New York Yankees

Notebook: Gardner, Chapman and more

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:54:00 +0000

Left fielder Brett Gardner is going to see the doctor on Sunday and hopes to receive clearance to start swinging soon. Gardner has been on the disabled list retroactive to April 18 with a right elbow strain and has missed 29 games. “I’ve been resting it and doing all the rehab and all the treatment they want me to do and everything else is really good,” Gardner said after the Yankees’ 6-5 to the Cincinnati Reds. “As soon as that elbow gets right, I start hitting and I should be a couple days away.

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Notebook: Gardner, Chapman and more

A-Rod says numbers will be there

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:31:30 +0000

Alex Rodriguez has some catching up to do. The third baseman said after Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds that he is extremely confident he’s going to produce the numbers he expects to by the end of this season. Unless Rodriguez is aiming low this year, he’s going to have to produce better than he has during the team’s first 40 games. He has just five home runs and 15 RBIs, with less than 25 percent of his hits going for extra bases. “I’m in a good place, my body feels good,” Rodriguez said after an 0-for-4 day.

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A-Rod says numbers will be there

RISP failures doom Yankees once again

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:48:22 +0000

The one hit that could have changed it all never came. The Yankees once again came up small in the biggest moments of a game on Saturday, failing with runners in scoring position repeatedly in their 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. In the ninth inning, with the potential tying and winning runs on base, the Yanks couldn’t deliver the big hit on two occasions, as they fell for the fourth time in five games. All told they were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the game.

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RISP failures doom Yankees once again

Nova strikes out 12, but still loses

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:40:27 +0000

Ivan Nova didn’t want to talk about his career-high 12 strikeouts on Saturday. “I don’t care about strikeouts,” he said. “I don’t like the way I’m pitching right now, I’m making a lot of mistakes.” Brad Penner/US PresswireIvan Nova’s ERA is almost two runs higher than it was a season ago, after Saturday’s loss.The 45,302 on hand in the Bronx could attest to that. Despite having strikeout stuff, Nova gave up five runs on seven hits over six innings in the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

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Nova strikes out 12, but still loses

Game 40: The Good & Bad of Nova

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:04:50 +0000

Cincinnati Reds 6 — New York Yankees 5 Yankees fans witnessed the good and the bad of Ivan Nova in today’s 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Ivan Nova went 6 innings and struck out a career-high 12 Reds today. 8 of the first 9 outs of Nova’s outing were a strikeout. This was the good, even great, side of Ivan Nova that no one expected from him. Unfortunately the bad of Nova was unavoidable too. Among the 8 strikeouts, Nova also gave up 2 runs to put the Yankees behind early. The Yankees offense did manage to tie the game but the bad reappeared when Nova surrendered a three-run home run to Joey Votto. Despite striking out 12 and going 6 innings, Nova’s bad outweighed the good as he could not keep the Reds that he didn’t strikeout off the bases. David Phelps would give up what would be the eventual game-winning run after making a diving catch on a popped up bunt but throwing the ball away allowing a runner to get to 3rd. A sacrifice fly would let the u…

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Game 40: The Good & Bad of Nova

Yankees rally falls short, fall to Reds

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:58:52 +0000

AP Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips leaps over Yankees’ Jayson Nix to try for a double play after forcing out Nix at second base in the ninth inning. The Yanks lost, 6-5. Reds manager Dusty Baker went deep into his dominant bullpen to find someone who could put away…

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Yankees rally falls short, fall to Reds

Closer than our closer would like; Reds beat Yankees, 6-5.

