Pinstripe Alley

Overpaid Yankees Top Reasonably Priced A's 9-2

2012-05-26T23:15:53Z

We're a spoiled fanbase. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is definitely a thing. Other fanbases know it, and really, we know it, but I figured I'd point it out anyway. It's not exactly new information; it was just especially striking today.

CC Sabathia gave up more runs than we're used to seeing. He gave up two runs on seven hits in seven innings. His command wasn't very good. He struck out four and walked only two. The lineup included Eric Chavez and Chris Stewart off the bench. They went a combined three for seven with a double and two runs scored. Bartolo Colon was chased after giving up six runs in six innings. It almost felt like it should have been more. Almost half of the team's runs came on home runs. There's someone out there complaining about that. If it's you, stop.

The worst part of today's game was the YES booth yammering about the name of a train that happens to share four common letters with Bartolo Colon's name and making bad Chili Davis puns. That was the worst part of the game. That's spoiled pushed to obnoxious heights.

The Yankees did a lot of good things today, but with the exception of Mark Teixeira's 4-5, two home run game, it kind of felt routine. Almost like this is what was supposed to happen. It must be a west coast thing because it never feels like much happens when they make trips out west. Call it east coast bias, but I just can't get in to games out west. Robinson Cano had three hits with a home run, Derek Jeter reached milestone x with y at-bat result after a 2-4 day, and Sabathia pitched well, but still. Important things happened; it just felt routine. Maybe it's just the spoiled part of me shining through. It probably is.

Still, it's a win. Never going to complain about that. They beat a team they should have beaten without much incident. It's always good to tack on another win and see the whole team contribute. When you're getting quality production from the bench, seven innings from your ace when he's a bit off and the fourth or fifth options out of the pen finishing the game, there isn't much to complain about. If this is what routine is going to look like all year, I'll happily wear the spoiled label.

And Suzyn Waldman called Bartolo Colon a bell pepper. So there's that.

The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound tomorrow looking for a sweep. Hopefully the lineup continues to hit the way they have the last couple of games, because it definitely makes these west coast games more bearable.

Play of the Game: Mark Teixeira's fourth inning HR (+14.0 %)

Box Score. Math Class.

Comment of the Game: jetanumba2 for tracking down the only person allowed to tug on Superman's cape.

Game 46: Yankees @ Athletics

2012-05-26T19:53:38Z

CC Sabathia

#52 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-7

Weight: 290

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jul 21, 1980

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2012 - CC Sabathia	5-2	3.78	1.21	65	19

Bartolo Colon

#21 / Pitcher / Oakland Athletics

Height: 5-11

Weight: 265

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 24, 1973

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2012 - Bartolo Colon	4-4	4.09	1.28	38	10

Lineups after the jump.

Lineup

NEW YORK YANKEES	OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Derek Jeter - SS	Jemile Weeks - 2B
Curtis Granderson - CF	Coco Crisp - CF
Alex Rodriguez - DH	Josh Reddick - RF
Robinson Cano - 2B	Jonny Gomes - DH
Mark Teixeira - 1B	Josh Donaldson - 3B
Raul Ibanez - LF	Kurt Suzuki - C
Nick Swisher - RF	Cliff Pennington - SS
Eric Chavez - 3B	Adam Rosales - 1B
Chris Stewart - C	Collin Cowgill - LF

Hitless Wonders: Pirates and Athletes Turn Back the Clock to Dead Ball Era

2012-05-26T16:55:50Z

Offense is down across the major leagues once again, but this year, the Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates have taken the trend to an extreme. Not only does each team occupy the bottom of the offensive leader boards in their respective league, but both are currently performing at levels that would make a lineup from the dead ball era blush.

Historical Run Per Game Rates, by League Since 1901

Source: Baseball-reference.com

As Ivan Nova went over the Oakland Athletics' lineup before last night's game, he probably couldn't wait to take the mound. With only two batters hitting above .226 and a team average of .210, the Bash Brothers they aren't. Should the A's maintain their current output, the franchise would wind up with the lowest batting average of the modern era (since 1901) as well as one of the 25 worst offenses in the history of the American league (as measured by runs per game versus the league average).

