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Tag Archives: cricket
All In For Jorge Soler?
Big MLB news today, as Jorge Soler has officially been declared a free agent. Soler was a hot topic in the off-season, as many fans discussed the possibility of signing Soler instead of his fellow Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes . Cespedes ended up signing with the Oakland Athletics , while Soler had trouble being declared a free agent. Now that Soler is available, the Yankees should be all in. The pressing need for the Yankees right now is outfield depth. Slade Heathcott is the big outfield name, but the 2009 first round draft pick is currently out with a shoulder injury. Melky Mesa and Zoilo Almonte (both fantastic names) are both on the 40-man roster, but neither are touted as future MLB stalwarts. For reference Mesa is hitting .248/.317/.434 in AA, while Almonte is hitting .278/.326/.405 after getting off the DL yesterday. Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein has the scoop on Soler, as evidenced by a series of his tweets. Kevin Goldstein @ Kevin_Goldstein Source indicates that Jorge Soler’s agent, Barry Praver, has requested that offers for his client be submitted by Thursday, June 7. Kevin Goldstein @ Kevin_Goldstein Cubs , Phillies , Red Sox , Marlins , Blue Jays . @ NoSeeUmCreek : @ Kevin_Goldstein Instead of asking abt every team, who are faves for Soler? Kevin Goldstein @ Kevin_Goldstein Mild ones, yes. RT @ yakovsportsblog : @ Kevin_Goldstein Are the Yankees Soler suiters? Kevin Goldstein @ Kevin_Goldstein VG athlete, RF profile, massive raw power. RT @ Mr_OH10 : @ Kevin_Goldstein what’s the book on Soler? Also, the salary will not count against the new IFA cap, as long as Soler is signed by early July. Soler is expected to start in low or high A, and could get up to $30 million if a team gets desperate enough. Follow me after the jump for more. The price Soler demands will be the main factor for the Yankees in all likelihood, unless they do not show interest for reasons we do not know. The Yankees have to deal with Nick Swisher’s expiring contract, as well as the futures of Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano . While Soler would be a fantastic addition to the farm system, one would have to think the Yankees would put their major league roster ahead of their minor league depth, given their line of thinking. Based on various scouting reports Soler looks like a future MLB starter for some team in the outfield, and I hope that team is the Yankees. Thoughts? Continue reading
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Dan Haren, Angels Defense Too Much in Yankees 5-1 Loss
Andy Pettitte really didn’t pitch that badly. He essentially made two mistakes all night: a two-run homer by Albert Pujols and a solo shot by Mark Trumbo . Other than that, he was rather good, inducing 12 groundballs. But if your offense can’t score more than once, the loss can hardly fall on the starting pitcher. Dan Haren was just better, pitching backwards most of the night (offspeed pitches to get ahead, fastballs to get outs). The Yankees couldn’t lay off his splitter, and when they did manage to drive the ball, it seemed an Angel was always there to catch it. Nick Swisher can attest to that; he must’ve been the most frustrated man in the ballpark tonight. He hits three rockets, and on many other nights would’ve had two, maybe three extra-base hits. He had none tonight, as phenom Mike Trout robbed him of a potential home run in left field, and Peter Bourjos ran down two potential doubles in the right-center field gap. All Nick could do after the last one was smile. The Yanks had another chance in the ninth, but Trout ran down a potential Curtis Granderson gapper in left center, and Robinson Cano struck out with the bases loaded. They did have nine hits, but all but one were singles. We saw a rarity tonight as the clubs combined for 16.1 IP before issuing a walk. For the Yanks, it was Pettitte and Cody Eppley . For Anaheim, it was Haren and Scott Downs ( Ernesto Frieri walked two). Play of the Game : Pujols’ two-run bomb in the third that gave Anaheim a 3-0 lead (-19%). Continue reading
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Derek Jeter Since Hit #3000
It’s no secret at this point; Derek Jeter is off to one heck of a start in 2012. Here’s his line so far: 21 for 54 (.389), eight runs scored, four doubles, four home runs, two walks, four strikeouts, .404 OBP, .685 SLG, 1.089 OPS. His wOBA is at a staggering .450, wRC+ at 186 and he’s been good for 0.7 WAR through just 12 games. I don’t think anyone expected to see the Derek Jeter that looks 28 again this late in his career. Counting the at-bat after his 3,000th hit up until his last at-bat during Wednesday night’s 6-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins , this is what Jeter has managed to put together… This is the past 77 games played for Jeter (minus his 2999th and 3000th hits): 351 PA, 109 for 318 (.343), .390 OBP, .478 SLG, 51 R, 16 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 48 RBI, 24 BB, 52 K, 5 GDP. Another cool statistic that’s increased significantly is Jeter’s at-bat to grounded into