The Last Place Yankees Have Numerous Offensive Issues
As the mist fell on the baseball grounds at 161st St. and River Ave. in the Bronx on Monday night, the New York Yankees missed numerous opportunities to score and fell not just to the Kansas City Royals by a lopsided 6-0 score, but fell to .500 at 21-21 and fell into a last place tie in the AL East with the streaking Boston Red Sox.
To say the Yankee offense is stagnant would be an affront to the order and the establishment of the stagnant. New York went an incredible 0-13 with runners in scoring position, and made Kansas City starter Felipe Paulino look like Pedro Martinez with his slider baffling New York batsmen along with his 94 mile per hour heat.
The 13 hitless at bats with runners in scoring position is the worst performance with ducks on the pond since July 1990. The team is in last place this late into a season for the first time since 2008, and they most certainly deserve to be in the cellar as we approach the Memorial Day weekend.
“At times, it looks like there’s 20 people out there playing defense,” Derek Jeter, who went 1-5 on Monday, said. “It happens every year. It happens to every team. It doesn’t look good when you’re going through it, but you’ve got to have confidence.”
If the Yankees’ offense has confidence right now, they’re doing fantastic work in hiding it. The mist at Yankee Stadium during the game looked like smoke clouding the hitters’ vision, causing an offensive power outage that has become a regular occurrence of late. The announced attendance was 39,225, but there were far fewer people there and nearly all of them were disgusted with the team’s performance.
“You’re going to hear it on the road, and you’re going to hear it at home when you don’t play well,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, regarding the boos. “If they’re unhappy with us, believe me, we’re probably unhappier.”
This unhappiness has yet to convert itself into results of late. Raul Ibanez went 0-3 with runners in scoring position. Mark Teixeira went 1-4 and hit seventh last night because he’s been struggling so mightily this season, in part because of a bronchial infection he’s had for nearly the entire season to date. Alex Rodriguez struck out with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning, and really heard it from the fans.
“It’s very frustrating,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve talked about it over and over again. You can’t really describe it. It’s not a lot of fun obviously going out and not getting the job done. But at this point, nobody’s going to feel sorry for us…We know we’re capable of doing a lot more, and I think we will. Tomorrow would be a great day to start.”
This writer has personally attended four Yankees games, and they’ve scored a total of eight runs in those contests. Seven of those came in one game. They are fourth in the AL East in runs scored and now tied for last place. Until the offense awakes from its late spring slumber, this team could be stuck in last place for quite some time.
2012 MLB First Quarter Awards
We’ve reached 40 games, so teams that are doing well need to be taken a tad more seriously. Trends that were viewed as passing fads gain a little more legitimacy. With that legitimacy comes awards…Which brings us to what you’ll see below.
AL MVP- Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas- He leads the AL in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, home runs and RBI’s. He leads all major league players in WAR. This is the easiest call in quite some time.
NL MVP- David Wright, 3B, NY Mets- Wright leads the NL in WAR, is batting over .400 and has an OBP over .500. That gives him the edge over Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp and Joey Votto.
AL Cy Young- Justin Verlander, Detroit- The reigning Cy Young and MVP backed up his title by leading the AL in WAR, innings, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and complete games. Jered Weaver is hanging in this race, though.
NL Cy Young- Zack Greinke, Milwaukee- It’s an incredibly large and tight field, and any of five players could have won the award. Gio Gonzalez, Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw and Lance Lynn all have legitimate cases. But Greinke’s FIP and NL leading WAR gives him the edge.
AL Rookie- Yu Darvish, SP, Texas- You could argue that a player like Darvish isn’t really a rookie, that’s how Angel Berroa was chosen as the top AL rookie over Hideki Matsui, but I won’t be political and give it to the player that’s clearly the most deserving. Jesus Montero belongs in the conversation as well.
NL Rookie- Yonder Alonso, OF, San Diego- He has yet to develop power, but he leads all rookies in average, OBP and OPS.
AL Manager- Buck Showalter- Baltimore- He’s led a young team with a nondescript pitching staff to the best record in the AL and the best road record in the major leagues.
NL Manager- Don Mattingly- Los Angeles- The Dodgers had an ownership change and a lot of overall turmoil, but Mattingly has risen above it the LA has the best record in baseball. Mattingly deserves a lot of that credit.
AL Comeback Player- Jake Peavy, SP, Chicago- After a series of injuries, his career was left for dead. This season, he’s 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA and a WHIP under one.
NL Comeback Player- Brian LaHair, 1B, Chicago- Deemed a four-A player, too good for the minor leagues but not good enough to hack it in the bigs, LaHair has thrived this season after finally getting a chance. He’s batting .315/.415/.629 with 10 homers and is a bright spot for the Cubbies.
AL Breakout Player- Adam Jones, OF, Baltimore- Jones is developing into a legit superstar if he keeps up this kind of performance. He’s hitting .308 with a .610 slugging percentage and 14 home runs for the league leading Orioles.
NL Breakout Player- Brandon Beachy, SP, Atlanta- With Jair Jurrjens struggling, Beachy has taken his spot in the rotation and has been better than anyone would have ever imagined. He’s 5-1 with a 1.33 ERA for the Braves and could be in the Cy Young discussion if he throws enough innings.
