MVN - Most Valuable Network

Game 86: Red Sox at Yankees (L)

Boston Red Sox (50-37) vs. New York Yankees (45-40)

Jon Lester (6-3, 3.48) vs. Andy Pettitte (9-5, 3.98)

July 3, 2008 @ 7:05 p.m. @ Yankee Stadium

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Boston	2	2	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	X	7	11	0
New York	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	0	5	1
Lester (W, 7-3) Pettitte (L, 9-6)

Preview:

After an offensive juggernaut performance last night, the Yankees hope to keep their hot bats going against Boston, who has been struggling as of late, and were just swept by the Rays. These next few games will be important for the showdown in the AL East. Every win the Yankees get against the Red Sox will move them closer to Tampa (man is that weird to say).

I don’t pump my fist for any major league team except the Yankees. I did, however, find myself pumping my fist after the Rays swept the Sox. Both Jason Varitek and Manny Ramirez are in slumps right now, meaning that the offense really rests on J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia, who is currently on a 10-game hitting streak. Tonight could be a rubber match, as the Sox send Jon Lester to the mound. Lester is 3-0 with a 3.35 ERA in his last six starts.

Andy Pettitte will look for win #10 on the season tonight. He is also looking for his fifth straight win, after going 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his last 4 starts. He has allowed only 2 earned runs in his last 30+ innings.

The Yankees will need their offense to continue churning out runs against the Sox. Last night Jason Giambi put up six RBI’s, and A-Rod had 3 of his own. Whether he can perform amidst rumors that is marriage is ending is another thing. Brett Gardner will likely start again tonight, as his offensive production has picked up. He was 1-for-4 last night with an RBI and 2 runs.

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Recap:

If the Yankees were picking any night to fall apart, it had to be this one.

The Yankees were blanked by Jon Lester, as Andy Pettitte picked up his first loss since May 23rd. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, and allowed 6 runs on 9 hits, one of his worst outings of the season. What’s worse is the fact that he could miss some time, due to the fact that he may have to testify in Roger Clemens’ defamation lawsuit.

Only 3 Yankees had hits tonight, two of them having multiple hits. Honestly, this was a piss-poor effort, and I really am getting upset recapping it. The only good thing to come from this game was David Robertson, who continues to be impressive, striking out one in an inning of relief.  

Sound-off: Brett versus Melky

Yankee Stadium has been home to the greatest profusion of center fielders the game has ever known.  In a nearly unbroken string, we have seen Earle Combs, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Bobby Murcer, Mickey Rivers, and Bernie Williams all patrol the hallowed grounds of the grand stadium.  Tonight, we may have seen the first night of the Brett Gardner era in center field.  Is Brett the man for the job; is it too early to give up on Melky; or, perhaps, will the Yanks go out and get another center fielder through trade or free agency?  You guys need to tell us, but I’ll give you a few facts to think about as you make your decision.

Age: People might be surprised to learn that Melky is actually almost a full year YOUNGER (23) than Brett (24) despite his huge edge in experience.  What evens them out to some extent is that Brett seems to be a much more cerebral hitter who starts slow at each level he’s been at, whereas Melky seems to have stagnated (OPS last 3 yrs: .751, .718, .718).  That’s the frustrating thing: he just doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

Projectability: This is the strange part - Pecota LOVES Melky.  Statistically he most closely compares to Carlos Beltran and Pete Rose.  His VORP (Value over Replacement Player) projects from 13-20% over the next 7 years whereas Gardner really has no good comps and his VORP is a net minus.  There are many players who seem to stagnate at Melky’s age but later breakout.  Look at Nick Markakis and Carlos Quentin for recent examples.

Arm: An outfield of Damon, Gardner, and Abreu would not scare any baserunners.

Speed and Patience: Part of Pecota’s profile is that speed is not overly valued, but this is clearly Gardner’s edge.  The combination of speed and on base percentage that Brett offers could be deadly for opposing pitchers.  This is something we have not had since Chuck Knoblauch who, despite not completely fulfilling his potential with the team, was a potent force in the playoffs and was able to generate offense off of top pitchers like Pedro Martinez, when no one else was able to touch him.  Potentially, he could create runs off of top pitchers and provide that spark when bats are slumping.  His ability to terrorize the basepaths could distract opposing hurlers, as well.

What do you guys think?  Melky or Brett?

Game 85: Rangers at Yankees (W)

Texas Rangers (44-41) vs. New York Yankees (44-40)

Luis Mendoza (1-2, 5.40) vs. Sidney Ponson (5-1, 3.50)

July 2, 2008 @ 7:05 p.m. @ Yankee Stadium

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Texas	0	0	3	0	0	4	0	0	0		7	9	2
New York	0	1	4	0	1	0	9	3	X		18	16	0
Ramirez (W, 2-0) Madrigal (L, 0-1)

Preview:

Sidney Ponson goes for the Yankees tonight as they try to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers.  In his first start for the Yanks, he did a fine job, shutting out the Mets over six innings.  This will also be Ponson’s first start against the team that he was a part of just a few weeks ago.  As would be expected, Ponson has said that he will treat this game the same as any other.  On the other side, Texas manager Ron Washington said that there are no hard feelings.

