Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Dog Days of Summer

So the dog days of Summer are upon the baseball season and how are the Yankees being treated...so far not good. They are 3-5 in August and have begun a 20 day consecutive game stretch. Though 3-5 isn't great they did face some decent competition. Started with the Rays, Jays, and Sox. They split with the Sox and in reality were in position to win all 4. They had plenty of opportunity to win even with Cervelli's error in the first game. Now off to Texas, home for Detroit and ending the 20 day stretch in Toronto (with KC and Seattle sandwiched in there somewhere). I could see them realistically going 10-6 over the next couple weeks and that should be good enough to maintain 1st place in the East. They finish the month by playing Chicago and Oakland (I believe Oakland has the best record in MLB since May).

The other thing favoring the Yankees is that the Rays just had 2 pitchers hit the DL with shoulder problems, while the Yankees are on the verge of getting healthier; Pettitte is due back and Aceves is officially starting his rehab stint tonight (scheduled to start and throw 1 inning).

As for the trade deadline moves...so far I like Kerry Wood out of the pen, Berkman showed life in the Sox series, and I don't think Kearns has seen enough action yet.

I can't see the Yankees trying to add a player like Guillen. If it's a big bat that somehow got through the waiver wire (ie Dunn)then maybe they would consider a claim, but I can't see that happening.

17 comments:

Crash said...

Can't believe they lost that game last night. Mo has been great ll year. So I can't fault him here. What I do know is that Mo doesn't like to intentionally walk batters. I've seen Girardi do that a couple times with Mo and it has always gone bad. It was a decent performance from Burnett yesterday.

Hopefully Vazquez can shut down the Texas hitters and the Yankees can scratch a run or 2 off of Cliff Lee tonight.

Crash said...

With Posada ailing again and Cervelii making some mistakes and not hitting quite as well as earlier in the year, is it possible that we see Montero in September? He was struggling earlier this season (batting about .240) but he now has his average up to over .280 and has a dozen bombs.

old professor said...

Couple of items regarding last nights game: first the Yankees are not playing crisp baseball nor does it appear some of the moves are very smart. Case in point they get a player in a rundown and he is able to get back to third safely. This is something that happens in little league. Regarding some of the moves - put Pena in to run for A-Rod and with the double switch that occurred, Gardner was hitting clean-up rally falls short and Yankees lose game one in Texas.

Yankees showed some life in the win over Texas. Trailing 6-1 versus Cliff Lee should mean the game is over - Texas Heat 1; Texas Rangers 0.

As for the trade deadline moves. Berkman will hit, but not be a great addition. Defensely he is not Texiera (he is not Tex offensively either). Kearns is a good pick up. He can play all three outfield positions and gvies them a good bat off the bench. His catch in the ninth inning last night was key to victory.

It is also interesting to note that Kevin Long asked to keep Granderson out of the lineup so he could continue to work on a complete swing makeover.

57 said...

Did you all see what KROD did after the Mets game last night?

old professor said...

57, the Muts knew what they were getting when they singed this head case. He was pouting because he was not called on to close out the game with only four outs to go - It is obvious that Jerry has to go. All games for the Mets are now important and if you need your closer for four outs, use him.

Oh and it was just announced, he has been suspended for two games.

old professor said...

The Yankees seem bent on making every game close to the end. The Royals came close to pulling the game out in the ninth.

Any one surprised that Joba stayed in the pen and Robertson was called on to get the last out of the game?

It would appear Chamberlain's stock is continuing to slide in the eyes of those making the decisions for the Yankees.

Crash said...

I think Joba's stock is rising...he's pitched well the last couple of outings. Seems that the addition of Kerry Wood and Robertson's improved performance has sparked a little fire under Joba's fat ass.

Did you see the Yankees throw the ball around yesterday like a bunch of little leaguers??? Cano throws wide of first, Cervelli walks to the ball then rushes his throw to second and ends up airmailing it to the OF. 2 throwing errors on 1 play.

Not sure how the Yankees can be shut out by the Royals...AJ actually pitched really well too. The Yankees needed to take 3 of 4 against one of the worst teams in the American League.

At least they're back home for a week. 4 against the Tigers followed by 3 against the Mariners. They really need 5 wins on this homestand.

Crash said...

57, just saw that the K-Rod is done fir the year after injuring his thumb in that fight. Word is Mets will look to void contract since the injury was suffered while committing a criminal act. Of course the MLBPA will fight it all the way, but I hope the Mets are successful.

More pressing news is the Yankees lack of offense. Also A-Rod, Swisher, and Berkman are all questionable for at least a game or two, possibly longer, because of injuries. Yankees need to turn it around quick. Rays are now tied for the AL East lead.

old professor said...

Crash, the Mets have started the process of voiding the contract. K-Rod is a punk who had overblown his own worth. Think of it this way: Mets had Heath Bell - now an all star closer for San Diego; Mets had Billy Wagner - now the closer for Atlanta. They dump those two and end up with K-Rod. May lead to some credence to the belief that Omar has this thing about signing certain types of players. Regardless the Jerry Manuel and Omar experiment in NY should be over during this off season if not sooner.

