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YGY Series Preview Show: Yankees-Rays (5/24-5/26)

Ricky Keeler — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:25 +0000

The New York Yankees (28-18) suffered a minor setback in Baltimore earlier this week as they lost two of three to the Baltimore Orioles. Even though Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells saved the day in Game 1, the Yankees got walked off on Tuesday by Nate McClouth in the 10th inning and then suffered a huge injury scare to one of their premiere starting pitchers on Wednesday. Fortunately, Hiroki Kuroda should be able to make his next start in the Subway Series after taking a line drive off of his calf in the 3rd inning. As far as the positives in this series, Adam Warren was solid in relief once again, Curtis Granderson had three hits and a home run on Wednesday out of the lead-off spot, and third baseman David Adams had two home runs in the series. Now, the Bronx Bombers head down to Tampa where their home away from home hasn’t been friendly to them as of late.

Matt Moore will try to continue to pad his Cy Young resume on Saturday as he tries to dominate the Yankees for the 2nd time this year. (Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports)

For the Tampa Bay Rays (24-22), the season so far has been what the record indicates. Last year’s AL Cy Young award winner, David Price, is on the disabled list due to a triceps injury. Plus, the bullpen has been inconsistent with Fernando Rodney blowing four saves and having more walks than he had all of season. That being said, the team has seen a healthy Evan Longoria all season (9 home runs), a re-vitlalized James Loney (.350 batting average), and the emergence of a future Cy Young Award winner in Saturday’s starter, Matt Moore (8-0, 2.29 ERA). Joe Maddon‘s team seems to always gives the Yankees fits in Tropicana Field and there’s no reason to think it will be different this weekend even with the Yankees giving CC Sabathia an extra day of rest.

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard Series Preview Show presented by BaldVinny.com, I recap the Orioles’ series and discuss why the Yankees should still be a little bit careful with the Kuroda injury. Plus, I talked with David Hill from RaysColoredGlasses.com about Tampa’s season thus far. This includes the move by Maddon to start Alex Cobb Sunday ahead of Jake Odorizzi, the emergence of Loney, and who could be next-in-line to be the Rays’ closer. Finally, we discuss the surprises that both of us have seen in the AL East so far as we head near Memorial Day.

CLICK HERE FOR THE YANKEES-RAYS SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Yankees-Orioles (5/20-5/22)

Ricky Keeler — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:59 +0000

Even though the New York Yankees’ homestand was abbreviated because of Sunday’s postponement, the Bronx Bombers (27-16) were still able to go 3-2, including a two game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. In this series, the young players in David Adams and Austin Romine got some big hits in timely situations on Friday. There was masterful pitching by Hiroki Kuroda on Friday and even David Phelps put up a solid outing on Saturday. Not to mention, Yankees’ fans saw two home runs from Robinson Cano and the return of Travis Hafner. New York may have also caught a break from the rain because now they could skip Vidal Nuno, who was taking Andy Pettitte‘s place in the rotation while he is on the disabled list. That means also that CC Sabathia will now make his start Monday night against a team that he was great against last year in the ALDS that is going through some turmoil themselves in the month of May.

One of the big surprises for the Orioles has been the red hot hitting of Manny Machado. Can he help the O’s snap their losing streak against the Yankees? (Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports)

The Baltimore Orioles (23-20) have hit their own slide in the month of May as they come into this series on a five-game losing streak. This streak entails being swept by both the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays. The team lost one of its most consistent pitchers in Wei-Yin Chen to a strained right oblique injury and has seen their great closer (Jim Johnson) blow each of his last two save chances. That being said, this is a team that packs a punch on the offensive side. They are 3rd in the MLB in runs scored and 5th in batting average. Plus, the Orioles have seen the young career of Manny Machado bloom right in front of them. The third baseman is hitting .328 with five home runs and 26 RBI’s. Manager Buck Showalter is able to put him anywhere in the lineup and create a dangerous top of the order with Machado, first baseman Chris Davis (12 home runs), and center fielder Adam Jones (.322 average).

