Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Break
I know I`ve said this a few times but I really need to take a break from blogging. Things have gotten really busy lately. Sorry guys.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Another One...
Score:
Yanks- 5
Indians- 2
Mussina was actually pretty decent today. He got a little lucky but was still pretty decent. That`s two starts in a row. Maybe he`s learned how to pitch without a fastball. The bullpen was also brilliant. Rivera is just unbelievable. Offense hit well to. However, A-Rod hurt his quadriceps again. We don't know how bad it is this time.
Yanks- 5
Indians- 2
Mussina was actually pretty decent today. He got a little lucky but was still pretty decent. That`s two starts in a row. Maybe he`s learned how to pitch without a fastball. The bullpen was also brilliant. Rivera is just unbelievable. Offense hit well to. However, A-Rod hurt his quadriceps again. We don't know how bad it is this time.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Posada Hurt
Score:
Yankees- 1
Indians- 0
Posada could be out for the season and may have to move to first base when he gets back. Earlier I suggested this as a temporary move but if its permanent then this is bad.
Now for the game, Wang was really unbelievable. Its really a reflection of his year. Wang has continued his great sinker and HR prevention all year. he has also gotten more SO's. Look for more of these kind of starts if Wang keeps getting these SO's. Melky Cabrera has also had a great year so far. His HR was the difference. His power has jumped this year which is an excellent sign. The Yanks are now only 1.5 games back despite struggling.
Yankees- 1
Indians- 0
Posada could be out for the season and may have to move to first base when he gets back. Earlier I suggested this as a temporary move but if its permanent then this is bad.
Now for the game, Wang was really unbelievable. Its really a reflection of his year. Wang has continued his great sinker and HR prevention all year. he has also gotten more SO's. Look for more of these kind of starts if Wang keeps getting these SO's. Melky Cabrera has also had a great year so far. His HR was the difference. His power has jumped this year which is an excellent sign. The Yanks are now only 1.5 games back despite struggling.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
I still hate rain delays
Score:
White Sox- 7
Yankees- 6
After two innings the Yankees were up 3-0 and Hughes was pitching great. After the delay I shut it off and woke up to find they lost after another delay. Girardi clearly made the right move in taking him out after the delay. You can't risk injury for one game in April.
White Sox- 7
Yankees- 6
After two innings the Yankees were up 3-0 and Hughes was pitching great. After the delay I shut it off and woke up to find they lost after another delay. Girardi clearly made the right move in taking him out after the delay. You can't risk injury for one game in April.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Charity
The supposed cursed Ortiz jersey was sold for 175,100 dollars. The money is going to the Jimmy Fund. It was bought by a car dealer near Boston. Probably just looking to donate to charity. BTW, isn't it time to bring Shelley Duncan back up?
A Quick One
Score:
Yankees- 6
White Sox- 4
I have a little bit of time here but I`ll have to make this a quick one. Mussina started and shockingly, actually gave a good start. His control was perfect. He gave up 2 runs in 7 innings. He K'ed three and walked only one. Billy Traber and Latroy Hawkins weren`t very good though. Traber gave up a hit to the one batter he faced. Latroy Hawkins continued his struggles and almost gave up the game. He gave up 2 runs in less than an inning. Rivera had to come in for the 8th and the 9th and he shut them down. Melky drove in Robinson Cano as the first run of the game but after him Damon struck out with the bases loaded. Posada drove in the next two with a double. Posada had a great day. He also had 4 hits in 5 at bats. Damon and Jeter drove in the remaining runs later on. Ultimately, the offense scored 6 and had a good enough day to pick up the middle relief.
Yankees- 6
White Sox- 4
I have a little bit of time here but I`ll have to make this a quick one. Mussina started and shockingly, actually gave a good start. His control was perfect. He gave up 2 runs in 7 innings. He K'ed three and walked only one. Billy Traber and Latroy Hawkins weren`t very good though. Traber gave up a hit to the one batter he faced. Latroy Hawkins continued his struggles and almost gave up the game. He gave up 2 runs in less than an inning. Rivera had to come in for the 8th and the 9th and he shut them down. Melky drove in Robinson Cano as the first run of the game but after him Damon struck out with the bases loaded. Posada drove in the next two with a double. Posada had a great day. He also had 4 hits in 5 at bats. Damon and Jeter drove in the remaining runs later on. Ultimately, the offense scored 6 and had a good enough day to pick up the middle relief.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
No Recap, sorry guys
I haven't had a chance to write a recap all day today and I`m just to exhausted right now to do it. Sorry.
I also won't be able to write until next Mondat probably. However, I might get a chance to write a few times if I`m lucky.
I also won't be able to write until next Mondat probably. However, I might get a chance to write a few times if I`m lucky.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Updates on the rotation
Turns out I, like most of the media, jumped to conclusions about Hank`s statements. He clarified himself and he says he`s not forcing Joba into the rotation immediately. Re-reading the original quote, that should have been fairly obvious.
However, Darell Rasner had another great game in AAA yesterday. He`s pitched very well in the minors this year in particular and really his entire career. He wasn't really that awful in the majors either. Maybe we should give him a start if Mussina/Hughes/Kennedy struggle again?
However, Darell Rasner had another great game in AAA yesterday. He`s pitched very well in the minors this year in particular and really his entire career. He wasn't really that awful in the majors either. Maybe we should give him a start if Mussina/Hughes/Kennedy struggle again?
