]]>Lineups
Dodgers
Nick Punto(S), 3B: .269/.344/.331, 1.2 bWAR
Yasiel Puig(R), RF: .479/.500/.771, 1.3 bWAR
Adrian Gonzalez(L), 1B: .303/.365/.466, 1.2 bWAR
Hanley Ramirez(R), SS: .258/.294/.452, -0.3 bWAR
Andre Ethier(L), CF: .249/.328/.373, 0.2 bWAR
Jerry Hairston(R), DH: .262/.308/.345, 0 bWAR
Skip Schumaker(L), LF: .255/.333/.307, -0.6 bWAR
A.J. Ellis(R), C: .255/.356/.356, 1.5 bWAR
Mark Ellis(R), 2B: .267/.313/.353, 0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .276/.344/.389, 4.9 bWAR
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .286/.352/.454, 2.7 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .259/.319/.312, 0.1 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .278/.350/.511, 2.6 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .230/.273/.383, 0.5 bWAR
Thomas Neal(R), DH: .200/.333/.200, -0.1 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .265/.308/.338, 0.9 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .213/.234/.333, -0.1 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .240/.282/.440, 0.1 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .270/.326/.348, 0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .259/.314/.404, 7.1 bWAR
Interleague play. Grumble, grumble.
The Phil Hughes Free Agent Express has been more like a Greyhound bus that takes 12 hours to make a trip that should take 3 hours. I’m guessing signing for big free agent bucks will be harder if his ERA is over 5, so maybe he can surprise us and stay under that threshold.
Hyun-Jin Ryu has been much better than I expected, and I’d imagine after tonight he’ll be even better. Mind you, I’m not saying that the Yankee offense is bad. I’m saying they’re terrible, horrific, embarrassing, rancid, nauseating, noisome, pernicous and fetid.
While I’m in full on piss and moan mode, why is Thomas Neal DHing instead of Vernon Wells? He can’t possibly be a worse defensive player, can he? And why is Wells batting cleanup? And why do I keep typing Vernone instead of Vernon?
Anyway, this is all just a lot of words to say whatever.
]]>Teixeira was removed from Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels because of soreness in the wrist. He originally tore a tendon sheath in the wrist March 5 and missed almost three months.
Cashman was unhappy at miscommunication regarding the timing of Teixeira’s discomfort. He said that neither he nor the medical staff was aware of Teixeira’s troubles until he came out of Saturday’s game. But after that game the hitting coach Kevin Long said Teixeira’s wrist had not been right since the day he came back, May 31.
On Monday Cashman said that neither Long nor Teixeira had communicated any problem to the medical staff or the front office.
He said he was not angry at Long, but he was clearly irritated that one of two things happened: either Teixeira or Long, or both, did not relay important information up the chain of command, or Long was looking back retrospectively in his discussion with reporters. In either case, Cashman did not like it.
I really don’t understand why Kevin Long would not have told the front office that Teixiera couldn’t even hit off a tee with his left-handed swing. Don’t you think that is a pretty big problem?
All along I’ve thought the Yankees’ run of injuries this year is more due to misfortune than incompetence, but something like this is really head-scratching.
]]>The Yankees have reached a deal with another of their trio of first-round picks, lefty prep pitcher Ian Clarkin, who—like Eric Jagielo—agreed to slot money.
The signing shows Clarkin, picked at No. 33 overall, really does not dislike the Yankees as he said he did on draft day.
The Yankees’ other first-rounder, center fielder Aaron Judge from Fresno State, has been offered slot money by the team but hasn’t accepted as yet.
What a coincidence. I hate the Yankees too!
Clarkin seemed like the least likely of the first rounders to sign so this is good news. At least until they decide to convert him to the bullpen as the heir to Boone.
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]]>The news on Mark Teixeira’s ailing right wrist was positive Sunday, but the Yankees are still uncertain if their slumping first baseman is headed for another stint on the disabled list.
An MRI in New York on Sunday morning revealed inflammation, but no tear, manager Joe Girardi said before Sunday’s game against the Angels. A torn tendon in the same wrist kept Teixeira out of the Yanks’ lineup until May 31 this season, and Girardi said the two injuries are likely related.
Despite the setback, Girardi made sure to point out that inflammation—and nothing more—was positive news.
“That’s a good thing,” Girardi said. “If he was to re-tear it, that would probably be it for the season. We’re looking at some inflammation, and we’re going to have to see how long it’s going to take to get back.”
Teixeira was removed from Saturday’s game in the fourth inning because he aggravated the wrist, and he headed to New York, where he was evaluated by team physician Christopher Ahmad. In addition to the MRI, Teixeira also received a cortisone injection.
