THIS HAS TO BE ROCK BOTTOM

Okay, we are all tired of the lack of hitting. Heck, I am tired of writing about the lack of hitting. But I really thought tonight was going to be a big night for the Yankees. After all, we face our arch-rivals who are having their own struggles, we have our ace on the mound, and the opposing starter didn't get out of the second inning the last time we faced him.

The Red Sox sent starter Henry Owens to the mound against the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka. This was Owens' 13th start of his career, with only three quality starts under his belt. He certainly gave the Yankees chances, yet they couldn't seem to land any blows. The Yankees started with both Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner reaching base, only to be followed by a Carlos Beltran double-play grounder and the Yankees failing to score.

The second inning started with an Alex Rodriguez home run. This was a welcome sight, hoping that his oblique and his swing were both back in full strength. Starlin Castro followed later in the inning with a triple. I started to hope for a big night. Then a fly out and throw out at the plate ended the inning. The Yankees finally broke through in the fifth inning for another run but ended up leaving men on second and third to end the inning. Four of the first five innings had the Yankees on the wrong end of a double play, and innings 6 through 9 had the last 13 Yankees retired in a row. In what is becoming the hallmark of the team this April, the Yankees were 1 for 5 with men in scoring position.

Masahiro Tanaka, meanwhile, was pitching a gem. Through the first six innings, the Red Sox reached third for only one at-bat. They did not get a ball in play in the air until the 4th inning. It wasn't until his 99th pitch in the 7th inning that Tanaka gave up an extra base hit to center fielder Jackie Bradley, tying the score at 2-2. It was also the first hit Tanaka allowed with men in scoring position. He finished the night striking out 5 and walking none. Dellin Betances came in to hold down the fort. Unfortunately, in what has become vintage David Ortiz, Betances gave up a 2-run homer to him and the Red Sox had a 4-2 lead. It would be the final score.

It was a painful night. It was a night when our rusty bats should have come alive against mediocre pitching. It was a night against the Red Sox when everybody's adrenaline should be up a few notches, but it just didn't happen. Let's hope we see the unhittable Michael Pineda tomorrow night. And maybe a few timely hits too.

Final: Red Sox 4 - Yankees 2

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon







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HERE'S AN IDEA: DON'T HIT INTO THE SHIFT!

Over the past few days, stemming for Joe Girardi’s comments, nearly everybody who covers or talks about the Yankees has made some sort of remark regarding ‘the shift’. Actually, BYB has a great commentary about it by Suzie Pinstripe.  Be sure to check out JOE SAYS 'NO MORE SHIFT'.  

Joe Girardi says he would ban it and many people have come to his defense. I see their argument to an extent... you know, that it has caused certain players batting averages to drop and what would have been hits are now ground outs. But here’s a novel idea: Don’t hit into the damn shift! 

As a baseball coach and baseball guy I love the shift. I deploy it with my youth teams and use it relatively effectively. While I don’t have the stats that the professionals do, I do have two eyes and a pretty good memory and know which players are pull happy, so I use it to my advantage.

While being a pull hitter is a not a bad thing necessarily, if you are solely a pull hitter you essentially eliminate half the field. One of the arguments given for banning the shift was the field is built that way for a reason. That’s true, but what if a guy like Mark Teixeira never hits the ball to the normal third base position when batting left handed? 

Do we just leave the third baseman there with no chance of ever getting the ball hit his way? I say no. The field was built that way for players to hit to all of it.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Tex or Brian McCann or any number of other left handed hitters try and take a pitch down and away, a good pitcher's pitch, and pull it. What happens nearly 100% of the time? The roll over it and it ends up being a 4-3 put out.

Now here comes this insane idea… Drive the ball to left-left center! Whoa! That is insane!

There was this pretty good hitter from the 1980’s and 1990’s who accumulated 3,141 hits over 20 seasons in the big leagues. He finished his career with a Hall of Fame .338 average and coined the phrase the 5.5 hole. The hole he is referring to is between the third baseman (position five) and the shortstop (position 6), thus the 5.5 hole. Tony Gwynn was a great hitter and hit the ball to all fields.