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard Series Preview Show presented by BaldVinny.com, I recapped the short Blue Jays’ series and broke down the Yankees’ recent acquisition of former Rays and Rockies’ infielder Reid Brignac. Also, I broke down the upcoming series with special guest Matt Lund from BaltimoreSportsReport.com. During this interview, the two of us talk about the pitching matchups, as well as the emergence of Machado, the impact of Chen’s injury, and if there is any concern about the recent struggles of Jim Johnson. Plus, is there panic in Baltimore after the team’s recent five-game losing streak? You will have to tune in and find out that answer.

CLICK HERE FOR THE YANKEES-ORIOLES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!

YGY Series Preview Show: Blue Jays-Yankees (5/17-5/19)

Ricky Keeler — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:13 +0000

The New York Yankees (25-16) hit a little bit of a rough patch to start the homestand as they lost two out of three to the Seattle Mariners. Despite stealing the first game from Felix Hernandez, the Mariners were still able to hit the long ball with outfielders Michael Morse and Raul Ibanez hitting four combined home runs in the series. Seattle also put up a 7-run first inning on Phil Hughes, who didn’t even finish the first inning on Wednesday.

Also, the Bronx Bombers had some injury concerns occur during this series as they await test results on pitcher Andy Pettitte (tightness in his back) and catcher Chris Stewart (groin injury). Plus, Travis Hafner is still out of the lineup. However, the positive of the Mariners’ series is the debut of third baseman David Adams and the return of outfielder Curtis Granderson. Adams had a RBI double and Granderson had three hits in the loss on Thursday. Now, the Yankees will finish up the homestand with a familiar team that they have already seen seven times this season.

Will the Blue Jays be celebrating their first series win against the Yankees in 2013 this weekend? (Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)The Toronto Blue Jays (17-24) have been a disappointment so far in the young season. However, John Gibbons‘ team has won four straight games and seems to be on the right track. They got good news at the beginning of this week off-the-field as they found out that shortstop Jose Reyes could be back as soon as late June after he suffered an ankle injury the first week of the season. On-the-field, the team swept the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants in a mini two-game series while outscoring them 21-9. The Blue Jays are strong at hitting the ball out of the park with first baseman Edwin Encarnacion leading the way with 11 home runs. As far as the pitching goes, Casey Janssen is 10-10 in save opportunities and Sunday’s starter, R.A Dickey, has six quality starts already on the season. Will the Blue Jays this weekend play like the team that has won four straight games or the team that is 1-6 against the Yankees so far this season?

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard Series Preview Show presented by BaldVinny.com, I spoke with Travis Bateman from JaysJournal.com about this weekend’s series with the Blue Jays. We discuss the potential of Reyes’ early comeback, Toronto’s recent hot streak, and where the team will be when the Yankees face them again in late August. Also, we talk about the pitching matchups and the Blue Jays’ recent injuries. Plus, I recap the Mariners’ series and talk about my reaction to the Yankees losing 2 of 3 to start the homestand.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BLUE JAYS-YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Mariners-Yankees (5/14-5/16)

Ricky Keeler — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:44 +0000

The New York Yankees continued their winning ways on the road as they finished up a 6-2 road trip with a split of the doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians. During the doubleheader, the offense slumped in Game 1, but saw the youth movement come thru in Game 2 with players like Corban Joseph driving in runs and pitchers Vidal Nuno and David Phelps (Game 1) only giving up one run combined! As far as the Royals’ series goes, the Yankees got home run hitting from Robinson Cano and Vernon Wells. A 6-2 road trip not only puts the Bronx Bombers at ten games over .500, but in sole possession of first place in the American League East Now, the Yankees get set to bring back some of the injured with Curtis Granderson likely to be activated for Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.

The fans will give Raul Ibanez a warm welcome Tuesday night as he plays his first game in the Bronx since his memorable October performance. (Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

All of the talk in the AL West has been about the struggles of the Los Angeles Angels and the first place Texas Rangers. However, the Seattle Mariners have been one of the hot teams in the American League. They have won three of their last four series and 10 of their last 15 games. The Mariners have always been known for their ace Felix Hernandez, but they brought in some power hitters to help their offense. During the winter, they brought in former Nationals’ outfielder Michael Morse (9 home runs) and former Angels’ designated hitter Kendrys Morales (4 HR’s, 17 RBI’s). The strength of Eric Wedge‘s team is in the top of their rotation with Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, both of which will start against the Yankees this week. Not to mention, it is a return to New York for former Yankee playoff hero Raul Ibanez and former Mets’ bust Jason Bay.

