YANKEES LOSE TO TIGERS IN BOTTOM OF 9TH

Okay Yankee fans, it's multiple choice time!  The Yankees lost to the Tigers tonight 4-3 because..

A)  Hiroki Kuroda got knocked around and could not keep the ball in the park?

B)  Tigers pitching was lights out?

C)  The Yankees, once again, were inept with runners in scoring position?

If you picked A you would be incorrect.  Kuroda was really good tonight.  He went 7 innings only giving up 2 runs on 7 hits.  He struck out four Tiger batters only walking one.  The Yankees would take this Kuroda performance every five days.  You really could not pitch much better than Kuroda did tonight but it still was not enough.   Although, note to the Yankees and their pitching staff...next time Miguel Cabrera walks up to the plate in a nationally televised game; please just WALK him!

If you said B you would also be incorrect.  Despite only giving up the one run it wasn't like the Tiger pitchers shut down the Yankee bats.  The Yankees actually had 9 hits and drew 5 walks.  They also had 5 stolen bases.  So getting on base was not the problem, which leads me to the final choice...

If you chose C you would be CORRECT!  Once again, like a broken record that skips over and over again, the Yankees left men all over the base paths without driving them in.  The Yankees were 1-12 with runners-in-scoring-position.  If I wasn't a Yankee fan it would be comical how many baserunners they leave on, but I am a Yankee fan so it is not funny. 

The Yankees had so many opportunities to score in this game and they did not even need a base hit in every situation.  A simple deep fly or ground ball would have given us a few of those runs tonight.  The Yankees lost 4-3 but this game should not even have been close.  The way Kuroda pitched and having 12 runners on base, the Yankees should have had 7-8 runs and we would be talking about winning this series against the Tigers.  Instead, the Yankees face Justin Verlander on his home court this afternoon while we send Phil Hughes to the mound.  Let's hope that Hughes can give us one of his top performances today and the Yankees can find a way to scratch and claw a few runs across against the best starting pitcher in baseball.  Game time:  1:05pm (EST).

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com
Twitter: @MikeyBlu23


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YANKEES TRADE OF/1B STEVE PEARCE TO ORIOLES

(photo:  Steve Pearce)

Just a bit of news out of Yankeeland this afternoon.  The Yankees traded outfielder-first baseman Steve Pearce to the Baltimore Orioles for cash.  It's unclear exactly how much the Yankees got for Pearce.

The 29-year-old Pearce was hitting .321 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs for the Yankees' Triple-A team so it seems to me this trade is a bit odd.  I mean, I'm no GM but only getting cash in return for Pearce seems like a steal for the Orioles.  But hey, what do I know.

BYB will continue to stay on top of all moves out of Yankeeland and will bring anything we hear right to you.

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com
Twitter: @MikeyBlu23


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YANKEES INJURY UPDATE; GARDY, DROB, AND MO

Although there has not been a tremendous amount on new news regarding the recovery of Brett Gardner, David Robertson, and Mariano Rivera there are a few nuggets we found and wanted to pass along...

Brett Gardner...Out since May with a strained right elbow, took batting practice and could be back for the Subway Series, which begins Friday at the Stadium. “He’s going to start hitting pretty soon,” Girardi said. “I think it’s possible we could have him next weekend or the series after that.”

David Robertson...DRob remains further away from return with his strained left oblique after his bullpen session was scratched because of rain in Tampa yesterday and could be pushed back to tomorrow.  “We’ve still got to get him a bullpen and more than one game” Girardi said

Mariano Rivera...Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that Rivera still does not have a set date for his knee surgery. Mo, who made an appearance Thursday at a charity dinner in Puerto Rico, was still walking with a limp, said, "I'm good. I'm feeling good." "We're thinking about (the timetable)." Asked if he misses the game, Rivera said: "I miss it a lot. It is (killing me)."  It's definitely killing us to Mo.  We wish you a speedy procedure and recovery.

Bleeding Yankee Blue will continue to bring you the latest on key Yankee injuries and rehabs.

