The rough West Coast trip for the Yankees continued yesterday as they dropped the 2nd game of the series to the Seattle Mariners. In the loss, three Yankees were hit by a pitch. All were thrown by Felix Hernandez in late innings. He first hit Ichiro on the foot in the 7th inning, then Jeter and A-Rod in the 8th inning. Ultimately, Hernandez broke A-Rod's hand which will land him on the DL for at least 6-8 weeks. The Yankees can expect their high paid third baseman to return to the lineup, without and future complications, around late September.
First I will get into how the Yankees might replace the opening at 3rd base. Eric Chavez will most likely get the majority of starts over at third. However, he and Joe Girardi have both said that he doesn't want to and will not play everyday. Chavez has been prone to injuries throughout his entire career. Joe Girardi likes Eduardo Nunez who is in the minors. Nunez is a good to great hitter but his fielding is holding him back from keeping a spot on the Yankees roster. I would not be surprised to see Nunez called up today.
The Yankees, of course, could trade for back up third baseman. Who they could get isn't clear. Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres is on the market. However, the Padres have a high asking price. The Colorado Rockies have third baseman Ian Stewart on the block, but it is a similar deal as the Padres. The Yankees aren't looking for a full-time replacement for A-Rod. They don't need a replacement. That is why I think the Yanks should just stick with Chavez and Nunez unless they can make a quick, cheap for a back up third baseman.
To my second point. Where and what was Joe Girardi doing when Hernandez hit your captain and superstar third baseman?! He hit three total guys and two of your key guys in the lineup and he didn't retaliate of make a fuss with the umpire. I know you were losing but come on. Ichiro, Jeter and A-Rod! You lost A-Rod for 8 weeks and it didn't light a spark in Girardi. I was surprised he had little to no words for anyone.
The Yanks still have plenty of firepower but don't be surprised if the 7 1/2 game lead starts to slowly dwindle.
Likely Yankees lineup without A-Rod
1. Jeter
2. Granderson
3. Teixeira
4. Cano
5. Ibanez
6. Jones
7.Chavez/Nunez
8. Ichiro
9. Martin
Just when we thought things were all good and nothing could bring us down, we get swept by the A's in four games, can barely score against the Mariners and lose A-Rod for 8 weeks.
Yesterday, the Yankees welcomed Japanese RF Ichiro Suzuki. After playing his whole career with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro became tired of losing. He approached the Seattle management and asked to be traded to the New York Yankees. He told reporters he did this because he wanted Seattle to plan for the future. Seattle, in return, received two minor pitchers in the Yankees system.
After quickly cleaning out his locker room, Ichiro claimed his Yankees jersey. Wanting to start fresh, Ichiro chose number 31 instead of his normal 51. Also he did not want to take Bernie Williams' old number (51).
The veteran RF started his Yankee debut with a single and stolen base in his first plate appearance. He finished the day 1 for 4 but the Yankees came away with the win.
I have heard mixed reviews of this trade. Many believe both teams got a good deal. I believe both teams did. The Yankees are not looking for the Ichiro of old (although they would love it). The just want Ichiro to play every once and awhile and get on base as much as possible. As of now, Ichiro is the Yankees 8th batter. Not to bad to have Ichiro in the number 8 spot. With Gardner out for the year and Swisher coming back in a few days, Ichiro will play mostly LF and hit in the bottom of the order.
Since dropping out of the 2011 postseason early, the Yankees have done little in the off season. The resigned CC Sabathia and also resigned Freddy Garcia. Many Yankees fan were wondering why they haven't heard too much from the Bombers. Usually they are the ones making the most noise each postseason. This year, the Angels stole the show, acquiring Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. However, that all changed on Friday when the Yankees reportedly signed ex Dodger, Hiroki Kuroda, and traded for Mariner sensation Michael Pineda.
Kirudo has signed with the Yankees for $10 million for one year. Pineda is being traded to the Yanks for top prospect Jesus Montero. The Yankees were looking to keep Montero because of the promise he showed at the plate last year. Although he did not catch too much, Montero's bat made some noise.
Kuroda had a 2011 record of 13-16, with a 3.01 ERA. Pineda had a 9-10 record, with a 3.74 ERA. Pineda was an All Star last year, and although his record seemed poor, the lack of run support from the disgraceful Mariners contributed to the low amount of wins. Pineda finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting last year. He also had a very respectable 1.10 WHIP. (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched)
So now with these two acquisitions, the Yankees have these starters to play with; CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Freddy Garcia, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda. So here is the question, who makes the starting rotation? If I had control of the team, I would have CC as the obvious number 1, Pineda as the number 2, I like Ivan Nova as the number 3, I put Kuroda as the fourth starter AJ Burnett as the 5th because I feel more comfortable with him as the number five than a relief pitcher. This leaves Hughes and Garcia to join Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, Pedro Feliciano (if he plays) and Boone Logan in the bullpen.