Us coaches, at least the standard coaches, teach players to think ‘hit the ball up the middle or the other way.’ I recently saw a video featuring Mike Trout:

In it, he says he focuses on driving the ball to right center every time he takes BP. In case you don’t know, he’s pretty good. It’s a great video and give you a pro’s view on an approach to hitting. Good hitters should have that mentality and when a pitcher does decide to come inside, turn on it and yank it to the pull side. But if you think pull, pull, pull, you lose half the field before you even give it a chance.

While it can be frustrating when a team deploys a shift and a guy like Tex hits a rocket one hopper to the second baseman who is playing in right field, there is half a baseball field completely wide the hell open on the left side of the infield. So wide open. There is not a soul playing over there. Why don’t these guys take that pitch on the outer half and just hit it that way?

It’s not rocket science.

  
By no means am I suggesting power hitter not try to drive the ball in the bleachers on their pull side, I’m just saying that’s not the way to hit in its entirety. Power hitters should look to drive the ball into the stands and guys like McCann and Tex do that. But they also bat below .250 now because that’s all they do.

While I respect other people’s opinion on the shift, it is not ruining baseball. It is an effective strategy aimed at giving your team a legal advantage. How could they enforce that rule anyway? I believe it would be very difficult and would cause a ton of headaches for umpires, managers and so on.

If these players and managers are so against the shift, counter it; flank it.

Don’t always hit the ball into the damn shift! That’s why they created the other half of the field.

BOOM! 

 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia




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BIG ALL-STAR SUSPENDED 80 GAMES!

I'm not surprised by anything anymore.

Looks like Dee Gordon of the Marlins has been suspended for 80 games because of PEDs. According to ESPN:

"Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon has been suspended 80 games without pay, effective immediately, for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy, the league said early Friday.

The speedy second baseman tested positive for the performance-enhancing substances exogenous testosterone and clostebol, MLB said."

Look, this is what baseball needs, to punish players and the fact that Dee Gordon couldn't see what was going on with Alex Rodriguez, and then Jenrry Mejia this season, well too bad for him.  I do know this, Dee Gordon is a very good ballplayer and never felt like he got the credit he deserved.  Whether or not that was factor in all of this, who knows, but now the dude is suspended and somewhere in the country, a Dee Gordon fan is crushed, much like when my son realized that guys like ARod and Manny Ramirez dabbled. It's heartbreaking to see kid's with idols disappointed. 

Look, cheating and 'getting an edge' has always been in sports.  It's just a shame that in this environment, in 2016, even with restrictions and punishment, it really doesn't matter.  Players still try and not get caught...but they always do.

Gordon's the latest.  See you in 80 games.



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"IT'S GONNA TURN AND WHEN IT DOES, IT'S GONNA TURN BIG"

Lord I hope so.

I can't stand when the Yankees lose and BYB has decided to take a pretty risky turn in the way we present news and information to all of you.  We're no gonna recap crappy losses.  Hell, we may not recap any losses. That's because this month has not been a good one for the Yankees and it's kind of embarrassing.  Now, I won't give up on my team.  No one truly leaves the Yankee fan base ever.  But instead of killing the Yankees daily on BYB, I'll take the less aggressive approach and not get crazy.  After all, I wrote THE YANKEES SUCK! on April 22nd and the damn thing's still trending on #BYB. What more do I need to say?

 
CC Sabathia helped contribute to last night's loss, but before the 6th inning, the guy was pitching really well, and as you know, we love and respect this dude!  I want to take from the New York Post on this one:

"'We feel like it’s gonna turn at any moment,' Sabathia said after falling to 1-2. 'It’s tough for all of us. There are accomplished hitters in here, some great ones...'

'Obviously, you want to be over .500 every month, but you’d rather it be April than September,' said Chase Headley, a main culprit, who went 0-for-3 and now has two hits in his last 24 at-bats. 'We’re gonna play better and come out of it.'"

Headley, another guy struggling and many are obviously asking questions on what the hell to do.  Look, I chose those quotes above because those 2 guys are in the trenches every day and it's tough as hell when you're losing to turn it around. But any Yankee fan knows it's coming, it's just getting there that's super hard to deal with.

But there's the worst part.  The obnoxiousness of  Joe Girardi.  More from the Post:

"Girardi opted to not have the team take batting practice because it was the Yankees’ ninth game in as many days. Yet that strategy did little to change things, and it’s an aspect of the Yankees’ slow start that has Girardi particularly vexed. 

