ALDS Game 5: The Hot Ticket in Town

If your planning to go to ALDS Game 5, I hope you already bought your tickets. On Ticketmaster the game is already sold out (yes even the insanely overpriced infield field level seats), and on Stubhub the get in the door price is $85 and that's for stand room.

Yesterday as A.J. Burnett shocked the Tigers (and some Yankee fans) with a strong performance, and the bombers bats came alive, the secondary market for game 5 tickets did as well. Yesterday at the start of the game, the prices on Stubhub were close to face value in some spots, and pairs of seats could be found in the Terrace and Main levels straight from Ticketmaster for face value. As game 4 went on, the prices rose, and once the Yankees started to beat up on the Tigers bullpen the ticket prices began to go through the roof and the event quickly sold out on Ticketmaster.

With Ivan Nova on the mound against Doug Fister in a rematch of ALDS Game 1 (the suspended game) the stadium is sure to be loud. During the first game 1, before the rain, the stadium was crazy, and had that great atmosphere of the  old stadium. In game 5 I expect much of the same. About a week ago, their were still Bleacher and Grandstand seats available for game 5 (not shocked since many Yankee fans including myself felt the series wouldn't go 5), I had the chance to pick up a few but passed. I am simply kicking myself now.

Talkin Baseball: The Hot Corner run down 4-5-11

Baseball is back and so is Talkin Baseball: The Hot Corner on WCWP.org, with the season just a few games deep we discuss all of the happenings of the games played. So tune in from 7-9pm to listen to:

• Yankees Topics
• Who would you rather have, Curtis Granderson or Austin Jackson?
• Is this the best bullpen of all time?
• Whats with Phil Hughes and the lack of velocity, time to worry?
• Ivan Nova looks good, but very few strikeouts.
• Twins vs Yankees preview

• Mets Topics
• "Seasons over" clip
• Is the second base job back up for grabs?
• Mets vs Marlins recap
• Is the Mets and Phillies a real rivalry?
• Preview of the Mets vs Phillies series 

• MLB Topics
• Evan Longoria and Matt Holliday injuries
• Red Sox woes, and the issue with dropping Carl Crawford in the order after two games
• Should the season open up in warm weather places?
• Biggest surprise so far.

We also chat with Ken Davidoff of Newsday, and give our best and worst of the week so far. So tune in to Talkin Baseball: The Ho Corner tonight from 7-9pm on WCWPSports.org

Hot start would be perfect for Yanks

Tex has gotten off to a hot start with
three home runs in three games, but can the Yanks do the same?

From 2004-2009 the Yankees were 70-74 in games played in March and April. Last season they broke that trend going 15-7. But it is still something very important for the Yankees this season, is to have a good start.

With the "underdog" status around the Yankees this season, it very important for Joe Girardi to make sure his club starts out hot. The last thing the Yankees want is media coverage around a struggling team asking about why the pitching is falling apart or for the Yankees to make a knee jerk move and trade away Jesus Montero or one of the killer B's for a pitcher.

So far the bombers, have lived up to their century long nickname, out hitting the Tigers this weekend to win two of three games. But some credit should go to the pitching. Sabathia gave the Yankees a chance to stay in the game only allowing three runs over six innings. Burnett pitched well despite battling a head cold, and the Yankees bullpen looked very strong.

Hughes did sputter today giving up a pair of long homers to Yankee killer Miguel Cabrera, but the Yanks offense kept them in the game the entire time.

The Yanks would rather look down at their opponents
in the standings, instead of up.

New York fans don't have alot of pacients, they began to boo A-Rod after one season, and booed Mark Tiexeria after a month. The last thing they want is to watch Ivan Nova struggled through a 5 five inning start in April in the cold, plus it sets a precedent for the rest of the season. How many times do teams get off to a hot start and suddenly all is forgotten about? Last season the Mets were in the playoff picture, and just as fans began to believe they bottomed out. But the issues of the Mets weren't mentioned as often when they were winning. That's  exactly what the Yankees want, to not hear the problems on the team.

