Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Yankees (28-17) @ Orioles (24-21), Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 6-2, 1.99) vs. BAL:Jason Hammel (30, RHP, 5-2, 5.72)
Lineups
Hackees
Curtis Granderson(L), CF: .174/.208/.174, 0.2 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .290/.337/.563, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .288/.343/.513, 1.5 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .275/.383/.550, 0.7 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .257/.293/.480, 0.7 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .318/.348/.545, 0.1 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .241/.280/.333, 0.2 bWAR
Reid Brignac(L), SS: .240/.283/.360, -0.4 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .143/.172/.214, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .264/.317/.466, 4.2 bWAR
Orioles
Nate McLouth(L), LF: .282/.366/.444, 0.8 bWAR
Manny Machado(R), 3B: .318/.351/.508, 2.6 bWAR
Nick Markakis(L), RF: .293/.340/.394, 0 bWAR
Adam Jones(R), DH: .312/.347/.481, 1.3 bWAR
Chris Davis(L), 1B: .312/.408/.662, 1.9 bWAR
Matt Wieters(S), C: .223/.293/.399, 0.4 bWAR
J.J. Hardy(R), SS: .234/.266/.417, 0.4 bWAR
Chris Dickerson(L), CF: .371/.389/.686, 0.1 bWAR
Alexi Casilla(S), 2B: .213/.245/.255, 0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .284/.337/.469, 7.7 bWAR
How the hell does .174/.208/.174 = positive bWAR anyway?
One of the most important concepts when looking at a statistical sample is regression towards the mean. I’ll let Wikipedia explain it.
In statistics, regression toward (or to) the mean is the phenomenon that if a variable is extreme on its first measurement, it will tend to be closer to the average on its second measurement—and, paradoxically, if it is extreme on its second measurement, it will tend to have been closer to the average on its first.[1][2][3] To avoid making wrong inferences, regression toward the mean must be considered when designing scientific experiments and interpreting data.
The interpreting of data is particularly important when looking at baseball statistics.
Let’s illustrate this with an example. If you were to look at the ERAs of the two pitchers pitching tonight you’d laugh this game off as a mismatch and an easy win for the Yankees. But since we should expect both Kuroda and Hammel to regress towards the mean, what should we really foresee this evening? We are all nerds here and nerds do math, so let’s do some math.
Per Fangraphs, Hiroki Kuroda’s ERA- is 47. It means he’s allowing at a rate of 47% of league average. Conversely, Hammel’s ERA- of 134 means he’s allowing runs at a rate 34% greater than league average. Regression to the mean says that both pitchers should be closer to 100%. What does that mean?
In order to get to a league average ERA, Kuroda needs to pitch no more than one inning and allow 15 runs (aka a Hughes). Hammel needs to pitch nine innings and allow -5 runs.
That doesn’t mean the Yankees will lose this game 15 to -5. That clearly makes no sense. You can’t expect the bullpen to pitch seven shutout innings in relief of Kuroda.
So probably something like 19 or 20 to -5 is realistic. Maybe 20 to -4 if Hammel is on a pitch count.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Yankees (28-16) @ Orioles (23-21), Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 2-3, 5.88) vs. BAL:Miguel Gonzalez (29, RHP, 2-2, 4.58)
Lineups
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .256/.330/.387, 0.8 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .296/.344/.575, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .288/.345/.513, 1.5 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .267/.379/.552, 0.7 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .264/.301/.493, 0.7 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), RF: .211/.250/.211, 0.2 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .333/.368/.611, 0.1 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .230/.308/.283, 0.3 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .160/.192/.240, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .266/.329/.464, 5.5 bWAR
Baltimore
Nate McLouth(L), LF: .277/.365/.423, 0.8 bWAR
Manny Machado(R), 3B: .319/.353/.513, 2.6 bWAR
Nick Markakis(L), RF: .293/.342/.397, 0 bWAR
Adam Jones(R), DH: .319/.354/.492, 1.3 bWAR
Chris Davis(L), 1B: .318/.411/.675, 1.9 bWAR
Matt Wieters(S), C: .229/.301/.410, 0.4 bWAR
J.J. Hardy(R), SS: .240/.272/.427, 0.4 bWAR
Chris Dickerson(L), CF: .323/.344/.484, 0.1 bWAR
Yamaico Navarro(R), 2B: .333/.400/.556, 0 bWAR
Lineup Total: .288/.343/.477, 7.5 bWAR
Whatever.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Yankees (27-16) @ Orioles (23-20), Monday, May 20, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 4-3, 3.19) vs. BAL:Freddy Garcia (36, RHP, 0-2, 5.51)
Lineups
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .261/.332/.394, 0.8 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .295/.337/.563, 1.5 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .260/.378/.530, 0.7 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .259/.297/.475, 0.7 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), LF: .267/.313/.267, 0.2 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .286/.333/.429, 0.1 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .241/.281/.328, 0.2 bWAR
Reid Brignac(L), SS: .250/.294/.375, -0.4 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .182/.217/.273, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .262/.319/.444, 3.5 bWAR
Baltimore
Nick Markakis(L), RF: .291/.340/.391, 0 bWAR
Manny Machado(R), 3B: .328/.362/.527, 2.6 bWAR
J.J. Hardy(R), SS: .235/.269/.416, 0.4 bWAR
Adam Jones(R), CF: .322/.358/.500, 1.3 bWAR
Chris Davis(L), 1B: .313/.406/.660, 1.9 bWAR
Matt Wieters(S), C: .230/.304/.410, 0.4 bWAR
Danny Valencia(R), 3B DH: .333/.333/.667, 0 bWAR
Steve Pearce(R), 1B LF: .217/.321/.391, 0.2 bWAR
Alexi Casilla(S), 2B: .209/.244/.256, 0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .283/.336/.470, 7.0 bWAR
Whatever.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Blue Jays (17-26) @ Yankees (27-16), Sunday, May 19, 2013, 1:05pm
TOR:R.A. Dickey (38, RHP, 3-5, 4.83) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 4-3, 3.19)
Lineups
Toronto
Melky Cabrera(S), DH: .283/.319/.376, 0.4 bWAR
Jose Bautista(R), RF: .250/.369/.523, 1.3 bWAR
Edwin Encarnacion(R), 1B: .248/.332/.497, 0.7 bWAR
Mark DeRosa(R), 2B: .222/.302/.463, -0.2 bWAR
Brett Lawrie(R), 3B: .191/.256/.345, 0.2 bWAR
Maicer Izturis(S), SS: .218/.242/.331, -0.6 bWAR
Colby Rasmus(L), CF: .233/.306/.414, 0.6 bWAR
Henry Blanco(R), C: .138/.167/.172, -0.5 bWAR
Emilio Bonifacio(S), 2B: .196/.224/.324, -0.6 bWAR
Lineup Total: .233/.297/.403, 1.3 bWAR
The Walking Dead
Curtis Granderson(L), CF: .267/.313/.267, 0.1 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .295/.337/.563, 1.7 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .286/.343/.506, 1.4 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .260/.378/.530, 0.8 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .259/.297/.475, 0.8 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), 3B: .232/.310/.286, 0.2 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .241/.281/.328, 0.2 bWAR
Reid Brignac(L), SS: .250/.294/.375, -0.4 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .182/.217/.273, -0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .262/.320/.444, 4.6 bWAR
Whatever.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Blue Jays (17-25) @ Yankees (26-16), Saturday, May 18, 2013, 1:05pm
TOR:Brandon Morrow (28, RHP, 1-2, 4.69) vs. NYY:David Phelps (26, RHP, 1-2, 4.33)
Lineups
Toronto
Melky Cabrera(S), LF: .284/.320/.373, 0.4 bWAR
Jose Bautista(R), RF: .254/.366/.532, 1.1 bWAR
Edwin Encarnacion(R), DH: .247/.328/.481, 0.6 bWAR
J.P. Arencibia(R), C: .230/.245/.480, 0.4 bWAR
Adam Lind(L), 1B: .275/.398/.450, 0.2 bWAR
Brett Lawrie(R), 3B: .198/.265/.358, 0.3 bWAR
Colby Rasmus(L), CF: .233/.308/.419, 0.5 bWAR
Maicer Izturis(S), SS: .217/.242/.333, -0.7 bWAR
Emilio Bonifacio(S), 2B: .194/.223/.327, -0.6 bWAR
Lineup Total: .239/.302/.421, 2.2 bWAR
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .261/.333/.398, 1.1 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .291/.333/.529, 1.4 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .287/.345/.513, 1.4 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .260/.383/.510, 0.7 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .259/.299/.481, 0.7 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), RF: .364/.417/.364, 0.2 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .231/.312/.287, 0.2 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .364/.417/.545, 0.2 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .158/.200/.263, -0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .268/.332/.454, 5.7 bWAR
Whatever.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Blue Jays (17-24) @ Yankees (25-16), Friday, May 17, 2013, 7:05pm
TOR:Mark Buehrle (34, LHP, 1-2, 6.19) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 5-2, 2.31)
Lineups
Toronto
Melky Cabrera(S), LF: .279/.316/.364, 0.2 bWAR
Jose Bautista(R), RF: .262/.376/.549, 1.3 bWAR
Edwin Encarnacion(R), 1B: .240/.324/.474, 0.5 bWAR
J.P. Arencibia(R), C: .236/.252/.493, 0.6 bWAR
Adam Lind(L), DH: .286/.411/.468, 0.3 bWAR
Brett Lawrie(R), 3B: .204/.272/.369, 0.4 bWAR
Colby Rasmus(L), CF: .238/.314/.429, 0.5 bWAR
Emilio Bonifacio(S), 2B: .200/.230/.337, -0.5 bWAR
Munenori Kawasaki(L), SS: .235/.337/.279, 0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .244/.314/.427, 3.7 bWAR
The Walking Dead
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .253/.324/.380, 0.8 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .231/.306/.287, 0.3 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .298/.341/.542, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .295/.354/.527, 1.5 bWAR
Ben Francisco(R), DH: .125/.239/.200, -0.3 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .260/.300/.489, 0.7 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .286/.375/.429, 0.1 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .239/.280/.328, 0.2 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .063/.118/.125, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .256/.313/.419, 4.5 bWAR
Whatever.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Mariners (19-21) @ Yankees (25-15), Thursday, May 16, 2013, 7:05pm
Lineups
Mariners
Michael Saunders(L), CF: .278/.359/.506, 1 bWAR
Jason Bay(R), LF: .241/.344/.430, 0.6 bWAR
Kyle Seager(L), 3B: .286/.355/.483, 1.3 bWAR
Kendrys Morales(S), 1B: .266/.354/.417, 0.6 bWAR
Mike Morse(R), RF: .252/.313/.481, -0.2 bWAR
Raul Ibanez(L), DH: .224/.272/.526, -0.4 bWAR
Jesus Montero(R), C: .211/.258/.344, -0.2 bWAR
Dustin Ackley(L), 2B: .234/.291/.282, 0.5 bWAR
Brendan Ryan(R), SS: .133/.202/.133, -0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .241/.311/.403, 2.8 bWAR
New York
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .255/.327/.386, 0.7 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .243/.319/.301, 0.3 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .301/.345/.552, 1.6 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .301/.357/.538, 1.4 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .266/.301/.500, 0.5 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), DH: .143/.250/.143, 0.1 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .250/.250/.250, 0 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .238/.281/.331, 0.2 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .258/.292/.394, 0.5 bWAR
Lineup Total: .268/.320/.437, 5.3 bWAR
Aaron Harang was originally supposed to start but now it looks like it’ll be former Yankee Hector Noesi toeing the rubber.
I had a big long intro typed up then Phil Hughes came over and unplugged my computer so I’ll just say I hope the Yankees win but I think they will lose because their actual record is still too good for their Pythagenpat record and they are not done correcting yet.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Mariners (18-21) @ Yankees (25-14), Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 7:05pm
SEA:Hisashi Iwakuma (32, RHP, 4-1, 1.74) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 2-2, 4.43)
Lineups
Seattle
Michael Saunders(L), CF: .267/.345/.480, 1 bWAR
Dustin Ackley(L), 2B: .231/.273/.281, 0.5 bWAR
Kyle Seager(L), 3B: .280/.348/.462, 1.3 bWAR
Kendrys Morales(S), DH: .261/.353/.418, 0.6 bWAR
Mike Morse(R), RF: .244/.303/.481, -0.2 bWAR
Justin Smoak(S), 1B: .235/.355/.311, 0.2 bWAR
Raul Ibanez(L), LF: .211/.263/.451, -0.4 bWAR
Jesus Montero(R), DH: .200/.250/.341, -0.2 bWAR
Brendan Ryan(R), SS: .129/.202/.129, -0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .234/.307/.378, 2.4 bWAR
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .253/.327/.387, 0.7 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .306/.351/.563, 1.6 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), DH: .300/.353/.521, 1.4 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), LF: .000/.250/.000, 0.1 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .256/.293/.488, 0.5 bWAR
David Adams(R), 3B: .000/.000/.000, 0 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .246/.289/.341, 0.2 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .258/.294/.355, 0.5 bWAR
Alberto Gonzalez(R), SS: .241/.281/.379, 0.1 bWAR
Lineup Total: .270/.321/.450, 5.1 bWAR
Congratulations to David Adams on making his MLB debut. It’s too bad he’s going to be part of a losing effort, but I’m sure it’s cool for him anyway.
If you thought last night’s game was as epic of a mismatch as you could possibly have, I’ve got some bad news for you. While Iwakuma’s ERA of 1.74 is a smidgen higher than Felix Hernandez’s ERA of 1.53, the gap between Hughes and Iwakuma (2.79) dwarfs the gap between Hernandez and Sabathia from last night (1.7) and we saw how that turned out. Fortunately I turned off last night’s game with the Yankees trailing 3-1 and didn’t have to see the end of it. I’m guessing I won’t have to wait more than an inning or two to do the same tonight.
There is some good news despite all this doom and gloom though. Is if you were to triple Iwakuma’s ERA, it’d be higher Hughes’s. Or I suppose you could divide Hughes’s ERA by 3 and it would be better than Iwakuma’s. I think that means that if you put Hughes on Jupiter and put Iwakuma on Pluto, Hughes would have a lower ERA.
The problem is it would take years to move the teams to the other planet between innings. Well, technically Pluto is no longer considered a real planet, more of a dwarf planet. Also, the current distance between Jupiter and Pluto is 30.2374 au which is roughly equivalent to 2,810,741,928 miles. That means it would take something like 6625 days on a space shuttle to go from one to the other.
So basically, unless you have 381 years to kill, there’s no way to make Hughes look better than Iwakuma.
