What’s the best way for the Yankees to stop a mini-slide? Well, so far in 2013, the cure to all of the Yankees’ ills is to play the Toronto Blue Jays.
I jokingly titled tonight’s game thread as “Do the Yankees always play the Blue Jays?” And part of me was annoyed because I’m sick of them already and it’s only mid-May. Now, I realize I was being silly after the Yankees’ 5-0 victory.
Earlier today, the Yankees got the news that Andy Pettitte was placed on the 15-day DL because of his trapezius strain (IT’S A TRAP!) and after dropping two of three to the Seattle Mariners, they needed Hiroki Kuroda to continue what he’s been doing pretty much all season and that is to come out and shut down the Blue Jays lineup.
And that’s just what he did.
He lasted eight innings and only allowed two hits. This is the fourth straight start that Kuroda’s gone at least seven innings and allowed two earned runs or less. What he has done for this ball club during his tenure he has been remarkable. He was the team’s ace last year when CC Sabathia and Pettitte were lost to injuries.
Once again, Kuroda is picking up the slack and is emerging as the ace.
For the Blue Jays, starter Mark Buehrle, who usually has trouble with the Yankees, actually started off pretty strong, he scattered two runs in the first six innings on three hits. The Yankees finally broke through against him in the seventh when Austin Romine hit an RBI double that scored David Adams. Buehrle was taken out and replaced by Aaron Loup. Brett Gardner hit an RBI single that scored Ichiro Suzuki and allowed Romine to advance to third. Jayson Nix came up and hit a sacrifice fly to score Romine.
All of those runs were Buehrle’s. He finished his day having given up five runs on six hits, with three walks and four strikeouts.
Preston Claiborne came in to pitch the ninth and made things exciting by giving up two hits but he also struck out one and didn’t allow the Jays to score.
Some notes from Katie Sharp on Twitter (if you are not following her, you really should be):
- Buehrle has now lost 8 straight decisions vs Yankees, the longest active losing streak by a pitcher vs Yankees
- Since start of 2012, Kuroda has 5 starts with 8+ scoreless IP. Only other AL pitcher with more is King Felix (8). That’s good company.
- David Adams is the 1st Yankee with an XBH in 2 of his first 3 career games since Steve Balboni in 1981!
Seriously, follow her if you are on Twitter.
Here is your game thread for tonight’s contest between the Yankees and Blue Jays.
There’s not much to say because these teams have met a few times already this season.
Tonight, Mark Buehrle and Hiroki Kuroda face off in a match up between bitter divisional riv– I’m just kidding.
#HIROK
Go Yankees!
After last night’s trap tightness, the Yankees have decided to place Andy Pettitte on their 15-day DL. Cashman was quoted by Mark Feinsand as saying that the starter was “pretty spasm’d up on Thursday“, “I would rather resolve this and give it the time,” and “This is the safe play. … Thankfully it’s minor.“ Sounds to me like it’s a re-injury of his back issue from April, although that was supposed to be lower back. To take Pettitte’s spot, they’ll recall Vidal Nuno from Scranton, who was stellar against the Indians in Monday’s double header.
Meanwhile, Chris Stewart is only day-to-day with his groin injury.
Gardner 8
Nix 6
Cano 4
Wells 7
Francisco DH
Overbay 3
Adams 5
Suzuki 9
Romine 2
Kuroda 1
Cue the outrage for Jayson Nix batting second again and for Ben Francisco batting fifth.
The MLB First-Year Player Draft is one of the biggest crapshoots in all of sports. The chances of a top 100 pick out of college reaching the majors is usually less than 50%, and that mark goes down when we’re drafting highschoolers. Matt Eddy at Baseball America crunched the numbers for the top 100 picks from 1989 to 2008, and has the odds for position players reaching the 40-man roster, the majors, and/or becoming impact players. (minimum of 10 career WAR) The numbers are low, and that’s why very few baseball fans even follow the MLB draft. There are simply too many names and too many risks involved with the 40 round three day event, and most casual baseball watchers simply don’t have the time or interest to follow it.
