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Advance Scout Jays vs Yankees - April 19-20

The Yankees are at the Fabulous ThunderDome for a quick two game series with 7:07 start times for each.  The Yankees have won four of five while the Jays have dropped three in a row to crap, er, cap off a 3-7 road trip.  Toronto won 10 of the 18 games in the season series last season.



Yankee Doodles...

  • Russell Martin, who received interest from the Jays during the off-season, has hit .289 with four homers so far this season.  Maybe it has to do with the colour of his fingernails.
  • According to the Yankees press notes, Derek Jeter is the career hits leader against the Jays with 282 safeties.
  • Eric Chavez, who drove in the winning run during Sunday's game against Texas, is off to a .467 start to the season.  He took over for Alex Rodriguez, who is battling back stiffness.  The team hopes A-Rod will be back for the series opener.
  • Righty Lance Pendleton has been called up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace fellow righty Phil Hughes, who is on the 15-Day Disabled List with a dead arm.
  • Lefty Pedro Feliciano is trying to avoid the knife as he rehabilitates his sore shoulder...
  • Former Cubs pitching phenom Mark Prior is one step away from returning to the bigs.  The righty will be pitching at Triple-A in Moosic, PA. 
  • The nephew of the man who created the Yankees Top Hat logo is looking to take the team to court.

Projected Starters...

Tuesday

#34 (3-0, 3.67) will be on the hill for the Yankees Tuesday against Kyle Drabek (1-0, 1.93).  The former Jay has yet to lose in April since defecting for the Evil Empire in 2009.  FanGraphs.com says he is throwing 8 percent more changeups so far in 2011 as compared to last year while decreasing his fastball use by six percent and his curve by nearly three percent.  Burnett's heater is around 93 miles per hour, his changeup is around 88 MPH and his curve is around 82.

  • Vs. #34...Hill (6-20, .300), Rivera (3-10, .300), Bautista (4-9, .444), Encarnacion (3-8, .375), Molina (2-6, .333), Nix (1-1, 1.000).
  • Vs. Drabek...Jeter, Gardner, Posada, Rodriguez & Teixeira (1-2, .500).

Wednesday

2005 AL Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon (0-1. 3.97) gets the start for the Pinstripes on Wednesday against lefty Brett Cecil (1-1, 6.19).  Colon's been relying on a 90-91 MPH heater over 80 percent of the time while mixing in a slider and change around 82.  Colon did not pitch in the bigs in 2010. 

  • Vs. Colon...Lind (2-5, .400), Patterson (1-3, .333), Bautista (1-2, .500).
  • Vs. Cecil...Jeter (6-19, .316), Posado & Cano (5-17, .294), Rodriguez (4-14, .286), Gardner (3-8, .375).  
Posted by #2JBrumfield on Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 03:22 PM EDT.
Jays vs Yankees - April 19-20 | 18 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
China fan - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 03:46 PM EDT (#233073) #
Snider is batting 2nd in today's lineup against the Yankees.  I hope we don't get back into the hoary old allegations that the Jays are "jerking him around" and "destroying his confidence."  When he has proven himself as a consistently good major-leaguer, he'll have a consistent place in the lineup.
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Mick Doherty - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 04:15 PM EDT (#233078) #

since defecting from the Evil Empire in 2009

You men TO, right?  Although certain embittered Empire Staters would buy the idea that he's been a negative overall ...

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Magpie - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 06:21 PM EDT (#233093) #
If you had told me in 2004 that Eric Chavez and Mark Prior would be part of the 2011 Yankees story... I would not have been surprised in the slightest.

But this is not the way I would have expected it to happen, of course, and I can`t help rooting for both of them. They`ve both made enough money to pack it in long ago. Something admirable about that level of persistence....
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Thomas - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 07:09 PM EDT (#233099) #
I know lineup construction, for the most part, makes no difference, but I'd have thought Burnett/Martin were a good pair to attempt to run on. John Farrell's managed to (potentially) neutralize Patterson's speed nicely by batting him directly behind Jose Molina. If you're batting Molina 6th - because of matchups or something, I guess - wouldn't it make sense to put Patterson 9th, behind Nix, who can also run a bit, and have Encarnacion, the better hitter and the slower runner, behind Molina?
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Magpie - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:06 PM EDT (#233112) #
Pat Tabler in the bottom of the tenth:

The Blue Jays have used the sacrifice bunt a lot this year.