Monday, April 21, 2008
Hank, Joba, and Pettite
Score:
Yankees- 7
Orioles- 1
Andy Pettitte pitched a great game for the Yankees to help avoid the sweep. he was perfect until he gave up a hit in the 5th inning. Ultimately, he went 7 innings, gave up no runs, struck out 5, and walked none. In the 8th Joba came in and struggled. He gave up two hits before their was a rain delay. After the delay Bruney came in and got out of the inning giving up only one run (giving Joba an infinite ERA for the game and destroying my fantasy team). Rivera then ended it in the 9th. The offense also played well. Jeter especially had a great day with 3 RBI's. Damon also drove in two runs and Matsui drove in one. However, A-Rod came out of the game after getting a hit. He has a strained quad and luckily shouldn't miss much time.
Hank Steinbrenner also made an interesting statement today. He basically stated he wanted Joba in the rotation and he wanted it now. He was also unhappy with Joba's being in the bullpen in the first place and the setup of the rotation in general. I guess this is good news in that Joba will probably be going to the rotation soon. I think the best way to do it is to have him pitch every 5 days and slowly increase his workload. For example, have him go three innings on the day that Mussina pitches, then four innings his next turn, then five, and then he can join the rotation replacing whoever is doing worst at the time. However, its also bad news for those who want Cashman to stay. If he`s publicly saying he`s unhappy with Cashman's move`s then why should he stay?
Yankees- 7
Orioles- 1
Andy Pettitte pitched a great game for the Yankees to help avoid the sweep. he was perfect until he gave up a hit in the 5th inning. Ultimately, he went 7 innings, gave up no runs, struck out 5, and walked none. In the 8th Joba came in and struggled. He gave up two hits before their was a rain delay. After the delay Bruney came in and got out of the inning giving up only one run (giving Joba an infinite ERA for the game and destroying my fantasy team). Rivera then ended it in the 9th. The offense also played well. Jeter especially had a great day with 3 RBI's. Damon also drove in two runs and Matsui drove in one. However, A-Rod came out of the game after getting a hit. He has a strained quad and luckily shouldn't miss much time.
Hank Steinbrenner also made an interesting statement today. He basically stated he wanted Joba in the rotation and he wanted it now. He was also unhappy with Joba's being in the bullpen in the first place and the setup of the rotation in general. I guess this is good news in that Joba will probably be going to the rotation soon. I think the best way to do it is to have him pitch every 5 days and slowly increase his workload. For example, have him go three innings on the day that Mussina pitches, then four innings his next turn, then five, and then he can join the rotation replacing whoever is doing worst at the time. However, its also bad news for those who want Cashman to stay. If he`s publicly saying he`s unhappy with Cashman's move`s then why should he stay?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Catchup
Just a few more notes from the past the few days to catch up on.
Joba`s back and his father has recovered. Thank god for that. I also liked Girardi's decision to use Posada at first. First base really doesn't rquire any defensive skills at all. Giambi's bat is also worthless, he still can't hit the ball the other way and can't even hit for power anymore. I`m not ready to completely cut him but they should definitely be minimizing his role. The other first base options really aren't anything to brag about anyway. Jose Molina`s playing great and has always been brilliant defensively. So why not fill the first base void and save Posada's arm at the same time. I hope it isn't a sign that Posada's injury is worse than we thought, though. Farnsworth got suspended but I`m not to upset. I don't think he deserved it, he has no control over his pitches anyway. However, Farnsworth is really no loss worth getting upset over.
Joba`s back and his father has recovered. Thank god for that. I also liked Girardi's decision to use Posada at first. First base really doesn't rquire any defensive skills at all. Giambi's bat is also worthless, he still can't hit the ball the other way and can't even hit for power anymore. I`m not ready to completely cut him but they should definitely be minimizing his role. The other first base options really aren't anything to brag about anyway. Jose Molina`s playing great and has always been brilliant defensively. So why not fill the first base void and save Posada's arm at the same time. I hope it isn't a sign that Posada's injury is worse than we thought, though. Farnsworth got suspended but I`m not to upset. I don't think he deserved it, he has no control over his pitches anyway. However, Farnsworth is really no loss worth getting upset over.
I`m Back
Score:
Orioles- 6
Yankees- 0
Well I`m back but that was ugly. I`m still hoping that Kennedy and Hughes can be effective but I`m getting worried. Mussina also looks done to me. The offense was just as bad yesterday. I have to admit, I actually turned this game off early. Obviously, its still early and they`ve overcome bad starts before but you have to be worrid about the pitching.
Orioles- 6
Yankees- 0
Well I`m back but that was ugly. I`m still hoping that Kennedy and Hughes can be effective but I`m getting worried. Mussina also looks done to me. The offense was just as bad yesterday. I have to admit, I actually turned this game off early. Obviously, its still early and they`ve overcome bad starts before but you have to be worrid about the pitching.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Sorry Guys
I totally forgot that this week was earth week and I`m not going to be posting on the blog for the rest of the week to conserve energy. I`d like to encourage you guys to do the same as well. First thing Sunday morning, I`ll be making a game recap though.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
That Was Close
Score:
Yankees- 8
Rays- 7
For the first 6 innings the Yankees pounded Andy Sonnanstine (bad for my fantasy team, good for the Yankees) and Ian Kennedy was just cruising along. I was barely watching until some combination of Billy Traber and Brian Bruney somehow let the game get tied after Kennedy got hit with a ball. I thought we were done until Girardi decided to pinch hit with Cano. He hit a homer, Bruney had a scoreless 8th and Rivera shut them down in the 9th. Kennedy's fine and they won but that could have been really really bad.
