Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
If yesterday's win was gravy, a victory tonight to finish off a four-game sweep of the Tigers, who despite the last three games still have the majors' best record, would be icing on the cake. It won't be an easy task, however, as the Yankees will get their first look at the Tigers' young ace, Justin Verlander.
Drafted out of Old Dominion second overall in the 2004 amateur draft, Verlander signed too late to play that year, instead making his pro debut in the Florida State League (high-A ball) in 2005. Verlander dominated in thirteen starts there, then turned it up a notch with double-A Erie, allowing just eleven hits and one run (on a homer) in 32.2 innings across seven starts. That earned him a September call-up in which the 22-year-old looked plenty human.
Verlander won the fifth starters spot out of spring training this year and has since emerged as the Tigers' ace in just his second pro season. His only non-quality start of the year came in his second start when he was roughed up by the World Champion White Sox. In his last seven starts he's compiled the following line: 50 1/3 IP (7+ IP/GS), 44 H, 3 HR, 10 BB, 25 K, 1.07 WHIP, 1.61 ERA, 6-1. Again, this is a 23-year-old in his second pro season. Sick.
Trying to keep pace with Verlander will be Chien-Ming Wang, who has won four of his last five games and got a hard-luck no-decision in his sixth.
The big news on the Yankee front is that Gary Sheffield, as feared, has landed back on the 15-day DL due to what appears to be a new injury to his left wrist. He will be replaced on the roster by Kevin Thompson, the only position player on the Yankees 40-man roster who hasn't previously spent time on the 25-man. Thompson has previously been passed over in favor of Melky Cabrera, Kevin Reese, Mitch Jones and Terrence Long in large part because of an ill-timed hamstring injury, but has hit .288/.380/.453 with seven stolen bases in eight tries and 20 walks to 29 strikeouts thus far this year in Columbus. The book on Thompson is that he needs two cracks at each new level to click, but if that's the case it certainly won't hurt to get his feet wet now in the hope that he could be a valuable fourth or fifth outfielder next year at age 27.
Thompson gives the Yankees five home-grown players who were Columbus Clippers as recently as last year on their roster (Cano, Wang, Phillips, Cabrera and Thompson) in addition to the home-grown fab four (Bernie, Mo, Jeter and Posada), and that doesn't even count Darrell Rasner, a 25-year-old minor leaguer claimed off waivers this winter who's currently in the major league pen. Yes, injuries have played a role in this new style of roster construction, but the times do indeed appear to be changin'. Now if only Thompson would get a couple of starts and perform well enough to bounce Terrence Long when Bubba Crosby is activated this weekend.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=7051
And let's hope Giambi is getting back into a grove. That would be plenty helpful over the next couple of weeks as would a couple more solid RJ starts.
Using Rasner and Smith/Mendoza/etc. instead of Small & Erikson would also be a nice step.
The hope of Yankee fans everywhere!
Can't wait to see Verlander pitch. Anyone know who the ESPN announcers will be for tonight?
I have Verlander on my fantasy team. Is it wrong to wish for a pitcher's duel tonight?
I was hoping Bubba would be back for the Boston series, if only against Wakefield. But better to be safe than sorry. Outfielders aren't exactly thick on the ground these days.
And yeah, it's better for Shef to get healthy.
1. Damon (CF)
2. Cabrera (LF)
3. Giambi (DH)
4. A-Rod (3B)
5. Posada (C)
6. Cano (2B)
7. Phillips (1B)
8. Long (RF)
9. Cairo (SS)
If Wanger's on his game, it doesn't matter who is in the outfield. ;-)
Torre says Jeter seems to be okay, but he doesn't want him facing a 100mph fastball just yet. What with Boston coming up and all.
And it gets worse. Mo tweaked his back putting on his cleats today. They don't think it's that serious, but Farnsy will probably be the closer tonight.
Crosby is not progressing as they'd hoped, and is now expected to remain on the DL until about June 10.
The injury situation is really getting ridiculous. :-(
On the bright side. We wont have to hear him barking about his option all year.
Go Wangster! Go Melky, our 2007 full time right fielder.
And neither is Andy...
HOLY MELKY!!!
. . . and the end of his Yankee career.
I thought Rasner might be just the type of pitcher to deal with the aggressive Tigers batters, but apparently not. :-(
Nobody on: .198
Runners on: .358
Runners in scoring postion: .379
Why did they send him down? Did I miss something during the games that weren't on the package? If not, why send him down for a guy with an era over 6.00? What does Smith have to do to get a shot? 3 innings, no hits, no BB, 1 K?
Rasner, I mean seriously, come on.
When Posada recovered and Hill was sent down, they couldn't call Smith back up because it was too soon. Hence Rasner.
Oh, and Smith was sent down to make room for a third catcher when they thought Posada could have been hurt as well.
75 correct
77 I hope so. Rasner over Small, Smith over Erickson, please!
It's not like lefties lit him up at AAA either
http://www.angelfire.com/nb/jms/milb/ColIL.html#Darrell+RasnerP
That pitch to end the 5th was wicked.
88 that would probably explain it
Nice pitching Scott!
ONE PITCH??
I'd rather see Villone come in for the 9th actually though. I figure Torre will use him for Granderson anyway - why not let him take the whole inning?
