Monday, May 23, 2011

Turning the Corner?

So all the rumblings about the Yankees big losing streak has subsided a bit. The split the 2 game set with Tampa, they swept Baltimore and take 2 of 3 from the Mets. So all of a sudden they have won 5 of their last 6. The hard part about their 3 most recent losses 1. They scored 4 off of Lester, but blew the lead the 4-1 lead late and lost 5-4. 2. They scored 5 off of Price and blew the 5-1 lead late losing 6-5. 3. Then they couldn't hit the knuckle ball against Dickey, which is odd because these guys destroy Wakefield.

What I like about yesterday's game was despite hanging a 9 spot on the Mets, only 1 HR was hit. All others were base hits with RISP. I'm worried about the Blue Jays coming in. They have been hot...well Bautista has been hot. If I'm Girardi there is no way I pitch to this guy at all, regardless of the situation. Other than That I think the pitching matchups favor the Yankees heavily. Colon goes tonight, CC tomorrow, and Freddy on Wed.

Jeter is now 25 hits shy of 3,000. Posada still sucks, when he came up in the 7th with the bases loaded before he even stepped into the box I actually called out a strikeout looking at a breaking ball right down the middle of the plate. He's terrible, with no pitch recognition at all. If it's straight he'll hit it, but unfortunately at the bi leagues even fastballs have movement. I like Dickerson, he can hit a little and looks to be a defensive upgrade in RF and has shown a real good arm. Hasn't shown power yet.

38 comments:

old professor said...

I am not convinced the Yankees have turned a corner yet. During their losing streak the team looked terrible and some of their weaknesses were exposed (e.g. breaking stuff and soft stuff). As the addage goes - a team is never as bad as they look during a losing streak and never as good as they do during long winning streaks.

As for the Blue Jays their starting pitching has been okay as has their pen. Their offense tends to be streaky and is predicated on Batista.

As for Dickerson - he has more speed than Swisher and while he does not have the power numbers will make more consistent contact from the left side. He will see more playing time because the team cannot afford to have both Swisher and Posada in the line up against right handers.

Posada is washed up and probably knows it but refuses to accept the fact.

To an earlier post - the Sox signing Milwood indicates they are in a panic mode with Lackey and Dice-K on the DL and with Wakefield with an ERA over 5.00.

It is also odd to take into consideration the Yankee losing streak and realize they are in first place by percentage points.

old professor said...

An additional thought about turning the corner. Andrew Jones is hitting .191; Posada .182; Servelli .158 and Swisher .214. The rest of the team is hitting fairly decently. Overall and counting the above individuals the team average is .258. I cannot believe the minor leagues don't have individuals that will perform at a higher level of offense than those guys. Jones is supposed to be the right handed hitter when Gardner or Granderson is out of the lineup. Cervelli is the backup and his defense may be worse than his offensive production.

Crash said...

I totally agree. I would expect Jones to be released pretty soon. He has 2 HR 3 RBI and 3 Runs. Not sure who is out there for OF depth, I know Phillies just signed Scott Posednick. Fortunately, Granderson has been hitting lefties and Gardner has been pretty hot lately. So that can rest a while.

Cervelli hasn't hit anything since coming back, and his defense is bad. Montero would be hitting more, his defense couldn't be any worse than Cervelli's and he would be learning at the big league level, could be getting AB's at DH too.

Chavez should be on his way back shortly.

Crash said...

Just read that Moose Skowron is battling lung cancer. He is an often overlooked player from the Mantle era. 1960 was probably his best season, .309, 26, 91.

Anonymous said...

Posada killed two rallies last night. He still has not gotten a hit of a lefthanded pitcher.

While Mid does not like Swisher, you have to like his most recent response: "I am disappointed I am not playing, but I back my manager and his decisions". That is something Posada should try.

Regarding Skowron, he was an unsung hero on the 61 team. He batted fifth or sixth and ended the season with 28 homeruns and played a good defense at first. More importantly he and Bob Cerv babysat Mantle and Maris.

