Midseason Bold Predictions Recap

Written by Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Earlier in the week I looked back at an article from the midway point of the MLB season and compared the award winners chosen then to the people who actually received the awards. This time I’ll take another article from the summer, my bold predictions from the All-Star break for the second half of the season and compare it to how the season actually ended. They aren’t called bold predictions for nothing as the end results of these are a little more off than the predictions made for the MLB Regular Season Awards.

Alex Rodriguez will hit double-digit homeruns and the New York Yankees will still miss the playoffs, finishing last in the AL East.

Barton Silverman/New York Times

There are two definitive results that happened here; the Yankees did indeed miss the playoffs but they did not finish in last place. The Rodriguez double-digit homeruns is up for debate. If you include his minor league stats he hit 10 on the season but if you count only his time in the majors he knocked only seven out of the park. The Yankees turned it around a little bit once they started getting a little healthier but they just did not have the talent that teams ahead of them like the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians, the two teams who won the AL Wild Card spots. The winter will be an important one for the Yankees as they have a lot of holes to fill on the team including finding a player capable of replacing Derek Jeter and Rodriguez if they are unable to stay in the lineup because of injuries or suspension. For this bold prediction I will split it down the middle and call it half right.

Miguel Cabrera will win a second consecutive Triple Crown after MLB went the previous 45 seasons before last without one.

Yankees Get Swept in Boston

washingtonpost.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 15^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 2 Red Sox 9

The New York Yankees suffered a very bad sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball, as they got blown out in the final game of the season against Boston. The loss moves the Yankees to (79-71) on the season, and are now three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card spot.

Red Sox Starter Clay Buchholz having his best season of his career, kept that going against the Yankees on Sunday night, as he earned his 11^th win of the season. The Yankees only got one run off of Buchholz, as in the first inning a error by Buchholz allowed Granderson to Third Base, and then he was knocked in with an RBI ground out by Rodriguez. Buchholz finished going six innings allowing just the one unearned run on two hits and four walks.

Soriano Blasts Yankees Past Orioles

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 10^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 7 Orioles 5

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back from a loss on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles with a come from behind win on Tuesday night. The win moves the Yankees to (77-68) on the season, which is two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card spot.

Miguel Gonzalez got the start for the Orioles in Game 2 of the four-game series, and although despite pitching much better than his previous start against the Yankees he didn’t factor in the decision of this game. Alex Rodriguez got to Gonzalez first breaking a scoreless game up in the third inning with a RBI double that scored Chris Stewart. In the sixth inning the Yankees would show off their power, as Alfonso Soriano hit a solo-home run, which was his 14^th home run since joining the Yankees. Mark Reynolds would follow in Soriano's footsteps a few batters later with a solo-home run of his own, which was his 18^th of the year. Gonzalez finished going six innings allowing three runs on six hits, while striking out six batters, and leaving the game in position to earn the win.

Yankees Lose in Series Opener to Orioles

allfanpage.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 9th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Final Score: Yankees 2 Orioles 4

The New York Yankees were unable to start their important four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on a good note, as they suffered a 4-2 loss on Monday night. The loss moves the Yankees to (76-68) on the season, which is three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card spot.

In a big game for both teams, Orioles Starter Chris Tillman came up big with a great start, as he earned his 16th win of the season. Tillman only made two bad pitches in this game, but was otherwise sensational. In the first inning Alex Rodriguez hit a solo-home run off of Tillman to give the Yankees a quick 1-0 lead, and it was the fifth home run of the season for Rodriguez. It wouldn’t be until the eighth inning when Tillman would make another mistake, as Lyle Overbay hit a solo-home run, which was his 14th of the season. Tillman went seven innings allowing just the two runs on four hits, while striking out nine batters.

Yankees Take Opener Against Orioles

washingtonpost.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 30th, 2013

Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Orioles 5 Yankees 8

The New York Yankees were able to start their series at home against the Baltimore Orioles on a positive not with a victory on Friday night after two straight losing series against division opponents. The win moves the Yankees to (71-63) on the seasons, which are four games behind the second Wild Card spot.

