twilightdawning

A writer's thoughts – mainly about music, sport and theatre. Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, live shows, New York Yankees

Ch-Ch-Changes

Posted on July 26, 2008 by twilightdawning

It’s been a grim few weeks. But there have been some glittering things in the dross.

First highlight was the Bob Dylan “Drawn Blank” exhibition at Halcyon Art Gallery near Green Park in London. A few years ago, Dylan was a writer and his “Chronicles” book was well-worth the investment. A few months ago, he was given a Pulitzer but I’m not exactly sure what for. This isn’t to imply he doesn’t deserve one. I’m just not sure why then. Now he’s an artist. And somehow he still manages to always be on tour and make the occasional album.

“Drawn Blank” however is a little unusual even by Dylan’s standards. First published in book form in 1994, these drawings were hardly noticed. Then his critical rating was low and nobody cared what he was drawing. Now painted, the “Drawn Blank” exhibition comes at a time when his star is in the ascendancy. Consequently, it is all over the broadsheets (The London Times, no less) and is worthy of an art gallery exhibition on the continent and two here in the London and no doubt some others I’m missing. Then, no-one cared, now the £1250 signed prints are all sold out and the first book is selling for £400 a copy. Strange. Of course, with Dylan, we’ve encountered this before. When he went electric, he was a Judas, until we decided he was a genius. His “Jesus” shows were dire for many, but are now spoken of as amazing feats where an artist like Dylan chose to perform only new songs in a show of passion, energy and commitment. Then few could see past the evangelism and booed his accompanying girl vocalists. I’m waiting for the “Empire Burlesque” reassessment.

I purchased the 1994 book of “Drawn Blank”. I purchased the 2008 book of the same drawings painted. I thought they were okay. Some good, a few very good. However, seeing them extremely well presented at the Halcyon, moved them up a notch in my estimation. Well worth seeing.

Second highlight. John Foxx’s “Tiny Colour Movies” at the Apple Store, Regent Street, London. Musical artist again but this time not paintings but films. Now I’m not much for the world of contemporary commercial films and I hate most cinemas. I do mean hate. So that I have now gone to see “Tiny Colour Movies” three or four times must mean that this set of films has something more going on than simply being the work of one of my favourite musicians and the fact that I have to keep going beacuse despite my persistent requests Mr Foxx will not put it on DVD.

Tiny Colour Movies is a collection of 14 concept pieces assembled from the home movies of a bygone generation. It is moving, thought-provoking, vivid and imaginative. It has a tremendous ambient soundtrack which the artist accompanies his films with, standing alongside, like the pianist adding sound to a silent movie. It is quite, quite wonderful and if it comes to a town near you, I might just follow it there.

Finally, on this smorgasbord of updates, a little baseball. Surprise, surprise. As the trade deadline approaches the Bronx is seeing new faces. First in was Richie Sexson. Now in 2007, Sexson, then at Seattle, hit .205 BA with 21 home runs. Fortunately, he turned this all around by storming to .218 with 11 homers by the first week of July. Not surprisingly, the Mariners released Richmond Lockwood Sexson. I’m not quite so sure why the Yankees decided to sign him later in the month. Perhaps it had something to do with that florid name. At least they didn’t invest in Bonds. I’m not holding my breath for this acquisition to be a great success. Indeed, I’m praying that by the time of my return to the Bronx in September, he will have headed toward waivers. We’ll see.

More significant (hopefully) was the trade made yesterday which has brought Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte over from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marte, who actually spent a little while in the Yankees system a few years ago but never made it to 161St. and River Avenue, is that crucial item a left-handed relief pitcher. Occasional promotions for Billy Traber and Kei Igawa have not added such a thing to the roster for very long. Marte with his 3.47 ERA, 4 Wins (no losses), and 5 saves seems a much better prospect.

Nady is a good addition at least because Matsui and Damon are not likely to see much time in the outfield for the remainder of the season. However, there may be more. His contract has another year beyond 2008 and he is 5 years younger than Damon. He is batting .330 with 13 home runs. There might be quite a lot in this for the Bombers.

A slight downside to this came in the final detail of the trade. The original detail suggested that the Yankees were giving up Ross Ohlendorf and three minors who were barely on my radar. Now Ohlendorf looked good earlier in the year but then his mechanics fell apart and he might not be a huge loss but I was a little more disappointed with today’s update. The news is that the Pirates final list for the trade sees Jeff Karstens heading over to Pittsburgh. Now I’m not sure quite where Karstens’ career was headed (he’s been rather injury prone) but I’ve followed his career since seeing his early appearances for the Staten Island Yankees some years ago. I’m disappointed that he will never be established in the Bronx. It was an interesting journey.

The final footnote to this was that the very disappointing LaTroy Hawkins was designated for assignment and that Kei Igawa was removed from the 40-man roster and outrighted to Scranton (AAA). The Yankees are paying him in excess of $5 million – and they finally seem to have given up on him. Now that’s an amazing story.

