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Yankees - Blue Jays Series Recap

MySportsRumors.com is dedicated to talking news and rumors about all sports, all teams. But being a New Yorks Yankees fan, there will be plenty of articles dedicated to what dominates my life from April to October. With that being said, I’ll be doing a recap of every Yankees series this year. In those I’ll talk about the plus and minuses for them and also the teams they played. No worries this won’t be a pro-Yankees hype them up article, if they stink up the joint I’ll admit it. So let’s start.

The Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays played three pretty entertaining games over the last few days, if you had a chance to watch this series you’d agreed. In the end, the Yankees took 2 out of 3 games but the Blue Jays with a bounce here and there could of easily won 2-1 or even have swept. It was that close of a series and might just be a glimpse as to whats to come in the American League East this season (a hard fought battle down to the wire).

Game breakdown
Game 1 - Yankees win 3-2. Winner - Chien-Ming Wang, Loser - Roy Halladay, Save - Mariano Rivera. Homeruns - Melky Cabrera
Game 2 - Blue Jays win 5-2. Winner - AJ Burnett, Loser - Mike Mussina, Save - Jeremy Accardo. Homeruns - Vernon Wells and Alex Rodriguez.
Game 3 - Yankees win 3-2. Winner - Joba Chamberlain, Loser - Brian Wolfe, Save - Mariano Rivera (2).

Overall, it was a pitching dominated series. Minus Mike Mussina, all of the starting pitching on both teams were pretty impressive. Overall, I think Moose even was fairly effective too but he’s going to hang some balls up there. With his age, he doesn’t have the extra mph to sometimes get away with it, so he will give up a few more runs then others on the team. But 4 runs in 5 and 2/3 innings is pretty much what he’ll give all year long, not bad, not good.

The other starters, Wang and Halladay both were down right nasty in game one. Both showed why they’re aces and perennial Cy Young candidates. Burnett in game 2 was pretty impressive as well. His strike out total may not show it, but he baffled Yankees hitters for most of the game. Philip Hughes, albeit just his first start this year, showed why Brian Cashman has so much trust and wouldn’t include him in a Johan Santana trade. He basically used two pitches the entire game, his fastball and curveball, with both confusing Jays hitters. A 90+ mph fastball and switching to a 70 mph curve will do that. Frank Thomas jumping like a little girl in the box can show you that. Dustin McGowan was just as effective as Hughes, his first 5 innings the Yankees could not touch the kid. Only reason, they got to him in the 6th inning was because fatigue set in and he just couldn’t find the strike zone anymore.

Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera. It looks like the Yankees could be turning back the clock to 1996. Turning close games in to a 7 inning game. Remember Rivera and John Wetteland, it was a big reason the Yankees won that year. It’s only 2 out of 3 games, but if this keeps up fans are going to enjoy another playoff berth.

The scores didn’t show that either team was effective at the plate but there were bright spots for both. The Yankees only scored 8 total runs but the key players showed some signs of life. A-Rod with a big homerun in game 2, although with the team down 5-0 at the point. Bobby Abreu had maybe the best all around series for the Yanks, batting .500 with only 1 rbi and a couple walks. He set the table like he should a couple times but the rest of the team just couldn’t get him across. Jeter was well Jeter , batting .300 and Melky hit the big game-winning homerun in the first game. The surprise to me was Robinson Cano he was amazing in spring training putting every ball in play and batting .400+. A slump was inevitable unfortunately for him it started with the regular season. The lineup missed Jorge Posada’s presence but he should return for the Tampa Bay series.

The Blue Jays were in the same boat as the Yankees, didn’t score much but had some moments where the true potential of their lineup showed. Alex Rios had his typically good series against the Bombers by extending his hitting streak to 24 games against them. He went 4 for 9, with 3 homers and 3 walks, even stealing 2 bases. Vernon Wells started his season at a .333 clip with a big homerun in game 2 of Mike Mussina. If the middle part of that lineup can stay healthy they’ve got some big number potential.

Whats up next for these teams. Toronto makes their home debut against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees continue at home with the Tampa Bay Rays visiting.

Final thoughts:
The Blue Jays showed they are a team to be reckoned with this year in the American League East. If they continue with their strong play against the Red Sox, both of the divisions big guns will have to worry. If they won 2 out of 3 in that series, they’ll be 3-3 against 2 of the game’s best teams and that would be a huge statement to start.

The Yankees with minimal hitting this series found a way to remain competitive. If they are able to continue and get pitching like they did this team will do a lot better then many think. Hughes will hit some rough patches, its his first full season so it will be expected.

The American League is going to be fun to watch this year, even for April these games were compelling and had late September/October previews all over them.

Yankees Postponed

The Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees game has been postponed to Tuesday, April 1st at 7:05pm. A VERY rare Opening Day Night Game in New York. Probable pitchers remain the same.