From 2004-2009, each season the Yankees found ways to get hot in the second half of the season, but that can be tough. After the all star break or "the dog days" of the season most teams are beat up. The Yankees have a ton of older players who are going to battle injuries, and it would be tough for them to make up ground, especially against teams like the Rays, who are a young team with starting pitching depth. Or the Red Sox, who have been given the crown of AL East favorites.

2011 Yankees pitchers predictions

This was the big issue this winter. The Yanks missed out of Cliff Lee and then Andy Pettitte decided it was time to hang it up. The Yanks rotation has many question marks, but the bullpen looks as strong as ever. So can the Yankees hit their way into October? Or will the pitching surprise everyone, and lead the charge in the quest for title 28.

CC Sabathia: Entering year three in the Bronx, CC has given the Yankees everything and then some that they had expected from him when he signed here. He has battled for the CY Young award, and pitched phenomenal in the postseason, the biggest question is will he leave New York after this year.

Best case: 22-6 2.81 ERA 215 Strikeouts. CC wins the CY Young and leads the bombers back into the playoffs on his slimmed down back.

Worst case: 15-10 4.02 ERA 167 SO Sabathia begins to eat a box of Captain Crunch a day, his knee is an issue, or ::gasp:: he gets hurt from throwing so many innings the past few years.

My prediction: 20-7 3.12 ERA 190 SO The big man is an consistent as ever, and anchors the bombers rotation.

A.J. Burnett: Will we see bad A.J. or will we get to see good A.J.? When Burnett is doing bad, he looks lost and gets hit hard. When he is doing well, his stuff is moving all over the place and is as close to unhittable as anyone in baseball. But what A.J. shows up?
Best case: 17-9 3.88 ERA 206 SO Burnett shows off his 2008 form, shutting down the Red Sox and looking like the pitcher the Yanks signed.
Worst case: 11-13 4.89 ERA 174 SO I don't think it can get any worse for Burnett, especially after last season. The worst case has Burnett looking lost at times, getting bombed by Boston and blowing leads. The boo birds will be out, early and often.
My prediction: 13-10 4.19 ERA 186 SO Burnett comes back and has a season similar to 2009. Burnett is going to struggle at times but will also have enough starts where he will shut down the opponent.

Phil Hughes: 2010 was a break out year for Hughes, winning 18 games. But Hughes struggled in the second half of the season, and fell victim to giving up the long ball. Now their are reports that his velocity has dropped, will his wins do the same?
Best case: 19-8 3.45 180 SO. Hughes proves that he last season was no fluke, and can be the Yankees second ace.
Worst case: 12-10 4.87 ERA 152 SO. Phil takes a step back, dealing with injuries, Hughes tries to do his best but instead looks like Burnett circa 2010.
My prediction: 16-8 4.09 169 SO. Hughes falls back to earth, but is still very solid. I would be very concerned with the chance that he suffers an injury since his innings went up by 90 from 2009 to 2010. This year that could catch up with him.

Ivan Nova : Yankee fans love to see the big stars, but they also love to see the home grown kid find a way to succeed in the Bronx. Nova last year had flashes of success, but would also flash signs of being just a kid.
Best case: 15-7 3.76 ERA 155 SO. Just call his super Nova if this is the case, cause he will have blown expectations out of the water.
Worst case: 3-9 5.72 ERA 82 SO and a trip to Scranton. Nothing could be worse then the Yanks having to send down Nova because he is doing that poor. In his starts, Nova wouldn't be able to get past the opposing line up for a third time, thus leaving alot of games early.

My prediction: 12-9 4.32 ERA 134 SO. He's just a kid so lets remember to cut him a break, he will have his good starts and then have some bad starts. But has a performance that gets him a chance to start a playoff game and hold a spot in the 2012 rotation.