All-Star Break # 3 – Making my pitch……

Posted on July 18, 2008 by twilightdawning

So yesterday we look at the performance of the Yankee hitters in comparison with predictions compared by myself and the Bill James Handbook 2008. Today, we do the same for the pitchers…….

Mariano Rivera

Predictions: Games – 41, Saves – 21, ERA – 2.72
Actual: Games – 38, Saves – 23, ERA – 1.06

Mariano Rivera is a model of consistency. That he is still able to do this at this level at 38 years of age is nothing short of amazing. His ERA is one and a half runs ahead of where I thought it would be.

Kyle Farnsworth

Predictions: Games – 34, Wins – 2, ERA – 3.86
Actual: Games – 41, Wins – 1, ERA – 3.51

Farnsworth has had a much better year than I could have anticipated. His ERA is better now than at any time since he became a Yankee and since Chamberlain moved to the rotation, he has a clearly defined role in bridging the gap between the starter and Rivera

Mike Mussina

Predictions: Games – 16, Wins – 6, ERA – 3.74
Actual: Games – 19, Wins – 11, ERA – 3.61

Everybody expected Moose to bounce back a little but nobody tipped this to happen. He has had high run support but this can’t account for all his wins. He has been a substantially better pitcher than he ever looked like he would be again.

Andy Pettitte

Predictions: Games – 19, Wins – 8, ERA – 3.78
Actual: Games – 20, Wins – 10, ERA – 4.03

Pettitte had a horrible post-season that he brought upon himself. The official Yankees website has been talking about him having a poor first half. In reality, he has been as good as we could have hoped for. The veteran starters have kept us in the race.

Chien-Ming Wang

Predictions: Games – 18, Wins – 8, ERA – 3.75
Actual: Games – 15, Wins – 8, ERA – 4.07

Wang began to lose his form before his injury. Given the time that he has spent on the DL and that slow down, his performance has been pretty good.

LaTroy Hawkins

Predictions: Games – 35, Wins – 2, ERA – 3.60
Actual: Games – 30, Wins – 1, ERA – 5.79

Girardi has no confidence in Hawkins. His appearances have come in non-crucial innings and it is difficult to imagine he would still be around, if they could’ve got a deal for him and if it wasn’t for the injuries. His ERA has bloated but whether this is entirely due to a loss of form or whether this is partially due to a confidence-crisis is difficult to discern.

The less predictables

In addition to these mainstays, it was impossible to make predictions for Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, Kei Igawa and Joba Chamberlain because they didn’t really have whole seasons at the Major League level to bases guesses upon. However, there can be no disguising the fact that no-one would have hazarded that Hughes and Kennedy would fall apart quite so badly as they did. No-one would have guessed that Igawa (and his huge contract) would really have no role to play whatsoever. The Steinbrenner (junior) influenced transfer of Chamberlain from successful reliever to average starter was a hasty decision always destined to get off to a slow start and so it has.

Pluses: Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Mussina
Minuses: LaTroy Hawkins, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Kei Igawa
Surprises: Dan Giese, Jose Veras

Jose Veras has been another key piece of the puzzle. I wouldn’t have expected him to be a regular part of the bullpen at all at this stage but he has stepped in Chamberlain’s role very effectively.

Dan Giese wasn’t even on the compass. He has filled some gaps very nicely.

So what happens next……? We’ll see

All-Star Break #2 – Where do we go from here?

Posted on July 17, 2008 by twilightdawning

I averaged out predictions I made before the season began with those made by the Bill James Handbook 2008 and compared them with the stats actually produced up to the All-Star Break.

Here’s how the Yankee hitters are doing compared to those pre-season expectations:

Hideki Matsui

Projected: Games – 79, Average – .293, Home Runs- 15.
Actual: Games – 69, Average – .323, Home Runs – 7.

Two factors here – the first is the inability to hit for power (markedly less home runs), the second is the inability to play the field on a regular basis. Both of these point up the significance of his problems with his legs which may have finished him for the rest of the season. By contrast, his batting average is up as much as his slugging is down. A future as a successful singles hitter and DH (an unusual combination) or early retirement. Time will tell.

Johnny Damon

Projected: Games – 89, Average – .278, Home Runs – 9
Actual: Games – 82, Average – .319, Home Runs – 6

Similar story for Damon. His decline began in the second half of 2006 and is also associated with aging legs. His average has rebounded to 2005 (Boston) heights but power is down and he has his first period on the disabled list. The twist in this is that his injury is a damaged shoulder and nothing to do with his legs. This suggests that there is more hope in him continuing as an outfielder than Matsui but he is another reason for the dramatic reduction in the Yankees’ power production.

