|
|
Post by kaybli on May 11, 2024 13:20:35 GMT -5
We've stayed away from the whacky lineups mostly but not today. Why is Berti hitting 5th?
|
|
|
|
Post by chiyankee on May 11, 2024 13:52:57 GMT -5
We all knew that Judge would be a DH in one of these games on the turf.
Berti hitting 5th.
|
|
|
|
Post by rizzuto on May 11, 2024 13:55:38 GMT -5
We've stayed away from the whacky lineups mostly but not today. Why is Berti hitting 5th?
Boone's going with the Infantry March - right, left, right, left... |
|
|
|
Post by bigjeep on May 11, 2024 13:58:05 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by ill636 on May 11, 2024 14:05:52 GMT -5
Right, left, right, left, right, left, left, left, left....
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:28:45 GMT -5
We've stayed away from the whacky lineups mostly but not today. Why is Berti hitting 5th?
Probably because Cabrera will bat lefty today against Littell, a righty, and because everyone behind him in the order is a lefty, none of them are better against lefties than Berti, and he wants a righty between Verdugo and Rizzo. Boone is trying to avoid the Cash being able to bring in lefty relievers twice in the late innings to face three straight lefties, or two lefties and a weak right hand hitter in Cabrera. So he bats Berti 5th and Cabrera 8th and there is no place where three lefties will bat against a lefty reliever. Berti is not completely inept against lefties; he has a career .248 BAVG against them, a .711 OPS and a 27% K rate and 11% walk rate against them. Against righties Berti hits for a better BAVG (.264) with less power .359 SLG vs .385 against lefties. If I were managing, I might've batted Rizzo 5th and maybe Berti 6th, or maybe Cabrera 6th and Wells 7th with Berti 8th. Clearly, he's giving Stanton a day off, Judge a day out of center on the turf at DH, catching Wells day game after night and benching Trevino, and Grisham must play center for Wells. Hence the weak bottom of the lineup. These lineups will happen every so often until DJ and Jasson Dominguez make it back from their injuries. Not sure why Boone has to give Torres a mental rest day on the same day as the above, it he were in the lineup, he'd be batting 5th, most likely. |
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:30:25 GMT -5
Zack Littell starts for the Rays tonight. Drafted by the Mariners in the 11th round of the Rule 4 Draft in 2013, the M's traded him to the Yanks for pitcher James Pazos in 2016. Just 8 months later the Yanks sent Littell with Dietrich Enns to the Twins to acquire Jaime Garcia. After three years on the AAA shuttle for Minnesota, he becme a free agent in November of 2020 and signed with the Giants. They used him in relief for two years, then he went free agent again and signed with the Rangers...who promptly sold him to the Red Sox, who...put him on waivers in May of 2023...and the Rays picked him up. The Rays put him in the pen and used him as a reliever, gradually moving him to an opener and stretching him out. When the injuries to their starters left too many holes in their rotation, they let him regain his role as a starting pitcher, which was where he did most of his pitching his first five years in the minors.
Littell started 11 games for the Rays in the 2nd half of 2023, and did the job well. He was 3-4 with a 3.38 ERA. In 64 innings, he gave up 60 hits, 26 runs, 24 earned, 9 HR, just 5 BB and struck out 47. Because if his miniscule walk rate, his WHIP in those 11 starts was an elite 1.016. The Rays still have multiple starters with long-term injuries, so for the first time in his career, Littell opened the season with a rotation job. He's still doing well in that role. In 7 starts, he's 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA. In 39 innings, he's allowed 46 hits, 14 runs, 13 earned, 3 HR, just 5 BB (again) and struck out 42. Hits hit rate is higher and so is his BB rate, but his K rate is higher and his HR rater is lower. His WHIP so far this season is 1.308.
This is Littell's 2nd appearance against the Yankees. His first was a start in late August of last year. The Rays gave him an early 2-0 lead, but he coughed it back and then some, giving up back to back solo HRs to Kyle Higashioka and D.J. LeMahieu, before serving up a 2 run blast to Anthony Volpe the next inning. The Rays got him off the hook by tying the game up in the 6th, and went on to win, 7-4. Littell went 6 innings, gave up just one other hit besides the 3 HR (Everson Pereira's single right before the Volpe HR), walked one and struck out 4. It's just 24 plate appearances, but the Yanks' team quadruple slash line against Littell is .182/.250/.591/.841
Repertoire: Littell is a 4-pitch righty, and his pitch mix has hardly changed from last year. He throws a FB that averages 92-3 about 39% of the time, a cutter 87 about 34% of the time, a splitter 83 about 22% of the time, and a slider 79 about 5 % of the time.
