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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!!!!!

New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals Q & A With KOK’s Mike Vamosi

Jason Evans — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:39 +0000

For the Yankees vs Royals series, I did a little Q&A with Kings Of Kaufman staff writer Mike Vamosi. My answers can be found on the KOK site. Here are the questions I had for him: (more…)

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!!!!

YGY Series Preview Show: Yankees-Blue Jays (4/19-4/21)

Ricky Keeler — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:05 +0000

Despite losing 6-2 in 12 innings to the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday night and the latest injury setback to shortstop Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees have to feel confident about their play as of late. The Bronx Bombers have won seven of their last nine games and had the flare for the dramatic on the homestand. Whether it was Travis Hafner‘s game winning home run on Wednesday or Francisco Cervelli‘s game-tying home run last night, the Yankees have showed so far you can’t count them out of a game. Now, they make their way up north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays.

Can the return of third baseman Brett Lawrie spark the Blue Jays to taking the 1st series against the Yankees in 2013? (Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

The Blue Jays (7-9) are not off to the ideal start they wanted due to the inconsistency early on of their starting rotation as well as some key injuries. They just got third baseman Brett Lawrie back from injury, but the one hole in their lineup is that they will be missing the leadoff man, shortstop Jose Reyes, for three months due to a severe ankle sprain. As for that aforementioned starting pitching, the Blue Jays have pitched much better of late, including winning two of three against the Chicago White Sox earlier this week. The series culminated with RA Dickey throwing six shutout innings in their win Thursday night. With John Gibbons managing his first Yankees’ series, expect the Rogers Centre to be rowdy for this one.

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard show presented by BaldVinny.com, I spoke with Kyle Franzoni from JaysJournal.com about this weekend’s pitching matchups as well as the impact of Lawrie’s return and Reyes’ injury. Also, I go into detail about the latest Derek Jeter setback and my thought on the Yankees’ playing Sweet Caroline during the 3rd inning Tuesday night to remember the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. This show is dedicated to those victims and the city of the Boston. Even though the Yankees and Red Sox are rivals on-the-field, the two organizations are united off-the-field and support each other in times of grief.

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

YGY Series Preview Show: Diamondbacks-Yankees (4/16-4/18)

Ricky Keeler — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:00:57 +0000

The New York Yankees started off their homestand well over the weekend by taking two of three against the Baltimore Orioles. Even though Phil Hughes struggled on Saturday in giving up three home runs, the Yankees got excellent starting pitching from CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda. Plus, they saw the bats come alive with home runs from Travis Hafner and Brett Gardner and turned a triple play on the defensive side on Friday. Over the last week, the Bronx Bombers have lived up to their moniker, outscoring their opponents 36-14. Not all the news is great for New York as they found out that Andy Pettitte will not pitch till Friday because of the problems with the back spasms. Ivan Nova will get the start on Tuesday instead. Nova’s start will christen the Yankees’ first InterLeague series of 2013 against a team out west that’s off to a surprisingly hot start.

New Manager Kirk Gibson has people scratching their heads about the Diamondbacks’ 8-4 start. Can it continue in the Bronx this week? (Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

The Arizona Diamondbacks were a team not predicted by the prognosticators to win the NL: West against the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers and defending World Champion San Francisco Giants. This was in due to part to the loss of their franchise outfielder Justin Upton, who was traded to the Braves during the offseason. Even with that trade, manager Kirk Gibson has his guys buying into the team concept with young stars like Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero becoming the focal point of the offense. Also, they have some solid young starters in Wade Miley and Patrick Corban who will both face the Yankees this week.

On this edition of the Yanks Go Yard show presented by BaldVinny.com, I spoke with J.Levi Burnfin and Thomas Lynch from VenomStrikes.com to discuss this series and the 2013 Arizona Diamondbacks. We discuss their 8-4 start, Arizona’s young pitching, Ian Kennedy‘s progression. Plus, they ask me about the progression of Phil Hughes and the Yankees’ injuries. Finally, we discuss Jackie Robinson and his impact on baseball with the recent release of the movie “42″.

Finally, our thoughts and prayers at Yanks Go Yard go out to the Boston Community after the tragic events that occurred in Boston Monday afternoon. They may be our rivals in baseball, but we are all Americans and we all stand together in times like these.

CLICK HERE FOR THE D’BACKS-YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!