Alex Rodriguez

Projected: Games – 93, Average – .300, Home Runs – 28
Actual: Games – 75, Average – .312, Home Runs – 19

Rodriguez’s stint on the disabled list has hampered his home run total but not his slugging pct. (I had him at .586, he is actually 581 – a very minimal difference. Not many people expected A-Rod to still be a Yankee right now. Given the shenanigans of the close season and the off-field rumours as well as the injury, he is doing remarkably well.

Derek Jeter

Projected: Games – 93, Average – .312, Home Runs – 9
Actual: Games – 88, Average – .284, Home Runs – 5

Jeter is just not quite himself at the moment. His figures are still good but he has set a remarkable standard for himself which he is not matching. Difficult to know if this is just a blip or whether it is a sign of a slight downturn.

Bobby Abreu

Projected: Games – 94, Average – .285, Home Runs – 12
Actual: Games – 92, Average – .274, Home Runs – 10

Again, a slight downturn but it is made more significant because there is a trend like this across the team. 10 points off average and only 2 home runs down but we need him to step up as one of the few injury-free players in the squad.

Jorge Posada

Projected: Games – 84, Average – .281, Home Runs – 12
Actual: Games – 49, Average – .272, Home Runs – 3

Posada had a BIG year in 2007. So far, injury and lack of managerial confidence have spiked his year in 2008. He spent a long time out (35 games down on prediction) but despite the fact that Molina didn’t carry the responsibility of being first choice during the actual injury time, part of this is because Girardi has continued to favour Molina since Posada’s return; citing arm strength as his reason. During this period of uncertainty, Posada’s batting average has dropped off markedly but his home run production and slugging has never got out of the doldrums.

Jason Giambi

Projected: Games – 72, Average – .249, Home Runs – 15
Actual: Games – 83, Average – .253, Home Runs – 19

Going into the season, Giambi was going to share DH with Matsui and 1B with a whole range of possible candidates. Not many of those candidates reached expectations and with Mientkiewicz already gone to other pastures and Shelley Duncan failing miserably, Giambi became the most prominent first baseman due primarily to his huge contract – if we’re going to have to pay him, he might as well play somewhere. The remarkable thing is that this undue perseverance actually paid dividends. First, he began to hit for power and then his average perked up as well. Things are a little quieter right now and whilst no-one is going to make this guy a sporting hero (stache or no stache), he is so much more valuable than I expected.

Robinson Cano

Projected: Games – 88, Average – .322, Home Runs – 11
Actual: Games – 93, Average – .246, Home Runs – 6

Robinson is stranded in a season-long funk (so far) and his fall off in every offensive category is more marked than anyone else on the team. The only positive is that his batting average in July (but not his slugging) has taken a marked upturn to .273 on the month. This is still nowhere near what we expect but it is a step in the right direction.

Wilson Betemit

Projected: Games – 77, Average – .263, Home Runs – 10
Actual: Games – 47, Average – .243, Home Runs – 4

It’s hard to be positive about that second line but I’m going to be. Simply put, prior to his time on the disabled list, Betemit was awful. Since that time, he has become our most important bench and utility player. Offensive figures don’t show everything (particularly not the meagre selection presented here) and he has done very well defensively as well as putting up .267 BA in June. So far, July has seen him back in the doldrums with the bat but the mere fact he is still here is quite something after the opening to the season he had.

Melky Cabrera

Projected: Games – 90, Average – .283, Home Runs – 6
Actual: Games – 92, Average – .241, Home Runs – 8

With Cabrera I’m looking for a good day in the field and a clutch of singles. Perversely, his home run hitting is up! Defensively, he has been fine but that 40 point drop in average is part of the general trend but is worrying all by itself. You begin to wonder about the coaching staff when the malaise is this wide spread.

So that it’s for the hitters:

Pluses: Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon,
Minuses: Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera
Surprises: Jason Giambi, Wilson Betemit

All-Star Break # 1 – Adding insult………………….

Posted on July 16, 2008 by twilightdawning

There are many ways to consider the Yankees performance in the first half of the season. One of the main things to influence our performance (and put us in third place) is the extensive list of players who have spent time on the disabled list during this period. Here they are (in alphabetical order):

RHP Jonathan Albaladejo — Out for the season with a stress fracture in his right elbow. Albaladejo was a surprising breakthrough but he will have to do it all over again.

IF Wilson Betemit — Missed 19 games beginning on April 14 with corneal conjunctivitis, then was on the disabled list in May with a strained right hamstring. Fortunately, he’s come back a better player for the examinations he received during that time.

RHP Brian Bruney — Tore a ligament in his right foot in April; avoided surgery and could rejoin the Yankees in late July. We need him back and we need him to be the player that he was this season rather than the player he was at the end of last year.

OF Johnny Damon — Hit the disabled list for the first time in his career on July 6 with a sprain and contusion of the left joint of the left shoulder. His best-case return would be 15 days, and his throwing may be limited. The good money is that he will be out quite a bit longer.

