SWB  AAA  Yankees  Game   4-16-12

The SWB Yankees lost to the Rochester Red Wings (Twins) by a 5-3 score.  The loss drops the Yanks record to 4-7.  SWB was the home team at Rochester.

Pitching:   Dellin Betances made his 3rd start of the year.  Betances should have had the side in order in the 1st inning but Doug Bernier dropped an easy pop fly.  Francisco Cervelli then threw the runner out trying to steal.  Rochester scored a run in the 2nd on a double and rbi single.  Betances gave up a leadoff walk in the 3rd but wiped it out with a doubleplay.  He then gave up a single, but Cervelli threw out his 2nd runner trying to steal for a scoreless 3rd inning.  In the 4th,  Rochester got a single and walk. A wild pitch put runners at 2nd and 3rd, but Betances worked out of the jam.  In the 5th, Rochester scored 4 runs.  A walk and 3 singles tied the game at 3.  Another Betances walk loaded the bases and he was taken out of the game.  2 more runs scored in the inning, both charged to Betances giving Rochester a 5-3 lead. Betances took the loss (0-2).

Betances' line:  4.2 IP,   5 runs,  7 hits,  4 K's--4 walks, 2 wild pitches.
96 pitches - 44 strikes.   ERA  10.38.

Manny DelCarmen relieved Betances with the bases loaded in the 5th. He gave up a 2-rbi single on the first pitch to give the Red Wings a 5-3 lead, both runs charged to Betances.  DelCarmen got the side in order in the 6th.  In the 7th, a walk, and double by former Yankee Matt Carson, and stolen base, put DelCarmen in a jam, but he struck out the side.

Cody Eppley came on to pitch a scoreless 8th inning giving up 1 hit, with 1 strikeout.  

Keven Whelan came on to pitch the 9th.  He got into a jam with 2 walks, but got a couple strikeouts to work out of it.

Offense:   Scott Diamond got the start for the Red Wings. The Yanks mounted a threat in the 2nd when DeWayne Wise and Brandon Laird singled, but were stranded when Ramiro Pena hit into a DP.  Kevin Russo tripled in the 3rd and scored on a rbi single by Colin Curtis to tie the game at 1.  In the 4th, DeWayne Wise and Brandon Laird singled.  Francisco Cervelli hit into a DP, but Ramiro Pena followed with a 2-run homer (1) to give SWB a 3-1 lead at that point.  Kevin Russo walked in the 5th, and Jack Cust singled in the 6th, but both were wiped out by doubleplays.   SWB hit into 4 DPs in the first 6 innings.  The Yankees did not have another baserunner until Jack Cust walked with 1 out in the 9th inning.  Francisco Cervelli then doubled to put the tying runs in scoring position with 2 men out, but Pena struck out to end the game.

Notes:  Francisco Cervelli went 1-4 (.094) with a double, K, and doubleplay. He had his best defensive game of the year throwing out 2 of 3 runners.  DeWayne Wise was named Hitter of the Week in the IL.  He hit .458 with 3 homers and 8 rbis last week.  Wise had 2 more hits in this game but left after possibly tweaking a hamstring.  Manny Banuelos, on the DL with a lat injury in his back, will miss his scheduled start tomorrow.  Reliever Mike O'Conner gets the start instead.  Former Yankee AJ Burnett had a rehab start for the Pirates AAA team tonight.  He took the loss going 4 innings, 5 runs, including 2 homers on 7 hits. 

In not-so-shocking news, Tyler Austin had the best offensive performance in the minors this weekend. He reached base ten times in 15 plate appearances, including three doubles, a triple, a homer, and two walks. That earned him a spot on Kevin Goldstein’s Monday Morning Ten Pack (subs. req’d). “He has nowhere near the tools of some of his Riverdog prospect brethren, but the bat stands out, and is very much for real,” wrote KG. Austin has been raking all season and came into today with a .438/.471/1.031 batting line and a .604 wOBA.

Austin and DeWayne Wise were named the Offensive Players of the Week for the Low-A South Atlantic League and Triple-A International League, respectively. In case you missed it earlier this afternoon, Tim Norton is making the transition to coaching following his latest shoulder injury.