Yankees- 8
Rays- 7
For the first 6 innings the Yankees pounded Andy Sonnanstine (bad for my fantasy team, good for the Yankees) and Ian Kennedy was just cruising along. I was barely watching until some combination of Billy Traber and Brian Bruney somehow let the game get tied after Kennedy got hit with a ball. I thought we were done until Girardi decided to pinch hit with Cano. He hit a homer, Bruney had a scoreless 8th and Rivera shut them down in the 9th. Kennedy's fine and they won but that could have been really really bad.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Betemit to DL
Wilson Betemit is also going to be out of action. He`s headed to the DL with pink eye. That sounds like lots of fun.
Joba's dad in critical condition
Joba's dad collapsed the other day and is now in critical condition. As soon as I heard this I just felt a huge shock. I can't imagine what Joba and his family is thinking right now. I truly hope he recovers quickly and fully.
He`s going to the bereavement list and Jonathan Albaladejo is getting called up.
He`s going to the bereavement list and Jonathan Albaladejo is getting called up.
You`ve got to be kidding me
It turns out Jose Molina is probably headed to the DL (hamstring) and Chad Moeller is getting called up. Fransisco Cervelli's injury was definitely no big deal.
Thank god for Wang
Score:
Red Sox- 8
Yankees- 5
Hughes had an awful game which ultimately doomed the Yankees. The only bright spot was Ross Ohlendorf's three shutout innings. Latroy Hawkins also had a good 2 innings. Boston's pitching wasn't really much better but they were good enough. The offense did well but at the wrong time. Jose Molina and Alberto Gonzalez both had another good game offensively. Its a good thing we won that first game with Wang to avoid the sweep. They`re only a game and a half out of first even though they`re in last.
Red Sox- 8
Yankees- 5
Hughes had an awful game which ultimately doomed the Yankees. The only bright spot was Ross Ohlendorf's three shutout innings. Latroy Hawkins also had a good 2 innings. Boston's pitching wasn't really much better but they were good enough. The offense did well but at the wrong time. Jose Molina and Alberto Gonzalez both had another good game offensively. Its a good thing we won that first game with Wang to avoid the sweep. They`re only a game and a half out of first even though they`re in last.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Rain Delays=Bad
Score:
Red Sox- 4
Yankees-3
This was a close game and early on it looked like a pitcher`s duel. Josh Beckett was virtually unhittable and Mussina was sliding by somehow. Manny Ramirez eventually got a homer to put Boston up by one. In the 6th the Yanks scored two to get on top. Jose Molina and Alberto Gonzalez both got hits to start it off. Johnny Damon followed that up with a sacrifice bunt. Both tagged up on a sac fly then and Gonzalez scored on a wild pitch. Molina and Gonzalez are really showing they deserve spots on the team. However, in the bottom half of the inning Boston got back on top. Again, Manny Ramirez was in the middle of it. He had a two RBI double and then scored on a Kevin Youkillis hit. I would have walked Ramirez there (1st base was open) and in the end it came back to hurt them (though the decision really good have gone either way). This inning really tainted a good start by Mussina. The Yanks got another run on a Robinson Cano double but it wasn't enough. They got 1st and second with two outs with A-Rod up but there was a rain delay for over an hour. A-Rod then struck out.
Red Sox- 4
Yankees-3
This was a close game and early on it looked like a pitcher`s duel. Josh Beckett was virtually unhittable and Mussina was sliding by somehow. Manny Ramirez eventually got a homer to put Boston up by one. In the 6th the Yanks scored two to get on top. Jose Molina and Alberto Gonzalez both got hits to start it off. Johnny Damon followed that up with a sacrifice bunt. Both tagged up on a sac fly then and Gonzalez scored on a wild pitch. Molina and Gonzalez are really showing they deserve spots on the team. However, in the bottom half of the inning Boston got back on top. Again, Manny Ramirez was in the middle of it. He had a two RBI double and then scored on a Kevin Youkillis hit. I would have walked Ramirez there (1st base was open) and in the end it came back to hurt them (though the decision really good have gone either way). This inning really tainted a good start by Mussina. The Yanks got another run on a Robinson Cano double but it wasn't enough. They got 1st and second with two outs with A-Rod up but there was a rain delay for over an hour. A-Rod then struck out.
No-Hitter?
Score:
Yankees- 4
Red Sox- 1
Again, the pitching was the story. Wang pitched brilliantly facing only two batters over the minimum and allowing only 2 hits. The first was a home run that Abreu should have caught and the other was a 2 out bunt in the 9th inning that would have never happened had Abreu caught that ball. In fairness though earlier in the game their was a play that was ruled an error that probably shouldn't have been. Wang has been great so far and gave the Yankees their first win over Boston of the year. The offense was also solid. Jose Molina had yet another great game with an RBI double and he also scored a run. Jason Giambi also had a homer to break the tie. Alberto Gonzalez had a double and has played pretty well so far to replace Jeter.
Yankees- 4
Red Sox- 1
Again, the pitching was the story. Wang pitched brilliantly facing only two batters over the minimum and allowing only 2 hits. The first was a home run that Abreu should have caught and the other was a 2 out bunt in the 9th inning that would have never happened had Abreu caught that ball. In fairness though earlier in the game their was a play that was ruled an error that probably shouldn't have been. Wang has been great so far and gave the Yankees their first win over Boston of the year. The offense was also solid. Jose Molina had yet another great game with an RBI double and he also scored a run. Jason Giambi also had a homer to break the tie. Alberto Gonzalez had a double and has played pretty well so far to replace Jeter.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Bounce back win for Pettitte
Score:
Yankees- 6
Royals- 1
Andy Pettitte's performance was the key to this game. He had a bad first inning but then settled down to make a good start. Joba and Rivera finished off the game. The offense also came alive. Melky, A-Rod, and Posada all had homers. The Posada homer was expecially important since it seems that he`ll be okay. The guys at RAB brought up the point that maybe the Yankees should ride Molina's hot bat and have him start at catcher while Posada plays first. Its an idea worth considering. I don't see how Posada could be a worse defender at first than Duncan, Molina's an improvement over Posada, and Molina got as good a shot of having a fluke year as Duncan.