HOME: .266 / .656
AWAY: .312 / .734
Weird.
Besides, Jeter didn't get any hits when he played the other night, even when everyone else was whacking them all over the place. He's hurting.
Just a question against Farnsworth? I think I recall you being against him from way back but I haven't been on this board in a while
What don't you like?
Especially with two OFs on the bench.
Keep ur fingers crossed ... this game basically sumed up as shaky starters and silly in most sense
tums, tums, tums
AP, May 31: "RHP Octavio Dotel is scheduled to pitch Friday and Saturday in extended spring training games. The reliever, who had ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow last June, will pitch next week for Class-A Tampa before going to Double-A Trenton. He could join the Yankees around June 15."
Ah well, 3 outta 4 wasn't bad, and this one was just one crazy silly games
Stormer, who was the other option? Seriously
And were all you guys out calling for his head when he had a 2.89 ERA last month?
I put this one on Wang. He just falls apart when there are men on base. I know, he's just a kid, but come on already.
On the bright side, Andy had a great night. So did Robbie.
And I hope someone asks Torre why he didn't PH for Long.
Nothing more needs to be said.
1st batter, put up a true 9 pitch battle.
2nd batter, another battle, this time 8 pitches and should have ended in a K, don't get me started with that inconsistent ump (he liked rodney's junk but not farns' junk).
3rd. batter, amazing hit there by pudge, literally from the dirt.
4th. and 5th. batter some good pitches some bad, his fault though was falling behind.
I'm definitely not ready to send him to bullpen hell yet. I think he'll be a useful weapon as the season moves along.
3 out of 4 tastes like gravy mixed with icing.
Farnsworth: 2 Ls in Yanks' last 7 games.
I sense a pattern. I hope Joe can pull his Terrence Long-loving head out of his ass long enough to figure that one out. I sure am glad Ron Villone and his 1.66 ERA watched the game from bullpen tonight.
And Long was awful as well, stranded 9 runners. I kind of felt sorry for him but enough is enough, not to mention his terrible throw in the 9th.
205 Are you serious? putting on his shoe?
Why are we settling for 3 out of 4 here? The Yanks were winning this game 5-0 and they couldn't get a 5-inning start from their third starter or three outs from their so-called back-up closer. Plus, their right fielder looks like Frankenstein and throws marginally better than their center fielders. That's pathetic.
I know I'm demanding a lot but games like tonight just leave a bad taste after a successful rest of the week.
I don't blame Torre for this one. Farnsworth is the #2 reliever until he lose the job and Villone isn't Sandy Koufax. He's got until Dotel arrives and then he becomes a very expensive facsimile of Tanyon Sturtze.
anyway, here's to hoping they sweep the O's and the tigers get some good momentum out of this win and sweep the bosox.
next monday yankees up by 2.5 games when the 4-game series starts.
This is beyond crazy.
Mo is really hurting. He can hardly walk. He said he leaned over to put on his shoes, and one side of his lower back just tightened up. He's never experienced anything like it before.
He seemed very upset that he couldn't do his job for the team.
The injury virus just seems to find its way in towards the infield, doesn't it?
Of course Mo is upset, unless Proctor can pitch 6-9, we have to have Mo in these games. I was really hoping Farny would work out, but I sure as hell don't want him out there with the game on the line. The Jury is in as far as I'm concerned, he's a bum when the heat is on. He can't handle the pressure, he's scared to throw his best pitch, and when he does, it's belt high across the middle of the plate.
Long hit like shite and left 9 on base... that's just horrid... then again, both teams' 89 hitter didn't reach base today either.
Farnsworth just simply blew it, the umps didnt help him , but he didn't help himself either.
Basically Farnsworth's fault >>>>>>Wang and Long in this one, though they both take some blame too.
Just once again goes to proof how darn valuable Mo Is :/
BUT MAYBE RIVERA's BACK IS HURTING BECAUSE HE THREW 3 INNINGS IN A FIVE-RUN GAME.
And now back to your regularly schedule "putting on his shoe" theories.
So the Yankees are now scoring almost 30 more runs than the Red sox while allowing 10 less... why are we not in first again?
1) pinch run for Posada either of the last 2 times he was on base..
DISAGREE... This game could have well gone to extra innings. Without Mats, Shef and Jetes, we need all the O we can keep if the game goes past nine innings.
2) pinch hit for Long with Bernie or Kevin Thompson if necessary (assuming he was in the park...was he?)
AGREE... however, this is a mental game and player confidence is VERY important. If (unfortunately) Long is going to continue to play for us, I think Torre wanted to give him a shot, instead of pulling him. I would have PH'ed for him, but I have heard many managers say that sometimes they have to let a player 'live or die' on his own.
3) brought in Villone once Farnsworth had the tying run on 2nd or, at the very least, after the game was tied. There are few excuses for not doing ANY ONE of the above.
TOUGH CALL... Torre's crystal ball is broken. Farns did NOT throw that badly. Puge's hit was great... anyone else would have struck out. My main beef with Farns was the walk. Would Villion have performed better? Maybe. Maybe not. Mo has given up 2 hits in an inning a few times. Did we pull him?
Villone has pitched better this year (small sample size), but in general, I thinks Farns is a better guy to have out there.
My main beef was #2. I would have put a PH in there.
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