On a non-baseball matter, but from your childhood, Randy Macho Man Savage passed away.

(Oh I have to sign in as anonymous because of difficulties with my password).

Crash said...

Casman's memo to Hal: I told you so!!! Soriano is scheduled to visit Dr. Andrews.

old professor said...

The signing of Soriano was a high priced gamble as the Yankees tried not to lose the headlines game to the Red Sox. The gamble cost the team a lot of money and a number one draft pick. It is obvious they no longer can count on this guy to replace Mo in two years. The best case scenario for the team now is he opts out of his contract at the end of the year and goes to some team that is desperate for a closer.

Comeback win last night was great. Yankees stand alone in first place.

Crash said...

It was a great come from behind win. I was force to flip between the game and some other shows that I won't mention here...but I was able to see the ending, surprised to see that CC got the win, thought Girardi would have pulled him after 7, then I saw he only threw 103 pitches or so. A decent outing seeing how all the damage was in 1 inning.

old professor said...

Please don't tell me you were watching Dancing with the Stars!! There is a reason there is a recliner and TV in my den. The cat I and watch Yankee Baseball whenever we can.

Watching this afternoon's game and the Yankees appear to have their hitting shoes on.

old professor said...

Garcia turns in a decent game and the bullpen did its job. Andrew Jones hits two home runs - maybe the end of the world is just around the corner. In another telling process, A-Rod served as DH as Posada sits AGAIN. It would appear his days may be numbered with this team.

old professor said...

Soriano out for at least two more months with an inflamed tendon in the area that was surgically repaired a few years ago. Damaged goods that was signed to an extremely high contract. They will probably have to go in and do some cleanup to find out what is causing the inflamation. We can always hope he opts out of his contract.

Crash said...

With Fred Wilpon's most recent comments about his star players like Beltran, Reyes, and Wright...wonder if Yankees could make a trade for David Wright. With A-Rod aging and his range of motion declining at 3rd, A-Rod could become the full time DH with Posada obviously out the door, if the Yanks acquire Wright...just sayin'...

old professor said...

Why would the Yankees want Wright? He is coming off an injury of a fracture in his back. His mobility may (and that is may) be impaired to a degree. Yes he is younger and maybe more athletic than A-Rod, but right now it would appear the Nunez is being seriously looked at for filling in at Short and Third and giving both A-Rod and Jeter more rest.

I agree with the belief that Posada is done as dh. He will be relegated to some dh duty but mostly pitch hitting. He may eventually get tired of sitting and leave. I do not believe this is something coming from Girardi,but from upstairs. Jeter may want to carefully monitor what is going on because it could be a glimpse into his future.

Crash said...

You're joking about Wright, right? He's in the top 3 for 3B right now, busted back or not (Longoria, Zimmerman, and Wright). A-Rod would have trouble cracking the top 5. Wright is only 28, he's a career .302 hitter, and averages 20+ HR and 20+ SB. Now take into account he only hit 10 HRs in 2009 because of the Citi-effect and he actually has a lot better #'s power wise. Oh yeah and he's a gold glove winner. Plus he's a free agent after next season (there is a team option for 2013 though). Yankees could sign him to a 5 or 6 year extension and still be done with him when he's 35 (no Jeter like issues to worry about).

old professor said...

Crash, what would the Yankees have to give up to get Wright - Nova, Montero, Nunez and two yet to be unnamed prospects. Mets need pitching and catching. You don't know what the injury to Wright will result in: slower speed? less risk taking on the base paths? not diving for shots up the middle? modified swing? Or he could be absolutely fine no one will know until he is back from the DL.

Wonder if there is any connection between Soriano going on the dl and the team's improved play - Bobby Cox had trouble with the guy in the clubhouse in Atlanta and Maddon had trouble with him in Tampa. Clear sign to the front office: sign the checks, work with the GM, but keep out of the actual personnel for team decision making.

