DON'T PANIC MR. KLAPISCH, CC WILL BE FINE

Bob Klapisch did his best in his column HERE to suggest that CC Sabathia and the loss he gave his team last night is the beginning of Armageddon.  I say that's pretty dramatic because there are so many ways to look at the Sabathia performance. Plus, let's face it... crying over it and suggesting "failure", well, it's literally about about interpretation and further analysis than just a blanket "concern." Call me in July if CC isn't doing well. Don't do it now.

Look, the way I see it, anyone can throw their hands up and say "it's over."  Now Klapsich is good at what he does, but he's also over-critical. Plus, he once tricked me into following one of his pals and said "he'd follow me" and he did... only to unfollow me while I slept. For me, it's person between me and him, but that's another post for another time...

Bob writes: "..Say what you want about the way Sabathia settled down over his last four innings, holding the Astros scoreless – it was all for cosmetic effect. Truth was, the big left-hander put the Bombers in an insurmountable hole, pitched them right out of the game by allowing six runs in the first two innings. The Astros sent 13 men to the plate in the early carnage, en route to a 6-2 victory over the Yankees’ team that gorged itself on a $438 million stimulus package this winter..."

Now, let's break that down; CC DID put the Yankees in a hole. Fact. But, the Yankees with the lineup they have couldn't hit Scott Feldman either. That's a big problem too.  To me, the last time I checked, there were 9 guys in the lineup that could actually hit and score runs. Am I right? So, this is CC's fault... because why?

Wait, there's more: "..it was reasonable to believe the Yankees would roll right over the Astros on opening day. Talk about the ultimate therapy session: these were the same Astros who finished last in the American League in OPS in 2013 and concluded the season with a stunning 15-game losing streak. The Astros weren’t just bad, they were hopeless..."

Sure, that's an obvious statement. It WAS reasonable to believe the Yankees would win on Opening day.  But it was also reasonable to believe the Yankees wouldn't be swept by the Red Sox in 2004 after winning 3 in a row either. The point is, it's baseball, John Sterling tells us that all the time.  Sometimes the underdog wins... get over it.

More from Klpaisch: "...If Sabathia can’t control bat-speed against the Astros, what’s going to happen the first time he runs into the Red Sox, or has to hold the Rays to one or two runs because they have the best pitching in the division, if not the AL?

That’s why Sabathia matters; that’s why the Yankees needed him to nuke the Astros right out of Minute Maid Park on Tuesday. If he couldn’t get them to swing and miss they he used to in his younger, more fearsome days, then Sabathia was supposed to finesses his way to a miniature classic, the way Andy Pettitte used to with virtually the same 89-mph..."

I agree with Klapisch on that point. Sure, it matters that Sabathia is effective against all teams, "If CC can't handle the Astros, how will he handle the Red Sox? Amazing question. The answer is simple: he will, because it's CC.

I know, it seems too simple. But let's explain this clearly... and honestly, I don't want to keep doing this, because I believe in CC, be it at 89 MPH or 94 MPH.  In short, CC Sabathia WILL figure it out.  I wrote a piece titled "SKINNY" IS LIKE LEARNING TO RIDE A BIKE, a few weeks ago.  People didn't take to it like I wanted, because fans want players to be automatic and robots and I find that the be totally unfair.

The truth is, players come to play and they are looked upon almost like they're in a circus or a show or something. They are expected to be perfect all the time. That's not reality ladies and gentlemen.  God forbid they don't have their "A" game, they're crucified.

Just for the record, Jacoby Ellsbury was 0-4 last night. Alfonso Soriano was 0-4.  But I guess because they were hitting, NOT pitching, it's not as dramatic for Klapisch to grasp and form an opinion on.  The truth is, there's a team of 25 out there. CC SABATHIA IS BUT ONE MAN. What's happened with CC was something he did to better himself, better his health. He lost weight. Here's the thing though:  Now he has to learn to compete skinny. That's right...LEARN AGAIN.  As I wrote: "...I remember quite clearly a piece written by Bob Klapisch last year with the headline being "Yankees can't afford slow start from CC Sabathia." In it, he wrote: "Sabathia was merely the victim of his own history, as he’s always been vulnerable early in the season: he has a 4.13 ERA in 55 March/April starts, but has always been better in September and October (2.86)." Remember, that was in 2013, but I remember thinking "Sure, you can beg the guy to NOT be a slow starter, but that's the way the man  is built and that's the way he operates. The numbers reflect it... stop trying to figure it out and live with it." 

