The Captain's Blog

Despite a very hard slide by Brett Gardner, Carlos Guillen is somehow able to make return throw to first place on Derek Jeter’s game ending double play (Photo: Getty Images).

For the second straight day, it looked as if the starting pitching was going to be the cause of another sleepless night for Yankees’ fans, but once again the team’s slumbering hitters turned out to be the real cause of what has become a reoccurring August nightmare.

About the only chance the crowd had to cheer all night occurred in the first inning when Johnny Damon strolled to the plate at Yankee Stadium for the first time since game six of the World Series. The over 46,000 fans in attendance gave Damon a warm ovation, which prompted the former Yankee to doff his helmet in appreciation. Then, he proceeded to have a 10-pitch at bat before lining softly back to the mound. It was typical Damon as well as an ominous sign of what was to come for Javier Vazquez.

After his last start in Texas, and during the week leading up to this one, Vazquez had expressed concern about his diminished velocity. Yesterday, you could see that concern with just about every pitch. Although only a tick off from the 88.8mph that he has averaged all season, Vazquez seemed unwilling to throw his fastball anywhere but on the edge of the plate, leading to lots of long counts and foul balls. Following a lengthy first inning, thanks in large part to Damon’s pesky at bat, Vazquez allowed a two run home run to Ryan Raburn that seemed to scare him further out of the strike zone. In the inning, Vazquez loaded the bases on two walks and a single before pitching of the jam without further damage, but in the process expended 34 pitches. Already on pace for a short evening, two more maximum effort innings in the third and fourth sent Vazquez to an early shower with 106 pitches thrown, a new Yankee record for outings of four innings or less.

Most Pitches Thrown by a Yankees Starter in Four Innings or Less, Since 1920

 Source: Baseball-reference.com

Despite struggling on just about every pitch, Vazquez was able to keep the Yankees in the game. Matt Scherzer would have none of that though. For six innings, the Tigers’ hard throwing righty dominated the Yankees, surrendering only two walks and two singles to a lineup that slowly became depleted as the night wore on. After a fourth inning fly out, Alex Rodriguez left the game with tightness in his calf, and then in the bottom of the sixth, Nick Swisher’s balky right forearm forced him to depart for Austin Kearns.

Although whittled down, the lineup was able to mount a threat against the Tigers’ bullpen, but each time was turned away. In the seventh, a two out double by Curtis Granderson sent Jorge Posada to third and put the tying runs in scoring position, but Francisco Cervelli was next up, so the rally was basically over before it started. Instead of hitting for the anemic Cervelli, or at least trying a two-out bunt attempt, Girardi once again let Cervelli make a huge out in the ballgame, something he has become very proficient at doing (Cervelli’s WPA of -1.421 is the 22nd worst total in the league).

In the eighth inning, a two out single by Kearns and a walk to Mark Teixeira set the stage for another big hit from Marcus Thames, who was the Yankees last option on the bench. Thames put on a good at bat, but wound up rolling over on a 3-2 fastball that turned the Yankees aside once again.

When Miguel Cabrera took Joba Chamberlain over the wall in the top of the ninth, it seemed to be just salt in the wound, but the wildness of Tigers’ closer Jose Valverde proved otherwise. Pitching with a 3-0 lead to start the bottom half of the inning, Valverde promptly walked Cano on four pitches. Jorge Posada then inexplicably swung at the next two pitches and wound up hitting into a fielder’s choice. Curtis Granderson rekindled the Yankees’ hopes by singling to right and Valverde took it from there. The animated righty walked Cervelli and Gardner to plate the Yankees first run, and then fell behind Jeter 2-0. After finally throwing a strike, Jeter made a crucial mistake by offering at a borderline pitch, which considering Valverde’s bout of wildness had a great chance to be called a ball. The count eventually advanced to 3-2, but the rally went no further as the Yankee captain promptly grounded out weakly into his 17th double play of the year, despite an incredibly hard slide by Gardner in an attempt to break up the turn.

Justin Verlander goes tonight, so runs should be hard to come by once again. The Yankees will need C.C. Sabathia to continue to be their ace, but all around him things seem to be folding like a house of cards.

