .500

I spent a few hours in the emergency room of the hospital yesterday, and have two kidney stones which I still have to pass, so that is the reason for no reports yesterday.

A brief recap of Friday night’s game. The Yanks scored four in the first, keyed by a 2-run HR by Carlos Beltran (17/ 409 career) and that was all Masahiro Tanaka needed as he cruised to a 8-2 win. Tanaka is now 4-2, 2.91.

As for yesterday, the Yanks were down 4-0 in the top of the seventh when A-Rod homered (8, 695 career) to make it 4-2. Beltran tied it in the eighth with a 2-run shot (18, 410) and the Yanks got three in the ninth to go up 7-4. Jacoby Ellsbury’s two-run single being the key ninth inning hit.

Aroldis Chapman gave us a scare. With two out, he gave up back-to-back HRs to cut the lead to 7-6 before getting a groundout to end the game.

The Yanks are back at .500 at 34-34. Beltran needs two HR to tie Alfonso Soriano on the all-time list.

Once again, Pineda was giving up runs with two out. Sometimes with two out and two strikes. He’s had trouble closing out innings this year.

Pineda   5 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 0 walks, 9 K. Gave up 1 HR. 5.82
Swarzak 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 2 K. 2.84
Miller (w, 4-0, 1.21) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 2 K.
Chapman (S, 13) 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 walks, 2 K. Gave up 2 HR, 3.18.

I have to admit. Sometimes I wonder if it should be Chapman setting up Miller.

The Minors.

AAA: SWB won 2-1 in the completion of the suspended game from yesterday. Bryan Mitchell 4 Ip, 1 R. Diego Moreno 3 scoreless innings, 2.01. Chris Martin , on rehab, one scoreless IP.   CF Mason “Classical Gas” Williams 2 h, rbi, 2 hits for SS Cole Figueroa.

Other game: 5-1 win. Jaron Long 5 IP, 1 R. C Austin Romine 2, 2 RBI. CF Mason Williams 2 RBI.

AA: Trenton got just 3 hits in a 3-2 loss.

High A: Tampa lost 6-2. Gregorio Petit 1 for 4 on rehab. DH Dante Bichette, Jr. just sent down to High A from AA, 3 hits. RBI.

A: Charleston lost 5-2. OF Dustin Fowler 2 hits.

The Yanks signed Sergio Santos to a minor league deal. He is a righty reliever, 7-12, 3.95 in his MLB career, ERA 3.95. Soon to be 32. Worth a gamble, he saved 30 for the 2011 White Sox.

The Cubs signed Rafael Soriano to a minor league deal.

Robertson gone to White Sox

It wasn’t the four years and $50MM he wanted, but it was close, at four years and $46MM, and as a result, David Robertson is now an ex-Yankee.

Robertson signed a deal with the White Sox late last night.

Robertson was 4-5, 39 saves and an ERA of 3.08 (ERA+ 126) last year for the Yanks as he took over the closer role from the retired Mariano Rivera. In his time with the Yankees (2008-2014), Robertson was 25-19, 47 saves and an ERA of 2.81 (ERA+ 150). His 162 g. average was 4-3, 2.81, ERA+ 150 with 8 saves (most of his career was as a setup man to Mo).

So the Yankees have to decide which way they will now go. Have Betances and the newly acquired Andrew Miller share the closer role, or get someone in and have a three-headed monster? Jason Grilli, 38, is a free agent. Grilli was 0-2, 2.70, with 33 saves for the Pirates in 2013. Grilli went 1-5, 4.00 with 12 saves for the Pirates and Angels in 2014.

The Yanks could also go “back to the future” by bringing back Rafael Soriano. Soriano turns 35 next week. Soriano stepped in as the Yanks closer in 2012, saving 42 games that year after Mariano Rivera went down with a torn ACL. Soriano was 2-3, 4.12 and had 2 saves as Mo’s setup man in 2011, then went 2-1, 2.26 and 42 saves in 2012 after Mo got hurt. Soriano finished 20th in MVP balloting in 2012.

Soriano in 2014 went 4-1, 3.19 with 32 saves for Washington.

The Yanks may also look to make a trade. Time will tell if they stand pat, get Grilli or Soriano off the free agent market, or make a trade.

Another move. Yankees DFA Alfonso Soriano.

The Yanks DFA’d Alfonso Soriano today. the 38 year old veteran was hitting just .221-6-23 for the Yanks this year, and his OPS+ was only 68. He drew just six walks and struck out 71 times.

Soriano is a .270 career hitter with 412 career HR, of which 121 came in two stints with the Yankees.

Game 79. Tanaka, Yanks, lose heartbreaker, 2-1.

In his last two outings, Masahiro Tanaka has given up 5 runs in 16 IP.

That is an ERA of 2.81. But Tanaka has lost both games because in those 16 innings, he got one unearned run of support.

Saturday night, Tanaka pitched a complete game, but two mistakes, both hit for HR, cost him the game, 2-1.

Tanaka gave up a HR to Cody Ross in the top of the 3rd. The Yanks tied the game in the bottom half of the inning on an error, HBP, sac bunt by Gardner and groundout by Jeter. Jeter did get one hit tonight to go to 3391 for his career, but also had a key GIDP besides the RBI groundout.

