Thanks for continuing to read despite the inconsistent blog posts. I plan on posting daily for at least the next month (similar to the frequency in April). The game grades "while I was out" are below (the Yanks went 6-4 over these 10 games).
Tidbit: The Yankees were part of three games that ended in a score of 7-3 (2 wins and 1 loss) during this 10 game stretch
vs. Mets (Friday, May 20th; Dickey vs. Garcia) Mets Win 2-1
Offense: C- 1-10 w/RISP and only 4 hits. Another poor showing by the offense.
Starting Pitching: B+ Garcia went 7 and gave up 2 runs. Definitely enough to get a win but the offensive support was lacking. 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Garcia continues to be consistent--consistently losing due to poor run support.
Bullpen: A No runs over 2 innings with 4 Ks
vs. Mets (Saturday, May 21st; Capuano vs. Burnett) Yankees Win 7-3
Offense: B Normally, a 7 run outburst would be enough to earn a grade of an A but the Yankees only managed 7 hits and all runs were scored off the home run. New York went 0-1 w/RISP! They also did not have a walk in the entire game. Not a well rounded offensive game.
Starting Pitching: B 6.1 IP, 3 runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts. It's a quality start but not fantastic.
Bullpen: A Great job again with the exception of Logan giving up a hit in the 6th. No other batters reached base after that.
vs. Mets (Sunday, May 22nd; Pelfrey vs. Nova) Yankees Win 9-3
Offense: A- Despite a stagnant start to the game, the offense woke up in the 7th, scoring 8 runs in the frame and ending 5-10 w/RISP.
Starting Pitching: B Nova did a good job going 6.2 IP but gave up 11 hits while only allowing 3 runs. He limited the damage and kept his team in the game. He continues to mature as a pitcher.
Bullpen: A+ Solid once again. This time it was Ayala and Pendleton.
vs. Blue Jays (Monday, May 23rd; Villanueva vs. Colon) Blue Jays Win 7-3
Offense: C When you go 2-15 w/RISP, you deserve to lose the game. On the positive side, the Yanks scored their 3 runs without the home run.
Starting Pitching: C- Colon was doing alright until the 6th when he gave up 5 runs.
Bullpen: B+ Noesi pitched 3 innings and allowed 2 hits and 1 run.
vs. Blue Jays (Tuesday, May 24th; Romero vs. Sabathia) Yankees Win 5-4
Offense: B+ A persistent attack paid off in the last 2 innings when the Yanks scored 4 runs and came back to win the game on Teixeira's RBI single with 2 outs in the 9th. A nice battle by New York who went 4-10 w/RISP.
Starting Pitching: B+ Sabathia went the distance but allowed 4 runs, striking out only 3 using 103 pitches. He hasn't been dominant all season but he has given the Yanks length and kept them in ball games.
Bullpen: NA
vs. Blue Jays (Wednesday, May 25th; Reyes vs. Garcia) Yankees Win 7-3
Offense: A- 7 runs on 9 hits but 2-11 w/RISP. Continued their attack throughout the entire game--consistent!
Starting Pitching: B+ 6.1 IP with 3 runs allowed. Another consistent start for Garcia who finally received some run support and got the win.
Bullpen: A Solid again with 2 hits and a walk allowed over the final 2.2 innings.
@ Mariners (Friday, May 27th; Burnett vs. Pineda) Mariners Win 4-3
Offense: C+ 3 runs but only 5 hits and 1-6 w/RISP. The Yanks couldn't get anything going in the last 4 innings.
Starting Pitching: B- Burnett labored through 5 innings, walking 5 but only allowed 2 runs. Gave the Yanks a good chance to win.
Bullpen: C Logan once again fails to do anything right and give up a hit to the only batter he faces in the 6th. Ayala blows the lead later that inning and then gives up the winning run an inning later.
@ Mariners (Saturday, May 28th; Nova vs. Hernandez) Mariners Win 5-4
Offense: B- Another poor showing w/RISP (1-9). It's getting a bit painful to only watch runs be scored via the long ball.
Starting Pitching: D Nova struggled and lasted just 3.2 innings giving up 4 runs.
Bullpen: B The bullpen was rock solid after Nova exited until Mo blew the game in the 12th. His struggles on the road continue.
@ Mariners (Sunday, May 29th; Sabathia vs. Vargas) Yankees Win 7-1
Offense: A Well rounded attack with 4-11 RISP, 5 of the runs came with 2 outs.
Starting Pitching: A Sabathia pitched brilliantly over 8 innings.
Bullpen: A Pendleton was solid in the 9th.
@ Athletics (Monday, May 30th; Colon vs. Cahill) Yankees Win 5-0
Offense: A- Despite a mid-game lull, the Yanks tacked on 2 runs in the 7th inning or later.
Starting Pitching: A+ The only way the outing is any better is if Colon doesn't allow a hit. A shut out from the veteran who continues to surprise the league this season.
Bullpen: NA
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Game Grades: May 3rd - May 20th
Once again, apologies for the delay. My current plan is to resume regular posting the week of May 31st. However, I have compiled grades of all games from May 3rd-May 20th.