Girardi was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of a DL stint for Teixeira. He reiterated that the club needs to check in on how Teixeira feels Monday, but said he’s not an option for Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers in the Bronx.
“The inflammation should go away, but it’s going to take some time,” Girardi said. “He’s not a player for at least a couple days. Then we’ll evaluate.”
One of the most annoying aspects of Teix’s particular wrist injury is that it is the type of thing that could easily linger well after he was technically ready to play. As we saw with Jose Bautista last year, who had a similar injury, a player could return and then end up being done for the season soon after. While it is great that Teix did not tear the tendon, it is still a matter where it could tear pretty much at any moment or any number of other problems could go wrong with it that would require surgery (in Bautista’s case, it was because the tendon was too loose). In addition, it is pretty aggravating to see Teix return, struggle mightily and then learn after the fact, “Oh yeah, Teix was never totally healed this whole time, that’s why he was so terrible.” Then why in the world was he playing?!? Think about it. Teix was struggling against righties due to his injury, Meanwhile, the Yankees’ back-up first baseman is only good against righties. So the answer was, for some reason, to rush Teix back before his wrist actually healed against both lefties and righties? And this made sense how? All we could do was trust the Yankees when they said he was good to go, but apparently he was never really good to go. How aggravating is that?
]]>ANAHEIM—It was an all-too-familiar scene for the reeling Yankees offense.
As had been the case so often during their five-game skid this past week, the Bombers’ bats appeared set to squander yet another opportunity Sunday in Anaheim. Second and third with no one out in the top of the third had quickly become two outs and two strikes on Travis Hafner, arguably the coldest hitter in the Yankees’ lineup.
Mired in an 0-for-23 slump, the veteran slugger changed his own fortunes and those of the club with one swing of the bat.
Hafner crushed a hanging breaking ball over the center-field wall and into the rock formation at Angel Stadium for a three-run homer, opening the flood gates in a 6-5 Yankees victory on Father’s Day.
The Yankees broke out for two more in the frame, and it was CC Sabathia’s game from there, as the New York ace pitched into the ninth inning for his seventh win of the season.
Coming into the game with an ERA above four, Sabathia pitched as though he had something to prove, allowing just five hits and striking out six. Simply put, he pitched like the stopper the Yankees needed him to be.
Sabathia was pulled when the first two batters in the ninth reached base, and after David Robertson was unable to close the door, Mariano Rivera came on to record his 24th save despite allowing an RBI groundout, a two-run single to Alberto Callaspo and an RBI single to Peter Bourjos. Rivera struck out Albert Pujols with the bases loaded to end the game.
This road trip was already a disaster, but losing this one would have been whatever is worse than a disaster.
At least the nightmare trip to California is over, and the Yankees are done with their West Coast games for the season.
]]>Lineups
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner (L) CF
2. Ichiro Suzuki (L) RF
3. Robinson Cano (L) 2B
4. Travis Hafner (L) DH
5. Vernon Wells (R) LF
6. Lyle Overbay (L) 1B
7. Jayson Nix (R) 3B
8. Reid Brignac (L) SS
9. Chris Stewart (R) C
Angels
1. Peter Bourjos (R) CF
2. Mike Trout (R) LF
3. Albert Pujols (R) DH
4. Mark Trumbo (R) RF
5. Howie Kendrick (R) 2B
6. Chris Iannetta (R) C
7. Erick Aybar (S) SS
8. Alberto Callaspo (S) 3B
9. Brendan Harris (R) 1B
ANAHEIM, Calif. – The signs of distress were small, perhaps hidden in plain sight during Mark Teixeira’s brief stint with the Yankees this season. The occasional grimace after a left-handed swing. A sizable pad covering his right wrist after games. A lack of production against right-handed pitchers.
Up close, hitting coach Kevin Long harbored worry about his slugger. A staple of Teixeira’s pre-game routine involves hitting off a tee. When Teixeira attempted that practice left-handed, which places stress on the strained tendon sheath in his right wrist, he felt “discomfort,” Long said. His left-handed swing lacked “the whip and the bat speed that you see right-handed.” At times, Long said, Teixeira looked like a “shell” of himself.
Good thing he rushed back after two rehab games.
]]>Whatever.
]]>ANAHEIM—The Yankees’ scoring drought came to an end, but their losing streak continued with a 5-2 loss to the Angels on Friday night.
New York entered Angel Stadium—the last stop on a 10-game road trip—losers of three straight, but left-hander Andy Pettitte, who entered play 89-50 following a Yankees’ regular-season loss, was ready to take the ball.
The veteran left-hander couldnt rekindle the magic, however, allowing four runs and a season-high 11 hits in seven innings.