During yesterday’s Washington Nationals broadcast on MASN, Rob Dibble issued an “apology” for allegedly sexist remarks made during a game earlier in the week. Because his comments happened to fly under my radar screen, I wound up reading the apology (expounded upon in a blog entry) before knowing the offense. Usually, when someone evokes the “weak attempt to be humorous” defense, it’s time to duck and cover. After getting up to speed on the incident, however, it seems as if the one most owed an apology is Dibble himself.

Is Rob Dibble a male chauvinist or just a bad comedian?

Before delving into the matter further, let’s get one point out of the way. Rob Dibble does seem to exude a macho persona and his commentary is often tinged with jock speak that does very little to inspire contemplation. For that reason, it would be easy to believe that Dibble is a male chauvinist who graduated from his cave into the Nationals’ broadcast booth. So, even after finally reading the entirety of his comments, it was not surprising to see the severity of the reaction to them. In a touch of irony, the harshness of the criticism seems to be at least as much a reaction to the messenger as the message.

In her very fine blog, Amanda Rykoff not only offered her own strong reactions to Dibble’s comments, but also provided a succinct round up of similar responses from around the internet. The general consensus of those weighing in was Dibble is either a “jerk”, “raging boor” or an “insufferable blowhard”. What’s more, aside from the personal attacks, many of the reactions to Dibble’s comments seemed to imply both a more sinister meaning and forceful expression than are evident from the transcript. For example, does anyone who listened to or read Dibble’s comments really think it was a “rant”, as the title of Rykoff’s post suggested?

Announcers should never criticize fans in the stands. Considering the price of tickets, any form of behavior that is respectful of their fellow fans should not elicit a critical response from an on-air personality. There is no reason to subject any fan to needless public ridicule. For that offense, Dibble’s apology was warranted. Having said that, much of the reaction to Dibble’s comments has been over the top.

Yes, Dibble did evoke a gender-based stereotype (women loving to talk and shop), but the criticisms of his comments seem to imply he somehow suggested that women do not belong in the ballpark. That could not be further from the truth. Dibble’s ill advised comments were directed at two specific fans and in no way suggested that such behavior applied to all women attending baseball games. Considering Dibble’s outspoken style, if two men were seated in the first row yaking away all game, it is reasonable to think he would have also been critical.

Unfortunately, in our society, we play to stereotypes quite often. Half the standup comics on TV base their entire routines around them. The reason some of them are funny is because many are harmless, like suggesting that women like to shop, men never ask for directions, etc. Dibble’s comments resorted to this basic comedic formula, but as he mentioned in his apology, it was a “weak attempt to be humorous” and inappropriate for a baseball broadcast.

Another point made in many of the critical responses was that men’s behavior at sporting events goes unnoticed by those in the broadcast booth, but again nothing could be further from the truth. Remember the glee expressed about the guy on the cell phone at Yankee Stadium taking a foul ball in the face? I am sure Dibble would have loved that as well.

An even more pertinent example occurred earlier in the week during a game in Houston when the now infamous Bo Wyble moved out of the way of a foul line drive, which cleared a path for the ball to strike his date in the arm. The evasive maneuver immediately inspired one of the announcers on the Fox Sports Houston broadcast to declare that “chivalry was dead”, but the station didn’t stop there. For much of the inning, the focus shifted from the field to the unhappy couple. Eventually, Patti Smith, the network’s roving reporter, caught up to the pair and cheerfully provided Wyble with a pair of sunglasses (he said he lost the ball in the lights) before calling him a chicken and suggesting to his date that she might want to rethink his willingness to “stand by her in the future”. All of the comments were meant to be in good fun, but the reality is their humor was tinged by gender-based stereotypes. After all, would the same reaction have occurred if the pair were both men or women?

At the risk of sound insensitive, the excessive reaction to Dibble’s comments is akin to “crying wolf”. Dibble has a forum to defend his actions, so he doesn’t need anyone to rally to his cause, but the real harm from the over-the-top criticism is it diminishes the impact of future outrage when it is expressed in response to more sinister behavior. Gender bias in sports is a real issue and absolutely should not be ignored. Almost as important, however, minor incidents should not be blown out of proportion. Otherwise, more responsible criticisms might be tuned out as just being noise.

The last time the Yankees were shutout 1-0 by the Royals, Dick Drago went the distance.