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com
Twitter: @MikeyBlu23


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YANKEE TRADE RUMORS & WHAT BYB KNOWS: PART 2

Awhile back, BYB published a post titled YANKEE TRADE RUMORS AND WHAT BYB KNOWS. We included guys in that like Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino, and Brandon McCarthy that the Yankees could target. Now, a month later and that much closer to the actual July 31 Trade Deadline, we have a new batch of players that you should keep your eye out for. Here’s the scoop…

Matt Garza: There are plenty of rumors swirling around the Internet linking Matt Garza and the Yankees. You can find it anywhere, but we’ll provide you this link, HERE, from the always reliable mlbtraderumors.com. Garza is a guy who I like, personally, as I wrote about him during the off-season before the Michael Pineda trade, read WHY GARZA & THE YANKEES ARE A PERFECT MATCH. I think he can be a front line starter if he joined the Yankees. In fact, I believe he’s one already, though he’s had his ups and downs this year for the Cubs.

Garza has struggled this year, pitching to a 4.22 ERA with a bloated 1.35 HR/9 rate in nine starts following a strong 2011 in which he put up a 3.32 ERA and 0.64 HR/9 rate through 31 starts. But, as I stated in my piece about Garza last off-season, he’s pitched in the American League East and he’s had success in the AL East to boot. It might take a package that includes Manny Banuelos and/or top outfield prospect Mason Williams, plus some other parts, to complete a deal. As the Cubs continue to fade away further into the cellar, expect more Garza-to-the-Yankees rumors to appear.

Edwin Jackson: HERE'S an interesting nugget from Josh Norris, the Trentonian’s Thunder beat writer. He reports that the Yankees were in discussions as recently as Thursday, May 31 with the Washington Nationals regarding Edwin Jackson. A deal for Jackson would be headlined by Eduardo Nunez along with Nik Turley (A left-handed starter in High-A Tampa, who I think is pretty underrated in the organization) and an outfielder from the Single-A Charleston River Dogs (Not Mason Williams or Tyler Austin). A Yankee official told Norris that he hasn’t heard about a deal involving Edwin Jackson and the Yankees, but the source also said they “wouldn’t be surprised” if the rumors were true since the team likes Jackson.

Like Garza, I wrote about Jackson in the off-season in a piece titled WHY I LIKE EDWIN JACKSON AS AN OPTION. My opinions, eight months later, remain the same. I like Jackson as a pitcher, and I believe he has room to grow, but he shouldn’t be Plan A, or even Plan B. I think the Yankees can find an option better than Jackson, like Matt Garza, for example. Jackson, so far in 2012, has been pretty solid for the Nats. He has a 3.17 ERA with solid strikeout (7.3 K/9), walk (2.1 BB/9), and home run (0.8 HR/9) rates in 10 starts. Unlike the Garza rumors, this one may be a little trickier, as the Nats are atop the NL East standings and may not want to subtract pitching since Jackson has been solid. Stay tuned with this one.

Although I do like both Garza and Jackson, these are two guys the Yankees should wait for until the last minute. The Yanks do have question marks in the rotation (See Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova), but it’s still relatively early and things can change. If the Yanks do acquire one of these guys, however, I think it would be a nice boost to their rotation that would hopefully push them over the top in the AL East Standings.



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse

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ICHIRO IN PINSTRIPES? ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE

Ichiro Suzuki is in the last year of his contract with the Seattle Mariners.  That being said, many believe that this season, after everything he's accomplished, he'll retire.  I suspect he hasn't done 1 thing yet...be a New York Yankee.

It isn't out of the question you know, the Yankees will perhaps see Nick Swisher walk after 2012 ends because it will be the first time he will be a free agent in his career.  This, in turn will be the Yankees a gapping hole on right field.  The timings right is all I'm saying and if Ichiro is leaning toward retirement any way, what's to say he wouldn't give pinstripes 1 year just to well... say he did.

Ichiro may be 38 years old, but he's by no means "old" like players who hit that age.  After all, Johnny Damon's still playing, Raul Ibanez is. What's to say the Yankees can't sway Ichiro to come to the Bronx for a simple 1 year deal?

Can you imagine the speed we'd have on our club? Ichiro is still a terrific leadoff hitter, or you still go with Derek Jeter or you move Brett Gardner up.  Plus if you did have Ichiro as your leadoff and perhaps Jeter as your second in the order, Brett Gardner could essentially become your second leadoff in the 9th hole.  Hey, it's just a thought and just an idea but I like what I'm saying right now and sure, Ichiro is not the same Ichiro as he was 7 years ago, but neither is Derek Jeter and I'd say our Captain's doing just fine.

Ichiro is a 10 time all star, he's still dynamic in the outfield and still a spark plug...I'm not saying it will happen, I'm saying it definitely could happen...Ichiro to the Bronx? Hey, it really ain't a bad idea.

