HOME RUN HUGHES & THE YANKEES ARE LIFELESS

The lineup needs some CPR because it was lifeless. Yesterday's game was a combination of the perfect storm. Phil Hughes pitched pretty well, but not well enough. He gave up his usual home runs but he went 7 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts also. Just imagine if the Yankees offense would have showed up. This recap would be a lot different.

It's nice to see Hughes get ahead of hitters and actually finish them off. He did that for the most part yesterday. He did make some bad pitches though that ended up giving the Minnesota Twins all of their runs. This time it is hard to blame Hughes alone, because there really was no run support and this sounds like a broken record now.

It started out looking good. The Yankees scored in the first inning when Ichiro Suzuki doubled and scored a run off of Robinson Cano. It didn't last long though because Trevor Plouffe answered with a solo shot off of Hughes in the top of the second inning.

The Yankees blew it in the fourth inning. Billy Martin wouldn't approve of the base stealing blunder but Joe Girardi said it was his fault later. If Zoilo Almonte would have stopped in the middle of the baseline and gave Vernon Wells time to get home they would have stolen a run. I guess in the long run it didn't matter because that run didn't cost them the game.

The Twins hit two more home runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Ryan Doumit hit a solo shot and Pedro Florimon hit a two run shot...and that is all it took. All runs scored on the long ball.

Hughes was Hughes again yesterday....giving up home runs. It's easy to say that this was his fault, and he needs to take part of the blame. But you don't win ballgames on one run. The Yankees had eight hits yesterday...eight! After the first inning none of those hits crossed home plate. The Yankees need to figure it out. Kevin Long needs to figure out how to help these guys make the changes.....because there needs to be a change in the second half.

Final Score: Twins 4 - Yankees 1.

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


 
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CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

The Yankees came in to the game with a 1-1/2 game lead in the East, and with an opportunity to extend it by another game as the Orioles fell to the Blue Jays. This time of year, every game counts and the Yankees should be beating up on teams fighting to stay out of last place like the Twins. It did not exactly work out that way.

Phil Hughes showed some great skill tonight in holding down the Twins through the first six innings. Hughes can be feast-or-famine when it comes to his starts, but it's always amazing to me how good he is when he is in "feast" mode. Hughes pitched six and two-thirds innings of two-run ball, striking out four, and holding the Twins to only one extra-base hit.

Nick Swisher started the Yankees offense with a line-drive two-run home run in the top of the fourth. Swisher has been Mr. Clutch of late, with six of his last 12 home runs having put the Yankees in the lead. Clutch is king in the postseason - we are looking forward to more of the same from Swish.

Esmerling Vasquez started the game for the Twins. Honestly, when I saw him listed as the starting pitcher, I was thinking that this game is a slam-dunk. Surprisingly, he was able to hold the Yankees to two runs - both on the aforementioned home run. Where were the Yankees bats tonight? Vasquez seemed to have a good change up tonight, but it makes you wonder how a pitcher coming in with an ERA close to 6 can hold the Yankees to two runs? The Yankees bats have to be able to pound pitchers like this, and take advantage of similar weaknesses in playoff teams.

Russell Martin continued his hot hitting as he hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh for an extra insurance run, putting the Yankees up 3-1. Martin, whose batting average has spent most of the season on the interstate, has been surprisingly productive in clutch situations lately.

Hughes pitched into the 7th inning, but loaded the bases on a set of cheap hits. Ryan Doumit singled, Chris Parmelee walked, and Jamey Carroll reached on an infield single. After striking out Pedro Florimon, Joe Girardi went to the bullpen and Boone Logan was called upon to get the third out. After a wild pitch allowed the first run to score, Logan gave up a double to Denard Span to score two, Ben Revere walked, and Joe Mauer got an RBI single. Logan finally retired Justin Morneau to end the inning. With Logan brought in to face four left-handed hitters, three of them reached and all four runs scored with him on the mound. He is my nominee for Goat of the Game.

Derek Lowe came in to keep the Twins from scoring any more runs. He induced three quiet ground outs to give the Yankees the best chance at a rally. After a rough end of August, Lowe has been looking pretty good, and could be a key part of the Yankees postseason plan.

An honorable mention has to go out to Andruw Jones, who got a pinch-hit home run in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate. Jones' hitting has been dreadful lately. It is good to see signs of life from his bat.

The Yankees came in to this game having won 11 of their last 14 games. No team wins all of their games, but it would have been nice to extend their lead. Still, there were many positives to take from this game. Hughes, who is likely the #4 starter on the playoff roster, looked very strong. If Logan had done his job, we would have been celebrating his 17th win. Swisher is still hitting go-ahead home runs, and Russell Martin is suddenly a threat at the plate. Most importantly, they are showing some fight in the ninth inning even when they are down. They still have questions with their bullpen and their hitting, but let's hope this was a road bump - and on to tomorrow!

Final Score: Twins 5, Yankees 4

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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YANKEE RUMORS & WHAT BYB KNOWS: PART 3

We’re about six weeks away until the July 31 Trade Deadline, and though the Yankees are currently hitting on all cylinders, things can change, as we’ve seen already this season. There are plenty of guys available in the trade and free-agent that are available and can contribute. Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. Here’s the scoop…

 
Ryan Dempster: Over the last several days, or weeks, really, all I’ve heard about Ryan Dempster is that he’ll eventually get traded. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, next week, or next month, the guy is going to dealt (Read HERE). Now, of course those rumors could be true, and he could be traded tomorrow, but if not, he’s definitely a guy the Yanks should keep their eye on down the line considering the starting rotation is on a roll. On the season, Dempster has an underwhelming 2-3 record, but a shiny 2.31 ERA. He also boasts a strong 1.01 WHIP while striking out 7.3 men per 9 innings. His contract expires at the end of the year, so it shouldn’t take much to get him, at least that’s what one would think.

Ben Sheets: Sheets is a guy who is hanging on by a thread. He knows he’s at the end of the line, but he’s trying to squeeze out whatever he’s got left, and good for him. He’s coming off major elbow injuries, read HERE, so his stock is at rock bottom. If interested, and they should be, the Yanks could pick him up dirt cheap and stash him in the minors. Let him pitch in the minors until September arrives, and if all goes well they can call him up. If he doesn’t work out, then so be it. Either way, there’s no such thing as a bad minor league contract. If I’m the Yanks, I try to sign Ben Sheets as fast as I can.

Ryan Doumit: OK, enough pitchers, here’s a position player the Yankees should be interested in. Doumit’s a guy who’s pretty underrated, but has value. He can catch, play first base, and play corner outfield. He’s currently hitting .256/.317/.420 (BA/OBP/SLG) with six homers in 52 games/199 plate appearances for the Twins. Not great numbers, I know, but put him in Yankee Stadium and you should see some improvement. He can switch-hit and fill many roles on a club. I’m not sure who the Yankees would replace if they traded for this guy down the road (Dewayne Wise, perhaps?), but if they do acquire Doumit, he’d be a huge plus.
 


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer

Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse

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