Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter : Predictable

Hot from the Toaster

Toaster Sites
Baseball Toaster
Toaster.TV

Suggested Reading

Alex:
Ray Negron part 1 2 3 4
Dad, Reggie and Me
Slaughterhouse Five
Way Out in Brooklyn
Heat Fave
Passing
Love, Death and Baseball

Cliff:
The Ugly Truth About the New Yankee Stadium
First-Half Review
2008 Draft Roundup
July Farm Report
2008 Campers
All-Star Game: 1977, 2008
The Holy "Trinity": 1904 1949
Yankees by the Numbers
SportsIllustrated.com archive

Other Writing

Alex:
Strikes and Gutters: A Year with the Coen Brothers: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
My 20 Favorite Hip Hop Albums
Greatest Singles from Hip Hop's Golden Era (1986-1994)
Ten Neglected Hip Hop Classics

Cliff:
Tin Ear
Pazz & Jop ballots: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 (post), 2002, 2001
Clem Snide
Eminem
Sleater-Kinney

Bronx Banter Interviews

Roger Angell
Allen Barra
Jim Bouton
Howard Bryant: Part 1, Part 2
Ken Burns: Part 1, Part 2
Will Carroll
Ethan Coen
Harvey Frommer
Malcom Gladwell
Bill James
Pat Jordan
Chuck Korr: Part 1 Part 2
Jane Leavy
Michael Lewis
Tim Marchman
Marvin Miller
Rob Neyer: Part 1, Part 2
Buster Olney: April 2003, Sept. 2004
Buck O'Neil
Joe Posnanski
Alan Schwarz
Joel Sherman
Tom Verducci

Excerpts

Juicing the Game by Howard Bryant Part 1 Part 2
Forging Genius by Steven Goldman Part 1 Part 2
How About That! by Stephen Borelli
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner
Clemente by David Maraniss
The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanaski
Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson:
Yankee Century: Part 1 Part 2
Red Sox Century: 1 2 3 4
The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball

Players

Major Leauge Roster:

Infielders:
J. Giambi BR BP E MLB
R. Cano BR BP E MLB
D. Jeter BR BP E MLB
A. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
W. Betemit BR BP E MLB mi
C. Ransom BR BP E MLB mi
J. Miranda BR BC mi

Outfielders:
B. Abreu BR BP E MLB
J. Damon BR BP E MLB
X. Nady BR BP E MLB
H. Matsui BR BP E MLB mi
B. Gardner BR E MLB mi
M. Cabrera BR BP E MLB mi

Catchers:
I. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
J. Molina BR BP E MLB
C. Moeller BR BP E MLB mi
F. Cervelli BR BC mi

Starting Pitchers:
M. Mussina BR BP BC E
A. Pettitte (L) BR BP BC E
P. Hughes BR BP BC E mi
C. Pavano BR BP BC E mi
A. Aceves BR E mi

Relief Pitchers:
M. Rivera BR BP BC E
J. Chamberlain BR BP BC E
D. Marte (L) BR BP BC E
J. Veras BR BP BC E mi
E. Ramirez BR BP BC E mi
B. Bruney BR BP BC E mi
D. Giese BR BP BC E mi
C. Britton BR BP BC E mi
P. Coke (L) BR BC E mi
D. Rasner BR BP BC E mi
S. Ponson BR BP BC E mi
D. Robertson BR BC E mi
H. Sanchez BC mi

15-day DL:
C. Wang BR BP BC E
60-day DL:
J. Posada BR BP E MLB
J. Albaladejo BR BP BC E mi
A. Brackman BC

Coaches:
J. Girardi (Mgr) BR BP BC
R. Thomson (Bench) BC
Kevin Long (Hit) BR
D. Eiland (Pitch) BR BP BC
B. Meacham (3B) BR BP BC
T. Peña (1B) BR BP BC
M. Harkey (Pen) BR BP BC

40-man Roster:
AAA
S. Duncan BR BP E MLB mi
J. Christian BR BP E MLB mi
I. Kennedy BR BP BC E mi
C. Wright (L) BR BP BC E mi
J. Marquez BR BC mi

Designated for Assignment:
B. Traber (L) BR BP BC E mi

Select Minor Leaguers:

AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees:
B. Castro BR mi DL
C. Basak BR BP BC E MLB mi
E. Duncan BC mi
N. Green BR mi
B. Broussard BR mi
M. Carson BC mi
C. Stewart BR BP E MLB mi
J. Brown BC mi DL
K. Igawa (L) BR BP BC E JB mi
M. Melancon BC mi
J.B. Cox BC mi
S. Strickland BR BC mi
S. Jackson BC mi
E. Milton BR BC mi DL
V. Zambrano BR BC mi DL

AA Trenton Thunder:
K. Russo BR mi
R. Peña BC mi DL
C. Malec BC mi
M. Vechionacci BC mi DL
A. Jackson BC mi
C. Curtis BC mi
E. Gonzalez BR mi
P.J. Pilittere BC mi
J. Jones BC mi
G. Kontos BC mi
J. Nuñez BC mi
B. Smith BC mi DL
A. Claggett BC mi
O. Perez BR BC mi
M. Gardner BC mi
K. Whelan BC mi
W. Arias (L) BC mi

A Tampa Yankees:
E. Nuñez BC mi
C.J. Henry BC mi DL
T. Battle BC mi
K. Anson BC mi
J. Gil BC mi
A. Horne BC mi DL
Z. McAllister BC mi
W. De La Rosa (L) BC mi
C. Garcia BC mi

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:
J. Snyder BC mi
M. Cusick BC mi
B. Suttle BC mi
A. Romine BC mi
J. Montero BC mi
D. Betances BC mi
J. Heredia BC mi
J. Ortiz BC mi
C. Heyer BC mi

Low-A Staten Island Yankees:
D. Adams mi
P. Venditte mi

Rookie Gulf Coast Yankees:
C. Joseph mi
C. Smith mi
K. Higashioka mi

Key:
BR = Baseball-Reference
BP = Baseball Prospectus
BC = Baseball Cube (past mL stats)
mi = MiLB.com (current mL stats)
E = ESPN (current splits, game logs)
MLB = MLB.com hit charts
JB = Japanese Baseball.com

The Recently Departed

2008 Yankees:
R. Sexson BR BP E MLB
M. Ensberg BR BP E MLB CLE mL
A. Gonzalez BR BP E MLB mi WAS
K. Farnsworth BR BP BC E DET
L. Hawkins BR BP BC E HOU
S. Patterson BR BC mi SD

Nady/Marte Trade:
J. Tabata BC mi
J. Karstens BR BP BC E mi
R. Ohlendorf BR BP BC E
D. McCutchen BC mi

2008 Campers/mLers:
C. Woodward BR BP BC E MLB PHI mL
J. Lane BR mi BOS mL
G. Porter BC mi WAS mL
J.D. Closser BR mi SD mL
S. Henn (L) BR BP BC E mi SD
H. Phillips (L) BR BC mi TB mL
S. White BR BC mi

2007 Yankees:
J. Torre (Mgr) BR BP BC LAD
D. Mientkiewicz BR BP BC E MLB PIT
A. Phillips BR BP BC E MLB mi CIN
J. Phelps BR BP BC E MLB STL
M. Cairo BR BP BC E MLB SEA
K. Thompson BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT
B. Sardinha BC mi SEA mL
W. Nieves BR BP BC E MLB WAS
R. Clemens BR BP BC E mi
T. Clippard BR BP BC E mi WAS
L. Vizcaino BR BP BC E COL $7.5m/2yrs
M. DeSalvo BR BP BC E mi ATL mL
M. Myers (L) BR BP BC E LAD mL
R. Villone (L) BR BP BC E mi STL
S. Proctor BR BP BC E LAD
J. Brower BR BP BC E mi CIN mL
C. Bean BR BP BC E mi ATL mL

2007 Campers and mLers:
E. Durazo BR BP BC E MLB mi
A. Cannizaro BR BP BC E MLB mi TB mL
A. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi LAD mL
K. Reese BR BP BC E MLB mi
R. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT mL
O. Santos BC mi BAL mL
T. Pratt BR BP BC E MLB
T.J. Beam BR BP BC E mi PIT mL
B. Kozlowski (L) BR BP BC E mi Japan

Molina Trade:
J. Kennard BC mi

Abreu Trade
M. Smith (L) BR BP BC E mi PHI
C. Monasterios BC mi PHI
J. Sanchez mi PHI

Food Blogs

Syndication

About the Toaster

Baseball Toaster runs on some experimental software called Fairpole. It's still under development.

For more information, please visit the Fairpole blog, or read the FAQ.