10 Lowest Team Batting Averages, Since 1901

Source: fangraphs.com

Despite its historically low levels of production, the Athletics' offense doesn't even qualify as the worst in the major leagues this season. That distinction belongs to the Pirates, who just might have the worst collection of hitters to ever play the game. In terms of runs per game, Pittsburgh's Spartan rate of 2.82 would rank as the ninth worst since 1901, but when compared to the league average, the team's run production is surpassed by all but the 1942 Phillies. Even more concerning for the Pirates is the fact that just about every peripheral supports its inability to score, including the lowest on-base percentage, second lowest wOBA, and second highest strikeout rate of all time. However, nothing puts the futility of the Pirates' offense in better perspective than its OPS+ of 69, which, to an opposing pitcher, is kind of like facing a lineup full of Billy Ripkens.

Pirates Scorecard of Futility

Source: Baseball-reference.com and fangraphs.com

In fairness to the Athletics and Pirates, they aren't the only teams with offenses performing at historically low levels. However, they have become the symbols of an offensive recession that has gradually altered the context established by the recent era of inflated offensive totals. The throwback concept has become quite popular in baseball, and in some ways, watching the Athletics and Pirates is almost like stepping back in time. Maybe it's not quite the same style of play as in the dead ball era, but just don't be surprised if they start wearing flannel uniforms in Oakland and Pittsburgh.

Yankees News and Notes: Bay City Bombers

2012-05-26T10:41:40Z

Mark Teixeira is no longer coughing and, perhaps more importantly, no longer trying to make more contact to the opposite field. So far, the early results are encouraging. In last night's victory, the first baseman doubled and homered using his old approach, which he probably should not have abandoned in the first place.

Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano also homered in last night's game, giving the Yankees at least three long balls for the eighth time this season.

Eric Chavez was a bonafide star when he played for the Oakland Athletics, but that seems ages ago. For the first time since he left the team after the 2010 season, Chavez got a chance to relive some of those memories as he made his first return to Oakland as an opposition player.

The Yankees are eagerly awaiting the returns of David Robertson and Brett Gardner, but don't expect either one back anytime soon. Before last night's game, Joe Girardi said he didn't anticipate having Robertson or Gardner, who are in Tampa on rehab assignments, back until at least the team returns to the Bronx on June 5.

Remember John Maine? Brian Cashman does. The Yankees have signed the former Mets' right hander, who hasn't pitched since 2010, to a minor league contract and assigned him to extended spring training at the team's complex in Tampa.

A "tiny amount" of Roger Clemens' DNA was "likely" found on the syringe that supposedly constitutes a smoking gun in the seven-time Cy Young award winner's perjury trial. In typical lawyer fashion, that revelation was hailed by both sides as a victory. On the one hand, the prosecution pointed to the finding as confirmation of their charge, while the defense pointed to inconsistencies in the DNA evidence as well as the less than conclusive finding. The real winner, however, is Miller Lite, which, in addition to tasting great and being less filling, is now apparently a suitable mechanism for storing medical waste. The market opportunities are endless.

The Daily News caused a stir when they relied upon speculation to report that the Yankees were for sale. Subsequently, Yankees' principal owner Hal Steinbrenner denied that the team was being shopped, even though some estimations place the possible value at around $4 billion. Although the Bronx Bombers are not on the market, you can bet the recent record breaking sale of the Dodgers has more than a few team owners placing their ear to the ground.

Which is the most popular team in Florida: the Marlins or Rays? The correct answer is neither. According to a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac, the Yankees are the most popular team in the Sunshine State. In a survey of nearly 2,000 adults, 20% identified the Bronx Bombers as their favorite team followed by the Rays at 18% and Marlins at 15%.

Chad Curtis is best remembered by Yankees' fans for his walk off homerun in game 3 of the 1999 World Series, but now he is the subject of an unsavory allegation. On Friday, Curtis was arraigned on five counts of sexual misconduct in Michigan, a charge the former outfielder denies.

