IT'S TIME FOR THE YANKEES TO EXTEND DJ LEMAHIEU

DJ LeMahieu is locked in this summer. After recovering from COVID-19, the 32-year old has been making a difference for the Yankees. According to an NL scout, LeMahieu is smart because he can easily predict what a pitcher is about to throw. His numbers definitely back this statement up with a .431 bathing average and .479 on-base percentage.

“I feel pretty locked in right now, just part of a really good lineup and try to do my part to get on base,’’ LeMahieu said after a four-hit game Wednesday night from the leadoff spot. “If I get on base I feel like we are in good shape to score runs.’’

With how well LeMahieu is playing in just 18 games and his over .400 average, the Yankees need to keep him around in the future. After this season's World Series, he will be a free agent and I can tell you he will be in demand. 

“He is a special hitter, a guy who uses the whole field,’’ Boone said of LeMahieu. “He has pop, handles righties and lefties. He is a great hitter, tremendous bat-to-ball skills. He does a great job of laying the bat head in the zone for a really long time.’’

LeMahieu's first season for the Yankees is another reason they need to extend his contract. In 145 appearances he achieved .327/.375/.518 and a career-high 26 home runs and 102 RBIs. He was also an All-Star, Silver Slugger, and finished fourth in the AL MVP voting. All of this earned him the nickname "LeMachine." All of this just to improve in 2020. 

If you were not convinced enough already on why the Yankees need to resign him, he proves himself valuable by being a versatile player who can play numerous positions. He is a valuable leadoff hitter because he consistently gets on base. Brian Cashman also considers LeMahieu to be the "de facto" captain of the team and Ken Rosenthal said he would find is inconceivable that the team would let him walk.  

So Yankees, it is time to extend DJ LeMahieu's contract! It would be silly not to. 

--Missy O'Rourke

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @missy_orourke

BUBBLE STYLE FORMAT COMING TO THE MLB POSTSEASON?

Earlier this week, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the MLB was thinking about holding its postseason in a bubble-style format. They have reportedly considered hosting it Southern California, the greater Chicago area, or the New York metropolitan area.

If these rumors are true, hosting the playoffs in the Northeast may not be the best course of action. Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon argued against hosting the playoffs in cities like New York and Philadelphia due to the cold weather.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman followed that up on Twitter by writing that the MLB is considering using only two cities. The choices include LA, San Diego, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Houston.

Passan also claimed that this bubble format was kicked around after the COVID outbreaks among the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins.

If these rumors are correct, then the Yankees would have to travel out of their native land for the playoffs.

If the MLB do proceed in the bubble, they will follow in the footsteps of the NBA and NHL. Since both of these league continued their seasons in the bubble, the number of COVID cases has significantly fallen.

So far, the MLB has had at least two outbreaks of the virus, but playing in the bubble would make a big difference by keeping everyone healthy.

--Anthony Orlando

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @landi52orlando

TRY NOT TO PANIC ABOUT JUDGE....BUT IT'S HARD NOT TO!

I'm not liking the recent appearance of the Yankees familiar injury bug, especially not in a shortened season. It's the same old narrative in a brand new season and no taxi squad arrangement will ever make me feel better about it.

So last week we lost Giancarlo Stanton who is expected to be out "3 or 4 weeks" supposedly....but it is Stanton so I am not confident in the timeline. Let's not forget we have also lost: Aroldis Chapman, Kyle Higashioka,Tommy Kahnle, Luis Severino and Dan Otero. Hopefully we get Chapman back soon but still....not a good list. As much as that sucks are we about to add another name to that list?

Aaron Judge was scratched from yesterday's game after being pulled in the sixth inning on Tuesday's game. I mean, that rocket of a home run was a beauty! So to lose him right after that at bat was concerning. Yeah....I'm a little worried, and considering the vague answer we got from Aaron Boone yesterday I think we ALL should be. At any rate, Judge is out with "lower-body tightness" and I am crossing my fingers now, read more HERE.