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard show presented by BaldVinny.com, I recap the Royals’ series and look ahead to the Mariners series. To help me breakdown the Mariners, I spoke with Patrick Leary from SodoMojo.com about the Mariners’ recent stretch, the great start for Felix and the additions of Morse and Morales to the lineup. Plus, it wouldn’t be with a Yankees-Mariners show without a discussion about Jesus Montero and Michael Pineda. Finally, I talk about the movement of Eduardo Nunez to the disabled list, the impact of Granderson’s return, and the Mariano Rivera-Joba Chamberlain dispute.

Keep in mind that the show was recorded SUNDAY NIGHT!!!

CLICK HERE FOR THE MARINERS-YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Yankees at Royals (5/10-5/12)

Ricky Keeler — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:00:05 +0000

The New York Yankees’ trip to Coors Field was not pleasant if you like a lot of runs, however, the team was still able to take two of three in the series. Manager Joe Girardi had some interesting lineup combinations in the series such as hitting pitcher David Phelps in the #8 spot of the lineup and Vernon Wells even playing third base due to a double switch. The Yankees (20-13) also got solid starting pitching from Phelps, Hiroki Kuroda, and CC Sabathia (pre-rain delay). Even though it is only May 10th, it is good to see the Yankees in a three-way tie for first place in the AL East with all the injuries they have had to key players. This weekend, the Bronx Bombers will spend their Mother’s Day in a place that was a house of horrors for some Yankees in 2012 and a team that has high expectations for the 2013 season in the AL Central.

The Royals will look to Mike Moustakas to generate the home runs for them this weekend against the New York Yankees. (Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports)

The Kansas City Royals (18-13) made some vast changes to their pitching rotation in the offseason by trading for Ervin Santana, James Shields, and Wade Davis while also signing Jeremy Guthrie during free agency. This is a team in a market that has been yearning for a winner since the days of George Brett. Now, they are building around their two corner infielders in first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas. The problem for manager Ned Yost has been his team’s lack of offensive firepower (23rd in runs scored) as opposed to its great pitching staff (5th in ERA). Plus, the atmosphere should be electric because the Yankees are coming to town and it is also the first trip for New York to Kansas City since Mariano Rivera hurt his ACL on the warning track or Robinson Cano getting booed at last year’s Home-Run Derby.

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard Series Preview Show presented by BaldVinny.com, I recap the series in Colorado and talk about Curtis Granderson‘s first rehab game in Scranton. Plus, I spoke with Mike Vamosi from KingsofKauffman.com about Kansas City’s new expectations, their bullpen, as well as Ned Yost’s lineup combinations. We also dive into the missed call by Angel Hernandez in Wednesday’s A’s-Indians game.

CLICK HERE FOR THE YANKEES-ROYALS SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Yankees-Rockies (5/7-5/9)

Ricky Keeler — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:38 +0000

The end to the 10-game homestand for the New York Yankees was not exactly what the fans would have hoped for. Even though the team went 7-3 over those stretch of games, New York still lost two of three to the Oakland Athletics and saw two of their top pitchers, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte get outpitched by the young and talented Oakland rotation. That being said, Phil Hughes still had one of his best performances of the season on Saturday pitching eight scoreless innings. As for the offense, the hits keep on coming in the injury department as New York was without David Robertson for the weekend and shortstop Eduardo Nunez is day-to-day after feeling tightness in his rib cage. The lineup that New York will throw out in Denver this week might have the look of a National League lineup with Jayson Nix and Chris Nelson near the bottom of the order in front of that night’s starting pitcher.

Todd Helton and the Rockies’ offense try to continue their hot start as they host the Yankees this week at Coors Field. (Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

To begin the Yankees’ eight game road trip, they will go to Denver to take on the surprising Colorado Rockies. Coors Field has always been known as a place for offense to be discovered and Colorado has proven that as they lead the league in batting average and slugging percentage as well as being second in runs scored. First-year manager Walt Weiss has done a good job so far in his ability to get something out of his starting pitching (3.87 ERA) as opposed to last year where Jim Tracy‘s club was using two starting pitchers per start.