After repeated questions about how to fix the offense, Girardi responded: 'Flip it upside down? What do you want me to do? It’s way too early for that. You want me to hit [Ronald] Torreyes fourth?'

Give me a break Joe. Reporters need to ask questions, stop it!

Can the Yanks turn it around? Sure... and by the way, fans won't leave, we just take a break from the losses and enjoy our families or stop going to the stadium a bit and watch on TV with the luxury of turning it off if they stink up the joint.  But it's tough.  Doesn't matter though... we still love our team:

Repping @BleednYankeeBlu in Texas #Yankees pic.twitter.com/fMMEDi0H3E

— Joanie Giammarino (@Joangyankee) April 28, 2016

That's Joanie, a BYB fan, check out the tank.  She's representing.

Larry is too. He was there last night!  This guy has been reading BYB for years, and he let me know that he was there and he was still rooting no matter what.

Yes, the losses are brutal, but I leave you with one important quote from Joe Girardi that I will hang onto all season:

"It’s gonna turn, and when it does, it’s gonna turn big.”

Write that down.





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RED FLAGS, PITCHING & I TOLD YOU SO!

Are the New York Yankees broken? It's only April but it is hard to find a lot to be excited about right now unless it happens to be Nick Swisher related. The fan favorite that is stashed down in AAA has me more excited then the Major League team. I find that disturbing, but it's true. I am watching his stats everyday with excitement meanwhile I can barely watch my television without groaning every few minutes. Something has to change and fast.

The offense is just plain offensive. What happened to the Bombers we all know and love? They have never been great at small ball but at this point I miss those long balls. At least that gave me something to cheer for and feel good about. I am just waiting for that magical turning point to come. Last night when I turned on the game and looked at the box score and saw the top of the order going one for twelve I shook my head. The sad thing is I wasn't surprised when I saw it. I just shook my head and said "oh, the usual" like it was no big deal. Not hitting is not ok.....and fans being complacent about not hitting isn't either. Red flag.

One of the biggest concerns going into this season was the starting rotation. I have no doubt that when Aroldis Chapman is eligible to return on May 9th that the Yankees will have the best bullpen in baseball....but we have to get to them first. At this rate, with the dreadful performance of the starters the bullpen could be a non-factor. The Yankees not scoring runs coupled with the starters not giving quality starts is going to spell disaster for this team. With 20 major league starts under their belt the Yankee starts have the second worst ERA in the American League.

Right now Masahiro Tanaka is the only starter who has an ERA that is better than league average. The Yankees also can't navigate through a lineup three times. The Yankees have a major league worst record of a .963 OPS and that is how you pitch your way to a loss. Look at last years pitching staffs with the best ERA's.....you will notice those were playoff teams. In recent years the Yankees answer to fixing voids in other areas by trading away pitchers like Shane Greene, David Phelps and Adam Warren now you have to wonder if those moves are going to be beneficial in the long run given the teams current pitching situation. Pitching wins baseball games. Red flag.

And last but not least....I think I have heard the words "I told you so!" more often then I care to acknowledge. Most of those are in reference to friends who follow other teams telling me that the Yankees will be last in the AL East this year. If I hear "I told you guys that you needed to sign Tim Lincecum" one more time I may lose my mind. Haters seem to think he is the answer to the rotation problems but it is deeper then just not signing Lincecum. It's only April, and plenty of baseball left. I know it won't stay this way but come on......I don't want to hear this is April! It's too early for the "I was right and you were wrong" victory dances. The Yankees need to prove all of the haters wrong.

Good teams learn to adapt and find ways to win games. It's easier said then done, but baseball isn't meant to be easy. The bottom line here is the offense and the starters need to fix the problem that they created. They have no one to blame but themselves and their success this season depends on it.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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WHY AREN'T THE RAYS GETTING THEIR STADIUM?

It's well known that the Tampa Bay Rays, and owner Stuart Sternberg, have been trying to get themselves a new stadium. Tropicana field is, to put it nicely, a nightmare. With its catwalks that often disturb airborne plays, it's in need of a serious facelift. And in Florida, the sunshine state where baseball should be a big deal, it just doesn't seem to be happening.