Definitely the poorest stretch of the season so far for the Yankees who failed to have timely hits, struggled on defense, and played poor fundamental baseball. Included in this time period was a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox in New York. It seems as if the Yanks have turned it around since Tampa. Let's hope my post will initiate more good play against the Mets starting tonight :)
@ Tigers (Tuesday, May 3rd; Sabathia vs. Penny) Tigers Win 4-2
Offense: C Two DPs, 1-5 w/RISP. 1 solo home run and an RBI by Martin doesn't make this a memorable offensive performance
Starting Pitching: C+ Yes he went 7 innings but Sabathia struggled and gave up 4 runs and 10 hits while walking 3.
Bullpen: A Nice 1 inning performance by Robertson
@ Tigers (Wednesday, May 4th; Garcia vs. Scherzer) Tigers Win 4-0
Offense: D Mustering just 4 hits and no runs while striking out 11 times, the Yanks looked flat again offensively as Matt Scherzer shut them down over 8 dominant innings.
Starting Pitching: C+ An almost identical line to CC from the night before, Garcia gave the Yanks a chance to win but the offense couldn't support him.
Bullpen: A+ Buddy Carlyle struck out 2 and gave up no hits in 1 inning of work.
@ Tigers (Thursday, May 5th; Burnett vs. Porcello) Tigers Win 6-3
Offense: B- 10 hits but only 3 runs. Chavez (who injured his foot), Garnder, and Nunez had RBIs although Nunez had a costly error.
Starting Pitching: B Burnett was solid only giving up 2 earned runs but allowed 3 unearned runners to cross the plate due to poor fielding by Nunez. Burnett also had an error on a pick off throw.
Bullpen: B- Boone Logan had issues once again, pitching 1 inning but giving up a hit and a run on a home run.
@ Rangers (Friday, May 6th; Nova vs. Harrison) Yankees Win 4-1
Offense: C 3 of the 4 runs came off the bat of Granderson--all the home run. Curtis continued to carry the team and the rest of the offense struggled.
Starting Pitching: A Nova's best career start. Gave up only 1 run in 7.1 innings and only gave up 2 hits. Brilliant.
Bullpen: A Apart from Soriano's one hit, no other blemishes on the bullpen.
@ Rangers (Saturday, May 7th; Colon vs. Holland) Rangers Win 7-5
Offense: B- The bottom thrid of the lineup was awful but the Yanks did score 5 runs on only 6 hits. They showed resilience early but mustered nothing late.
Starting Pitching: C- Colon's worse start as a Yankee giving up 5 runs in 4.1 innings.
Bullpen: C+ Robertson and Logan allowed 2 more runs to cross the plate after Colon departed.
@ Rangers (Sunday, May 8th; Sabathia vs. Bush) Yankees Win 12-5
Offense: A Every starter but Cano had a hit, 16 in total. They struggled early with runners in scoring position however which prevents this grade from being an A+ (4-15 w/RISP)
Starting Pitching: B- Sabathia struggled through 6 innings but kept the Yanks in the game which was more than enough for the potent offense on Mother's Day. He was also uncharacteristically wild, issuing 4 walks.
Bullpen: A No runs, 3 hits. Solid.
vs. Royals (Tuesday, May 10th; Davies vs. Garcia) Yankees Win 3-1
Offense: B A decent offensive outing. Not much to complain about or praise here.
Starting Pitching: A- Another solid start by Garcia who worked 6 innings and gave up 1 run although he allowed 6 hits.
Bullpen: A+ Once again Girardi went to the bullpen when his starter still had a low pitch count after 6 innings and they came through.
vs. Royals (Wednesday, May 11th; Mazzaro vs. Burnett) Royals Win 4-3
Offense: C- A terrible performance with runners in scoring position (2-16) led to many missed opportunities. The Royals should never have been close to winning this game but the Yanks could never get a big hit--the beginning of a disturbing trend for the next week.
Starting Pitching: A- A great start by Burnett who lasted 7 innings and gave up only 1 run. The 5 walks knocks this grade to an A-
Bullpen: B- Robertson gave up the game tying hit in the 8th and Carlyle gave the lead to the Royals in the 10th before the Yanks tied it again. Carlyle though would not be so lucky in the 11th when the Yanks couldn't get back the run that Buddy allowed.
vs. Royals (Thursday, May 12th; O'Sullivan vs. Nova) Royals Win 11-5
Offense: B- Aside from a 4 run 5th inning. Not much happened for the Yanks' offense.
Starting Pitching: D- Nova followed up his best of the season with his worst. Lasting just 3 innings and giving up 8 runs, although only 4 were earned.
Bullpen: C- Sanit struggled in mop up work but gave New York 4.2 much needed innings.
vs. Red Sox (Friday, May 13th; Buchholz vs. Colon) Red Sox Win 5-4
Offense: B- They showed some life at the end of the game but going 1-7 w/RISP is not the way to win a ballgame.
Starting Pitching: B- Colon was decent allowing 3 runs over 6 innings.
Bullpen: C Joba blew the game in the 7th, allowing 2 runs on a Youkilis HR.
vs. Red Sox (Saturday, May 14th; Beckett vs. Sabathia) Red Sox Win 6-0
Offense: D Mustering 7 hits keeps this grade from being any lower. New York went 0-10 w/RISP and scored no runs while striking out 13 times.