Triple-A Empire State (5-3 loss to Rochester) first “home” game in Rochester, where they will play the majority of their displaced home games
LF Kevin Russo: 1-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 BB
RF Colin Curtis, 1B Steve Pearce & SS Ramiro Pena: all 1-4 — Curtis drove in a run and struck out twice … Pearce struck out … Ramiro hit a homer (!), drove in two, and struck out
DH Jack Cust: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 K
CF Dewayne Wise: 2-2 GB/FB — left the game for an unknown reason in the sixth … Ray Kruml replaced him and went 0-2 with a strikeout
3B Brandon Laird: 2-4, 1 K
C Frankie Cervelli: 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K — threw out two of three attempted base stealers, including one from his knees
2B Doug Bernier: 0-3, 1 E (fielding)
RHP Dellin Betances: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 WP, 2/1 GB/FB — only 44 of 96 pitches were strikes (45.8%) … 11 walks in 13 IP so far
RHP Manny Delcarmen: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 24 of 38 pitches were strikes (63.2%)
RHP Cody Eppley: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2/0 GB/FB — 11 of 18 pitches were strikes (61.1%)
RHP Kevin Whelan: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1/0 GB/FB — just a dozen of his 27 pitches were strikes (44.4%)

Double-A Trenton (6-3 win over Erie)
LF Abe Almonte: 1-5, 2 R, 1 K
3B Ronnie Mustelier: 2-5, 1 CS
RF Zoilo Almonte, DH Cody Johnson & CF Melky Mesa: all 2-4, 1 R — Almonte doubled, drove in two, and struck out … Johnson hit a solo homer and struck out twice … Mesa hit a two-run jack and struck out
C Jose Gil: 2-4, 2 K, 1 SB, 1 CS
1B Kevin Mahoney: 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K — a personal fave for an unknown reason
SS Addison Maruszak: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 E (throwing)
2B Walt Ibarra: 0-4, 1 K
LHP Shaeffer Hall: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HB, 3/6 GB/FB — 56 of 82 pitches were strikes (68.3%)
RHP Michael Dubee: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2/0 GB/FB — 11 of 20 pitches were strikes (55%)
RHP Preston Claiborne: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K — 20 of 31 pitches were strikes … 13 K in 8 IP so far

High-A Tampa (6-2 win over Clearwater)
CF Eduardo Sosa: 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI — been pretty hit or miss so far, lots of multi-hit games and lots of 0-fers
2B Kelvin Castro: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
LF Ramon Flores: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 E (throwing)
RF Rob Segedin & 3B Zach Wilson: both 0-3 — Segedin drove in a run and struck out … Wilson struck out three times and committed a fielding error
1B Kyle Roller & C J.R. Murphy: both 0-4 — Roller struck out … Murphy allowed a passed ball
DH Neil Medchill: 1-3, 1 R, 1 K
SS Jose Mojica: 2-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 3B — ten for his last 15 with three doubles and a triple
LHP Nik Turley: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 WP, 10/2 GB/FB — another gem lowering his season ERA to 1.00
LHP Kramer Sneed: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 10/2 GB/FB
LHP Rigoberto Arrebato: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0/1 GB/FB

Low-A Charleston (5-1 win over Augusta)
CF Mason Williams: 2-5, 1 SB — his fifth straight two-hit game
2B Angelo Gumbs: 0-5, 2 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr.: 1-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RF Tyler Austin: 2-4, 1 3 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB — a disappointing game by his standards
C Gary Sanchez: 4-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB — nine for his last 19 (.474)
LF Ben Gamel: 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
SS Cito Culver: 1-4, 1 E (fielding) — dropped in the lineup and he responds with a hit
1B Rey Nunez & DH Anderson Feliz: both 0-4 — Nunez struck out twice, Feliz all four times
RHP Jose Campos: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 WP, 5/3 GB/FB — gave up his first run of the season on a solo homer, but otherwise he was splendid
RHP Zach Varce: 2 IP, zeroes, 3 K, 1 WP, 3/1 GB/FB
RHP Ben Paullus: 2 IP, zeroes, 3 K, 2/0 GB/FB

Yankees' Michael Pineda 'all good' after first bullpen session

Monday, April 16, 2012, 8:13 PM

Looks like both the B's are trying too hard and making mistakes.
I'm liking Tyler Austin a lot and it's good to see Turley and campos having success in the lower minors. Turley could see AA if he keeps pitching like that.

