Tagged: Derek

July 15, 2009

2009 All Star Game Wrap-up

The American League All-Star Team remained undefeated for the 13th consecutive year, defeating the National League 4-3 Wednesday night.

Roy Halladay got the start for the American League, facing Tim “The Freak” Lincecum of the National League. Halladay surrendered 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits through 2 innings, while Lincecum surrendered 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits through 2 innings. Buehrle, Greinke, Jackson, Hernandez, Papelbon, Nathan, and Rivera of the American League all pitched 1 inning each, allowing 0 runs and surrendering just 1 hit. Franklin, Haren, Billingsley, Hoffman, Cordero, Bell, and Rodriguez of the National League pitched an inning each, but allowed 2 runs on 6 hits. Papelbon earned the win for the AL and Bell took the loss for the NL. Rivera of the New York Yankees earned his fourth All Star save, setting a major league record for most career saves for an All-Star Game.

AL Starting Lineup: Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira, Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Aaron Hill, Roy Halladay

NL Starting Lineup: Hanley Ramirez, Chase Utley, Albert Pujols, Ryan Braun, Raul Ibanez, David Wright, Shane Victorino, Yadier Molina, Tim Lincecum

In the top of the first, Ichiro singled, and Jeter walked (HBP on the wrist), putting runners on first and second. Then Mauer hit a grounder to third base, where Wright stepped on the bag, but wasn’t able to get Mauer at 1st. Then Teixeira drove Jeter in with a grounder that was misplayed by Albert Pujols, resulting in an error and run #1 for the AL. Hamilton would later drive Mauer in for the AL’s second run in the first. But in the bottom of the 2nd, Yadier Molina of the Cardinals singled a ball up the middle, plating the NL’s 1st run of the evening. Molina would move to second on a throwing error by Hamilton who thew to third baseman Michael Young to get Victorino at second, but the ball bounced off the runner’s back, and rolled to the dugout, which scored Shane making it a 2-2 ballgame. Then Homerun Derby Champ Prince Fielder drove in Molina with an RBI double to left field, pushing the NL to a 3-2 lead. But the AL would get the run back, as Joe Mauer hit a double of his own to right field, plating Jeter (his second run of the game) in the fifth inning to tie things up at 3. In the bottom of the seventh, Carl Crawford stole a homerun from Bard Hawpe, making a leaping catch over the left center field wall, which turned out to be the play of the game. Crawford would later be named MVP of the game. We move to the top of the 8th where Curtis Granderson got things going, hitting a leadoff triple. Granderson scored later that inning on a sacrifice fly by the Orioles center fielder Adam Jones. Mariano Rivera was able to hold off the NL in the ninth, securing a save for the AL.

AL All-Stars	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Suzuki, I, RF	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	.333
Jackson, E, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Morneau, 1B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Jeter, SS	2	2	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Bartlett, SS	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Mauer, C	3	1	1	1	0	0	2	.333
Granderson, CF	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1.000
Teixeira, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Martinez, V, C	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000
Bay, LF	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500
Jones, A, RF	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	.000
Hamilton, CF	3	0	1	1	0	0	2	.333
Hernandez, F, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Papelbon, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b-Youkilis, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000
Nathan, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Rivera, Ma, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Young, M, 3B	3	0	1	0	0	0	3	.333
c-Zobrist, PH-2B	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.000
Hill, A, 2B	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Inge, 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Halladay, P	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Buehrle, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Greinke, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-Crawford, PH-LF	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.333
Totals	34	4	8	3	1	3	13
a-Singled for Greinke in the 5th. b-Singled for Papelbon in the 8th. c-Struck out for Young, M in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Mauer (1, Billingsley). 3B: Granderson (1, Bell). TB: Suzuki, I; Mauer 2; Granderson 3; Bay; Hamilton; Youkilis; Young, M; Crawford. RBI: Hamilton (1), Mauer (1), Jones, A (1). 2-out RBI: Mauer. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Young, M; Teixeira; Zobrist. SF: Jones, A. GIDP: Young, M. Team RISP: 1-for-7. Team LOB: 6. FIELDING E: Hamilton (1, throw).