As for the offense, it has the usual mainstays in outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but also has solid role players in catcher Wilin Rosario as well as outfielders Michael Cuddyer and Dexter Fowler (15 combined home runs). The last time the Yankees went to the Rocky Mountains was 2007 and they didn’t feel so high afterwards considering they were swept in that series. Does it happen again?

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard series preview show presented by BaldVinny.com, I recapped the Yankees’ series against the Oakland Athletics and preview this week’s series against the Colorado Rockies. To help me preview the Rockies, Joel Dill from RoxPile.com joined me to talk about their surprising start and whether or not it can last the whole season. Also, we discuss the X-Factors in their lineup, the pitching matchups, and update the status on some of the key Yankees’ injuries so far. Finally, how does Joe Girardi structure this lineup in terms of using Travis Hafner at first base in one or two games this series?

CLICK HERE FOR THE YANKEES-ROCKIES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!

YGY Series Preview Show: Athletics-Yankees (5/3-5/5)

Ricky Keeler — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:00:32 +0000

The New York Yankees (17-10) will conclude a ten game homestand this week that has been mostly positive. Their last series with the Houston Astros was not the blowout that fans expected, but it was still a series win. The bats came to the party, including Ben Francisco with his first home run of the season. Starting pitching left a lot to be desired due to a poor outing by Andy Pettitte on Monday, but it was the bullpen arms of David Robertson and Mariano Rivera that continue to make the 8th and 9th inning nearly lights out for opponents against the Yanks. However, the injury bug continues to strike the team with disabled list stints for Kevin Youkilis and Joba Chamberlain. Now, the Yankees get set to take on an opponent that is off to a hot start on the other side of the USA.

Expect the A’s offense to hit some home runs with Yoenis Cespedes fresh off his return from the disabled list. (Photo Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports)

The Oakland Athletics (16-13) are coming off an AL West championship in 2012. Some of their starters have fell into the sophomore slump, but this is a team managed by Bob Melvin that can score runs. Their star to watch in that lineup is outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who has just returned from his own stint on the disabled list. There are some under-the-radar players to watch in shortstop Jed Lowrie (.327 batting average) and third baseman Josh Donaldson with a team-high 21 RBI’s. Plus, Yankees’ fans will see the return of Bartolo Colon to the Bronx on Saturday when he goes up against Phil Hughes. Last year, these two teams played close games it seemed every night against each other, particularly the 4-game set in Oakland where the A’s won every game by one run.

For this episode of the Yanks Go Yard show presented by BaldVinny.com, I recapped the Houston Astros’ series and look ahead to this weekend’s series with Oakland. My special guest is Sean Davis, the editor of SwinginAs.com. Sean and I talked about the A”s wild week, including their 19-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim back on Monday. Did Melvin make the right call by allowing Brett Anderson to pitch 5+ innings out of the bullpen on Monday only to put himself on the disabled list? We also talk about the return of Cespedes and the A’s rising stars in a lineup that leads the Major Leagues in runs.

CLICK HERE FOR THE A’S-YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Astros-Yankees (4/29-5/1)

Ricky Keeler — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:00:07 +0000

For the first time since 1995, the New York Yankees were able to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays at home in a 4-game series. The Yankees have defied expectations through the first month of the season, with a 15-9 record. The one thing that was impressive about the series with Toronto was that they won every game by two runs or fewer and have hit timely home runs from Travis Hafner, Robinson Cano, and Lyle Overbay that remind fans of last year’s power hitting bunch. The team did take some hits over the weekend with Kevin Youkilis getting another MRI on his back and the trips to the disabled list for Francisco Cervelli and Ivan Nova. However, the next man up mindset is still in the clubhouse for Joe Girardi and company as they finish up the month of April and begin the month of May with the Houston Astros (7-18)

The Houston Astros are a team that strikes out more than anybody in baseball. Look for Pettitte, Kuroda, and Phelps to continue the trend this week (Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

The Astros are finishing up their first month as a member of the AL West and it has not been very pretty. They have lost four straight games, have the most strikeouts of any team in the Major Leagues, and are coming off being swept in a three game series against the Boston Red Sox. New manager Bo Porter is trying to make a team win that has a lower payroll than Alex Rodriguez‘s annual salary.