“We never said he couldn’t pitch. I hope he does well, except for [Wednesday].”

The big news of the day though, is the Yankees’ centerfielder, whom - at least for today - is not Melky Cabrera.  As has been called for for weeks, Brett Gardner will get his first career start in CF. 

Many fans in recent weeks had become fed up with Melky’s performance.  Cabrera is now zero for his last 19 at-bats and is hitting .215 since the beginning of May.  And the patience of the organization itself was appearing to wear thin, with the recent call up of Brett Gardner.

Apparently, the straw that broke the camel’s back came in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game, when Melky came to the plate with a runner on and no outs with the Yankees trailing by one.  He had one job, which was to advance the runner.  Instead he grounded into a double play, essentially killing the Yankees’ chances to make a comeback.

Of course, it will remain to be seen how long this change is for.  Perhaps this will be a one game substitution in hopes that a day off will re-start Cabrera’s bat.  But the signs are there that Melky’s grip on the center field job isn’t quite as solid as it was a couple months ago.

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Recap:

The Yankees broke out of their offensive slump tonight in dramatic fashion, posting their highest run total this season.  Ten different Yankees had hits in the game - all nine starters and Jose Molina - but the key to this game was Jason Giambi.  The ‘Stache hit a grand slam in the fourth to give the Yankees the lead, and in the seventh, he drove in the first two runs of what turned out to be a nine-run inning.  He ended up with six RBI.

Also of note were Johnny Damon, who went 3-6, and Alex Rodriguez, who went 2-3 with two walks and a three-run homer to cap off the seventh inning.  Congratulations is also in order for Brett Gardner, who got his first career hit and RBI tonight.

On the pitching side, it wasn’t so great - although clearly good enough.  Ponson was reasonably effective through the first five innings, allowing three runs.  However, he stunk up the place in the sixth, giving up a walk, homer, single then another homer to give up the lead.

On the bright side, Edwar Ramirez was fantastic tonight in his two innings.  He allowed just one baserunner, and struck out three to earn the win.  Farnsworth also got the job done in the eighth, but the fact that he walked two men with an eight-run lead is not encouraging.

Game 84: Rangers at Yankees (L)

Texas Rangers (43-41) vs. New York Yankees (44-39)

Kevin Millwood (5-4, 5.08) vs. Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.03)

July 1, 2008 @ 7:05 p.m. @ Yankee Stadium

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Texas	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	X	3	9	0
New York	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	X	2	9	1
Francisco (W, 2-2) Rivera (L, 2-3) Rupe (BS, 2) Wilson (S, 19)

Preview:

After the lackluster performance from last night, the Yankees hope to even the series with the Rangers. They will have to worry about Josh Hamilton, who hit his 80th RBI of the season last night, and the bullpen, which has a 1.16 ERA over the past 9 games, and has allowed only 4 runs in 31 innings. They shut out the Yankees for three innings last night. The Yankees will get Kevin Millwood, who allowed 7 runs in his last outing, and is 1-4 in 8 road games this year.

Joba takes the mound tonight, coming off of his first win as a starter in the majors. He has a 0.98 ERA in his last three starts. After throwing 114 pitches last time, you can almost be assured that there will be no pitch count tonight. With the training wheels finally off, Joba has the chance to become a star in this league.

The Yankees only scored one run last night, but some of their biggest bats have great career numbers against Millwood. A-Rod is 6-14 with 1 home run against him. Jason Giambi is 5-11 with 2 home runs against him, while Bobby Abreu is batting .359 against him.

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Recap:

The Red Sox keep losing, and the Yankees can’t gain any ground.

Another lackluster performance equals a third straight loss for the Yankees. Joba Chamberlain’s pitch count was so high, he lasted only 4 innings. He struck out 6, walked 4, and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits. The Yankees offense did little to help.

Michael Young had an RBI single off of Mariano Rivera in the top of the ninth to propel the Rangers. The Yankees couldn’t capitalize in the bottom of the inning. Wilson Betemit and Robinson Cano had the RBI’s. In his second career game, Brett Gardner went 0-for-3. Joe Girardi says the Hideki Matsui will take batting practice soon, and he could be in the lineup by next week.