I’m really not sure why the Yankees haven’t forfeited yet.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Mariners (18-20) @ Yankees (24-14), Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 7:05pm
SEA:Felix Hernandez (27, RHP, 5-2, 1.53) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 4-3, 3.23)
Lineups
Seattle
Michael Saunders(L), CF: .286/.366/.514, 1.1 bWAR
Jason Bay(R), LF: .253/.360/.453, 0.7 bWAR
Kyle Seager(L), 3B: .283/.353/.464, 1.4 bWAR
Kendrys Morales(S), DH 1B: .262/.351/.415, 0.6 bWAR
Mike Morse(R), RF: .230/.292/.468, -0.2 bWAR
Kelly Shoppach(R), C: .264/.371/.472, 0.4 bWAR
The Shockmaster™(L), DH: .194/.250/.403, -0.6 bWAR
Robert Andino(R), 2B: .159/.221/.206, -0.5 bWAR
Brendan Ryan(R), SS: .122/.198/.122, -0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .234/.313/.400, 2.6 bWAR
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .252/.323/.388, 0.9 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .299/.341/.554, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), DH: .299/.349/.526, 1.4 bWAR
Curtis Granderson(L), LF: .000/.000/.000, 0 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .252/.292/.480, 0.6 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .253/.324/.313, 0.3 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .254/.298/.352, 0.4 bWAR
Chris Nelson(R), 3B: .224/.260/.296, -0.7 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .100/.182/.200, -0.1 bWAR
Lineup Total: .263/.314/.426, 4.3 bWAR
Yay, Grandy’s back! Boo, where’s Hafner? Isn’t the point of adding players back to run a better lineup out there?
Anyway, this will be the first time that CC Sabathia and Felix Hernandez have matched up. What should we be looking for in this battle of former Cy Young award winners? Let’s look at the cold hard facts.
- Hernandez has thrown 58.2 innings this year, Sabathia has thrown 53. Advantage, Seattle.
- Hernandez has allowed 45 hits this year, Sabathia has allowed 51. Advantage, Seattle.
- Hernandez has allowed 12 runs this year, Sabathia has allowed 21. Advantage, Seattle.
- Hernandez has allowed three home runs this year, Sabathia has allowed seven. Hell, CC allowed three home runs in ONE GAME. Advantage, Seattle.
- Hernandez has walked eight batters, this year, Sabathia has walked 13. Advantage, Seattle.
- Hernandez has struck out 56 batters, this year. Sabathia has struck out 44. Advantage, Seattle.
- Hernandez’s ERA+ this year is 244. Sabathia’s is 127. Advantage, Seattle.
- Hernandez’s average fastball this year has been 91.1 mph. Sabathia’s has been 89.9 mph. Advantage, Seattle.
- Over his last five starts Hernandez has pitched 38 innings and allowed four runs (three earned). Over his last five starts, Sabathia has pitched 33 innings and allowed 15 runs (14 earned). Advantage, Seattle.
- Opposing batters have hit .213/.240/.336 against Hernandez so far this year and .254/.300/.398 against Sabathia. Advantage, Seattle.
- The Yankees have won two of the last nine games Hernandez has started against them. Advantage, Seattle.
I count 11 advantages for Seattle and a big fat none for the Yankees.
You don’t have to be a math major or a stat dork to make sense of this litany of numbers. There is no conceivable way the Yankees can win this game.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Yankees (23-13) @ Indians (20-15), Monday, May 13, 2013, 12:05pm
NYY: David Phelps (26 , RHP , 1-1 , 5.02) vs. CLE: Justin Masterson (28 , RHP , 5-2 , 3.67)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .259/.329/.403, 0.8 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), LF: .263/.307/.364, 0.4 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .311/.354/.581, 1.7 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .269/.387/.527, 0.8 bWAR
Brennan Boesch(L), RF: .205/.244/.436, -0.3 bWAR
Chris Nelson(R), 3B: .221/.257/.295, -0.6 bWAR
Corban Joseph(L), 1B: .000/.000/.000, 0 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .254/.292/.356, 0.5 bWAR
Alberto Gonzalez(R), SS: .217/.269/.391, 0 bWAR
Lineup Total: .262/.320/.433, 3.3 bWAR
Cleveland
Michael Bourn(L), CF: .304/.350/.518, 0.7 bWAR
Jason Kipnis(L), 2B: .224/.287/.414, 0.3 bWAR
Asdrubal Cabrera(S), SS: .238/.304/.429, 0.3 bWAR
Nick Swisher(S), 1B: .265/.370/.479, 1.2 bWAR
Jason Giambi(L), DH: .225/.304/.450, 0 bWAR
Carlos Santana(S), C: .336/.437/.626, 1.5 bWAR
Mark Reynolds(R), 3B: .291/.372/.624, 0.9 bWAR
Michael Brantley(L), LF: .306/.365/.388, 0.8 bWAR
Drew Stubbs(R), RF: .250/.296/.362, 0.6 bWAR
Lineup Total: .272/.346/.473, 6.3 bWAR
It would have been nice to have played these games when Cleveland stunk instead of when they are the hottest team in baseball, but them’s the breaks.
I’m hoping for a split, but I’m expecting Cleveland to sweep.
Game 2 Link:
NYY:Vidal Nuno (25, LHP, 0-0, 0.00) vs. CLE:Trevor Bauer (22, RHP, 1-1, 2.70)
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Yankees (22-13) @ Royals (18-15), Sunday, May 12, 2013, 2:10pm
NYY: Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 4-2, 2.30) vs. KCR: Ervin Santana (30, RHP, 3-1, 2.36)
Lineups
Yankees
TBA
Kansas City
TBA
It’s that one day of the year, the day where us basement dwellers crawl out to give props to the person who lets us stay in them. So Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.
Hiroki Kuroda’s been great all year, but so has Ervin Santana. So i go to the tiebreaker, which is xFIP. Kuroda’s 3.77 xFIP isn’t even in the same league as Santana’s 3.29. Advantage, KC.
I would have typed more but all this sunlight is killing my retinas and corneas so I’m going back down into the basement.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Yankees (21-13) @ Royals (18-14), Saturday, May 11, 2013, 7:10pm
NYY:Andy Pettitte (41, LHP, 3-2, 4.06) vs. KCR:James Shields (31, RHP, 2-2, 2.52)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jayson Nix SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Nelson 3B
Chris Stewart C
Kansas City
Alcides Escobar SS
Lorenzo Cain CF
Alex Gordon LF
Billy Butler DH
Eric Hosmer 1B
Salvador Perez C
Mike Moustakas 3B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Elliot Johnson 2B
Austin Romine has effectively ended Andy Pettitte’s career, but he’s still valiantly trying to go out there and pitch anyway. Will that be good enough to keep the Yankees in the game against Big Game James?
Probably not.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Yankees (20-13) @ Royals (18-13), Friday, May 10, 2013, 8:10pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 1-2, 3.60) vs. KCR:Wade Davis (27, RHP, 2-2, 4.75)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .262/.333/.389, 0.8 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .311/.359/.585, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .294/.346/.504, 1.2 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .284/.408/.568, 0.9 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .267/.316/.343, 0.4 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .224/.280/.271, -0.2 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .238/.279/.448, 0.4 bWAR
Chris Nelson(R), 3B: .220/.261/.293, -0.5 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .245/.278/.367, 0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .265/.323/.431, 4.9 bWAR
Kansas City
Alcides Escobar(R), SS: .262/.297/.377, 0.2 bWAR
Lorenzo Cain(R), RF: .324/.378/.448, 1.1 bWAR
Alex Gordon(L), LF: .316/.340/.522, 1 bWAR
Billy Butler(R), DH: .245/.376/.382, 0.2 bWAR
Eric Hosmer(L), 1B: .277/.345/.366, 0.5 bWAR
Salvador Perez(R), C: .278/.301/.370, 0.6 bWAR
Mike Moustakas(L), 3B: .222/.301/.364, 0 bWAR
Elliot Johnson(S), 2B: .290/.313/.387, 1 bWAR
Jarrod Dyson(L), CF: .250/.250/.458, 0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .276/.331/.409, 4.8 bWAR
We’ve got a steaming hot 62 degree forecast for tonight’s game in Kansas City.
Here is the list of AL teams that are allowing fewer runs per game than the Royals so far this year.
-
Yes, there is no such list. In fact, there’s only one team in baseball that’s allowed fewer runs per game than the Royals and they play in a weaker league that feels using players in roles they are grossly unqualified for is actually exciting and strategic. Because of that, I am comfortable anointing the Royals as the best run prevention team in baseball.
So what happens when the best run prevention team in baseball faces this Yankee lineup? I’m guessing it won’t be pretty, although at least we don’t have to deal with the farcical sight of pitchers in the batter’s box tonight.
No Robertson or Rivera tonight, so I wonder who the closer is? If it’s Boone Logan then it’s probably not necessary to take a lead into the ninth.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Yankees (19-13) @ Rockies (19-14), Thursday, May 9, 2013, 3:10pm
NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 4-3, 3.31) vs. COL:Jeff Francis (32, LHP, 1-2, 7.27)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .265/.333/.398, 0.7 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .239/.286/.296, -0.1 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .319/.367/.605, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .284/.345/.500, 1 bWAR
Ben Francisco(R), rF: .133/.257/.233, -0.3 bWAR
Chris Nelson(R), 3B: .229/.267/.300, -0.5 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .253/.292/.495, 0.3 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .275/.318/.425, 0.4 bWAR
CC Sabathia(L), P: .000/.000/.000, 0 bWAR
Lineup Total: .264/.318/.439, 3 bWAR
Colorado
Eric Young(S), RF: .310/.341/.464, 0.1 bWAR
Dexter Fowler(S), CF: .310/.420/.610, 2 bWAR
Troy Tulowitzki(R), SS: .341/.433/.635, 1.8 bWAR
Carlos Gonzalez(L), LF: .318/.406/.582, 1.3 bWAR
Wilin Rosario(R), C: .312/.340/.581, 1 bWAR
Nolan Arenado(R), 3B: .308/.357/.615, 0.7 bWAR
Jordan Pacheco(R), 1B: .309/.356/.368, 0 bWAR
Josh Rutledge(R), 2B: .241/.303/.380, -0.1 bWAR
Jeff Francis(L), P: .000/.222/.000, -0.1 bWAR
Lineup Total: .301/.371/.520, 6.7 bWAR
The question of the day is whether CC will give up more runs in the first inning than the Yankees will score for the entire game.
For all the talk of Sabathia being a good hitter for a pitcher, the Yankees haven’t seen it. He hit .261/270/.398 in 92 career PA prior to becoming a Yankee and has hit .118/.118/.118 in 17 PA as a Yankee. Bust.
Jeff Francis has lost about 3 mph off his fastball from his prime, which means he averages around 85 mph now. Sabathia’s not quite there yet, but give him a few more months.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Yankees (18-13) @ Rockies (19-13), Wednesday, May 8, 2013, 8:40pm
NYY:David Phelps (26, RHP, 1-1, 5.56) vs. COL:Juan Nicasio (26, RHP, 3-0, 4.91)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .269/.338/.403, 0.7 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .315/.365/.583, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .270/.328/.468, 0.9 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .245/.282/.469, 0.4 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .277/.327/.356, 0.5 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .241/.282/.291, -0.1 bWAR
Chris Nelson(R), 3B: .211/.247/.276, -0.7 bWAR
David Phelps(R), P: .000/.000/.000, 0 bWAR
Austin Romine(R), C: .000/.250/.000, 0 bWAR
Team Total: .265/.316/.420, 3.2 bWAR
Colorado
Dexter Fowler(L), CF: .310/.420/.610, 2.1 bWAR
Josh Rutledge(R), 2B: .243/.307/.388, -0.1 bWAR
Carlos Gonzalez(L), LF: .311/.398/.557, 1.1 bWAR
Michael Cuddyer(R), RF: .317/.385/.587, 1 bWAR
Wilin Rosario(R), C: .322/.344/.600, 1 bWAR
Todd Helton(L), 1B: .268/.333/.415, 0 bWAR
Nolan Arenado(R), 3B: .318/.375/.545, 0.5 bWAR
Reid Brignac(L), SS: .270/.325/.324, -0.4 bWAR
Juan Nicasio(R), P: .167/.375/.167, 0.1 bWAR
Lineup Total: .296/.367/.521, 5.3 bWAR
I realize Joe Girardi hates Austin Romine, but this is a bit much.
There are three teams in MLB this season that have not lost three games in a row yet. Those teams are Kansas City, Texas and the Yankees. Interestingly enough, all three teams have lost two straight games heading into today’s action, so there’s a chance that by the end of the day there will no longer be any team that hasn’t had a three game losing streak.
What’s most likely is that Kansas City will lose to Baltimore, the Yankees will lose to Colorado and Texas will beat Milwaukee to remain in this select group.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Yankees (18-12) @ Rockies (18-13), Tuesday, May 7, 2013, 8:40pm
NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 4-1, 2.25) vs. COL:Jorge De La Rosa (32, LHP, 2-3, 4.18)
Lineups
The Bad News Bears
Ichiro Suzuki(L), CF: .278/.327/.356, 0.2 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), SS: .239/.286/.296, -0.1 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .322/.371/.609, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .286/.349/.510, 1.3 bWAR
Ben Francisco(R), RF: .133/.257/.233, -0.3 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), LF: .239/.280/.443, 0.3 bWAR
Chris Nelson(R), 3B: .242/.282/.318, -0.4 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .270/.317/.351, 0.3 bWAR
Hiroki Kuroda(R), P: .000/.000/.000, 0 bWAR
Lineup Total: .266/.318/.425, 2.8 bWAR
Rockies
Dexter Fowler(L), CF: .310/.420/.610, 2.1 bWAR
Josh Rutledge(R), 2B: .243/.307/.388, -0.1 bWAR
Carlos Gonzalez(L), LF: .311/.398/.557, 1.1 bWAR
Michael Cuddyer(R), RF: .317/.385/.587, 1 bWAR
Todd Helton(L), 1B: .268/.333/.415, 0 bWAR
Nolan Arenado(R), 3B: .318/.375/.545, 0.5 bWAR
Yorvit Torrealba(R), C: .286/.444/.321, 0.2 bWAR
Jonathan Herrera(L), SS: .263/.300/.342, -0.1 bWAR
Jorge De La Rosa(L), P: .000/.091/.000, -0.1 bWAR
Lineup Total: .286/.369/.493, 4.6 bWAR
The only thing worse than interleague play in general is interleague play in a National League park, where instead of watching Travis Hafner we have to watch pitchers bunt or strike out meekly. And really, that’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario finds a pitcher on the bases attempting to do something he shouldn’t be doing, possibly injuring his foot and railroading their career.