Crash said...

Yankees would not have to give up that much for Wright. Especially if they had to pick up all of his salary. Nova and Romine plus a lower level prospect.

The only way you trade Montero is if Felix Hernandez becomes available. And the way Cashman got screwed over by Jack Zduriencik in the Lee deal last year, I can't see that happening. Speaking of the Mariners, Yankees get both Pineda and Hernandez in this series. Pineda may break the single game strikeout record tonight against the Yankees. The Yankees tend to strikeout a lot, if Pineda can keep the pitch count down he'll easily strike out double digits, probably in the teens, and an outside shot at 20. Still think the Yankees will win the game probably 1-0.

Crash said...

Just a couple non-Yankee notes...the Buster Posey play actually made me cringe seeing it. Nasty break of the leg/ankle. Aceves got a win for the Sox last night, remind me again why the Yankees cut him? I may actually watch the NBA finals between the Heat and Mavs. And Hangover 2 looks great, can't wait to see it tonight.

old professor said...

Regarding Aceves. You may remember he was coming off back issues and had broken his clavical in a biking accident prior to Spring Training. He was a free agent and the Yankees offered him a minor league contract. Yankees were rewarded for taking him off of the Mexican Scrap heep by being rejected. Red Sox signed him and added him to the roster after some bullpen injuries. He may have gotten the win last night, but if you check his recent ERA, he has not been completely effective.

As for possible trades. With the way Nova has pitched (when on) I don't see the Yankees trading him. He is in a steep learning curve and will only get better. He is 24 (???) and has with his delivery should be trouble free for a few years. Don't tinker with trading starters now until you are sure that Banuelos, Batances and Brackman are real deals for the rotation.

Crash said...

Nova has an ERA above 4.50 and has a whip close to 1.6. Too many hits, too many walks and can't go deep into games on a consistent basis. Yankees need to stop babying these guys. They need to get these guys up when they're 21 and 22 not 24-27. Mid-20's is young in terms of life span, but not career span when your career is professional sports.

old professor said...

Crash as for babying pitchers, it comes down to two things: (a) innings pitched and (b) is the stuff they are throwing major league ready - have they learned enough to be successful. You can see what happens when they rush a young pitcher to the majors- Hughes threw more innings last year than at any other time in his career - he is now on the DL with no timetable to return. Nova has has the stuff, but not necessarily the confidence yet. I would expect his game against the Angels will be big for him. Fail and he is headed to Triple A, pitch well and he stays for one or two more starts.

Colon pitches a gem of a game - I may look into the stem cell surgery in the Dominican.

old professor said...

Oh if only the Yankees had a chance at do overs - Juan Miranda was traded to the Diamondbacks to free up space on the 40 man roster and because they didn't believe there was room for him because of Texiera being at first.

They would probably love to have him as their dh. He is hitting .250 with 12 extra base hits (5 doubles 2 triples and 5 homeruns) 15 RBIs an OBS of 370 and SLG of 490. He would be a serious upgrade over the current dh oh and he is only 28.

Ian Kennedy is 6-1 with a 3.01 ERA and a WHIP of 1.04. I think the team gave up on him way to early. (Much like it looks as if they will do with Nova).

Crash said...

Kennedy was a head case in NY. They will stick with Nova because he has already shown he can deal with the pressure of NY. Kennedy couldn't. Kennedy would not be the same pitcher he is now in NY. While Miranda I think would hit in NY. In fact his power numbers would be up in NY. Also Jose Tabata is doing well again. Last year he hit .299 with 4 HR and 19 SB, this year the average is down to .247 but he already has 3 HR and 13 SB. He's always hit around .300 so I'm guessing that average comes up. They'll miss him at some point.

Could Colon win the CY Young this year? He'll definitely get comeback player of the year.

old professor said...