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:31:08 GMT -5
Playing the name game...There have been roughly 20 MLB players named Zack; the most famous are current Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, the recently retired starter with a good shot at eventually making the Hall of Fame, old-time Dodgers outfielder and Hall of Famer Zack Wheat, and former Orioles closer and Yankees reliever Zack Britton. By contrast the only other Littell in MLB history is Mark, who's must famous as the Royals' reliever who served up the pitch that Chris Chambliss for a leadoff HR in the bottom of the 9th at the Stadium to win the 5th game of the ALCS in 1976, and win for the Yankees their first pennant in 12 years.
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:31:51 GMT -5
The Yanks send Nestor Cortes out to face off vs. Littell. Nestor is making his ninth start this year. In the previous 8 starts, he's had 4 good ones and 3 mediocre ones; only once has he been knocked out before getting through at least 5 innings. He's 1-3 with an ERA of 3.72. In 48 1/3 innings, he's allowed 42 hits, 20 runs, all earned, 5 HR, 8 BB and has struck out 46. His WHIP so far this season is an outstanding 0.972.
This will be the 14th appearance against the Rays for Nestor; 8 of them have been starts. He's 2-3 with a 3.95 ERA against Tampa in his career. In 57 innings, he's allowed 49 hits, 25 runs, all earned, 8 HR, 13 BB and struck out 50. His WHIP against them is an excellent 1.088. His last game against him was an outstanding 7 shutout innings, allowing 6 hits, striking out 9 without walked a batter. Unfortunately, all he got for his efforts was a no-decision, because Zach Eflin and 4 relievers shut the Yanks out for 10 innings, and got to Caleb Ferguson for 2 runs in the 10th to win 2-0. The Rays' team quadruple slash line against Cortes is .229/.280/.397/.677.
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:40:38 GMT -5
Yanks' lineup vs. Littell:
Volpe is 1 for 2 with a 2 run HR and 1 BB
Soto has faced him twice and walked both times
Judge is 0-3 with 2 K
Verdugo has never faced him
Berti is 0-1 with a K
Rizzo is 0-3
Wells has never faced him
Cabrera is 0-2 with 1 K.
Grisham is 1-4 with a double 3 K and 5 (!!) BB (which might be why Judge is getting the DH day today)
On the bench: Torres is 0-3 against Littell Neither Trevino nor Stanton have ever faced him before.
===========
Rays' lineup vs. Cortes:
Diaz has 5 more PA against Nestor than any other MLB hitter and he hits him very hard; he's 10-27 with 3 doubles, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB and 2 K, with 1 GIDP
Arozarena is 3-18 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB and 5 K, with 1 HBP
Rosario is 3 for 8 with a solo HR, 2 BB and 1 K;
Paredes is 4-15 with 2 solo HR and 2 KI
Ramirez is 4-16 with 1 solo HR and 3 K
DeLuca has never faced him
Caballero is 0-4 with 3 , and 1 sac bunt.
Jackson has never faced him
Siri is 0-7 against him with 1 BB and 4 K.
On the bench: J. Lowe is 0-2 with 1 K, Palacios hasn't faced him. Neither have Rortvedt or Shenton, but they're all lefties anyway and not likely to hit against Cortes without an injury to someone in the lineup.
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:43:07 GMT -5
Yesterday, the Yanks got 6 2/3 strong innings from Clarke Schmidt, an odd 1/3 of an inning from Burdi in which he didn't retire a batter, a strong 8th inning from Luke Weaver, and a nightmare rollercoaster ride of an inning for Clay Holmes, who managed to close it out without giving up his first run this year and earning his 12th save. Anthony Rizzo knocked in both runs with a single and a solo HR for a 2-0 Yankee win. Elsewhere in the East, the Orioles beat the D'Backs 4-2 at Camden Yards, the Twins barely held off a 9th inning rally to beat the Jays 3-2 in Toronto; with two outs in the 9th and runners at 1st and 3rd, Jays 3rd baseman Ernie Clement lined one up the middle off the pitcher Griffin Jax, it deflected right to Carlos Santana at 1st, and he took it to the bag to end it. The Nationals beat bookie odds of 2 to 1 against them as Patrick Corbin and 5 relievers combined to hold the Sox to 1 run in a 5-1 victory that left the Nats 1 game over .500.
Right now, the Yanks are still 1/2 game back of the O's for 1st in the division, the Red Sox are 6 games behind the Yanks, the Rays are 6 1/2 behind, and the Jays are 8 behind and 8 1/2 out of first.
Elsewhere in the AL East today:
The Jays 2nd game against the Twins is already underway, and the Twins got 3 in the 1st and lead 3-0, top 2nd
The starters there are post-hype prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson for the Twins, who's been brilliant in his first four starts this year, 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA; he hasn't allowed a HR yet in 20+ innings vs. a rejuvenated Kevin Gausman, 2-3 with a 3.78 ERA.