Actually, tonight’s Yankee lineup could be as bad as interleague play.
I’m expecting the Yankees to go 0 for this road trip and am just hoping they don’t add more injuries while doing it.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Athletics (17-14) @ Yankees (18-11), Sunday, May 5, 2013, 1:05pm
OAK:Dan Straily (24, RHP, 1-0, 6.35) vs. NYY:Andy Pettitte (41, LHP, 3-2, 3.86)
Lineups
Athletics
Adam Rosales(R), SS: .290/.353/.452, 0.2 bWAR
Derek Norris(R), C: .264/.420/.340, 0.7 bWAR
Jed Lowrie(S), 2B: .327/.406/.504, 0.5 bWAR
Yoenis Cespedes(R), CF: .239/.338/.478, 0.6 bWAR
Josh Donaldson(R), 3B: .301/.380/.469, 1.1 bWAR
Nate Freiman(R), 1B: .242/.333/.394, -0.1 bWAR
Luke Montz(R), DH: .143/.143/.286, -0.1 bWAR
Seth Smith(L), LF: .295/.380/.474, 0.4 bWAR
Michael Taylor(R), RF: .000/.000/.000, -0.2 bWAR
Lineup Total: .284/.373/.452, 3.1 bWAR
Yankees
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .265/.333/.398, 0.7 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .319/.367/.605, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .284/.345/.500, 1 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .286/.402/.584, 0.9 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .266/.314/.340, 0.3 bWAR
Jayson Nix(R), 3B: .239/.286/.296, -0.1 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .253/.292/.495, 0.3 bWAR
Eduardo Nunez(R), SS: .203/.293/.278, -0.8 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .275/.318/.425, 0.4 bWAR
Lineup Total: .268/.331/.445, 4.2 bWAR
So far this season, Dan Straily has yet to give up a single run to a team from the AL East. On the other hand, Andy Pettitte has an ERA of 14.54 vs. the AL West. We probably need to regress Straily’s ERA against the AL East a little due to sample size, so let’s say he’s a true 1.00 ERA pitcher vs. the AL East. To be fair we should also regress Pettitte’s ERA against the AL West. So let’s say he’s really more like a true 14.00 ERA pitcher against the AL West.
Once again we go to the Log 5 expected win probability. In this case, A = Oakland’s winning percentage given they are averaging 5.35 runs per game and Straily is a 1.00 ERA pitcher and B = the Yankees’ winning percentage using their 4.45 runs per game and Pettitte’s 14.00 ERA.
A = 0.945467
B = 0.066187
Adjusted for home field advantage
A =0.925467229
B = 0.086187387
Oakland win probability = (0.925467229 - 0.925467229 * 0.086187387) / (0.925467229 + 0.086187387 - 2 * 0.925467229 *0.086187387) = 0.992461474 = 99.2%
So there’s a chance the Yankees could win, but for all intents and purposes Oakland has already won the series. Congratulations to them for finally winning a series against the AL East.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Athletics (17-13) @ Yankees (17-11), Saturday, May 4, 2013, 1:05pm
OAK:Bartolo Colon (40, RHP, 3-0, 3.38) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 0-2, 4.67)
Lineups
Oakland
John Jaso(L), C: .272/.344/.358, 0.2 bWAR
Jed Lowrie(S), DH: .339/.419/.523, 0.6 bWAR
Yoenis Cespedes(R), CF: .222/.329/.476, 0.6 bWAR
Brandon Moss(L), 1B: .289/.390/.467, 0.9 bWAR
Josh Donaldson(R), 3B: .312/.392/.486, 1.3 bWAR
Seth Smith(L), LF: .286/.375/.462, 0.4 bWAR
Josh Reddick(L), RF: .143/.260/.238, -0.2 bWAR
Adam Rosales(R), SS: .333/.400/.519, 0.3 bWAR
Eric Sogard(L), 2B: .243/.312/.300, 0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .272/.360/.425, 4.4 bWAR
New York
Brett Gardner(L), CF: .266/.336/.404, 0.6 bWAR
Robinson Cano(L), 2B: .322/.371/.609, 1.5 bWAR
Vernon Wells(R), LF: .286/.349/.510, 1.3 bWAR
Travis Hafner(L), DH: .288/.409/.603, 0.9 bWAR
Ichiro Suzuki(L), RF: .278/.327/.356, 0.2 bWAR
Chris Nelson(R), 3B: .242/.282/.318, -0.4 bWAR
Lyle Overbay(L), 1B: .239/.280/.443, 0.3 bWAR
Eduardo Nunez(R), SS: .197/.292/.250, -0.8 bWAR
Chris Stewart(R), C: .270/.317/.351, 0.3 bWAR
Lineup Total: .269/.333/.441, 3.9 bWAR
Regular readers of this blog should be familiar with Bill James’s log 5 methodology. It’s a way to estimate the likelihood of winning one game.
The formula is:
WPct = A - A * B / A + B - 2 * A * B
This figures out the odds of team A winning where A is team A’s winning percentage and B is team B’s winning percentage. In this case, we can use Bartolo Colon’s winning percentage for A and Phil Hughes’s winning percentage for B to figure out the A’s and Yankees likelihood of winning today.
WPct = 1 - 1 * 0 / 1 + 0 - 2 * 1 * 0
WPct = 1/1 = 100%
So basically the A’s are guaranteed to win today. If you want to adjust for home field advantage I suppose there odds are more like 99.958368%. That’s close enough to 100% that it’s not premature to congratulate them on today’s victory.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Athletics (16-13) @ Yankees (17-10), Friday, May 3, 2013, 7:05pm
OAK:A.J. Griffin (25, RHP, 2-2, 4.65) vs. NYY:CC Moyer (32, LHP, 4-2, 3.35)
Lineups
Athletics
Adam Rosales, SS: .318/.400/.409
Seth Smith*, LF: .302/.394/.488
Jed Lowrie#, 2B: .327/.412/.519
Yoenis Cespedes, CF: .233/.324/.500
Josh Donaldson, 3B: .314/.397/.495
Derek Norris, C: .260/.415/.340
Josh Reddick*, RF: .148/.260/.247
Nate Freiman, 1B: .167/.278/.333
Luke Montz, DH: .250/.250/.500
Yankees
Brett Gardner*, CF: .257/.331/.400
Robinson Cano*, 2B: .324/.375/.613
Vernon Wells, LF: .298/.362/.532
Travis Hafner*, DH: .304/.429/.638
Ichiro Suzuki*, RF: .279/.330/.360
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .208/.306/.264
Lyle Overbay*, 1B: .247/.289/.459
Jayson Nix, 3B: .221/.270/.265
Chris Stewart, C: .270/.300/.351
Why is Austin Romine even on the 25 man roster? At least Francisco Cervelli could be back in 5-6 weeks. At which point he’ll still be on the 60 day DL for another 20 days/three weeks, but I digress…
Hopefully Oakland plays the Yankees as tough as they’ve played the rest of the AL East so far (2-8).
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Astros (8-19) @ Yankees (16-10), Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 7:05pm
HOU:Erik Bedard (34, LHP, 0-2, 7.98) vs. NYY:David Phelps (26, RHP, 1-1, 5.29)
Lineups
Astros
Robbie Grossman*, CF: .138/.242/.207
Jose Altuve, 2B: .330/.374/.438
Jason Castro*, C: .274/.315/.405
Carlos Pena*, 1B: .220/.330/.363
Chris Carter, DH: .227/.303/.454
J.D. Martinez, RF: .244/.271/.444
Brandon Barnes, LF: .375/.468/.525
Matt Dominguez, 3B: .250/.303/.315
Marwin Gonzalez#, SS: .297/.338/.516
Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki*, CF: .268/.315/.329
Jayson Nix, 3B: .219/.261/.266
Robinson Cano*, 2B: .327/.379/.598
Vernon Wells, LF: .300/.366/.544
Travis Hafner*, DH: .318/.438/.667
Ben Francisco, RF: .103/.212/.103
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .203/.296/.246
Lyle Overbay*, 1B: .241/.267/.446
Chris Stewart, C: .294/.333/.382
Erik Bedard throws with his left arm. The Yankees have hit .216/.290/.338 against pitchers who do that. David Phelps throws with his right arm. The Astros have hit .246/.298/.408 vs. pitchers who do that.
Would you take a line of .216/.290/.338 over a line of .246/.298/.408? No, you would not.
Advantage Astros.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Astros (7-18) @ Yankees (15-9), Monday, April 29, 2013, 7:05pm
HOU:Lucas Harrell (28, RHP, 2-2, 4.08) vs. NYY:Andy Pettitte (41, LHP, 3-1, 2.22)
Lineups
Houston
Jose Altuve, 2B: .327/.375/.426
Brandon Barnes, RF: .375/.474/.500
Brandon Laird, 1B: .217/.280/.565
Chris Carter, LF: .216/.300/.432
Carlos Pena*, DH: .205/.320/.337
Ronny Cedeno, SS: .333/.324/.472
Carlos Corporan*, C: .250/.375/.250
Matt Dominguez, 3B: .262/.311/.333
Robbie Grossman*, CF: .091/.130/.182
Yankees
Brett Gardner*, CF: .253/.327/.411
Robinson Cano*, 2B: .316/.374/.612
Vernon Wells, LF: .294/.358/.553
Travis Hafner*, DH: .305/.423/.695
Brennan Boesch*, RF: .233/.233/.533
Jayson Nix, 3B: .232/.279/.286
Lyle Overbay*, 1B: .240/.269/.427
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .164/.274/.180
Austin Romine, C: -/-/-
Interleague play again? Seriously? Oh, wait.
Houston comes to town after dropping four straight to Boston. The Astros don’t have a whole lot of good players, but Lucas Harrell has been a reasonably good pitcher so far in his MLB career.
Houston’s 7-18 record is a bit misleading as they should be 8-17 according to Pythagorean expectations. So they’re more likely to end the year 51-111 than they are to end the year 45-117.
As bad as Houston is, they are still going to win at least 25% of their games and logic says the Yankees probably won’t sweep this series. But seriously, anything less than a sweep will feel like a disappointment.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Blue Jays (9-16) @ Yankees (14-9), Sunday, April 28, 2013, 1:05pm
TOR:R.A. Dickey (38, RHP, 2-3, 4.66) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 0-2, 5.14)
Lineups
Toronto
Brett Lawrie 3B
Colby Rasmus CF
Jose Bautista RF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Melky Cabrera LF
Adam Lind 1B
Maicer Izturis 2B
Henry Blanco C
Munenori Kawasaki SS
Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Brennan Boesch RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
It really feels like every day is Hughesday, doesn’t it? And it’s House Money day too! Gardner gets the day off for rest, and Youkilis gets the day off for continuing back stiffness. Maybe playing him yesterday wasn’t all that smart.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Blue Jays (9-15) @ Yankees (13-9), Saturday, April 27, 2013, 4:05pm
TOR:J.A. Happ (30, LHP, 2-1, 3.68) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 3-2, 3.34)
Lineups
Toronto
Rajai Davis, CF: .273/.286/.418
Melky Cabrera#, LF: .253/.308/.305
Jose Bautista, RF: .185/.284/.492
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B: .225/.317/.483
J.P. Arencibia, C: .256/.272/.589
Brett Lawrie, 3B: .205/.273/.308
Mark DeRosa, DH: .143/.257/.321
Maicer Izturis#, SS: .167/.200/.264
Emilio Bonifacio#, 2B: .169/.219/.305
Yankees
Brett Gardner*, CF: .256/.333/.422
Jayson Nix, 3B: .245/.296/.306
Robinson Cano*, 2B: .319/.374/.626
Vernon Wells, LF: .308/.368/.590
Kevin Youkilis, 1B: .279/.353/.443
Travis Hafner*, DH: .294/.429/.647
Ichiro Suzuki*, RF: .243/.289/.314
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .164/.273/.182
Chris Stewart, C: .304/.360/.435
It’d be pretty cool if CC wouldn’t put the team in a 4-0 hole before the bottom of the first. It’d also be cool if his improved velocity in his last start shows up again.
The Yankees owe Happ a beating for injuring Granderson. Since he’s left-handed they probably won’t give him one, but they owe him one regardless.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Blue Jays (9-14) @ Yankees (12-9), Friday, April 26, 2013, 7:05pm
TOR:Aaron Laffey (28, LHP, 0-0, 7.20) vs. NYY:Ivan Nova (26, RHP, 1-1, 6.14)
Lineups
Toronto
Rajai Davis, DH: .260/.275/.420
Colby Rasmus*, CF: .225/.286/.465
Jose Bautista, RF: .180/.286/.459
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B: .212/.309/.412
Melky Cabrera#, LF: .253/.310/.308
J.P. Arencibia, C: .267/.284/.616
Brett Lawrie, 3B: .167/.225/.278
Maicer Izturis#, 2B: .162/.197/.265
Munenori Kawasaki*, SS: .235/.317/.324
Yankees
Brett Gardner*, CF: .253/.327/.391
Jayson Nix, 3B: .261/.286/.326
Robinson Cano*, 2B: .322/.372/.632
Vernon Wells, LF: .293/.361/.587
Francisco Cervelli, C: .269/.377/.500
Ichiro Suzuki*, RF: .239/.278/.313
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .173/.274/.192
Lyle Overbay*, 1B: .221/.254/.353
Ben Francisco, DH: .103/.188/.103
Kevin Youkilis should be good to go tomorrow. If not, definitely by Sunday. Unless he needs an extra day. Then maybe Monday…
Dear Yankees, 1B and DH are the two spots where you should be getting the most offense. If you are batting your 1B and DH 8th and 9th then perhaps you should consider improving there.
Remember what I said about the Yankees not facing a lefty until Saturday? Well, Josh Johnson has been scratched with a strained tricep which means former Yankee Aaron Laffey will get the start after being claimed off waivers from the Mets two days ago.
You have to figure Laffey’s 7.20 ERA and 2.10 WHIP will get healthy against the Yankees’ abysmal lineup vs. LHP. Ben Francisco’s reward for getting his third hit as a Yankee was a demotion to the ninth spot in the batting order. Of course I’m not sure demoting Francisco to get Jayson Nix more PA is really all that optimal.