Yankees- 6
Royals- 1
Andy Pettitte's performance was the key to this game. He had a bad first inning but then settled down to make a good start. Joba and Rivera finished off the game. The offense also came alive. Melky, A-Rod, and Posada all had homers. The Posada homer was expecially important since it seems that he`ll be okay. The guys at RAB brought up the point that maybe the Yankees should ride Molina's hot bat and have him start at catcher while Posada plays first. Its an idea worth considering. I don't see how Posada could be a worse defender at first than Duncan, Molina's an improvement over Posada, and Molina got as good a shot of having a fluke year as Duncan.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Kennedy`s okay
False alarm with Kennedy. He`s alright and Girardi decided to wait to use him in case the game gets rained out. Seems pretty smart to me.
When will it end?
Now YES is saying Kennedy will miss his start and Brian Bruney will take his spot. Look for a long game tonight.
Posada/Jeter Injurys
Posada is saying that his arm feels dead. This is a bad sign. He might be going on the DL. At least we don't have to rely on Jose Molina.
Secondly, Alberto Gonzalez is getting called up. Probably Duncan will be sent down. I`m excited to see Gonzalez to be honest but I hope Jeter gets back soon.
Posada and Jeter are key players for the Yankees and they need them healthy to win.
EDIT- Turns out Posada is only going to be out for a few days and Morgan Ensberg is going on the DL for a twisted ankle.
Secondly, Alberto Gonzalez is getting called up. Probably Duncan will be sent down. I`m excited to see Gonzalez to be honest but I hope Jeter gets back soon.
Posada and Jeter are key players for the Yankees and they need them healthy to win.
EDIT- Turns out Posada is only going to be out for a few days and Morgan Ensberg is going on the DL for a twisted ankle.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Rough Day
Score:
Royals- 5
Yankees- 2
Sorry about not posting a recap for yesterday`s game. My computer is really not working well lately. Hughes had a rough outing today going only 3 innings. Hawkins and Ohlendorf weren't really that good either. However, on the bright side Billy Traber looks like he really might be a solid left-handed reliever after all.
The offense is still slumping as well. A-Rod went 0-4 with 4 K's today. Nobody had more than 1 hit either and their wasn't a single extra base hit all game either. This was against Brian Bannister as well. Why does the offense have to do this early in the season every year.
Also, I might as well just adress the Jeter injury thing right now. Supposedly he`ll only miss 3 games. I think the Yankees should consider putting him on the DL just to be careful but I don't really know the extent of the injury. Putting A-Rod at short for 3 games doesn't make much sense to me either.
Royals- 5
Yankees- 2
Sorry about not posting a recap for yesterday`s game. My computer is really not working well lately. Hughes had a rough outing today going only 3 innings. Hawkins and Ohlendorf weren't really that good either. However, on the bright side Billy Traber looks like he really might be a solid left-handed reliever after all.
The offense is still slumping as well. A-Rod went 0-4 with 4 K's today. Nobody had more than 1 hit either and their wasn't a single extra base hit all game either. This was against Brian Bannister as well. Why does the offense have to do this early in the season every year.
Also, I might as well just adress the Jeter injury thing right now. Supposedly he`ll only miss 3 games. I think the Yankees should consider putting him on the DL just to be careful but I don't really know the extent of the injury. Putting A-Rod at short for 3 games doesn't make much sense to me either.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Big Start for Mussina
This is a big start for Mike Mussina. I would think that Mussina is on a short leash especially after his last start. So far so good though.
Wang pulls through
Score:
Yankees- 2
Rays- 0
Again, sorry for the lateness my computer has not been working at all lately. Wang was brilliant for 6 innings shutting out the Rays before getting in trouble in the 7th he let runners get on the corners with nobody. Girardi made the right move next in going to Joba who K'ed the first guy he faced and then got lucky with a LD double play to get out of the inning. Joba had an easy 8th and then handed it over to Rivera in the 9th. Rivera closed the door then.
The offense was again less than brilliant but were backed by sick pitching. They got only two runs on a Hideki Matsui HR. A-Rod also had a double. Looks like A-Rod`s going to have another great year which is something they`re going to need. Its still early in the year but unless we suddenly turn out to have incredible pitching which I would say is pretty unlikely. Still not even close to being worried yet though.
Yankees- 2
Rays- 0
Again, sorry for the lateness my computer has not been working at all lately. Wang was brilliant for 6 innings shutting out the Rays before getting in trouble in the 7th he let runners get on the corners with nobody. Girardi made the right move next in going to Joba who K'ed the first guy he faced and then got lucky with a LD double play to get out of the inning. Joba had an easy 8th and then handed it over to Rivera in the 9th. Rivera closed the door then.