C.C. Sabathia was looking good for the first three innings of this game, but after that it was a tough go of it for Sabathia, who once again got hit hard after the third inning. Sabathia was still able to get his 12th win thanks to a lot of offense, and some great pitching from the Yankees bullpen. In the fourth inning Chris Davis broke up the scoreless game with a single that scored Manny Machado. In the fifth inning after being given a lead by the offense, Sabathia gave it right back to the Orioles, as Danny Valencia hit a two-run homerun, and then later in that inning Machado singled home Alexi Casilla to cap off the three-run inning. In the sixth inning the Orioles would get their final run off Sabathia on a Nick Markakis single that scored Adam Jones, and led to Sabathia getting pulled. Sabathia went just 5.2 innings allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk.

Kuroda Struggles Again in Loss to Blue Jays

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 28th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 2 Blue Jays 7

The New York Yankees suffered a bad loss in the rubber game of the series they needed to win against a poor Toronto Blue Jays team, which hurts their playoff hopes. The loss moves them to (70-63), which is now 8.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, and also 5.5 games behind the two Wild Card spots.

For the third straight start Hiroki Kuroda wasn’t very good for the Yankees, who heading towards the home stretch of the season appear to not have an ace anymore due to the recent struggle of Kuroda. The loss was Kuroda’s 10th of the season, and is the third straight start he has lost. The first inning was a tough one for the Yankees, as Brett Lawrie hit a two-run double to get the Blue Jays going early. Later in that inning a weird play allowed two more runs to score after a strikeout of J.P. Arencibia, Chris Stewart had to throw him out at first, but the throw was wild allowing two runs to score. In the second inning Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run home run, which was his 34th home run of the season. The final run off Kuroda for the Blue Jays would come in the third inning, as Jose Reyes hit a sac-fly that scored Arencibia. Kuroda went five innings allowing seven runs, five of which were earned on nine hits and one walk.

Milestone Day for Soriano Gets Yankees a Victory

nbcnewyork.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 27th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 7 Blue Jays 1

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back from losing the first game of the series against the Toronto Blue Jays with a nice win on Tuesday night. The win moves the Yankees to (70-62) on the season, which has them 7.5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East, and 4.5 games behind the two Wild Card spots.

On offense the Yankees looked very good on Tuesday night getting to Blue Jays Starter J.A. Happ, and handed him his fourth loss of the season. They wasted little time getting to Happ, as in the first inning Derek Jeter singled home Brett Gardner, who led-off the game with a double. A few batters later Alfonso Soriano hit career home run number 399, which was a three-run shot. In the third inning Soriano would get the best of Happ once more by hitting a solo-home run for his 400th home run of his career. Happ finished going just 4.2 innings allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks.

Yankees Fall in Toronto 5 - 2

Alex Rodriguez hits his 650th career home run but it wasn't enough, as the Yankees fall to the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 on Monday night.

The Blue Jays snap a 10 game losing streak against the Yankees with their victory led by the knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey who went seven strong innings. Jose Reyes and Edwin Encarnacion sparked the Toronto offense. 

The Yankees took a early first inning lead when Brett Gardner singled, went to second on a passed ball, reached third on a Jeter ground ball, and then scored when Dickey was unable to handle a comebacker from Robinson Cano. 

Toronto tied it in the second on a RBI single by Kevin Pillar, and it was followed up by a RBI single from Edwin Encarnacion in the third to take a 2-1 lead.  

Rodriguez Getting Hit Sparks Yankees to Victory

yankees.lhblogs.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 18^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox Post Game Recap

Final Score Yankees 9 Red Sox 6

The New York Yankees were able to pull of possibly their best win of the season on Sunday night, as they took the rubber game in their series with the Boston Red Sox. The win moves the Yankees to (64-59), which is 7.5 games behind the Red Sox for the AL East and still six games behind the two Wild Card spots.

C.C. Sabathia once again did not pitch well, but with a lot of run support was able to pick up his 11^th win of the season. The Red Sox wasted little time getting to Sabathia. As in the first inning they scored two runs on a Johnny Gomes sac-fly, and a Jarrod Saltalamacchia base-hit. The middle innings wouldn’t be any kinder to Sabathia, as in the third inning a David Ortiz ground-out scored Shane Victorino for the third run off Sabathia. In the fourth inning it two more runs would be allowed on a Stephen Drew sac-fly, and then a Will Middlebrooks solo-home run. In the fifth inning the Red Sox would get their final run off of Sabathia with the bases loaded, as Daniel Nava was able to work a walk. Sabathia would finish going 5.1 innings allowing six runs on seven hits, five walks, and he did not retaliate to Alex Rodriguez being hit by a pitch.