NL All-Stars	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Ramirez, H, SS	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Hoffman, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Gonzalez, A, 1B	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000
Utley, 2B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b-Hudson, O, PH-2B	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500
Pujols, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Cordero, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bell, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
e-Howard, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.000
Rodriguez, F, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Braun, RF-LF	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
c-Upton, J, PH-LF	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Ibanez, LF	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Hawpe, RF	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Wright, D, 3B	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	.500
Billingsley, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Tejada, SS	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Victorino, CF	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	.500
Werth, CF	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Molina, Y, C	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	.500
d-McCann, PH-C	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Lincecum, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-Fielder, PH	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1.000
Franklin, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Haren, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Zimmerman, R, 3B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	32	3	5	2	1	5	3
a-Doubled for Lincecum in the 2nd. b-Flied out for Utley in the 6th. c-Grounded out for Braun in the 6th. d-Popped out for Molina, Y in the 8th. e-Struck out for Bell in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Fielder (1, Halladay). TB: Hudson, O; Wright, D; Victorino; Molina, Y; Fielder 2. RBI: Molina, Y (1), Fielder (1). 2-out RBI: Molina, Y; Fielder. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Ramirez, H; Howard 2. Team RISP: 2-for-4. Team LOB: 3. BASERUNNING SB: Hudson, O (1, 2nd base off Nathan/Martinez, V). FIELDING E: Pujols (1, fielding). DP: (Utley-Tejada-Pujols).

With the win, the AL remained undefeated through 13 consecutive years and has secured home field advantage for the World Series. Overall, it was a well played ballgame, but I would have liked to see Wakefield pitch at least an inning. I mean, the guy is 42 and is likely not going to see another All Star Game, so why not let him pitch on the night of his first All Star Game? I would have also liked to see Ian Kinsler start at second base instead of Aaron Hill. I also thought it was messed up that Figgins didn’t get to play. He flew to St. Louis a hour before game time, on short notice, and wasn’t put in the game at all! Oh well… Guess you can’t play everyone… Would’ve liked the game to go into extra innings to see everyone play.

Good luck on the second half of the season. Leave comments on your opinion of the All Star Game…Otherwise Go Yankees!

The New York Yankees Get Graded

Well, its that time in the season where the first half seemed to have flown by. Many teams have shown that they are contenders, early, and are winning their way to the top of their division. Unfortunately, the Yankees are second in their division, but are 1st in the Wild Card. Anyways, before I start grading the Yankees on their performance during the first half of the season, I would like to update you on the standings.

American League

East	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston	53	34	.609	–
New York	51	36	.586	2.0
Tampa Bay	48	40	.545	5.5
Toronto	44	45	.494	10.0
Baltimore	39	48	.448	14.0

Central	W	L	PCT	GB
Detroit	47	39	.547	–
Chicago	45	42	.517	2.5
Minnesota	44	44	.500	4.0
Kansas City	37	50	.425	10.5
Cleveland	35	53	.398	13.0

West	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles	48	37	.565	–
Texas	48	38	.558	0.5
Seattle	45	42	.517	4.0
Oakland	36	49	.424	12.0

National League

East	W	L	PCT	GB
Philadelphia	47	38	.553	–
Florida	45	44	.506	4.0
Atlanta	43	44	.494	5.0
New York	41	45	.477	6.5
Washington	26	60	.302	21.5

Central	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis	48	41	.539	–
Milwaukee	45	42	.517	2.0
Chicago	42	42	.500	3.5
Houston	43	44	.494	4.0
Cincinnati	42	44	.488	4.5
Pittsburgh	38	49	.437	9.0

West	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles	55	32	.632	–
San Francisco	49	38	.563	6.0
Colorado	46	41	.529	9.0
Arizona	38	50	.432	17.5
San Diego	35	52	.402	20.0

Now for the grading… I’ll start by grading the Yankees everyday position players, starting rotation, and bullpen. If there is anyone that I leave out that you would like to see graded, just let me know by commenting. Thanks

Player……………………Grade

Mark Teixeira A

Teixeira was a great pickup for the Yankees over the 2008 off season. Through the first half of the season, Teixeira’s glove has really helped the Yankee’s infield gain confidence. They know that all they have to do is throw the ball in his direction and 99.99% of the time, Teixeira will scoop it, pick it, or stretch for it. Through 81 games played at first base, Teixeira has only made 1error! But not only is Tex a tremendous defensive player, but his bat also sparks the Yanks lineup. Teixeira is leading the Yankees in homeruns (21) , RBIs (63), and total bases (176), batting in the number 3 slot. Teixeira will be making his second appearance in the All Star Game and representing the Yankees for the first time.