We know about the Yankees and left-handed pitching but all Laffey really has to do is outpitch Ivan Nova, which is something pretty much everyone in MLB has done so far this year.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Blue Jays (9-13) @ Yankees (11-9), Thursday, April 25, 2013, 7:05pm
TOR:Mark Buehrle (34, LHP, 1-0, 5.87) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 2-1, 2.35)
Lineups
Toronto
Rajai Davis, DH: .261/.277/.435
Munenori Kawasaki*, SS: .233/.324/.300
Jose Bautista, RF: .190/.288/.483
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B: .210/.312/.383
Melky Cabrera#, LF: .253/.313/.310
J.P. Arencibia, C: .268/.286/.634
Colby Rasmus*, CF: .239/.301/.493
Brett Lawrie, 3B: .125/.194/.156
Maicer Izturis#, 2B: .169/.206/.277
Yankees
Brett Gardner*, CF: .250/.319/.393
Ben Francisco, DH: .080/.179/.080
Robinson Cano*, 2B: .325/.378/.614
Vernon Wells, LF: .296/.367/.563
Francisco Cervelli, C: .265/.368/.449
Ichiro Suzuki*, RF: .222/.265/.302
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .184/.276/.204
Lyle Overbay*, 1B: .234/.269/.375
Jayson Nix, 3B: .233/.261/.302
Really? Another lefty?
Really? Ben Francisco hitting second, again?
Really? Kevin Youkilis is still out?
Really? FIVE players with sub .300 OBPs?
Yes. Really.
The good news is that the Yankees won’t see another lefty until Saturday.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Yankees (11-8) @ Rays (9-11), Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 7:10pm
NYY:Andy Pettitte (41, LHP, 3-0, 2.01) vs. TBR:Alex Cobb (25, RHP, 2-1, 2.53)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner, CF: .250/.322/.400
Ichiro Suzuki, LF: .220/.266/.305
Robinson Cano, 2B: .342/.395/.646
Travis Hafner, DH: .319/.429/.702
Francisco Cervelli, C: .283/.389/.478
Lyle Overbay, 1B: .246/.281/.393
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .174/.273/.196
Brennan Boesch, RF: .250/.250/.500
Jayson Nix, 3B: .225/.256/.300
Tampa Bay
Desmond Jennings, CF: .234/.302/.390
Ryan Roberts, 2B: .302/.333/.488
Ben Zobrist, RF: .254/.337/.352
Evan Longoria, 3B: .282/.358/.521
Sean Rodriguez, 1B: .227/.346/.364
Yunel Escobar, SS: .157/.224/.286
Shelley Duncan, DH: .205/.327/.364
Jose Molina, C: .256/.293/.359
Kelly Johnson, LF: .191/.316/.383
Alex Cobb got his rotation spot when the Rays traded James Shields and so far this year he’s outpitched Shields, at least according to ERA+. The Yankees have destroyed RHP so far this season, but it’s not sustainable. But they’re a fair sight better against righties so hopefully they can get Andy Pettitte enough runs to take tonight’s game and this series.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Yankees (10-8) @ Rays (9-10), Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 7:10pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 0-2, 6.43) vs. TBR:David Price (27, LHP, 0-1, 6.26)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner, CF: .263/.337/.421
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .167/.275/.190
Robinson Cano, 2B: .333/.390/.653
Vernon Wells, LF: .299/.373/.582
Ben Francisco, DH: .091/.200/.091
Lyle Overbay, 1B: .259/.283/.414
Chris Stewart, C: .353/.353/.529
Ichiro Suzuki, RF: .200/.250/.291
Jayson Nix, 3B: .194/.231/.278
Tampa Bay
Desmond Jennings, CF: .230/.293/.392
Ryan Roberts, 2B: .308/.341/.487
Ben Zobrist, RF: .265/.354/.368
Evan Longoria, 3B: .284/.364/.493
Matthew Joyce, LF: .204/.235/.347
Yunel Escobar, SS: .167/.236/.303
James Loney, 1B: .295/.367/.477
Jose Molina, C: .250/.289/.361
Kelly Johnson, DH: .182/.315/.386
I’m sorry, but I can’t take these lineups any more.
I don’t care if this team is 10-8. They stink.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Yankees (10-7) @ Rays (8-10), Monday, April 22, 2013, 7:10pm
NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 3-1, 2.57) vs. TBR:Matt Moore (24, LHP, 3-0, 1.00)
Lineups
Yankees
B. Gardner, CF: .270/.329/.432
B. Francisco, DH: .111/.238/.111
R. Cano, 2B: .324/.385/.620
K. Youkilis, 1B: .295/.368/.459
V. Wells, LF: .317/.394/.619
F. Cervelli, C: .310/.420/.524
B. Boesch, RF: .286/.286/.571
E. Nunez, SS: .175/.271/.200
J. Nix, 3B: .212/.250/.303
Rays
D. Jennings, CF: .239/.304/.408
R. Roberts, 2B: .257/.297/.286
B. Zobrist#, RF: .281/.373/.391
E. Longoria, 3B: .281/.356/.500
S. Rodriguez, 1B: .211/.348/.263
Y. Escobar, SS: .159/.232/.254
S. Duncan, DH: .214/.327/.381
J. Lobaton#, C: .182/.182/.227
S. Fuld, LF: .111/.143/.111
What’s the definition of insanity? Today it includes the name Ben Francisco.
Tonight marks CC Sabathia’s 19th start as a Yankee against Tampa Bay. The Yankees have gone 6-12 in the prior 18 games, including 1-4 last year. And that was when CC could dent bread with his fastball…
In CC’s last game he gave up two runs before even getting the second out of the first inning. Matt Moore has pitched in three games this season and has allowed two runs. In total.
The Yankees have hit .210/.279/.318 vs, LHP and none of the LHP they’ve faced so far has been as dominant as Matt Moore has been this year. This could get ugly.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Yankees (10-6) @ Blue Jays (7-11), Sunday, April 21, 2013, 1:07pm
NYY:Ivan Nova (26, RHP, 1-1, 5.59) vs. TOR:Josh Johnson (29, RHP, 0-1, 6.91)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner CF: .257/.325/.429
Robinson Cano 2B: .318/.384/.621
Vernon Wells LF: .310/.394/.638
Travis Hafner DH: .349/.440/.767
Lyle Overbay 1B: .269/.283/.442
Eduardo Nunez SS: .184/.267/.211
Ichiro Suzuki RF: .216/.268/.314
Jayson Nix 3B: .172/.219/.276
Chris Stewart C: .286/.286/.286
Blue Jays
Munenori Kawasaki SS: .263/.375/.368
Melky Cabrera LF: .254/.308/.296
Jose Bautista RF: .214/.313/.548
Edwin Encarnacion 1B: .209/.303/.328
Adam Lind DH: .222/.310/.306
J.P. Arencibia C: .235/.246/.559
Colby Rasmus CF: .226/.293/.509
Brett Lawrie 3B: .105/.100/.105
Maicer Izturis 2B: .170/.200/.302
The Yankees are running some serious offensive firepower 5-9, aren’t they?
Ivan Nova was better last time out, but still not particularly good. The good news is despite that unsightly 5.59 ERA he’s got a 2.30 FIP and a 3.17 xFIP so he’s been pitching great if you ignore that .414 BABIP against him.
Much like Nova, Josh Johnson’s FIP(4.21) and xFIP(3.96) point to a pitcher whose ERA could be a bit misleading. Johnson was quite good last time out as he held the White Sox to two runs and four hits over seven innings while striking out eight, so he may have started his correction already.
A sweep would be nice, but I don’t trust Nova to be the guy to get it.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Yankees (9-6) @ Blue Jays (7-10), Saturday, April 20, 2013, 1:07pm
NYY: Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 2-1, 2.87) vs. TOR: Mark Buehrle (34, LHP, 1-0, 7.31)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner CF: .250/.324/.422
Ben Francisco DH: .154/.313/.154
Robinson Cano 2B: .323/.382/.645
Kevin Youkilis 1B: .293/.369/.466
Vernon Wells LF: .283/.377/.585
Francisco Cervelli C: .324/.444/.568
Ichiro Suzuki RF: .213/.269/.319
Eduardo Nunez SS: .206/.293/.235
Jayson Nix 3B: .167/.222/.292
Blue Jays
Rajai Davis RF: .286/.306/.429
Melky Cabrera LF: .242/.301/.273
Jose Bautista DH: .211/.302/.553
Edwin Encarnacion 1B: .222/.310/.349
J.P. Arencibia C: .254/.266/.603
Brett Lawrie 3B: .143/.133/.143
Colby Rasmus CF: .224/.296/.531
Maicer Izturis 2B: .163/.196/.306
Munenori Kawasaki SS: .235/.364/.353
I’ll go ahead and post the most telling split of the short season so far.
2013 Yankees:
vs RHP: .302/.368/.538
vs LHP: .183/.270/.254
Mark Buehrle is left-handed.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Yankees (8-6) @ Blue Jays (7-9), Friday, April 19, 2013, 7:07pm
NYY:Andy Pettitte (41, LHP, 2-0, 1.20) vs. TOR:Brandon Morrow (28, RHP, 0-1, 4.60)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner CF: .250/.318/.400
Robinson Cano 2B: .298/.365/.632
Kevin Youkilis 3B: .315/.383/.500
Travis Hafner DH: .342/.444/.711
Vernon Wells LF: .271/.375/.542
Ichiro Suzuki RF: .190/.255/.262
Eduardo Nunez SS: .233/.306/.267
Lyle Overbay 1B: .267/.283/.378
Francisco Cervelli C: .294/.415/.500
Blue Jays
Rajai Davis RF: .281/.303/.375
Melky Cabrera LF: .242/.304/.274
Jose Bautista DH: .200/.282/.486
Edwin Encarnacion 1B: .237/.328/.373
J.P. Arencibia C: .237/.250/.559
Brett Lawrie 3B: .000/.000/.000
Colby Rasmus CF: .239/.314/.565
Maicer Izturis 2B: .174/.208/.326
Munenori Kawasaki SS: .286/.421/.429
Since 2011, the Yankees have hit .165/.236/.216 against Brandon Morrow in 97 PA. And that was when they had Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeria, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.
For whatever it’s worth, over that same period Boston has hit .324/.397/.571 against him in 105 PA.
I hope he gets a postseason share from them.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
D’backs (8-6) @ Yankees (8-5), Thursday, April 18, 2013, 7:05pm
ARI:Patrick Corbin (23, LHP, 2-0, 1.50) vs.NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 0-2, 10.29)
Lineups
Arizona Diamondbacks
G. Parra, CF: .290/.353/.452
M. Prado, 3B: .262/.313/.410
P. Goldschmidt, 1B: .333/.403/.593
M. Montero, C: .244/.356/.333
C. Ross, RF: .333/.333/.333
E. Chavez, DH: .192/.250/.192
A. Pollock, LF: .308/.300/.641
D. Gregorius, SS: .000/.000/.000
C. Pennington, 2B: .235/.298/.275
New York Yankees
B. Gardner, CF: .259/.333/.426
V. Wells, LF: .295/.380/.591
R. Cano, 2B: .302/.362/.604
K. Youkilis, 1B: .327/.400/.531
B. Francisco, DH: .091/.231/.091
F. Cervelli, C: .310/.444/.448
I. Suzuki, RF: .189/.262/.270
E. Nunez, SS: .240/.323/.280
J. Nix, 3B: .182/.240/.318
Is it just me, or does Hughesday seem to come more often than once every five days?
In other news, Derek Jeter won’t be back until after All-Star break.
The New York Yankees will be without Derek Jeter until after the All-Star break after he suffered a small crack near the area where his left ankle was surgically repaired.
General manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Thursday that a CT scan revealed the crack, the latest injury setback for a Yankees team that has gone without Jeter, outfielder Curtis Granderson, first baseman Mark Teixeira and third baseman Alex Rodriguez the entire season.
Looks like Nun-E’s going to get an extended audition.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
D’backs (8-5) @ Yankees (7-5), Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 7:05pm
ARI:Wade Miley (26, LHP, 2-0, 2.13) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 2-1, 2.25)
Lineups
Arizona Diamondbacks
A. Pollock, LF: .306/.306/.639
M. Prado, 3B: .281/.333/.439
P. Goldschmidt, 1B: .340/.414/.560
M. Montero, C: .262/.364/.357
C. Ross, RF: .250/.250/.250
A. Marte, DH: .238/.360/.333
G. Parra, CF: .293/.359/.466
C. Pennington, SS: .250/.315/.292
J. Wilson, 2B: .222/.364/.222
New York Yankees
B. Gardner, CF : .240/.321/.420
V. Wells, LF : .300/.391/.600
R. Cano, 2B : .327/.389/.653
K. Youkilis, 1B : .348/.412/.565
B. Francisco, DH : .000/.200/.000
F. Cervelli, C : .360/.500/.520
B. Boesch, RF : .313/.313/.625
E. Nunez, SS : .261/.321/.304
J. Nix, 3B : .190/.182/.333
It used to be that the best thing about interleague play was that it eventually ended. Unfortunately this year that is not the case.
Just 23 months left on the Ichiro contract! All hail the top of the Yankee hierarchy.
Among starting pitchers who’ve thrown at least 10 innings in 2013, Wade Miley ranks 49th in average fastball velocity. CC Sabathia ranks 83rd. You know who else has a higher average velocity than CC? Ian Kennedy. You know who else does? Nick Tepesch?
Who?
Exactly.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
D’backs (8-4) @ Yankees (6-5), Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 7:05pm
ARI:Brandon McCarthy (29, RHP, 0-1, 7.71) vs. NYY:Ivan Nova (26, RHP, 0-1, 7.71)
Lineups
Arizona Diamondbacks
G. Parra, CF: .302/.373/.491
M. Prado, 2B: .278/.322/.444
P. Goldschmidt, 1B: .348/.426/.587
M. Montero, C: .250/.353/.350
C. Ross, RF: .000/.000/.000
E. Chavez, 3B: .238/.304/.238
E. Hinske, DH: .333/.400/.667
A. Pollock, LF: .281/.281/.594
C. Pennington, SS: .267/.333/.311
New York Yankees
B. Gardner, CF: .244/.333/.422
R. Cano, 2B: .311/.367/.600
K. Youkilis, 3B: .333/.404/.571
T. Hafner, DH: .303/.410/.576
V. Wells, LF: .324/.405/.649
I. Suzuki, RF: .176/.237/.265
E. Nunez, SS: .250/.333/.300
L. Overbay, 1B: .282/.300/.410
C. Stewart, C: .200/.200/.200
Oh joy. Interleague play time.