Yankees 6, Athletics 3: Hit All The Dingers

2012-05-26T05:30:46Z

The Yankee offense got to Oakland starter Tyson Ross, mainly by way of the home run, and Ivan Nova got his fifth win of the season as the Yankees defeated the Athletics 6-3.

Every Yankee starter except for Derek Jeter reached base at least once in the game, and the offense was led by two-run home runs from Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher, as well as a solo shot by Robinson Cano. Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez each singled twice; and Rodriguez managed to steal a base, something we haven't seen a ton of since Brett Gardner has been on the DL.

The offense scored three unearned runs in the 3rd inning after a Coco Crisp error, and threatened in the 4th with the bases loaded and one out before A-Rod grounded into a double play. Mark Teixeira also managed to get thrown out at third for the first out of the 5th inning, trying unsuccessfully to stretch a double off the glove of Seth Smith into a triple. The ghost of Jorge Posada still remains with the Yankees in terms of base running mistakes such as that.

Ivan Nova pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four batters. The runs came on a Josh Reddick solo home run, a Kurt Suzuki sac-fly in a damage-minimizing 5th inning, and a Kila Ka`aihue solo homer in the 7th.

The game was completed by an eight pitch outing from Boone Logan in the 8th, and Rafael Soriano came on to record his fourth save of the year in the 9th. After getting two outs, you may have thought that Soriano would finally have his first 1-2-3 inning of the year, but no, he's still allergic to that sort of thing. The double by Josh Donaldson eventually amounted to nothing, and that was the game (much later than most of us East Coasters are used to).

Comment of the Game: Let's Talk About Tex Baby for giving Ibanez some defensive tips.

Game 45: Yankees @ Athletics

2012-05-26T01:30:07Z

Ivan Nova

#47 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-4

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jan 12, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2012 - Ivan Nova	4-2	8	8	0	0	0	0	49.0	65	31	31	10	16	52	5.69	1.65

Tyson Ross

#66 / Pitcher / Oakland Athletics

Height: 6-6

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 22, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2012 - Tyson Ross	2-4	7	7	0	0	0	0	37.2	48	24	24	2	16	19	5.73	1.70

Yankees: Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Raul Ibanez, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Russell Martin

Athletics: Jemile Weeks, Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick, Seth Smith, Kila Ka`aihue, Josh Donaldson, Daric Barton, Kurt Suzuki, Cliff Pennington

Best Yankee Starting Pitching Performances of 2012

2012-05-25T18:00:30Z

It certainly hasn't been a banner year for our pitchers so far, with injuries and ineffectiveness shaking up the starting rotation more than once. Our pitchers have been victimized by absurd numbers of home runs, which has definitely led to frustration and more losses than we'd like. Despite all that, there have been a few bright moments that showed us all glimpses of what our rotation is capable of when they aren't getting run over by the bad luck train.

Game Score, if you aren't already familiar with it, is a sabermetric creation that is used to determine how well a pitcher did in any game. The pitcher starts out with 50 points, and loses one point for every walk issued, two points for every hit allowed, two points for every unearned run, and four points for every earned run. The pitcher is given one point for each out they record, one point for every strike out they record, and two points for every inning they complete after the 4th. This is what I used to find the top performances so far this year, courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

After the jump are the top ten starts of the season so far, according to Game Score:

1. Andy Pettitte vs Cincinnati Reds, Game Score: 82 - Vintage Andy Pettitte came to pitch after a mediocre showing vs the Seattle Mariners in his first start back from retirement. Pettitte threw eight shut-out innings on the way to a 4-0 Yankee win on May 18th. He struck out nine batters, and allowed only four hits.

2. Hiroki Kuroda vs Los Angeles Angels, Game Score: 76 - After giving up four runs in 5.2 innings to the Rays in his Yankee debut, Kuroda opened up the 2012 season at Yankee Stadium with eight scoreless innings against the newly revamped Angels on April 13th. Kuroda allowed five hits and struck out six batters as the Yankees won 5-0.

3. CC Sabathia vs Tampa Bay Rays, Game Score: 73 - The Hefty Lefty got his 5th win of the season after throwing eight innings of two-run (zero earned) ball against the Rays on May 10th. He struck out ten batters in the game, and the Yankees went on to win 5-3.