So Boone says that playing on the astroturf may have contributed to the aches and pains, and that may be true...but with Judge it's just not that simple. Oh and Boone's answer was so vague that it's hard to feel good about the situation, "He’s just dealing with some lower-body tightness that we’re hoping to get out ahead of and hopefully prevent an injury moving forward. So, hopefully, this is something that we’re out ahead of it and will only be a couple days."

We are all hoping that is the case. Looking ahead the Yankees have a series with Boston and we all know how important those series are. Boone was asked if Judge would be available and all he answered back with was "I hope so." 

Awesome, well we ALL "hope so" because we've missed enough of Judge over the years and he's off to a hot start this season with 9 home runs and 20 RBI's. We're already missing another big bat with Stanton out, we need to stop the bleeding!

I will admit, when it comes to Judge I may overreact at times (not always) but that is because he has a track record with injuries and last season left me in a bad place. In 2018 he had the broken wrist, oblique strain and the shoulder injury. Most recently Judge had a broken right rib and somehow the Yankees medical staff missed a collapsed lung. Judge has had some extensive injuries and the past can't be ignored....and I don't think this should be either.

I know I will be watching for ANY and ALL updates about Judge over the next few days. Mike O'Hara will be making an appearance here on BYB today or tomorrow for his feels on one particular Yankee player.

Anyway... Judge has bad luck when it comes to injuries, and I'm really hoping we have better luck this time. ANY missed time with Judge is problem, and we don't need anymore problems.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

FRAZIER COULD BE VIABLE DH BUT IS AUDITIONING FOR 29 OTHER TEAMS

Clint Frazier was off to a good start before being demoted to the minors as the Yankees regular season heated up. Now with Giancarlo Stanton out of the mix for at least a month, Frazier is a viable replacement at designated hitter. This will not only give him a great opportunity to bring additional production at the plate but an audition for 29 other teams as the Yankees continue to crave more pitching.

"Despite his up and down Yankee career, teams remain interested in the fifth pick of the 2013 draft by the Indians because of a bat that produced a .267 average, 12 homers, 38 RBIs and an OPS of .806 in 69 big-league games a year ago," wrote the NY Post about Frazier.

Source: New York Post

The cocky outfielder is a sub-par defenseman but could fill in here and there, giving everyday players like Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner a day off. He is more suited, however at DH as Mike Tauchman offers much more consistency on the bases, in the field, and at the plate.

"Boone has done well finding a lot of playing time for fourth outfielder Mike Tauchman. Now the challenge will be to get Frazier involved on somewhat of a regular basis. Playing time in left field could come against lefty starters since Brett Gardner and Tauchman hit left-handed. Frazier could spell Aaron Judge in right, but Frazier looks more comfortable in left," reported the Post. 

Source: NY Daily News

Mike Ford has been doing well for the Yankees as well, picking up a few hits and RBIs in last night's win against the Braves, so he could split some playing time with Frazier and Luke Voit, in order to mix up the lineup a bit and keep opposing teams on their toes. This will be an opportunity for Clint Frazier to put himself back on the map and give the Yankees an opportunity to shop Frazier as the shortened season moves into mid-August. 

-- Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

STANTON TO THE SHELF MEANS CHANGES ARE COMING!

 I don't think anyone is shocked that Giancarlo Stanton is injured AGAIN, but it still sucks! So here we go again, Stanton has been moved to the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury and now we wait for more news. He will have an MRI today and then the Yankees will have some more decisions to make.

And they won't be easy ones. Yesterday, the Yankees recalled Thairo Estrada to take his place on the roster and ever since then, social media has been going crazy! Why would the Yankees recall an infielder to take the place of an outfielder when the Yankees have other options? 

Welcome to 2020 where nothing makes sense at first glance and the Taxi squad keeps rolling. The Yankees will have other options going forward, but for now Estrada is it. He was already traveling with the team and was called up for the Yankees doubleheader over the weekend, so he was already in Tampa. That's the short and easy answer.

So long term, I don't think Estrada is a guy that the Yankees will use in place of Stanton. Even Aaron Boone hinted that the team will likely go another route, read more HERE. The Yankees are definitely going to "get creative" and now we get to sit here and make our guesses.