1B Shelley Duncan — Separated his right shoulder while diving for a ball in a game at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and may be out for the season. Let’s face it, he was going nowhere before he was sent to Scranton.

RHP Phil Hughes — Has been on the disabled list since April 30 with a stress fracture in one of his ribs. He could return in August. Let’s hope the 2007 guy show’s up if he does make it back then.

SS Derek Jeter — Was hit in the left hand by a Daniel Cabrera fastball on May 20 and fell into an extended slump immediately after. Things have improved since then but he’s still not the Jeter of old.

RHP Ian Kennedy – Went to disabled list but there’s obviously far more going on here mechanically than a simple injury. I don’t expect to see him making a run at the Major Leagues before Spring Training

DH Hideki Matsui — Aggravated his left knee by playing the outfield for two games in Houston and is currently on the disabled list. Season-ending surgery is a possibility. He was the guy to cover for Damon’s aging legs. He can still hit but his fielding days might be behind him.

RHP Carl Pavano — Continuing to rehab from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and could be ready for a big league promotion in August. But why would you need to work for a living when you can earn all that money for doing nothing?

C Jorge Posada — Was on the disabled list from April 28 through June 3 with right rotator cuff tendinitis that curtailed his throwing. Since then has done far more at DH and 1B (!) since then. What’s that about? Girardi doesn’t trust his arm.

3B Alex Rodriguez — Missed 16 games with a strained right quadriceps after turning a strain into something more serious by rushing back. It was Rodriguez’s first stint on the DL since 2000. He’s one of the few who’s bounced back from injury.

RHP Humberto Sanchez — Currently pitching in the Minor Leagues, Sanchez (acquired from Detroit in the Gary Sheffield trade) could be considered for his big league debut in September. However, we are not holding our breath.

RHP Chien-Ming Wang — Suffered a partially torn tendon in his right foot on June 15 while running the bases in Houston. He is on crutches and is out until September. Along with Bruney and Damon, one of the three costly on-going absences which might cost us a spot in the post-season.

I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy – Baseball update

Posted on June 21, 2008 by twilightdawning

Team	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston	46	30	.605	–
Tampa Bay	43	30	.589	1.5
NY Yankees	40	34	.541	5.0
Baltimore	38	34	.528	6.0
Toronto	35	40	.467	10.5

The Yankees are enjoying their best run of the season. They’ve simultaneously put themselves in the reckoning for the division title and the wild card. So who has made the difference?

Pluses

Johnny Damon. I’m still reeling from the day that Damon went six-for-six. He was the first Yankee to do this since 1934. He’s batting .331 on the season and .434 on the month. Last year, he seemed to be fading. This year he has bounced right back.

Alex Rodriguez. 14 home runs on the season. Batting .431 on the month. Slugging .629 on the season, .831 on the month. He’s on a real tear.

Jorge Posada. He’s back. He’s more than holding his own. He’s lifted the weight off Molina. He’s being patient at the plate. ‘Nuff said.

Mariano Rivera. Early in June, he encountered his first wobbles of the season. Two home runs in consecutive games. He’s overcome that problem. His ERA on the month is now back down to 2.00. He’s just picked up his twentieth save of the season.

Jose Veras. Prone to injuries and inconsistent since he joined the Yankees, I’d placed him down amongst the also-rans and was looking forward to the day when the Yankees could consider letting him go. 2 wins and a 1.93 ERA on the month so far has turned all that around.

Mike Mussina. Despite yesterday’s defeat against the Reds, you have to acknowledge that the aging Moose has exceeded all expectations. Like Damon, there were real doubts about him coming into the season. That he has 10 wins prior to All Star day is simply outstanding.

Minuses

Melky Cabrera. He’s still inconsistent at the plate. .215 on the month. His fielding makes him a regular but he’s number 4 of the regular outfielders at the moment.

Bobby Abreu. He’s had a pretty good year but the last two weeks have been his worst – just when the team are at their best.

Alberto Gonzalez. He was called up to replace Shelley Duncan who was not getting any playing time and must be fast running out of chances. Shame is the same can be said for Gonzalez. 5 at-bats since his call up and he’s just swinging at air.

Edwar Ramirez. He has gone from a plus to a minus very quickly. In 6 games in June, he has produced a 9.00 ERA. Fortunately, the rest of the bullpen is more than holding its own but he needs to turn it around.

Surprises

Jason Giambi. He has consistently hit for power since he pulled himself out of his early season funk but now he’s boosting his average too. .314 average in June so far.

Chad Moeller. The big surprise is that he is giving Cashman a reason to keep him in the Bronx and to carry three catchers. He’s proving a good pinch-hitter and it seems that until we’re 100% sure that Posada is going to have no more problems, then we’re not going to risk losing him entirely.