Starting Pitching: Sabathia struggled again giving up all 6 Boston runs.
Bullpen: A Ayala looked good in 2 innings of work and continues to impress this season.
vs. Red Sox (Sunday, May 15th; Lester vs. Garcia) Red Sox Win 7-5
Offense: B After jumping out to an early lead against Lester, the bats went quiet again.
Starting Pitching: C 5.1 innings and 5 runs from Garcia. He blew the Yankees early lead.
Bullpen: C+ Chamberlain and Robertson each gave up runs that help seal the Boston win.
@ Rays (Monday, May 16th; Burnett vs. Price) Rays Win 6-5
Offense: B After a great first 6 innings where the Yanks held the lead. They fell completely flat in 7/8/9, as the Rays bullpen mowed them down.
Starting Pitching: C 5 innings of solid worked ended ugly as Burnett gave up 5 runs in the 6th inning, allowing the Rays to come back and win.
Bullpen: A
@ Rays (Tuesday, May 17th; Nova vs. Shields) Yankees Win 6-2
Offense: A- 12 hits and 4-8 w/RISP finally helped New York right the offensive ship. A-Rod also broke out of his slump with 2 home runs.
Starting Pitching: B A nice rebound start by Nova.
Bullpen: B+ One run given up by Sanit made Girardi put Mo in to save the game....not good.
@ Orioles (Wednesday, May 18th; Colon vs. Britton) Yankees Win 4-1
Offense: D+ In one of the most painful games to watch. The Yanks struggled with RISP all night and had 1st and 3rd with no one out in extra innings but couldn't score. Baltimore had similar struggles too, leaving the bases loaded in the 11th and 12th.
Starting Pitching: A Colon was brilliant.
Bullpen: B Rivera blew the save but the rest of the pen was great at holding the Os without runs although they surely made things interesting. Hector Noesi made his major league debut with the game on the line, pitching 4 innings and taking the win.
@ Orioles (Thursday, May 19th; Sabathia vs. Bergesen) Yankees Win 13-2
Offense: A+ Not much to argue with here.
Starting Pitching: A CC was brilliant over 8 innings.
Bullepn: B- Although the game was long over, Sanit gave up 2 runs in the 9th on 3 hits.
Definitely the poorest stretch of the season so far for the Yankees who failed to have timely hits, struggled on defense, and played poor fundamental baseball. Included in this time period was a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox in New York. It seems as if the Yanks have turned it around since Tampa. Let's hope my post will initiate more good play against the Mets starting tonight :)
@ Tigers (Tuesday, May 3rd; Sabathia vs. Penny) Tigers Win 4-2
Offense: C Two DPs, 1-5 w/RISP. 1 solo home run and an RBI by Martin doesn't make this a memorable offensive performance
Starting Pitching: C+ Yes he went 7 innings but Sabathia struggled and gave up 4 runs and 10 hits while walking 3.
Bullpen: A Nice 1 inning performance by Robertson
@ Tigers (Wednesday, May 4th; Garcia vs. Scherzer) Tigers Win 4-0
Offense: D Mustering just 4 hits and no runs while striking out 11 times, the Yanks looked flat again offensively as Matt Scherzer shut them down over 8 dominant innings.
Starting Pitching: C+ An almost identical line to CC from the night before, Garcia gave the Yanks a chance to win but the offense couldn't support him.
Bullpen: A+ Buddy Carlyle struck out 2 and gave up no hits in 1 inning of work.
@ Tigers (Thursday, May 5th; Burnett vs. Porcello) Tigers Win 6-3
Offense: B- 10 hits but only 3 runs. Chavez (who injured his foot), Garnder, and Nunez had RBIs although Nunez had a costly error.
Starting Pitching: B Burnett was solid only giving up 2 earned runs but allowed 3 unearned runners to cross the plate due to poor fielding by Nunez. Burnett also had an error on a pick off throw.
Bullpen: B- Boone Logan had issues once again, pitching 1 inning but giving up a hit and a run on a home run.
@ Rangers (Friday, May 6th; Nova vs. Harrison) Yankees Win 4-1
Offense: C 3 of the 4 runs came off the bat of Granderson--all the home run. Curtis continued to carry the team and the rest of the offense struggled.
Starting Pitching: A Nova's best career start. Gave up only 1 run in 7.1 innings and only gave up 2 hits. Brilliant.
Bullpen: A Apart from Soriano's one hit, no other blemishes on the bullpen.
@ Rangers (Saturday, May 7th; Colon vs. Holland) Rangers Win 7-5
Offense: B- The bottom thrid of the lineup was awful but the Yanks did score 5 runs on only 6 hits. They showed resilience early but mustered nothing late.
Starting Pitching: C- Colon's worse start as a Yankee giving up 5 runs in 4.1 innings.
Bullpen: C+ Robertson and Logan allowed 2 more runs to cross the plate after Colon departed.
@ Rangers (Sunday, May 8th; Sabathia vs. Bush) Yankees Win 12-5
Offense: A Every starter but Cano had a hit, 16 in total. They struggled early with runners in scoring position however which prevents this grade from being an A+ (4-15 w/RISP)
Starting Pitching: B- Sabathia struggled through 6 innings but kept the Yanks in the game which was more than enough for the potent offense on Mother's Day. He was also uncharacteristically wild, issuing 4 walks.