Yankees game delayed

Today’s Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees to open up the last season at THE Stadium has been officially delayed. ESPN estimates start time of about 2pm, still subject to change as there should be a consistent light rain all day long.

MLB Injury Update, 3/27

Alright boys and girls, here is today’s MLB Injury Update report. There’s 15 players with updates from the Brewers, Rangers, Padres, Mariners, Blue Jays, Twins, Cubs, Yankees, Braves, Rays, Phillies and Marlins. Its a doozy, enjoy.

• San Diego Padres - Mark Prior - shoulder. Prior finally faced live hitters for the first time today. He threw around 25 pitches in batting practice, while throwing about 35 pitches in a bullpen session before that. His fastball was only in the low-80s. Yea I know low 80s, what the hell! But remember the Padres aren’t even considering putting him in game action before June, so he has at least 2 months to build up strength.
• Texas Rangers - Milton Bradley - knee surgery. Bradley is progressing just fine from off-season knee surgery and should open the season with the big leaguers. Bradley played in his second appearance in right but sixth game overall, going 2 for 3 with a homer. He’ll be with the team but don’t expect to see him in the outfield, he’ll most likely need to DH for a while first.
• Mariners - Brandon Morrow - sore shoulder. Morrow has been experiencing a sore shoulder for most of the spring and has struggled mightily in minor league games since returning. The Mariners are considering one of two options. A) starts the season on the DL B) starts the year in the minor leagues. Morrow will be the 8th inning guy thou once his healthy and accuracy has fully returned.
• Toronto Blue Jays - Matt Stairs - sore hip. Stairs has been struggling with soreness in his hip this spring and because of that has only played in minor league games. The good news he’s getting in his work and his swings, downside the pain might still be to much to handle. The only reason he’s been playing in the minors is in case the Jays decide to give him some more healing time and place him on the disabled list. If he goes on the DL it would be backdated quite a bit since he’s been playing with the farm boys.
• Toronto Blue Jays - BJ Ryan - Tommy John surgery. General manager J.P. Ricciardi says BJ Ryan will get to start throwing off a mound sometime next week. He’ll undoubtedly be starting the season on the disabled list but the team somehow expects him to join the club in mid-April. “I think we’ll get Ryan back sooner rather than later,” Ricciardi surmised yesterday. I wouldn’t be surprised if its more of late-April, early-May but we’ll see. In the meantime, Jeremy Accardo will occupy the closing duties till he’s back.
• New York Yankees - Andy Pettitte - back spasms. Daily update number 15,583 for Andy Pettitte. This will be the last time I update on him unless there is a setback. Pettitte is now officially scheduled to start Sunday in a minor league game. That puts him in position to start the fourth game of the season. That would also mean Philip Hughes would likely take his start against the Blue Jays in the #2 spot.
• Milwaukee Brewers - J.J. Hardy - bacterial infection. Hardy missed the last 10 days of action due to a bacterial infection. He rejoined the lineup today and went 2 for 2 with 2 rbis. Not a bad return. Expect him to be in the lineup, Opening Day.
• Milwaukee Brewers - Chris Capuano - damaged ligament in left elbow. Capuano underwent a second opinion on his injured elbow from Dr. James Andrews. After the consultation, Capuano decided NOT to undergo Tommy John surgery. He’ll rest for about a month or so, then work on making a comeback. If there is any pain once he starts working out again then surgery is definitely on the table.
• Chicago Cubs - Scott Eyre - sore left elbow. Eyre was officially placed on the 15-day DL today because of his sore elbow. The move is retroactive to March 22nd. He’ll take time to rest and should miss the first week or so of the season. In the meantime, Sean Marshall will probably take his bullpen spot.
• Atlanta Braves - John Smoltz - sore shoulder. Same deal as Pettitte, barring any setbacks this is the last update about his current problems. Smoltz threw for 20 minutes in the bullpen today and felt great afterwards. “I got everything accomplished that I wanted to,” Smoltz said of today’s session. “It went really well. It was great. It was the best day I’ve had down here.” Smoltz is still starting on the DL but will make his first start on April 6th against Johan Santana and the New York Mets.
• Philadelphia Phillies - Mike Zagurski - Tommy John surgery. Zagurski also went for a second opinion on his elbow but has decided to go for the surgery. He’ll be visiting Dr Andrews down in Birmingham, AL to undergo the surgery at some point within the next 10 days. His goal is to be back for the start of spring training in 2009.
• Minnesota Twins - Carlos Gomez - left leg cramps. Gomez was scratched from today’s lineup due to continued soreness in his left leg. The injury is still considered very minor and the Twins just wanted to give him some extra rest. He should be able to go Friday.
• Minnesota Twins - Jesse Crain - shoulder surgery. Crain will be starting the regular season with the Twins. He’s pitched 5 innings this season with a 1.80 era. He’ll be held back this April, pitching coach Rick Anderson said he will not be used in back to back games for at least one month.
• Tampa Bay Rays - Willy Aybar - hamstring. Aybar is still experiencing problems with his injured hamstring and still not playing in games. He’s only got 28 at bats this season, and to get him some more the team is going to have to use him in minor league games this weekend. He should still be ready for Opening Day thou. “I still believe he’s going to be fine to play in that game,” Rays coach Maddon said. “I’m not hearing anything that leads me to believe that he won’t be.” Hows that for irony, star prospect Evan Longoria, who had a very good spring was sent down to the minors and now his replacement hasn’t even been able to play. Great move by the Rays demote the hot hitting prospect for a guy who’s going to start off pretty cold all to save a dollar.
• Florida Marlins - Jeremy Hermida - tight left hamstring. Hermida played DH today in a minor league game. He hasn’t played in a MLB game since March 15th due to the hamstring injury. The Marlins will place him on the DL retroactive to that date so in all he’ll only miss 4 games, 5 tops. “Worst-case scenario (Hermida could miss) the first four games of the season,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

