Thursday, May 16, 2013
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Boos for Hughes
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Boos for Hughes: Yanks Stunned by Mariners in 12-2 Loss By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, MAY 16- Game #2 of the series with the Seattle Mariners feature...
Boos for Hughes
Yanks Stunned by Mariners in 12-2 Loss
By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK, MAY 16- Game #2 of the series with the Seattle Mariners featured a number of strange events and was a complete debacle for the Yankees. Before the first Yankees player approached the plate in the bottom of the first, the Yanks were trailing by seven runs.
After Yankees starter Phil Hughes retired the first Seattle batter in the game, the next seven batters successfully reached base. The key blow of the 11 batter inning was a grand slam homer by Raúl Ibañez. The Yankees post-season hero of 2012 blasted a 0-1 pitch into the seats for his 11th career grand slam.
The shortest start of Hughes’s career in the majors lasted only 0.2 innings. The 36 pitch effort by Hughes yielded six hits, two walks and seven runs to Seattle. The very disappointed hurler explained his feelings after the contest, “Nothing was happening for me. Nobody feels worse than I do. It’s going to be tough to sleep the next couple of nights.”
The optimistic Yankees manager Joe Girardi tried to put the performance of Hughes in perspective, “If you start long enough, you’re going to get one of these [games]. You’ve got to throw it out and put it behind you.”
A plethora of injuries created a situation in which two Yankees made their MLB debuts in the game. Right-handed pitcher Brett Marshall was called up on Monday. In an attempt to save the bullpen, Marshall pitched 5.2 innings in his first game in the majors. With one out and one on in the fifth, Marshall gave up the second homer of the game to Ibañez. The Yankee Stadium atmosphere is especially pleasing to Ibañez as he has hit nine home runs in his last 11 games at the current stadium. The other three runs surrendered by Marshall also came on a four bagger. With two on and no one out in the sixth, Kyle Seagar drove in three runs with a home run. After the contest, Marshall said, “You don’t expect your first game to be like that.”
David Adams celebrated his 26th birthday by playing in his first major league game. He described his feelings of being the first Yankee to make his major league debut on his birthday, “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I was going to be.”
Adams started at third base on the day he was called up from the minors. Adams hit a ground ball through the middle for a single in the sixth. Of the ball that was saved, he commented, “My wife and mother are going to fight over it. Maybe I’ll get them some boxing gloves.”
The two runs scored off the winning pitcher, Hisashi Iwakuma (5-1) were by solo homers, one by Vernon Wells in the first and the other by Chris Stewart in the fifth.
Another strange occurrence was that infielder Alberto Gonzalez was sent to the mound with two out in the ninth. Girardi described his question to Gonzalez, “I need you for an out or two, are you okay with it?” Gonzalez retired Robert Andino on a fly to right.
Andy Pettitte (4-2) will be going for his 250th win in the rubber game on Wednesday night against starter Aaron Harang (1-4) for Seattle.
By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK, MAY 16- Game #2 of the series with the Seattle Mariners featured a number of strange events and was a complete debacle for the Yankees. Before the first Yankees player approached the plate in the bottom of the first, the Yanks were trailing by seven runs.
After Yankees starter Phil Hughes retired the first Seattle batter in the game, the next seven batters successfully reached base. The key blow of the 11 batter inning was a grand slam homer by Raúl Ibañez. The Yankees post-season hero of 2012 blasted a 0-1 pitch into the seats for his 11th career grand slam.
The shortest start of Hughes’s career in the majors lasted only 0.2 innings. The 36 pitch effort by Hughes yielded six hits, two walks and seven runs to Seattle. The very disappointed hurler explained his feelings after the contest, “Nothing was happening for me. Nobody feels worse than I do. It’s going to be tough to sleep the next couple of nights.”
The optimistic Yankees manager Joe Girardi tried to put the performance of Hughes in perspective, “If you start long enough, you’re going to get one of these [games]. You’ve got to throw it out and put it behind you.”
A plethora of injuries created a situation in which two Yankees made their MLB debuts in the game. Right-handed pitcher Brett Marshall was called up on Monday. In an attempt to save the bullpen, Marshall pitched 5.2 innings in his first game in the majors. With one out and one on in the fifth, Marshall gave up the second homer of the game to Ibañez. The Yankee Stadium atmosphere is especially pleasing to Ibañez as he has hit nine home runs in his last 11 games at the current stadium. The other three runs surrendered by Marshall also came on a four bagger. With two on and no one out in the sixth, Kyle Seagar drove in three runs with a home run. After the contest, Marshall said, “You don’t expect your first game to be like that.”
David Adams celebrated his 26th birthday by playing in his first major league game. He described his feelings of being the first Yankee to make his major league debut on his birthday, “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I was going to be.”
Adams started at third base on the day he was called up from the minors. Adams hit a ground ball through the middle for a single in the sixth. Of the ball that was saved, he commented, “My wife and mother are going to fight over it. Maybe I’ll get them some boxing gloves.”
The two runs scored off the winning pitcher, Hisashi Iwakuma (5-1) were by solo homers, one by Vernon Wells in the first and the other by Chris Stewart in the fifth.
Another strange occurrence was that infielder Alberto Gonzalez was sent to the mound with two out in the ninth. Girardi described his question to Gonzalez, “I need you for an out or two, are you okay with it?” Gonzalez retired Robert Andino on a fly to right.
Andy Pettitte (4-2) will be going for his 250th win in the rubber game on Wednesday night against starter Aaron Harang (1-4) for Seattle.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Opening Day for Grandy
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Opening Day for Grandy: Granderson Returns to Yank Lineup By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, MAY 15- The first of the seriously injured Yankees All-Stars, ...