The Elias Sports Bureau tells me that this may be the first matchup of two pitchers with identical 0-1 W/L records and 7.71 ERAs ever. I bet there will be at least 15,000 raucous Yankee fans on hand to see history.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Orioles (6-5) @ Yankees (5-5), Sunday, April 14, 2013, 8:05pm
BAL:Wei-Yin Chen (27, LHP, 0-1, 3.75) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 1-1, 6.75)
Lineups
Baltimore Orioles
N. McLouth, LF: .294/.385/.382
M. Machado, 3B: .277/.320/.383
N. Markakis, RF: .298/.353/.468
A. Jones, CF: .426/.438/.596
C. Davis, 1B: .405/.500/1.000
M. Wieters, C: .189/.302/.297
J. Hardy, SS: .209/.261/.419
R. Flaherty, 2B: .095/.136/.238
N. Reimold, DH: .222/.323/.333
New York Yankees
B. Gardner, CF: .244/.340/.366
V. Wells, LF: .333/.421/.697
R. Cano, 2B: .333/.378/.643
K. Youkilis, 3B: .368/.442/.632
B. Francisco, DH: .000/.333/.000
B. Boesch, RF: .231/.231/.615
F. Cervelli, C: .348/.483/.522
L. Overbay, 1B: .278/.297/.417
J. Nix, SS: .158/.158/.316
So far this year the Yankees are hitting RHP very well at .292/.360/.526. Unfortunately, vs LHP they’re hitting a much less impressive .200/.303/.236. Wei-Yin Chen is left-handed. Ergo…
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Orioles (5-5) @ Yankees (5-4),Saturday, April 13, 2013, 4:05pm
BAL: Jason Hammel (30, RHP, 1-1, 4.97) vs. NYY: Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 0-1, 6.75)
Lineups
Baltimore
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Matt Wieters C
J.J. Hardy SS
Ryan Flaherty 2B
Nolan Reimold DH
The Championship Caliber New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Francisco Cervelli C
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix SS
If you ignore Jason Hammel’s one bad start against the Yankees last year, he pitched 11 innings against them and allowed just three runs. Phil Hughes faced Baltimore four times last year and allowed at least three runs in three of those four games. So if you do the math, you can see that the odds are not on the Yankees’ side today.
But who can predict baseball, really?
Friday, April 12, 2013
Orioles (5-4) @ Yankees (4-4),Friday, April 12, 2013, 7:05pm
BAL: Miguel Gonzalez (29, RHP, 1-0, 2.84) vs. NYY: CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 1-1, 3.00)
Lineups
Baltimore
Nick Markakis RF
Manny Machado 3B
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Chris Davis 1B
J.J. Hardy SS
Nolan Reimold LF
Steve Pearce DH
Alexi Casilla 2B
The Championship Caliber New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
You know what’d be great? If it STOPPED RAINING.
Miguel Gonzalez came out of nowhere last year to put up a 3.25 ERA for the Orioles last season. Well, it was actually not nowhere. It was actually Boston’s farm system in 2011 where he put up a 5.40 ERA between A+, AA and AAA. He threw 44.2 splendid innings for Baltimore’s AAA team in 2012 (1.61 ERA) before getting called up. He has been even more dominant this year with a 2.84 ERA and now has a 3.22 MLB ERA in his career. If that sounds impressive, it should, because it’s 0.38 runs better than CC Sabathia’s, who’s 4 years older and was the most expensive free agent pitcher ever signed.
There are some who may point to things like Gonzalez’s career FIP of 4.29 and career xFIP of 4.59 as indicators that he’s not really all that good and is likely to regress. We have a word for those people. Haters. Haters gonna hate.
Let’s go back to ERA since we are not haters here. Gonzalez is four years younger and according to ERA he is better than the most expensive free agent pitcher in MLB history. Pretty impressive, and it does not bode well for tonight’s game for the Yankees who in a bizarre coincidence will actually be short-sightedly starting the older and worse Sabathia against him.
You can generally expect the younger and better player/team/etc., to win a game, so set your expectations for tonight accordingly. I’m not saying upsets can’t happen. It’s just not that likely.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Yankees (4-4) @ Indians (3-5), Thursday, April 11, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 0-1, 6.75) vs. CLE:Zach McAllister (25, RHP, 0-1, 3.00)
Lineups
The Championship Caliber New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
Cleveland
Michael Bourn CF
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Jason Kipnis 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Michael Brantley LF
Mark Reynolds DH
Lonnie Chisenhall 3B
Yan Gomes C
Drew Stubbs RF
I am not sure why we don’t just have the same lineups from yesterday’s rain out, but Boesch and Stewart are back on the bench. I don’t think this one’s getting played either, so I’m not going to expend any effort on a snarky intro. I guess I’ll make one snide remark about how Zach McAllister looks to follow in Ian Kennedy’s footsteps as another Yankee pitching prospect who ends up better than the guys they kept.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Yankees (4-4) @ Indians (4-4), Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY:Ivan Nova (26, RHP, 0-1, 7.71) vs. CLE: Corey Kluber (27, RHP, 0-0, undef)
Lineups
The Championship Caliber New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Brennan Boesch RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C
Cleveland
Michael Bourn CF
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Jason Kipnis 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Michael Brantley LF
Mark Reynolds DH
Lonnie Chisenhall 3B
Yan Gomes C
Drew Stubbs RF
After pulling shocking upsets against Ubaldo Jimenez and Carlos Carrasco, the Yankees draw Corey Kluber. You may be thinking, who? Yeah, that was my first thought too. So I did some research on Mr. Kluber. He attended Stetson University, where as a member of the Hatters(really) he went 12-2 with a 2.05 ERA in his junior season before going pro. He’s dominated the minors with an ERA well under 5 and he’s averaged 92.5 mph with his fastball in his brief major league career.
Although he has a career MLB ERA of 5.35 in 67.1 innings, his xFIP is 4.08, which means he may be better than he’s appeared to be so far. Will that be enough to shut down the Yankees? It probably doesn’t have to be since his opponent is Ivan Nova, who gives up extra-base hits like they are candy on Halloween. Kluber may give up a few runs, but I can guarantee you that Nova will give up at least twice as many.
But there is good news. There’s a very high probability that this game will be rained out.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Yankees (3-4) @ Indians (3-4), Tuesday, April 9, 2013, 7:05pm
NYY: Andy Pettitte (41, LHP, 1-0, 1.13) vs. CLE: Carlos Carrasco (26, RHP, 0-0, undef)
Lineups
The Championship Caliber New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
Cleveland
Drew Stubbs CF
Jason Kipnis 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Mark Reynolds DH
Michael Brantley LF
Ryan Raburn RF
Mike Aviles 3B
Yan Gomes C
I was going to make a sarcastic remark about how the Yankees are running with the B lineup today then I realized that it’s actually the A lineup.
Carlos Carrasco is working on one of the most impressive streaks in baseball history, but it’s flown completely under the radar for some reason. Carrasco has not allowed a run in an MLB game since August 3, 2011.
Needless to say that when you’re facing a pitcher who hasn’t given up a run in over 18 months, you can generally assume runs won’t come easy. In fact, it’s probably better to assume you won’t be scoring at all.
The good news is Carrasco is probably limited to 15 innings or so so if the Yankees can wait him out and take their shots at the Indians bullpen they may have a chance to steal this one.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Yankees (2-4) @ Indians (3-3), Monday, April 8, 2013, 4:05pm
NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 0-1, 13.50) vs. CLE:Ubaldo Jimenez (29, RHP, 0-0, 1.50)
Lineups
The Championship Caliber New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C
Cleveland
Michael Bourn CF
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Jason Kipnis 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Michael Brantley LF
Carlos Santana C
Mark Reynolds DH
Lonnie Chisenhall 3B
Drew Stubbs RF
Yay, Nun-E is back! Aside from that it’s the house money lineup for the Yankees (aka Stewart instead of Cervello).
Apparently every team in baseball has scheduled the Yankees for their home opener. So we get another odd start time on a weekday. Rumor has it Cleveland is planning an elaborate opening day ceremony where they set Lake Erie on fire but I can not divulge my source for that.
Let’s hope Hiroki Kuroda shows no ill effects from his finger contusion because Ubaldo Jimenez rocking the 1.50 ERA is essentially unbeatable. How scary good has Jimenez been this year? If he finishes the year at his current ERA+ of 286, it’d be the second best ERA+ by a pitcher who made at least 20 starts in a season in history.
I’m not saying Jimenez is the second best starter ever, but he is on pace to have the second best season by a starting pitcher in history.
Can this version of the Yankees beat a pitcher who is on pace to have the second best starting pitcher season of all time? I’m guessing no, but why would you ever try to predict baseball Suzyn?
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Yankees (1-4) @ Tigers (3-2), Sunday, April 7, 2013, 1:08pm
NYY:CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 0-1, 7.20) vs. DET:Justin Verlander (30, RHP, 1-0, 0.00)
Lineups
The Championship Caliber New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Francisco Cervelli C
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix SS
Detroit
Austin Jackson CF
Torii Hunter RF
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Victor Martinez DH
Matt Tuiasosopo LF
Brayan Pena C
Omar Infante 2B
Ramon Santiago SS
The over/under on Yankee hits today is 0.5.
You have to go back all the way to 2012 to find the last time the Yankees scored four or fewer runs in six straight games. If they don’t score at least four today that’ll make six this season. Then they can shoot for seven which hasn’t happened since 2008, and then eight which last happened in 1999. The excitement really starts after that as they can go for nine which hasn’t happened since 1992!
I was going to make a comment about how the weather’s too nice to sit indoors and watch this foolishness, then I realized that going outside in a winter blizzard with sub-zero temperatures would still be better than watching this foolishness. So weather should not matter.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Yankees (1-3) @ Tigers (2-2), Saturday, April 6, 2013, 4:05pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (27, RHP, 0-0, undef) vs. DET:Max Scherzer (28, RHP, 0-0, undef)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Brennan Boesch RF
Francisco Cervelli C
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix SS
Tigers
Austin Jackson CF
Torii Hunter RF
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Victor Martinez DH
Andy Dirks LF
Jhonny Peralta SS
Alex Avila C
Ramon Santiago 2B
We play today, we lose today. Dassit!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Yankees (1-2) @ Tigers (1-2), Friday, April 5, 2013, 1:08pm
NYY: Ivan Nova (26, RHP, NR) vs. DET: Doug Fister (29, RHP, NR)
AL East Cellar Dwelling New York Yankees
TPBG CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Brennan Boesch RF
The Wizard of Ez SS
Ichiro LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C
2012 AL Champion Detroit Tigers
Austin ‘Highpockets’ Jackson CF
Torii ‘Ol Stubblebeard’ Hunter RF
Miguel ‘Beast’ Cabrera 3B
Prince ‘The Big Cat’ Fielder 1B
Victor ‘Pops’ Martinez DH
Andy ‘Bullet’ Dirks LF
Jhonny ‘Hoover’ Peralta SS
Alex ‘Arky’ Avila C
Omar ‘Maz’ Infante 2B
Winning today won’t avenge the Yankees’ embarrassing loss in last year’s ALCS, but it’d be better than losing.
Whither Cevello? I really hope Joe Girardi isn’t going to play Chris Stewart half the time.
edit: On second thought, day game after a night game and all that. Starting Stewart is defensible.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
RedSox (2-0) @ Yankees (0-2), Thursday, April 4, 2013, 7:05pm
BOS:Ryan Dempster (36, RHP, NR) vs. NYY:Andy Pettitte (41, LHP, NR)
AL East Leading Boston Red Sox
Sliding Jacoby ‘Ellsbury CF
Sugar Shane Victorino RF
The Little Colonel Dustin Pedroia 2B
Hammerin’ Mike Napoli 1B
Big Poison Jonny Gomes DH
Little Poison Will Middlebrooks 3B
Jackie Ballgame LF
Big D David Ross C
Wee Jose Iglesias SS,
AL East Cellar Dwelling New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
Yankee Win Probability: -100.0%
Did you know the Yankees started 0-3 last year?
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
RedSox (1-0) @ Yankees (0-1), Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 7:05pm
BOS:Clay Buchholz (28, RHP, 0-0, undef) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (38, RHP, 0-0, undef)
Lineups
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Daniel Nava DH
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Mike Napoli 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Will Middlebrooks 3B
Shane Victorino RF
The Natural LF
Jose Iglesias SS
Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Is it too soon for a whatever? If it is, fine. If it’s not, whatever.
Monday, April 1, 2013
RedSox () @ Yankees (), 1:05 pm Monday, April 1, 2013 ***Opening Day Liveblog***
BOS: Jon Lester (29, LHP, 0-0, -) vs. NYY: CC Sabathia (32, LHP, 0-0, -)
Boston
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF: .268/.323/.420*
Shane Victorino, RF: .262/.328/.420
Dustin Pedroia, 2B: .268/.342/.427
Mike Napoli, 1B: .250/.344/.493
Will Middlebrooks, 3B: .238/.288/.426
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C: .214/.282/.418
Jonny Gomes, DH: .246/.336/.442
Jackie Bradley, LF: .260/.343/.407
Jose Iglesias, 2BSS: .231/.283/.290
Total, : .249/.319/.415, 4.33 R/G
Yankees
Brett Gardner, CF: .261/.349/.374
Eduardo Nunez, SS: .260/.309/.363
Robinson Cano, 2B: .303/.362/.524
Kevin Youkilis, 1B: .245/.348/.443
Vernon Wells, LF: .237/.288/.436
Ben Francisco, DH: .244/.311/.391
Ichiro Suzuki, RF: .304/.338/.407
Jayson Nix, 3B: .227/.290/.396
Francisco Cervelli, C: .244/.318/.335
Total, : .259/.324/.407, 4.35 R/G
Yankee win probability: 59.8%
Bold prediction. The Yankees will 105 games this year. APRIL FOOL’S!
It’s really never been a question for me that I would watch a Yankee Opening Day game live. However, this year I actually debated not “working” from home this afternoon to watch this game. But then I figured I’d better take the last chance to watch the Yankees before they drop below .500 for the rest of the season.
It’s pretty telling that I can’t get enthused about the first game of the year. When you have Vernon Wells batting fifth AND Ben Francisco DHing on Opening Day, you’ve got serious problems.
Spring training stats are generally useless, which is good because if you compare Jon Lester’s to CC Sabathia’s they’re not even close.
Lester: 24 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 20 K.
Sabathia: 10 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 6 K.
But it is Opening Day, and baseball is nothing if not unpredictable. I thought it would take the Astros until April 29 to win their first game, and they’re 1-0. Maybe this Yankee team will surprise us.
I’ll try and live blog this one as long as work doesn’t interfere. Hopefully it’s worth live blogging.
Technical Note: For some reason, the software that runs this blog now causes a double post if you refresh after posting. This is happening on every site that uses the same software and I’m not sure why so I can’t fix it. Ergo, if you want to avoid that, click on the comments link at the bottom of the post or on the side bar instead of refreshing.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
2012 ALCS Game 4 - Yankees @ Tigers, Thursday, October 18, 2012, 4:07 PM ET
CC Sabathia vs. Max Scherzer
Tigers lead 3-0.