The obvious choices to fill in for Stanton would be Miguel Andujar or Clint Frazier, right? The Yankees recently sent Andujar down last week and previous to that the Yankees sent Frazier down after a tough decision because EVEN AARON BOONE "DOESN'T KNOW" ABOUT FRAZIER'S FUTURE. So now it gets tricky.

The Yankees have recently experimented with Andujar in the outfield, so he could fill in there if he is needed. Boone can plug him in the infield also, so he has some versatility there. Then of course we know Frazier an play the outfield, and he has the pop that the Yankees could use now that Stanton is out. This season is all about versatility and being creative like Boone said, so how do the Yankees make their choice? 

A lot of people are ready and waiting to see Frazier get his chance. The Yankees need to make a decision about Frazier's future and figure out if he has a place on this team long term or not. The Yankees also have Andujar to figure out. He's coming back after a lost season and want to get him some work too. How can the Yankees use both of these guys for the rest of the season?

The short season does not fair well for Stanton. He's going to be out for awhile, not just 10 days. Given his injury history with us, I don't even know if we can say with any confidence that he will even be back. It sucks because he had such a hot start for us. I hope for the best with Stanton and hope he comes back. He was limited to just 18 games last season, and now this season we got 14. I really hope there's more to come.....

But for now we have to wait and see what happens. I really don't know what changes the Yankees will make but they are coming. I really dislike 2020 and I'm really bummed out about Stanton right now but the show must go on.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

RAMON LAUREANO: THE FACE OF SATISFACTION

“Ramon doesn’t go over there unless something completely offensive came out of that dugout… That person should get suspended.” 

--A’s manager Bob Melvin

F the Astros. F MLB. 

Here's the deal. The players of Major League Baseball are still mad and the fans are too. Bottom line, this needs to be the season of torturing the Houston Astros... because they are absolute garbage.

If you don't know what happened in today's Astros / A's game, first off, it was a 7-2 win by Oakland. 2... The Astros plunked the A's Ramon Laureano, and all hell broke loose.

The New York Post writes:

"A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano, who had taken first base after being plunked for the second time in the game, charged the Houston dugout to spark the fight.

Laureano first barked at Astros reliever Humberto Castellanos before engaging in a screaming match with the Astros dugout. Houston bench coach Alex Cintron then appeared to egg on the 26-year-old Laureano, waving for Laureano to approach the Astros road dugout that is unusually located along the first-base line....

Laureano was quickly wrestled to the ground by backup catcher Dustin Garneau and tensions soared for a few minutes."

Look, here's the deal... Any little thing is gonna trigger the Astros opponent to be more annoyed at the Astros than they normally would be because they cheated their way to a championship.  This situation was one where being hit twice in a few days by a bunch of arrogant, non-forgiving twerps needed to be handled... and Laureano went to handle it.

Alex Cintron: Bitch

And by the way, talk about shitty leadership. You have a bench coach in Alex Cintron egging Laureano on? Where do they make leaders in Houston? The Five and Dime? What a bunch of trashy coaches? First AJ Hinch, then Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran... now Cintron is a little child too? Jesus.

I stand with Ramon.  Dusty Baker and the Astros need to check themselves and learn to play good, honest, clean baseball. You know why? Because right now... they're all a bunch of bitches.

COLE BRINGS CONFIDENCE TO PLAYERS AND FANS ALIKE

 

When I see that Gerrit Cole is scheduled to start I express a collective sigh of relief. A sense of confidence and excitement overwhelms me. It is like Ron Guidry is pitching. It means that the Yankees will likely win. Because quite frankly, Cole bring confidence to players and we as fans alike.

New York Post writer George A, King III takes the confidence thing one step further. "On their way to winning the World Series in 1996 the Yankees rallied around second baseman Mariano Duncan’s slogan that was printed on T-shirts.“We play today. We win today. Das it,’’ was Duncan’s message. Almost a quarter century later the Yankees’ motto should be “Gerrit Cole pitches today. We win today. Das it.’’ I love it; that phrase is exactly how I feel.