Yankees Offense Breaks Out Against Angels

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 13^th, 2013

Los Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Angels 7 Yankees 14

The New York Yankees were able to win their third straight game on Tuesday night, which was their second straight win over the Los Angeles Angels, and the Yankees continue to gain ground in the Wild Card race. The win moves the Yankees to (61-57), and they are now 5.5 games behind the Rays and Athletics for the two Wild Card spots.

Yankees Starter C.C. Sabathia once again didn’t look like an ace, but with plenty of run support it made up for some poor Yankees defense. Nonetheless he was able to earn his 10^th win of the season, and it was his first win since July 3^rd. Things started out tough for Sabathia though, as in the first inning Mark Trumbo hit a two-run home run, which scored Mike Trout and was his 26^th home run of the season. The final run Sabathia would allow came in the third inning with the bases loaded, as he walked Chris Nelson which scored J.B. Shuck. Sabathia finished going six innings allowing three runs, only two of which were earned on three hits and six walks, while striking out seven. Tuesday was definitely better for Sabathia compared to almost all of his starts in the past month, which is a great sign for the Yankees.

W2W4: Los Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees

losangeles.cbslocal.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

W2W4: Los Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees

August 12-15^th

The New York Yankees will be continuing their home-stand after an impressive series win against the then red hot Detroit Tigers, and now after taking two out of three games against them, the Yankees will be hosting the Los Angeles Angels, who will be coming into the Bronx 10 games under .500.

- Pitching Match-Ups

The four-game series will kick off with the pitching match-up of Hiroki Kuroda (10-7, 2.45) will be facing Garrett Richards (3-4, 4.20), which on paper looks to be a great chance for the Yankees to win. In Game 2 it is undecided right now who will be getting the ball for the Angels, but for the Yankees it will be C.C. Sabathia (9-10, 4.73), who looked better in his last start against the Chicago White Sox. Game 3 is probably the best match-up of the series, as Ivan Nova (5-4, 2.93) will be facing Jered Weaver (7-5, 2.87). In the finale of the series the Angels will send C.J. Wilson (12-6, 3.49) to the mound against the struggling Phil Hughes (4-11, 4.99).

W2W4: Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 9-11^th, 2013

W2W4: Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees will be heading back home to start a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, licking their wounds a bit from being swept in Chicago by the White Sox. Entering the series, the Yankees are (57-56) on the season, and a losing series against the Tigers would move the Yankees to either .500 or below

- Pitching Match-Ups

Opening the Series on Friday night for the Yankees will be one of their better Pitchers of late in Ivan Nova (5-4, 3.08), and he will be facing a Pitcher who has also been throwing the ball well lately in Rick Porcello (8-6, 4.28). In Game 2 the Yankees will have the tough task of facing Anibal Sanchez (9-7, 2.58), and he will be facing the struggling Phil Hughes (4-10, 4.87). Game 3 on paper also looks to be a tough one for the Yankees, as Andy Pettitte (7-9, 4.71) will be facing former Cy Young and MVP, Justin Verlander (12-8, 3.62).

- Cheer or Boo

Yankees Third Baseman Alex Rodriguez will be making his home debut, and the big question is how will Yankees fans react to him being back in pinstripes. Rodriguez had a pretty good series in Chicago, as he went three for 11 with two walks. He didn’t look to rusty, but to think that Rodriguez is going to be the power hitter that he once was seems very unlikely at this point.

- Snap the Streak

The Tigers are the hottest team in baseball right now coming into the Bronx riding a 12-game winning streak. Most impressively for the Tigers was their most recent series in Cleveland against the Indians, as Detroit swept them on the road, which helped them extend their division lead.

