Posts tagged ‘Brett Gardner’

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October 7, 2011

ALDS Post Mortem: RISP Fail

by Jamie Insalaco

Here’s some numbers for ya from last night’s ALDS game 5 between the Yankees and the Tigers:

Yankees Offense:
LOB: 20
Team LOB: 11
RBI: Cano (9), Teixeira (1)
2-out RBI: Cano; Teixeira
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Posada; Cano; Gardner 2; Swisher 2
Team RISP: 2-for-9

Pretty abysmal, right? I wonder why they couldn’t get the big hit last night – they certainly ran into some good pitching, that’s part of it, but maybe not the whole story. I really thought someone was going to come up with a single the second time the bases were loaded, but we all know now that Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher bot struck out – not to be confused with Russell Martin and Brett Gardner grounding out the first time the bases were juiced. Maybe I can find the answer if I drift through the local papers…

OK, this was a mistake. When I am going to learn to stop reading NYPost.com?

The richest team in baseball history, the most talented in the game, and you could almost hear the players’ knees knocking over the din of the crowd. Does that come from the manager? Girardi was forced to his bullpen early when Ivan Nova’s forearm started to bark, but it was his choice to use Phil Hughes for only four outs, his choice to use CC Sabathia, his choice to use seven pitchers.

Those relievers, save for Sabathia, were perfect. And you could argue Girardi was merely matching the urgency of the situation.

But you could also argue that anxiety and stress flow from the top down.

Here are the batting averages for the ALDS for the following players:

Alex Rodriguez:.111
Mark Teixeira: .167
Nick Swisher: .211
Derek Jeter: .250

Obviously, batting average isn’t the best measure of offensive production (especially across such a small sample size), but since Mike Vaccaro went with batting average elsewhere in his article, I might as well, too. Obviously, the dominance of Justin Verlander and some of the other Tigers starters has a lot to say about this, but really, Mr. Vaccaro? You think these guys didn’t get the big hit last night because Joe Girardi was too anxious and his players fed off that same anxiety? Talk about having no respect for the guy throwing the ball… I’m not trying to let the Yankees’ bats off the hook, but that’s a pretty far leap from these guys just not getting it done to some psycho-semantic stress response that induced knee knocking tension. “Does that come from the manager?” Really? I have no idea where Mr. Vaccaro got that from. I guess that in the search for answers, some grasp at straws… or just make shit up.

I checked some other papers, but to no avail: Mike Lupica just complained that the Yankees are the most expensive team in baseball and have only won one ring over the last 10 years. This seems like a silly argument because most teams don’t even make the playoffs every year, which the Yankees have save one – never mind win the World Series. If 1-10 over the last decade isn’t enough for Mr. Lupica, how many World Series victories would be? Two? Three? Four? Five? Does he expect them to win the whole damn thing every single year because they have the highest payroll? Surely he knows that’s not how it works… Anyway, the NY Times just offered reporting as that’s what they’re best at.

What else can I say? It was a close game, the Yankees lost, and it was probably closer than it should have been considering the Yankees fashioned 7 innings out of their bullpen. Once Ivan Nova left the game, visions of the 2003 World Series and David Wells‘ balky back began to drift across my mind – not to mention the fact that teams hardly ever win games when their starter doesn’t give them at least 5 innings. I’m forced to go back to my musings from Spring Training – at that point, I thought the Yankees didn’t have the pitching to win a World Series, but when it came down to this game 5, they just couldn’t muster the offense.

In the end, I don’t feel to bad about this loss – the Yankees just couldn’t get the big hit and for whatever reason, I’m OK with that. At least they didn’t get shelled – that would have really bothered me.

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July 5, 2011

Somebody wake up Joe Girardi!

by Jamie Insalaco

AJ Burnett is not necessarily the best pitcher to ever grace a mound with his presence. Sure, you’ll hear tales of his filthy stuff, and it’s true, to an extent: Burnett has some good pitches in his arsenal, including a hard fastball and a snapping curve ball. In yesterday’s fourth of July game, he struggled but overcame in the 1st inning but overall, pitched 6 solid innings. Sure, at the end of the 6th, he looked a little tired, but I couldn’t begrudge Joe Girardi for sending him out there for the 7th, especially after how much the bullpen worked in the Mets series. But at some point, you have to go to your bullpen.