4. CC Sabathia vs Detroit Tigers, Game Score: 72 - CC gave up two runs in eight innings on April 29th in a game that the Yankees won 6-2, giving Sabathia his 3rd win of the season. CC struck out eight Tigers, and allowed only four hits in the game. The two runs were driven in by Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, which is hardly anything to be very disappointed in.

5. Hiroki Kuroda vs Baltimore Orioles, Game Score: 67 - Kuroda pitched seven innings of one-run ball on April 30th against the O's. He only allowed four hits while striking out three batters to get his second win of 2012 in a game that the Yankees won 2-1. After a disappointing loss in Texas after being out-dueled by Yu Darvish, Kuroda was able to bounce back with one of his better performances so far this year.

6. Phil Hughes vs Seattle Mariners, Game Score: 66 - Phil Hughes pitched his best game to this point in 2012 against the Mariners on May 12th. He struck out four and allowed only one run in 7.2 innings to get his third win of the year. The only run came on a Mike Carp solo shot in the 7th inning, and the Yankees won 6-2.

7. CC Sabathia vs Kansas City Royals, Game Score: 65 - Sabathia allowed two runs on seven hits in eight innings against the Royals, going on to win his fourth game of the season. CC struck out five batters and issued no walks in the game that the Yankees won 6-2.

8. CC Sabathia vs Minnesota Twins, Game Score: 64 - CC struck out seven Twins in 7.1 innings in his first win of the 2012 season on April 17th. The Twins are pretty pathetic this year, but they managed to score three runs off the Yankees' ace in the game on four hits.

9. Ivan Nova vs Tampa Bay Rays, Game Score: 63 - Nova beat James Shields and the Rays on May 8th, giving up two two runs in seven innings while striking out eight batters. In typical 2012 fashion, Nova gave up two home runs to Jose Molina and Luke Scott in the game, but the Yankees won 5-3 thanks to home runs of their own by Curtis Granderson and Raul Ibanez.

10. Andy Pettitte vs Kansas City Royals, Game Score: 62 - Hey, this was recent. Following his strong outing against the Reds, Andy pitched seven innings of two-run ball against the Royals on May 23rd to beat Will Smith in his major league debut. Pettitte struck out eight and walked only one batter in the game. The Yankees went on to win 8-3, thanks in large part to two Alex Rodriguez dingers and an additional dinger, compliments of Curtis Granderson.

It's kind of amazing that Andy Pettitte appears on this list twice, including the top spot, after only making three starts so far in 2012. If he can continue to do at least pretty well, our pitching may end up being alright after all. The fact that CC Sabathia is on this list four times is not surprising, despite also falling into the TOO MANY HOME RUNS trend that has plagued the Yankees' starters this year. Sabathia has managed to give up the least amount of dingers, save Pettitte, so it's not a shock that he has still managed to do fairly well.

Do you agree or disagree with how Game Score has ranked them, or were you surprised? Do you remember any games that you think should have made the top ten? Discuss.

Yankees Sign John Maine to Minor League Deal

2012-05-25T15:21:44Z

Former Mets Righty Adds Depth, Options

The New York Yankees have signed former Mets right-hander John Maine, according to Evan Drellich of MLB.com:

The Yankees will be signing former Mets/Red Sox righty John Maine to a Minor League deal, source says. Maine's been working out with Yanks
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) May 25, 2012

Maine, 31, was most recently signed by the Boston Red Sox in January, but was released at the beginning of May. He hasn't seen big league innings since 2010, when he pitched thirty-nine innings and racked up a 6.13 ERA over nine starts.

In 2007, Maine enjoyed his best season as a pro, starting thirty-two games and earning a 3.91 ERA. Since then, he's gradually worsened and been continually injured, posting worse numbers each season before being relegated to the minors in the Rockies' system during the 2011 season. He walked away from AAA Colorado Springs last June, and was reportedly considering retirement.

Still, he adds depth to an organization that needs it, and Andrew Marchand of ESPN characterizes the deal as "starter insurance." While Maine may not ever see big league innings again, he might give the club additional options as they move starters in and out of the rotation.