Comments on: Throwaway Game

By: Will Weiss

Will Weiss — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:38:16 +0000

[4] Good catch, Cliff. Chalk it up to the game going too long and me not doing a good enough job proofreading. I’d have said the same thing to someone else had they written that. Not my best moment. Apparently it was a throwaway game for me, too.

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:10:12 +0000

[27, et al]

Interstingly—and coincidentally??—Park’s pitch totals from last night:

Through the 8th inning: 16 pitches
Through 2 outs, 9th inning: 26 pitches
Through the 9th inning: 52 pitches

So, he *seems* to have lost it right around 25 pitches (after the second out on pitch 26, he walked a batter n four pitches, threw a WP, etc, etc.).

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:04:10 +0000

[17][26] It’s not direct evidence, but according to baseball-reference.com, looking at opponents’ batting by pitch count:

Pitches 1-25: 27 G, 127 PA, 4 HR, 7 BB, 24 K, 3.43 K/BB, .263/.310 /.432/.742
Pitches 26-50: 11 G, 29 PA, 3 HR, 5 BB, 5 K, 1.00 K/BB, .375/.483/.750/1.233

So yeah, he seems to get really bad the more pitches he throws, which would correspond with poor performance i a second inning of work.

By: rbj

rbj — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:54:41 +0000

[17] I think so. Though Park did get 2 quick outs in the ninth, then lost it.

The problem is that middle relief is always going to be a crap shoot. If you can be good consistently year after year, you’ll either be a starter or a closer. The trick is to figure out at this stage who’s having a good year, and can you get him on your team, and what the cost is going to be.

By: Mattpat11

Mattpat11 — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:52:51 +0000

[21] I think in the playoffs and World Series, making sure you put a fringe bench player in *every single game* against what is theoretically the best pitching in the league is just not sound strategy. The team being good enough to overcome it against Joe Smith in July doesn’t mean they can against Cliff Lee in October.

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:51:57 +0000

[22] Awesome indeed!

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:51:40 +0000

[21] I see what you’re saying, but by that definition nearly every addition for nearly every contending team is a luxury rather tan a need. The White Sox, say, could win the WS series with the team that they have. That said, I wouldn’t see a replacement for Juan Pierre as the starting LF as a “luxury.”Similarly, I don’t see having a legitimate player at a starting position as a “luxury.” I guess it comes down to how we choose to define the term.

In any case, I think [11] is correct—the luxury talk is just GM BS, like “Bubba Crosby will be our starting center fielder”.

By: seamus

seamus — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:40:16 +0000

Other than that, the fact that Gardner is 5th in the AL in OBP is pretty awesome.

By: seamus

seamus — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:32:01 +0000

[9] did Cashman say that we needed an upgrade at Backup infielder? I don’t recall that statement.

[8] “If there is a chance to improve, at reasonable cost of course, then y ou should.” Well yes, of course. But that doesn’t make it a need. Yes, improving at any position makes you better. But that doesn’t mean you “need” to. You can try to build the perfect team every year, but one recognizes that within your budget there are needs and there are luxuries. I don’t see how the Yankees “need” a full time DH in order to win the world series.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:42:25 +0000

[19] Even if he’s off his game Hughes is very impressive. I love watching his games. He’s like Moose and Cone in that you can sense the wheels turning in his head. He’s a thinking pitcher with great stuff, and great poise. No question he’s the most fun, and interesting righty Yankee pitcher to watch this side of his royal Mo-ness.

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:35:33 +0000

13) Speaking of letting the kids play, i get a rare treat tonight: a second consecutive evening of Yankees baseball on the local TeeVee. That means i get to see Phabulous Phil pitch, I think, for the first time this season.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:28:32 +0000

[16] I’m always seeking opportunites to upgrade, you see

By: Shaun P.

Shaun P. — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:28:12 +0000

[15] Park is terrible this year when he pitches more than 1 inning at a time, no? I want to say someone studied this . . . but I don’t remember who or where.

I will be a lot happier if Chan Ho Park disappears from the Yankees before the playoffs begin.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:27:55 +0000

[14] nice! a foam beer cooler!
Perhaps we could discuss trading Chan Ho Park for the kewpie doll?

By: rbj

rbj — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:13:13 +0000

Just remember, Yankees still have the best record in baseball, and are two games ahead of the second best record.

But man, what a brutal ten run lead, bottom of the ninth with two outs that was.

By: Shaun P.

Shaun P. — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:09:37 +0000

[11] Ding ding ding! Give this man a kewpie doll . . . errr . . . Yankees foam beer cooler!

And, to be honest, there really isn’t a good-hitting and good-fielding all-around backup middle infielder down in SWB (Russo is no SS and I’m not sure Nunez is for real, yet), so trading for a backup MI is perhaps a good thing.

But DH . . . if Montero keeps hitting the way he has been (0.319/0.392/0.567 since June 1, 0.379/0.486/0.672 since July 1), the Yanks may have no need to trade for a DH.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:03:49 +0000

[12] me too. Makes sense for the Yanks to keep the kids, and play the kids, as well.

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:00:52 +0000

11) i think you’re right. And he does seem to be having a hard time finding trading partners, doesn’t he? If the rumors and reports circulating are even remotely accurate, teams are settling for a lot less than what the Yankees are dangling. Actually, this doesn’t bother me so…despite my complaining I am rather fond of hanging onto prospects rather than trading them.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:55:18 +0000

[9] the “additional bat is a luxury” position strikes me as trade market b.s. Wouldn’t it make sense for the Yanks to verbally downplay their need for another hitter, while searching for offensive help?
If Posada’s back-of-the-knee problem is as serious as we might fear, you can be sure the Yanks are looking to add another productive hitter.
I suspect Cashman’s having a very hard time finding reasonable trading partners.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:50:32 +0000

I have no problem with Girardi’s lineups. He knows better than any of us who needs rest, who needs a boost in confidence, whose nose will get bent out of shape due to a demotion in lineup position, etc. Things don’t always work out as he plans, or as we want them to — but I don’t see how anyone can question the “seriousness” of his lineups.

Gardner, at this point, certainly seems like a better bet to lead off, but how many innings do we expect the lead off guy to lead off? Not enough to demote the captain in my opinion. In addition to that, Jeter had a very good, and productive game last night. Bear with him, folks. There’s plenty of life and greatness left in that player.