I hate to say this, but in my opinion, Jeter shouldn’t be hitting second anymore. Ellsbury isn’t a #3 hitter. But Girardi 1) doesn’t want to disrespect Jeter by dropping him to 8th in the lineup, even though, halfway through the season, Jeter’s numbers for the year project to .270-4-37 or so, which isn’t that great (ok for a 40 year old but very Alvaro Espinoza-like, otherwise) and 2) Girardi is so tied into splitting up the lefty hitters Gardner and Ellsbury by having the righty hitting Jeter hit between them. Personally, I feel that keeping Jeter second, and not putting Gardner/Ellsbury 1-2 is hurting the team. Of course, the problem, then, is who do you hit #3? For the guys supposed to be the beef of the lineup are not producing.

The game stayed at 1-1 until the 9th. Heck, in the fourth, Tanaka showed a lot of mettle. He gave up a leadoff single to Pedroia (the little pest had three hits tonight) and a double to Ortiz. 2nd and 3rd, no one out and Tanaka got two strikeouts and a ground out to get out of it. GUTS.

But the Yanks did not even get a hit off Lester until the sixth.

In the top of the 9th, with two out and two strikes on Napoli, Tanaka threw a fastball. Should he have thrown the splitter? In retrospect, yes. The fastball was 96 and on the black, but up. An inch further outside and Napoli may swing and miss for strike three. But he went the other way and the ball cleared the short porch by a foot to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead and ultimately, the win.

After the HR, Napoli supposedly called Tanaka a “f***ing idiot.” I know what I’d do tomorrow if I were pitching. I don’t expect Whitley, a rookie, to do it. I’d shave Napoli’s ugly beard with my first pitch. You don’t disrespect my teammate by saying that. I show toughness. I knock his ass down. I’d love to see Whitley do that tomorrow night. If Napoli charges the mound, bring it on. But Napoli showed no class by doing that tonight. F*** Napoli.

Now as for the Yanks. I got to be honest here. Being less than honest isn’t my style and you would have every right to disrespect me and my postings if I weren’t. This offense needs some help. You read above that I don’t think that Jeter should be hitting second anymore. If his name wasn’t Derek Jeter he probably wouldn’t be. You just gave your ace only one unearned run of support over his last 16 innings of very good work.

Hey, Koufax and Seaver and every other great pitcher couldn’t win with only one unearned run of support over a 16 inning stretch.

2B. Brian Roberts is 36 and is hitting .237. He hasn’t been a full-time player in four years because of injury. The future is now. Bring up Rob Refsnyder, who was hitting .342 at AA Trenton and even though he has been at AAA only a couple of weeks, is raking there. He is the future. Roberts isn’t. Start the future now. See what you have in him.

RF: Soriano is hitting .228. He is 38 years old. I love Soriano. He has had a great career. But he is one of the biggest reasons this offense has been struggling (along with McCann and Beltran). RF is a major problem for the Yanks right now. Heck, Sori’s defense tonight was questionable, let alone that .228. Bring back Almonte and play him everyday or bring in a power-hitting RF. That brings me to Ichiro. Yes, Gardner, Ellsbury and Ichiro are a good defensive OF, but Ichiro, despite a .298 BA, has absolutely no pop anymore. Of Ichiro’s 45 hits, 41 are singles, 4 are doubles. If you play him with Gardner & Ellsbury, your OF is one of the weakest in the league power-wise. Get rid of Soriano, make Ichiro a backup defensive OF/PR and either get a RF or play Almonte everyday to see what you have. But get one with some pop in his bat.

The middle of the lineup has Teix (who leads the team in HR and RBI) at .243. Beltran (who has 2 more years on his deal) at .209. McCann, in the first year of a five-year deal, at .224. Soriano is at .228. The Yanks can’t and won’t win if that continues. It’s amazing that they are only two games out right now, considering the lack of production by the middle of the lineup and the fact that 3/5 of their Opening Day starting rotation is on the DL. They are still in it, but to stay in it and win it some members of the offense either need to pick it up, be benched, and/or a deal must be made. Some may not like to hear that, but we are halfway through the season. I say this not to be negative but to try and improve this team, for the Yanks middle of the lineup cannot continue like that. Period.

For you see the result. They waste a great outing by Tanaka tonight. They are forcing pitchers to be perfect. Even Tanaka isn’t perfect, and he is the best of the bunch. What about someone like Phelps, Whitley or Nuno?

Tanaka’s ERA actually DROPPED tonight. 9 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 1 walk, 8 K. ERA 2.10 (came in at 2.11). He still leads the majors in wins (11) and CG (3) and the AL in ERA (2.10), and ERA+ (190).

This was a tough loss. But the middle of the Yanks offense MUST produce better. At present, and at its current pace, the Yanks RBI leader at the end of the year will have only 84 RBI or so. Nowhere near 100. That won’t cut it.

As far as help on the way, CC went 2 1/3 at High A Tampa in a rehab outing. 2 R on 3 H. Pineda threw 25 pitches from 60 feet, no problems. Both 4-6 weeks away, but even if they come back healthy and well, what kind of offensive support will they receive?

Moves are forthcoming. I suggested a few of my own. But something needs to be done to make the team better so that they can make the postseason, and every Yankees fan wants to see that.