How often, you're asking?

RK    TEAM         SH    
 1    Chicago Sox    8    
 2    Detroit        8    
 3    Kansas City    7    
 4    Seattle        6    
 5    LA Angels      4    
 6    Cleveland      3    
 7    Oakland        3    
 8    Texas          3    
 9    Tampa Bay      3    
10    Boston         2    
11    NY Yankees     2    
12    Minnesota      1    
13    Toronto        1    
14    Baltimore      0   
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scottt - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:16 PM EDT (#233116) #
Snider had a bad game and when 0 for 5 in the 2 slot. Funny how that works out.

So, is this the year Mariano looses the closer job?

This was only the Yankee's 4th road game?

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Ron - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:19 PM EDT (#233118) #
Before the last Snider AB, I was thinking how a week in the minors might help him get out of his slump (I don't know if he has an option left) and than he gets a walk off hit. The Jays pitching staff still can't find the strike zone and Patterson had another huge blunder on the bases but I'm going to enjoy this victory. Rivera doesn't blow too many save opportunities.
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Magpie - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:19 PM EDT (#233119) #
is this the year Mariano loses the closer job?

I dunno. Before tonight, he had yet to give up a run this season. Or a walk, now that you mention it. His ERA just ballooned to... 1.93?

Yeah, he's toast.
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Magpie - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:21 PM EDT (#233120) #
I don't know if [Snider] has an option left

One more. They used one in 2009, one in 2010. Doubt they'll use it, doubt he'll need it.
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BlueJayWay - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:25 PM EDT (#233121) #
That's about the hardest I've ever seen the Jays hit Rivera.  He looked like a mortal pitcher.
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Magpie - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:38 PM EDT (#233122) #
the hardest I've ever seen the Jays hit Rivera.

This game had a happy ending, too.
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ayjackson - Tuesday, April 19 2011 @ 11:49 PM EDT (#233124) #

Colon's been relying on a 90-91 MPH heater over 80 percent of the time while mixing in a slider and change around 82.

Those are surprisingly close to his career norms.  1mph off the fastball, and thrown 81% of the time compared to 78% for his career.

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hypobole - Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 02:02 AM EDT (#233135) #
In a rare burst of energy, Juan Rivera almost made it out of the dugout before the celebration at home plate was finished.
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robertdudek - Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 04:00 AM EDT (#233140) #
Colon looks good, but I don't think his odds of remaining in the rotation injury free for the whole season are very good.
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scottt - Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 06:37 AM EDT (#233142) #
Mariano's stats are still good, but he's 41 which is probably the reason they went and got Soriano.
His only pitch is a  type of fastball. I figure velocity is big part of its effectiveness.

I'd love for him to struggle for a long time before they retire him, but is it going to happen?
He wears number 42, so I suppose it would look great if he closes games at that age.

He's got 7 saves, all of them at home. This was is first save opportunity on the road.



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Magpie - Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 06:51 AM EDT (#233143) #
He's got 7 saves, all of them at home. This was is first save opportunity on the road.

Over his career, Rivera has actually been more effective away from home (career road ERA of 1.91) than he has been in New York (2.50).

Mariano threw that cutter around 95-96 when he was young. He hasn't done that for years and years now, but it's hard to see that it's made much difference. They still can't hit it most nights.

But I'm not sure that Girardi having Rivera (and Chamberlain) pitch 10 times in the first 15 games was a great idea.
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Chuck - Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 06:58 AM EDT (#233145) #

Pat Tabler in the bottom of the tenth:

If Pat Tabler were told that he had to think before he spoke, he might never speak at all.

 

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uglyone - Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 10:30 AM EDT (#233156) #
I'm not sure that this is the year that Rivera finally caves to Father Time, but I will say that I'm not sure I've ever seen someone square up a Rivera pitch like Escobar did last night.

and from the look of it, neither had Granderson.
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Jays vs Yankees - April 19-20 | 18 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.