Robinson Cano B

Cano had a great first half to the season. He is batting a high .309 and is leading the team in hits (109) and doubles (24). He has fielded 48 double plays, and in 86 games at second base has only made 3 errors.

Derek Jeter B

Jeter’s bat has really come alive this season. He leads the Yankees in batting AVG (.320), is second in hits, behind Cano (108), and second in stolen bases behind Gardner (17). Jeter has only made 4 errors in 80 games at shortstop and has turned 39 double plays. Jeter will be making his 10th consecutive appearance in the All Star Game as the starting shortstop.

Alex Rodriguez B-

Even though Alex is my all-time favorite player, I have to give him a B-. Even though Arod was out for more than a month, he is only batting .267. He has also committed 5 errors in 52 games this year at third base. I guess I have to cut him some slack since throwing from third base to first base isn’t as easy as he makes it look. But he has made up for lost time power wise hitting 17 bombs (2nd on Yankees) and driving in 50 runs in 57 games. He leads the team in OBP (.419) and slugging percentage (.562) Arod has also walked 48 times as well.

Jorge Posada C+

Posada, like Arod, was out for a while too. He has played 49 games behind the plate and 5 games as a DH. He is hitting .281 with ll homeruns and 38 RBI. He has called some great games behind the plate, and has thrown out 20 runners trying to steal. All he needs to do is stay healthy for the remainder of the season and get his swing going again.

Melky Cabrera B

I know Melky isn’t the greatest hitter in the Yankees lineup, but he has his clutch game winning hits and he comes through with his glove. Melky is batting a steady .280 with 8 homers and 38 RBIs. He has played 80 games for the Yankees this season (in the outfield) and has only made 2 errors. He has a very strong arm and can play pretty much anywhere in the outfield.

Nick Swisher B

Swisher was another great pick up for the Yankees. He has played 84 games for the Yanks (70 in the OF and 10 at 1B) and has made 4 errors. He is batting .238 with 14 homeruns and 47 RBIs. He has also pitched an inning for the Yankees striking out 1 and giving up no runs. (I loved watching that game!!!) He is a great outfielder and has made some tremendous plays through the first half of the season.

Brett Gardner A

I get chills whenever I watch Gardner play. He is probably the best rookie I have ever seen perform. He hits for average and runs like a cheetah. He leads the team in stolen bases (18) and triples (5). It seems like every time I turn on the TV Gardner is either on base or gets a nice hit down the line. He deserves to be rookie of the year. He has played 76 games for the Yanks this year (68 in the OF) and has made only 1 error.

Johnny Damon B+

I give Damon a lot of credit.. He has been hitting the ball with a lot of power this year and may be on his way to 100+ RBIs. You can tell that he has been working on his swing. He leads the team in runs scored (62) and is second in triples (3). He is batting .276 with 16 homeruns and 50 RBIs. Pitchers must see him as a power threat when he is up, especially if he is batting at Yankee Stadium. He’s played 81 games for the Yankees and has made 4 errors. if he can stay hot, he might even reach 30+ homeruns, which would be a career high.

Hideki Matsui C+

Matsui has been the Yankees DH this year. He is batting .266 with 14 homeruns and 40 RBIs this season and has played 77 games for the Yankees. I give him credit for going out there and still being capable to go yard with all the injuries he has had these past few seasons.

C.C. Sabathia A-

Sabathia seems to be settling in nicely with the Yankees. He it tied for first with 8 wins (along with
Burnett and Pettitte) and leads the starting rotation in ERA with 3.70. He has also pitched 2 complete games through the first half of the season, and is the only Yankees pitcher to do so, so far. He has 89 strikeouts while only walking 41. If he can keep up the good work, he could be in line for between 15-20 wins.

AJ Burnett B

Burnett was another great pickup for the Yankees. He has a record of 8-4 with a 3.77 ERA. He leads the team in strikeouts (101) but has walked 60 batters. Hopefully he can give the Yankees another 8 wins through the second half and help them win a playoff spot.

Andy Pettitte B

Pettitte has been a solid starter for the Yankees this season. This is probably going to be his last year in pinstripes but he has shown that he is still capable with an 8-4 record while posting a 4.85 ERA. He has struck out 70 but has allowed 15 homeruns.

Mariano Rivera A

Rivera has been “lights out” this season, tied for first with the most saves throughout the AL (23). He has struck out 43 batters in 37 innings and has allowed only 30 hits. He has a 2.43 ERA and seems to be the only consistent reliever in the Yankees bullpen this season. He will be representing the Yanks in the All Star Game as well.