- Not Looking Good

As it's is always for the Yankees their goal is to make the playoffs, but this year they are just one game over .500, and after being swept by a bad team in Chicago, the Yankees need to start winning or their playoff hopes will be over soon. The division seems impossible for the Yankees to get, as they are now 11 games back of the Boston Red Sox. The two Wild Card spots in the AL are still very much within grasp for the Yankees, as they are just seven games back, but with a lot of teams in front of them.

Yankees Fall To 0-2 With Alex Rodriguez

Nydailynews.com

A rough road trip for the Yankees continues as they fall to the White Sox 3-2 last night in Chicago. Another solid start by the ace of this team Hiroki Kuroda was wasted as the Yankee lineup failed to give him run support. Kuroda went 7.0 innings allowing three runs on nine hits and struck out four. He now falls to 10-7 on the season mainly due to poor run support. But in some cases he has been the Yankees ace since the struggles of C.C. Sabathia and the rest of the Starting Pitchers on the team.

The Yankees only managed seven hits through nine innings, one of those hits coming from Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod is two for six since returning to the Yankees batting .333 on the season. I expect more from a player who is being linked to PEDs use. It might take Alex a few more games before getting back into the swing of things after going through a second hip surgery and missing four months of action. Last night Joe Girardi had Rodriguez as the Designated Hitter after playing Third Base in his first game. At the plate A-Rod followed up his one for four debut by going one for two with a single, walk and reaching base after being hit by a pitch.

Down 3-1, Yankees tried to rally back in the 9th. With one out, Ichiro Suzuki singled to left and reached Second Base on a fielder's indifference. Austin Romine struck out looking for the second out of the inning. Ichiro then scored on a single to right from Brett Gardner, but White Sox Closer Addison Reed got the save by striking out Alfonso Soriano. A-Rod was on deck when Soriano struck out swinging to end the game with the tying run on first. Sadly this is the Yankees 13th loss in the last 19 games.

Chris Sale was dealing last night going 7.1 Innings and giving up five hits, one run, and struck out six Yankee hitters. The only run he allowed was a passed ball by Josh Phegley, which allowed Soriano to score.

Hoping that Alex Rodriguez can provide a spark and help this Yankee team start winning games to make a playoff run is looking hopeless at this point. They are relying on a player who is coming off hip surgery and has a long suspension hanging over him after MLB and Bud Selig released the suspensions on Monday. With a little less than two months left and being 10.5 games behind Boston, its hard to think the Yankees have enough games to make up that kind of ground. Also they are currently 6 games behind the Wild card leaders Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers. Playing for a Wild Card berth seems to be more realistic for the Yankees, but they will need to start winning games now and start scoring runs.

Next up for the Yankees they will look to avoid the sweep at the hand of the White Sox, as C.C. Sabathia (9-10, 4.78) will look to fix his problems of late against Hector Santiago (3-7, 3.28).

Pettitte Gets Rocked in Yankees Loss to White Sox

newyorkdailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 5^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Chicago White Sox

Final Score: Yankees 1 White Sox 8

The New York Yankees had yet another let down against a poor team, this time against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night. The loss moves the Yankees to (57-54), which is 9.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, and five games behind both Wild Card Spots.

Yankees Starter Andy Pettitte had a very bad start, which resulted in his ninth loss of the season, and the second straight awful start from a Yankees Pitcher. The White Sox wasted little time getting to Pettitte, as in the first inning they scored three runs started from an RBI single from Alex Rios that scored Alexi Ramirez for the first run of the game. Adam Dunn would hit a sac-fly a few batters later to score Jeff Keppinger for the second run of the inning, and the Gordon Beckham would hit a single to score Rios for the third run. In the second inning Rios would get to Pettitte again, as he picked up two more RBIs on a single, which scored Josh Phegley and Keppinger, making it a 5-0 White Sox lead. The third inning would be Pettitte's last, as another bad inning led to two more runs against him, as Ramirez singled home Beckham, and with the bases loaded Joe Girardi pulled Pettitte for Preston Claiborne, who walked in the seventh White Sox run of the game before getting the final out in the inning. Pettitte finished going just 2.2 innings allowing seven runs on 11 hits, and one walk in what was an awful start.

W2W4: New York Yankees vs Chicago White Sox

sportsgrid.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

W2W4: New York Yankees vs Chicago White Sox

August 5-7^th

The New York Yankees will be heading into the Windy City after a disappointing series loss against the San Diego Padres, and one Monday night they will be looking to regroup and win their final series against the Chicago White Sox on their road-trip.