However, I feel like the Yankees will be shipping AJ Burnett away before Spring Training starts. Burnett has been struggling since the World Series run in 09. He has proven to be very inconsistent. Although he is a very nice guy, Burnett is just not getting it done in pinstripes. With the Yankees out of the running for Japanese sensation Hiroyuki Nakajima, the Yanks might look to trade for a shortstop to replace Jeter or a big DH such a Big Papi or even make room for Prince Fielder. Although the Yankees do need a DH, Prince Fielder is not a likely option. The Yankees, while they love prospect catcher Austin Romine, can also use some help behind the plate since they got rid of Jesus Montero.
The Yankees are just getting started. Brian Cashman is a smart guy. He knows what he is doing. Be on the lookout for a trade to get rid of AJ Burnett. 35 days until Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training!
This week, the Yankees will say goodbye to their catcher for the last 16 almost 17 years. Jorge Posada announced that he will officially announce his retirement from the game of baseball. He was believed to want to test the free agent market after two years of disagreement with the Yankees on whether or not Posada can still play the catcher position. The Miami Marlins was one of the few teams that expressed interest in the catcher. This would probably not have worked out since the Marlins play in the National League and Posada is old for the game of baseball.
Posada came up in 1995 and played one game for the Yankees. Then, in 1996, Jorge played a total of 8 games and batted .071 during those 8 games. In 1997, Jorge played 60 games and batted .250 with 12 doubles, 6 home runs and 25 RBI’s. Besides last year, and since 1998, Posada has been the Yankees full time catcher.
Jorge Posada has also been a part of the Yankees “Core Four,” Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Posada. Together the four won 5 World Series titles. Posada has hit 11 career postseason homeruns and batted a solid .248 through 29 postseason series’. Jorge Posada was named to 5 All Star Games in his career and he won 5 Silver Slugger awards.
Posada has had many memorable moments as a Yankee. In a playoff game against the Red Sox in the playoffs, Posada tied the game win a bloop double against Pedro Martinez. Later in the game, Aaron Boone sent the Yankees to the World Series with a HR. Jorge also hit the first HR in the new Yankee Stadium.
It was the smart choice for Posada to retire as a Yankee. Not only has his skill decreased the last couple of years, but there was no room for him at either 1B or behind the plate. The Yankees will now hold a special day honoring Jorge Posada. By being a fan favorite, Yankees fans will flock to the Stadium for his day. Another great thing about the organization is that once you’re a Yankee, you’re a Yankee for life. Posada will have many opportunities to return, whether as a coach, an announcer or someone in the front office. More importantly, Posada can focus on spending time with his family.
Jorge has had an amazing career and should be on the minds of many writers when talking about the Hall of Fame.
HIP HIP! JORGE
To see more of Posada's great career, follow this link.
On Friday night, the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 World Series Title against the Texas Rangers. This World Series Title is their 11th franchise title, remaining at the number two spot for most World Series wins in MLB history behind the New York Yankees. This championship is their 2nd in 5 years. They had to come back in game six several times; they found a way to get it done. They started off slow in Game 7, but when they took the lead, they never gave it back.
The Cardinals had a decent regular season. They went most of the season under the radar. They finished 2nd in the NL Central with a 90-72 record. Very few thought they would make the playoffs. They captured the NL Wild Card and did not look back. The cardinals pulled off an upset, by beating the heavily favorite Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. They then, had their way with the Milwaukee Brewers. They then became the underdogs again when they took on the Rangers in the World Series. David Freese was named the World Series MVP after coming up with some clutch late inning hits. Albert Pujols tied history when he hit 3 straight home runs in one World Series game. (Reggie Jackson being the only other to do that)
Now that the Series is over, the off season begins. The first major story we heard about was the continued collapse of the Red Sox organization. Manager Terry Francona left the team, along with GM Theo Epstein, who is now the GM of the Chicago Cubs. Yankees GM, Brian Cashman, is also available but is believed to be making a deal with the Yankees. Yankees ace, CC Sabathia, also is looking to sign back with the Yanks, although he can opt out if he wants. According to ESPN analyst Buster Olney, CC would make more money if he stays with New York. CJ Wilson is also on teams radar this off season. Within the next few months, MLB transactions with start to take off.
Let the games begin.
Two game have gone and passed and we find ourselves in a tied series. Both games have been nail biters. The Rangers had a big come from behind win last night in the ninth inning to tie the series up at a game a piece. The series has been looking very promising. The two teams seem very similar and have had hard fought games. This is a very hard series to predict because both teams are so similar that not one team overpowers the other. But here goes nothing.
Coming into the World Series I had a feeling that the Rangers would win in 5 games, however that changed after the first few innings of the first game. The Cardinals are on a hot streak. The started the series off at home which was a plus. I thought pretty hard on this series. I want to say that the Cardinals will win the series, if they can do it they will do it in game 7 at home. However, i can't see the Rangers losing back to back years. It is hard enough to make it to the World Series.
The Cardinals have won two World Series titles under La Russa in this decade. Although La Russa is the better manager, the Rangers seem to have a slightly better team at the moment. They're lineup is stacked and they have a solid bullpen. The Cardinals might be slightly distracted after Albert Pujols decided not to meet with the media after last night's loss. The media made a big deal about this and started asking the whole organization about it. With all these facts here is my prediction.