It will be a late night at work tonight, so if there are any injury updates in the night games, I’ll post them. Look out for tomorrow’s MLB Predictions. I’ll give my predicted records, LCS and World Series winners, as well as MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager Awards then.

Scott Rolen update

The gruesome details about Toronto Blue Jays 3B Scott Rolen’s finger injury were given today. Kind of weird to be saying gruesome when it comes to a finger but this one is! I’ll get into the details in a few moments but first lets talk about the updated time line for his return. Rolen said the pin in his middle finger has to stay in 14 days and “at that point, it would be pretty speculative” to say when he’ll be back. Rolen also said the team wants to see him hit the ball, before throwing it, its obviously going to be the harder part in his recovery. “He’d rather see me hit before I throw,” said Rolen. The surgeon, Dr Thomas Graham gave a 4-6 week window for recovery time, so it is definitely looking like he’ll miss the entire month of April, and at best be back with the team in early-May. And thats only if everything goes right.

So to the details, for those with a weak stomach you can stop reading now. Don’t worry there are no pictures. First it turns out that Rolen did not lose the finger nail. Rolen said, “We thought the nail was bent up 45 degrees and actually it was the bottom of my finger bent down 45 degrees,” he said. “That’s the wrong 45 degrees.”

In the end, Rolen is on the disabled list for a considerable amount of time and who would of thought it would be for a reason other then his shoulder. Once again, Marco Scutaro will be the Jays starting third baseman till he returns.

Reed Johnson signs with the Cubs

Not much surprise here the Chicago Cubs signed Reed Johnson, who was recently released by the Toronto Blue Jays. Johnson is expected to platoon in center field with Felix Pie, as he has a .308 career average against lefties compared to Pie’s .111 avg. The deal is for 1-year, $1.3 million, and the Cubs wasted no time getting him in the lineup. He started in center field during today’s game against the San Francisco Giants. What does this mean for Marlon Byrd?

Well the all off-season and spring training camp talks between the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers are dead. The team no longer has a need for Byrd. The talks initially hit a stand still because the Rangers were demanding Matt Murton and a young pitching prospect, a price the Cubs weren’t willing to pay. And with Reed Johnson hitting the market, the team definitely wasn’t going to pay that. So right now, Byrd will be on the Rangers Opening Day roster himself.

Rolens injury more severe then thought

So much for Toronto Blue Jay’s 3B Scott Rolen only missing about the first week or so of the season. The injury is still a non-displaced fracture in the right middle finger, but the bone was broken enough to where surgery was required. Monday afternoon Rolen underwent surgery to insert a screw into the finger and was immediately placed on the disabled list.

So here’s the time frame for his return to the lineup. Rolen will have the screw removed 2 weeks from today. If everything is healed properly he could return to the lineup within a weeks time. So if the thing heels properly he’ll still only miss 2 weeks of the regular season, not to bad.

If the finger doesn’t heal properly or needs a little extra time, he’ll miss 3 to 4 weeks. That would mean he misses almost all of April. The Blue Jays aren’t to worried thou, as GM J.P. Ricciardi has said that he feels the loss isn’t a major blow due to the team’s depth. “Our bench is as deep as it’s ever been,” Ricciardi said. “A major blow would be if we lost someone for the year of that caliber. Unfortunately, we’ve been through this before and guys have stepped up. We’ve been through adversity. It’s not something you wish for, but we’re better built to handle it now. It’s nice that he feels this way but playing the stacked American League East you need to be firing on all cylinders from the get go.

In the meantime, Marco Scutaro will start at third base for the Jays.

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