Busted flat in Baton Rouge at 1b and Nixee at 3b.  Does any lefty stand a chance?

The Orioles are 13-2 in 1-run road games. Best winning pct. by far since 1900. I feel a correction is coming, maybe as early as Friday.

Day game-nice.  Get this shit over with early.

Has there ever been a study on the “streakiness” of a team and how it correlates to post-season appearances and performance? I wonder if this team isn’t the most streakiest team in the majors in the last 3 years. They appear to fall off the cliff collectively for a few weeks and then go on a hot streak and repeat. Not to sound like a broken record, but this is going to hurt in the post-season. Already, in a little over half-a-season, I’ve gone from wanting complete roster house cleaning to thinking about reserving a spot in lower Broadway for the the parade and back to roster house cleaning. All in a span of about 6 weeks.

Worst Yankees line up of the year?

[5] Yes.

6 needs Stewart

Has there ever been a study on the “streakiness” of a team and how it correlates to post-season appearances and performance?

Probably.  And I’d imagine they found little or no correlation.

Not to sound like a broken record, but this is going to hurt in the post-season.

Or, they could limp into the post-season, and get collectively hot for a month and win handily.

Already, in a little over half-a-season, I’ve gone from wanting complete roster house cleaning to thinking about reserving a spot in lower Broadway for the the parade and back to roster house cleaning. All in a span of about 6 weeks.

Wild emotion swings could be a sign of a serious problem that needs therapy.  Or bourbon.  I’d try bourbon first.

This team is like, what, a month older than the team that was wiping the floor with the rest of the AL. I doubt they all collectively fell off the aging cliff, performance-wise. It’s crappy luck, nothing more.

They are not old, brittle, etc. The older guys who are out (Mo, Andy, ARod) all had freak injuries that had little to do with their age. Interestingly it’s the younger guys (Gardner, Pineda) who are actually out for legit injury reasons.

They’re boring? OK. But I think it’s a case of losing=boring, winning=fun. Was going 36-12(!!!) from late May until the Oakland series boring? And Montero? Yeah, watching a young player is exciting. But watching a young player hit even worse than our current DH is not. If Montero were still a Yankee, he might just be back in AAA by now, and I’m sure most of us would be more than pleased with that.

It would be nice to have some of the other young farm guys around. AJax is awesome. But IPK would be our 5th starter, based on ERA, before you even account for the NL/AL switch. And I think we can all agree that Melky wouldn’t be Melky today if he hadn’t first been traded, released, and traded again, so there’s no point in pining after him like the FO made a huge mistake. If you really really miss him, you should definitely argue in favor of the team signing him when he becomes a FA this offseason.

This team doesn’t have character and heart? OK, I guess. I don’t know how we went from tons of character/walkoffs in 2009 to no character/giving up this year with practically the same core players, but anything’s possible I suppose.

You guys are all intelligent beings. After all, you came across this website and decided to stick around, and you didn’t even think it was the official website of the New York Yankees. But take it easy! Some people are starting to sound like TWN fans. I want them to start winning as much as anyone else, but let’s have some perspective.

/endrant

[9]: Brian C., stop posting comments under false identities!

[7] at DH.

I wonder what O’Neill is thinking while looking back and forth between Kay and the camera while Kay talks.

[9]  Yeah, not really panicking so much as taking stock.  All your points are well-taken.

Although, without Pineda and Pettitte to replace him, and then without ARod for a month and Gardner for the year, what’s the true talent level of this team?  I don’t think there’s a need to panic, but I don’t think we should expect to coast into the playoffs either, which is how it seemed just a week or two ago.

Not a home run!

[9] Nice to know there is a kindred spirit here.

First inning is gopher-free.

[13] Sure there is some cause for concern.  I’d imagine that their talent though is still on a par with - or exceeds - all but a handful of teams in the league.  And hopefully they’ll start to get some players back soon, or if not Cashman can still make a trade this month.  So…not worried.  Yet.

A good home run!

I knew he’d go deep hours after I advocated his release on this blog. I like my crow rare.

They better not score five runs this inning.

[13] Fair enough. I think this is certainly a winning team, and probably a 90-win team, which if you take the long view should be enough to get them into the postseason. Once October comes, who knows.

[20] By that you mean you want them to score 6+ runs, I assume?

[20] By that you mean you want them to score 6+ runs, I assume?

Any number other than five, specifically.

Not a home run!