The offense was again less than brilliant but were backed by sick pitching. They got only two runs on a Hideki Matsui HR. A-Rod also had a double. Looks like A-Rod`s going to have another great year which is something they`re going to need. Its still early in the year but unless we suddenly turn out to have incredible pitching which I would say is pretty unlikely. Still not even close to being worried yet though.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Joe Girardi=genius
As I`m typing this its the 7th inning of a 2-0 game (Yanks are up). Runners are on the corners with nobody out. The game is on the line but its the 7th inning. Girardi decides to go with his best option in the bullpen in Joba instead of the mediocore middle reliever and sticking with the 8th inning guy theory that Torre loved. Its a new era.
EDIT- And they get out of the inning. Admittedly with a little luck (SO then a LD double play). Whether they win or not Girardi made the right move.
EDIT- And they get out of the inning. Admittedly with a little luck (SO then a LD double play). Whether they win or not Girardi made the right move.
To all the people that wish Torre had gotten a multi year deal.....
Luis Vizcaino is now on the DL with a shoulder injury. I wonder how that happened.....
2008 Red Sox-Yankees Comparison
Starting Pitching
Number Four Starter- Ian Kennedy/Clay Buchholz- Kennedy is generally considered the one with the lowest ceiling of the Yankees three big pitching prospects but he is also considered the most polished and ready right now. Kennedy is going to have to be an innings eater for the Yankees (along with Wang and Pettitte) if they are to do well since Joba and Hughes both have innings limits and nobody trusts Mussina. Kennedy was actually a September call-up who took Mussina's spot in the rotation after Mussina struggled. During this time he did very well but this was only a month and I`m not going to use any stats from that time. Kennedy has a low 90's fastball, a very good changeup, and a good curve. However, he relies a lot on his control. Kennedy is not going to strikeout a ton of guys like Joba or Hughes but he will have better control. Buchholz also came up late in the year with a lot of hype and comparisons to Hughes and Joba. He also delivered. He threw a no-hitter during his callup. Buchholz has a low 90's fastball, a very good curveball, a changeup, and a rarely used slider. Sound familiar? Buchholz is very similar to Hughes both in potential, stuff, and readiness.
Conclusion- Clay Buchholz- Both are very young prospect but like I mentioned before Buchholz is comparable to Phil Hughes and I think everybody agrees that Hughes and Kennedy are not on the same level. Obviously, they`re both very young and either one could best or be the next great pitcher.
Number Five Starter- Mike Mussina/Tim Wakefield- Mussina had a poor 2007 during which he was replaced by Ian Kennedy. Mussina came into the season throwing a bit slower than usual. He seemed to be doing better midseason but he ended awfully sometimes throwing only an 84 mph fastball in September. His curveball also slowed down. The results weren`t pretty. He struck out more than 2 less batters every 9 innings in 2007 even though his control didn't really fall off. His GB% stayed about the same to. The reduced amount of strikeouts lef to an ERA over 5.00. After a rest when Kennedy took over for him while he went on the DL he seemed to be throwing a little harder and pitching better. To be honest, I don't think he`s going to get back that extra velocity or that he can reinvent himself and I have little trust in him. Throwing slowly has never been a problem for Tim Wakefield though. For some reason knuckleballers seem to go against the norm with DIPS stats. They can survive with a low K/BB and low GB% for some reason. Wakefield is what he is and with his knuckleball he can probably go on like this indefinitely. He`s not great and tends to be inconsistent but he`s fine for a 5th starter.
Conclusion- Tim Wakefield- Wakefield had a 4.52 RCA in 2007 compared to Mussina's 4.86. Mussina could possibly do better than Wakefield this year but I wouldn't bet on it. As I said before, Mussina just needs to get a few extra miles on his fastball. Maybe the answer is to go to a 6 man rotation so he can get more rest. Maybe their`s nothing they can do about him and they just need to move Joba to the rotation.
Overall Conclusion on Starting Pitching- Red Sox- This was Boston big edge in 2007 and it looks like it will unfortunately continue into 2008. Of the pitchers with a large enough sample size for it to be worth anything (this counted Hughes and excluded Kennedy and Buchholz) the Yankees had a 2007 RCA of 4.52 and Boston had one of 3.90. On the bright side though the Yankees do have a few things going for them. Hughes mgiht do better without an injury shortened season, Joba should be in the rotation a few months into the season and would likely be a boost, Kennedy could help lower that number. Joe Girardi also seems to have less patience for Mussina and if Mussina struggles then he will not continue to give him starts. Also, Josh Beckett probably won't repeat his unbelievable 2007 and Schilling could miss a big chunk of the season. All that`s left of this series of posts is the bullpen and then my final conclusion about the two teams. :)
Number Four Starter- Ian Kennedy/Clay Buchholz- Kennedy is generally considered the one with the lowest ceiling of the Yankees three big pitching prospects but he is also considered the most polished and ready right now. Kennedy is going to have to be an innings eater for the Yankees (along with Wang and Pettitte) if they are to do well since Joba and Hughes both have innings limits and nobody trusts Mussina. Kennedy was actually a September call-up who took Mussina's spot in the rotation after Mussina struggled. During this time he did very well but this was only a month and I`m not going to use any stats from that time. Kennedy has a low 90's fastball, a very good changeup, and a good curve. However, he relies a lot on his control. Kennedy is not going to strikeout a ton of guys like Joba or Hughes but he will have better control. Buchholz also came up late in the year with a lot of hype and comparisons to Hughes and Joba. He also delivered. He threw a no-hitter during his callup. Buchholz has a low 90's fastball, a very good curveball, a changeup, and a rarely used slider. Sound familiar? Buchholz is very similar to Hughes both in potential, stuff, and readiness.
Conclusion- Clay Buchholz- Both are very young prospect but like I mentioned before Buchholz is comparable to Phil Hughes and I think everybody agrees that Hughes and Kennedy are not on the same level. Obviously, they`re both very young and either one could best or be the next great pitcher.