If you want to talk about head cases, Tabata is one and that is why the Yankees so readily gave up on him. It is also odd how so many of the prospects the Yankees give up on do well once they are given a chance. The list is long over many years: Larry Gura, Tippy Martinez, Jay Buhner, Brad Ausmus, Damaso Garcia, Marte (actually traded away and brought back), Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Tabata, etc....

old professor said...

Yankee bats come alive and Garcia wiggles into and out of trouble to beat the A's.

Granderson continues to amaze on how he hits lefties. Even A-Rod had a good night with three hits.

They need to get on a roll - sweep the A's and win two of three from the halos.

Crash said...

The Yankees have done pretty well against good pitching this year. They scored 4 off of Lester recently, 5 off of Price (both ended up as losses though) the scored a bunch against Pineda and Felix Hernandez. And have taken 2 games against a staff widely considered the best in baseball. After tonight's game, they'll have to continue that trend in LA becuase it looks like they get Weaver, Haren, and Santana. Yankees are scheduled to throw Nova, CC, and Colon. Yankees should take 2 of 3 if not sweep that upcoming series.

Posada should get another night off against lefty Gio Gonzalez tonight. AJ has pitched well the last 2 games, he needs to continue that against a weak hitting A's team.

Granderson is amazing right now. He keeps this up and he's more than an All-Star selection, he's going to be in the MVP conversation. He's "on pace" for .284, 51 HR, 125 RBI, 134 R, and 24 SB. WOW!!! Just for comparison sake Jose Bautista is on pace for .362, 58, 111, 132, & 14. I think I would lean Granderson's way. So this makes losing Jackson a little easier but I would still rather have Jackson over Swisher right now. A-Rod is getting hits and driving in runs, but the power outage is confusing. He usually gets hit with line drive hits, then all of sudden blasts like 7 HR's in a week. So I expect his power to return really soon.

old professor said...

Regarding Austin Jackson - he is hitting .225 has not shown any power and has struck out 64 times in 52 games. Granderson is a significant upgrade over Jackson.

Crash said...

Granderson is a completely different player than the one that showed up most of last year. I hope it continues for the entire season.

old professor said...

Yankees sweep A's and go to the Angels who have been struggling lately.

The rotation seems to be in another hot streak and there actually appears to be some timely hitting with runners in scoring position. The team could be on one of those streaks again. If so let's hope it continues through the Angels and then through the homestand.

Crash said...

Dan Haren had a bullpen session cut short due to back problems, his start for Saturday is in question. Could be a break for the Yankees. AJ pitched well yesterday, thought Joba was going to cough up the lead but he got a big double play to get out of the jam. Swisher says he's feeling well again and he is starting to hit a little more.

Now A-Rod is being "investigated" again because he continues to hang out with the same cousin that injected with PEDs. He was seen at the team hotel this week in San Fran. A-Rod has to be a complete idiot if he's bringing this guy anywhere near the team. The team is on a nice roll right now, they don't need this kind of distraction.

Crash said...

Love this sarcastic look at AllStar balloting by Jim Caple.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/110602_yankee_fans&sportCat=mlb

Here's my AL All-Star Ballot:
1B: Miguel Cabrera
2B: Cano
3B: A-Rod
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera
OF: Matt Joyce, Jose Bautista, and Granderson
C: Alex Avila
DH: David Ortiz

There is no way Jeter or Tex should make the All-Star team. Tex is having a decent year but there are at least 3 that could be ahead of him: A-Gon, Cabrera and Konerko. Arguments could even be made for Adam Linda and Mitch Moreland ahead of Tex. Jeter should be even further back going 5 or 6 deep too. Cabrera, Peralta, Ramierez, Yunel Escobar, and maybe even Andrus are having better seasons. Well at least Posada isn't getting votes for DH.

old professor said...

I believe there are three legitimate all stars on this years team: Granderson, Cano and Texiera (his offensive production is picking up and you cannot argue with his defensive ability. To have Jeter, Russell Martin and A-Rod leading the voting at this point is criminal.

old professor said...