Brian C., stop posting comments under false identities!

Ha! Hey, I can be as pessimistic as the best of them!

Just once I’m done with that, I try to smoke some objective pipe and I think things really aren’t THAT bleak.

Provided they win today, of course.

[23] Mission accomplished.

[25] So good you said it twice!

Starting to feel like last night again…

Apparently, Mark Reynolds should have been traded for.

Man, McGehee looks awful in the pinstripes

Not a home run!

A lead after 1.5 innings!??? can anyone explain what a sac fly is? its been so long I forgot

Another non run-scoring hit with RISP.

I can’t believe how thrilled I am with a run-scoring single in the second inning.

[34] Followed by a run scoring hit w/RISP.

I’m confused by the lack of stranding.

I like this In play, run(s) concept.

The effing townie game ended last night with the Tigers having the bases loaded.  Must have made Selig very happy.  Effing joke gift win.

The current Orioles system has to be the worst team at developing pitchers in baseball right now. I feel sorry for Bundy.

41 pitches thrown in that half-inning

[40]  Worse than the Yankees?

Yankees only have a problem with developing pitchers if the pitchers are heralded.

[42] Yankees have Robertson, Hughes, Nova, Joba and IPK in the majors performing at league average or better. Orioles… Matusz is terrible, Britton is terrible, Arietta isn’t very good, Tillman is their only decent product.

My latest LA Times Sports Legend Revealed: Did a billion people REALLY watch the opening ceremony at this year’s Olympics? Check it out here.

[44] That doesn’t look like complaining!  About the Yankees anyway.  Here, I’ll try:  Robertson and Nova no one expected anything of (see [43]), IPK sucked until he went to AZ.  Joba should start, send Hughes to the pen, that’s the only place he’s been effective!

How’s that?

Speaking of Hughes…how does he look?  I see no K’s but also no walks (and no HR), and a lot of singles.  GameCast looks like he’s getting squeezed a bit, but IDK how accurate it is.  Is he looking good and you feel the K’s will come, or looking shaky?

[47] at work, wondering the same thing.

[46] well done.

47/48 I’ve only been keeping half an eye on the game, but he’s looked OK. Curve has hung a few time and seems like that’s where the hits have been.

Christ, Ichiro has absolutely crushed two pitches and they’ve both been to the warning track. Get yourself to the dojo.

New York Nix!

uh-oh.  5 runs.

Don’t worry, Gopher Phil will have something to say about all of this.

Cano!

[44]  I was (mostly) kidding.  And yeah, the Orioles are a good example of how bad things can really be.  I still wonder if the Yankees can do a better job converting their top AA pitching prospects into frontline, big league starters.

Oh wow.

Up 11-1 in the 3rd? Here come the massive rainshowers, of course.

This is all very disrespectful to Flanny.

Hey, didn’t realize it was a day game today! Love the score, can’t believe the 1 run for the O’s wasn’t off a solo HR, and sure wish some of those runs could have been used for a few of those 1 run losses, but I’ll take anything at this point

Baltimore only needs 10 solo shots to tie. Phil’s got this.

[57] And obviously that will happen, especially considering what happened in Boston last night

- A. Jones struck out looking

Twice in that inning? Did he swing the bat at all?

[55] I’m sure most any team could do a better job, even the ones that are fairly successful like Tampa.  Some of it has probably just been bad luck for the Yankees; a lot of the injuries are probably just ones that happen.  Some of it is probably just poor evaluation (us and sites like Baseball America), who get enthusiastic about certain pitchers with great stuff (Betances) but ignore the guys that have a better idea what to do with it (potentially Phelps), so we wonder why the highly hyped pitchers fail, but don’t give credit for guys like Nova, Phelps, etc.

I guess Phil didn’t get the memo about beating the rain delay

[62] He actually swung at all the other strikes.

This game is still not Yankee Pitching Proof.

Mark Reynolds is going to absolutely launch one here.

I tivoed this game and the women’s 400 meter backstroke so don’t tell me any results.

Can the Yanks just not swing at any pitches this inning to move it along?

[69] You trust the O’s pitchers to throw it over the plate?

[63]  Yeah, somewhere herein lies the truth.  I’d like to see a thorough analysis of it, though.  Something along the lines of pitcher value vs. draft position, prospect ranking, and minor league performance.