Royals’ starter Bryan Bullington channeled his inner Dick Drago by shutting down the Yankees 1-0. Meanwhile, the entire Yankee lineup did their best Celerino Sanchez impersonation. That combination resulted in a second loss by the Yankees to the hapless Royals, whose 48-69 record belies a roster depleted by several trade deadline deals. So much for making hay against bad teams. 

In the early going, it looked as if the performance of AJ Burnett was going to be the Yankees’ main concern, but after surrendering a first inning run (aided by Francisco Cervelli’s throwing error), and allowing the first two batters in the second to reach base, the enigmatic righty turned on the switch and mowed through the Royals lineup. Over the final six innings, Burnett surrendered only two walks and two hits, while striking out six, five of which came on the knuckle curve. 

Usually, when AJ Burnett pitches well, the Yankees win, but for the second consecutive start the lineup failed to provide the necessary run support. Since the calendar turned to August, the Yankees’ offense has taken a collective nosedive (3.9 runs/game with a .698 OPS), but being completely shutdown by 29-year old journeyman Bullington represented a new low.   

The most shocking thing about the offensive decline in the month of August has been the historic levels of futility. Earlier in the week, the Yankees tied a franchise record for most strikeouts in a nine inning game, and this afternoon, the team sent 28 or fewer men to the plate for only the 19th time since 1920. Also since 1920, the team has had only 72 games with three or fewer base runners. After today’s defeat at the hands of Bullington, the Yankees have two such games this month alone. Finally, the Yankees lost a 1-0 game to the Royals for the first time since 1972, when Jim Rooker and Drago shutdown the Bombers in two games of the same series on June 9 and 11, respectively. 

Despite leading the league in runs scored, the Yankees have struggled with the bats for extended periods of time. It’s hard to complain when you consider the Yankees still have the best record in baseball, but by limping through August with a 6-8 record, the team has forfeited an opportunity to build a comfortable lead over the similarly struggling Rays and Red Sox. 

Although the Yankees seem content to rest of on their laurels, the lineup’s month long futility should be sounding alarm bells. Best record or not, a shakeup is in order, and the most likely spot is behind the plate. Francisco Cervelli’s continued impotence with the bat has now been matched by his equally poor defense, including two more misplays in today’s game (an errant throw on a stolen base attempt in the first and another poor throw on an attempted advance in the eighth). In the last 10 games alone, Cervelli’s glove and bat have proven to be the chief culprit in three of the team’s five losses, so continued tolerance of his poor performance seems curious. With Jesus Montero absolutely raking at triple-A, the time for his promotion has been long overdue. The Yankees can either turn a blind eye to the historically poor offensive performances put forth this month or proactively seek to address the team’s glaring weaknesses. 

The dog days have begun. It’s time for the Yankees to stop chasing their tails. 

Summer Futility: Lowest Offensive Outputs* Since 1920

*Three or fewer base runners allowed  and 28 or fewer batters faced by an opposing pitcher(s) in a 9 inning game.
Source: Baseball-reference.com

After three intense, nail-biting games against Boston and Texas, Yankee fans and players alike were probably looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend in Kansas City. Guess again.

Nick Swisher banged out three hits, but eventually succumbed to the overwhelming Kansas City heat (Photo: The Canadian Press).

Last night’s game started off innocent enough as the Yankees reached soft tossing Bruce Chen for single runs in second through fourth innings. The first run was driven in by Curtis Granderson, who was unveiling new adjustments to his swing that were worked on with hitting coach Kevin Long. Granderson made his teacher even more proud the next time up, when he lashed a double into the right field corner, his first extra base against a lefty since June 1.

Also headlining the offense was Austin Kearns, who belted his first Yankee home run in the fourth inning, just as Long and Joe Girardi were discussing why the strong, hard swinging outfielder doesn’t hit more homeruns. The joys of irony. Otherwise, the Yankees had a rather tame offensive showing, adding runs in the third and seventh on a Mark Teixeira sacrifice fly and Alex Rodriguez RBI ground out, respectively.