Lineups
Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner CF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Tigers
Austin Jackson CF
Omar Infante 2B
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young DH
Jhonny Peralta SS
Andy Dirks LF
Avisail Garcia RF
Gerald Laird C
I’m rooting for another rain out.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
2012 ALCS Game 4 - Yankees @ Tigers
CC Sabathia vs. Max Scherzer
Lineups
Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner CF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Tigers
Austin Jackson CF
Omar Infante 2B
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young DH
Jhonny Peralta SS
Andy Dirks LF
Avisail Garcia RF
Gerald Laird C
I predict that Swisher’s return to the lineup will be just like he never left. I’m a bit annoyed to see A-Rod sitting for the last game of the year, but at least it’s the last game of the year. I’m bummed to see Granderson out of the lineup, but I understand why.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
ALCS Game 3: Yankees (0-2) @ Tigers (2-0), Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 8:00pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 16-13, 4.23) vs. DET:Justin Verlander (29, RHP, 17-8, 2.64)
Lineups
Yankees
Brett Gardner LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Raul Ibanez DH
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez 3B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Tigers
Austin Jackson CF
Quintin Berry LF
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young DH
Andy Dirks RF
Jhonny Peralta SS
Alex Avila C
Omar Infante 2B
Yankee win probability: -100.0%
Sunday, October 14, 2012
2012 ALCS Game 2: Tigers(1-0) @ Yankees(0-1), Sunday, October 14, 4:00 PM ET
DET:Anibal Sanchez (28, RHP, 9-13, 3.86) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 16-11, 3.32)
Lineups
Detroit
Austin Jackson CF
Quintin Berry LF
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young DH
Andy Dirks RF
Jhonny Peralta SS
Alex Avila C
Omar Infante 2B
Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Russell Martin C
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Jayson Nix SS
I don’t get the point of reshuffling the same crap that hasn’t done anything in the postseason, but whatever.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
2012 ALCS Game 1: Tigers(0-0) @ Yankees(0-0), Saturday, October 13, 8:00 PM ET
DET:Doug Fister (28, RHP, 10-10, 3.45) vs. NYY:Andy Pettitte (40, LHP, 5-4, 2.87)
Lineups
Tigers
Austin Jackson CF
Omar Infante 2B
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young DH
Jhonny Peralta SS
Andy Dirks LF
Avisail Garcia RF
Gerald Laird C
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Nick Swisher RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Yankee win probability: 51.8%
10 wins is twice as many as 5. That means Doug Fister is twice the pitcher that Andy Pettitte is. But that’s a silly use of statistics. If you want to get to the truth, you need to go beyond nonsense like W-L record. Doug Fister won 10 of the 88 games that Detroit won this year(11.3%). Andy Pettitte won 5 of the 95 games the Yankees won this year (5.3%). 11.6% is actually 2.19 times better than 5.3% so Fister is actually more than twice as good as Pettitte. That tells us a lot more about who is better, and thus, who will win tonight.
Friday, October 12, 2012
2012 ALDS Game 5: Baltimore at New York, Friday October 12, 5:07 PM ET
BAL:Jason Hammel (29, RHP, 8-6, 3.43) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 15-6, 3.38)
Lineups
Orioles
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis RF
Matt Wieters C
Manny Machado 3B
Mark Reynolds 1B
Lew Ford DH
Robert Andino 2B,
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Nick Swisher RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez 3B
A $30M bench player, eh?
Wall Street Journal:A-Rod Benched for Decisive Yankees Game
Fox News Latino: A-Rod Benched for Pivotal Game 5 Against Orioles
MLB: Struggling A-Rod benched for Game 5 vs. O’s
USA Today: Alex Rodriguez benched for decisive Game 5 vs. Orioles
CNN/SI: Benching A-Rod for Game 5 right decision by Girardi, Yankees
Forbes: The ROI Of A Benched A-Rod
Thursday, October 11, 2012
ALDS Game 4: Orioles (1-2) @ Yankees (2-1), Thursday, October 11, 2012, 7:30pm
BAL:Joe Saunders (31, LHP, 3-3, 3.63) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 16-13, 4.23)
Lineups
Baltimore
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Davis RF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Jim Thome DH
Mark Reynolds 1B
Ryan Flaherty 2B
Manny Machado 3B
Yankees
Derek Jeter DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Nick Swisher RF
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Jayson Nix SS
Yankee win probability: -100.0%
Alas, no Shockmaster™.
Phil Hughes has given up five home runs to the Orioles this year and has a 4.76 ERA against them. Joe Saunders has defeated the Yankees every single time he’s pitched against them this year with a sparkling 3.38 ERA and has yet to allow a home run. Saunders has only lost one career game against the Yankees. Contrast that with Hughes who’s lost four separate times to Baltimore. I don’t think you need me to tell you what this means.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
ALDS Game 3: Orioles (1-1) @ Yankees (1-1), Wednesday, October 10, 2012, 7:30pm
BAL:Miguel Gonzalez (28, RHP, 9-4, 3.25) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 16-11, 3.32)
Lineups
Baltimore
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Davis RF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Jim Thome DH
Mark Reynolds 1B
Ryan Flaherty 2B
Manny Machado 3B
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF
ULASJ1234+0907 DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Sagittarius A* RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez 3B
9/13 = 0.692307692
16/27 = 0.592592593
0.692307692 > 0.592592593
3.25 < 3.32
Yankee win probability: -100.0%
Monday, October 8, 2012
ALDS Game 2: Yankees (95-67) @ Orioles (93-69), Monday, October 8, 2012, 8:00pm
NYY:Andy Pettitte (40, LHP, 5-4, 2.87) vs. BAL:Wei-Yin Chen (26, LHP, 12-11, 4.02)
Lineups
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Eduardo Nunez DH
Orioles
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Davis RF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 1B
Jim Thome DH
Manny Machado 3B
Robert Andino 2B
Yankee win probability: 53.7%
There’s more rain in the forecast, although hopefully things will clear up by game time.
As nice as yesterday’s win was, it is effectively meaningless if the Yankees lose today. That makes today’s game more important than yesterday’s. You can’t be winning unimportant games and then losing important ones, so it’s vital that the Yankees win today. In fact, you could almost say that a win today would be monumental.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
ALDS Game 1: Yankees (95-67) @ Orioles (93-69), Sunday, October 7, 2012, 6:00pm
NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 15-6, 3.38) vs. BAL:Jason Hammel (29, RHP, 8-6, 3.43)
Lineups
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Raul Ibanez DH
Orioles
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 1B
Manny Machado 3B
Chris Davis DH
Lew Ford RF
Robert Andino 2B
Yankee win probability: 57.6%
We finally have a Yankee ALDS roster.
Pitchers
Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Hiroki Kuroda, Boone Logan, Derek Lowe, Andy Pettitte, David Phelps, Clay Rapada, David Robertson, CC Sabathia, Rafael Soriano
Catchers
Russell Martin, Chris Stewart
Infielders
Robinson Cano, Eric Chavez, Derek Jeter, Jayson Nix, Eduardo Nunez, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira
Outfielders
Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Raul Ibanez, Ichiro Suzuki, Nick Swisher
In Game 1, I’m a bit suprised to see Hammel getting the call here over Chen, but based on what his team’s done this year I don’t think questioning Buck Showalter’s decision-making is prudent. I’m hoping the Yankees take at least one of the first two games, and tonight would be a good one to win. Mother Nature may have other ideas though.
Friday, October 5, 2012
2012 MLB Wild Card Game Chatter
MLB Gameday: Cardinals vs Braves, Friday, October 5, 5:00 PM ET
STL: Kyle Lohse (33, RHP, 16-3,2.86) vs. ATL: Kris Medlen (26, RHP, 10-1, 1.57)
Lineups
St. Louis
Jon Jay CF, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Allen Craig 1B, Yadier Molina C, David Freese 3B, Daniel Descalso 2B, Pete Kozma SS, Kyle Lohse P
Atlanta
Michael Bourn CF, Martin Prado LF, Jason Heyward RF, Chipper Jones 3B, Freddie Freeman 1B, Dan Uggla 2B, David Ross C, Andrelton Simmons SS, Kris Medlen P
Win probabilities:
STL: 42.1%
ATL: 57.9%
MLB Gameday: Orioles vs Rangers, Friday, October 5, 8:30 PM ET
BAL: Joe Saunders (31, LHP, 9-13, 4.07) vs. TEX: Yu Darvish (25, RHP, 16-9, 3.90)
Lineups
Baltimore
Nate McLouth LF, J.J. Hardy SS, Chris Davis RF, Adam Jones CF, Matt Wieters C, Jim Thome DH, Mark Reynolds 1B, Ryan Flaherty 2B, Manny Machado 3B
Texas
Ian Kinsler 2B, Elvis Andrus SS, Josh Hamilton LF, Adrian Beltre 3B, Nelson Cruz RF, Michael Young 1B, Mike Napoli DH, Geovany Soto C, Craig Gentry CF
Win probabilities:
BAL: 30.5%
TEX: 69.5%
Long odds for the O’s.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
RedSox (69-92) @ Yankees (94-67), Wednesday, October 3, 2012, 7:05pm
BOS:Daisuke Matsuzaka (31, RHP, 1-6, 7.68) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 15-11, 3.34)
Lineups
Boston
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Daniel Nava LF
Cody Ross RF
James Loney 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Ryan Lavarnway DH
Pedro Ciriaco 3B
Jose Iglesias SS
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Raul Ibanez DH
Russell Martin C
It’d be cool if the Yankees won this game.
This is probably going to be the Yankees’ primary lineup vs. RHP in the postseason. I ran the Yankee win probability for this game using Oliver from the Hardball Times to remove any semblance of pro-Yankee bias and it says Yankees: 68.4%. Unfortunately, Baltimore’s win probability tonight is 100.0% so the Yankees have about a 32% chance of having to play a division title playoff game tomorrow. I’d rather not see that.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
RedSox (69-91) @ Yankees (93-67), Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 7:05pm
BOS:Jon Lester (28, LHP, 9-14, 4.94) vs. NYY:David Phelps (25, RHP, 4-4, 3.34)
Lineups
Boston
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Daniel Nava LF
Cody Ross RF
James Loney 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Ryan Lavarnway DH
Pedro Ciriaco 3B
Jose Iglesias SS
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Eduardo Nunez DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Where’s Andruw?
I don’t know if the weather will allow this one to be played, but if it does then it’d be cool if the Yankees won this game. A win tonight coupled with losses by Baltimore and Texas would clinch the East and #1 seed for the the Yankees. I’d put the odds of those three things happening (a Yankee win and Texas/Baltimore losses) at roughly -100.0%.
Monday, October 1, 2012
RedSox (69-90) @ Yankees (92-67), Monday, October 1, 2012, 7:05pm
BOS:Clay Buchholz (27, RHP, 11-7, 4.22) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 14-6, 3.42)
Lineups
Boston
Pedro Ciriaco 2B
Daniel Nava LF
Cody Ross RF
Mauro Gomez 1B
Ryan Lavarnway DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Danny Valencia 3B
Che-Hsuan Lin CF
Jose Iglesias SS
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez 3B
Dear Lord, he’s leading off…
It’d be cool if the Yankees won this game.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Yankees (91-67) @ Blue Jays (70-88), Sunday, September 30, 2012, 1:07pm
NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 16-13, 4.10) vs. TOR:Henderson Alvarez (22, RH
Lineups Toronto NYY:Andy Pettitte (40, LHP, 5-3, 2.71) vs. TOR:Ricky Romero (27, LHP, 9-14, 5.76) Lineups Toronto Let’s ignore Romero’s reverse platoon split and play Andruw Jones! The turf in the Sky Dome means Nun-E at SS. Thankfully Andy Pettitte shouldn’t induce lots of ground balls to shortstop facing the nine right-handed batters in the Blue Jays lineup today.
NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 14-11, 3.34) vs. TOR:Chad Jenkins (24, RHP, 0-2, 4.24) Lineups Toronto It’d be cool if the Yankees won this game.
NYY:Ivan Nova (25, RHP, 12-7, 4.94) vs. TOR:Brandon Morrow (27, RHP, 8-7, 3.28) Lineups Blue Jays I have a bad feeling about this game.
NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 13-6, 3.47) vs. MIN:Sam Deduno (28, RHP, 6-5, 4.54) Lineups Twins I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say this is about as close to a must-win game as any non-elimination game can be. You have your ace lefty on the mound against a 90 loss team whose best players mostly bat left-handed. The Yankees really can’t afford to lose this game. Especially after blowing a winnable game last night that cost them a chance to increase their divisional lead and a chance to gain ground in the race for home field advantage in the AL postseason.
NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 16-12, 4.05) vs. MIN:Esmerling Vasquez (28, RHP, 0-2, 6.75) Lineups Minnesota There have been about 250 MLB players named some variation of Phil. There has been one player in MLB history named Esmerling. The moral of the story? Phils are a dime a dozen but Esmerlings are precious jewels. Wouldn’t you rather have a precious jewel pitching for your favorite team?
NYY:Andy Pettitte (40, LHP, 4-3, 2.97) vs. MIN:Liam Hendriks (23, RHP, 1-7, 5.88) Lineups Minnesota Hopefully Florimon’s neck isn’t two feet long. Pettitte should be good for 85-90 pitches. If he was an unnamed Yankee pitcher whose first name rhymed with Fill and whose last name rhymed with Use that would possibly let him pitch into the third inning. The good news for Yankee fans in this series is that the Twins will be throwing nothing by right-handed starters at the Yankees. The bad news for Yankee fans is that those pitchers will be pitching to the Yankees, who stink. Because of the way the Yankees tanked their 10 game divisional lead by blowing a whole host of winnable games, they pretty much have to sweep this series. Particularly since Baltimore is going to win all of the rest of their games. So should the Yankees lose tonight, we can go ahead and crown the Orioles. Will tonight be the coronation of our new Oriole overlords?