AJ Burnett is not the sort of guy who saves your bullpen; he’s just not. Sure, he’ll go 8 innings every once and a while, but it’s just not who he is. So after that Shelly Duncan at bat, during which Burnett was clearly tired and didn’t have anything left and couldn’t snap off a curve ball to save his life, Girardi left him in there. He didn’t go to his bullpen, he didn’t send Larry Rothschild or even Russell Martin out there to give him a breather.

After the Duncan single, I thought it was obvious that it was time for a call to the bullpen to get somebody up before the ball got back to the infield, followed by a lengthy mound visit. Then, the next batter should have been given the unintentional intentional walk. By then, your bullpen guy ought to be ready to go, and you make the change. It’s that simple.

Instead, BOOM – home run, and the Yankees go on to loose a game they should have found a way to win. Nice job, Girardi!

YANKEESNEWS VIA TEXT:
Today’s text reads: “HBO & MLB Productions to produce a 1 hour special chronicling Jeter’s 3K chase.”
My guess is that working titles include, “Boring as Hell: Jeter’s 3000 Chase” or “Jeter Documentary: The Best Editing You’ll Ever See,” because this must be one boring film. How much drama could the end possibly have in store? Jeter did not have a good offensive year last year (.270 average, 179 hits), nor has he this year (.256 average, 68 hits), and he’s been hurt for the last several weeks with 6 hits to go. Maybe I’ll get more excited about this as we get to the end, but right now, I’m not interested in Jeter’s personal achievements – but I’m happy to have his glove back, because Edwardo Nunez can not field.

YANKEES VIA EMAIL:
subject – MLB best Six Yankees are headed to the All-Star Game
In case you didn’t already hear, the Yankees heading to the All Star game are

Can we PLEASE climb out of Jeter’s ass? A-Rod has been to the All Star Game a few times, why can’t we count how many times he’s been? And really, Jeter is one of the six best Yankees on the team? Really? Derek Jeter is having a better year and/or is more valuable to the team that Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia or Brett Gardner? Or how about David Robinson, for that matter? I feel like I spend a lot of time writing negative things about Jeter in this space, but I don’t hate the guy – I just don’t think he’s the golden god everyone else makes him out to be – at least he’s not anymore.

Whatever, I don’t care about the all star game and I wish no Yankees were going, because if anyone gets so much as a cramp from appearing in the farce, I’m going to be PISSED!

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June 21, 2011

Winning and Injuries

by Jamie Insalaco

The Yankees are 8-2 over their last ten games and 13 games over .500, a 2011 season high, and I’m excited about that – but this team needs help. Don’t get me wrong, the Yankees deserve kudos for the winnings they’ve been doing, but this team has some glaring holes – some I understand, like the bullpen, but then, when they only score 1 run in Chicago against one of the worst pitchers in the game and let him hang around for 8 innings… it’s hard to know what to think. This and other Yankees issues are probably due to age, injury, regression or all three issues.

So who’s hurt these days? Its so numerous that it’s getting tough to keep track of. Fortunately, it looks like we’re going to get Jeter, Colon and Hughes back – 2009 Jeter is probably never going to show up again, but, he’s probably the lesser of alternative evils. Colon is a must and Brian Cashman is practically married to Phil Hughes, so if you don’t like Hughes… you’re out of luck.

Derek Jeter
El Calfstrain is just short of his 3000th hit, and while it’s kinda crazy that we get to watch the active hit leader and in the future can say, "I saw that guy play," you have to admit that he’s kinda dragging the team down with his bat and lack of range at short. On the other hand, Eduardo Nunez’s fielding can only be described as frightening, but more on that later.

Bartolo Colon
If you pray, please pray for Colon every night. We need this guy back at 100% – hopefully, right after the All Star break. Without him… I don’t know how realistic our chances are of actually going anywhere in the playoffs. He’s that important!

Phil Hughes
If you haven’t seen the reports, it sounds like his first rehab start went well, the velocity is there and he’s feeling good, so maybe we’re getting the good Phil Hughes back, but this guy is as unpredictable as they get – I know he won a zillion games last year, but I have trouble trusting this guy – he’s either going good, going bad or hurt. Consistency isn’t his strong point.