AL Disappointing Player- Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles- $240 million and one home run? He’s certainly been the least valuable player this year and is one of the reasons why the Angels are struggling so much.
NL Disappointing Player- Ike Davis, 1B, NY Mets- The young first baseman was supposed to shine this year, but is instead is hitting .163 and has the lowest WAR of any hitter in the major leagues.
AL Surprise Team- Baltimore Orioles- Who would have expected the best record in the AL and an incredible road record? Can the Orioles keep it up?
NL Surprise Team- Los Angeles Dodgers- They sport the best record in the game and are second in the NL in run differential. Can they remain in charge in the NL West?
AL Disappointing Team- Los Angeles Angels- After signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, this was supposed to be a juggernaut in the AL West. Instead, they can’t score runs and are floundering while the Dodgers are shining up the freeway.
NL Disappointing Team- Milwaukee Brewers- The Brewers were still supposed to contend in the NL Central even with Aramis Ramirez replacing Prince Fielder, but the pitching staff has allowed the second most runs in the NL and are in fifth place in the division.
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Power Poll
1) Kentucky Wildcats- After handling Western Kentucky and bowling over Iowa State, Anthony Davis and the Wildcats are still the prohibitive favorites to win John Calipari his first national championship.
2) North Carolina Tar Heels- UNC put on an offensive clinic in its 14-point win over Creighton on Sunday and have all the talent and athleticism to make a run at the title game.
3) Syracuse Orange- Their near loss to UNC-Ashville cost them the second spot, but their strong second half on Saturday against Kansas State rebooted the Orange’s reputation as the favorites to go to New Orleans from the East Region.
4) Ohio State Buckeyes- OSU looked really strong in its win over a really solid Gonzaga team, and their wins were more impressive thus far than Michigan State, who beat the Bucks for the Big 10 title and the last number one seed.
5) Michigan State Spartans- Saint Louis has a very similar style to Tom Izzo’s club, but Sparty prevailed in a grinding game to advance to Phoenix. Louisville won’t be easy on Thursday.
6) Kansas Jayhawks- I picked KU to win the whole shebang, but they looked vulnerable on Sunday against Purdue. They got their first lead with just over three minutes left in the second half. That won’t fly against a hungry NC State team.
7) Marquette Golden Eagles- Like Michigan State and UNC, their second round opponent was a team with similar styles. Marquette easily handled Murray State to move on to the Sweet 16, where they’ll face another guard oriented team in Florida.
8 ) Baylor Bears- Though their competition wasn’t very strong, handling the Pac-12 champion Colorado Buffs by 17 is impressive no matter how you slice it. They get yet another double-digit seed on Friday.
9) Cincinnati Bearcats- So what if they’re a six seed? They controlled tempo and pace against strong teams in Texas and Florida State and will give Ohio State all it can handle on Thursday. The Bearcats are the dark horse to win a title.
10) Wisconsin Badgers- Sexy does not describe this team, but they used a strong zone and a whole lot of toughness to knock off Vanderbilt in one of the top games of the day on Saturday. Their interior toughness could push Syracuse to its limit on Thursday.
11) Indiana Hoosiers- Don’t get all caught up in the seeding, the two teams IU beat to get to the second weekend, New Mexico State and VCU, were very impressive. That late game escape against the Rams was one of the best late game performances I saw all weekend.
12) Florida Gators- Guard play wins championships, they say. Florida conquered Virginia and then dominated a momentum-charged Norfolk State team to get Marquette in the Sweet 16, a team they could easily beat.
13) Louisville Cardinals- Rick Pitino’s team was able to get by in the first two rounds thanks to its guard play and size, barely escaping an overrated New Mexico team, and their game against Michigan State seems like a matchup problem for the Cards.
14) NC State Wolfpack- They’ve improved so, so much since the beginning of the season. C.J. Leslie, Richard Howell, C.J. Williams, Lorenzo Brown and Scott Wood have grown together and helped orchastrate two really nice upsets. Their run will end against Kansas, but bravo nonetheless.
15) Xavier Muskateers- I understand a close game against Notre Dame, but struggling against Lehigh should not have happened. Even if the Mountain Hawks knocked off Duke. Baylor will prove too athletic for X to handle.
16) Ohio Bobcats- The true cinderella of the tournament was able to dictate the pace and upset both Michigan and South Florida. Against the run-and-gun UNC Tar Heels, they’ll get caught up in a track meet and will likely be pummeled.
NBA Trade Rumors 3/13/12
Orlando Still Weighing Howard Options, Trading Him To Nets?
Orlando is still considering keeping Dwight Howard beyond Thursday’s trade deadline and the Magic are looking at pieces to team with Howard like Monta Ellis. With that possibility out the window, now Ken Berger is reporting that now the Magic are re-evaluating whether to trade him and the Nets are clearly in the lead. New Jersey is exploring trades to shed payroll and would offer Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks and first round picks to the Magic.
Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bomb by saying that Howard is tricking Orlando by hinting that there’s a chance he’ll stay when he’s really going to ditch the Magic and go to the Nets in July. “Dwight’s gone, and Alex Martins is the only person who doesn’t believe that,” a league source with knowledge of Howard’s intentions told Wojnarowski. Sam Amick reports that Houston and Golden State are among several teams still willing to rent Howard and Orlando would also like the Lakers to get back in the picture.
“The Magic must like any trade they make at this point,” an Eastern Conference GM told Peter Vescey. “If they can get 90-95 cents on the dollar for Dwight, my guess is they’ll deal. If it’s 70 cents, I think they’ll play it out like the Cavs did with LeBron.” Perhaps if Orlando reaches the finals this season, then Howard could be convinced to stay.
Three Team Deal Discussed?
Alex Kennedy reports that the Spurs, Jazz and TimberWolves are discussing a deal that would send Josh Howard to San Antonio. Utah would acquire Danny Green from the Spurs and Wayne Ellington from Minnesota. The Wolves would land C.J. Miles. and Jamal Tinsley.
San Antonio has coveted Howard for a while, and he’d add good depth behind Richard Jefferson. Minnesota could use another point guard with Ricky Rubio out, and maybe it would allow them to send Luke Ridnour to Portland for Jamal Crawford.
Portland Dealing Guards
It’s no secret that the Blazers want to improve its guard situation this week and talks have heated up with the Clippers regarding Jamal Crawford. Los Angeles wants Crawford and may even be willing to include Eric Bledsoe, but the Clips would also want to move the contract of Ryan Gomes, which Portland has, so far, not been very receptive to. Another scenario has him going to Charlotte in a deal involving D.J. Augustin. No matter what, according to Jason Fleming, Portland wants to take on expiring contracts for Crawford. However, Ken Berger now reports that Portland is cooling on the idea of trading Crawford since they’ve been unable to get a first round pick in a deal.
Minnesota would love to trade for Crawford, but Portland wants a point guard in return and the Wolves are definitely not trading Luke Ridnour, says Bill Ingram. As for Raymond Felton? Things have been very quiet over the last few days, says Ben Golliver. Perhaps the Blazers are waiting for a Crawford trade.
Extra Points
-Boston will not be trading Rajon Rondo, Danny Ainge said. A Lakers trade involving Pau Gasol was never discussed, Ainge said. If Boston does make a move, which is unlikely, it’d be for a big man.
-Indiana has interest in a shooting guard. With O.J. Mayo off the market, the Pacers could be targeting Courtney Lee of Houston. The Bulls, TimberWolves and Clippers also have interest in Lee.
-Utah holds a $10.89 million trade exception from their Mehmet Okur trade exception, but they are buyers and would love to get a quality piece, says Steve Kyler.
-Kevin Martin could be on the move, and other Rockets who could be dealt include Terrance Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger, according to Steve Kyler. Jonathan Feigen says Martin is very much on the block. Houston is also among the teams interested in Chris Kaman.
-There have been talks of Charlotte sending the expiring contract of Boris Diaw to New Jersey for Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro and a future first round pick belonging to Houston, but it’s unclear whether the Bobcats want to take on future money. It’s also clear that D.J. Augustin is available for the right price. *The Spurs and Knicks may also have interest in Diaw.
-The Lakers remain interested in Ramon Sessions, says Alex Kennedy. They are the frontrunners to acquire Sessions, with Raymond Felton as LA’s Plan B. Los Angeles tried to bring Houston in as a third team with Sessions going to Los Angeles, a first round pick going to Houston and Jonny Flynn going to Cleveland.
-Michael Beasley is the most likely Minnesota player to be traded, but they’d need value in return. Also, Minnesota is discussing a Jason Richardson deal with Orlando.
-The Knicks are exploring a Toney Douglas trade, says Jared Zwerling.
-Cleveland has interest in former Blazers G Armon Johnson.
Like this:
Monta Ellis To Orlando In Three-Team Deal?
There’s also still the extremely remote possibility that Orlando could do enough on the trade front to persuade Howard to stay. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM reports that there are discussions ongoing between Orlando, Golden State and New Orleans that would send Monta Ellis and others to the Magic.
In the deal, Ellis, Andris Biedrins and Dorrell Wright would go to Orlando and Ryan Anderson, J.J. Redick, Hedo Turkoglu and Quentin Richardson would be dealt from the Magic. Chris Kaman would be involved on the New Orleans front, but it’s unknown where players will go and which pieces will actually be moved. HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy says that talks are heating up.
On the other hand, SI’s Sam Amick reports that he highly doubts Golden State and it’s “Howard obsessed” ownership would help Orlando in any way by dealing Ellis to the Magic, SI’s Zach Lowe doubts this will happen as well, while Marcus Thompson says the trade “has no legs.” ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that Golden State would only get Chris Kaman and Hedo Turkoglu as the best players in the deal, and they have no such interest in this trade even if it means they get to trade Andris Biedrins. Stein further says that the Warriors are devoting most of its energy to getting Andrew Bogut from Milwaukee.
It’s unclear how this would drastically improve the Magic and be enough to convince Howard to stay in Orlando. Stay tuned for a wild three days.