double play ratio. Over the course of his entire career, his AB:GDP ratio is 40(39.8):1, meaning for every 39.8 at-bats (rounded off to 40), Jeter grounds into a double play. Over the past 77 games, his AB:GDP is 63.6:1 Joe Girardi told reporters earlier this season that Jeter definitely felt pressure from the media and fans when approaching his 3000th hit last season. Even Jeter admitted to it. It felt hard to accept that as a logical explanation behind him struggling a bit more to reach base because his 2010 season was nothing to behold (stats for that are here ). However, Jeter’s been on a rampage since getting the large, round number monkey off his back. Was that really the reason behind his struggles up until that point? Was it his time spent rehabbing down in Tampa with Gary Denbo, working on tweaking his swing slightly? Whatever it was, Jeter’s made a point loud and clear: He’s likely going to be the leadoff hitter for the Yankees for the rest of this season. Continue reading
Yankees Come Within 1 Three Times, Fall to Twins, 6-5
Hiroki Kuroda had a tough day on the mound, allowing six runs on ten hits in just 4 1/3 innings as the Yankees fell to the Twins , 6-5, on Wednesday night in the Bronx. Kuroda simply didn’t have it from the start, as he recorded just one out by the time the Twins had jumped out to an early 4-0 lead behind back-to-back doubles by Jamey Carroll and Joe Mauer , followed by Justin Morneau’s two run homer. Kuroda would allow another run in the third inning and was out of the game after serving up another home run to Morneau in the fifth, who now has as many homers in 2012 as he did in 2011. The bullpen was surprisingly exceptional, as Clay Rapada , Boone Logan , and Rafael Soriano combined to throw 4 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out six batters. Logan was especially good, as four of the strikeouts belonged to him. The offense got off to a similar hot start, plating three in the bottom of the first behind a Robinson Cano RBI double and a two-RBI single by Nick Swisher . In the bottom of the third, Cano would add to his day by belting a homer deep into right field, his first of the season. From there, the offense was relatively quiet. The final run of the night came via another Derek Jeter homer, a solid drive sent into the Yankee bullpen. For the third time of the evening, the Yankees had pulled to within one run of tying the game, but Curtis Granderson struck out and Mark Teixeira flew out to right field to end the game. Tomorrow, Phil Hughes will take on Anthony Swarzak to try and salvage this four game set. Box Score. Stray thoughts and observations: Derek Jeter is now hitting .389 after his 3-for-5 day, and has four homers in just 12 games. He hit six homers in 131 games last season, to put that in perspective. The man is simply on fire, and it is really fun to watch. Robinson Cano seemed to finally break out, chipping in with a double and a homer. Russell Martin’s offense has been anemic, and if he wasn’t taking walks, he’d be utterly useless. He’s hitting just .148 after tonight’s 0-for-2 showing, and has yet to hit hit anything other than a single. Eric Chavez went 1-for-2 in his first start of the season, and if his double play ball with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first had gotten through into right, this night may have a different feel to it. Four strikeouts out of Boone Logan was not expected, and I have to top my cap to the lefty for a quality outing. Hiroki Kuroda got hit hard and hit often, but if there’s anything positive to take from this outing, at least he didn’t walk anyone. Continue reading
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Yankees Top Angels, 11-5, On Jackie Robinson Day
The first series of the year in Yankee Stadium went according to plan as the Yankees took the rubber match 11-5 on Sunday night. With the entire squad donning #42 on the backs of their jerseys, the Bombers wasted no time getting on the board early and often. After Ivan Nova surrendered a second inning solo home run to Mark Trumbo , the Yankees rattled off eight consecutive runs before the Angels would respond. Raul Ibanez would knock home Robinson Cano in the bottom half of the second inning to knot the game 1-1. Curtis Granderson would be credited with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the third to put New York up 2-1. Alex Rodriguez followed that with an RBI single, Cano worked a walk, Mark Teixeira doubled home Rodriguez and Nick Swisher’s sacrifice fly would top off a four run inning to bring the score to 5-1. Batting with Russell Martin and Brett Gardner on, Derek Jeter would slam his second home run of the season opposite field to blow the game wide open, 8-1. Jeter is 15 for 41 this season (.361) with two home runs and six RBI. He’s struck out only three times in 43 plate appearances. He’s also got four doubles. Nova had another solid outing, going six innings allowing four earned runs on eight hits and two walks while fanning eight batters. He was tagged for two home runs, first by Trumbo and a two-run dinger by Chris Ianetta, but was overall effective. Nova has now won 14 consecutive decisions, tying Whitey Ford for third