OAK: A.J. Griffin (24, RHP, 6-1, 2.45) vs. NYY: Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 14-10, 3.26) Lineups Yankees OAK:Travis Blackley (29, LHP, 5-3, 3.65) vs. NYY:Ivan Nova (25, RHP, 12-7, 4.85) Lineups Yankees OAK:Jarrod Parker (23, RHP, 11-8, 3.51) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 13-6, 3.63) Lineups Yankees TOR:Aaron Laffey (27, LHP, 3-5, 4.55) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 15-12, 3.96) Lineups Yankees TOR: Ricky Romero (27, LHP, 8-14, 5.87) vs. NYY: David Phelps (25, RHP, 4-4, 3.39) Lineups Yankees TOR:Henderson Alvarez (22, RHP, 9-12, 4.91) vs. NYY:Andy Pettitte (40, LHP, 3-3, 3.22) Lineups Yankees TBR:Matt Moore (23, LHP, 10-10, 3.68) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 13-10, 3.17)
TBR:James Shields (30, RHP, 14-8, 3.71) vs. NYY:Ivan Nova (25, RHP, 11-7, 4.92)
TBR:David Price (26, LHP, 17-5, 2.54) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 13-5, 3.56) Lineups Yankees If you read this blog, you know the importance of sample size. A team that doesn’t win back to back games for close to two months does not suddenly become a team capable of a winning streak because by some miracle they won two games in a row. The Rays are 7-11 in their last 18 games. 2-1 against the Yankees, 5-9 against everyone else. In fact, on the season the Rays are three games over .500 against the Yankees (9-6) and eight games over .500 against everyone else (68-60). The Yankees are responsible for 27% of the Rays’ wins over .500 despite only playing them 11.7% of the time. If you’re telling yourself that maybe this Yankee team isn’t that bad because they barely beat a decimated Boston team a couple of times, you’re not being honest with yourself. This Yankee team still stinks. Normally, you can’t predict baseball, but here’s a prediction you can take to the bank. The Rays will win this game and sweep this series with frightening ease.
NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 14-12, 4.13) vs. BOS:Felix Doubront (24, LHP, 10-8, 5.21) Lineups Boston One lucky win doesn’t change the facts. This Yankee team still stinks. You’re probably waiting for tonight’s bold prediction, so here it is. Boston will win this game, easily.
NYY:David Phelps (25, RHP, 3-4, 3.55) vs. BOS:Aaron Cook (33, RHP, 3-9, 5.17) Lineups Boston I’ve tried invoking the 1899 Spiders. It hasn’t worked. I’ve tried stressing the importance of the games. It hasn’t worked. I’ve tried whatever. It hasn’t worked. I’ve tried monuments, for crying out loud. It hasn’t worked. I give up. This team stinks. Tonight’s bold prediction? Red Sox runs > Yankee runs
NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 13-10, 3.14) vs. BOS:Jon Lester (28, LHP, 9-11, 4.99) Lineups The Last Place Red Sox It seems fitting that two crappy teams will face off today on a crappy anniversary. If you needed evidence that this game is like Boston’s postseason, check out their lineup. They’re pulling out all the stops. If I can be serious for a moment, here’s the thing. Baltimore and Tampa Bay will be playing each other over the next three days while the Yankees play Boston. Weather permitting, the Yankees are guaranteed to pick up ground on one of them if they can just win these games. It would be a monumental waste to not take advantage of an opportunity like that. In fact, I’d say that anyone involved in such a monumental failure should not ever be considered for a monument in Monument Park. So Yankees, for the love of whatever deity you believe in if you believe in one, win these effing games. Otherwise, you don’t deserve to win the AL East and you don’t deserve a monument. I’m not 100% sure about the specific date, but I believe the Yankees have not won two games in a row since some time in April or something. A win today would be their second in a row. It’s not inconceivable that a team that was incapable of winning consecutive games in the regular season (like say, our Yankees) could win the World Series but it seems awfully unlikely. They really don’t have a chance, do they? Has football started yet?
NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 13-12, 4.18) vs. BAL:Wei-Yin Chen (26, LHP, 12-8, 3.79) Lineups Orioles Zzz. “[Hughes] knows what’s at stake,” CC Sabathia said as he walked out of the clubhouse following the Yankees’ 10-6 loss to the Orioles last night. “Nothing needs to be said. He’s pitched in playoff games and has the stuff and the makeup to succeed in games like this one.” CC Sabathia, after last night’s game. Sure.
NYY:David Phelps (25, RHP, 3-4, 3.13) vs. BAL:Jason Hammel (29, RHP, 8-6, 3.54) Lineups St. Louis Browns This is probably the most monumentally important game of the Yankees’ season. The opener of a monumental four game series with first place in the AL East and a potentially easier path to lose to Texas in the ALCS on the line. A Yankee win drops the Orioles two games back with only 25 games left in the season. You can count the number of teams that came back from two games down with 25 games left to play on multiple hands and feet. Rescued from Coors Field, Jason Hammel has had the most effective season of his career so far in 2012. His FIP of 3.25 is actually lower than his 3.54 ERA, which is about the same as his 3.48 xFIP. His fastball is up by 1 mph over his career average at 93.7, and he’s throwing his slider more often than he has in any prior season. So we have evidence that he hasn’t been lucky and that he’s been pretty good. He’s making his first start in MLB since July 13, coming off a dominant five inning rehab start for high-A Fredrerick of the Carolina League against the Carolina Mudcats. The Mudcats are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians, who beat the Yankees in the 2007 ALDS. We know that young players are better than old players in baseball. That’s just a fact. Most of the Yankees players were better in 2007 than they are now. You can only imagine that the Mudcats, a younger version of the Indians that beat the Yankees five years ago when they were better than they are now, is better than the Yankees. If the Mudcats couldn’t score off Hammel what do you think about the monumentally old and decrepit 2012 Yankees’ chances? Bold prediction, Jason Hammel will pitch a no-hitter tonight. Second bold prediction, at least one Yankee will reach base in this game. Should that happen, that base runner really deserves one of these. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 12-10, 3.04) vs. TBR:Matt Moore (23, LHP, 10-8, 3.58) Lineups Tampa Bay Devil Rays Matt Moore began the season as the trendy pick for AL Rookie of the Year. He rewarded those who picked him for that by putting up a 5.07 ERA through his first nine starts of the season, allowing opposing batters to hit .264/.360/.435 against him. He walked a bit more than 12% and struck out 21% of the hitters he faced over those nine starts. Since then, Moore’s been much better. In his last 17 starts he’s got a 2.88 ERA and opposing batters are hitting .225/.305/.345 against him. He’s dropped his walk rate to 9.5% of the batters he’s faced while increasing his strikeout rate to 23.6%. Trends aren’t always predictive in baseball, but when a young player with worlds of talent appears to be figuring things out they are more likely to be. His opponents tonight have hit .175/.259/.283 in September. That’s not just a small sample size fluke. There have already been 122 games played this September. That’s effectively 3/4 of a full regular season. Plus they average about 0* runs per game in run support for Hiroki Kuroda, who’s been their best pitcher this year. It’s too bad Kuroda wasn’t traded to a contender like the Orioles prior to September 1, he deserves to pitch in the postseason. Bold prediction, Matt Moore will pitch the fourth perfect game of the 2012 season tonight. Second bold prediction, he will NOT strike every single Yankee hitter out. I predict someone will ground out once. *estimated
CLE:Harry ‘Freddy’ Colliflower (35, RHP, 7-5, 4.90) vs. TBR:Alex Cobb (24, RHP, 8-8, 4.39) Lineups Rays WhateverWhatever
BAL:Chris Tillman (24, RHP, 7-2, 3.26) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 13-11, 4.02) Lineups Yankees If someone told you this would be the 2012 Yankee lineup on September 2, would you think this team would be in first place? The good thing is that soon they won’t be.
BAL:Wei-Yin Chen (26, LHP, 12-7, 3.78) vs. NYY:David Phelps (25, RHP, 3-4, 2.96) Lineups Yankees We are going to see history today, as Eduardo Nunez will become the first DH to ever make an error.
BAL:Miguel Gonzalez (28, RHP, 5-3, 3.66) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 12-9, 2.98) Lineups Yankees Jayson Nix, DH? Really? Seriously? I quadruple-checked and this is in fact correct. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but the Yankees are really still in the catbird seat for the AL East title. Having a three game lead with just about a month left in the season is a good thing. Forget about where they were at their apex Realistically, the Yankees really only need to win one of these three games. Even if you think they’re no better than Baltimore, they should be able to match them over the rest of the season. So as long as they don’t piss away what’s left of their lead by getting swept this weekend, they should still be the favorites for the division after this series. This is probably the most favorable of the three matchups the Yankees have in this series, so yeah, they should win this game and then they can play house money games on Saturday and Sunday.
TOR:J.A. Happ (29, LHP, 9-10, 4.68) vs. NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 13-3, 3.44) Lineups New York Joined in progress with the Yankees leading 2-0, which probably means they’re done scoring for the day.
TOR:Ricky Romero (27, LHP, 8-11, 5.63) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 12-11, 4.15) Lineups New York Great, it’s Hughes day. I am putting this one in the win column already.
TOR:Henderson Alvarez (22, RHP, 7-11, 4.84) vs. NYY:David Phelps (25, RHP, 3-4, 2.69) Lineups Yankees NYY:Freddy Garcia (35, RHP, 7-5, 4.96) vs. CLE:Ubaldo Jimenez (28, RHP, 9-12, 5.59) Lineups Cleveland NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 12-8, 2.96) vs. CLE:Justin Masterson (27, RHP, 9-11, 4.73) Lineups Cleveland With a rare Tampa Bay loss already in the books, the Yankees have a chance to pick a bit more ground before their inevitable collapse if they win tonight.
NYY:CC Sabathia (31, LHP, 12-3, 3.56) vs. CLE:Corey Kluber (26, RHP, 0-2, 6.27) Lineups Cleveland With CC Sabathia returning from the DL, the Yankees on a three game losing streak, and with their lead in the AL East down to 2.5 games, I’m going to call this game an absolute must-win.
PIT:Bill Phillips (21, RHP, 1-9, 7.57) vs. CHW:Chris Sale (23, LHP, 14-4, 2.72) Lineups White Sox Seriously, you can find a better way to kill three hours. With the Rays having already beaten Kansas City today, the Alleghenys’ division lead will be down to three games by the end of this one.
NYY:Ivan Nova (25, RHP, 11-6, 4.76) vs. CHW:Francisco Liriano (28, LHP, 4-10, 5.22) Lineups Chicago The White Sox are still probably favorites to win their division, but if they don’t the wild card implications for this game could be huge. The Yankees are not going to win the AL East, but they have a slight chance at capturing the second wild card and if they get exceedingly lucky and everyone else falters they could even sneak into the first wild card spot. The Yankees have gone 2-3 against the White Sox this year with two games vs. them remaining, so losing tonight clinches the season series for Chicago. That may end up being a tie-breaker if the White Sox are the other wild card and finish with the same record, which means the location of the play-in game could very well be determined by the results of tonight’s game. If only Ivan Nova wasn’t pitching. I’ve given up on my belief that he’s been unlucky for large parts of this season. The fact is, no pitcher in the AL has allowed more extra-base hits this year, and I can’t just hand wave that away anymore.
NYY:Freddy Garcia (35, RHP, 7-5, 4.68) vs. CHW:Gavin Floyd (29, RHP, 9-9, 4.43) Lineups White Sox Tonight’s game will mark the 18th straight day the Yankees have played. They’ve gone 11-6 over the past 17 days, which is roughly a 105 win pace. They’ve pretty much done about as well as we could have realistically expected. Unfortunately for them, the Rays are making a mockery of the rest of the league. So the Yankees’ reward for going 11-6 over the past 17 days was to lose two games off their lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East. Since the Rays will be sweeping Oakland over the next three days, it’s imperative that the Yankees at least win two of three against the White Sox. Tonight would be a good game to take since there’s very little likelihood that Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes will pitch well in consecutive games.
BOS: A Horse’s Ass (32, RHP, 5-10, 5.19) vs. NYY:Hiroki Kuroda (37, RHP, 11-8, 3.06) Lineups Yankees I’m not sure who scares me more. Miguel Cabrera or Pedro Ciriaco. Bold prediction of the night: Russell Martin will end the day with an average above .200. Yes, I’m going out on a limb with that one, but that’s just how I roll. I’d love to say this game is meaningless, but with the pathetic way the Angels rolled over and played dead for Tampa Bay over the last four days it’s not. Now that LA of A has put up a stellar 1-8 mark against Tampa Bay this year, the Yankees have to win this game or they’ll see their AL East lead shrink to four games, which is way too close for comfort. I hope the Rays at least give the Angels a partial postseason share.
BOS: Jon Lester (28, LHP, 6-10, 5.20) vs. NYY: David Phelps (25, RHP, 3-3, 2.53) Lineups Yankees Over his last five innings, Jon Lester has been arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 11. While David Phelps has pitched pretty well this year, his last start was the longest outing of his brief MLB career. He should be able to go to about 90 pitches today, which means he may get through the third against Boston’s lethal lineup. Realistically, the Yankees’ only hope of winning this game is if Boston makes some errors and the bullpen can pitch six shutout innings after Phelps is pulled.
BOS:Franklin Morales (26, LHP, 3-3, 3.29) vs. NYY:Phil Hughes (26, RHP, 11-10, 4.44) Lineups Yankees The over/under on Hughes home runs allowed tonight is four.
TEX:Derek Holland (25, LHP, 7-6, 4.92) vs. NYY:Ivan Nova (25, RHP, 11-6, 4.70) Lineups Yankees It’s House Money Day! Would you believe that the team that is running a 4-9 of Jones, McGehee, Martin as DH, Nix, Ichiro and Stewart out there has the best record in the American League? After allowing a combined 16 runs in 10.1 innings in his July 31 and August 6 starts, Ivan Nova rebounded with a pretty good start against Toronto last time out. Of course, the Toronto lineup he faced was more like a AAA team than an MLB team, so I’m not sure how much solace would should take in that. The lineup he’ll face this afternoon is better than that, so if he pitches well today we can probably feel a little more comfortable that he’s back on track. His opponent, Derek Holland, has had a disappointing season, but it appears to be mostly a function of a very high HR/FB rate and a very low strand rate. Most of his other peripherals are in line with his prior performance. His fastball velocity is down by about 1.3 mph this year, which may also be part of the problem. He did pitch pretty well in his last start against Detroit, so he may be on the road to recovery. Let’s hope he hits a speed bump on that road today.