They are re-building with the sabermetric mindset as opposed to the Miami Marlins’ rebuilding via firesale. They do have a talented middle infield with second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Marwin Gonzalez. Also, they have power with Rick Ankiel and Chris Carer, who have five home runs each. Houston’s pitching leaves a lot to be desired, but keep an eye on Lucas Harrell tonight. He is seen by Astros’ fans to be a frontline starter in the future and will go up against former Astro Andy Pettitte in this series.

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard show, presented by BaldVinny.com, I was joined by a special co-host in Yanks Go Yard writer Hunter Farman. We discussed the Yankees’ surprising start as well as some questions about the team going forward in Youk, Cervelli, and the first start of 2013 for David Phelps coming up Wednesday. Also, we were joined by Andy Pondillo from ClimbingTalsHill.com to talk about the Astros and learn more about their young players.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ASTROS-YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Blue Jays-Yankees (4/25-4/28)

Ricky Keeler — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:28:46 +0000

The New York Yankees wrapped up their six game AL East road trip and finished with a solid 4-2 record. However, the last three games left a lot to be desired for fans in terms of their performance against left handed pitching. David Price, Matt Moore, and Alex Cobb were able to dominate the Yankees’ offense that was without Kevin Youkilis due to a bad back. However, the Yankees were able to avoid the sweep at the Trop on Tuesday on Ichiro Suzuki‘s clutch two-run single against Fernando Rodney. All in all, the Yankees are 11-9 and get set to begin a ten game homestand tonight against the team that they just beat in Toronto last weekend.

Will catcher J.P Arencibia continue his hot April this weekend by adding to his eight home runs? (Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

The Toronto Blue Jays come into Yankee Stadium at 9-13 and losers of its last two series. However, on Wednesday afternoon, they were able to beat the Orioles in extra innings to avoid the sweep. Last weekend, the Blue Jays’ pitching was okay with the exception of Brandon Morrow. The problem was the defense for Toronto making mental mistakes such as the Ichiro bunt in the 11th inning Saturday or the error by Colby Rasmus last Friday that allowed two runs to score on a sacrifice fly. In this series, the Yankees will get to see R.A Dickey for the first time as an American League pitcher on Sunday. Finally, keep an eye on JP Arencibia who leads the American League with eight home runs!

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard show presented by BaldVinny.com, I spoke with Kyle Franzoni from JaysJournal.com about Toronto’s recent struggles, a recap of last weekend’s series, the effectiveness of closer Casey Janssen, and the struggles down in AAA for former ace Ricky Romero.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BLUE JAYS-YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Yankees-Rays (4/22-4/24)

Ricky Keeler — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:48:04 +0000

The trip up north for the New York Yankees (10-7) ended up being a success over the weekend. Even though Yankees’ fans were not happy with the Sunday result because of Ivan Nova‘s control problems as well as the ineffectiveness of Boone Logan and David Phelps. Ultimately, the offense was able to take advantage of the defensive issues of the Toronto Blue Jays to give New York their fourth straight series win. Plus, Vernon Wells had a nice welcome home party with two home runs in three games. Now, the Yankees will continue their road trip in sunny Florida against another division rival.

Apr 20, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Fernando Rodney (56) and catcher Jose Molina (28) celebrate after they beat the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Oakland Athletics 1-0. (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

The Tampa Bay Rays (8-10) have had a slow start to the season, but picked it up over the weekend against the Oakland A’s with a three game sweep. Tampa has been trying to figure out their offensive chemistry early on with new players like shortstop Yunel Escobar and first baseman James Loney giving contributions to mainstays in the lineup, Evan Longoria and Desmond Jennings. Is this the series that gets the Rays back on the right track?

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard show brought to you by BaldVinny.com, I discuss the Rays’ series with David Hill from RaysColoredGlasses.com. We talk about the three pitching matchups, the comeback of Roberto “Fausto Carmona” Hernandez, Will Meyers’ progress in the minors, plus a variety of Yankees’ topics. Finally, I talk about the latest AL East standings and recap the Yankees’ play in Toronto.

CLICK HERE FOR THE YANKEES-RAYS SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!!