most consecutive wins by a Yankee pitcher in franchise history. Run support is a beautiful thing, my friends. Rafael Soriano was less than stunning, pitching 2/3 the seventh inning while allowing two hits and two walks to force home a run and make the game 8-5 Yankees. David Robertson would enter and retire Trumbo on a fly ball, cleaning up Soriano’s mess and becoming a hero yet again. He’d also pitch a scoreless eighth inning. The Bombers would add some insurance in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI single by Swisher and a two-run mammoth shot off the bat of Ibanez, his second of the young season, to give us our 11-5 final score. Boone Logan struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, with Torii Hunter working a walk in-between strikeouts. Comment of the game: pastor2b explains Japanese pitchers. Continue reading
Yankees 5, Angels 0: The Kuroda Show
After his first start against the Rays , the usual “NL Pitchers don’t translate to the AL East” critics started to worry a little about Hiroki Kuroda , but he proved he can very much hang in the American League this afternoon, pitching eight shutout innings in the Yankee Stadium home opener. Kuroda dominated all game, striking out six batters, walking only two, and allowing just five hits to complete his day. The outing was by far the most impressive by a Yankee starter we’ve seen so far. David Robertson came on in the ninth inning after Bobby Abreu reached base against Kuroda and abandoned his Houdini act completely, inducing a ground ball double play from Albert Pujols and striking out Kendrys Morales to end the game. The majority of the damage done against Ervin Santana came in the first inning when he loaded the bases before giving up a three-run double to Nick Swisher . Alex Rodriguez led the offense in hits from his new spot in the lineup with two singles, a stolen base, and a long home run to straightaway center to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for fifth all-time. Curtis Granderson also went yard in the game for his second home run of the season. The offense has been remarkably consistent so far, scoring at least five runs in each game except the Jeremy Hellickson shutout. The Yankees have had a little difficulty with leaving too many men on base, but the fact that they are putting so many people on and scoring a good amount of runs has to be a great sign for things to come. Once the pitching straightens itself out like we expect it to, this team will be even more dangerous. Phil Hughes and the Yankees get C.J. Wilson tomorrow afternoon on Fox. Joy. Comment of the Game: bango31 for sharing the eloquence of Sterling and Waldman’s game calling. Continue reading
Derek Jeter’s Hot Start in Perspective
Derek Jeter is off to one of the best starts to a season in his long, illustrious career. Below is a chart of the first six games of each season since Jeter has been in Major League Baseball. Year PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB BA OBP SLG 1995 24 22 4 6 2 0 0 5 2 .273 .333 .364 1996 23 18 6 6 0 0 1 1 4 .333 .478 .500 1997 31 26 6 13 2 1 0 2 4 .500 . 581 .654 1998 29 25 4 5 1 0 0 3 3 .200 .276 .240 1999 28 22 11 10 2 2 2 7 5 .455 .571 1.000 2000 27 27 5 8 2 0 1 3 0 .296 .296 .481 2001 31 29 6 10 1 1 0 4 2 .345 .387 .448 2002 27 23 4 7 1 0 1 6 4 .304 .407 .478 2003 25 23 4 9 3 0 0 1 2 .391 .440 .522 2004 28 24 3 5 1 0 0 1 3 .208 .321 .250 2005 29 23 7 10 1 0 1 2 4 .435 .552 .609 2006 29 23 4 8 2 0 1 4 5 .348 .464 .565 2007 29 26 6 9 1 0 0 3 1 .346 .414 .385 2008 25 23 2 5 0 1 0 1 0 .217 .250 .304 2009 28 26 2 6 0 0 1 3 2 .231 .286 .346 2010 30 28 4 8 1 0 0 2 1 .286 .333 .321 2011 26 21 4 5 1 0 0 1 4 .238 .346 .286 2012 30 27 3 10 2 0 1 3 2 .370 .414 .556 Year PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB BA OBP SLG Career Avg 27.7 24.2 4.7 7.8 1.3 0.3 0.5 2.9 2.7 .322 .379 .463 Although comparing the first six games of each of his seasons is a small sample size from each, I find it interesting that Jeter is off to his hottest start since 2007 by far. Jeter used to have a fairly uncanny ability to begin his seasons hot out of the gate, slapping hits to all fields and working plenty of walks. As he’s aged, most notably since 2008, his seasons have taken a bit longer to get going (which one should reasonably come to expect). Of all the incredible offensive powers New York has in the lineup, and all the discussion of Jeter needing to be moved down to the bottom of the lineup so that Brett Gardner can leadoff, “El Cap-i-tan” has been the best hitter thus far in the extremely young 2012 season. I’m curious to see how long he’ll be able to maintain his fast start, but other players on the Yankees should begin to find holes in the defense and start getting on base with more frequency sooner rather than later. Continue reading
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Swisher Powers Yankees to Sweep of Orioles, 6-4
