Yankees Offense Comes Alive to Snap Losing Streak

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

July 10^th, 2013

Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Royals 1 Yankees 8

The New York Yankees offense finally woke up after three straight games of scoring just one run, which resulted in a three-game losing streak. The win moves the Yankees to (49-42) on the season, but are still in fourth place in the AL East, and six games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place.

Royals Starter Wade Davis got roughed up in this one, as he earned his eighth loss of the season. The Yankees first run of the game came on a wild pitch by Davis, which allowed Brett Gardner to score. Robinson Cano had a nice day at the plate going three for four, and in the third inning he took Davis deep for a three-run home run, which was his 21^st of the season. The big blow against Davis came in the sixth inning, when Lyle Overbay hit a Grand Slam to break the game wide open. For Overbay it was his 11^th home run of the season. Davis was pulled right after the Grand Slam from Overbay, as he went five innings allowing eight runs on six hits and three walks.

Yankees Get Walk-Off Victory Against Rangers

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 25^th, 2013

Texas Rangers vs New York Yankees

Final Score: Rangers 3 Yankees 4

The New York Yankees were able to get a walk-off victory against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night thanks to Ichiro Suzuki. The 4-3 Yankees win moves them to (42-34) on the season, and are back in second place in the AL East 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox.

Hiroki Kuroda was pretty solid against a talented Rangers lineup, but despite pitching well didn’t earn himself a decision. The Rangers struck first in this game in the third inning, as Leonys Martin hit a solo-home run in the third inning, which was his first of the season. In the fourth inning the Rangers would get one more run, on a Mitch Moreland RBI ground out with the bases loaded that scored Adrian Beltre. Martin would get the best of Kuroda again in the fifth inning with another solo-home run, which was the final run Kuroda would give up. Kuroda finished going 6.2 innings allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits, one walk, and struck out six batters.

Yankees Avoid Sweep with Victory Over Angels

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 16th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels Post Game Recap 

Final Score: Yankees 6 Angels 5

The New York Yankees were able to avoid a second straight sweep on the West Coast with a 6-5 win on Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees finished their West Coast swing going (4-6), and are now (38-31) on the season, and three games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

The offense for the Yankees finally woke up a bit against Jered Weaver, who was handed his third loss of the season. Travis Hafner hit a three-run homerun in the third inning to get the Yankees an early lead, as it was Hafner’s 11th homerun of the season. The Yankees wouldn’t be done in the third inning, as Lyle Overbay getting the start at First Base for the injured Mark Teixeira had a RBI double to score Vernon Wells, and then Overbay was knocked in by a base hit from Jayson Nix, in what was a five-run third inning for the Yankees.

Bonderman Leaves Yankees Clueless in Seattle

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 7^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 1 Mariners 4

In what looked like a sure thing for the New York Yankees on paper they were unable to beat Jeremy Bonderman and the Seattle Mariners, and they had their winning streak snapped at four. The loss moves the Yankees to two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Bonderman got the start again for Seattle after getting rocked in his first appearance of the season, but on Friday night Bonderman looked the best he has in years earning his first victory since 2010. The Yankees got on the board in the first inning against Bonderman with a Travis Hafner RBI ground out, but that would be all they could get off Bonderman. Bonderman would end up going six innings allowing just one run on three hits, and two walks. Letting Bonderman shut them down has to be disappointing for the Yankees lineup, who should have been able to get more than one run off of him.

Yankees Complete Sweep of Indians

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 5th, 2013

Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Indians 4 Yankees 6

The New York Yankees were able to finish up their home-stand on a positive note, by sweeping the Cleveland Indians before they head out to the West Coast. The win moves the Yankees to (34-25) on the season, and are now 1.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the division lead.

Indians Starter Corey Kluber got hit hard early in the game by the Yankees, who did a very good job against Indians Starters throughout this series. Travis Hafner got the Yankees on the board in the first inning with a two-run homerun, which was his 10th of the year, and scored Robinson Cano, who was on Second Base due to Michael Bourn dropping a line-drive hit by Cano. The Yankees would tack on their final four runs of the game in the second inning, as Chris Stewart had a RBI single to score Lyle Overbay, and then Brett Gardner continued his power surge this season with a three-run homerun scoring Jayson Nix and Stewart. For Gardner it was his sixth home run already this season, which is just one shy of his career-high of seven in 2011. Kluber did settle down after the big first two innings for the Yankees, and was able to throw four scoreless innings.