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:08:35 +0000

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game Today’s victory was a well-rounded team effort, but our resident Canuck Wanger-Honker gets the nod for the JNMHSotG. Votto had the big knock of the day, a 3-run HR off Ivan Nova in the 5th to break open (at that point) the game. I’m not sure it wouldn’t have been an inside-the-parker had it not just barely cleared the wall, since I doubt the Yankees outfielders would have known what to do with a Reds At-Bat that didn’t end in strikeout. Honorable mentions are due to Homer Bailey (quality start, keeping LH’s Cano and Granderson at bay), Chris Heisey (2 for 5, RBI double, great catch in LF), and Devin Mesoraco (1 for 3, 2B, R, HBP, only Red to not K). Very extra-special Honorable mention to Mike Costanzo , who picked up his first major league hit (and his second RBI). Congrats, Mr. Sideburns. Key Plays The Reds got havocky early today. In the first, Drew Stubbs walked and stole second, and after Joey Votto walked, Brandon Phillips singled to score Stubbs. That’s so, so cleanuppy. The Reds struck again in the second when Devin Mesoraco hit a ground-rule double and later scored on a Chris Heisey double. Reds lead, 2-0. Before Jeff Brantley could fully jinx Homer Bailey by telling the radio audience how well he’d looked in retiring the first 6 Yankees in order, Russell Martin smoked a donker on the first pitch of the 3rd inning. In the 4th, Curtis Granderson walked and was out at second on a fielder’s choice hit by Robinson Cano , and Cano then scored on a double by the skeleton formerly known as Raul Ibanez . Game tied, 2-2. Why anyone ever gives Joey Votto a pitch to hit in a low-leverage situation is beyond me, so the fact that he was given a grooved strike to hit in a high-leverage situation blew me away. Maybe the only TV station Joe Girardi gets is ESPN, in which case he would have never seen the Reds play. That would explain why he let Ivan Nova pitch to our Canuckian boom-crusher with two men on. Votto hit a laser into the right-center bleachers, scoring Wee Willie Valdez and Drew Stubbs. Reds lead, 5-2. Jayson Niyx hoynked a soylo waynger in the 5th to make it a 5-3 game, but thankfully, the Reds secret weapon provided them with a 6th run in the 8th inning that would prove to be the difference. Following a Phillips single, Bruce walk, and Frazier reaching on a fielder’s choice, Mike Costanzo stung one deep enough to CF to plate Phillips from 3rd base on a sac fly. That would matter because Sean Marshall pitched like he still had that Cub smell on him in the 9th. Marshall gave up hits to the first 2 batters in the 9th and 4 of the 5 batters he faced, allowing two runs before being pulled in favor of Jose Arredondo . Thankfully, Arredondid retire Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson to end the rally. Reds win, 6-5! via www.fangraphs.com Other Notes As was mentioned about 32 times on the radio broadcast, Chris Heisey is red hot at the moment. Ecto-warmer is now 10 for 19 on the road trip. Please keep starting him, Dusty. Homer Bailey was pretty damn effective today, going 6.1 innings, allowing 3 runs while striking out 7 and walking just one while lowering his season’s ERA to 4.34. I don’t think there’s a single RR who wouldn’t take that 10 times out of 10 from Homer this year. Well done, kid. Keep it up and we’ll move on to trading Leake for a LF. I love the way the Reds have managed to keep winning while Jay goes through one of his patented slumps. He’s 1 for his last 15, and hasn’t homered in 10 games, but the Reds have managed .500 play through that stretch. The Reds struck out 15 times today.

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Closer than our closer would like; Reds beat Yankees, 6-5.

Yankees 5, Reds 6: Rally Falls Short

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:51:30 +0000

The Yankee offense finally got a couple hits with runners in scoring position, but it wasn’t quite enough to come back from a 6-3 deficit in the 9th inning. Ivan Nova gave up five runs in six innings, allowing seven hits, and striking out a career-high 12 batters. The bulk of the damage against Nova came on a three-run Joey Votto home run that landed just over the wall in right field. The first seven outs Nova recorded were all by way of strikeouts. The 7th inning was pitched by a combination of Cody Eppley and Clay Rapada , and neither allowed a hit before the 2012 version of 2011 Hector Noesi , David Phelps , came on to finish out the game. Phelps struck out three batters, allowing one hit and one walk in two innings. An unearned run scored after Phelps made a diving catch on a ball in front of the mound, but overthrew Nick Swisher trying to double off the runner at first base. Unfortunately, that proved to be the difference in the game. With the hopes of a comeback in mind, Raul Ibanez and Nick Swisher led off the 9th with a double and single, respectively, before Reds closer Sean Marshall struck out Russell Martin , who had homered earlier in the game. Andruw Jones also singled, then Jayson Nix drove in Swisher to pull the Yankees to within one. Sadly, that chased Marshall from the game, and Derek Jeter grounded the first pitch he saw from Jose Arredondo to third base, barely beating out a game-ending double play. Curtis Granderson worked the count, but ultimately grounded out to first to end the rally and the game. The offense was led by two singles and a home run from Jayson Nix, with Ibanez and Swisher reaching base twice, as well. After some typical Ibanez-ing in the outfield, it was nice to see Raul continue to attempt to make up for the constant adventure of his defense. The Yankees will attempt to take the series tomorrow afternoon, as CC Sabathia takes on Johnny Cueto at 1:05 p.m. Comment of the Game: long time listener , because I’m nothing if not a fan of name puns.

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Yankees 5, Reds 6: Rally Falls Short

Rapid Reaction: Reds 6, Yankees 5

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:34:57 +0000

Recap | Box score | Photos WHAT IT MEANS: The Yankees’ ninth-inning rally fell one hit short on Saturday afternoon. After RBI singles from Nick Swisher and Jayson Nix pulled the Yanks within one run of the Reds, Derek Jeter grounded into a force-out and Curtis Granderson followed with a weak roller to first base to close out New York’s 6-5 loss. THE BAD: Ivan Nova had an up-and-down outing on Saturday. His injured right ankle seemed fine. But his slider hurt him.

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Rapid Reaction: Reds 6, Yankees 5

Nova gives up big blast as Yanks fall to Reds

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:31:39 +0000

Former N.L. MVP Joey Votto continued a stretch of mashing the baseball when he took Ivan Nova deep for a three-run home run in the fifth inning to lead the Reds to a 6-5 win.

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Nova gives up big blast as Yanks fall to Reds