Wilson Betemit. He’s bounced back from injury and he’s holding his own. At the start of the year, given the choice between Duncan, Gonzalez and Betemit for the utility infielder, I would have placed Betemit third. Now, he is showing he is the most useful by some distance.

LaTroy Hawkins. He is doing well in June but the surprise is that the Yankees aren’t trusting him with the ball. So early in his time at the Yankees, this doesn’t bode well for a long term future in the Bronx.

Chris Britton. Like Bruney, he achieved more than expected and then got injured. His 1.29 ERA (0.00 in June) would hopefully have led to a regular spot but he’ll have to prove himself all over again, now.

Dan Giese. Where did this guy come from? Patterson was called up for one day and then replaced by Giese. It seemed like Giese wasn’t going to stay but he had just been called up to allow Patterson time to rest without relying on the relatively small number of pitchers we’re carrying. However Giese did better than Patterson had and just kept over-performing. Tonight, he has a start because of the injury to Chien-Ming Wang. I’m surprised.

Joba Chamberlain. Well, he still not making wins but he’s adapting quicker than I’d anticipated and he’s not losing. It’s enough for now.

Darrell Rasner. Seems to have lost his consistency. Hasn’t had the run support that Mussina has had but his head is beginning to drop a little and we need to take care of this guy if the rotation is going to hold together.

Billy Traber. I thought we’d seen the last of Traber but because of the injury situation, he’s got another chance. We need him to take that chance.

Talkin’ Baseball (part 2) – The pitchers

Posted on June 2, 2008 by twilightdawning

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – May

Name                    IP  H RA ER BB SO W L Sv NOP NOS    ERA   OBA

Rivera, Mariano       14.0  7  1  1  2 13 1 1  7  50  48   0.64  .146

Ramirez, Edwar        11.2  8  1  1  6 10 1 0  0  49  43   0.77  .186

Rasner, Darrell       25.0 19  5  5  3 14 3 1  0  95  92   1.80  .209

Britton, Chris         4.2  1  1  1  4  0 0 0  0  19  15   1.93  .067

Chamberlain, Joba     12.1  8  4  4  8 16 0 1  0  52  44   2.92  .186

Mussina, Mike         29.0 34 20 12  5 21 5 1  0 126 120   3.72  .283

Veras, Jose           11.2  9  5  5  2  9 0 0  0  46  44   3.86  .205

Pettitte, Andy        29.0 36 14 14  6 30 2 2  0 128 121   4.34  .300

Farnsworth, Kyle      12.0 13  6  6  4  8 0 0  0  50  46   4.50  .295

Wang, Chien-Ming      39.1 37 22 22 18 18 1 2  0 171 153   5.03  .248

Hawkins, LaTroy        8.1  7  5  5  3  8 0 1  0  34  31   5.40  .226

Kennedy, Ian          18.2 18 14 13  7 11 0 1  0  82  74   6.27  .250

Ohlendorf, Ross       11.2 17 11  9  5 11 1 0  0  57  52   6.94  .327

Albaladejo, Jonathan   5.0  9  4  4  3  5 0 1  0  24  21   7.20  .450

Igawa, Kei             3.0 11  6  6  0  0 0 1  0  20  20  18.00  .579

New York Yankees – Pitching – whole season

Name                    IP  H RA ER BB SO W L Sv NOP NOS   ERA  OBA

Rivera, Mariano       25.0 11  1  1  2 24 1 1 15  87  85  0.36 .131

Ramirez, Edwar        16.0 11  1  1  7 15 1 0  0  67  59  0.56 .186

Bruney, Brian         11.1  7  2  2  6 12 1 0  1  48  41  1.59 .175

Rasner, Darrell       25.0 19  5  5  3 14 3 1  0  95  92  1.80 .209

Britton, Chris         4.2  1  1  1  4  0 0 0  0  19  15  1.93 .067

Chamberlain, Joba     23.2 16  6  6 11 30 1 2  0  96  85  2.28 .190

Veras, Jose           11.2  9  5  5  2  9 0 0  0  46  44  3.86 .205

Albaladejo, Jonathan  13.2 15  6  6  6 13 0 1  0  58  52  3.95 .294

Pettitte, Andy        65.2 77 33 30 17 50 5 5  0 285 265  4.11 .294

Wang, Chien-Ming      78.1 72 36 36 29 45 6 2  0 332 302  4.14 .242

Mussina, Mike         61.1 70 38 29 10 33 8 4  0 261 247  4.26 .286

Farnsworth, Kyle      25.1 28 12 12  9 22 0 1  0 106  97  4.26 .295

Traber, Billy          8.0  9  4  4  5  6 0 0  0  38  31  4.50 .290

Ohlendorf, Ross       31.2 38 23 21 14 31 1 1  0 146 131  5.97 .290

Hawkins, LaTroy       24.0 25 18 18 10 15 1 1  0 101  91  6.75 .278

Kennedy, Ian          37.2 41 32 31 24 26 0 3  0 177 152  7.41 .279

Hughes, Phil          22.0 34 23 22 13 13 0 4  0 110  96  9.00 .362

Igawa, Kei             3.0 11  6  6  0  0 0 1  0  20  20 18.00 .579

Pluses

Mariano Rivera. There is never going to be enough to say about this guy. 25 innings pitched and 1 run given up. And he does this season after season. A marvellous May to follow on from an astounding April.

