The Yanks face Chris Archer tonight. The “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” Ivan Nova goes for the Yanks.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran DH
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Kelly Johnson 1B
Brian Roberts 2B
Dean Anna SS

Never mind last night’s meltdown:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Picture Via: Sketchy]

The NBA Playoffs start this afternoon.

Diggum Smack.

[Photo Credit: J.K. Hering]

…when all of a sudden, the bullpen fell apart. Yeah, the Yanks had a nice 4-0 lead, beating Erik Bedard around pretty good. The game, like the one the night before, moved along at a tension-free, brisk pace for the Yanks until Hiroki Kuroda began to labor. He left the game with runners on base and the Yanks ahead by a run and even though they’d add another–to make it 5-3–things fell apart after that, and the Rays, who haven’t been scoring much, broke out.

When the dust cleared it was 11-5.

The lasting memory of this game was that of Cesar Cabral in the 8th. The kid couldn’t control his pitches, almost hit a couple of guys and then hit three. Joe West tossed him, not for intent I’d like to think, but to put the kid out of his misery. The Yanks DFA’d the poor bastard after the game, and you’d like to think he won’t have a worse night in his professional career.

Our man Hiroki’s on the hill tonight; Beltran’s got the night off.

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Alfonso Soriano DH
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 2B
Kelly Johnson 1B
Scott Sizemore 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF

Never mind letting up:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Teresa Zabala/The New York Times]

Nick Dilallo’s New York Numbers. Found over at Subtraction.

Sour Cream and Cinnamon Crumb Cake. Indeed.

Oh, Charlotte.

[Photograph by Terry O’Neill]

A Study of “The Room” by Hisaji Hara (via Biblioklept).

The French New Wave…

Pictures by Raymond Cauchetier…

over at Everyday I Show.

Early lead, good fielding–covering up some of the cruddy fielding–more hitting, decent pitching, and some more runs. Oh yeah, and a triple play. Started by Solarte and finished by Scott Sizemore, playing first base for the first time since, well, ever. Even a scary moment, where Carlos Beltran tumbled over the fence in foul ground down the right field line, turned out to be more of a scare than anything serious.

It’s not every day you put a beatin’ on David Price. So, yeah, it was a good night.

Final Score: Yanks 10, Rays 2.  

No surprise here but man has Jacoby Ellsbury ever been good so far. In the field–he seems to take much better routes in center than Brett Gardner, never mind Curtis Granderson–on the bases and at the plate, he’s been terrific so far.

[Picture by Bags; GIF via Deadspin]

Photograph by Ana Grigolia via MPD.

The Yanks meet the Rays. Last year, C.C. was no bueno against Tampa. Let’s hope that changes, starting tonight.

Never mind the lousy dome:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Picture by Bags]

True.

[Picture via: Married to the Mob…found over at This Isn’t Happiness]

I found this cool documentary linked over at Laughing Squid.

Worth a look.

[Image Via: NPR]

Dig this.

[Image via: The Cotton Ball Conspiracy]

AERIAL NYC – RANDY SCOTT SLAVIN – DJI PHANTOM from director. randy scott slavin on Vimeo.

Up in the sky.

[Featured Image via: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg]

The Wife and I spent the last week in New Mexico visiting family so we didn’t watch any Yankee baseball. I was able to post some here at the Banter, and we checked the score on our phones and on my computer, read Jon’s recaps here at the Banter, but didn’t see a single pitch.

The trip back can sometimes be a drag. No direct flight, you either stop over in Chicago or Dallas. Yesterday it was Dallas and well, the entire trip went smoothly. Right down to the cab ride home. We sailed passed the Stadium while the game was in the 5th inning and so we were able to watch the last part of it at home.

Got a little tricky for the Yankee bullpen after another solid performance from Michael Pineda but they didn’t allow a run as the Yanks completed a rare day-night shutout and won the second game, 2-0. Pat Jordan recently wrote a story for SB Nation where he said that with the game on the line he wanted Derek Jeter at shortstop. At least Jeter in his prime. And last night, with they tying run on second, the ball was hit to Jeter. He made the play and the game was over.

Speaking of Jeter, we’ve often talked about how much fun he has on the field, and how underreported that is. That was the case last night–when he looked like a high school kid–when the Cubs’ pitching coach was kicked out of the game.

Dig the GIF via Deadspin’s Sean Newell.

I should credit my friend Scott for the headline as he mentioned it as a possible name for his fantasy squad, but he ultimately rejected the handle because he’s a godforsaken Red Sox fan and couldn’t stand the idea of giving such an honor to a Yankee. So screw him.

When the Yankees signed Tanaka, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief as they had put the team before the tax and filled the hole in the rotation with the best available pitcher. But we didn’t exhale completely because we really didn’t know what we were getting. After today’s 3-0 win, my exhale is complete.

Sure he did it against a Cubs team that would make Ernie Banks say, “Let’s play none.” But we’re talking two lousy bunt hits away from a no-hitter. This is straight filth. What I have thoroughly enjoyed about his pitching is that his late innings are just as damn unhittable as his early ones. Moreso thus far.

Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury continue to hit, though there wasn’t a lot in the pot for the offense today. No matter. Tanaka was so strong, Girardi traded a free base for an out just to be damn sure he plated the third run.

When Ellsbury nicked Baker’s glove and the ball dribbled into play in the fifth, he could have advanced to first, setting up first and third for the clean up hitter with one out. Instead, he took the out and the extra run, which must have seemed like ten more to the Cubs.

It’s so damn cold, Girardi would be well within his rights to rest some regulars tonight and the probabilty of a sweep isn’t going to be as high as I’d like. Still, I can’t see these Cubs running around the bases unless it’s a mascot race or something.   

Use this as your game thread for the nightcap. I will try to get you lineups when I see them.

There’s ice on the windshield this morning. God damned ice on the windshield. Girardi’s got a bunch of old guys with tweaks and playing in 35 degree weather ain’t what the doctor ordered. Here’s the lineup, Jeter’s not in it.

Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran RF
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Alfonso Soriano DH
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 2B
Kelly Johnson 1B
Dean Anna SS
Scott Sizemore 3B

Today’s the day all of Tanaka’s cold-weather preparation pays off.

I’m not convinced the kid will stay healthy but if he does the future is bright for Michael Pineda.

Dig this from Tony Blengino over at Fangraphs. 

[Photo Credit: Andrew Theodorakis/N.Y. Daily News]