But if there was ever a time to follow the draft as a Yankee fan, this is the year. The Yankees will have three first round picks, one at 26 overall, and two supplemental first round picks at 32 and 33 thanks to the departures of Nick Swisher and Rafael Soriano. As we grow closer to draft day on June 6th, we’ll continue to update you on any major changes to top prospect lists, any connections with the team, or any major mock drafts or scouting reports that emerge over that time. There’s less than three weeks until draft day arrives, so here are some links to get started learning about what this year offers.
Your Primer-
Draft Rankings-
- Top 100 by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo
- Top 100 by Baseball America
- Top 100 by ESPN.com’s Keith Law (Subscription Required)
- Top 100 by Baseball Prospectus’ Allan Simpson
- Top 50 by Chris Crawford
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I’ve decided that the 2013 Yankees needed a theme song.
(The video is here when you click “view full post”)
15 years ago this afternoon a Yankee pitched perfection.
I didn’t even see David Wells‘ perfect game because I was too busy hanging out with my fellow SUNY Oswego graduates getting drunk, listening to music and eating hamburgers on the shores of Lake Ontario. And do you know how I found out about David Wells’ perfect game? After we left the big party in our honor, we went back into town to my friend’s frat house. We were all in the living room, the TV was on ESPN, if I’m not mistaken and the ticker at the bottom of the TV was scrolling along and all I saw was “Yankees pitcher” and “perfect game.” I yelled out, “What?!” The guys asked me what I was yelling about, I told them and then the ones who were Mets fans were ribbing me for the Yankees’ early exit in 1997. I ribbed them right back, threw some knowledge at them and shut them right up.
They learned pretty quickly that I wasn’t a baseball fan just for the good looking guys in tight pants.
I waited as the highlights came on and watched as Wells struck people out, induced ground outs and got the final fly out to right field.
Part of me was thrilled for him but the other part of me was mad that I missed the entire game. But thanks to Yankees Classics, I’ve since been able to watch the game and feel the excitement of that moment and of that day.
So Happy Anniversary to David Wells, I cannot believe it has been 15 years.
If you want to relive the entire game, YouTube has it in its entirety.
(click on “view full post” to watch the video)
When David Robertson first broke into the Majors with the Yankees in 2008, he was not all that dissimilar from what Shawn Kelley is today. He had stuff for days and had a long list of strikeout victims to back it up, but he was so hot and cold with his command that he could get into trouble quickly. D-Rob’s “fireman” knack for getting out of jams and making his best pitches in big moments earned him a permanent spot in the ‘pen almost from the moment he came up, and over the last 5+ seasons he’s worked his way up the ladder to become Mariano Rivera‘s setup man and one of the best all-around relief pitchers in baseball. While many other pitchers have tried to learn from the G.O.A.T., perhaps none have taken more away from working with Mo than D-Rob.
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Can the person with the Yankee player voodoo doll please stop already?
It wasn’t enough that Andy Pettitte had to leave the game due to a tight left trapezius muscle but then Chris Stewart also left the game due to injury. Once again, the Yankees have lost battery mates during the same start.
It’s insane! This season is ridiculous. They might as well remodel the home clubhouse in Yankee Stadium and turn into a triage unit.
And on top of it, they’ve now lost two out of last three and dropped the series to Seattle.
The Yankees were shut down by a combination of six pitchers who held them to two runs on eight hits and who struck out 10. And who got the win for Seattle? Oliver Perez who pitched a whopping one and one-third inning of work. He struck out three.
Hector Noesi, who started for Seattle, only lasted four and one-third innings but held the Yankees to one run on three hits and he struck out four.
This just wasn’t the Yankees’ night. Of course, losing your starting pitcher in the fifth inning and losing your catcher in the seventh doesn’t help matters.
One good thing from the game: David Adams picking up his first MLB RBI in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-1.
IIATMS MASTHEAD
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