Bullpen: A No runs, 3 hits. Solid.
vs. Royals (Tuesday, May 10th; Davies vs. Garcia) Yankees Win 3-1
Offense: B A decent offensive outing. Not much to complain about or praise here.
Starting Pitching: A- Another solid start by Garcia who worked 6 innings and gave up 1 run although he allowed 6 hits.
Bullpen: A+ Once again Girardi went to the bullpen when his starter still had a low pitch count after 6 innings and they came through.
vs. Royals (Wednesday, May 11th; Mazzaro vs. Burnett) Royals Win 4-3
Offense: C- A terrible performance with runners in scoring position (2-16) led to many missed opportunities. The Royals should never have been close to winning this game but the Yanks could never get a big hit--the beginning of a disturbing trend for the next week.
Starting Pitching: A- A great start by Burnett who lasted 7 innings and gave up only 1 run. The 5 walks knocks this grade to an A-
Bullpen: B- Robertson gave up the game tying hit in the 8th and Carlyle gave the lead to the Royals in the 10th before the Yanks tied it again. Carlyle though would not be so lucky in the 11th when the Yanks couldn't get back the run that Buddy allowed.
vs. Royals (Thursday, May 12th; O'Sullivan vs. Nova) Royals Win 11-5
Offense: B- Aside from a 4 run 5th inning. Not much happened for the Yanks' offense.
Starting Pitching: D- Nova followed up his best of the season with his worst. Lasting just 3 innings and giving up 8 runs, although only 4 were earned.
Bullpen: C- Sanit struggled in mop up work but gave New York 4.2 much needed innings.
vs. Red Sox (Friday, May 13th; Buchholz vs. Colon) Red Sox Win 5-4
Offense: B- They showed some life at the end of the game but going 1-7 w/RISP is not the way to win a ballgame.
Starting Pitching: B- Colon was decent allowing 3 runs over 6 innings.
Bullpen: C Joba blew the game in the 7th, allowing 2 runs on a Youkilis HR.
vs. Red Sox (Saturday, May 14th; Beckett vs. Sabathia) Red Sox Win 6-0
Offense: D Mustering 7 hits keeps this grade from being any lower. New York went 0-10 w/RISP and scored no runs while striking out 13 times.
Starting Pitching: Sabathia struggled again giving up all 6 Boston runs.
Bullpen: A Ayala looked good in 2 innings of work and continues to impress this season.
vs. Red Sox (Sunday, May 15th; Lester vs. Garcia) Red Sox Win 7-5
Offense: B After jumping out to an early lead against Lester, the bats went quiet again.
Starting Pitching: C 5.1 innings and 5 runs from Garcia. He blew the Yankees early lead.
Bullpen: C+ Chamberlain and Robertson each gave up runs that help seal the Boston win.
@ Rays (Monday, May 16th; Burnett vs. Price) Rays Win 6-5
Offense: B After a great first 6 innings where the Yanks held the lead. They fell completely flat in 7/8/9, as the Rays bullpen mowed them down.
Starting Pitching: C 5 innings of solid worked ended ugly as Burnett gave up 5 runs in the 6th inning, allowing the Rays to come back and win.
Bullpen: A
@ Rays (Tuesday, May 17th; Nova vs. Shields) Yankees Win 6-2
Offense: A- 12 hits and 4-8 w/RISP finally helped New York right the offensive ship. A-Rod also broke out of his slump with 2 home runs.
Starting Pitching: B A nice rebound start by Nova.
Bullpen: B+ One run given up by Sanit made Girardi put Mo in to save the game....not good.
@ Orioles (Wednesday, May 18th; Colon vs. Britton) Yankees Win 4-1
Offense: D+ In one of the most painful games to watch. The Yanks struggled with RISP all night and had 1st and 3rd with no one out in extra innings but couldn't score. Baltimore had similar struggles too, leaving the bases loaded in the 11th and 12th.
Starting Pitching: A Colon was brilliant.
Bullpen: B Rivera blew the save but the rest of the pen was great at holding the Os without runs although they surely made things interesting. Hector Noesi made his major league debut with the game on the line, pitching 4 innings and taking the win.
@ Orioles (Thursday, May 19th; Sabathia vs. Bergesen) Yankees Win 13-2
Offense: A+ Not much to argue with here.
Starting Pitching: A CC was brilliant over 8 innings.
Bullepn: B- Although the game was long over, Sanit gave up 2 runs in the 9th on 3 hits.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Return After Week Plus Hiatus
As a fresh college graduate as of last night, I have returned from my blog-break and will be posting as usual for the upcoming week through Friday. I am hoping to have a post out tomorrow grading all the games I have missed to ensure continuity in grading this season (I keep track of all grades).
As for the meteorological end of things, it's going to be an unsettled week in New York but thankfully the Yanks will be on the road after Sunday as they head to Tampa and then Baltimore. However, more pressure rides on my forecasts since I am an official meteorologist =)
Thanks again for reading and let's hope the Yankees can find a way to play better baseball starting tonight at 7pm against the Sox.