“When you’re struggling, you need someone to go out there and throw some zeroes up, and I wasn’t able to do that,” Pettitte said. “Wasn’t able to get it done.”
The Yankees are now 3-5 on their road trip, 8-17 at Angel Stadium since 2008 and 3-7 in Pettitte’s last 10 starts against the Angels.
I didn’t watch the game, but was checking the score periodically. When I saw that the Yankees were down 3-2, I stopped checking because I knew they wouldn’t score again.
It’s depressing that a one run deficit against a team whose bullpen hasn’t been that great this year seems insurmountable, but that’s the state of the 2013 Yankees right now. The scary part is I don’t see it changing any time soon.
]]>Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .284/.353/.448, 2.5 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), 3B: .249/.313/.299, 0.1 bWAR
Mark Teixeira(S), 1B: .163/.263/.367, -0.3 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), DH: .282/.354/.521, 2.6 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .229/.274/.386, 0.3 bWAR
Thomas Neal(R), RF: .000/.000/.000, 0 bWAR
David Adams(R), 2B: .217/.239/.348, 0 bWAR
Reid Brignac(L), SS: .205/.235/.295, -0.8 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .140/.157/.180, -0.6 bWAR
Lineup Total: .247/.306/.398, 3.8 bWAR
Anaheim
Mike Trout(R), LF: .297/.367/.550, 2.2 bWAR
Josh Hamilton(L), RF: .217/.274/.390, 0 bWAR
Albert Pujols(R), DH: .249/.319/.438, 1 bWAR
Mark Trumbo(R), 1B: .263/.338/.502, 1.1 bWAR
Howie Kendrick(R), 2B: .324/.364/.474, 2.2 bWAR
Alberto Callaspo(S), 3B: .236/.301/.366, -0.3 bWAR
Chris Iannetta(R), C: .211/.363/.362, 0.9 bWAR
Erick Aybar(S), SS: .263/.283/.358, -0.2 bWAR
Peter Bourjos(R), CF: .308/.360/.440, 0.5 bWAR
Lineup Total: .264/.330/.441, 7.4 bWAR
As disappointing as the Yankees have been recently, the Angels have been disappointing for the whole season. But I never feel good about these games. On the plus side, Phil Hughes won’t be pitching in this series. On the minus side, with the Yankee offense you could pitch Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax and peak Pedro Martinez and still get swept.
According to the New York Post, Thomas Neal and Chris Bootcheck have been added to the roster with David Adams and Adam Warren likely being optioned to make room for them. Bootcheck’s probably just around as a spare arm. It sounds like Neal’s job will be the same as Ben Francisco’s, although I think he can earn more time if he plays well. Let’s hope he does, because this team needs something.
Neal has hit .339/.426/.446 this year in AAA which translates to something like .290/.360/.380. He’s only 25, so there’s some upside there that’s not present with 98% of the rest of the roster. That’s something, right?
]]>Over their first 39 games they averaged 4.31 runs per game and allowed an average of 3.64. Their winning percentage of 64.1% was a fair bit higher than supported by those numbers, which translate to a Pythagenpat expected winning percentage of 57.6%.
Over their last 28 games they have averaged 3.29 runs per game and are allowing an average of 3.86. Their winning percentage of 42.9% is essentially the same as their Pythagenpat expected winning percentage of 43.0%.
Here is a comparison of the team’s performance using Fangraphs’ version of WAR, split into roughly these selective endpoints (Full season minus last 30 days). First the position players, including defense by UZR.
| Name | through 5/14 | since | total |
| Brett Gardner | 0.9 | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| Robinson Cano | 1.4 | 0.6 | 2.0 |
| Francisco Cervelli | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Chris Stewart | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Travis Hafner | 0.6 | -0.3 | 0.3 |
| Lyle Overbay | 0.4 | -0.1 | 0.3 |
| Jayson Nix | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| David Adams | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Curtis Granderson | -0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Alberto Gonzalez | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Ichiro Suzuki | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Corban Joseph | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| David Phelps | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CC Sabathia | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Phil Hughes | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Hiroki Kuroda | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 |
| Vernon Wells | 1.1 | -1.2 | -0.1 |
| Chris Nelson | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 |
| Brennan Boesch | -0.4 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Mark Teixeira | 0.0 | -0.2 | -0.2 |
| Reid Brignac | 0.0 | -0.4 | -0.4 |
| Austin Romine | -0.1 | -0.3 | -0.4 |
| Kevin Youkilis | 0.0 | -0.4 | -0.4 |
| Ben Francisco | -0.4 | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| Eduardo Nunez | -0.6 | 0.0 | -0.6 |
| Total | 3.6 | 0.2 | 3.8 |
Vernon Wells’s decent into sub-replacment level has been the real killer of late. He’s been so bad he’s effectively neutralized how good Brett Gardner has been. The whole team has been abysmal over the last 30 days. Their 0.2 WAR over 28 games would translate to 1.2 WAR over a full season. For the entire team. That’s essentially half of a 48 win team if you had replacement level pitching.