All Left Handed Relievers Except He Who Shall Hence Be Known As "The Crappy One"
Let’s see… I read somewhere that both Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte are starting to throw off flat ground, but who knows what that means in terms of a return time table. If neither of them can get David Ortiz out, then it doesn’t really matter anyway.

Joba Chamberlain
See you next year, Joba. Anybody got a spare setup man lying around that they’re not using?

Rafael Soriano
Oh right, you were supposed to be the setup man. I forgot. Joba was going to the 7th inning guy… anyway, Soriano is still supposed to be resting and maybe will come back in the middle of July, but I’m not holding my breath.

So we definitely need more pitching, but that’s not a surprise – although I thought it was going to be starting pitching, not bullpen help. So let’s take a look at who stinks.

Eduardo Nunez (fielding)
So, now that you’ve seen Eduardo Nunez for a while at short, what do you think? Obviously, he can’t field worth a damn – every time he picks up the ball, I say a silent prayer and everybody sitting behind 1st base braces for impact. Nunez can hit, but I’m starting to wonder whether or not this guy belongs in the infield.

Boone Logan aka "The Crappy One"
If Boone Logan was a Sioux, his name would be "Only On Team Because He’s Left Handed," or something more clever than that. Since he can’t get anybody out, he decided to try a different strategy against the Reds – just hit the guy, it’s faster. He’s given up 16 hits in 16 innings while walking 8 and striking out 11. That is NOT getting it done.

The Bullpen
We’ve got David Robertson, Mariano Rivera and a collection of stiffs. Seriously… the Yankees are, as of this writing, carrying 12 pitchers on there roster – and I’m sure it would be 13 if they could find another lefty. It’s that bad. I know Hector Noesi has looked good and Corey Wade has looked good so far, but we need more help, and we can’t count on any of the DL relief corps to come back. It’s time to go to the scrap pile (again) or make a trade.

Francisco Cervelli
I don’t expect backup catchers to hit, but this guy has got to field better. In fact, he’s got to field great – because if a backup catcher can’t catch, then what’s the damn point? It’s not like he’s a regular position player who you expect to contribute with the bat – Cervelli is a catcher and the guy just isn’t getting it done behind the plate. Cervelli and Nunez need to do serious work this winter.

Other Stuff
I guess Nick Swisher is finding his swing, but splits are still frightening. Jorge Posada is also looking better at the plate, but… who knows. The Brett Gardner Crisis of April has been officially over as he’s gotten his average almost up to .300 now – too bad he completely forgot how to run or steal bases. Kudos are due to Ivan Nova, who has really done well in his last several starts, especially last night. A-Rod is apparently playing hurt, but it doesn’t seem to be effecting him much; but, if he is truly hurt, the Yankees would be wise to DL him now rather than waiting – Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira can supply the power in the interim.

Now what?
The bench needs help and the Yankees desperately need relief pitching, and they need the two hardest things to get: a lefty and a setup guy. Can these holes be filled? I’m sure we can find guys to fix the bench, but the bullpen is going to be tricky. I hate to tie my hopes to Rafael Soriano coming back to the team healthy and effective, but I’m betting there aren’t many other choices.

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June 1, 2011

Yankees May 2011 Wrap Up

by Jamie Insalaco

 

May was a bit of a roller coaster ride for the Yankees.

The month of May, 2011 began promisingly enough as the Yankees finished off a series win against the Toronto Blue Jays, which finished up the home-stand on a positive note. Then the Yankees went to Detroit and the wheels came off – or maybe I should say the arms came off as they dropped 3 of 4 while we watched Eduardo Nunez through the ball all over the place. But, when the Yankees got to Texas, the bats came out, and we got Derek Jeter‘s mythical 2 home run game, which seems to have quieted the “Derek Jeter is finished,” media machine – at least for now… for some reason, hitting .264 in May is much better than hitting .256 in April – although I must admit, hit at-bats do look a lot better of late.

Then the Yankees came back home and experienced The Home Stand of Tears, dropping 2 of 3 to the Kansas City Royals (current record 24-30) and getting swept by the Boston Red Sox. Wow. Swept by the Boston Red Sox at home. That was a tough one. Yet, despite the rough patch, the Yankees are in first today by one game over the Monsters from Fenway.

