ALDS: Yankees VS Rangers

In case you missed it, thanks to an incredible pitching performance from left-handed ace and future Yankee, Cliff Lee, the Rangers dispatched of the Rays last night, 5-1. They will now advance to the American League Championship Series to face the Yankees. Prior to their win, the Rangers were the only Major League franchise never [...]

Well, this was inevitable

Via ESPN New York: With A.J. Burnett on track to start Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, Jorge Posada could be on the bench for that game. Posada has only caught Burnett eight times this season, while Francisco Cervelli has been behind the plate for Burnett 25 times this season. For much of [...]

Yanks opt for 4-man rotation

Via Ben Shpigel of the NY Times: Although the Yankees will not meet until Tuesday to discuss their roster for the American League Championship Series, General Manager Brian Cashman said on Monday that they would go with a four-man rotation. That means A. J. Burnett, whose poor performance in the regular season cost him a [...]

Morning Bits: ALCS, Cano, Thames, Mariano, ALCS

Here are a few quick items on the morning: In case you missed it, the Yankees beat the Twins on Saturday, 6-1, and are headed to the ALCS. The Yankees had off yesterday and have off today. They’ll regroup tomorrow for an official workout. Joe Girardi has been stumping for Robinson Cano as AL MVP. [...]

Yanks sweep Twins, ALCS bound

Thanks to Marcus Thames and Phil Hughes, the Yankees beat the Twins tonight, 6-1, sweeping them for the second straight year in the ALDS. The Yankees will now head to the ALCS to face either the Rangers or the Rays (the Rangers lead the series, 2-1). Start spreading the news, indeed…

Defense the key to Brett Gardner’s future?

In 2010, according to Ultimate Zone Rating, Brett Gardner, with a remarkable 21.7 UZR and 39.6 UZR/150, was the best left fielder in baseball. The gritty one actually contributed over 2 wins with his stellar fielding. Most of Gardner’s defensive prowess stems from his tremendous range, which was 16 runs above average—the best rating in the [...]

Wild Card it is…

G162: Yankees @ Red Sox

It’s hard to believe the final game of the regular season is upon us. Wow. Here are today’s lineups, courtesy of LoHud: Brett Gardner CF Derek Jeter SS Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano DH Nick Swisher RF Jorge Posada C Marcus Thames LF Ramiro Pena 2B Eric Patterson CF Jed Lowrie SS [...]

It all comes down to… Dustin Moseley

After losing to the Red Sox last night — Tampa Bay won their game, of course — the Yankees and the Rays are all tied up in the AL East (and for the Wildcard). To win the division, the Yankees must defeat John Lackey today, and they must also hope for some good luck in [...]

G104: Yankees @ Rays

Here are the lineups, courtesy of LoHud: YANKEES (66-37) Derek Jeter SS Lance Berkman 1B Mark Teixeira DH Robinson Cano 2B Nick Swisher RF Jorge Posada C Curtis Granderson CF Austin Kearns LF Ramiro Pena 3B LHP CC Sabathia (13-4, 3.15) Sabathia vs. Rays RAYS (64-39) B.J. Upton CF Carl Crawford LF Evan Longoria 3B [...]

Jayson Werth, a Red Sox or a Ray

Here’s an interesting bit of info to chew on for a bit. Via Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports: Few imagined that the Phillies would be willing to trade one of their most productive players before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. But the Phils’ seven-game homestand before the All-Star break could determine [...]

Quick look at upcoming matchups

Pitching matchups versus Tampa Bay via LoHud: Tonight RHP A.J. Burnett (4-1, 3.31) vs. RHP Wade Davis (3-3, 3.38) 7:05 p.m., YES Network and ESPN Thursday LHP Andy Pettitte (5-0, 1.79) vs. RHP James Shields (4-1, 3.00) 7:05 p.m., MY9 and MLB Network The Pettitte-Shields matchup is particularly intriguing.

Dallas Braden’s perplexing perfecto

Via Jack Moore of FanGraphs: At 3:12 PM local time on May 09, 2010, Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics retired Gabe Kapler to finish off only the 19th perfect game in major league history, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays. Braden struck out six batters in the process and only required 109 pitches to record the 27 [...]

Why would the Rays trade Carl Crawford?

From ESPN’s Rumor Central: Things are going just fine for the Rays, who extended their winning streak to seven games Monday by completing a four-game sweep of the Red Sox. Joe Maddon’s club owns the best record in baseball (10-3) and has the added luxury of a stacked farm system. That calls into question whether [...]

If you were Joe Girardi, would you have taken out CC?

As we all know, on Saturday, while facing the Rays at Tropicana Field, CC Sabathia pitched a gem as he carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Sadly, because I jinxed it, CC’s bid with immortality was broken up by his former batterymate (or partial batterymate, I should say) from Cleveland, Kelly Shoppach. “I just [...]

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