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HOW THE YANKEES GOT THINGS ROLLING IN THE MOTOR CITY

Following a nail-biting 6-5 win over the Angels in Anaheim, the Yankees headed back east to Detroit to finish off their nine-game road trip against the Tigers. Thanks to strong pitching by CC Sabathia, and some timely hitting by the offense, the Yanks won the opener of this three game set 9-4.

The Yankees faced a starter they’ve never seen before (Oh no!) in Casey Crosby, but they were able to hit him early and often to earn the win. Crosby walked four of the first six guys he faced in the second inning (Cano, Swisher, Jayson Nix, Jeter), resulting in a run, before Curtis Granderson hit a two-out Grand slam to give the Yankees a 5-1 lead. The rest of the offense came from a Chris Stewart RBI single in the fourth, an Andruw Jones RBI double in the eighth, and an Alex Rodriguez two-run home run in the ninth to give the Yanks their ninth and final run of the game. Crosby, by the way, went 3.1 and allowed six runs. Nice to see the Yanks rough up a pitcher they’ve never seen before.

Sabathia started this one and he picked up his sixth win, giving him a 7-2 record on the year. He struggled early by allowing three runs in the first three innings on 71 pitches, but in his final four frames of work he needed only 42 pitches to finish off his evening. In total, the big man went 7 innings, allowing eight hits, three runs, five strikeouts, and two walks. Cody Eppley, Boone Logan, Cory Wade, Clay Rapada, and Rafael Soriano (save) combined to pick up the final six outs.

Final was 9-4, Yankees. Hiroki Kuroda (4-6, 3.96 ERA) will square off against Rick Porcello (3-4, 5.21 ERA) in the middle game of this three-game set and it’ll be aired on FOX at 7:15 EST.


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse

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JOHAN SANTANA THROWS FIRST NO-NO IN METS HISTORY

Congratulations to Mets starter Johan Santana who became the first Mets pitcher tonight to ever throw a no hitter as the Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0.  Santana threw 134 pitches, walking five and, of course, surrendered 0 hits. Also, this was Carlos Beltran's first game back in Citi Field as a Cardinal so I'm sure this no-no is that much sweeter for Met fans.

Bleeding Yankee Blue tips our caps to Santana, the Mets organization, and their fans.  Enjoy it!

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com
Twitter: @MikeyBlu23


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REPORT: SORIANO TO STAY CLOSER. WE SAID THAT ALREADY...

Jon Heyman of CBS writes HERE that Rafael Soriano will be the closer even when David Robertson returns from his oblique strain injury.  Heyman writes "The Yankees intend to keep Rafael Soriano as the closer even after David Robertson's return from the disabled list, people familiar with their thinking suggest." 

Now I don't to sound like I'm knocking Heyman here...but I'm knocking Heyman here.  He's a baseball insider, yet he's sourcing "people familiar with their (Yankees) thinking." This is joke right? I mean, my mom told me when I was 10 not to "mess with a good thing" when I wanted to re-draw a picture for my art show.  When I wanted to change my batting stance in high school, I didn't ask the butcher down the road, I asked my coach directly.  If Jon Heyman's a baseball insider, then be an insider, not a "guy who knows a guy".

Maybe he was talking about Bleeding Yankee Blue? We just wrote WHY WE'LL KEEP BLOSSOMING WITH SORIANO CLOSING. We wrote:

"So yeah, it's obvious at this point, let's not break up the rhythm...let's keep it this way when David Robertson returns... it's the right thing to do.  Why? Here's why; Much like DRob stepping up last season when RaSo went down to become our 8th inning guy, we didn't mess with the good thing.  Now, I say this, Is Soriano is doing the job as closer consistently, a job that he absolutely loves, then don't mess with it, keep it happening.  Even DRob couldn't argue with that."

Could that be it? Could we be the "people familiar with their (Yankees) thinking?" Could a writer, er...insider actually give us credit on this common sense opinion on the Yankees pen?  No, probably not, but I think it's silly to even suggest that "people familiar with their (Yankees) thinking" would be sophisticated enough for all you Yankee fans that want real news. 

Bottom line, you're the insider Jon, not us, get inside. Geez.

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AND FOR JETER, THE REST IS HISTORY...