Edwar Ramirez. Wasn’t reckoned good enough to make the opening day roster but has hardly put a foot wrong since being called up. 0.77 ERA in May continues the trend.

Mike Mussina. Took five wins in May after a struggle in April. The surprise is that I thought his performance in April was as good as the Yankees could hope from the aging starter.

Minuses

Kei Igawa. What a washout this guy has been. Huge contract. 2nd year at the club. Fourth visit to the majors. One weak game (3 innings, 6 runs) and then back to Scranton.

Ian Kennedy. One good start but then back to the standard he has produced most of the season and now to the disabled list. He had a slightly better May, statistically speaking, but it was still pretty horrible.

LaTroy Hawkins. Was meant to be one of the mainstays of the bullpen this year but the 8 1/3 innings he was given throughout the whole month show how much confidence in him has already begun to slip.

Surprises

Kyle Farnsworth. Perhaps Mr Farnsworth is finally coming good. The statistics don’t quite capture it but he has settled well this month and has been dependable in the majority of his appearances.

Joba Chamberlain. He will be promoted (if that’s the word) to the starting rotation in early June. It’s a surprising risk to take brought about by ownership pressure. We’ll see what happens.

Chris Britton. The surprise is that this guy has not become a regular on the roster yet. He is a frequent flyer between the majors and triple-A despite a 1.93 ERA this month. Surely he is a better bet on current form than Hawkins and as good as Veras. Hope they let him stay around for a while this time.

Talkin’ Baseball

Posted on June 2, 2008 by twilightdawning

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – May

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Matsui, Hideki 100 21 35 13 7 0 2 10 12 0 0 0 .350 .480 .409
Betemit, Wilson 21 3 7 2 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 .333 .571 .333
Abreu, Bobby 100 17 33 20 8 2 4 13 21 0 0 4 .330 .570 .407
Giambi, Jason 73 12 23 14 6 0 6 13 14 0 1 0 .315 .644 .446
Damon, Johnny 98 15 30 13 6 0 3 5 11 0 0 4 .306 .459 .340
Cano, Robinson 95 13 28 12 7 0 2 5 6 0 1 1 .295 .432 .333
Rodriguez, Alex 41 7 12 10 4 0 3 7 8 0 0 5 .293 .610 .408
Jeter, Derek 103 18 27 11 4 1 2 9 17 0 1 4 .262 .379 .336
Cabrera, Melky 94 4 22 12 5 0 1 4 10 1 1 0 .234 .319 .270
Molina, Jose 58 5 12 4 4 0 0 2 12 3 1 0 .207 .276 .230
Moeller, Chad 32 2 6 5 0 0 0 3 8 0 0 0 .188 .188 .278
Duncan, Shelley 43 4 7 6 1 0 1 3 11 0 1 0 .163 .256 .213
Ensberg, Morgan 31 2 5 1 0 0 0 4 10 0 0 1 .161 .161 .257
Gonzalez, Alberto 20 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 .150 .150 .190

New York Yankees - Batting - Season to date

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SB BA SLG OBP
Matsui, Hideki 190 31 64 26 12 0 6 23 22 0 .337 .495 .417
Posada, Jorge 63 8 19 11 6 1 1 3 11 0 .302 .476 .333
Abreu, Bobby 208 29 62 36 12 3 7 21 45 5 .298 .486 .362
Damon, Johnny 196 34 57 25 16 1 6 23 29 8 .291 .474 .364
Rodriguez, Alex 132 21 38 21 11 0 7 13 27 6 .288 .530 .365
Jeter, Derek 197 27 53 25 7 3 2 11 24 4 .269 .365 .321
Cabrera, Melky 181 19 48 24 7 0 6 15 24 3 .265 .403 .320
Betemit, Wilson 34 3 9 3 2 0 1 0 9 1 .265 .412 .286
Moeller, Chad 52 7 13 7 2 0 1 6 12 0 .250 .346 .339
Giambi, Jason 146 25 35 27 9 0 11 28 25 1 .240 .527 .380
Cano, Robinson 201 19 44 19 10 0 4 12 20 1 .219 .328 .269
Molina, Jose 110 9 24 6 11 0 0 2 17 0 .218 .318 .230
Gonzalez, Alberto 42 4 9 1 2 0 0 4 7 0 .214 .262 .283
Ensberg, Morgan 74 6 15 4 0 0 1 6 22 1 .203 .243 .263
Duncan, Shelley 56 7 9 6 2 0 1 7 13 0 .161 .250 .250
Stewart, Chris 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .000 .000

So as May comes to an end, time for another look at how the New York

Yankees are doing so far.