- Pitching Match-Ups

On Monday night in Game 1 of the three-game series it will be a match-up of two lefties, as Andy Pettitte (7-8, 4.28) will be facing Jose Quintana (5-3, 3.62). Game 2 will have both teams aces on the mound, as Hiroki Kuroda (10-6, 2.38) will be facing Chris Sale (6-11, 2.92) in what should be a great pitchers duel. In Game 3 the Yankees will be sending the struggling C.C. Sabathia (9-10, 4.78) to the mound, as if he is going to get back on track after three horrendous starts, the White Sox are the team to do that against, and his opposing Pitcher will be Hector Santiago (3-7, 3.28).

Alfonso Soriano Traded to Yanks

By John Alvarado (@theeinfamouss)

Early Friday morning it was announced that the Chicago Cubs finalized a trade that would send Alfonso Soriano to the New York Yankees; after a week of rumors the trade finally went through. The Cubs will receive class A pitcher Cory Black from the Yankees and cash considerations. 

Soriano started his major league career with the Yankees back in September 14, 1999, becoming a fan favorite and seeming to come through with a big hit whenever the club needed him to. We all remember the 2001 world series when he took Curt Schilling deep with a solo homer to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning of game 7. 

Soriano is a seven time all star and two time world series champion, winning with the Yankees in 1999 & 2000. 

In 2004 Soriano was traded from the Yankees to the Rangers in exchange for 3B Alex Rodriguez. Since then Soriano has played for the Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals & most recently the Chicago Cubs. But now in 2013 his career has gone full circle as he is back where it all began for him; wearing pin stripes. 

Soriano is batting .254 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs this season and has heated up in July, with eight homers and 16 RBIs. He's 11 hits shy of 2,000 for his career and 11 home runs short of 400.

Since June 28 the Yankees have only hit eight homeruns, while Soriano has hit 10. "We've obviously been trying to improve our offense this season, to no avail," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "By far, he was the best available bat to date."

The Cubs are going to pick up about $17.7 million and the Yankees will cover the remaining $6.8 million of the estimated $24.5 million Soriano is owed through the end of next season. Soriano is scheduled to make $18 million next season, $5 million of which will be paid by the Yankees.

It is reported that Soriano is close friends with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano, so coming back to the Bronx should be like a homecoming. The Yankees have Soriano in Friday's lineup, where he is batting fourth and playing left field. I assume he will get a standing ovation as most Yankee fans are thrilled to have him back on the team. 

Bold MLB Second Half Predictions

Barton Silverman/New York Times

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

The first half of the MLB season and All-Star break are officially behind us. The American League will have home field advantage in the World Series thanks to a 3-0 victory over the National League in the Mid-Summer Classic. With the second half set to get underway Friday here are some bold predictions for the remainder of the MLB season.

Alex Rodriguez will return and hit double-digit home runs for the Yankees…And they will still miss the post season and finish last in the AL East.

Yankees Second Half Outlook is Bleak at Best

Matt Slocum/AP

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Coming into the season people knew that it would be an up and down year for the usually dominant New York Yankees. They no longer looked like the team of the 2000’s with big boppers throughout the lineup and All-Stars all over the field.

Injuries then delivered a blow, as every regular from last season outside of Robinson Cano and Brett Gardner were either on another team or on the disabled list to start the season. Despite the uphill battle facing them the Yankees, thanks to shrewd pickups by General Manager Brian Cashman, started the season off better than anyone expected. They then began getting players like Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis back.

Mark Teixeira Out for the Season

sportsspyder.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 26^th, 2013

The New York Yankees suffered another big injury loss on Thursday afternoon, as a MRI revealed a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist, which will require surgery and end Mark Teixeira's season. Teixeira originally hurt the wrist on March 5^th preparing for the World Baseball Classic, and it cost him to miss the first 53 games of the season. He did however get on the field for the Yankees for a short period of time, but in 15 games he hit just .151. Teixeira did have three home runs and 12 RBIs before being shut down again to get a cortisone shot to see if the wrist would feel better, which it did not.