Number Five Starter- Mike Mussina/Tim Wakefield- Mussina had a poor 2007 during which he was replaced by Ian Kennedy. Mussina came into the season throwing a bit slower than usual. He seemed to be doing better midseason but he ended awfully sometimes throwing only an 84 mph fastball in September. His curveball also slowed down. The results weren`t pretty. He struck out more than 2 less batters every 9 innings in 2007 even though his control didn't really fall off. His GB% stayed about the same to. The reduced amount of strikeouts lef to an ERA over 5.00. After a rest when Kennedy took over for him while he went on the DL he seemed to be throwing a little harder and pitching better. To be honest, I don't think he`s going to get back that extra velocity or that he can reinvent himself and I have little trust in him. Throwing slowly has never been a problem for Tim Wakefield though. For some reason knuckleballers seem to go against the norm with DIPS stats. They can survive with a low K/BB and low GB% for some reason. Wakefield is what he is and with his knuckleball he can probably go on like this indefinitely. He`s not great and tends to be inconsistent but he`s fine for a 5th starter.
Conclusion- Tim Wakefield- Wakefield had a 4.52 RCA in 2007 compared to Mussina's 4.86. Mussina could possibly do better than Wakefield this year but I wouldn't bet on it. As I said before, Mussina just needs to get a few extra miles on his fastball. Maybe the answer is to go to a 6 man rotation so he can get more rest. Maybe their`s nothing they can do about him and they just need to move Joba to the rotation.
Overall Conclusion on Starting Pitching- Red Sox- This was Boston big edge in 2007 and it looks like it will unfortunately continue into 2008. Of the pitchers with a large enough sample size for it to be worth anything (this counted Hughes and excluded Kennedy and Buchholz) the Yankees had a 2007 RCA of 4.52 and Boston had one of 3.90. On the bright side though the Yankees do have a few things going for them. Hughes mgiht do better without an injury shortened season, Joba should be in the rotation a few months into the season and would likely be a boost, Kennedy could help lower that number. Joe Girardi also seems to have less patience for Mussina and if Mussina struggles then he will not continue to give him starts. Also, Josh Beckett probably won't repeat his unbelievable 2007 and Schilling could miss a big chunk of the season. All that`s left of this series of posts is the bullpen and then my final conclusion about the two teams. :)
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Giambi Day-to-Day
I almost forgot that Giambi left the game early today. He`s hurt and despite the fact he says he`s fine he`s listed as day-to-day. That didn't take long.
Slow Game
Score:
Rays- 6
Yankees- 3
Definitely not the best game I`ve been to. It was a slow game and the crowd didn't really get into it until the 8th. Pettitte started today and was pretty bad. The Yankees are counting on him to do well and if he doesn't they`re not going to make the playoffs. Again, the bright spot was the bullpen. After Pettitte gave up 5 runs in 5 innings Bruney did very well in relief. He K'ed 4 in two shutout innings and walked none. Bruney`s been pretty good so far and might be part of the answer to the bullpen. Ohlendorf was okay giving up one run in his 2 innings. He K'ed one and walked none.
The offense continued to slump today. A-Rod had a good game and gave the Yankees an early lead by driving in Abreu with a double. However, they were shut down until the 8th inning. The Yanks loaded the bases with nobody out and ended up getting two runs out of it. It wasn't enough. The top of the lineup went down 1-2-3 in the 9th. I`m still not to worried about the offense but they did strand a lot of runners today and have been slumping lately.
Rays- 6
Yankees- 3
Definitely not the best game I`ve been to. It was a slow game and the crowd didn't really get into it until the 8th. Pettitte started today and was pretty bad. The Yankees are counting on him to do well and if he doesn't they`re not going to make the playoffs. Again, the bright spot was the bullpen. After Pettitte gave up 5 runs in 5 innings Bruney did very well in relief. He K'ed 4 in two shutout innings and walked none. Bruney`s been pretty good so far and might be part of the answer to the bullpen. Ohlendorf was okay giving up one run in his 2 innings. He K'ed one and walked none.
The offense continued to slump today. A-Rod had a good game and gave the Yankees an early lead by driving in Abreu with a double. However, they were shut down until the 8th inning. The Yanks loaded the bases with nobody out and ended up getting two runs out of it. It wasn't enough. The top of the lineup went down 1-2-3 in the 9th. I`m still not to worried about the offense but they did strand a lot of runners today and have been slumping lately.
Yanks got killed
Score:
Rays- 13
Yankees- 4
Ian Kennedy really struggled in this game and the bullpen was if anything, even worse. What killed Kennedy was his lack of control which is his best weapon really. He walked for and K'ed only 2. He gave up 4 runs in less than 3 innings. Kennedy can't pitch like that if the Yankees are going to make the playoffs this year. Hawkins and Farnsworth also did very poorly. Again, those are guys that need to do well this year. On the bright side we saw Billy Traber do well again, this time in a full inning. Ross Ohlendorf also pitched a shutout inning. However, nobody did better than Jonathan Albaladejo. He pitched almost 3 innings and gave up only one hit, walking none, and struck out 3. They`re going to find a few good guys out all these young reliever they have and hopefully they can push Farnsworth out of his spot if he can't improve.
The offense actually had a pretty good game. They had a big 3rd inning where they scored all four runs. Giambi finally got his first hit in a long double to left-field. No, that is not a typo. Jeter also got a triple. However, other than that their wasn't really to much to note from this game on either sides of the ball. All in all it was a bad game they can hopefully forget about. On the bright side I`m going to the game today!