What bugs me is that story about Teixeira getting advice from somewhere in the organization that he believes messed up his swing.  Maybe Tex is just making excuses for his own poor performance, but it wouldn’t shock me if he was right, and that similar BS could be happening with some of these young pitchers.  And maybe even some underperforming vets like A.J. Burnett.

[70] Looks like relying on the Yankees to hit into DP’s is probably a better strategy…

an infield hit!

Ichiro keeps the streak alive

[71] Was A.J. ever really underperforming that badly?  He pitched like AJ Burnett for us.  He was wildly inconsistent and he got worse as he got older.

[63, 71] out of the 3 of Hughes, IPK and Joba the Yankees produced 3 average or better MLB pitchers. That’s pretty good. The Betances, Brackman, Banuelos generation isn’t going to be as successful, but honestly Joba/IPK/Hughes were/are the better trio.

[71]
I’m surprised at the reactions to this.
Yes, the results were bad.
But I think most hitters would be better with the flexibility to go with pitches and use all fields. I think Giambi and others have suffered coming to various NYSs because they stopped doing it.
But now I’m supposed to think that Teix is now incapable of doing it and deride the people who made the suggestion?

[71]  Analysis is always a good idea.  If I ever have free time again might be a project I would undertake.

I think that Cashman and a few of the others (Eppler, Oppenheimer) are constantly reviewing these things and trying to improve.  For example, overhauling the amateur scouting for the draft, firing most everyone after the Igawa debacle, etc.  I think there are still a few people who were Steinbrenner favorites that have influence, that they aren’t yet comfortable getting rid of or minimizing.  E.g. maybe Reggie was the one who suggested changes for Teix (as someone mentioned the other day).  Hopefully, they continue to evaluate, and get rid of or minimize the bad influences.  We’ll see how they do going forward I guess.

Injuries are still the hardest thing.  Especially for pitchers.  I don’t think there is any good way yet - other than a few obvious outliers - to predict who is more likely to get hurt, ways to minimize injuries, etc.  Lots of people have lots of ideas, but I’m not sure how much we can “blame” Yankees for injuries.

[76] Yeah definitely.  I’d hazard that most of the teams that we think of as “good” at developing pitchers either a) have parks that allow pitchers to make a lot of mistakes b) are getting high draft picks or c) both.  As for which trio will have “better” results, if you mean aggregate I think definitely IPK/Joba/Hughes will have more value.  However, Banuelos could still be the best of the lot, and there’s a non-zero chance Betances could add a lot as a reliever.

Granderson’s two true outcomes are getting a little worrying.

Nice change of pace by Swisher, getting the DP in the air.

[80] I’d have to think he’s on pace for the franchise strikeout record.

[82] He already owns the franchise strikeout record.

Ibanez would’ve caught that

[82] yes, breaking his record from last year.

[82] He’s also on pace to have back-to-back 40 HR seasons.  Last Yankee to do that was Giambi in 2002/2003 (with exactly 41 both times, what Curtis had last year and what ZIPS says he is projected to do this year).

Last Yankee CF (or anyone since Giambi) to do that was Mantle, in 1960/1961.  Pretty impressive if you ask me.

[85] ESPN has projected Grandy to strike out 201 times.

With 45 HRs.

ESPN doesn’t really project.  They pro-rate current stats through end of year.

[86] Indeed impressive, wasn’t trying to downplay his value by belaboring the point of his strikeout woes. It’s just a stat that really jumps out at me.

what really encourages me about Hughes of late is that his bad starts are non-disasters….

Martin can’t even get the GIDP right.

but we can count on McGehee

Joba still getting his feet under him I suppose.

[79] Banuelos could be better than any of Hughes/Joba/IPK, but I doubt it, only youth is on his side (IPK excepted). Hughes and Joba have huge physical advantages over him in height and I feel like people forget how insanely good a pitching prospect Joba was.

I’d be thrilled if Banuelos ends up right around where Hughes is now.

Are we DFA’ing Joba yet?

Joba has nothing

Yes! Joba got out of it. I like the guy a lot.

[88]  Well, if you want to get technical ...

[93] And to be sure, Joba was never really a prospect to get excited about.  He started in the minors and was in the majors by August.  There wasn’t enough time to consider what a great prospect he was.

Welcome back, Jobber.

I was to understand that Joba was throwing 100mph heat during his recovery.

Dead arm already ?

Maybe they meant 100kph?

[96] I always knew he was going to be big.

Get it?