For the second consecutive night, the New York Yankees spoiled the Baltimore Orioles ‘ hopes in extra innings. Nick Swisher’s monstrous shot into right-centerfield off Kevin Gregg in the 10th put the Yankees ahead permanently and led New York to a splendid sweep of the Orioles. Coming into the series, New York had been swept by the Tampa Bay Rays while Baltimore had swept away the Minnesota Twins . Now, the Bombers and O’s both sit with 3-3 records after a week of play. The Yankees got out to a quick 2-0 lead tonight thanks to a leadoff double by Derek Jeter followed by Curtis Granderson’s first home run of the 2012 campaign. CC Sabathia looked a little sharper tonight, but was still tagged for eight hits over his six innings of work. The positive news is that he struck out eight batters and only walked two. He had no trouble throwing strikes (70 of his 112 pitches were strikes), but his command of the strike zone will certainly improve. He worked himself into a bit of trouble in the second inning, tossing 38 pitches and surrendering a bases loaded, two-run single to Robert Andino that tied the game 2-2. Despite throwing 24 pitches in the third inning, he appeared much sharper in his final three innings of the evening, allowing only a two-run double to Mark Reynolds in the fifth inning to cap off the Orioles’ offensive production for the night, putting them ahead 4-3. Jeter, up with no outs and the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, would groundout to second base to bring in a run to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead at the time. Granderson also tacked on his third RBI of the night in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game 4-4. Boone Logan retired all five batters he faced, doing so via three groundouts, one fly out and one strikeout. Rafael Soriano induced an Andino groundout to end the eighth and cruised through the first two outs of the ninth before running into trouble. Nolan Reimold doubled to right field and J.J. Hardy walked to bring up Adam Jones , who Soriano promptly turned away with 93 MPH heat to force extra innings. After Mark Teixeira’s nifty dunk of a basehit into shallow left field with two outs in the 10th, Swisher took Gregg yard to top of New York’s scoring. Mariano Rivera picked up his second save of the season by closing out the bottom of the 10th. The Yankees have Thursday off before finally opening Yankee Stadium’s doors on Friday for the first time this season against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Comment of the Game : waw on Domino’s Pizza Continue reading
New York Offense Takes Care of Business in Marlins Park Debut
Well, this game was probably not what the Miami Marlins envisioned from their pitching staff when they scheduled their first exhibition game in Marlins Park. The Yankees recovered from an early 3-1 deficit, and they knocked Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco out of the game with two outs in the sixth inning after scoring seven runs on eight hits. They scored five runs in the fifth inning thanks to two doubles and four singles. Nick Swisher followed this inning with a long home run into the right field upper deck to lead off the sixth, making the lead 7-4. The Yankees notched seven doubles in the game, one each from Derek Jeter , Raul Ibanez , Robinson Cano , Brett Gardner , Eduardo Nunez , Bill Hall , and Eric Chavez . This park looks like it could become a doubles haven, given its wide dimensions. There was really not much to complain about on the offensive side–all of the regulars got a hit except for Mark Teixeira , who struck out twice. Unfortunately, the pitching was not on the same level as the offense today. CC Sabathia struggled against the Marlins hitters, and he surrendered three runs on four hits in just four innings (he later said he hoped that his son, pitching in a Little League game later on Sunday, would have better command than him). One of those runs came on a second inning homer by Miami native Gaby Sanchez, the unofficial first in the park’s history. CC looked a little bit better in the third and fourth, as he faced the minimum six batters, but he left the game trailing 3-1. Not even Mariano Rivera could escape today unscathed, as he allowed an earned run in Spring Training for the first time since March 15, 2008, snapping his 28-inning scoreless streak. Sure, the rally wasn’t fearsome (a couple of singles, a groundout, and a sacrifice fly), but then again, few runs scored off of Rivera are from hard hits. Rafael Soriano also gave up a run on three singles, a rally that was more concerning than the one against Rivera because none of the hits were weak. Cory Wade is not doing much to disprove the notion that his 2.04 ERA season last year was a fluke. His Spring Training ERA ballooned to 7.71 after a three-run seventh inning that tied the game at eight. Fortunately for Wade, only two of the runs were earned, thanks to replacement second baseman Doug Bernier’s throwing error. Fortunately for the Yankees as a whole, the Marlins decided to bring in Chad Gaudin for the ninth inning, and the Yanks promptly greeted their old friend with back-to-back doubles from Hall and Chavez. He later threw a wild pitch to score pinch-runner Ramiro Pena , making the score 10-8. To quote Xavier10 , “just like old times.” George Kontos and Juan Cedeno ended the game by combining for two scoreless innings. Continue reading
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