The Rays are the youngest team in the league. They took over Tropicana field in 1998 when the team was established. It's gone through a number of renovations, including being the first major league facility to use FieldTurf. They have also seen the lowest attendance in major league baseball. Back in February the Rays released an outline of what they hoped to get out of a new stadium, and sat down to discuss it with Hillsborough officials. The entire thing was well thought out, with the stadium being easily accessible being a priority, and modeling the new stadium after Camden Yards. It is logic for the Rays to look for a new home. The Trop has not been very kind to them. It would also make sense for the Tampa to invest in a new stadium for the team. It would bring in jobs, and more revenue to the city, while keeping the game of baseball alive there. That is not the case, though. At least not for the Rays.

The city of Tampa recently worked out a $40 million deal with the Yankees, to keep them in Tampa through 2046. The $40 million will go into updating Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The enhancements include new concourses, a new fan greeting area and a new fan gathering area with 360-degree views. This extends their contract that was set to expire in 2025. It's great news for the Yankees organization. But what does it mean for the Rays, and baseball in Florida?

This seems oddly familiar. Brief history lesson:

When Walter O'Malley became the primary owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he started looking for a new home for the team. There were attendance issues and a number of other problems that could not be resolved. The city turned him down twice, refusing to give him another space in Brooklyn, or the then unoccupied land in Flushing, Queens. At the time, the Giants were also looking for a new home. The state of the Polo Grounds was deplorable. New York City was even less willing to re-home the Giants. The Giants had a less than memorable time in NY. They began looking into moving to Minneapolis. O'Malley wanted nothing more than to keep the Dodgers in New York City, but Ebbets field could not home the team any longer, and the city was unwilling to even consider moving them from their Flatbush home. So he did what any good owner and businessman would do. When he heard that LA was looking to move the Washington Senators to the West Coast, O'Malley sent word that he was interested in moving his team. He convinced Horace Stoneham, Giants owner, to move to San Francisco to keep teams on the west coast. The team did well but the fans in Brooklyn and New York mourned the loss. Seeing how the loss of revenue from the teams affected the city, they decided to allow a stadium to be built in Flushing, Queens... the same location where O'Malley had wanted to rehome his Dodgers.

Now I'm not saying that Sternberg will move the Rays out of Florida. They are trying their hardest to keep the team in the area. But at what point does he give up? Let's be honest for a moment, the Yankees are not Tampa's team. The Yankees is New York's team. Having an updated facility for spring training is great, but is it logical for the city to pour $40 million into a training facility when they could easily give that money to their Major League team? It would certainly bring in more revenue and jobs to Tampa if they gave the Rays the money, and land, to build a new stadium. It could possibly increase attendance for the team. It seems like a win for both Tampa and the Rays if they have a new stadium. But that's not what Tampa did.

By giving Yankees money, and extending their contract, they gave the Rays a subtle sign. Florida is the perfect place for baseball. The major league teams should be more than welcomed. But that is not what is happening with the Rays. They are delegating the team to a facility that no longer works for major league baseball. The team is floundering. It makes me wonder how much longer the organization will wait until they take a page out of O'Malley's playbook and start looking for a new home.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804




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NICK SWISHER IS DOING GREAT THINGS...

Quick and important note... and something that appeals to every Yankee fan that is looking for a "spark" to get the Yankees a winning streak.  When it comes to Nick Swisher in Scranton Wilkes-Barre... he's kicking ass... that's the bottom line.

YESNetwork.com writes:

"The 35-year-old outfielder and first baseman re-signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal last April 14, after he was released from the Braves on March 28, and as he chases another MLB opportunity, Swish is thoroughly enjoying the ride...

So far in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Swisher is raking. After 10 games with the RailRiders, he owns the second-highest batting average (.368) and just belted his third home run in 38 at-bats against minor league opposition."

So what does it mean? Nothing yet, but I suspect that we will see Swish back in the Bronx, especially if he keeps on his pace, and especially if the Yankees keep stinking up the joint.

Yay Swish! Keep going bro.



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JOE SAYS 'NO MORE SHIFT'

Monday night we saw our young Nathan Eovaldi win the game but lose an opportunity for a no-no and Yankee skipper Joe Girardi blames one legal defensive move for the botched no-hitter:  the controversial shift.  "I just think the field was built this way for a reason, with two on one side and two on the other," Girardi said according to ESPN.