Then the Yankees split two games at Tampa Bay (and they really should have won that first game), swept two games from the Baltimore Orioles (two game series are a waste of my time!) and then took two of three from the lowly Mets at home (current record 25-29). The Blue Jays came to Yankees Stadium and this featured another Yankees series win, including a come from behind extra innings win (pie style) that I feel this team desperately needed.

The Yankees flew out to Seattle to face the Mariners and gave up leads to lose the first two games and salvaged the final one before flying to Oakland to take on Hideki Matsui and the A’s, taking the first two games, including a gem by Bartolo Colon, and here we are, at June 1st, waiting for Game 3 to start later today.

So what did we learn this month?

The Yankees can’t bunt. Seriously, enough with the bunting. Nobody on this team is any good at it. The Yankees need to either start working on this in BP or just stop doing it. Last night’s failed suicide squeeze that resulted in Nick Swisher being tagged out in a run down was embarrassing – almost as sad as the fact that Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter can’t bunt; considering they have no power, they both need to add this trait to their game ASAP, or at least stop doing it, but this in between crap needs to stop.

Curtis Granderson is a golden god. Obviously. I was soooooo happy when they traded for him, and although last year was a tough start, my girlfriend very kindly ran out and bought me a Grandy-Man t-shirt in May of 2010, which makes us both look like geniuses now. Unlike Russell Martin, I don’t expect Granderson to slow down.

In praise of Bartolo Colon. Where would we be without this guy and his fastballs? His low pitch counts keep him in games late, giving a bullpen that is teetering on over use a bit of a breather. The Yankees need to protect this guy and give him an extra day’s rest any time they get a chance.

Losing streaks are inevitable. If you saw a lot of the New York papers (cough Post, cough Daily News) insisting that the Yankees blew their chance to bury the Red Sox, I tend to disagree. The Red Sox (not to mention the Rays) struggled early, and the Yankees hadn’t struggled yet. It was bound to happen. It could happen again. It’s a long season and there are many ups and downs.

Derek Jeter isn’t Derek Jeter anymore, but he’s hardly terrible. I don’t have any plans to build a statue to the guy on my front lawn, but I refuse to kill him in print the way so many have done. But then, this is another good example of what happens when you let Randy Levine meddle in negotiations.

Phil Hughes… ugh. Can this guy get through two consecutive seasons without spending major time on the DL? I know he’s still young, but he’s not that young anymore. Is it time to stash Hughes in the bullpen for good? I’m not sure, but given the Yankees appeared shortage of starting pitching, it’s a tough call. If you don’t believe in Freddy Garcia, I can’t blame you, but is Hughes really a better option? I guess we’ll have to wait and see what he has when he comes off the DL.

GOING FORWARD:
Take a look at the Yankees June schedule; it’s a tough one. Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, Rockies, Indians… if they’re still in first on July 1st, it’ll be a miracle.

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May 20, 2011

Feast Or Famine Again?

by Jamie Insalaco

 

In recent past seasons, I’ve expressed concern that the Yankees have continually put together offenses that either produce a zillion runs or none to almost no runs at all; or, as it is often called, a feast or famine offense. When I scroll through the results of the 2011 season, I do feel that this team can easily lapse into that tendency.

Last night, the Yankees scored 13 runs on 14 hits, which is great – except that the night before, they were held down to one run over 14 innings until picking up 3 more in the 15th. Now I understand that different line ups, and even particular players on specific days are going to produce different results on separate games, but the Yankees weren’t exactly facing Pedro Martinez in his prime on Wednesday night, and they left a ton of guys on base. So what gives?

It’s still a bit too early to draw conclusions about the 2011 Yankees. For example, I don’t think Derek Jeter is going to meander around the .255 mark all season – I think he’s probably a .275-.285 guy this year. It’s also impossible to predict Brett Gardner; he simply doesn’t have enough MLB time to know if what he did last year and what he’s done in the month of May is who he really is or not. I have no idea what’s going on with Nick Swisher (although he’s starting to show signs of life, too), and Jorge Posada doesn’t have a single hit off a left handed pitcher yet this season – and he’s NEVER had bad splits before in his entire career.

So while it’s too soon to call the 2011 Yankee offense a feast or famine club, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.