Freddy Garcia: Steady Freddy might not be able to live up to his nickname for much longer, but the Yanks will hope that they can squeeze one more season out of his right arm, or atleast enough juice from it to keep them afloat.
Best case: 14-7 3.83 ERA 141 SO. Garcia parties like it's 2005 again, and his shoulder has no issues.
Worst case: 4-10 5.66 ERA 67 SO. Garcia gets hurt,or struggled and the Yankees cut him and rather go with one someone in the minors or Bartolo Colon.
My prediction: 11-8 4.63 ERA 93 SO. Freddy isn't great, but gives the Yankees innings and quality starts for a fifth starter.

I'm not going to run through the entire bullpen because relievers are tough to predict. But I will give my prediction on the great Mariano Rivera.

Mariano Rivera: Simply The Best

Best case: 3-1 1.33 ERA 70 SO. Rivera finds another way to wow us all

Worst case: 2-4 3.03 ERA 55 SO. Mo cant strike any one out, and suddenly looks like a human.

My prediction: 3-2 1.83 ERA 64 SO Mo is a machine, no matter what age.

Overall I think the Yankees are going to finish in second place, due to the lack of starting depth. But this team is good enough to make the playoffs as the wild card and still win over 90 games. In fact I think the Red Sox win the division, but I'm not so sure they run away with it. Wouldn't surprise me if the Yanks only finish a game or two out.
Final Record: 94-68 wild card winners, lose in the ALCS

The suprises of spring training

Well this the last week the Yankees will be down in Tampa training until 2012. On of my favorite things is how the storylines are resolved and the unexpected, becomes a reality.

First example, Gustavo Molina as the back up catcher.
 A few weeks back on Talkin Baseball: The Hot Corner I joked the Molina would make the team over Jesus Montero or Austin Romine. Well each day it looks more and more like a solid possability. Molina has had a nice spring, while Montero has struggled and would not get the chance to play everyday in the bigs. Romine missed time, and many feel he is also not ready. I would have said Jorge Posada, but he has yet to catch a single inning in spring training and I doubt he will for the remaining few days. So that leaves it to Molina.

I actually like the Molina idea since, he will just play once a week if that, and when Cervelli comes back they can cut Cervelli they can either send down Molina or Cervelli.

Bartolo Colon, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia all make the team, with the last two being the fourth and fifth starters.
Yes two of them would have to make the team as the starting pitchers at the back of the rotation, unless the Yanks were going to go with four man rotation. But Sergio Mitre was sadly cut as the long man, and that opened up the role for big Bartolo.

I never expected Colon to be on the roster once opening day hit, I also had my doubts about Nova (I was assuming the Yanks would make a trade) but they both will be pitching in the bigs to start 2011.

Eric Chavez does not get hurt! And makes the team

Whats more shocking that he didnt get hurt or that he made the team? I would say that he was healthy enough, cause I had a feeling Girardi would add him to the roster if he played well, and he has done just that hitting close to .400 this spring.

Welcome Millwood, so long Sergio

The Mitre era in pinstripes is over. Today the Yankees have sent Sergio to the Brewers, this comes after they signed Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal plus incentives.

The deal with Millwood is a fair one, its a minor league deal similar to Freddy Garcia's deal. So if Millwood makes the team he should make around $1.5 million, and upwards to $3 million in incentives. Its a good deal, since Millwood won't start the season with the team, so the Yanks can see what Ivan Nova,Bartolo Colon and Garcia have to offer first. Millwood last season was 4-16 for the Orioles, but at times had pitched better then his record indicates.

Now on to sad news, Sergio "Meat-tray" was traded to the Brewers, at this time it is unsure what the bombers will get back. But all I can say is what ever they traded him for was not enough, Mitre was a favorite of mine (and Joe Girardi's). I wish Sergio the best, and maybe the Yankees got back old pal Wil Nieves (lets hope not)

Rafael Soriano becomes a Yankee

While he may not be considered a "true Yankee" Just yet, Rafeal Soriano was introduced as the newsest Yankee at today's press conference. Soriano will wear # 29, last worn last season by Francisco Cervelli, so look for Cervelli to have a new number come spring training.  Some early projections about Soriano and his 2011 season can be found at Fan Graphs and although they may have been already predicted prior to him signing as a set up man, they all predicted ERA's lower then 2.63.