In his post-game comments, Girardi said that if the players were in their regular fielding spots, that ball does not get through to the outfield. Announcer David Cone said the same thing and added that "Jeter made that play when I pitched the perfect game." Because Jeter was in position. Because the shift is ridiculous. And if Girardi was commissioner he would ban the defensive move much like the three second rule in basketball. "Guard your man, guard your spot. If I were commissioner, they (shifts) would be illegal," stated Girardi in Andrew Marchand's ESPN.com post Tuesday evening.  

So, here's my question.  Just because it is a legal move, why use it?  Because it's available? Honestly, that doesn't make any sense.  Just because you can bunt, you don't always do it.  Just because you can wear wrist bands, or leg guards, or a tee shirt under your jersey, doesn't mean you will.  I don't get it.

According to the LA Times and legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, the shift is not a new concept.  In fact it dates back to the 1800s and resurfaced in the 1920s and later in the days of Ted Williams, where managers tried to keep Williams from always getting clutch hits.  "The strategy might not be new, but the frequency with which it is now deployed is off the charts. The number of shifts has nearly doubled every year since 2011, from 2,357 to 13,298 last year, according to Baseball Info Solutions. And there has been another spike this (2015) season, to 10,262 by the All-Star break."

Whether or not to use the shift is based on statistical data and manager's strategic intuition.  Girardi says as long as it remains legal in baseball, he is going to use it when it makes sense.  And what if you are wrong?  Like Monday night against the Rangers.  Can't a guy pull the ball?  I mean that's a strategy too and guys use that power play all of the time.

So to shift or not to shift?  It works sometimes and good hitters will admit that the shift takes away a hit from them here and there, which can be frustrating.  I defer to Girardi and the shape of the field.  It is built that way for a reason.  No shift for me!

 --Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof





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AS ELLSBURY GOES, SO GO THE YANKEES

You always have to love the one guy on a team that acts as the catalyst, the spark that raises the level of the team and gets everybody to play better than the back of their baseball card would tell. When that hitter steps into the batters box, you expect the game to change. You expect the other team to anticipate their inevitable demise. For the 2015-2016 Yankees, that guy is Jacoby Ellsbury.

At first glance, he might not look like the type. Stealing home aside, he goes out there, does his job, and moves on tot he next game. When he is not hurt, of course. But I've read it on BYB and I've heard friends talk about how much better the Yankees are when Ellsbury  - and Brett Gardner, for that matter, are hitting. So I decided to check out some stats, to see if the theory holds water. How much better are the Yankees when Ellsbury and Gardner get a hit, versus when they go hitless or are not in the game.

Yankees Win/Loss Record
	2015	2016
Season Total	87-75 (.537)	8-10 (.444)
Ellsbury Gets a Hit	47-26 (.644)	8-3 (.727)
Ellsbury Hitless	13-24 (.351)	0-6 (.000)
Ellsbury Out	26-25 (.510)	0-0 (.000)
Gardner Gets a Hit	60-38 (.612)	4-4 (.500)
Gardner Hitless	23-30 (.434)	4-4 (.500)
Gardner Out	4-7 (.364)	1-1 (.500)
Ellsbury and Gardner Both Get Hits	32-13 (.711)	4-1 (.800)
Ellsbury and Gardner Both Hitless	12-24 (.333)	0-4 (.000)

It turns out the Yankees play a lot better when the natural 1 and 2 hitters in the lineup are productive. That should make sense to any baseball purist. The top of the order - especially the leadoff hitter - is crucial to the effectiveness of the hitters behind him. Facing the #3 or cleanup hitter with men on base is a lot more stressful on the pitcher, and makes the hitter more patient, knowing he'll get a pitch to hit. With the bases empty, you get the opposite effect.

The surprise for me was how dramatic the difference was in the team's performance between a productive Ellsbury and a non-productive Ellsbury. This has to be high on Alan Cockrell's and Joe Girardi's collective priority list. Just work with Ellsbury, make sure his swing and mechanics are right, and the rest of the hitters will follow suit.

It also puts last year's shenanigans with Jacoby Ellsbury's ability to play in a different light. This is a guy with whom you don't mess with his routine, his approach. You need him healthy and you need him in the right frame of mind. If his influence on the team produces these kinds of results, you have to figure he's a leader that can influence and motivate the guys behind him. Which is exactly what you want from your leadoff hitter. So pay close attention to Jacoby Ellsbury. Because as Ellsbury goes, so go the Yankees.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon







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