More posts to follow tonight/tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
What A Mess...11 Walks, 2-16 w/RISP, 12 hits, but only 3 runs
The headline of this post says it all. Don't have time for a full update but the Yankees need to start figuring out how to score without the homerun because consistently failing with runners in scoring position is not going to win a World Series title.
I will be back to regular posting on Saturday or Sunday. Thanks for reading!
I will be back to regular posting on Saturday or Sunday. Thanks for reading!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Blog Break
Sorry for the lack of posts recently. Between the semester wrapping up and traveling home yesterday, it's been quite hectic. I should be able to post tonight or tomorrow but after that I'll need to take a hiatus until NEXT weekend when I should be able to post for a week before being gone for another week.
Thanks for reading despite the lack of posts recently...maybe the Yanks lose when I don't post ;)
Thanks for reading despite the lack of posts recently...maybe the Yanks lose when I don't post ;)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Consistent Colon
Commentary:
Bartolo Colon continued to look like he has been reborn, embodying his 2005-self for the third game in a row. The movement on his pitches was once again fantastic and he held the Tigers to 3 runs over 7 innings while striking out 7. He allowed two solo HRs to Avila including a game-tying blast in the 7th. Despite the late comeback by the Tigers to tie the game at 3, the Yanks came through in the top of the 9th with a hard single up the middle by Swisher that scored Teixiera from 2nd, just ahead of the throw. New York picked up its 5th run on a wild pitch by Valverde later in the inning who threw 35 pitches to record 3 outs.
The bullpens made the difference in this game with Valverde shouldering the loss for the Tigers. On the flip side, Joba and Mo pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th with Rivera picking up his 11th save and Chamberlain accumulating his 2nd win of the season (2-0).
The Yankee offense got on the board early against Tigers' starter Justin Verlander who struggled over 6 innings, throwing 127 pitches, allowing 8 hits, walking 4 but held New York to just runs. Despite the win (5-3), the Yankees were 2-14 with RISP and left 11 on base. The good news was that Posada had 2 hits after being mired in a terrible slump (something like 1 for his last 30). Gardner had a good game once again with 2 walks and 1 hit as his average has climbed to .211.
As a side note, Phil Hughes had good news today regarding his possible thoratic outlet syndrome. Not too many details have been revealed yet however.
Grades:
Offense: B 5 runs scored without the home run is good but 2-14 with RISP is not.
Starting Pitching (Colon): B Gave the Yanks length but allowed 3 runs. Another good start by the veteran.
Bullpen: A+ Another great performance.
Weather for Tomorrow's Matchup (@ Tigers):
It's going to be a chilly game tomorrow night and feel more like March than the first week of April due a cold front that will pass through the area tonight.
Game Time Conditions (7:05pm): Mostly cloudy with a temperature of 40.
Verification of Yesterday's Forecast:
Forecast Temp:55
Observed Temp: 57
Forecast Conditions: Mostly cloudy.
Observed Conditions: A few high clouds.
Grade: A
Bartolo Colon continued to look like he has been reborn, embodying his 2005-self for the third game in a row. The movement on his pitches was once again fantastic and he held the Tigers to 3 runs over 7 innings while striking out 7. He allowed two solo HRs to Avila including a game-tying blast in the 7th. Despite the late comeback by the Tigers to tie the game at 3, the Yanks came through in the top of the 9th with a hard single up the middle by Swisher that scored Teixiera from 2nd, just ahead of the throw. New York picked up its 5th run on a wild pitch by Valverde later in the inning who threw 35 pitches to record 3 outs.
The bullpens made the difference in this game with Valverde shouldering the loss for the Tigers. On the flip side, Joba and Mo pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th with Rivera picking up his 11th save and Chamberlain accumulating his 2nd win of the season (2-0).
The Yankee offense got on the board early against Tigers' starter Justin Verlander who struggled over 6 innings, throwing 127 pitches, allowing 8 hits, walking 4 but held New York to just runs. Despite the win (5-3), the Yankees were 2-14 with RISP and left 11 on base. The good news was that Posada had 2 hits after being mired in a terrible slump (something like 1 for his last 30). Gardner had a good game once again with 2 walks and 1 hit as his average has climbed to .211.
As a side note, Phil Hughes had good news today regarding his possible thoratic outlet syndrome. Not too many details have been revealed yet however.
Grades:
Offense: B 5 runs scored without the home run is good but 2-14 with RISP is not.
Starting Pitching (Colon): B Gave the Yanks length but allowed 3 runs. Another good start by the veteran.
Bullpen: A+ Another great performance.
Weather for Tomorrow's Matchup (@ Tigers):
It's going to be a chilly game tomorrow night and feel more like March than the first week of April due a cold front that will pass through the area tonight.
Game Time Conditions (7:05pm): Mostly cloudy with a temperature of 40.
Verification of Yesterday's Forecast:
Forecast Temp:55
Observed Temp: 57
Forecast Conditions: Mostly cloudy.
Observed Conditions: A few high clouds.
Grade: A
Osama Bin Laden Killed in Pakistan!
Nearly 10 years after the September 11th terror attacks, Osama Bin Laden was killed tonight by US troops in Pakistan. Below are two picture from downtown State College, PA tonight as Penn State students rallied patriotically at word of his death.