Just as he did in his previous start against Kansas City at Yankee Stadium, C.C. Sabathia allowed his fair share of base runners, but seemed to be toying with the Royals’ hitters. Instead of mixing in too many sinkers and sliders, Sabathia attacked the aggressive Kansas City lineup with one of his best fastballs of the season complemented by a hard change. Despite the blistering heat, which claimed Gregor Blanco and Nick Swisher as victims, Sabathia’s fastball averaged 96 mph over his 8 2/3 innings and topped out 99 mph. His last pitch of the game rocketed in at 97 mph. To say that Sabathia was feeling strong last night would be an understatement.

The Yankees rode their big lefty all the way to two outs in the ninth, but at 110 pitches, Girardi decided it was time to go the bullpen. With runners on first and third and the tying run at the plate, David Robertson entered the game and promptly gave up a two-run double to Willie Bloomquist, who went 3-4 and saw a total of six pitches in his four at bats. Next up to the plate was former Yankee Wilson Betemit, who entered the game when Blanco had to leave with heat exhaustion. Hoping to avoid the “serendipity creates hero” storyline, Robertson made several outstanding pitches to Betemit, but the Royals’ third baseman nubbed a roller in front of the mound and reached on an infield single. What had seemed like an easy win was now perilously teetering on the brink, with the veteran Jason Kendall threatening to push the game into the loss column. Once again, however, Robertson hit all of his spots in a tense eight pitch at bat that concluded with Kendall swinging over a hellacious curve ball that seemed to disappear from the strike zone.

Coming on the heels of three classic battles against quality teams, many were fearful that a series opener in Kansas City might turn out to be a trap game. Say what you will about Girardi’s management style, one thing his teams never seem to be guilty of is being unprepared. Had the Yankees lost last night, it would have certainly been a crushing loss, which would have negated all the good will created by Wednesday’s comeback victory against Cliff Lee, but not one attributable to a lack of concentration. Luckily, the Yankees’ victory negated the need for that discussion.

• With two more hits, Derek Jeter passed Frankie Frisch for sole possession of 37^th place on the all-time hit list.
• At 15-5, Sabathia tied David Price for most wins in the American League, and also reached 15 wins within the first 25 starts of a season for the first time in his career.
• David Robertson recorded the second save of his major league career. His first save came on July 27, 2009 in an 11-4 victory over Tampa Bay.
• Nick Swisher’s three hit game was his 13^th of the season, one ahead of Robinson Cano for the team lead and tied for 10^th most in the major leagues.

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• Derek Jeter is one hit away from tying Frankie Frisch for 37^th place on the all-time hit list.
• C.C. Sabathia’s 16 wins against the Royals are his highest total against any team. Sabathia has also started more games, thrown more innings and recorded more strikeouts against the Royals than any other opponent.
• With a win, Sabathia’s record will improve to 15-5, which would be the best winning percentage over the first 25 games in any season of his career.
• Bruce Chen has won two starts in a row. The Royals’ lefty has not won three games in a row since August 2005.

Several of Marcus Thames hits this season have had Yankees fans jumping for joy, including his walk off home run against Boston in May.

 At first glance, Marcus Thames seemed to be miscast as Mark Teixeira’s replacement in the three hole during the team’s brief series in Texas. On a team full of All Stars, there seemed to be quite a few more worthy candidates, but Thames rewarded Joe Girardi’s confidence with five hits over the two games, including a key 8th inning home run and 9th inning RBI single in last night’s 7-6 comeback victory.  

Despite playing a relatively minor role on the team (he has had only 133 PA to date), Thames has been no stranger to dramatic moments. In addition to yesterday’s game winning single, Thames has also been the author of two walk off hits, including a homerun against Jonathan Papelbon on May 17. Based on WPA, those three games have ranked among the top-25 most valuable individual performances by a Yankee this season. Only Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano have had more games within that framework, and each of those players has come to bat at least 300 times more. Even more incredibly, Thames ranks fifth in WPA for the entire season, ahead of such heralded stars like Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter.  

When Brian Cashman acquired Marcus Thames during a busy offseason, it hardly raised an eyebrow. In retrospect, however, the signing has turned out to be Cashman’s best acquisition, which admittedly is damning with faint praise. Still, Thames’ contribution has been worthy of notice, and even more importantly, worthy of increased playing time.  

Top-25 Most Valuable Contributions, by WPA

*Total only for games in the top-25.
Source: Baseball-reference.com

Yankees WPA Leaders, 2010

Source: www.fangraphs.com