Game 3 Winner
Texas Rangers
Game 4 Winner
Texas Rangers
Game 5 Winner
St. Louis Cardinals
Game 6 Winner
Texas Rangers
Let me know Who Ya Got?!
So in a couple of minutes the 2011 MLB Playoffs will be under way. After an unforgettable Wednesday night of baseball, it is about time the Playoffs are here. There was one blowout on Wednesday that sealed another day for the St.Louis Cardinals. They soon found out that they were the 2011 NL Wild Card winners after the Braves rookie closer, Craig Kimbrel, blew a one run lead in the ninth. The Phillies went on to beat them with a bloop single by Hunter Pence in extras. The Boston Red Sox also blew a lead in the 9th inning. With two outs, Papelbon was rocked for a RBI double and an RBI game-winning single that should have been caught. Exactly 3 minutes later, after coming back from 7-0, Evan Longoria of the Rays hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 11th inning against the AL East Division Champion Yankees.
The resilient Rays will face off against the ALWest Division Champs Texas Rangers today at 5:30. The Rays send out the rookie Matt Moore against C.J. Wilson. The later game is the Detroit Tigers against the New York Yankees. The soon to be Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander, will go up against the Yankees ace, C.C. Sabathia. In the National League, the Phillies will throw Roy Halladay and the St. Louis Cardinals will throw Kyle Lohse. The Arizona D'Backs will throw ex-Yankee great, Ian Kennedy.
This year's playoffs promises to be exciting. I hope it is more exciting that this past week's Wednesday night of baseball. Here are my predictions.....
The Texas Rangers will go on and win the series in 5 games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Their pitching staff is much better than the Rays and the Rangers give their pitching staff plenty of run support.
The New York Yankees might lose game 1 but win win the series also in 5 games. While the Tigers have Justin Verlander, the Yankees are a better hitting team and have a great bullpen to shut down their opponents.
The Phillies will have no problem in the NLDS. The starting rotation is way to tough to beat. The Phillies will win in 4 games.
For the final match up, I'm going with the Brew Crew in 5 games. While the D'Backs have good pitching, the Brewers have the edge in starting pitchers and have a better lineup.
So there are my predictions. Let me know Who Ya Got?!
With one week left in the 2011 MLB Season, there are several pennant races left. Three divisions have been clinched so far. The Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NL East with an impressive 98-58 record as of today. The New York Yankees clinched two days ago with a 95-61 record. The Detroit Tigers also clinched their division with a 90-66 record.
In the AL West, the Rangers have a magic number of 2. They play Seattle and should clinch the division this weekend. With the Rangers clinching, that leaves the Red Sox, Rays and Angels in the Wild Card Race. Boston leads these two teams by 2 games, 2 1/2 games over the Angels. The Sox start a Aseries with the Yanks tonight if the rain holds up. Rays play the Jays and the Halos play the A's.
The Brewers also have a magic number of 2 as they start a series against the struggling Marlins. The Cards are making a late run but it doesn't look like they have a shot at the division. In the NL West, the D'backs have a magic number of one as they face the 2nd place Giants. This is a huge series for both teams. If the Giants can manage a sweep, their quest for a repeat will look a lot better. In the Wild Card, the Braves have a 2 game lead over the Cards. The Braves start a series against the Nats this weekend. The Giants are 4 games behind the Braves.
My prediction for the playoff bracket is....
AL West - Texas Rangers
AL Wild Card - Tampa Bay Rays
NL Central - Milwaukee Brewers
NL West - Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card - St. Louis Cardinals
So Who Ya Got?! Who do you think will join the Yankees, Phillies, and Tigers in the playoffs?
On September 14th (New York Time), Mariano Rivera became the second reliever in MLB history to record 600 career saves. He is currently one save behind the all-time leader, Trevor Hoffman. This has been a heated debate for many years, whether Hoffman or Mo is a better closer. Personally I don't like picking between people because their careers have not been the same. However, I don't think there is any question as to who the better closer is now. The only thing that was holding Mo back in this debate was the number 600. Trevor's 601 saves is the only thing keeping him in the competition. Once Mo passes that, the debate is OVER!
Mariano will likely surpass Hoffman shortly in the coming days. Mariano is definitely the best and most dominating closer in MLB history. Not only does he have 600 saves, he has 42 Post-season saves. That's right 42 POST-SEASON SAVES! How many does Hoffman have? A total of 4. Now that is not Hoffman's fault. Mariano has been lucky enough to be on some of the greatest teams in MLB history. While Mariano has had more opportunities, Hoffman fell short against Mo in 1998 recording no saves in the World Series.
Mariano Rivera has definitely earned the respect of the whole league and every fan. This milestone created more excitement because Mo's last save milestone came in the same year as the Yanks' last World Series Title. This year the Yankees had two amazing milestones: Jeter's 3,000 hit mark and Mo's 600 save milestone. Hopefully the 28th Championship will come this year and Mo will have more opportunities to add to such a prestigious career. Congratulations Mariano Rivera, number 42.