As for Swisher, he was back in the line up last night and had a good night. A-Rod will be out for at least five games. CC again proves to be the stopper for a losing streak.

Bad news on Pettitte - still has a persistent mild strain of the groin. While that is good news for Dustin Mosley, it is not good news for the team. Maybe the added rest will keep Pettitte fresh for the September push and playoffs.

Crash said...

Heard something interesting if not a little worrisome...the Rays and the Yankees are obviously going to be battling it out down the stretch and it quite possibly could come down to the last week of the season.

The Rays last 10 games are against: Seattle, Baltimore, and KC. While the Yankees last 10 are against: Boston, Toronto, and Boston...the Rays do meet head-to-head the series before. So the Yankees have to go through the hardest part of the AL East the last 2 weeks.

The Yankees may have the toughest last month I can remember in a long time...OAK, Toronto, Baltimore, Texas, Tampa, Baltimore, Tampa, Boston, Toronto, and Boston. With the way Baltimore is playing there isn't an easy game in the last month. If the Yankees win the east, or just make the playoffs, they will have earned it the hard way. Just don't know how much they'll have left in the tank come October.

Crash said...

Berkman to the DL, Yankees called up Eduardo Nunez. This should add some IF depth as A-Rod is nicked up too.

old professor said...

Crash, the Yankees only have to continue to win series. They have two series left against the Rays. Sweep both series and the rest could be history. The series win against Detroit was the first series win since before the trade deadline.

It appears as if Texiera, Cano and Swisher are carrying the team. A-Rod is beginning to breakdown and Jeter is on pass to set a record on hitting into double plays. He has killed two potential game winning rallies by hitting into double plays. His average is the lowest at this point in the season for his career. Not good if you are going into the final months of your contract. It will be interesting to see what kind of contract is offered. My guess three years with a club option for a fourth.

Crash said...

The Yankees are now 30 games over .500 with a 77-47 record. If they play .500 ball the rest of the way the end with 96 wins. While that's impressive I'm not sure that would win the AL East this year. This last month-plus is going to be a nail biter right to the end.

Ivan Nova is getting the start tonight. He was having a great year at S/WB (12-3, 2.86 ERA)and was almost traded a couple times at the deadline. He's probably the Yankees best pitching prospect right now. He's a groundball pitcher, doesn't strike people out. Some scouts say he's a future #3 starter. Let's see if this kid can produce in the bigs. The other good thing about this move is that he's on the roster prior to Sept 1, so if successful the Yankees could use him in the post season.

old professor said...

Nova pitched extremely well last night. He got out of trouble in the first (let's say he was a little nervous) on a great throw from Gardner and then pitched lights out the rest of the way.

Yankees may want to give Robertson a few days off. He looks tired and his command the last couple of outtings is not there.

96 wins will not win the east and might even call in to question whether they would get into the playoffs. Boston is only 5.5 games back and that can be made up within the two series the Yankees have left with them.

Boston and Tampa have a number of games left and it will give one of them the opportunity to knock the other out of contention (unless they split).

Crash said...

I liked Nova...and so did Girardi. Nova is scheduled to start Sunday. Javy Vazquez is being skipped and is essentially in the pen.

If I'm the Yankees I'm burying a fastball in the ribs of Bautista every time he comes up to the plate. This guy goes from hitting 59 HRs his entire career with a single season high of 16, to 40 HR's so far this season. Is it wrong to accuse him of PED use, YES. Is it wrong to be skeptical and call it into question, NO. Keith Law was blasting someone for questioning it. All we heard for the past 10 years as how everyone should have questioned it more. No we do and people are calling it unfair. Pure hypocrisy.

I have inside word that Damon will not be accepting the trade to Boston.

Crash said...

Saw this stat last night from Jack Curry...Hughes got to 2 strikes on 18 batters last night, 12 of them reached base. That is down right terrible. I didn't get to see the game but I was listening to it in the car. It seemed he was suffering from Mike Mussina's nibbling habit...get 2 strikes then nibble until you walk the batter. Perfect example, Hughes was facing Aaron Hill in the second inning I think...Hill is batting .208 for the season and was 2 for 15 (.133)against Hughes in his career. Hughes gets to 2 strikes early then ends up walking this guy. Are you kidding???

And Vazquez looked bad out of the pen. Wonder if the Yankees would put him through waivers and try to move him at this point. Don't think they would because Pettitte is still out and the rotation is a little short right now after CC.

Crash said...

Yankees finished the 20-game straight stretch and went 11-9...not bad but could have been a little better, considering 5 of the losses were by 1 run and another was by 2 runs.

This last 30+ games of the season are brutal. They play everyone in the AL East twice then throw in a series with Chicago, Oakland & Texas. To maintain first place in the East they probably have to go 21-14 or so.

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