Courtesy of Brian Cassano and Jesse Schwakoff
Courtesy of Brian Cassano and Jesse Schwakoff
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Grandyman Can...Long Ball and Nova Combine for Yanks Win
Commentary:
Ivan Nova continues to look like he is successfully evolving into a big league pitcher, throwing his 2nd quality start in as many outings. He pitched into the 7th, allowing 2 runs and striking out 5. The one tarnish on his line was the 4 walks. It may not be the quickest game when he pitches but he has been getting the job done and while the rest of the rotation has been magnificent, it's okay to have Nova learn about the big leagues in his 5th starter role...especially if he continues to pitch like he is currently.
Sporting a knee-buckling curveball, Nova kept the Jays off balance despite trouble locating his fastball. Adam Lind connected on a solo home run on a flare down the left field line in the 2nd that bounced off the foul screen. Dave Robertson relieved Nova in the 7th and got into some trouble before Logan came on to get the last out of the inning which entailed him making a backhand snare on a grounder back to the mound that caught him. Soriano and Mo closed out the contest with Rafael Soriano allowing the seemingly required long flyballs to give Girardi and Yankee fans heart palpatations.
The Bronx Bombers once again did the majority of their scoring via the long ball on Saturday with a solo shot in the 1st by Tex and a momentum changing 3-run blast by Granderson ("The Grandyman"--John Sterling's nickname and Willy Wonka reference) in the 5th. Francisco Cervelli, in his first game back from a DL stint added a RBI ground-out in the 5th. The Yanks combined for 6 hits and were 3-6 with runners in scoring position (RISP).
Grades:
Offense: B Good home run productivity once again but back to back innings ended in double play groundouts which can't continue to happen. Jeter continues to put the ball on the ground too often--68% to be specific which is the most in the majors. Gardner is starting to hit...finally.
Starting Pitching (Nova): B The number of walks is too high but he continues to be successful allowing only 2 runs in 6.1 IP
Bullpen: A No runs, no hits but 2 walks keeps this grade from being an A+. Soriano thankfully didn't give up a run.
Weather for Tomorrow's Matchup (@ Tigers):
A cold front will sweep through the region tonight and tomorrow morning bringing a few showers which will clear by gametime tomorrow. Clouds will remain for the game however with cooling temperatures.
Game Time Conditions (7:05pm): Mostly cloudy with a temperature of 55 degrees.
Ivan Nova continues to look like he is successfully evolving into a big league pitcher, throwing his 2nd quality start in as many outings. He pitched into the 7th, allowing 2 runs and striking out 5. The one tarnish on his line was the 4 walks. It may not be the quickest game when he pitches but he has been getting the job done and while the rest of the rotation has been magnificent, it's okay to have Nova learn about the big leagues in his 5th starter role...especially if he continues to pitch like he is currently.
Sporting a knee-buckling curveball, Nova kept the Jays off balance despite trouble locating his fastball. Adam Lind connected on a solo home run on a flare down the left field line in the 2nd that bounced off the foul screen. Dave Robertson relieved Nova in the 7th and got into some trouble before Logan came on to get the last out of the inning which entailed him making a backhand snare on a grounder back to the mound that caught him. Soriano and Mo closed out the contest with Rafael Soriano allowing the seemingly required long flyballs to give Girardi and Yankee fans heart palpatations.
The Bronx Bombers once again did the majority of their scoring via the long ball on Saturday with a solo shot in the 1st by Tex and a momentum changing 3-run blast by Granderson ("The Grandyman"--John Sterling's nickname and Willy Wonka reference) in the 5th. Francisco Cervelli, in his first game back from a DL stint added a RBI ground-out in the 5th. The Yanks combined for 6 hits and were 3-6 with runners in scoring position (RISP).
Grades:
Offense: B Good home run productivity once again but back to back innings ended in double play groundouts which can't continue to happen. Jeter continues to put the ball on the ground too often--68% to be specific which is the most in the majors. Gardner is starting to hit...finally.
Starting Pitching (Nova): B The number of walks is too high but he continues to be successful allowing only 2 runs in 6.1 IP
Bullpen: A No runs, no hits but 2 walks keeps this grade from being an A+. Soriano thankfully didn't give up a run.
Weather for Tomorrow's Matchup (@ Tigers):
A cold front will sweep through the region tonight and tomorrow morning bringing a few showers which will clear by gametime tomorrow. Clouds will remain for the game however with cooling temperatures.
Game Time Conditions (7:05pm): Mostly cloudy with a temperature of 55 degrees.
Yankees April Review: A Solid Start
**This is the first installment of the Yankees monthly review. I'll summarize the previous month and give my grade averages for each category and starting pitcher for the month as well as the cumulative averages. Grades are numerically calculated using a GPA type system where an A is a 4.0, A- is a 3.67, B+ is a 3.33 and so on. The numbers are then averaged for each category.**
As the first month of the baseball season comes to a close, let's take a look at how the Yankees fared over the first 25 games
Record: 16-9
Offensive Stats:
Batting Average: .253 (6th in AL)
Slugging Percentage: .475 (1st in AL)
Home Runs: 43 (1st in AL)
RBI: 133 (3rd in AL)
Runs: 134 (4th in AL)
Hits: 199 (13th in AL)
My Grade Average: 3.08 (~B)
Thoughts: Definitely not lacking in power as New York leads the majors in slugging percentage but they are sorely lacking in hits with only 199 which is 2nd to last in the AL and 26th of 30 in all of baseball! My grade of a B seems to fit nicely with the actually statistics. Room for improvement in playing small ball and manufacturing runs but you can't be too upset with how this unit has performed so far.