And the pitchers, using RA-9 wins, not FIP.
| Name | through 5/14 | Since | WAR |
| Hiroki Kuroda | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.9 |
| CC Sabathia | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| David Phelps | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Andy Pettitte | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Mariano Rivera | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.2 |
| David Robertson | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Ivan Nova | -0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Boone Logan | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Phil Hughes | 0.4 | -0.1 | 0.3 |
| Preston Claiborne | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Shawn Kelley | -0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Adam Warren | 0.6 | -0.1 | 0.5 |
| Vidal Nuno | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Cody Eppley | -0.3 | 0.0 | -0.3 |
| Joba Chamberlain | 0.0 | -0.2 | -0.2 |
| Alberto Gonzalez | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| David Huff | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Brett Marshall | 0.0 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Total | 6.7 | 3.9 | 10.6 |
The pitching hasn’t been as good of late, but it hasn’t really been a problem. On a rate basis they’ve dropped from a rate of about .17 WAR/Game to .14 WAR/Game but if they had a competent offense backing them up they’d be fine.
Logic tells me that there’s no way this team is as bad as it’s looked over the last month or so, but waiting for them to stop playing like this sure is aggravating.
]]>Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .283/.348/.447, 2.3 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .250/.316/.302, 0.3 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .277/.346/.502, 2.3 bWAR
Mark Teixeira(S), 1B: .182/.245/.409, -0.2 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .231/.346/.463, 0.6 bWAR
Kevin Youkilis(R), 3B: .235/.318/.367, 0.1 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .237/.283/.399, 0.5 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .259/.298/.332, 0.6 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .282/.336/.369, 0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .256/.322/.407, 6.8 bWAR
Oakland
John Jaso(L), DH: .280/.368/.353, 0.6 bWAR
Seth Smith(L), LF: .269/.358/.425, 0.3 bWAR
Jed Lowrie(S), SS: .300/.376/.413, 0.9 bWAR
Josh Donaldson(R), 3B: .317/.385/.512, 3 bWAR
Brandon Moss(L), 1B: .228/.327/.456, 1 bWAR
Josh Reddick(L), RF: .188/.286/.293, 0.6 bWAR
Chris Young(R), CF: .173/.257/.333, -0.7 bWAR
Eric Sogard(L), 2B: .263/.336/.328, 0.8 bWAR
Derek Norris(R), C: .204/.320/.338, 0.5 bWAR
Lineup Total: .255/.341/.397, 7 bWAR
I really hope Kuroda is not planning on giving up any runs today.
The Yankees hit .261/.330/.432 in April, .233/.286/.376 in May and have hit .228/.296/.327 in June. Overall this season they have a line of .244/.306/.391 and an OPS+ of 89. You have to go back to 1990 to find a Yankee team that had an OPS lower than the current Yankee OPS of .697.
Other than that, things are going pretty well.
]]>OAKLAND—You can often hear chatter in the clubhouses that the ball does not seem to fly as well during night games at the O.co Coliseum. It may be true, but it only seemed to be reality for the Yankees on Wednesday.
Brandon Moss homered twice to lead the Athletics to a 5-2 win over a punchless Yankees lineup that managed just four singles and has now been unable to put the ball over the wall in its last five contests.
“That’s too much. We’re the Bronx Bombers,” said Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. “But give them credit; this is not really a home run-hitting ballpark anyway. Neither is Seattle, for that matter. We just haven’t gotten it done.”
Nope, you haven’t.
I stayed with the game until Joba Chamberlain tanked it in the bottom of the eighth by allowing a 3-2 deficit to swell to 5-2. As Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, who started the game and pitched poorly, head towards free agency at the end of this season it’s games like this that remind me how disappointing it is that they are where they are right now and not where we’d hoped they’d be.
But once again, the loss can be credited in large part to the aforementioned punchless lineup. Getting back Kevin Youkilis (.176/.263/.265 in 38 PA since his return from the DL) and Mark Teixiera (.182/.245/.409 in 49 PA since his return) hasn’t helped much, has it? Nor has Robinson Cano’s .189/.333/.297 line in June. Did I mention Vernon Wells who has .212/.242/.318 in his last 178 PA and .118/.143/.118 in June?
Perhaps the “Vernon Wells is bad at baseball” crowd were on to something after all…
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