2O years ago today, the New York Yankees drafted Derek Jeter.  I remember for me and Mikey Blue, the hype for us was enormous.  We went to every card shop and card show for weekends after that trying to snatch up Jeter cards.  I mean, if you think about it, the Internet was fairly new and the hype just came from the newspaper and word of mouth.  It was wild though because today, he and I have tons of Jeter cards and now I can pass history down to my kids and so on.  So many times you hear about a phenom and you go out and collect cards, like Brien Taylor for instance and it doesn't pan out. Let's just say I have a ton of Brien Taylor cards that are worthless.

(In photo: Derek Jeter, Jim Leyritz and Mike Gallego)
So yeah, it was 20 years ago that the Yanks used the 6th pick in the draft to draft a high school shortstop named Derek Sanderson Jeter.  He was from Kalamazoo Michigan and who the hell knew he'd become what he has. It's amazing and I'm thrilled for him and for the Yankees.

It's funny, I recently asked Marty Appel, the former PR Director for the Yankees (Read YANKEE STORIES REVEALED BY PR GIANT MARTY APPEL) who he thought would go to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot of all the player right now.  Marty said: 

" I don't think too many of your readers would disagree with this answer; Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.  No explanation necessary.  But I would add, that in '96, some felt Jeter wasn't ready, and a veteran shortstop was needed at least for one year.  So they discussed trading Mariano Rivera for Felix Fermin.  Imagine if they'd lost Mo in that deal, and if Fermin had a career year, they felt it was Okay to trade Jeter too.  If the best deals are the ones you don't make, how about that one."

Can you imagine Felix Fermin as the Yankees shortstop? And who knows what could have happened to Jeter...probably amazing on some other team. Plus, who knows if we'd win those 5 championships without him and Mo.  It's just interesting that's all.

Look, I've written a million stories about Jeter, the role model, the player, the person. He impresses me and continues to do so.  My oldest son worships him and I'm glad about that, because there are a ton of guys that I just don't see as "good enough" for my kid to want to be like.  Jeet, yeah... I can get on board with that. 

Jeter has great focus, a great drive and it all stems from his parents.  I've written that in WHY JETER IS EPIC FOR 1 GOOD REASON.  He knows his role because he was taught correctly about life and how to play this game without arrogance, without selfishness, just old fashion respect and heart.  There's nothing better and as far as I can see, the guy's never moved away from those values.

So, here's my salute, I tip my hat to the Yankees for being smart about their choice 20 years ago, and I tip my hat to Derek Jeter, one of the classiest players that I have ever witnessed play this great game.  Keep doing what your doing, because you do it better than all of them.

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WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH DELLIN BETANCES?

Dellin Betances has been a highly regarded pitching prospect for years now. He was ranked 100th on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list in 2007, while getting back on the list, checking in at 43rd overall in 2011 before coming in at 63rd overall at the start of this season. But, based on how things are going thus far for him in 2012, he hasn’t come close to his previous billings.

Through 11 starts in AAA, Dellin Betances has a 5.30 ERA, which, of course, is not good, but that’s not the red flag here. The red flag is his walks. He’s walked 46 batters in 52.2 innings which equates to an ugly 7.9 BB/9 rate to go with a 0.98 K/BB ratio. Control has always been shaky for Betances, which could be due to his 6’8” build with his freakishly long legs, but we’re at a point now where this is a real concern and this could ultimately change his future as a Major Leaguer.

Betances is 24 years old and this is his seventh season in the Yankees’ minor league system, so it’d be nice if the Yankees knew what they have with this guy. Given Betances’ recent control problems (5.86 BB/9 rate spanning last 36 starts – 25 AA, 11 AAA – and 179 innings) it may be time for a role change. I’m thinking about moving him to the bullpen, possibly for good.

Betances’ control problems will likely only get worse if he were to come up to the Majors. They won’t magically disappear considering the jump from AAA to MLB is the biggest jump there is unless he makes serious mechanical changes. I say the Yankees should move him to the bullpen sooner or later and tell him to “empty the tank”, if you will, for an inning. I believe this guy can be an electric, late inning reliever if the Yankees choose to go this route, the sooner the better.