Pitching Stats:
ERA: 3.79 (6th in AL)
Hits Allowed: 210 (12th in AL)
Earned Runs Allowed: 92 (12th in AL)
Home Runs: 18 (12th in AL)
Walks: 79 (13th in AL)
Strikeouts: 169 (9th in AL)
My Starting Pitching Grade Average: 3.00 (B)
My Bullpen Grade Average: 3.17 (>B)
Thoughts: Another solid start in the pitching category with notable exceptional categories of walks and homeruns allowed. The ERA is very nice as well. My starting pitching grade would be higher had it not been for a few disastrous starts by Phil Hughes. The bullpen in general has been solid with the usual Soriano implosion unfortunately.
Pitcher Breakdown (# of starts):
Sabathia (5): 3.27
Burnett (5): 3.20
Hughes (2): 0.67
Nova (4): 2.58
Garcia (3): 3.67
Colon (2): 4.00
Colon and Garcia have clearly been great surprises with Sabathia being his usual, consistent, dominating self. Nova has recently gained confidence as the weather has warmed and is pitching much better. His latest start (May 1st) doesn't get included in these grades but it was another quality outing.
Weather Forecast Accuracy:
Weather forecasts were very accurate overall with only one grade of a C or below. This occurred on April 6th when I believed the game would be played but was rained out instead. My overall average grade was 3.36 (A-)
As the first month of the baseball season comes to a close, let's take a look at how the Yankees fared over the first 25 games
Record: 16-9
Offensive Stats:
Batting Average: .253 (6th in AL)
Slugging Percentage: .475 (1st in AL)
Home Runs: 43 (1st in AL)
RBI: 133 (3rd in AL)
Runs: 134 (4th in AL)
Hits: 199 (13th in AL)
My Grade Average: 3.08 (~B)
Thoughts: Definitely not lacking in power as New York leads the majors in slugging percentage but they are sorely lacking in hits with only 199 which is 2nd to last in the AL and 26th of 30 in all of baseball! My grade of a B seems to fit nicely with the actually statistics. Room for improvement in playing small ball and manufacturing runs but you can't be too upset with how this unit has performed so far.
Pitching Stats:
ERA: 3.79 (6th in AL)
Hits Allowed: 210 (12th in AL)
Earned Runs Allowed: 92 (12th in AL)
Home Runs: 18 (12th in AL)
Walks: 79 (13th in AL)
Strikeouts: 169 (9th in AL)
My Starting Pitching Grade Average: 3.00 (B)
My Bullpen Grade Average: 3.17 (>B)
Thoughts: Another solid start in the pitching category with notable exceptional categories of walks and homeruns allowed. The ERA is very nice as well. My starting pitching grade would be higher had it not been for a few disastrous starts by Phil Hughes. The bullpen in general has been solid with the usual Soriano implosion unfortunately.
Pitcher Breakdown (# of starts):
Sabathia (5): 3.27
Burnett (5): 3.20
Hughes (2): 0.67
Nova (4): 2.58
Garcia (3): 3.67
Colon (2): 4.00
Colon and Garcia have clearly been great surprises with Sabathia being his usual, consistent, dominating self. Nova has recently gained confidence as the weather has warmed and is pitching much better. His latest start (May 1st) doesn't get included in these grades but it was another quality outing.
Weather Forecast Accuracy:
Weather forecasts were very accurate overall with only one grade of a C or below. This occurred on April 6th when I believed the game would be played but was rained out instead. My overall average grade was 3.36 (A-)
Belated Yankee Grades From Past Week
It's been quite busy wrapping up my final semester at PSU :( but I have some time to update about the Yankees so the grades from the White Sox game on Tuesday (4/26) through yesterday's game against the Blue Jays (4/30).
vs. White Sox (Tuesday, April 26th; Floyd vs. Nova) White Sox Win 3-2
Offense: C- For the second night in a row, the Yankees' bats were held silent with the exception of two solo HRs (Cano, Gardner). Once again, a pitcher, this time Gavin Floyd mixed his speeds to keep New York off balance, striking out 10 and allowing only 4 hits over 8 innings. To the Yanks' credit, they threatened in the bottom of the 9th but two spectacular run saving catches by back-up outfielder Brent Lillibridge saved the game for Chicago.
Starting Pitching (Nova): A- Nova had his best career start and had out pitched Floyd over 6.1 innings but Soriano once again blew an 8th inning lead with a two run HR to Konerko.
Bullpen: D+ Logan, Roberston, and Carlyle each did an OK job but allowed a few hits and walks. Soriano once again screwed up the game by allowing a 2 run HR to Konerko. Let's hope his May is better than his April (which wouldn't be hard to do).
vs. White Sox (Wednesday, April 27th; Buehrle vs. Colon) Yankees Win 3-1
Offense: B- Not too many hits (6) and they left 8 on base and only had 2 opportunities with RISP. But they did enough to win the game with Cano's 3 run HR in the first inning.