Predictable

2008-07-27 22:13

by Cliff Corcoran

As expected, the Red Sox got the merry-go-round cranked up early against Sidney Ponson last night, scoring three in the first and bouncing the Yankee starter after four innings having scored in each of them. After the game Ponson admirably admitted that he "pitched like crap."

It was 7-0 Bosox heading into the top of the fifth when the Yankees finally got something going against Jon Lester, who had pitched 13 straight scoreless innings against them to that point. Melky Cabrera, Jose Molina, and Johnny Damon all singled to start the inning. With the bases loaded Derek Jeter, who hit into a rally-killing double play with men on first and second and none out in the third, hit a dribbler up the third base line that stayed fair allowing everyone to move up safely. Bobby Abreu followed by drawing an RBI walk. That brought Alex Rodriguez to the plate with none out, the bases loaded, and a chance to get the Yankees back in a game they were now trailing 7-2. On an 1-0 pitch, Lester came inside to Rodriguez and Alex ripped a line drive right at Mike Lowell at third base for the first out, holding the runners. Xavier Nady, who has started his Yankee career by going 0 for 7 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, followed by getting under a 2-0 pitch up in the zone and flying out to center (while the ball wasn't deep, Johnny Damon likely could have tagged up and scored, only he didn't). Robinson Cano also started off 2-0, but swung through ball three high and tapped back to Lester to strand all three runners.

And that was that. The Red Sox pitchers faced the minimum the rest of the way, as the one Yankee baserunner (a leadoff single by Rodriguez in the eighth off reliever Manny Delcarmen) was erased when Xavier Nady ground into a double play. Meanwhile, Dan Giese, who helpfully pitched the final four innings, allowed two more runs in the sixth to push the final score to 9-2.

So the Yankees eight-game winning streak is a thing of the past, but we all saw this loss coming. The Yankees did what they had to do in Boston, which was win the series. They're now two games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card and three behind the Rays in the East. Their task now is to avoid a let-down against the Orioles tonight. Hopefully coming back home to the Bronx and having Mike Mussina on the mound will help with that.

Comments

2008-07-28 00:02:02

1. Mattpat11

Shit happens. I'm perfectly happy with leaving Fenway Park with a series win.

2008-07-28 03:27:05

2. nemecizer

2 out of 3, 2 out of 3, 2 out of 3... that's what we need to do. I'll take the loss, bring on the O's. 2 out of 3.

2008-07-28 05:17:33

3. rbj

I didn't watch the game as much as I normally do, especially after the first inning. Ponson vs. the Boston lineup just isn't a fair fight. So the good things: took 2 out of 3 in Boston, and last night the only reliever used was Giese, so every one else should be fresh. The Mythbusters shark special was pretty good.

If Cashman can get Washburn for Igawa, he needs to do it.

2008-07-28 05:21:33

4. Sliced Bread

Why did the worldwide weasels put Pavano's name (instead of Ponson's) on that graphic showing the Yankees defensive alignment? It couldn't have been a subtle joke as they don't do subtle.
Had to be a mistake, right?

2008-07-28 05:34:31

5. Raf

3 Don't think the M's want Igawa. I think he will be moved sometime during the offseason.

2008-07-28 05:44:56

6. monkeypants

5 You're probably right, although I wonder if he will get moved at all. No one claimed him off waivers. Of course, in the offseason there is more time for the teams to work out a deal--undoubtedly with the Yankees picking up a lot of salary in return for perhaps a low level prospect.

Except for using up a AAA roster spot, I wonder if it isn't better just to let him stay in Scranton for the next couple of years. He's not taking up a spot on the 40-man roster.

2008-07-28 06:03:43

7. ChrisS

6 At this point, why not? He's a lefty and he's not costing them a roster spot, he could be grabbed in the rule V, I think, but I don't know if any team is that dumb or that desperate. So, he's as good as protected.

And, obviously, I think that the Yankees should go and overpay for Washburn as quickly as possible, before he regresses back mediocrity.

Despite claims that it wouldn't happen, Richie Sexson continues taking ABs from Giambi for no reason other than Sexy's inflated L/R splits from earlier this season.

2008-07-28 06:08:01

8. monkeypants

7 Yep. Sexson starting v. LHP was ok when Damon was still on the shelf. Now that Damon is back in the DH spot, any Sexson start is simply robbing Giambi of ABS...and Sexson may even be a worse defender despite a few innings as a LIDR.