I know I’m not a pitching coach, and I’ve only seen a small handful of his games, whether it be during Spring Training or on the MiLB.tv package last season, but based on the results he’s put up in his last 36 starts (most notably his 11 starts this season) it is in my firm opinion that Dellin Betances will be bullpen-bound. I hope I’m wrong with this, however. I want the guy to succeed as a starter, but like I said, he’s 24 years old and the Yankees need to figure out what they have in this guy. Just because he may fail as a starter doesn’t mean he fails as a pitcher in general. Late-inning relievers don’t grow on trees, and Betances has the potential to be a great late-inning reliever.

 
--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse

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WHY WE COULD USE MELKY CABRERA RIGHT NOW

Yeah, that’s right I said it all in that title.  I’m the same guy that suggested that moving Robinson Cano’s best friend away from the Bronx was the best thing for Cano. Well, it’s may have been the best thing for Melky Cabrera too.  He’s about to make a run at history, that’s baseball at it’s best and if you haven’t seen Roger Schlueter’s piece on MLB.Com HERE, you need to, you’ll appreciate Melky Cabrera so much more.  Schlueter’s piece reads: “Baseball’s all-time mark for the most hits in a season by a swistch-hitter is 230, shared by Pete Rose in 1973 and Willie Wilson in 1980.”

OK, you see where I’m going with this? Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants has apparently become the only switch hitter in the expansion era to have 50 hits in the month of May.  According to Schlueter “…at this point (Melky’s) far outpaced what Wilson and Rose did in their record setting seasons.” Right now, the Melk man has 78 hits this season “through the team’s first 50 games.”

Now, I’m not a betting man, but I could pretty much predict that that type of energy right now on the New York Yankees would make Yankee fans rejoice and bring a significant amount of situational hitting back to the club that has forgotten all about the importance of small ball.  Melky Cabrera was always a hardworker on the New York Yankees, but both Robinson Cano and he together was a recipe for disaster.  There was no question he and Cano were partner’s in crime together.  They were 2 young kids playing for the greatest franchise in sports history.  It’s easy to get caught up in that.  I believe that the Yankees made the right move trading him away and I kick myself for even suggesting that we need a guy like Melky in our lineup right now to jump start small ball and an energy we clearly lack…but yeah, I’m kicking myself.

Without a Brett Gardner or the fundamentals of hitting, not homers, we are missing something. Sure, last season at this same time we were having the same problems. Read YANKS ARE DUCKS ON THE POND because it’s 1 year ago and it’s the same damn thing that we’re talking about.

I wish Melky well this season, good for him.  To be on a run with someone like Pete Rose is not only historic, it’s a terrific confidence builder and no doubt he’s feeling good.  Should the Yankees do everything they can to get Melky back? No! Bottom line...we have the talent, but we’re not utilizing it and we have to.  Sadly, we shouldn’t have to wait for Brett Gardner to come back to get the energy going.  Situational hitting Yanks… let’s do this!

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WHY IT'S A YANKEE CONTEST YOU NEED TO ENTER

So, in case you weren’t aware, on Facebook there is a group page called House of Champions.  Of course it’s a tight knit group of Yankee fans that talk about the games, the players and they really enjoy each other's company. If you didn’t know about it, now you do, get on Facebook and become a member.

Well, good timing because they’re holding a contest over there and you should enter.  Here are the contest rules:

• Starting next week, there will be 3 during the week and every week after that House of Champions will ask members a trivia question during game time. The person who answers the question correctly will advance to the "final round". The "final round" takes place on Saturday during game time. 

So in a nutshell, by Saturday there will be 3 finalists from the past week and whomever answers the trivia question correctly on Saturday from those 3 finalists will win a BleedingYankeeBlue.com shirt.   These shirts have been purchased by House of Champions because they wanted to contribute to the High Socks for Hope charity we are running here at BYB.  How great are they?

• Here is the important part about the 3 finalists on those Saturdays…they MUST be online to compete and win.  If they are not, House of Champions will fill the spot needed by asking a qualifying question to all of the group members. Whoever gets it right gets to fill in and play.

Winners will then email HOC at their email address with their home address and House of Champions will ship out your prize, a BleedingYankeeBlue.com shirt.

Look, I like House Of Champions and full disclosure, Jeana Bellezza writes for me. She’s a good egg and trustworthy.  In fact, many of the gang are. The administrators are Jeana, Erica Morales, Rudy Laurens Lina Rodriguez, Williams Rodriguez, Jessica Noonan, Richanne Shank, Momma P and Brian Bailey…in no particular order.

So, be sure to watch for the contest at HOC starting next week! Be sure to keep checking the House of Champions and help make their contest a success.

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