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May 16, 2011

When it rains, it pours

by Jamie Insalaco

The Yankees dodged the weekend raindrops and got all the games in. Too bad. Is there anything worse than a game on FOX, a game on ESPN, and losing both games to the Red Sox? May has been pretty ugly thus far. Let’s take a quick look:

4 game series with the Tigers
W 5-3
L 2-4
L 0-4
L 3-6

3 game series with the Rangers
W 4-1
L 5-7
W 12-5

3 game series with the Royals
W 3-1
L 3-4
L 5-11

3 game series with the Red Sox
L 4-5
L 0-6
L 5-7

One series win out of four. Lost a series to the Royals at home – I know they’re off to a good start, but come on – Melky Carerera and Wilson “can’t find a better backup infielder” are starting for them at the left corners. Swept by the Red Sox at home. I know it’s only mid May and the Yankees are still over .500, but these last two weeks have been brutal. The inability to hit with runners in scoring position is the most damning trend we’ve seen over this time, but the poor fielding is probably not a trend we’ll see all year. On the other hand, it’s pretty sad that no one on this team can bunt well and that Brett Gardner is not good at base running or stealing, which, given his age, seems unlikely to change. I do think the offense and the fielding will come around – this is just a slump, one that was bound to happen. I don’t buy into the argument that this team relies on the home run too much – rather, this team just hits a lot of home runs. It’s not like the 2003 Yankees that just waits for the home run, but I can see how it looks that way. Speaking of home runs, I’m starting to feel like Joba Chamberlain is giving up too many of those round trippers…

The Jorge Posada Deal
It is what it is – obviously, it would be a blow to the pride of any player who used to hit in the middle of the lineup to be suddenly delegated to the last spot. So he took himself out of the lineup because A) his back hurt; B) he was pissed he was hitting ninth; C) both. I don’t care what the deal is – the simple fact is if you can’t get your batting average to be higher than your weight after six weeks, you should count your lucky millions that you’re not riding the bench, never mind batting ninth. If you heard or read somewhere that the Yankees weren’t interested in having Jorge back on the team next year… well, obviously. They don’t trust him to play catcher anymore and having a permanent DH that has a $30 million dollar, surgically repaired A-Rod on it probably doesn’t need an every day DH – not to mention finding rest/DH days for Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and so on.

Can we DL Rafael Soriano now?
Soriano is out again, riding the pine and the pain for a few more days. I know he makes a lot of money and his tests came back negative, but he’s just eating up a 25 man roster spot at this point, and after sitting for so long, he’s going to be cold anyway. Let’s just put him on the 15 day DL and let him make some rehab appearances at Scranton and come back ready to go.

Coming Up Next: Two games in Tampa, two games in Baltimore, then home for the Mets. Who knows what these games will bring? One thing is for sure, the Yankees need a win, desperately.

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May 12, 2011

Can I Get An RBI?

by Jamie Insalaco

A Quick Rant On LOB:
The Yankees left 15 runners on base last night – which doesn’t include the runners lost by the GIDPs from Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson. Granderson got some redemption in the 10th with his RBI single to keep the game alive, but jeez – not a good offensive performance by any stretch of the imagination.

A Quick Rant On Bunting and Coaching:
The Yankees have a problem that sounds like the setup for a work of fiction: a manager who loves to bunt has a roster full of players who can’t bunt worth a shiz! As far as I know, the Yankees don’t have anyone (well, maybe Martin can bunt) who is proficient in bunting, yet Joe Girardi loves to call for it. And why have Brett Gardner or Derek Jeter bunt? They’re both hot right now! And neither of them are what I would call good bunters… not to mention they were both facing a pitcher who was wild. I just don’t understand why Girardi calls for players to bunt who can’t do it (is he trying to embarrass them into practicing it more?) in situations where bunting doesn’t make a ton of sense. Sure, maybe that was a ‘by the book’ scenario where a bunt was called for, but use your eyes: the pitcher can’t Joakim Soria couldn’t find the plate and his velocity was way down – that means either take your walk or wait for the inevitable fastball down the middle!

New York Connection:
So the Kansas City Royals have Melky Cabrera in left field, Wilson Betemit at 3rd – both former Yankees – and Vin Mazzaro is from Rutherford, NJ. Who else they got over there that either played for the Yankees at some point or is from the greater New York City area?