When Soriano first signed with the Yanks, I had mixed emotions. I loved the fact that they were getting a closer, that was only going to be a set up man for Mariano. I also liked the fact that it set the Yankees bullpen as the best in the majors. But at the same time the Yanks did have to give up there 1st round choice. Also building a strong bullpen can defiantly help, and since Joe Girardi has become the manager in 2008, managing the bullpen has been one of his bright spots. But it still does not mask the fact that the starting pitching is lacking and the bullpen is not going to solve that. Sure it now makes that Nova, Mitre and possibly even Burnett will have to just throw five decent innings, but if those three are all lined up making starts after one another the bullpen is going to be burnt out quickly.

First ever! NYY Stars and Pinstripes awards for the 2010 Yankees

NYY Stars and Pinstripes presents : The 2010 Yankees awards

Best Hitter: Robinson Cano

Following his 2008 season, some fans and media called for Cano to be traded. After all they had all labeled him as lazy, and had been benched that season for not hustling. Cano improved in 2009, but still struggled with RISP and had a poor Postseason. 2010 would be his breakout season, starting off in April and May hitting .400 and .336 respectfully. While A-Rod was hurt, and Derek Jeter and Mark Tiexeira slumped, Cano carried the team. Cano struggled at times but was the most consistent hitter over the years.

Best Pitcher: CC Sabathia:
Its always a tough choice when Mariano Rivera has another Mariano type season, but nothing can compare to what the big man did for the Yankees. That big man I'm talking about of course is CC Sabathia. CC in his two seasons has been everything the Yankees could ask for. Sure at times Sabathia may not always look dominant on the mound, but he always finds a way to keep the Yankees in the game. CC may not win the CY Young award, but at least he can take home this award.

Most Improved: Robinson Cano:
It was a tough choice between Robby and Brett Gardner, but since Cano did turn himself into an MVP caliber player, his 2008 season seems miles away.

Best Trade: Kerry Wood for a player to be named later:
At the time Wood had an era close to seven, and had been remembered as the injury prone player. But once the season ended and Wood had an ERA below one, during his time in pinstripes, this could be remembered as one of Brian Cashman's best trades. The Indians were trying to just dump salary, and the Yankees desperate for another arm in the bullpen took a chance. Wood will likely get a closers job elsewhere, and the Yankees wont get a chance to resign him unless they are willing to pay close to closer money.

Best off season pick up: Marcus Thames:
I had mentioned this earlier in the season. But when you think back to the off season Brian Cashman had signed Nick Johnson and Randy Winn, suddenly the best pick up was Thames. Thames did have the knack for the big knock, getting a few big hits during the season.
Editors note: Trades were not considered in off season pick ups. They also will not get their own award since the Curtis Granderson trade involved prospects and you wont be able to declare a winner till you see how they pan out. The Javier Vazquez trade could be considered a draw, although Boone Logan was a big gain for the Yanks.

Rookie of the Year: Ivan Nova?

Alright so I was just being silly adding this category, but I had not realized that the Yankees only had four players that could be considered rookies play for them this season. That list would include Colin Curtis, Kevin Russo, Eduardo Nunez and Ivan Nova. All four had contributed something to the team, but Ivan Nova made a few starts down the stretch of the season that helped the Yanks. Nova did walk a few too many, but I liked what I saw from the 23 year old Dominican righty.

MVP: CC Sabathia:

This could come as the shock out of all the awards handed out, but who was the Yankees MVP. It really came down to CC or Cano, and you could make great arguments for both. But when it came down to it, although Cano carried the team at times with his hitting, Tex and A-Rod still had 30/100 when the season was over. CC was the rock of the pitching staff, while Burnett was imploding all over, Pettitte was injured, Hughes struggled. Sabathia was always the Yankees most reliable starter, giving the team innings and always keeping the Yankees in the game.