Source: Source: The Boston Globe

Cole has three wins and maintains a 2.55 ERA despite blowing his 20 game win streak, after the Yankees beat the Rays in the first of two on Saturday.  Chad Green grabbed his second win of the season in relief. He didn't have his best stuff but still managed to strike out 10 and keep the Rays on their toes and off the bases.  

Cole holds this tremendous confidence as well as this reflective improvement disposition, looking over his pitches after coming out the game after the 5th inning. He threw over 100 pitches over five innings, and he wanted to get a look at the pitches more closely to learn better how he could improve and be more efficient instead of taxing his arm in this pitching sprint. 

Although the Bombers dropped the second game of the double header 5-3, they played a great game and came close. I am still on the Cole high from the first game and look forward to the Yankees settling up with the Rays later today. Be like Cole...stay confident, Das it!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof

THE YANKEES NEED TO DO BETTER... AND THEY WILL

 Don't panic. We can turn it around.

The Yankees are on a losing streak. By the way, that's part of the game. I mean sure, it's only a 60 game season and every game is a must win, but it's not gonna happen... everyone chill.

Masahiro Tanaka was awesome against the Rays, but the Yankees couldn't hit. Oh well.

The New York Post writes:

"Masahiro Tanaka looked like his October version, tossing five shutout innings to give the Yankees’ struggling starting rotation a needed boost.

That’s the extent of the positives.

The Yankees’ usual potent bats couldn’t solve the Rays’ deep bullpen, Mike Tauchman committed a key base-running blunder to negate a rare rally and Adam Ottavino’s eighth-inning wildness contributed to a 1-0 setback to open this four-game series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“Overall, we just didn’t have great at-bats. Kind of disappointing,” a clearly frustrated DJ LeMahieu said over Zoom..."

If you don't swing the bat, you can't score runs. The Yankees were flat, it sucks, but it's baseball.

I suspect they will come out today ready to deal.

By the way... don't be looking to Bleeding Yankee Blue to do recaps of every single game. We've never done that here and we aren't going to start.  We will provide highlights and hope and info when warranted, but to just write a recap each day offers you nothing as you already have seen the games for one... and two... we don't get a readership on recaps because it's not our bag.  And so... we just won't do it. 

Sorry.

HORACE CLARKE HAS DIED

It's sad, because Horace Clarke was a fan favorite, especially in recent years at Old Timer's Day.  But now Horace Clarke has died.  Very sad.

The Hall of Fame remembers former @Yankees and @Padres second baseman Horace Clarke, who passed away on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/fe3fNN6RYI

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) August 7, 2020

This comes from the New York Times:

"Horace Clarke, a dependable though light-hitting second baseman for the Yankees who became indelibly and ingloriously associated with the team’s lean years in the 1960s and ’70s — what some sardonically labeled “the Horace Clarke era” — died on Wednesday at his home in Laurel, Md. He was 82...

His son Jeffrey said the cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

At the time of his debut, in 1965, Clarke, an undersized middle infielder, was one of just five players born in the U.S. Virgin Islands to make it to the major leagues. He played 10 seasons in the majors, all but part of the last season for the Yankees.

What he lacked in power as a hitter — he had only 27 career home runs — he made up for with a sure-handed glove and excellent speed. His stolen-base totals were in double digits in seven seasons, and he was among the American League’s top 10 base stealers four times."

Sad day for baseball and the Yankees.  Prayers to his family. Rest in Peace, friend.

TY HENSLEY PITCHED A NO HITTER, GUYS

 Prove the doubters wrong.  That's what I know about this kid. 

It's true, With the Utica Unicorns, Ty Hensley did what he set out to do when he was drafted by the Yankees back in 2012... pitch and play baseball... his passion... his love.

It doesn't really matter where it happened, be it the major league level of an independent league.  Everyone's journey is different, and for Ty, this is his journey. No one can take that away from him... it's unique to him.

We're big Hensley fans here.  We love the guy, we love his family.  His parents instill values and resilience in their kids and that's why when I see glimpses of achievement in he and his brother JR, I can't help but be happy about it and share it with the BYB audience.  