Tonight:
Ivan Nova in the rubber match! It’d be a shame to lose a series at home to the Royals, regardless of how good their start has been this year. Also, Rafael Soriano’s arm is OK, so good news there! It sounds like we’ll see him this weekend against the Red Sox, if not tonight.

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May 3, 2011

Yankees Win Tied Game Before Extras

by Jamie Insalaco

I have to admit, I was about ready to throw in the towel on last night’s game once it was tied up at 3. It’s pretty hard to win one of those games on the road once you get to so late an inning, but the Yankees found a way to get it done.

The Pitching:
Justin Verlander might have started out slow, but he hung in there and gave his team 6 IP or 3 run ball, which is a decent outing – maybe not when you consider it took him over 120 pitches to do it, but impressive, nevertheless, especially considering his hardest thrown fastballs came in his last inning of work – those pitches he K’d Derek Jeter on were in the high 90s. I know a lot of people have been noting that Jeter’s bat has been a little slow this season, but few can catch up to the kind of heat Verlander was bringing. Too bad for him he was so wild last night – despite hitting 100 with his fastball.

While poking around the Yankee Blogosphere, I’ve seen some rumbling concerns that Bartolo Colon is throwing two many fastballs. While it is true that both his four seam and two seam fastballs make up about 85% of the pitches he’s thrown this year, the results clearly indicate that it’s not a problem. Sure, I’d love it if he mixed in a few extra change ups and sliders, but whatever – his four seam fastball has been topping out in the mid 90s (huh – that’s when pop music stopped being relevant, too, but probably just a coincidence) and his two seamer is devastating - it’s like Charlie Sheen’s four seam fastball from Major League – The Terminator or the Eliminator or something… well, except it’s the two seam version. And two seam it does! It can be difficult to explain to pitch movement to non baseball people, but when you say, “Watch this next pitch move,” and Colon uncorks one of his two seam fastballs, whipping across the strike zone and finishing in on a righty’s hand, even the most novice of observers will be heard to comment, “Holy Shiite! What the hell was that?” It’s that amazing.

The Tigers have a realized on their team named Alburquerque? “You just can’t predict baseball.”

Nice outings by Joba Chamberlain and the flawless Mariano Rivera. Mo is probably off tonight, so if the dice fall right, we’ll see Rafael Soriano get the ball for the save tonight. Should be fun!

The Bunt:
There wasn’t a ton of good things to say about the Yankees offensive performance last night (felt like there was a solid hour or longer where they didn’t get a hit), but they got some runs early and some more late, and that’s enough. Even a struggling Verlander is a tough match up, so no big deal. What is a big deal was that stupid bunt.

After the aforementioned Alburquerque walked Russell Martin, Brett Gardiner bunted on the first pitch. Given that Gardner went to bunt immediately, I can only assume that Joe Girardi called this from the bench. Why? Gardner is red hot and knows how to work a walk – why bunt when Alburquerque is wild? With Eduardo Nunez and Derek Jeter coming up? These guys look like they’re both poised to hit an RBI single to send Martin in from second? I think not. Let Gardner swing there. I don’t have any problem with small ball or bunting or whatever you want to call it, but that bunt was a pain in my ass!

Tonight:
Tonight, he that is called The Other Big One takes the mound. (He’s not called that, nor is Colon called The Big One, but I think we might want to start considering calling them The Twin Boulders or something.) As always, I like Sabathia’s chances to be effective and go late in the game, but with these crazy 6:05 start times (that’s local in Chicago, 7:05 here in greater NYC), who knows what will happen? Also, I’d like to see a pizza eating contest between Sabathia, Colon and Ramiro Pena. Pena is gritty!

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May 2, 2011

Yankees Win Rubber Match Against Blue Jays

by Jamie Insalaco

I watched as many innings of the Toronto Blue Jays three game set with the Yankees at the Stadium, but my schedule just wasn’t baseball friendly this weekend.  In any case, here’s what I saw:

The Good:

  • Brett Gardner has caught fire!  I think he must have hit .500 last week.
  • For a patch work starting pitching rotation, things are going pretty well.
  • The homers keep on coming!
  • My fantasy baseball team won!  I’m now 2-2 on the year, and I’ve made the team better… try to do a comprehensive post about this soon.