Yankees notes : who's hot/not , pitching match ups & postseason presale

The bombers have just a game and a half lead in the division with just four home games left during the regular season. The Yanks and Rays have lived up to the expectation of a race till the end, and tonight it gets even better. CC Sabathia and David Price will be on the hill, two potential Cy Young award winners battling for the division. Last Monday the pair of lefties faced off and each proved why they each deserve consideration for the award, throwing a combined 16 innings and allowing just five hits combined. So expect a pitchers dual tonight at the stadium. The Yankees win and the lead goes back up to 2 1/2 games but if they lost it will be just 1/2 game with nine games remaining.The Yankees magic number to clinch a playoff birth is three.        

The pitching match ups for the final Yankees vs Red Sox series in the Bronx for 2010 :

Friday 7:05 YES Network: Andy Pettitte (11-2) vs Josh Becket (5-5).

Pettitte will make his first start at home since suffering the groin injury in July. While Josh Beckett, who has been beat up by the Yankees over his career (except in the 2003 World Series) attempts to prevent the Yankees from clinching a playoff birth.  Beckett has a career 6.23 ERA against the Yankees and needs to watch out for Robinson Cano who has hit .341 against him along with three homers.

Saturday 4:05 Fox : Jon Lester(18-8) vs Ivan Nova (1-0).
Looks like a mismatch for the Yankees who will go with the inexperienced Nova. Nova has pitched well the first two times through the line up and then hits a bump in the road. Lester on the other hand never hits bumps against the Yanks (5-1 3.63 ERA ). Cano (.227), Posada (.231) and Nick Swisher (.133) all had had their struggles with Lester over their career. This one looks like a win for the BoSox.

Sunday 8:05 ESPN : Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-6) vs Phil Hughes (17-8)
You know its a Yankees-Red Sox weekend when Fox and ESPN each have a game that they are airing, even if the Red Sox are out of it. The Yanks have hit Dice-k hard (ERA 6.31) but the Red Sox have done the same to Hughes (5.81) , so expect a slug fest for the final regular season home game.

Who's hot
Curtis Granderson may be only hitting .256 but his four home runs and 12 RBI have helped the bombers beat up on the Rays in the first two games of the series. Curtis also has drawn seven walks.

Shh don't look now but Derek Jeter has an 11 game hit streak and over that time is hitting .357. So much for Jeter being finished for his career, the hot streak comes at the perfect time. Lets hope he can keep this up during the post season.

Could Cano pick a better time to continue his hot hitting ? Over his last 10 games hitting .350, while driving in nine. Josh Hamilton has been sidelined since September 4th, suddenly Cano could really make a fight for why he should be MVP.


Who's not
Tex has been battling injuries since the end of August and it has shown hitting just .176 during this month with out a home run.

Austin Kearns had looked like a great pick up when he first came over for Cleveland but recently has cooled off , hitting just .214 and battling a few nagging injuries.

Last thing don't forget that if you are a Yankees partial season ticket plan holder that the pre-sale is tomorrow starting at 10:00 AM. Your password for the sale can be found in you Yankees account manager page.

Yanks looking up in the standings



Jeter and the Yanks are looking up in the standings.

 Heart breaking loss for the bombers last night but with the way manager Joe Girardi was working the bull pen you could see it coming. Why in the world would you have Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre in a game against the Rays who are just half a game behind ? These pitchers have been long relievers the entire season and now you are bringing them in to games that count. It just doesn't work that way, and it doesn't matter if you want to rest a few pitchers in the pen or the long relievers had thrown well. Instead I would have liked to see Joba or even Albaledejo in the game instead of Sergio and Chad, or even let Boone Logan face more then one batter.

The Yankees have now lost 7 out 8 and dropped into second place. Tonight they send Ivan Nova to the mound, and although he has had a few nice outings, he is still a rookie who wasn't in the rotation a few months ago. By losing game one it will have to be an uphill climb for the Yanks but lucky for them they still have six more games against these pesky Rays. But until then they will be looking up at Tampa, and hoping to regain first in the east to gain home field advantage throughout the playoffs.