Pluses

Hideki Matsui. Hugely consistent season for Matsui so far. The whisper

before the season was that perhaps he was a year too old. He's

disproved that point of view. He could do with hitting for a little

more power but that aside it's hard to fault him.

Bobby Abreu. .330 for the month has raised his season average to .298.

4 home runs on the month and .570 slugging percentage and he's been

there in the clutch, picking up some vital hits

Jason Giambi. .315 in May and 6 home runs to bring him to 11 so far.

I'm surprised but he seems to finally pulling his weight. Performance

in the field has also been more than you'd expect.

Minuses

Jose Molina. Filling in for the injured Posada, Molina who had previously

been solid has been only .207 on the month and there has been little to

choose between him and Moeller defensively, leading him to be used only

2 days out of 3. It will good to see Jorge back and lift the weight off

Molina because he's not handling it.

Melky Cabrera. .270 OBP in May and a poor batting performance and

little power has undone the great April he had. Time for him to bounce

back and show his mettle.

Morgan Ensberg. Morgan reverted to type in May with little at the plate

and even losing his previous patience which used to guarantee him

plenty of walks. He was released on the 1st of June but we have little

infield depth with or without him.

Surprises

Wilson Betemit. Preferred to Alberto Gonzalez when he recovered from

injury. Gonzalez caught the bus back to Scranton. Betemit has been

useful at 1b as well at 3rd and has a good average on the month. Maybe

more players should go to the opticians.

Derek Jeter. Hasn't recovered from being hit by pitch earlier in the

month. Yankees need him to improve if they are to close the gap on

Tampa and Boston

Shelley Duncan. Just surprising that he's still around. Last season's

power promise has disappeared and there doesn't seem to be anything

else to offer.

Designated for assignment

Posted on June 1, 2008 by twilightdawning

In April, I said:

“Morgan Ensberg (11). Another surprise name. And another journeyman who is unlikely to be in the post-season in 2008 whether the Yankees make it there or not. Recently with the Astros and Padres, he is patient at the plate and will draw walks but it’s hard when that’s the best thing you can think to say about him.

Scott Patterson (no number allocated). A surprising exclusion. His time will come.”

Today, the Yankees released Ensberg and called up Patterson who is actually pitching against Minnesota at this moment, as I write. I am therefore officially clever and I should be transported to Yankee Stadium, by means of jaunting, as a reward.

Baseball update

Posted on May 23, 2008 by twilightdawning

The season so far has not been kind to the New York Yankees:

Team	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston	31	19	.620	–
Tampa Bay	27	20	.574	2.5
Baltimore	24	22	.522	5.0
Toronto	24	25	.490	6.5
NY Yankees	22	25	.468	7.5

It hasn’t been a case that other teams have performed better than expected. Tampa Bay aside, it has been a fairly predictable season so far. The Yankees are just simply not punching their weight. A lot has been said about their lack-lustre starting pitching and I will say more about that later in the week.
However, it needs also to be noted that their batting isn’t living upto its vaunted reputation. We noted before the season began that injuries to seasoned pros like Jorge Posada would have to be expected. Leaving those injuries also to one-side, we note that six of the fourteen offensive players that they have used in May are batting below .200.

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – May (Below .200 BA)

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG
Duncan, Shelley 31 2 6 3 1 0 0 1 8 0 1 0 .194 .226
Cabrera, Melky 66 1 12 7 3 0 1 4 7 0 0 0 .182 .273
Moeller, Chad 22 1 4 2 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 .182 .182
Ensberg, Morgan 29 2 5 1 0 0 0 4 9 0 0 1 .172 .172
Molina, Jose 36 3 6 1 2 0 0 2 9 2 1 0 .167 .222
Gonzalez, Alberto 19 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 .158 .158

Of these only Cabrera would normally be considered a regular but two or three of these guys are having 
to be used in some combination every day of the week and it is quite simple to see that elevated from 
the bench they are not hitting well. Ensberg and Moeller have settled into the kind of form, with the bat, 
that has been the hallmark of their careers. Alberto Gonzalez was doing well until hastily sent back to 
Scranton and then recalled and then thrust into an uncertain role with the A-Rod injury. Duncan was a 
useful bat last season whilst he had power but this season he has no power, no nothing.

As Alex Rodriguez returns, it is obviously time to shake up the bench. Injuries are going to occur through
out the year with the battery and infield looking most vulnerable. There is not enough to rely upon here on 
current form.

Take me out to the Ball Game

Posted on April 28, 2008 by twilightdawning

So another Baseball update…… which of the New York Yankees are doing well, badly or surprising you, Darren?