The funny thing is Klapisch likes to beat up on CC every year around this time.  Sure, you can sit on the sideline and figure out how to "fix" CC Sabathia as a reporter, but I don't think that does much good in the big picture.  The end result is, CC will give you what he can. Sure, it doesn't help that CC is a slow starter AND skinny right now, but don't give up hope, especially if you're a Yankee fan... Sabathia is a gamer.

CC will be with us for a few more years. After 2014, he'll be with us 2015, 16 and in 2017, there's a  $25M Vesting Option, $5M Buyout. No doubt he signed on with Jay-Z for his next contract, where ever and whenever that happens, if it happens at all, but just know that CC is protected.  But Klapisch makes it seem like CC will suck for the next 2 decades and he'll suck the life out of the Yankees and destroy the franchise. That's not what's happening and we not worry.   It's not doom and gloom. This is not the end of the world.

This is CC reinventing himself. It's CC Sabathia LITERALLY re-adjusting to his new body and outings.  CC will crack the code, but sitting around biting our nails and writing criticism only jacks everybody up for no reason.   Or... maybe that's what Klapisch wants.

All I say is this; Yankee fans! Stand with your Yankees, be it CC or Kelly Johnson.  These are OUR guys.  This is our season.   Don't forget, we have a championship to win and no one knows that more than CC Sabathia!

Have faith.

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YANKEES ROTATION: THE BACK TWO

What do we do about this rotation? As shaky as he’s been, CC Sabathia still holds the title of “Ace” on the staff. Hiroki Kuroda has been the Yankees’ steadiest arm, and their true ace. Andy Pettitte has more good games than bad, but injuries and consistency have been creeping concerns. David Phelps has slightly more good games than bad, and Phil Hughes is a mess. The Back Two create the questions.

Trades could work, although the Yankees can forget about Philadelphia parting with Cliff Lee or any of the Phillies starters. GM Ruben Amaro Jr said  “Absolutely not, because these are guys I’d be better off having on my club than not...”  

So who else is out there? Trade rumors are swirling in Atlanta around starter Paul Maholm. It seems unlikely the Yankees would get him though, as interest in him is already high in Oakland. Probably to replace Bartolo Colon who seems likely to be suspended for use of banned substances.
Blue Jay Josh Johnson is also gaining heat in Trade Rumor-town, but the likelihood of him coming to another AL East team like the Yankees is very low.

Noise is being made out of Chicago about Scott Feldman. The Cubs pitcher has had eight quality starts in his last ten, is 6-5, with an ERA of 3.05. He has yet to be attached to the Yankees but if the Bombers are going to pick up a guy, they could do worse than Feldman.

The Yankees could get Bud Norris from the Astros to shore things up. Even though he is 5-7 on the year, Norris sports an ERA of 3.64 with decent stats on the side as well. Considering he takes the mound for the hapless Astros, that isn’t bad. The Yankees could low ball an offer to Houston for Bud. Heck, give them Hughes, he is clearly unable to call Yankee Stadium home.

Other names popping up in Rumor-Ville include Matt Garza and Yovani Gallardo, who is having just as bad a season as Hughes is. Neither of these guys can help New York. Everything else available out there would also not fit well in Pinstripes.

So that leaves the Bombers with who they already have. Hughes is no longer an option. Joba Chamberlain’s time also seems to be up. Ivan Nova? He still has a long way to go to earn anyone’s trust. His best fit might be replacing Joba in the bullpen.

That leaves Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno, and Phelps. For now, Phelps holds his spot. Warren has promise but needs to be cooked a bit more. Vidal Nuno may be the best option to plug into the fifth spot as of this writing.

The rotation has too many question marks right now. Sabathia and Pettitte have been shaky, and so has Phelps. Hughes is a lost cause. Michael Pineda cannot provide the immediate help the Bombers need right now. Best timetables for his return are a month away.