For only the sixth time in the Ron Gardenhire era, the Twins beat the Yankees in the Bronx. That does not include the playoffs but does date back to the old Yankee Stadium. The 7-3 loss was the Yankees’ second loss in the last three games.

Back-to-Back

It’s always yucky with the starter gives up a run(s) in the first inning of a home game, putting his team in a hole before they even come to the plate. Freddy Garcia looked to be on his way to having a smooth top of the first with two quick outs — one on an incorrectly called caught stealing — but the Twins strung together five straight two-out hits to plate a pair of runs. It was the first runs Minnesota scored in the first inning all season.

The lead didn’t last very long. Disgraced former Yankee Carl Pavano fell behind in the count 1-0 to both Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson, and both guys hit a homerun on the second pitch of their at-bats to open the bottom half of the first. Jeter’s ball was an opposite field shot to right, Granderson’s was yanked down the line and into second deck. After four pitches, Pavano had surrendered the lead and tied the game. Three batters later, the Yankees took a 3-2 lead when Mark Teixeira singled in Alex Rodriguez, who reached on an infield single and moved to second on a throwing error.

Pavano Settles In

Things looked great early on, but Pavano quickly settled down and retired 17 of the final 21 batters he faced. The four exceptions were a legit single by A-Rod, a walk by Robinson Cano, and infield singles by Teixeira and Jeter. Pavano did exactly what a veteran soft-tosser has to do, and that’s expand the zone. Home plate ump Gerry Davis was calling a 24-inch plate by the time the seventh inning rolled around, and the Yankees played right into it. They were swinging at soft stuff outside and chirping when pitches off the plate were called strikes. That’s good way to get the umpire on the other team’s side.

Pavano needed 23 pitches to navigate that three-run first inning, but he threw just 15, 10, 12, 9, 17, and 10 pitches in the next six innings. The Yankees really didn’t make him work, and in fact only three of the 21 hitters he faced after the first inning hit the ball out of the infield. It was pretty gross, the Yankees didn’t much of an answer. I hear the Twins are going to rub it in by starting Jaret Wright on Tuesday.

Freddy Settles In … Then Loses It

Like Pavano, Freddy settled in a bit after that adventurous first inning. He retired the next eleven men in a row, but the wheels started to come off in the fifth. Alexi Casilla doubled to the wall with one out, then came around to score on Jamey Carroll’s single two batters later. Joe Mauer drove in Carroll with a double. Two batters later, Justin Morneau hit a solo homer into the Yankees’ bullpen to lead off the sixth. Following that stretch of eleven in a row retired, Freddy allowed hits to four of the final eight hitters he faced, including three extra-base hits.

Garcia was unable to do what Pavano did, and that’s expand the zone with soft stuff. He didn’t have the wild pitch issues that sabotaged him in Baltimore last week, but Freddy left a few too many pitches over the middle of the plate and paid for it. No walks and five strikeouts is good, but nine hits against one of baseball’s worst offenses is not. With Michael Pineda and Andy Pettitte on their way, it would behoove Garcia to get himself back in gear and soon.

Leftovers

It’s unfortunate the Yankees couldn’t rally and make a game of it, because Granderson’s inning-ending catch of Morneau’s fly ball in the seventh will be forgotten. The Twinkies had a man on second and the ball looked destined for a date with the left-center field wall, but Curtis — who was shaded towards right with the lefty batting — managed to run the pitch down right in front of the Minnesota bullpen. T’was a gem.

Jeter (homer and a single), Granderson (homer and a single), A-Rod (two singles), and Teixeira (two singles) all had multiple base knocks. Cano drew the walk and Raul Ibanez chipped in a single, rounding out the night in offense. The 6-9 hitters went a combined 1-for-16 with four strikeouts.

The Yankees’ bullpen has been really good this season, so they were due for a stinker. Boone Logan got two outs, but not before walking two batters and hitting another. Cory Wade allowed four hits and two runs in his 1.2 innings of work while Clay Rapada managed a scoreless frame despite facing a righty or two. The B-relievers B-relievered it up, basically.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some additional stats, and ESPN the updated standings.

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next

Game two of this four-game set will be played Tuesday night, when CC Sabathia gives it a go against fellow southpaw Francisco Liriano. RAB Tickets can help get you in the door if you want to catch the game in person.