Pluses

Mariano Rivera. We expect Mo to be good but this year so far he’s shaking off his advancing years. 9 games, 10 innings pitched, 4 hits, NO RUNS. 7 saves out of 7 opportunities.

Joba Chamberlain. It should be noted that Mariano Rivera started life as a starter and was so-so before being transformed into first setup man and then closer. Whatever Hank Steinbrenner thinks, Chamberlain is a fine setup man at the moment and there seems no reason to rock the boat. 9 games also, 10.1 innings and a 1.74 ERA. He’s endured one wobble and was back to normal yesterday afternoon.

Brian Bruney. Our third excellent relief pitcher. 1.59 ERA, 9 games, 11.1 innings. Also endured a wobble but there was worse to follow which makes Mr Bruney both a plus and a minus….. (see below)………

Chien-Ming Wang. 5-0, 3.23 ERA, 39 innings. We need to see more strong starters but at the moment Wang is Mr Dependable. He out-duelled Sabathia to give us an opportunity to tie the series against the Indians.

Melky Cabrera. .291 BA, .506 SLG, 5 HRs. While two many bats are quiet, Melky is carrying his share of the weight. Yesterday, his home run was the only thing separating us from Cleveland in the batting column.

Alberto Gonzalez. .316 BA. I expected to see Gonzalez back in the Bronx in September as New York hoped that someone might want to offer him a roster spot in 2009 and to see what he was worth. Instead, the early injury to Jeter put him into the spotlight much earlier than that and at the moment he looks a good utility man who can fill most of the spots in the infield with ease. He’s younger than Betemit and whilst its difficult to see how he would fit for New York in the long term, he is surpassing my expectations and I hope he stays around.

Minuses

Ian Kennedy. 8.53 ERA, 2 losses and less than 5 innings per start. Less was expected of Kennedy than Phil Hughes (see below) which is handy because he is worse. Last year, he looked to have potential but at the moment that has dissipated. Can’t see how much longer he will last in the starting rotation on this form but who will they bring in to fill his spot whilst he sorts himself out.

Phil Hughes. 7.85 ERA, 3 losses and less than 4 innings per start. The burden of being the guy that the Yankees refused to give up must be weighing heavily on Hughes at the moment. He inspires slightly more confidence than Kennedy but not much.

LaTroy Hawkins. 8.56 ERA. His ERA exists to stop Hughes or Kennedy being bottom of that list. In Spring Training, he chose no.22 and drew ribbing for trying to follow Clemens. The Bleacher creatures got on him when that proved too much for him and he swapped to 21 which they have reserved to be retired in honour of Paul O’Neill. Shirt number issues aside, or perhaps partially because of them, he seems to have lost his way and seems to be handy for nothing than filling innings in games we have already lost.

Robinson Cano. .158 BA. .216 OBP. Don’t really want to put him here on this part of my list but at the moment he has got me scratching my head. Girardi has observed that he always a slow starter but the problem with that is he had such a strong spring training. Perhaps a few days off might fix it and at least we have Gonzalez to fill in if it comes to that.

Jason Giambi. .177 BA. He’s beginning to hit for power (5 HRs now) but he’ll need to boost his batting average by at least 50 points and be much more consistent at first base before I’ll be pleased to see him still in a Yankees shirt.

Brian Bruney (as above). Every other year, he has begun solidly and then struggled as the season went on. This year, he starts solidly and then falls covering a ball at firstbase and damages his foot. He might be gone for the season and I’m not sure who replaces him.

Surprises

Jorge Posada. .302 BA. Looked like he’d shaken off the injury but is now headed for the disabled list for the first time.

Jose Molina. .267 BA. Managed to stay off the disabled list and will now be every day until Posada is able to comeback.

Billy Traber. 4.50 ERA. Only left-handed reliever on the roster and was holding his own but now he’s headed for Scranton. Strange decision.

Shelley Duncan. .091 BA, no home runs. I was surprised how short his first stay in the Bronx was but I’m even more surprised to see him back. Ensberg continues to hold his own at 1b and 3b and offensively and Duncan’s power seems to have disappeared.
He’s been gifted another chance but he needs to do something quickly.

Chad Moeller. .350 BA. Designated for assignment on Friday. It looks like, with the injury to Posada, the Yankees may have moved too quickly. We’ll see how the next few days workout – whether we see him again or whether he is headed elsewhere.

Mike Mussina. 2-3, 4.54 ERA. Despite Steinbrenner’s diatribe, close inspection shows that Mussina is contributing and perhaps doing a little better than I expected. I really saw him as the fifth starter this season so if he can continue as he is, he’d been on target for 12 wins and I could stand that. The younger pitchers are the bigger issue.

So the season so far. 26 games, 13 wins, 13 losses and only 1 1/2 games out.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore	14	11	.560	–
Tampa Bay	14	11	.560	–
Boston	15	12	.556	–
NY Yankees	13	13	.500	1.5
Toronto	11	15	.423	3.5