Does baseball get any better than this?

It is a quarter of the way through the 2012 season, and the divisional races, along with inter-league play has provided plenty of drama.

Teams are still emerging, injuries are never-ending and the Orioles and Nationals seem to be really for real.

Over the month of June fans will learn a lot more about how good, or bad their team really is… as the excitement that a new season brings will wash away and the players true colors will start to show.

So, how does your team look thus far as baseball heads into the hot summer months?

Well, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer..so here are LadyLovesPinstripes.com power rankings for week 7.

Enjoy and have a very Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

And as always feel free to give your opinion in a comment.

Lady Loves Pinstripes - MLB Power Rankings - Week 7 - #1-15

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Post tags: 2012 Major League Baseball season, Lady Loves Pinstripes, Major League Baseball, Memorial Day, Nationals, Orioles, Sport

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After Tuesday nights much-needed 3-2 win in the Bronx, New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said that Rafael Soriano will be his closer going forward according to Zach Schobrun of the New York Times.

Rafael Soriano (Photo credit: Wikipedi

This makes complete sense as Soriano has a proven track record in the role, as he racked up 45 saves, the most saves in the AL, back in 2010 with the Rays.

Even more importantly, Soriano is a closer and deserves the chance to prove it.

After the great Mariano Rivera went down for the season, 25-year old David Robertson got shoved into a role that he wasn’t quite ready for yet. Yes, Robertson is an All-Star reliever, arguably the best set-up man in baseball but he is still learning so why force it.

Now with Robertson looking to return from the 15-day DL, it is a wise move of Girardi to keep him where he is comfortable; and that is in the 8th inning, at least for now.

When you consider the Yankees terrible track record with young pitchers, maybe Girardi finally woke-up and realized that forcing pitchers into roles prematurely doesn’t work.

Luckily Soriano gives the Yankees a luxury that most teams cannot afford, an extra, dominant closer to fill the shoes of the greatest one ever.

Remember that Yankees President Randy Levine went ahead and signed Soriano last season to a three-year, $35 million dollar deal even though GM Brian Cashman publically made clear he was against it.(...)
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Post tags: David Robertson, Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera, New York Times, New York Yankee, Rafael Soriano, Soriano, Yankee

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Instead of mulling over the New York Yankees many troubles, which are still very real even after their 3-2 win over the Royals last night, I found another subject to focus my irritations on.

Derek Jeter at the New York Yankees vs. Colorado Rockies game on June 19, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And that would be non-other then the MLB award watch 2012 on ESPN.com, specifically the AL MVP.

ESPN decided to vote on all 2012 MLB awards as if the season ended today.

Here is what ESPN stated as the voting guidelines:

ESPN's MLB award watch 2012.

ESPN listed the top five vote getters for every award but the AL MVP group appeared wrong to me.

And I am not talking about the winner Rangers Josh Hamilton, as he is by far having the best season of any player in baseball, maybe ever.

Hamilton at the top was dead right but the fact that the next four did not include either Yankees captain Derek Jeter, Red Sox David Ortiz or Tigers Miguel Cabrera seemed odd.

Here are the stats of the ESPN experts’ five winners, and the three who got snubbed.(...)
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Post tags: Colorado Rockies, Derek Jeter, ESPN, Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, New York Yankee, Paul Konerko, Royals, Yankee

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With all the hostility surrounding the 2012 New York Yankeeslately, I figured why not re-focus on some positives and embrace New York’s new role of being the Stankees.

the new STANKEES STADIUM.

After losing 6-0 to the Royals last night, the Stankees officially moved to the cellar of the AL East but that is not exactly where they need to be.

The Stankees are playing way too well still, as .500 baseball, is just unacceptable and you can thank bullpen for that. The bullpen is too good and they need to start being consistent about giving up homers.

Now you might be wondering what good can come from being the Stankees that would never have happened back when they were the Yankees?

1)    Tickets to a game at the famous Yankee Stadium will be so cheap that the Legends Seats will finally get filled even though it is with the opposing teams fans.

2)    Fans will finally stop all the whining about how money buys Championships.

3)    The AL All-Star team won’t feature half the Yankees active roster.(...)
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Post tags: American League East, Big Apple, Joe Girardi, MLB Network, New York, New York Yankee, Yankee, Yankee Stadium

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New York Yankees (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

There is no way to sugarcoat this anymore because the New York Yankees absolutely stink.