Yankees Offense Bounce's Back After a Tough Week

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 3^rd, 2013

Cleveland Indians vs New York Yankees

Final Score: Indians 4 Yankees 7

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back from a difficult week against the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox on Monday with a nice 7-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The win moves the Yankees to (32-25) o
n the year, and 2.5 games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

Andy Pettitte made his return to the rotation on Monday, but it didn’t go to smoothly for Pettitte in the no decision. Former Yankee Nick Swisher got a nice ovation in his return to Yankees Stadium, and got the Indians on the board in the third inning with a RBI ground out. The rest of the damage the Indians did to Pettitte came in the fifth inning, when Mike Aviles hit a sac-fly scoring Drew Stubbs, and then later in the inning Carlos Santana hit a ground-rule double scoring Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. The RBI double by Santana also chased Andy Pettitte from the game, as Pettitte finished going just 4.2 innings allowing four runs on seven hits, and three walks. Pettitte was going for his 250^th win, and was spotted a three-run lead, but he was unable to hold on to it, so he will have to wait for another attempt at win number 250 until later in the week.

Orioles Defeat Yankees in Extra-Innings Rematch

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 21st, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 2 Orioles 3

The New York Yankees after an extra-innings win against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday suffered an extra-innings loss on Tuesday to the Orioles in 10 innings. The loss snaps a seven-game winning streak against AL East opponents, and moves the Yankees to (28-17) on the year.

Phil Hughes, after the worst start of his career bounced back nicely against the good offense of the Orioles, but his efforts only earned him a no-decision. Hughes went six innings allowing on two runs on five hits, with two walks, and five strikeouts. Hughes’ former teammate Chris Dickerson was a real thorn in his side, as Dickerson hit two solo-homeruns in the third and fifth innings off Hughes.

Yankees Pull Out Extra Innings Win Against Orioles

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 20^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles

Final Score: Yankees 6 Orioles 4

The New York Yankees were able to pull out a victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday in what was a back and forth game that took extra innings to decide a winner. The extra innings win moves the Yankees to (28-16) on the season with a nice 1.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Once again Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia looked far from his normal ace form, and with his velocity down, Sabathia may no longer be the pitcher were use to seeing. Sabathia went 6.1 innings allowing four runs on 11 hits, and only had two strikeouts. It is Sabathia's second straight start that he has allowed double-digit hits, which is the first time that he has done that in his career, and he blew Yankees leads twice in the game, something that aces are not suppose to do.

Cano Carries Yankees Past Blue Jays

sports.yahoo.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 18^th, 2013

Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Blue Jays 2 Yankees 7

The New York Yankees were able to win their second straight game against the division rival Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon with an impressive seven to two victory. The win keeps the Yankees atop the AL East with a (27-16) record.

The Yankees were led by a strong start from David Phelps for the third straight game, as he earned his second win of the season. Phelps, who is battling for a rotation spot is certainly earning it by the way he is pitching lately, as on Saturday he went seven innings allowing only one run on six hits, three walks, and was able to strikeout eight batters in large part due to his great command of his off-speed pitches. In Phelps' last four starts he has an ERA of 2.84, which is pretty good for a fifth starter.

Yankees Get Shutout by Masterson in Game 1

sports.yahoo.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 13th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians Game 1 Recap

Final Score: Yankees 0 Indians 1

The New York Yankees after sweeping the Kansas City Royals had their five game winning streak snapped by the Cleveland Indians on Monday afternoon in Game 1 of the afternoon double header. The loss moves the Yankees to (23-14) on the season.

Indians Starter Justin Masterson was masterful against the Yankees earning his sixth win of the season. Masterson went the distance for a complete game shutout, only allowing four hits, three walks, and was able to strikeout nine batters including Vernon Wells to end the game.