EDIT: I almost forgot but its worth mentioning that Girardi missed the game because he was sick. Also Posada made his return to the lineup as the DH.
Rays- 13
Yankees- 4
Ian Kennedy really struggled in this game and the bullpen was if anything, even worse. What killed Kennedy was his lack of control which is his best weapon really. He walked for and K'ed only 2. He gave up 4 runs in less than 3 innings. Kennedy can't pitch like that if the Yankees are going to make the playoffs this year. Hawkins and Farnsworth also did very poorly. Again, those are guys that need to do well this year. On the bright side we saw Billy Traber do well again, this time in a full inning. Ross Ohlendorf also pitched a shutout inning. However, nobody did better than Jonathan Albaladejo. He pitched almost 3 innings and gave up only one hit, walking none, and struck out 3. They`re going to find a few good guys out all these young reliever they have and hopefully they can push Farnsworth out of his spot if he can't improve.
The offense actually had a pretty good game. They had a big 3rd inning where they scored all four runs. Giambi finally got his first hit in a long double to left-field. No, that is not a typo. Jeter also got a triple. However, other than that their wasn't really to much to note from this game on either sides of the ball. All in all it was a bad game they can hopefully forget about. On the bright side I`m going to the game today!
EDIT: I almost forgot but its worth mentioning that Girardi missed the game because he was sick. Also Posada made his return to the lineup as the DH.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Late Post
Score:
Yankees- 3
Blue Jays- 2
Sorry for the lateness of this postl. My computer wasn't working today. I`ll make this a quick one.
The story today was Phil Hughes making his first start of the season. Their was a lot of pressure on him after this offseason. However, he pitched very well. He pitched 6 solid innings giving up only 2 runs. After Hughes they brought in Billy Traber for one batter in the 7th. He did that and made way for Brian Bruney who finished the inning. Next Joba and Rivera closed the door. The offense wasn't nearly as good. They scored only 3 runs for the second time this series and they got none the day defore. I`m not to worried about the offense but they do need to improve.
Yankees- 3
Blue Jays- 2
Sorry for the lateness of this postl. My computer wasn't working today. I`ll make this a quick one.
The story today was Phil Hughes making his first start of the season. Their was a lot of pressure on him after this offseason. However, he pitched very well. He pitched 6 solid innings giving up only 2 runs. After Hughes they brought in Billy Traber for one batter in the 7th. He did that and made way for Brian Bruney who finished the inning. Next Joba and Rivera closed the door. The offense wasn't nearly as good. They scored only 3 runs for the second time this series and they got none the day defore. I`m not to worried about the offense but they do need to improve.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Mussina Struggles
Score:
Blue Jays- 5
Yankees- 2
This game seemed a lot worse than it really was. Mussina struggled immediately. A big problem of his is going to be having a fastball only 84 miles per hour which he was throwing. He put the Yankees behind by one right away in the first inning. He later gave up a two run homer to Vernon Wells. However, he seemed to be hanging in their and getting the job done, if just barely, until the 6th inning. He gave up another run and Girardi yanked him before things got to bad. Latroy Hawkins came in and got the job done getting the last out of the inning. Hawkins gave up the 5th run in the following inning. Shockingly, Farnsworth actually had a good inning. I liked seeing Girardi pull Mussina early rather than leaving in the "trusted veteran" but other than that there wasn't much good on the pitching side. Notably on defense Giambi had an awful game after a good start.
The offense wasn't much better. Outside of Alex Rodriguez's home run the Yankees were shut out. A. J. Burnett was just brilliant and the Yankees couldn't touch him. Despite all this they had a chance at the end of the game. Derek Jeter started off the 9th with a groundball hit, Abreu followed that up with another one. The tying run was at the plate in A-Rod with no outs but he K'ed and the two guys following him also got out.
Blue Jays- 5
Yankees- 2
This game seemed a lot worse than it really was. Mussina struggled immediately. A big problem of his is going to be having a fastball only 84 miles per hour which he was throwing. He put the Yankees behind by one right away in the first inning. He later gave up a two run homer to Vernon Wells. However, he seemed to be hanging in their and getting the job done, if just barely, until the 6th inning. He gave up another run and Girardi yanked him before things got to bad. Latroy Hawkins came in and got the job done getting the last out of the inning. Hawkins gave up the 5th run in the following inning. Shockingly, Farnsworth actually had a good inning. I liked seeing Girardi pull Mussina early rather than leaving in the "trusted veteran" but other than that there wasn't much good on the pitching side. Notably on defense Giambi had an awful game after a good start.
The offense wasn't much better. Outside of Alex Rodriguez's home run the Yankees were shut out. A. J. Burnett was just brilliant and the Yankees couldn't touch him. Despite all this they had a chance at the end of the game. Derek Jeter started off the 9th with a groundball hit, Abreu followed that up with another one. The tying run was at the plate in A-Rod with no outs but he K'ed and the two guys following him also got out.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Opening Day Win
Score:
Yankees- 3
Blue Jays-2
The Yankees started off 2008 in a great way yesterday. Wang went seven innings of what we expect from Wang. Not to many K's, not to many BB's, and a lot of GB's. He matched Halladay inning for inning and beat one of the best pitchers in baseball. Joba came in during the 8th and was brilliant. He K'ed two, got another guy out on a grounder, and the one guy he let reach base was on a walk. After he struck out the last batter of the innning he went nuts. Rivera came in in the 9th for the save and was Rivera. He K'ed one and let nobody reach base. Since Rivera usually does poorly early on this is a good sign. Melky Cabrera bailed out Wang with two good plays in a row in center. He dived for a third but missed it turning a single into a double ironically. Also, is it just me or did Jeter look like he had slightly better range?