Here's the call from that no hitter the other night.

Congrats to Ty.  

Big things happen to those who don't quit.  Remember this moment all those years ago when you were a little kid starring out at a big field... the one your mother gave us?  Dreams do come true, don't they?

I'm proud of you kid! I'll call you soon, brother.

THE YANKEES ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE PHILLY

It is safe to say that the Yankees' past series against the Phillies has been a rollercoaster ride. The series started off strong with the Pinstripes winning 6-3 on Monday, then they dropped the first game of the Wednesday doubleheader losing 7-11, picked it back up Wednesday night going 3-1, and then split the series Thursday night losing 4-5. 

That's not the only reason the team is ready to leave Philadelphia. Even though there are no fans allowed at games, that did not stop the "Phandemic Krew" (a group of Phillies' fans named after the pandemic and Bryce Harper's son Krew) from going outside of the stadium to cheer, even going so far to hire a drumline. 

During their Thursday night game, it came as a big distraction when they began blowing airhorns and hitting cowbells every time the Yankees tried to hit. Aaron Boone ended up talking to the umpires to try and see if there was something that could be done about the distraction. 

“It sounded like a horn was going off as the pitch [was thrown],’’ Boone said. “In the environment, we’re in, it’s almost like a golf environment. I thought there was a timing element to it, maybe,’’ Boone said. “Obviously, I didn’t think [the umpires] would be able to do anything about it. I didn’t necessarily know who or where it was coming from, but it was at least something I wanted to point out.”

The players were not as bothered by the noise, but they also were not very surprised that the Phillies fans would go to such great lengths to be a distraction. 

“You could hear it,’’ Mike Tauchman said of the noisemakers. “It was pretty loud. Philadelphia is known for having a pretty passionate fan base. Those guys want to find a way to support their team even though they can’t get in the stadium. And that’s how they chose to show their fandom tonight.”

What do you think? Was it messed up for the Philadelphia fans to do this against the Yankees? Or is it a smart move on their part?

--Missy O'Rourke

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @missy_orourke

THE YANKEES LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT STARTING TODAY

The Yankees dugout will have fewer bodies in it starting today. It's crazy....but it is happening. We talked about the possibility of it happening, and now we adapt again. Teams have already done a lot of adapting this year and it continues. Starting today, roster size has reduced from 30 to 28. It doesn't make sense but that's been the story for months now. So cross your fingers everyone!

But there is one change from last week, thankfully. In two weeks the roster was set to reduce again to 26 and that is no longer going to happen. The MLBPA agreed to a change of a 28-man roster for the rest of the season (including playoffs) and in addition the taxi squad will increase from three to five. 

I guess it is good that all teams will have more options available to them in the even of a last-minute change. Three didn't give a lot of flexibility so five is better and it sounds like one member of the taxi squad may still be a catcher, which could benefit the Yankees a lot. Gary Sanchez is on the radar (again) and not for a good reason. I know Gerrit Cole says he is impressed...but he probably doesn't have a lot of company there.

I still don't like this idea of reducing the roster but I'm not really surprised. We haven't seen any leadership from failing Commissioner Rob Manfred and let's face it....more players on the roster means more Green money that the owners won't have to dish out. That's the last thing they want to do considering how much revenue they will lose this season. The money continues to talk, and the pandemic continues on. More potential outbreaks with smaller roster sizes don't add up to a logical decision. Too bad Manfred and owners do not see it that way.

So it will be interesting to see how teams manage their roster reduction and then how they configure their taxi squad. We should be getting Aroldis Chapman back soon, so once that happens we could see someone else will have to be moved. I'm not sure who that could be but I think Nick Nelson has made a lasting impression and the Yankees will look to keep him around longer, especially now that Tommy Kahnle won't be back this season...or maybe ever.

It's hard to guess anything right now and some tough decisions will have to be made. We already saw the Yankees make one with Clint Frazier that Aaron Boone struggled with. COVID-19 hasn't made anything easy this season, and the roster is no exception.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj