Game 153: Rays vs. Yankees

vs. David Price	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI
Derek Jeter SS	21	0.250	0.286	0.450	1	2
Nick Swisher RF	15	0.273	0.467	0.636	1	1
Mark Teixeira 1B	18	0.133	0.278	0.133	0	1
Alex Rodriguez 3B	21	0.263	0.333	0.579	1	4
Robinson Cano 2B	18	0.250	0.333	0.375	0	3
Marcus Thames DH	13	0.083	0.154	0.083	0	0
Jorge Posada C	18	0.067	0.222	0.133	0	2
Curtis Granderson CF	13	0.154	0.154	0.154	0	0
Greg Golson LF	2	0.000	0.000	0.000	0	0
Total	139	0.187	0.273	0.325	3	13
vs. C.C. Sabathia	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI
BJ Upton CF	31	0.296	0.387	0.704	2	6
Jason Bartlett SS	55	0.292	0.364	0.396	1	3
Carl Crawford LF	52	0.275	0.288	0.373	0	3
Evan Longoria 3B	22	0.294	0.455	0.765	2	5
Ben Zobrist 1B	26	0.318	0.400	0.591	1	5
Rocco Baldelli RF	29	0.231	0.276	0.308	0	3
Willy Aybar 1B	19	0.200	0.278	0.467	1	4
Kelly Shoppach C	18	0.333	0.444	0.400	0	2
Sean Rodriguez 2B	6	0.167	0.167	0.167	0	0
Total	258	0.278	0.333	0.463	7	31

 

Yankees vs. Rays
Season: 2010	Season: 2009	Season: 2008	All-Time
TBR: 9-8	NYY: 11-7	NYY: 11-7	NYY: 140-77

 

	Last 10	Last 20	Last 30
Yankees	5-5	10-10	17-13
Rays	4-6	9-11	16-14

 

	Home	vs. LHP
Yankees	51-26	31-23
	Away	vs. LHP
Rays	44-32	34-17

Read Full Post »

Down the Middle: Posada’s Power Usurped By Cervelli’s Emergence as “Starting” Catcher

Francisco Cervelli surpassed the 300 plate appearance plateau last night with his 0-3 performance against the Rays. Although a seemingly insignificant milestone, it does have import to the Yankees because it means the light hitting backup has essentially been a co-starter with Jorge Posada. Entering tonight’s game, Cervelli has come to plate 297 times as a catcher, while Posada has batted 298 times when playing behind the plate. You can’t get much closer to a 50/50 split than that.

Francisco Cervelli and Jorge Posada have shared more than a few laughs. This season, the two have split the catching duties right down the middle (Photo: The Star-Ledger).

The Yankees catching situation in 2010 has created a partnership that is unique in franchise history. After Posada and Cervelli each catch one more game, they will become the Yankees only catching tandem to compile over 300 plate appearances each (not including at bats taken at other positions). The only pair that even came close to so evenly splitting duties behind the plate was Yogi Berra and Elston Howard, who in 1958 batted 369 and 278 times, respectively, while donning the tools of ignorance. 

A lot of angst has been expressed over Cervelli’s role on the team, but much of it has been dismissed as typical Yankee fan paranoia over a position (backup catcher) that most teams do not give a second thought. On the surface, there is at least some truth to that observation, but when you consider the extent to which Cervelli has played, his OPS+ of 79 become less palatable. 

Yankees’ Catchers 2010 Performance

	G	PA	R	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG
Jorge Posada	74	298	37	13	42	0.274	0.389	0.512
Francisco Cervelli	80	297	26	0	35	0.263	0.349	0.327
Chad Moeller	5	14	2	0	0	0.231	0.286	0.462
Total	152	609	65	13	77	0.268	0.363	0.420

Source: Baseball-reference.com 

Since the end of the dead ball era (generally believed to be around 1920), the Yankees have had only 79 players post an OPS+ below 80 in more than 300 plate appearances, including just five players since the start of the recent championship era in 1996. Perhaps not surprisingly, one of the five players happens to be Cervelli’s current manager. In 1997, Joe Girardi posted an OPS+ of 69 in 433 plate appearances, so you can easily see why he has an affinity for light hitting catchers. 

Yankees With More than 300 PA and an OPS+ Lower than 80, Since 1990

Player	Year	OPS+	PA	R	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG
Melky Cabrera	2008	68	453	42	8	37	0.249	0.301	0.341
Tony Womack	2005	50	351	46	0	15	0.249	0.276	0.28
Rondell White	2002	76	494	59	14	62	0.24	0.288	0.378
Scott Brosius	2000	70	519	57	16	64	0.23	0.299	0.374
Joe Girardi	1997	69	433	38	1	50	0.264	0.311	0.334
Tony Fernandez	1995	75	438	57	5	45	0.245	0.322	0.346
Pat Kelly	1995	68	310	32	4	29	0.237	0.307	0.333
Spike Owen	1993	66	367	41	2	20	0.234	0.294	0.311
Pat Kelly	1991	73	322	35	3	23	0.242	0.288	0.339
Alvaro Espinoza	1991	73	509	51	5	33	0.256	0.282	0.344
Hensley Meulens	1991	65	313	37	6	29	0.222	0.276	0.319
Bob Geren	1990	63	303	21	8	31	0.213	0.259	0.325
Alvaro Espinoza	1990	50	472	31	2	20	0.224	0.258	0.274

Source: Baseball-reference.com 

It should be noted that Cervelli’s OBP of .346 is not only pretty good, but well above the league average of .328. However, some of that value is mitigated by his paltry slugging percentage of .320, which ranks eighth worst in the American League among batters with at least as many as 300 plate appearances. As a result, Cervelli’s wOBA is only .304, compared to Posada’s rate of .373, which is good for fourth best in baseball using the same parameters. 

The main reason for Cervelli’s miniscule slugging percentage is his inability to hit homeruns. Although Cervelli does have one long ball on his major league resume (a rather significant one that is often credited with turning the Yankees season around last year in Atlanta), he has been completely shutout this season. If Cervelli does not belt one out of the park before the end of the season, he would become only the 13th Yankee since the end of the dead ball era to go homerless in over 300 plate appearances, and only the third since 1971. 

Yankees With No Homeruns and More than 300 PA

Player	PA	HR	Year
Francisco Cervelli	303	0	2010
Tony Womack	351	0	2005
Alvaro Espinoza	544	0	1989
Jerry Kenney	395	0	1971
Bobby Richardson	320	0	1957
Snuffy Stirnweiss	560	0	1946
Mike Milosevich	345	0	1944
Red Rolfe	309	0	1934
Gene Robertson	347	0	1929
Leo Durocher	385	0	1929
Leo Durocher	328	0	1928
Benny Bengough	308	0	1925
Joe Dugan	441	0	1925

Source: Baseball-reference.com 

Because he hasn’t played strong defense, Cervelli’s weak bat has made him a constant scapegoat during the season, which in spite of the facts presented above, still seems a little unfair considering the enormous talent in the Yankees lineup. Still, a team like the Yankees is not judged by the same standards as others. In 2010, the extended playing time of Cervelli has resulted in the team being exposed from time to time. That might not be a major concern in the regular season, but in the post season, the Yankees could pay a price if they are forced to rely on what should be their backup catcher. In other words, there can be no catching partnership in October. Because of Jose Molina’s defense, such a situation worked out fine last year, but if the Yankees are going to repeat, they will not only need Posada’s bat in the lineup, but behind the plate as well.

Read Full Post »

Calm After the Storm: Rain Washes Away Pennant Fever

Summer went kicking and screaming at Yankee Stadium last night as two hours of rain not only extended the game to the precipice of the autumnal equinox, but also seemed to wash away its importance.

The Yankee Stadium Grounds Crew pulls the tarp over the infield at the start of a rain delay that would last over two hours (Photo: Getty Images).

Before the skies opened, the Rays held a 1-0 lead after scratching a first inning run courtesy of trademark AJ Burnett wildness. Meanwhile, Wade Davis was near perfect, allowing only one base runner, a walk to Curtis Granderson, over the 2 1/3 innings that preceded the downpour. So, based on the early returns, it looked as if an extended rain delay would work to the Yankees advantage.

Had the game not been played in September and had such significant playoff implications, it is very likely that the evening would have ended with a postponement. Instead, the two teams waited through a delay of over two hours before resuming to an atmosphere that more resembled the first day of Spring than Autumn.

First out of the bullpen for the Rays was rookie prospect Jeremy Hellickson, who despite giving up two runs, including Lance Berkman’s first Yankee homerun, impressed with a deceptive fastball and dynamic change that resulted in five strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings. Realizing the importance of the game, Maddon followed up his young right hander with the Rays’ usual bullpen formula: Choate for a lefty followed by Balfour and Benoit in the seventh and eighth. By the ninth, the Rays had built a 7-2 lead, eliminating the need for Rafael Soriano, but otherwise Maddon played the game as if it was vital to the pennant race. The Yankees, on the other hand, did not.

Royce Ring, Dustin Moseley, Chad Gaudin and Jonathan Albaledejo are not the quartet of relievers that you’d expect to be pitching in a close game against a divisional rival so late in the season. However, Joe Girardi has already made it perfectly clear that winning the division is not a priority, so the sight of Ring coming out of the delay was almost like sounding the bell on a defeat.

Aside from the loss, Burnett’s rain shortened outing, his second in three starts, deprived the Yankees of an opportunity to further gauge his progress toward becoming a more reliable option in the post season. Although Burnett is all but assured a spot in the post season rotation, it remains to be seen where he will be slotted. Because of inclement weather, the Yankees may be no closer to making that decision.

Considering the circumstances of the pennant race and the conditions last night, Girardi’s caution is perfectly understandable (although continuing to play the battered and bruised Mark Teixeira does seem to be a contradiction). Nonetheless, the approach has definitely taken away from the excitement that one would normally associate with pennant race baseball.

Mark Teixeira’s Performance Since Breaking His Toe on August 31

G	PA	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	WPA
19	84	6	0	6	13	16	0.176	0.321	0.206	-0.011

Source: Baseball-reference.com

Read Full Post »