Starting Pitching (Colon): A I don't know how much better Colon can get after looking vintage in this outing. 8 IP with 6 Ks while only throwing 99 pitches. Thank god he went 8 innings so Girardi could skip Soriano and ensure that the game ended in a victory.
Bullpen: A+ Not a big sample size by Mo was perfect in the 9th with 1 K
vs. White Sox (Thursday, April 28th; Jackson vs. Sabathia) Yankees Win 12-3
Offense: A+ Contributions from around the line up and only 2 home runs. Great offense showing.
Starting Pitching (Sabathia): A 7 IP and no earned runs although he allowed 3 runs in the 7th due to an error by Nunez at shortstop who took Jeter's place in the line up.
Bullpen: A Lance Pendleton pitched 2 innings in mop-up relief and allowed just 2 hits.
vs. Blue Jays (Friday, April 29th; Romero vs. Garcia) Blue Jays Win 5-3
Offense: C Cano had 2 home runs and Martin had an RBI with 2outs in the 2nd but the Yanks went 0-8 with RISP and left 11 on base including not scoring with the bases loaded and no one out on the 5th. A-Rod grounded into a double play. New York couldn't capitalize on opportunities.
Starting Pitching (Garcia): B- A decent start but not as brilliant as his first 2. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings but threw 101 pitches.
Bullpen: B- Robertson gave up 2 runs in the 8th but the rest of the bullpen looked very good.
vs. Blue Jays (Saturday, April 30th; Drabek vs. Burnett) Yankees Win 5-4
Offense: A- A nice showing with RBIs from 5 different players. The team was 4-9 with RISP and was able to score all 5 runs without a home run. Productive day.
Starting Pitching (Burnett): B- Not a brilliant start but he kept New York in the game over 6 innings while only throwing 82 pitches. Didn't walk any which was a good sign.
Bullpen: A JoSoMo did the job allowing just 2 hits over the final 3 innings.
vs. White Sox (Tuesday, April 26th; Floyd vs. Nova) White Sox Win 3-2
Offense: C- For the second night in a row, the Yankees' bats were held silent with the exception of two solo HRs (Cano, Gardner). Once again, a pitcher, this time Gavin Floyd mixed his speeds to keep New York off balance, striking out 10 and allowing only 4 hits over 8 innings. To the Yanks' credit, they threatened in the bottom of the 9th but two spectacular run saving catches by back-up outfielder Brent Lillibridge saved the game for Chicago.
Starting Pitching (Nova): A- Nova had his best career start and had out pitched Floyd over 6.1 innings but Soriano once again blew an 8th inning lead with a two run HR to Konerko.
Bullpen: D+ Logan, Roberston, and Carlyle each did an OK job but allowed a few hits and walks. Soriano once again screwed up the game by allowing a 2 run HR to Konerko. Let's hope his May is better than his April (which wouldn't be hard to do).
vs. White Sox (Wednesday, April 27th; Buehrle vs. Colon) Yankees Win 3-1
Offense: B- Not too many hits (6) and they left 8 on base and only had 2 opportunities with RISP. But they did enough to win the game with Cano's 3 run HR in the first inning.
Starting Pitching (Colon): A I don't know how much better Colon can get after looking vintage in this outing. 8 IP with 6 Ks while only throwing 99 pitches. Thank god he went 8 innings so Girardi could skip Soriano and ensure that the game ended in a victory.
Bullpen: A+ Not a big sample size by Mo was perfect in the 9th with 1 K
vs. White Sox (Thursday, April 28th; Jackson vs. Sabathia) Yankees Win 12-3
Offense: A+ Contributions from around the line up and only 2 home runs. Great offense showing.
Starting Pitching (Sabathia): A 7 IP and no earned runs although he allowed 3 runs in the 7th due to an error by Nunez at shortstop who took Jeter's place in the line up.
Bullpen: A Lance Pendleton pitched 2 innings in mop-up relief and allowed just 2 hits.
vs. Blue Jays (Friday, April 29th; Romero vs. Garcia) Blue Jays Win 5-3
Offense: C Cano had 2 home runs and Martin had an RBI with 2outs in the 2nd but the Yanks went 0-8 with RISP and left 11 on base including not scoring with the bases loaded and no one out on the 5th. A-Rod grounded into a double play. New York couldn't capitalize on opportunities.
Starting Pitching (Garcia): B- A decent start but not as brilliant as his first 2. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings but threw 101 pitches.
Bullpen: B- Robertson gave up 2 runs in the 8th but the rest of the bullpen looked very good.
vs. Blue Jays (Saturday, April 30th; Drabek vs. Burnett) Yankees Win 5-4
Offense: A- A nice showing with RBIs from 5 different players. The team was 4-9 with RISP and was able to score all 5 runs without a home run. Productive day.
Starting Pitching (Burnett): B- Not a brilliant start but he kept New York in the game over 6 innings while only throwing 82 pitches. Didn't walk any which was a good sign.
Bullpen: A JoSoMo did the job allowing just 2 hits over the final 3 innings.
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