Going over all the issues isn’t going to help anything because they can’t hit, they give up homers and any team can beat them; and I mean any.

All teams get a pass in the month of April, but it is Memorial Day Weekend and there is no sign of improvement as the Yankees are writing a book on new ways to lose.

Actually, the Yankees are getting worse and the fans are taking it really hard.

See, in the Big Apple we have the Giants, Jets, Mets, Rangers, Knicks, Islanders, and soon to be the Nets, and then there are the Yankees.

Since 1996 this is the team that embodies what New York City is all about, full of grinders, fighters and winners.

So, what exactly is going in here?

Is this the end of the Yankees as we know it, or are fans making mountains out of anthills?

HERE ARE MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE 2012 SEASON?

Without using any stats to find connections to anything positive, my first thought is that the YANKEES NEED TO START BEING VERY CONCERNED NOW.

The AL East standings don’t bother me because with the crappy baseball the Yankees have played they are certainly not playoff contenders. And doesn’t the saying go ain’t no use putting up your umbrella till it rains right?

Still the Yankees I used to know didn’t tip their caps to anyone especially an opposing pitcher.

They never made excuses that there was still a lot of baseball to be played to feel good about stinking.

And the one thing the Yankees I knew always made very clear was that losing in any way; type or kind was not a major concern but the only one.

Overall, to be completely honest something just doesn’t feel right to me.(...)
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© Kate for Lady Loves Pinstripes, 2012. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alex Rodriguez, Big Apple, Derek Jeter, Hal Steinbrenner, New York City, New York Yankee, Nick Swisher, Yankee

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ESPN New York reported that New York Yankees speedster Brett Gardnerwould have his right elbow examined by doctors following the 1pm rubber match vs. the Cincinnati Reds today.

Gardy and Grandy - 06/15/2011

Gardner has rehabbd his elbow and said:

“If I could start swinging here in the next couple of days, I’ll be ready by next weekend for sure.”

The Yankees have been without Gardner for 29 games, and his return will be welcomed with open arms.

Whether Gardner will be the difference maker for the Yankees is a whole different issue, as the team has been painfully bad so far this season.

Without a doubt the Yankees are better with Gardner, as just his speed alone, 49 steals in 2011, adds another dimension that opposing pitchers have to deal with.

Gardner was posting a .321 batting average before he went down in April 18^th but Yankee fans need to realize that he only played nine games so to think that will continue would be foolish.

Look I want Gardner back as much as anyone else but it is hard to think that the Yankees issue will suddenly disappear.

Yankee fans need to face the facts here, and that is the hitters are only getting worse and have shown zero signs of improving.(...)
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Post tags: Brett Gardner, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, ESPN, Gardner, Joe Girardi, New York Yankee, Yankee

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Mark Teixeira manning 1st base.

The New York Yankees lost in Toronto for the second night in a row 4-1; and once again it was at the hand of the dead bats who left a total of 16 runners on base in both defeats.

The line-up couldn’t muster up anything to give Phil Hughes‘ a win after solid outing where he only allowed two runs to score in almost six innings of work.

Hughes was the only positive thing out of this mini-sweep at the hand of the Blue Jays, other than the unfailing bullpen.

The Yankees did kindly wake up Blue Jays slugger Joes Bautista who homered in each game and drove in three of the 12 total Toronto runs.

No doubt Yankee fans are pissed, which in New York actually means frustrated with a lot of passion, but can you blame them?

It would be one thing if the Yankee bats were swinging at air, or just getting out-pitched because at least than fans could feel sorry for them.

Problem is the Yankees can hit and get on-base, but scoring runs they cannot.

The Yankees love the home-run, as in their nine May losses they went homer-less in all nine of them.

Since power comes in waves and a team relies on going deep as their only way to score runs, they will be streaky and right now that is the Yankees in a nutshell.

Teams that are feared can beat you in many ways, consistently; but when the Yankees can’t go deep they can’t win. That explains why they are in the midst of their third three game losing streak  this season.

The team has scored 178 runs but they have now allowed 171, which is about right in line for a team who now sits in fourth place in the AL East. And with the Red Sox having won five of their last six, things better change the fast or the Yankees will find themselves living in the cellar of the division by the Sunday.(...)
Read the rest of New York Yankees: To start Girardi needs to ban homers and move Tex

© Kate for Lady Loves Pinstripes, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Kyle Drabek, Mark Teixeira, New York Yankee, Phil Hughes, Robinson Canó, Yankee

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