As the first year player draft approaches, the Yankees will have to wait until the 51st pick, the unfortunate consequences of signing Soriano. It will be interesting to see who they draft. Odds are they will go for a pitcher.

Garrett Cole the teams first round pick from three years ago is in the draft having proven himself at UCLA. Yankees never got the chance to even make him an offer when drafted. He should go high in the draft.

Crash said...

Why is A-Rod leading "criminal"? He's having a very decent year and is the best offensive selection at 3B. The only one who may have a gripe is Beltre, but A-Rod is batting 40 points higher, Beltre has more RBI, but HR, R are a wash. Get the facts!

Martin is probably the 2nd or 3rd best C right now from an offensive standpoint. Aviles and probably Arencibia are ahead of him, maybe Pierzynski but AJ's power numbers and RBI totals are down so far.

Non-Yankee topic...I'm really disappointed in the amount of whining the Giants are doing about losing Buster Posey for the season over that sick collision at home plate last week. Yes it was a tough play, yes Cousins went after Posey and not really the plate. He made a conscious decision to take him out. But guess what it was a clean play. They're acting like a bunch of little bitches...you don't want to get hurt go back to tee ball.

Crash said...

I usually follow the draft pretty closely but I haven't gotten into this year. Not even sure who the Yankees are targeting. The only thing I know is they lose their first round pick to the Rays for the piece of garbage Soriano.

What I don't get is how Boston is still allowed to have multiple first round picks in the draft. They signed Crawford so the Rays get their first round pick, but they get the Tigers first pick because of Victor Martinez and Texas' first pick for Beltre. So the Rays get #24, 31, 32 in the first round, then 38, 41, and 42 in the comp round. Red Sox get picks #19 & 26 in the first round #36 & 40 in the comp round...all before the Yankees get their first pick of the day at #51??? The Rays also get picks 52, 56, 59 and 60 in the 1st comp round. The Rays have 10 picks before the second round, Yankees have 1!!! That's incredible. If the Yankees don't sign Soriano they have a first round pick and a comp pick, and they take 2 picks away from the Rays. Ownership screwed the pooch on that deal.

old professor said...

Regarding the draft issues - why do you think Cashman was reluctant to go out and sign Soriano. He knew the price tag/contract would be high, but so would the lost draft picks. Yankees do get a comp pick from the Marlins because of Vasquez. This is a deep draft the Rays will get only stronger because of the number of picks they will have.

The Rays were willing to pay the price in losing all of those free agents (Crawford, Soriano and 1/2 of the rest of the bullpen)knowing what they would get in return from the draft - several young, inexpensive good prospects that will put them in contention for several years.

As for A-Rod - come on he is streaky at best has not shown significant power this season (yet).

Crash said...

Just heard Logan Morrison of the Marlins blow up Posey and Sabean on XM MLB Inside Pitch. More respect for that guy now than Posey or Sabean combined. Morrison was VERY candid with his comments but came off a hell of lot better than Sabean. 100% of MLB players would say that hit is clean. Cousins has received multiple death threats. Stay classy San Francisco.

Crash said...

White Sox DFA Jeff Marquez. He was the pitching prospect the Yankees sent for Swisher. That kid was suppose to be a mid/front rotation pitcher. Amazing how many of these "prospects" just don't make it.

old professor said...

Crash, Marquez being designated for assignment is a formality to clear roster space for Mark Teahan. They called him up from Triple A late in May when Teahan went on the DL and never used him. At Triple A he was 3-3 with an ERA under 4. If no one claims him, he will be sent back down and not take up space on the 40 man roster.

Don't be surprised if someone claims him.

Yankees come off the west coast road trip at 6-3 which is not bad considering they started 0-2. Christ even Posada got a couple of hits yesterday. (Though he was thrown out trying to go for a triple).

Big series starts tomorrow with the Red Sox - probably have to avoid Maxwell's Pub for a few days maybe even longer if the Yankees don't do well.

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