Time To Shuffle The Lineup

Last night’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of the pitching poor Rangers illustrates a major problem for this Yankees team. For all the complaints about the pitching, I would actually say that this pitching staff has outperformed expectations. At the worst, they have not been worse than any reasonable predictions. If Wang were healthy, the team would have a rotation with four reliable starters and a bullpen that is surprisingly effective. The real issue has been the inconsistencies of the offense, with poor performances coming from Cano, Cabrera and Jeter. Bobby Abreu being very hot and cold and Hideki Matsui facing knee issues has not helped matters. It has reached a point where Joe Girardi has to do some shuffling to maximize what he can get from this offense and possibly help some players snap out of their funks. Here is the lineup I would go with for now.

SS Derek Jeter
LF Johnny Damon

They are not going to drop Derek in the lineup, no matter how much he may deserve it. However, I would move him into the lead off spot for a variety of reasons. He continuously erases Damon on the basepaths with double plays (he is hitting 2.3 grounders for every fly ball!!). Furthermore, Damon’s leg issues are hurting Derek’s ability to take advantage of a moving defense on hit and runs and steal attempts. Having him bat leadoff and Gardner bat 9th would bring that element back, and would almost definitely decrease the amount of double plays he hits into. Damon’s high OBP and good power makes him an ideal #2.

1B Jason Giambi

3B Alex Rodriguez

C Jorge Posada

I think this is self explanatory. I want my best OBP guy on base in front of Alex, to maximize his RBI opportunities. I then want A-Rod followed by someone who can knock him in once he gets into scoring position.

RF Bobby Abreu

DH Wilson Betemit

2B Robinson Cano

CF Brett Gardner

Abreu is not reaching base as often as he has in the past, and he needs a bit of a kick in the pants. If he starts to regain his great plate discipline, he can be moved back up. Betemit hits ahead of Cano just to split up the lefties. Melky Cabrera needs some time off, and Gardner can bring a new element to the bottom of the order. He can function as a second leadoff man, and I believe he would have a good effect on Jeter’s game, as I said above.

What do you think? Would you maintain the status quo or make some changes? What changes would you make?

Game 83: Rangers at Yankees (L)

Texas Rangers (42-41) vs. New York Yankees (44-38)

Scott Feldman (1-3, 4.60) vs. Mike Mussina (10-5, 3.93)

June 30, 2008 @ 7:05 p.m. @ Yankee Stadium

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Texas	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0		2	7	0
New York	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		1	4	0
Feldman (W, 2-3) Mussina (L, 10-6) Wilson (S, 18)

Preview:

All omens would appear to be favorable as the team from the Bronx tries to win an A.L. tying 11th game for Mike Mussina tonight against a Texas team utilizing COREY FELDMAN FROM THE GOONIES AS THEIR PITCHER! Wow, the Rangers must be desperate for publicity if they’re allowing celebrities to guest pitch for them. And hey, Corey Feldman is barely even a celebrity. At least Billy Crystal starred in several extremely successful movies and hosted the Oscars. I mean, Corey Feldman is…. what’s that? His name is SCOTT Feldman? Ahem, yes, well, hmmm, let’s look up some statistics, a scouting report, annnnd… Yankees are still favored, though slightly less so than if the kid from the Goonies was pitching.

This could be an old-fashioned slugfest as Texas is the top run scoring team in the league, but several factors work against them tonight.  One is that Mussina hasn’t lost to the Rangers since 2003!   Another is that Texas has moved to the one game over five hundred mark seven times this season, losing the next game each of the previous six occasions.

Scott Feldman also has never won a road game, compiling an 0-7 record with a 6.72 ERA in 43 career road starts.  Judging by Feldman’s k/9 and other peripherals, his stuff is nothing special  The Rangers, in addition, have lost 20 of the last 26 to the Yankees.

I’d love to see all those beautiful numbers continue to hold sway as the Pinstripers could surely use a nice, easy sweep, guaranteeing that they will gain ground on the Rays or Sox who match up in a contest that we’ll all probably be peeking at out of the corners of our eyes.  This could be the first real week of scoreboard watching, folks: enjoy.

Recap:

A frustrating, almost pathetic effort by the Yanks tonight.  They are clearly right back to the point they were at before their big winning streak.  Last week was a huge turning point where they could either go forward or slip back into their old ways, as I warned in a previous article (Hey, on the few occasion when I’m actually right, y’all are gonna hear it - Heck, you may hear about this one all season, er… hopefully not - that would mean continued Yankee sucking).  Sadly, the latter has become the case.  Perez had some nasty stuff yesterday, but what’s their excuse tonight?  They have none.  One run off of the worst staff in baseball?  There’s just nothing else to say?  I’m disgusted.

I hesitate to even mention any bright spots: Veras battled out of a jam - you love to see that.  Moose was brilliant, shutting down the top scoring team in the A.L., Giese looked sharp as well.  Gardner’s patience was impressive and he’s blazing fast, but I thought he looked late and overmatched on a couple of pitches.