Today’s news is powered by a little “Squeeze” play:
- MLB.com offers up their own mid-season report card on the Yanks, and has this prediction:
The 2009 Yankees are a playoff team. The AL East would love to make that a false statement for a second successive season, but there’s little reason to think the division or the Wild Card are not within New York’s grasp. The Yankees don’t match up well with the Red Sox, but they’ll will find a way to be playing in October. They might even beat the Sox at least once in their remaining 10 games.
[My take: OK folks . . . who wants to do the research on whether a team has made the playoffs despite going 1-17 or worse against another team?]
- Baseball Prospectus’ Steven Goldman has some ideas for the second half of the Bombers’ campaign:
The current AL Wild Card leaders have endured great disappointment from their starting rotation. Their quality start percentage of 43% ranks 12th in the league, just ahead of Cleveland’s. Only robust hitting and an improving bullpen has allowed them to win with consistency, but not against good teams like the Red Sox (0-8), Rays (4-4), and Angels (2-4). One obvious solution, putting Phil Hughes into the rotation is complicated by the fact that Hughes has been the team’s most effective late-inning option in front of Mariano Rivera (opposing hitters are batting .115/.182/.197 when he relieves). They would be best advised to move him to starting and trade for another bullpen arm, which would probably be less costly than getting into the Roy Halladay gold rush.
- The Yankees lose one of their international free agents to fraud:
. . . Two weeks ago, the Yankees signed a shortstop purporting to be 16-year-old Damian Arredondo from the Dominican Republic to an $850,000 bonus. Now Major League Baseball’s Department of Investigations has determined that Arredondo is not the player’s real name and that he is older than 16.
The Yankees signed the player they thought was Arredondo on July 2, the first day that major league teams are permitted to sign international free agents as young as 16. The Yankees were impressed with the switch-hitter’s strong arm and speed — he reportedly ran a 60-yard-dash in 6.4 seconds.
According to a new Major League Baseball rule, a player found to have used a fraudulent identity or to have misrepresented his age cannot sign with another club for one year. Major League Baseball has recently increased its efforts to deter identity fraud in Latin America by hiring new investigators and dispatching other investigators from its New York City office to oversee the process.
- Boss George made an appearance at his Tampa office.
- One-time Yankee radio announcer Charley Steiner hits the big 6-0 today.
- On this date in 1941, in front of more than 60,000 fans at Cleveland, Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak is ended at 56 games. Indians P Al Smith and Jim Bagby Jr., plus sensational plays by 3B Ken Keltner, stop the Yankee Clipper, but New York edges the Indians 6-5.
- On this date in 1947, the Yankees sweep a doubleheader against Cleveland 3-1 and 7-2 to extend their winning streak to 19 games.
- On this date in 1950, Whitey Ford wins his first ML game, beating the visiting White Sox, 4-3.
- On this date in 1978, Reggie Jackson ignores instructions and attempts to bunt in the 10th inning of a tie game with the Royals. Jackson pops up, the Yanks lose, 9-7, in the 11th, and Billy Martin serves Jackson with a 5-day suspension without pay. The Royals’ 3-game sweep at Yankee Stadium leaves New York in 4th place, 14 games behind the Red Sox.
- On this date in 1987, Don Mattingly becomes the first American League player to hit a home run in seven consecutive games.
See you Monday!
who wants to do the research on whether a team has made the playoffs despite going 1-17 or worse against another team?
The 1988 Dodgers and their 1-10 record against the Mets quickly comes to mind
[0] Thanks fer the Squeeze, Diane. Always brings me back.
They were "MY first band." My older sister had hipped me to pretty much everything I listened to before them. Spring of 1980, I was 14. We went to a record store. Sis picked up "The Wall." I picked up "Argy Bargy" and Billy Joel's "Glass Houses," which had just come out. I scoped out the Squeeze album after hearing "If I Didn't Love You" on WLIR. Followed them through high school and college.
Any idea when this performance was recorded?
Steve Goldman thinks the Yankees should trade for another bullpen arm.
Someone please come up with an instance in which such a trade was successful. Anyone? A mid-season trade for a relief pitcher?
Goldman's piece is stupid in other ways too. Yes, the Yankees have been dreadful vs Boston, but 4-4 against the Rays suggests ... what? Um, that they play .500 against a very good team? Right. And the Angels scenario is just too small to mark another case of Anaheim Panic yet. Last game of that series could easily have been ours if we didn't hit into two sacks-full DPs. Yes, we're 2-4. Make something significant of it, Goldman!
I do agree with the mlb.com point that our starting, which was to be a major asset, is the worry. Among other things, it makes managing really hard and exposed, when you have to get to the pen early so often.
Just continuing the head-games on Halladay ... would Jays bite if we took HALF of Wells' salary? I would also jump at Rios for 3-4 more years at 10 million if that helped land Roy for less (he is overpaid by LAST summer's FA standards, but not hugely so). He may have plateaued as 'pretty good' or 'frustrating' but that is NOT a bad solution to RF next year. If the Jays want out from under that money he's a better fit than Wells.
For the record: still think Ricciardi won't deal in AL East. The firestorm in Toronto would blow him out the window.
Someone please come up with an instance in which such a trade was successful. Anyone? A mid-season trade for a relief pitcher?
The Braves trading for Alejandro Peña? The Braves trading for Jeff Reardon a year later?
Sunday's Joba/Verlander tilt should be interesting - maybe some Verlander swagger and velocity will rub off on Joba. Sure wouldn't have expected those names to be in that order in the preceding sentence last year.
[0] I think the Yankees match up well with the Sox except from a psychological perspective.
[4] Cashman in particular has never been partiicularly good at trading for relievers at any point.
[6] I don't think swagger or lack thereof is Joba's problem.
[3] [5] Well, depending on how you define success, once upon a time Boston traded for a middle reliever named Larry Anderson in the middle of the season, and they made the playoffs that year . . . so that's one time! =)
In any case, the Yanks' best relief options, IMHO, are to be found in-house.
[6] [7] I think Joba just needs more experience.
The Yanks' starting pitching, which has been so-so at best, is most likely going to improve in the 2nd half, via the plexiglas principle. So I'm not worried about that. No, what I'm worried about is the hitting, because all of the "old guys" (< 35) have been performing so well. Maybe they keep it up; they are each capable of doing it. Maybe they decline, but only a little bit. But if three of the four, or all four, crater - which has to be a concern, given their ages and injury histories - uh-oh . . .
Truth be told, what the Yanks need - and have needed for a while now - is another OF bat. If NoMaas is right, there will be an opening of sorts for the rest of '09, and with Damon and Matsui gone, certainly for '10.
[8] If it's a lack of experience, why was he able to pitch as a starter with more velo and more command last season when he had less experience?
[9] Dumb luck? First time through? Random happenstance?
[10] a stronger, healthier shoulder???
[9] Because despite what we'd all like to believe, the development of a baseball player - especially a pitcher - is not always linear.
See also, Justin Verlander.