If Sexson PH for Molina or Moeller, that's fine. But he should not be taking ABs from Giambi at this point.

Hopefully the addition of Nady + Sexson's stinkiness will end this nonsense. Then again, hopefully Nady will start hitting.

2008-07-28 06:26:29

9. ms october

4 maybe it is to encourage and motivate him in his rehab.

so moose and rasner got swapped?

i don't mind giambi getting to rest every so often, but as i complained about yesterday if giambi sits for every lefty and sexson plays that is just way too much.

and nady we are giving you a bit of an adjustment period - but just a bit.

2008-07-28 06:30:24

10. Sliced Bread

This just in from Phil Hughes on his blog:

------------------------------------------
Hey everyone, glad to say I'll be making a rehab start tomorrow (today) for the GCL Yankees here in FL. Can't wait to get on the mound again and back in the swing of things.
-------------------------------------------

If all goes well how soon might we expect Hughes back? 4 weeks?

2008-07-28 06:39:06

11. JL25and3

As good as Girardi's bullpen management has been this year, I thought he should have had a quicker hook with Ponson. Sir Sidney certainly wasn't fooling anyone, and at 5-0 it was important not to let the game get out of hand.

I wonder if he hesitated because he'd used 5 pitchers the day before. That, of course, was a direct result of his uncharacteristic, Marte-driven lefty-righty switches that Cliff had predicted.

Or perhaps it had to do with the Roles in the pen. Farnsworth, Veras and Marte should all have been well-rested, Robertson and Ramirez a little less so. If he didn't want to bring one of the first three in a relatively low-leverage situation - even though that's what the team needed - then I don't much like that either.

I know, it's not a huge deal. Girardi's bullpen management has generally been exemplary, and as it turned out the Yankees weren't winning that game anyway. But I thought he missed a chance to stop the bleeding; it would have put the team in a better position to win; and I can't think of an especially good reason that he wouldn't have done it.

2008-07-28 07:17:14

12. horace-clarke-era

7 8 I guess I'm in 'Go with Joe' mode these days. Feels odd. I think it is so wrong to equate Sexson and Giambi defensively. D at 1st base is not that big a deal, but his last start before this one Sexson was sensational at the bag. He always has been really good. It is also August now, hot, no days off. The best time to sit G is vs lefties. He is also not that hot right now anyhow. The Fenway infield is notoriously hard to play. We have another game today. I thought it was an obvious call to sit Giambi last night. No-brainer country. If Sexson's left-hand numbers turn out to be hollow we'll know soon enough ... and then we'll get Betemit back as the spell-Jason guy.

I do agree it would be a shame to use Marte as a LOOGY. We'll see what Girardi does.

2008-07-28 08:03:48

13. pistolpete

>> But I thought he missed a chance to stop the bleeding; >>

In what, the 2nd or 3rd inning? I'd actually rather just have burned Ponson & Giese, as Girardi did. No sense in getting anyone else involved when the lineup clearly can't figure out Lester these days...

2008-07-28 08:10:57

14. OldYanksFan

12 Good call Hoss. My guess is Girardi is only going to let Jason play 75%-80% of our games, and a few of those will be at DH. Remember the big joke here was how fragile Giambi is and the over/under on him making in until June without a major/season ending injury.

Giambi has been both healthy and productive, so I don't think we can beef about how Girardi is handling him. And while Sexy looks terrible, he has had consistantly good numbers against LHP over the last 4 years. This however, was playing regularly, and I would not expect him to be sharp only playing 25% of our games. I like the idea of him being a LIDR for Giambi and maybe he will get an extra AB here and there to help him stay sharp (or as sharp as Sexy can get anyways).

2008-07-28 08:32:29

15. JL25and3

Sure, after three. At 5-0, the game still isn't out of reach. And after three innings, you can't say that the Yankees were never going to touch Lester. If you're going to say after three innings that the Yankees can't possibly mount a comeback, we might as well give up on the season.

One more inning from one more reliever wouldn't have any effect on Joe's ability to use the pen tonight, unless you think he's going to need more than five relievers.

2008-07-28 10:54:21

16. pistolpete

15 If the team was hitting with any remarkable consistency, I'd be more inclined to agree with you.

2008-07-28 11:51:50

17. JL25and3

16 OTOH, I'd be more inclined to agree with you if I could see any downside to it. I can't. Nothing gets lost.