Opening Day for Grandy
Granderson Returns to Yank Lineup
By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK, MAY 15- The first of the seriously injured Yankees All-Stars, Curtis Granderson, returned to the lineup for the Yanks on May 14. The game was the first for Grandy in the 2013 season, but the 39th for the team.
Flashback to February 24. Granderson walked to home plate in the first inning of the first home Spring Training game for the Yankees. Toronto’s left-handed hurler J.A. Happ threw a pitch that fractured Granderson’s right forearm.
Since that occurrence, the 32-year-old outfielder has been in an intensive rehab program in an attempt, now successful, to return to the lineup. Granderson spoke about the lengthy healing process before his return, “I knew it was a broken bone and I can’t go ahead and do anything if it’s still broken. You’ve got to let it heal. And once it was able to heal, we’ve got to start swinging and getting my legs back underneath me.”
Once finally allowed to play, Granderson batted 8 for 20 in his Triple A preparation with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Before his appearance with the Yankees, the veteran outfielder explained his emotional feelings, “It’s the first game. I didn’t get a chance to get Opening Day, so today is my Opening Day. And just like every Opening Day, there’s always a little bit of nerves until that finally passes.”
On Tuesday, Granderson batted in the clean-up slot and played in left field rather than his customary place in center field. He grounded into a double play in his first trip to the plate in the first. He fanned in the fourth. In the sixth, he grounded to the pitcher, Felix Hernandez, who threw to second for the force. Granderson, on first, then scored the first Yankees run on a double by Lyle Overbay. Granderson drew a walk in the seventh, which loaded the bases. The next batter, Overbay, hit a sacrifice fly to center that drove in the winning run.
One the game was behind him, Granderson felt less pressure. He told reporters, “It was like another opening Day. Nerves enter into it. Now it’s out of the way, so we can get back to playing. It’s definitely a bit of relief.”
Despite the absence of high salaried and highly talented players, the Yankees hold undisputed first place in the American League East. Hopefully, the morale and the chemistry on the thus far successful team will continue and not deteriorate once the stars come out.
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): The Grandy Man Can!
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): The Grandy Man Can!: Granderson’s Back as Yanks Come From Behind to Win Photo by Gary Quintal By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, May 15- The Yanks returned to th...
The Grandy Man Can!
Granderson’s Back as Yanks Come From Behind to Win
Photo by Gary Quintal
By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK, May 15- The Yanks returned to the Bronx on Tuesday after a successful, 6-2, road trip. Pitching was the strength of the Yankees as they held their opponents to two runs or less in seven of the eight contests. New York was shut out in its two road losses.
Pitching again was the main story on Tuesday night as former American League Cy Young award winners C.C. Sabathia (2007) and “King” Felix Hernandez (2010) hooked up for the first time. The encounter was the fourth between former Cy Young winners in the current Yankee Stadium.
As was expected, the batters did not dominate the two starters. The batter that scored the only run in the first five frames reached base on an error. With one out in the top of the third, Mariners’ center fielder Michael Saunders was safe on a miscue by first sacker Lyle Overbay. A two out double by Kyle Segar drove Saunders across the plate.
Each team scored in the sixth. Seattle catcher Kelly Shoppach led off the inning with a single. The next batter, former Yankee hero Raúl Ibañez, took an 0-1 pitch into the first row of the right field seats to score two. He averages a home run every 12.5 at bats in the current Yankee Stadium. Yankees pitchers had not allowed an earned run for 21 straight innings prior to the home run.
Robinson Cano led off the bottom of the inning with a single. A grounder to Hernandez by Curtis Granderson, playing in his first game of the season, led to a force of Cano at second. Granderson scored the first Yankees run on a double by Overbay.
Both starters left the game after the sixth. Sabathia was removed with one out in the seventh and two men on base. He gave up 10 hits, his season high, and three runs, two earned. He fanned 10, a season best. After the game, the Yankees starter commented, “I always try to keep the game close and keep us in the game. Kelley picked me up in the seventh.”
Hernandez, who appeared in discomfort during the sixth, did not return to the mound for the seventh. Seattle manager Eric Wedge discussed his reason for removing “King Felix”, “we have to be smart and can’t put him in harm’s way.” Hernandez yielded only five hits and one run. The American League leader in ERA has not surrendered more than one run in each of his last six starts.
Yankees skipper Joe Girardi was impressed by the performance of Hernandez, “He basically did what he usually does, gets guys out. He makes it really tough to score a run.”
Hernandez’s bid for a victory was spoiled by relievers Yoervis Medina and Charlie Furbish who collectively gave up three runs in the seventh. A double by Cano drove in two runs and a sacrifice fly to center by Overbay knocked in the eventual winning run. Cano passed Mickey Mantle on the team’s career list with his 345th double. He remarked, “My approach was looking for something over the plate because the last few games I was chasing.”
Closer extraordinaire Mariano Rivera converted his 16th save opportunity of the 2013 campaign by retiring the three batters he faced in the ninth inning. He has been successful in all 16 opportunities this year. The save upped his MLB career record to 624 saves.
Reliever Shawn Kelley earned the win after pitching 2/3 of an inning. In May the bullpen is 4-1 with an ERA of 0.77. The relievers have not been scored upon for the last 22.2 innings.
Phil Hughes (2-2) of New York will start game two of the series on Wednesday versus Hisashi Iwakuma (4-1) of Seattle.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Dancing the night away
Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Dancing the night away: More than 50 chronically ill teens danced the night away on at the annual prom at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore. The teens wer...
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