The Orioles are starting their 2nd game against the D'backs more or less the same time as the Yanks and Rays get underway; Ryne Nelson, 2-2 5.23 ERA for Arizona, John Means makes his 2nd start of the season for the O's after throwing 7 shutout innings against the Reds in the Great American LaunchingPad his first time out.
The Red Sox the Nationals in their 2nd game also more or less starting at the same time as the Yanks. Jake Irvin, 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA for the Nats; Cooper Criswell, 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA for the Sox.
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:43:51 GMT -5
Here comes The Saturday Leaders™ for May 11th:
Among AL hitters....
Bobby Witt, Jr. of the Royals now leads in bWAR at 2.8 (As great as Soto has been, Witt is an enormous threat to take the MVP Award from him, because he's also playing a Gold Glove caliber SS. If the Royals win the Central, or just stay in the race and make the playoff, Witt will probably win the MVP.
Steven Kwan of the Guardians leads in BAVG at .353
Juan Soto still leads in OBA at .429.
Ryan Jeffers of the Twins now leads in slugging at .609, but Soto is back on top in OPS at .991
Witt leads in runs with 36, and is tied with 5 players (including Judge, Soto and Torres) in games played at 40
Marcus Semien of the Rangers leads in AB with 171, and in plate appearance with 184.
Jose Altuve of the Astros leads in hits with 51.
Soto leads in total bases with 85.
Spencer Torkelson leads in doubles with 13
Jarren Duran of the Red Sox leads in triples at 6.
Kyle Tucker of the Astros has taken the lead in HR with 12
Soto is tied for the lead in RBI with Jose Ramirez of the Indians at 33
Judge has taken the lead from Soto in BB with 3o (Soto is now tied for 2nd with Tucker at 28)
Jorge Polanco of the Mariners leads in K's with 50 (Stanton is right behind at 49 tied with Julio Rodriguez)
Jose Caballero of the Rays has taken the lead in steals with 15
Vinnie Pasquantiino of the Royals leads in sac flies with 5
Jeffers now leads in HBP with 8
Judge leads the AL in GIDP with 11, Verdugo and Trevino, and still tied for 5th with 3 other players at 6
|
|
|
|
Post by laurenfrances on May 11, 2024 14:45:06 GMT -5
Just knew Judge was going to DH one game in the Trop. Lets win this one!
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:45:28 GMT -5
In the NL:
Mookie Betts leads all of MLB in WAR at 3.3
His teammate Ohtani has taken the lead in BAVG with a white hot streak, he's up to .359
And Ohtani now leads in slugging at .679 and a OPS at 1.106, but Betts still leads in OBA at .452
Ohtani has emerged as Betts main challenger for the NL MVP, but there again, Ohtani is a DH and Betts is playing shortstop this season, and playing it at a Gold Glove level so far, so he remains the frontrunner, at least to me.
Luis Arraez, now with the Padres, leads in at bats with 161, but Betts is still 1st in plate appearance at 186
Ohtani now leads in hits at 56, in total bases at 106, in doubles at 15, and in RBI with 38, but Betts leads in walks with 30.
CJ Abrams of the Nationals leads in triples with 4.
Acuna of the Braves has passed Betts and lead in runs scored with 30.
Elly de la Cruz of the Reds is way ahead of the pack in all of MLB with 25 steals, on pace to steal 100
Marcel Ozuna of the Braves leads in HR with 12 and in RBI with 38.
Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies leads in strikeouts with 59
Brandon Nimmo of the Mets leads in HBP with 6
Ketel Marte of the D'backs is still tied with Espinal of the Reds, and Will Smith of the Dodgers, but now Schwarber has joined them at 4.
And Bryce Harper of the Phillies still leads the NL in GIDP with 7, but is now tied with Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. of the Diamondbacks
|
|
|
|
Post by qwik3457bb on May 11, 2024 14:46:00 GMT -5
Among AL pitchers:
Kutter Crawford of the Red Sox still leads in pitching bWAR with 2.2
Seth Lugo of the Royals has taken the league lead in ERA with 1.74, and still leads in wins with 5
Scott Barlow, Emmanual Clase and Nick Sandlin of the Guardians lead in games pitched with 20
For the moment, Garrett Crochet of the White Sox leads in game started with 9
Four AL starters have 1 complete game and 2 of those are shutouts, but it doesn't mean much anymore.
Tanner Houck of the Red Sox leads in innings at 52 1/3
Crochet also now leads in K's with 64, and in K/9 at 12.3
Tarik Skubal of the Tigers leads the AL in WHIP at 0.773
Zac Eflin of the Rays leads in BB/9 at just 0.750, and also in K/BB ratio at 9.75. The Yanks don't see him this series. Littell today, and Tyler Alexander tomorrow.
Luis Gil still leads in BB allowed with 24.
And Clay Holmes of the Yanks leads in saves with 12
|
|