The offense was largely shut down by a great pitcher in Roy Halladay but managed to get enough to back Wang. Melky in particular had a great game. On top of his great defense he also hit a homer that ended up being the difference. The ball barely got over the fence but we`ll take it. A-Rod started off the year just like 2007. In the first inning he hit an RBI double that drove Abreu home from first. Damon also hit a triple but got stranded at third.
A perfect way to start the season. They didn't strand to many runners in scoring position (other than Damon) and the pitching was just brilliant. I`d love to see Wang get more K's but he`s still a good pitcher the way he is.
Yankees- 3
Blue Jays-2
The Yankees started off 2008 in a great way yesterday. Wang went seven innings of what we expect from Wang. Not to many K's, not to many BB's, and a lot of GB's. He matched Halladay inning for inning and beat one of the best pitchers in baseball. Joba came in during the 8th and was brilliant. He K'ed two, got another guy out on a grounder, and the one guy he let reach base was on a walk. After he struck out the last batter of the innning he went nuts. Rivera came in in the 9th for the save and was Rivera. He K'ed one and let nobody reach base. Since Rivera usually does poorly early on this is a good sign. Melky Cabrera bailed out Wang with two good plays in a row in center. He dived for a third but missed it turning a single into a double ironically. Also, is it just me or did Jeter look like he had slightly better range?
The offense was largely shut down by a great pitcher in Roy Halladay but managed to get enough to back Wang. Melky in particular had a great game. On top of his great defense he also hit a homer that ended up being the difference. The ball barely got over the fence but we`ll take it. A-Rod started off the year just like 2007. In the first inning he hit an RBI double that drove Abreu home from first. Damon also hit a triple but got stranded at third.
A perfect way to start the season. They didn't strand to many runners in scoring position (other than Damon) and the pitching was just brilliant. I`d love to see Wang get more K's but he`s still a good pitcher the way he is.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
2008 Red Sox-Yankees Comparison Thread- Starting Pitching
I did the first 2 slots in the rotation earlier.
Starting Pitching
Number One Starter- Phil Hughes/Jon Lester- Hughes came up with a lot of hype and early on earned it. After a shaky debut he had a no-hitter going into the 7th in his second start, against Texas. We all know what happened next. He got hurt and missed most of the season. He seemed to lose a few miles of his fastball after his return. In September though they brought up Dave Eiland to help out and he seemed to be lengthening his stride more and got a faster fastball as a result. The improvement really showed and in September and a brief performance in the playoff he shined. All in all Hughes showed flashes of his ability but was generally not great. He had a K/BB of 2.00 which is okay and a pretty bad GB% of 36.9 percent. The K/BB will rise with time and health next year but I`m slightly worried about all those flyballs. In the minors he was seen as more of a groundball pitcher. Is this shift a result of him using his curveball more and Hughes is going to become a Barry Zito type pitcher or just a result of small sample size or it just being his rookie year? This is going to be an important question in determining whether or not it was smart to avoid trading for Santana. Jon Lester came back from cancer last year and excelled in the playoffs last year. He looked pretty decent last year to most fans. However, his periphereals were not really very good. His GB% was 34.4 percent and not really very different from Hughes. Like I said, for Hughes this could improve. Also, his K/BB is much worse than Hughes' at only 1.61.
Conclusion- Phil Hughes- Both are very young and have great potential but Hughes is farther along (I guess this is arguably because of Hughes' innings limit) and has more potential. Lester needs to walk less and both need more ground balls for them to fulfill their potential though.
Starting Pitching
Number One Starter- Phil Hughes/Jon Lester- Hughes came up with a lot of hype and early on earned it. After a shaky debut he had a no-hitter going into the 7th in his second start, against Texas. We all know what happened next. He got hurt and missed most of the season. He seemed to lose a few miles of his fastball after his return. In September though they brought up Dave Eiland to help out and he seemed to be lengthening his stride more and got a faster fastball as a result. The improvement really showed and in September and a brief performance in the playoff he shined. All in all Hughes showed flashes of his ability but was generally not great. He had a K/BB of 2.00 which is okay and a pretty bad GB% of 36.9 percent. The K/BB will rise with time and health next year but I`m slightly worried about all those flyballs. In the minors he was seen as more of a groundball pitcher. Is this shift a result of him using his curveball more and Hughes is going to become a Barry Zito type pitcher or just a result of small sample size or it just being his rookie year? This is going to be an important question in determining whether or not it was smart to avoid trading for Santana. Jon Lester came back from cancer last year and excelled in the playoffs last year. He looked pretty decent last year to most fans. However, his periphereals were not really very good. His GB% was 34.4 percent and not really very different from Hughes. Like I said, for Hughes this could improve. Also, his K/BB is much worse than Hughes' at only 1.61.
Conclusion- Phil Hughes- Both are very young and have great potential but Hughes is farther along (I guess this is arguably because of Hughes' innings limit) and has more potential. Lester needs to walk less and both need more ground balls for them to fulfill their potential though.
2008 Red Sox-Yankees Comparison Threads
Even though I was to slow to finish these before the season I will continue them. However, I might end up not doing the bullpen.
This is it!
Wang made his first out on a grounder to Jeter and here we go. My friend's at the game and I wish I was to. I won't be doing a live-blog like a few other blogs. Just relax and enjoy the game.
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