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Raul Ibanez LF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez DH
Brett Lawrie 3B
Rajai Davis LF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Yunel Escobar SS
Adam Lind 1B
Moises Sierra RF
J.P. Arencibia C
Adeiny Hechavarria 2B
Anthony Gose CF
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Yankees (91-66) @ Blue Jays (69-88), Saturday, September 29, 2012, 1:07pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones RF
E-6 SS
Chris Stewart C,
Brett Lawrie 3B
Rajai Davis LF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Yunel Escobar SS
Yan Gomes 1B
Moises Sierra RF
Jeff Mathis C
Adeiny Hechavarria 2B
Anthony Gose CF Friday, September 28, 2012
Yankees (90-66) @ Blue Jays (69-87), Friday, September 28, 2012, 7:07pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Raul Ibanez LF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez DH
Brett Lawrie 3B
Colby Rasmus CF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
J.P. Arencibia C
Adam Lind 1B
Yunel Escobar SS
Kelly Johnson 2B
Rajai Davis RF
Anthony Gose LF Thursday, September 27, 2012
Yankees (90-65) @ Blue Jays (68-87), Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:07pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Inanimate Carbon Rod DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
The Shockmaster™ LF
Jayson Nix 3B
Brett Lawrie 3B
Colby Rasmus CF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Yunel Escobar SS
Adam Lind 1B
J.P. Arencibia C
Kelly Johnson 2B
Moises Sierra RF
Anthony Gose LF Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Yankees (89-65) @ Twins (65-90), Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 1:10pm
Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B,
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez DH
Chris Stewart C
Chris Dickerson LF
Denard Span CF
Ben Revere RF
Joe Mauer DH
Ryan Doumit C
Chris Parmelee 1B
Matt Carson LF
Jamey Carroll 3B
Alexi Casilla 2B
Pedro Florimon SS Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Yankees (89-64) @ Twins (64-90), Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 8:10pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
The remains of Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano DH
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
The Shockmaster™ LF
Jayson Nix 2B
Denard Span CF
Ben Revere LF
Joe Mauer C
Justin Morneau 1B
Ryan Doumit DH
Chris Parmelee RF
Trevor Plouffe 3B
Jamey Carroll 2B
Pedro Florimon SS Monday, September 24, 2012
Yankees (88-64) @ Twins (64-89), Monday, September 24, 2012, 8:10pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
TAFKAAR DH
TAFKARC 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
TAFKACG CF
The Shockmaster™ LF
Russell Martin C
Eric “Get Off My Lawn” Chavez 3B,
Denard Span CF
Ben Revere RF
Joe Mauer 1B
Josh Willingham LF
Justin Morneau DH
Ryan Doumit C
Trevor Plouffe 3B
Jamey Carroll 2B
Pedro Florimon SS Sunday, September 23, 2012
Athletics (85-66) @ Yankees (88-63), Sunday, September 23, 2012, 1:05pm
Oakland
Stephen Drew SS
Seth Smith LF
Yoenis Cespedes CF
Brandon Moss 1B
Jonny Gomes DH
Josh Reddick RF
Josh Donaldson 3B
George Kottaras C
Cliff Pennington 2B
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Raul Ibanez LF
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Athletics (85-65) @ Yankees (87-63), Saturday, September 22, 2012, 1:05pm
Oakland
Stephen Drew SS
Seth Smith LF
Yoenis Cespedes CF
Brandon Moss 1B
Chris Carter DH
Josh Reddick RF
Josh Donaldson 3B
George Kottaras C
Cliff Pennington 2B
Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki CF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Casey McGehee 1B
Jayson Nix 3B
Andruw Jones LF
Chris Stewart C
Friday, September 21, 2012
Athletics (84-64) @ Yankees (86-63), Friday, September 21, 2012, 7:05pm
Oakland
Collin Cowgill CF
Jonny Gomes DH
Josh Reddick RF
Yoenis Cespedes LF
Chris Carter 1B
Josh Donaldson 3B
Derek Norris C
Stephen Drew SS
Adam Rosales 2B
Derek Jeter DH
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez 1B
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Blue Jays (66-81) @ Yankees (85-63), Thursday, September 20, 2012, 7:05pm
Toronto
Brett Lawrie 3B
Colby Rasmus CF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Adam Lind 1B
Moises Sierra RF
Kelly Johnson 2B
J.P. Arencibia C
Adeiny Hechavarria SS
Anthony Gose LF
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Casey McGehee 1B
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Jayson Nix 3B
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Blue Jays (66-80) @ Yankees (84-63), Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 7:05pm
Toronto
Rajai Davis RF
Colby Rasmus CF
Brett Lawrie 3B
Adam Lind DH
J.P. Arencibia C
Kelly Johnson 2B
Yan Gomes 1B
Adeiny Hechavarria SS
Anthony Gose LF
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson CF
Jayson Nix 2B
Casey McGehee 1B
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Chris Stewart C
Blue Jays (66-79) @ Yankees (83-63), Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 1:05pm
Toronto
Rajai Davis RF
Colby Rasmus CF
Brett Lawrie 3B
Adam Lind 1B
Jeff Mathis C
Moises Sierra DH
Omar Vizquel 2B
Adeiny Hechavarria SS
Anthony Gose LF
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Rays (78-67) @ Yankees (82-63), Sunday, September 16, 2012, 1:05pm
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Rays (78-66) @ Yankees (81-63), Saturday, September 15, 2012, 4:05pm
Friday, September 14, 2012
Rays (77-66) @ Yankees (81-62), Friday, September 14, 2012, 7:05pm
Tampa Bay
Ben Zobrist 2B or SS or RF
Evan Longoria 3B or DH
B.J. Upton CF
A bunch of other people everwhere else
Don’t know, don’t care Thursday, September 13, 2012
Yankees (79-62) @ RedSox (64-78), Thursday, September 13, 2012, 7:10pm
Yankees
Don’t know, don’t care
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Pedro Ciriaco, everywhere else Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Yankees (79-62) @ RedSox (64-78), Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 7:10pm
Yankees
Don’t know, don’t care
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Pedro Ciriaco, everwhere else Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Yankees (79-61) @ RedSox (63-78), Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 7:10pm
The First Place Yankees
Derek “Ibanez-esque” Jeter SS
Nick “Ibanez-esque” Swisher RF
Alex “Ibanez-esque” Rodriguez DH
Robinson “Ibanez-esque” Cano 2B
Russell “Ibanez-esque” Martin C
Steve “Ibanez-esque” Pearce 1B
Curtis “Ibanez-esque” Granderson CF
Andruw “Worse than Ibanez-esque” Jones LF
Jayson “Ibanez-esque” Nix 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Scott Podsednik DH
Dustin Pedroia 2B
James Loney 1B
Cody Ross LF
Ryan Lavarnway C
Ryan Kalish RF
Pedro ‘The Meal Ticket’ Ciriaco 3B
Mike Aviles SS Friday, September 7, 2012
Yankees (77-60) @ Orioles (77-60), Friday, September 7, 2012, 7:05pm
Yankees
Whoever
Mark Reynolds Thursday, September 6, 2012
Yankees (77-59) @ Orioles (76-60), Thursday, September 6, 2012, 7:05pm
New York Yankees
Deck Chair Derek SS
Deck Chair Nick 1B
Deck Chair Robinson 2B
Deck Chair Alex DH
Deck Chair Eric 3B
Deck Chair Curtis CF
Deck Chair Russell C
Deck Chair Raul LF
Deck Chair Ichiro RF
Nick Markakis RF
J.J. Hardy SS
Nate McLouth LF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 1B
Chris Davis DH
Manny Machado 3B
Robert Andino 2B
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Yankees (76-59) @ Rays (75-61), Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 7:10pm
New York Yankees
Deck Chair Derek SS
Deck Chair Nick RF
Deck Chair Robinson DH
Deck Chair Alex 3B
Deck Chair Russell C
Deck Chair Curtis CF
Deck Chair Andruw LF
Deck Chair Steve 1B
Deck Chair Jayson 2B
Sam Fuld CF
Desmond Jennings LF
Ben Zobrist SS
Evan Longoria DH
Matt Joyce RF
Luke Scott 1B
Jeff Keppinger 3B
Jose Lobaton C
Elliot Johnson 2B Tuesday, September 4, 2012
1899 Cleveland Spiders (20-134) @ Rays (74-61), Tuesday, September 4, 2012, 7:10pm
Spiders
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Raul Ibanez LF
Jayson Nix 2B
Chris Dickerson RF
Chris Stewart C
Desmond Jennings LF
B.J. Upton CF
Ben Zobrist SS
Evan Longoria DH
Matt Joyce RF
Jeff Keppinger 3B
Carlos Pena 1B
Ryan Roberts 2B
Jose Molina C Sunday, September 2, 2012
Orioles (73-59) @ Yankees (76-56), Sunday, September 2, 2012, 1:05pm
Orioles
Nick Markakis RF
J.J. Hardy SS
Nate McLouth LF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 1B
Chris Davis DH
Manny Machado 3B
Robert Andino 2B
Derek Jeter DH
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez RF
Russell Martin C
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Chris Dickerson CF
Jayson Nix SS Saturday, September 1, 2012
Orioles (73-58) @ Yankees (75-56), Saturday, September 1, 2012, 1:05pm
Orioles
Nick Markakis RF
J.J. Hardy SS
Nate McLouth LF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Chris Davis DH
Mark Reynolds 1B
Omar Quintanilla 2B
Manny Machado 3B
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Jayson Nix 3B
Eduardo Nunez DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF Friday, August 31, 2012
Orioles (72-58) @ Yankees (75-55), Friday, August 31, 2012, 7:05pm
Baltimore
Nick Markakis RF
J.J. Hardy SS
Nate McLouth LF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Chris Davis DH
Mark Reynolds 1B
Omar Quintanilla 2B
Manny Machado 3B
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez LF
Russell Martin C
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jayson Nix DH
and appreciate where they are now. Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Blue Jays (57-71) @ Yankees (75-54), Wednesday, August 29, 2012, 1:05pm
Blue Jays
Rajai Davis LF
Mike McCoy CF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Adam Lind 1B
Yunel Escobar SS
Kelly Johnson 2B
Moises Sierra RF
Jeff Mathis C
Adeiny Hechavarria 3B
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Steve Pearce DH
Jayson Nix 3B
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Chris Stewart C Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Blue Jays (57-70) @ Yankees (74-54), Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 7:05pm
Blue Jays
Rajai Davis LF
Colby Rasmus CF
Edwin Encarnacion 1B
Adam Lind DH
Yunel Escobar SS
Yorvit Torrealba C
Mike McCoy 2B
Moises Sierra RF
Adeiny Hechavarria 3B
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Steve Pearce 1B
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Ichiro Suzuki LF Monday, August 27, 2012
Blue Jays (56-70) @ Yankees (74-53), Monday, August 27, 2012, 7:05pm
Toronto
Edwin Encarnacion C
Edwin Encarnacion 1B
Edwin Encarnacion 2B
Edwin Encarnacion 3B
Edwin Encarnacion SS
Edwin Encarnacion LF
Edwin Encarnacion CF
Edwin Encarnacion RF
Edwin Encarnacion DH
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark “LOB” Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell “Buck 90” Martin C
Raul Ibanez LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Yankees (73-53) @ Indians (55-71), Sunday, August 26, 2012, 1:05pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark “LOB” Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Chris Stewart C
Jason Kipnis 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Shin-Soo Choo RF
Carlos Santana C
Michael Brantley CF
Casey Kotchman 1B
Matt LaPorta DH
Jack Hannahan 3B
Ezequiel Carrera LF
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Yankees (73-52) @ Indians (54-71), Saturday, August 25, 2012, 7:05pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C
Raul Ibanez DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Jason Kipnis 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Shin-Soo Choo RF
Carlos Santana DH
Michael Brantley CF
Casey Kotchman 1B
Ezequiel Carrera LF
Jack Hannahan 3B
Lou Marson C Friday, August 24, 2012
Yankees (72-52) @ Indians (54-70), Friday, August 24, 2012, 7:05pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C
Raul Ibanez DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Jason Kipnis 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Shin-Soo Choo RF
Carlos Santana C
Michael Brantley CF
Matt LaPorta 1B
Brent Lillibridge 3B
Shelley Duncan DH
Jason Donald LF Wednesday, August 22, 2012
1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys (23-113) @ WhiteSox (66-55), Wednesday, August 22, 2012, 8:10 pm
1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys
Ed Sales, SS
Billy Sunday, RF
Sam LaRocque, 2B
Guy Hecker, 1B
Bill Wilson, DH
John Kelty, CF
Harry Decker, C
Doggie Miller, 3B
Tun Berger, LF
Dewayne Wise CF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Adam Dunn 1B
Paul Konerko DH
Alex Rios RF
A.J. Pierzynski C
Dayan Viciedo LF
Alexei Ramirez SS
Gordon Beckham 2B Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Yankees (72-50) @ WhiteSox (66-55), Tuesday, August 21, 2012, 8:10pm
New York
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Andruw Jones LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Jayson Nix 3B
Casey McGehee DH
Russell Martin C
Dewayne Wise CF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Adam Dunn DH
Paul Konerko 1B
Alex Rios RF
A.J. Pierzynski C
Dayan Viciedo LF
Alexei Ramirez SS
Gordon Beckham 2B Monday, August 20, 2012
Yankees (72-49) @ WhiteSox (65-55), Monday, August 20, 2012, 8:10pm
Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chris Stewart C
Dewayne Wise CF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Adam Dunn DH
Paul Konerko 1B
Alex Rios RF
A.J. Pierzynski C
Dayan Viciedo LF
Alexei Ramirez SS
Gordon Beckham 2B Sunday, August 19, 2012
RedSox (59-62) @ Yankees (71-49), Sunday, August 19, 2012, 8:00pm
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Carl Crawford LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Ryan Lavarnway C
Jarrod Saltalamacchia DH
Scott Podsednik RF
Pedro Ciriaco SS
Nick Punto 3B
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez LF
Russell Martin C
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Casey McGehee DH Saturday, August 18, 2012
RedSox (58-62) @ Yankees (71-48), Saturday, August 18, 2012, 4:05pm
Boston
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Carl Crawford LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Cody Ross DH
Ryan Lavarnway C
Scott Podsednik RF
Hammerin’ Pedro Ciriaco SS
Nick Punto 3B
Derek Jeter DH
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones RF
Casey McGehee 3B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Jayson Nix SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF Friday, August 17, 2012
RedSox (58-61) @ Yankees (70-48), Friday, August 17, 2012, 7:05pm
Boston
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Carl Crawford LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Cody Ross DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Mike Aviles SS
Scott Podsednik RF
Pedro “The Hit King” Ciriaco 3B
Derek Jeter DH
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones LF
Casey McGehee 3B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Jayson Nix SS
Ichiro Suzuki LF Thursday, August 16, 2012
Rangers (67-49) @ Yankees (70-47), Thursday, August 16, 2012, 1:05pm
Texas
Elvis Andrus SS
Michael Young 2B
Josh Hamilton DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
David Murphy LF
Geovany Soto C
Mitch Moreland 1B
Craig Gentry CF
Mike Olt RF
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Andruw Jones LF
Casey McGehee 3B
Russell Martin DH
Jayson Nix 2B
Ichiro Suzuki CF
Chris Stewart C