The Bad:

  • If Freddy Garcia is going to give up homers to the likes of Jose Bautista… I can live with that.  Not good, but not Fug-Ugly.
  • Derek Jeter hit another zillion ground balls this weak, but he’s at least hitting over his weight. Bad, but not Fug-Ugly.

The Fug-Ugly:

  • Pitching to Jose Bautista any time runners are on base.  JUST WALK HIM!
  • That Francisco Cervelli‘s sacrifice but with no outs in the 3rd inning after Brett Gardner walked on four straight pitches.  Who’s idea was that?  Why would you sac bunt with your fastest guy on 1st with no outs in the first?  WHY?!?

ALSO:
Kevin Millwood opted out of his minor league contract.  From the reports I read on this guy’s stuff down in the minors, we aren’t missing anything – and this dude must think his waste smells like ice cream.  As far as I can tell, he has no other offers, but that could change…  If Sergio Mitre gets hurt, maybe the Nationals will grab Millwood…

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April 25, 2011

Yankees Take Another Rain Shortened Season

by Jamie Insalaco

I know it’s April and this is when it’s supposed to rain, but I’m starting to lose my cool.  The Yankees are nearing their 2010 rain out total, and we’re not even through with the first month yet!  Here’s The Good, The Bad and The Fug-Ugly from Baltimore.

The Good
CC Sabathia was, in a word, dominant on Saturday.  Sure, he labored toward the end, but he was really dealing – vintage CC, I loved every minute of it!

Freddy Garcia might not deserve a statue or a plaque yet, but he probably deserves an apology.  I know it’s only two starts, but they haven’t been against teams without any hitters and he hasn’t let up run yet, right?  I’ll take 12 IP of 0 run ball every two times out!

Russell Martin is probably worth praying to.  Like I wrote the other day, he does it all.  Take a closer look at your mailman – it’s Russell Martin!

Curtis Granderson is putting on a hitting display, and I love it!  The Grandyman is my favorite kind of player:  an outfielder with speed and power.

The Bad
Nick Swisher needs to worry less about shaving (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re lucky) and more about hitting the ball.  At least he’s still getting his walks.

Derek Jeter managed some hits on Sunday, but they were mostly infield squeakers.  Who knows, maybe a game like this will get him started, and if he’s going to lead off and gave Curtis Granderson protecting him the two hole, that could help him, too.

Mariano Rivera is not a machine, and I guarantee that if he only had to get three outs, he would have been fine.  Mo can’t pitch in more than one inning anymore.  Just forget about that.  It’s over.  Not in April, anyway – in October… you do what you have to do.  But in April?  Let’s not and not even say we did.  Anyway, Mo will be alright, so lets not bother having the “he’s done!” conversation because he blew two saves.

The Fug-Ugly
Brett Gardner had what, one hit in two games?  I know it was a double and I know that’s not the end of the world, but the guy is striking out a lot… I really want Gardner to find a way out of his funk now that he’s been moved to the bottom of the lineup, because I don’t want to see this guy end up being the next Melky Cabrera…  well, it won’t be that bad.  If anything, he could be a fifth outfielder and pinch runner/base stealer on this team.

I was just about to write ‘Kyle Farnsworth‘ or ‘Octavio Dotel,’ because sometimes, I get my free agent setup men confused… (wait, was Dotel a setup man or just in the pen?  I can’t remember and don’t care enough to check)  But yeah, Rafael Soriano‘s back soreness is troubling, and I’m particularly annoyed given that I can’t find any reason for it.  Was it the flight down from Toronto?  Did he wake up in pain on Saturday morning?  I just don’t understand how someone is in so much pain that he has to miss two games, making it necessary to inject Mariano Rivera into the 8th inning (where he should never be, ever!) and have no reason for it at all.  That’s weak sauce, right there.

Russell Martin getting plunked between the numbers after he’d already hit two home runs in a game… that’s not cool, and it looks really bad – I’m all for pushing guys off the plate, but when you hit a guy in the back in between the numbers, it looks like it’s on purpose.  You don’t need to let the hitter get too comfortable in the batter’s box, but you don’t need to hit him, either.

The White Sox are in town, who are 8-14 on the young season – lets not read anything into that until we see them for ourselves…  but yeah, they probably stink.

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