There comes a time when ownership must realize there are only so many patches one can put on a tire. The Yankees are limping badly right now. They need some fresh arms. Pull the trigger on a trade and give a younger pitcher a shot, and perhaps that will steady the Back Two.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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YANKEES HAVE THEIR EYE ON THE PRIZE

It was another championship fight between the two best teams in baseball. The game was delayed one hour and forty-five minutes because of rain, but they were able to get the game played. What a great game for the Yankees!

Freddy Garcia had his good stuff, as he held the Texas Rangers to two runs through 6 2/3 innings. Aside from Josh Hamilton, he dominated the entire lineup, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six. In what was a great moral victory for Garcia, he struck out the last batter he faced - Geovany Soto.  Josh Hamilton, however, hit a couple of monster home runs off Garcia. The first one was into the second deck; the second one went deep into the right-center field seats. The good news for the Yankees was that both of those home runs came with the bases empty. For most pitchers, if the only thing you do wrong is give up a home run to the guy who leads the majors in homers, you've done well. This was true of Garcia, love it.

Scott Feldman kept the Rangers in the game, dueling Garcia for six and a half innings. Feldman struck out seven and allowed all three Yankee runs in the 3rd inning. The Yankees deviated from their home run strategy, playing small ball against Feldman. In the third, Jayson Nix reached first on an infield single, stole second, took third on a Derek Jeter single, and scored on a Nick Swisher bloop double (we can thank the shift for that one). Jeter scored on a Curtis Granderson sacrifice fly, and an Eric Chavez single brought Swisher in.

Speaking of Eric Chavez, he has been on fire of late. We love him here at BYB, read ERIC CHAVEZ HAS THAT YANKEE HEART for some perspective. Last night he continued. He got three singles and a walk, reaching base in every plate appearance this game. It was also the sixth consecutive time, in which he was in the game, when he had a multi-hit game. While most agree that Alex Rodriguez is a force to be reckoned with, and the Yankee miss him, Joe Girardi has to find a way to get this guy some plate appearances when Alex returns.

Rafael Soriano came in to close out the game. We are giving him press time because of the fact that he faced the heart of the Rangers order - Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and David Murphy - and he made it look easy. He hung one pitch to Hamilton that made our hearts stop, but he got away with it and ended up striking him out. The only reason Murphy got an at-bat was a bad call at first, but it did not matter in the end as Murphy grounded out to Jeter to end the game. Soriano's 29th save of the season was well earned.

Honorable mentions:

•          Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Way to go, Captain!
•          David Robertson looked completely unhittable. He struck out the first two batters looking, and Elvis Andrus hit a weak grounder to shortstop on the first pitch he saw. Nicely done!
•           Ichiro Suzuki's speed came in handy as he recorded two infield hits.

It was another important win for the Yankees. They have taken three consecutive games from the Texas Rangers, and are now poised to complete a sweep today. You always love games between the two best teams in the league, no matter who they are. This game was another one that the Yankees draw confidence from, especially for the postseason. Beating the best makes you the best.

Final Score: Yankees 3, Rangers 2

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon



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WHY KURODA PITCHED GOOD BUT DARVISH PITCHED BETTER

Not alot of offense out of Yankeeland tonight, so expect a short post with a few nice highlights... then you get to go to bed.

The Yankees lost tonight 2-0 against the Rangers.  I had a feeling Yu Darvish would beat the Yanks tonight just because they saw him for the first time this season.  I also expected Hiroki Kuroda to shit the bed...but I was wrong. He pitched well, and that at least makes me happy.

Kuroda: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 5 K, 2 BB

Darvish: 8.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 10 K, 2 BB

 The only other few highlights are as follows:

Derek Sanderson Jeter had 2 more hits tonight, a single and a double. His average is up to .416.  Incredible.  Robinson Cano had 2 hits as well and Nick Swisher, Russell Martin and Eric Chavez each had 1.  That's it, that's all and more tomorrow for sure.

Tomorrow is the rubber match and it will be Phil Hughes on the mound for the Yankees and Scott Feldman for the Rangers.  Maybe Hughes can snap out of it and get us a win so we can wrap up the series.  Damn I hope so.

Again...final score, Rangers 2 - Yankees 0.

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