So, there you have it. I know I left some guys out, but it was probably better that way (you wouldn’t want to see their grade). Let me know if you think the grading system is fair or unfair or if you’d like to see me grade any other Yankees player. Also, just a reminder, if you have a question about the Yankees, the All Star Game, Homerun Derby, or anything baseball, just comment on one of my posts and i”ll be happy to answer it. Thanks for the support and continue to comment!

ArodFan13

http://arodfan13.mlblogs.com

July 11, 2009

Yankee Game (7/10/09)

I figured it would be to good to be true: The Yankees in first place. The Yankees were tied for first for one day, but then fell back to second place Friday night, as they suffered a 10-6 loss to the Angels. Once again, it was the Yankees pitching who faltered last night allowing the Angels to pick up 10 runs on 13 hits. The Yanks were able to out hit the Halos, slugging 14 hits of their own, but it turned out to be not enough to take the first game of this three game set.

Joba Chamberlain had another “awful” night blowing a four run lead for the Yankees in the fifth inning. Joba allowed a fifth inning 3 run blast to the Angels, Morales. Chamberlain left later in the inning, after giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits through 4.1 innings pitched. However, the bullpen was also anything but “spectacular” Friday as Melancon and Bruney allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 4 hits through 4 innings of, what I don’t consider, relief. Bruney allowed a 3 run blast of his own to the Angels shortstop, Aybar, in the seventh.

Well, on a good note, I can say that the Yankees offense remained hot slugging 14 hits and scoring 6 runs. Now, in my opinion, I think 6 runs are sufficient enough to win a game. So it wasn’t the Yankees offense with the problem last night. The Yankees almost had every one of their starters collect a hit, but Ransom went 0-3 with 2 k’s. Ransom hasn’t been swinging a hot bat this season, batting a weak .176. Honestly, I would have thrown Ransom down to triple A and kept Pena up to make room for Hinske, but that would be too logical for Girardi and Brian Cashman. Anyways, Jeter had his fourth four-hit game of the season, boosting his AVG to .321. Alex Rodriguez went 3-5 with a double and a solo homerun, finishing the night with 2 RBIs. Swisher also collected a couple of RBIs, going 1-5.

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jeter, DH-SS	5	1	4	0	0	0	0	.321
Damon, LF	4	0	1	1	1	1	2	.279
Teixeira, 1B	5	2	1	0	0	0	4	.280
Rodriguez, A, 3B	5	2	3	2	0	2	3	.257
Swisher, RF	5	0	1	2	0	0	2	.238
Cano, 2B	5	0	2	0	0	0	2	.306
Cabrera, Me, CF	3	0	1	1	2	0	1	.278
Ransom, SS	3	0	0	0	0	2	2	.176
a-Posada, PH-C	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	.287
Molina, J, C	3	1	1	0	0	1	0	.277
b-Matsui, H, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	.266
Melancon, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bruney, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	40	6	14	6	4	7	21
a-Walked for Ransom in the 7th. b-Flied out for Molina, J in the 7th.
BATTING 2B: Rodriguez, A (7, Saunders), Jeter (17, Saunders), Cano (24, Saunders). HR: Rodriguez, A (15, 5th inning off Saunders, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Jeter 5; Damon; Teixeira; Rodriguez, A 7; Swisher; Cano 3; Cabrera, Me; Molina, J. RBI: Rodriguez, A 2 (47), Swisher 2 (47), Damon (50), Cabrera, Me (33). 2-out RBI: Cabrera, Me. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rodriguez, A; Damon; Ransom; Matsui, H 2; Posada. GIDP: Damon. Team RISP: 4-for-11. Team LOB: 11. FIELDING E: Rodriguez, A (5, throw), Jeter (4, fielding). DP: (Rodriguez, A-Cano-Teixeira).

The Yankees will try to work their way back to the top of the division today, as Andy Pettitte (8-4) will face Jered Weaver (9-3) for the second game of the series. Today’s game looks pretty evenly matched with two great pitchers taking the mound for both teams. The offense for both teams are also very similar, with a threat in the lineup every batter. So, its hard for me to say who’s going to win today’s game. Obviously I’m hoping Yankees, but it looks like it’s, once again, anyone’s ballgame.

July 5, 2009

Teixeira, Jeter, and Rivera will represent Yanks in 2009 All Star Game