David Phelps did his best to keep up with Masterson, but had one mistake pitch which cost him the game. For Phelps it is his second loss of the season, as he went 6.2 innings allowing only one run on a Jason Kipnis solo-homerun in first inning which ended up being the only run of the game. The battle for the fifth spot in the rotation has to be Phelps’ to lose now with another strong start today.

Yankees Bounce Back Against Astros

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 30th, 2013

Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Astros 4 Yankees 7

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back on Tuesday night after an embarrassing loss to one of the worst teams in the majors on Monday night in the Astros. The win now puts the Yankees record at (16-10) for a very successful month of April.

Yankees Starter Hiroki Kuroda was able to finish up a very successful month of April with his fourth win of the season, despite looking very shaky in the first three innings of the game. The Astros had three hits and walked four times in the first three innings, while having a runner reach third base in each inning, but Kuroda was able to wiggle out of trouble, and once the fourth inning hit it was smooth sailing for Kuroda. He finished going seven shutout innings allowing four hits, four walks, and struck out eight batters in the win.

Yankees Unable to Sweep Blue Jays in Toronto

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 21st, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 4 Blue Jays 8

The New York Yankees were unable to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, but they took two out of three games against them. The Yankees have been rolling despite the loss on Sunday, as they have won two out of three games in their last three series, and that has gotten them a record of (10-7) after the bad first week.

Yankees Starter Ivan Nova’s tough beginning to the season didn’t get any easier in Toronto, as he once again didn’t pitch well, but on the bright side for Nova he didn’t get a loss just a no-decision. Nova went only five innings allowing four runs on seven hits, and four walks. Pitch count was once again a problem for Nova, as he threw a whopping 32 pitches in the first inning, and after that it was clear he wasn’t going to make it very deep into the game.

Nova wasn’t the only Yankees pitcher who struggled in this one, as David Phelps had a rough appearance out of the bullpen. Phelps went the final three innings for the Yankees, but allowed three runs on three hits, and two walks. Phelps ERA is at 6.23 so far this season, which is about three points higher than he finished last year. For Phelps the big mistake came in the seventh inning, when Blue Jays Catcher J.P Arencibia hit a two-run homerun for his seventh homerun already this season.

The Yankees offense was started by backup Catcher Chris Stewart, who for being a defensive Catcher is hitting the ball very well to start the season. Stewart hit a solo homerun in the third inning, which was his first homerun since July 28th of last season. He finished the game going two for three at the plate, and is now hitting .353 on the season.

The top of the order for the Yankees was great in this game, but despite the top three hitters all having multi-hit games they only combined for one run scored. Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano, and Vernon Wells all had two hits, but only Cano was able to touch home plate. Wells capped off a great series in Toronto going seven for 15 at the plate, and got a ton of boos from his former home crowd.

The main reason for the Yankees top of the order not scoring in this game was that Travis Hafner really struggled with runners in scoring position. Hafner went zero for three at the plate with RISP, and the Yankees in as a whole went 1 for 12, which just won’t get the job done.

Next up for the Yankees will be a trip down to Tampa Bay to play the Rays, as C.C Sabathia (3-1, 2.57 ERA) will be facing Matt Moore (3-0, 1.00 ERA) in what should be a good pitchers duel.

Hafner Powers Yankees Past Dbacks

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 17th, 2013

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Yankees

Final Score: Diamondbacks 3 Yankees 4

The New York Yankees were trailing for most of this game, and it looked like they weren’t going to be able to get a win in this one, but some late-inning hitting got the job done for the Yankees, as they won their third straight game.

C.C. Sabathia was able to pick up his third win of the season, but there has to be some concerns about the velocity of his pitches, which has dropped a good amount from last season. In all of his starts velocity has been down, and this one would be no different for Sabathia, as his fastball never got above 90mph, and his slider was down to 77mph, which is about a three to five mph drop from his normal. Sabathia despite having his velocity down was able to go eight innings allowing only three runs on six hits, and one walk.

Yankees Win First Interleague Game Against Diamondbacks

sbnation.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 16th, 2013

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Yankees

Final Score: Diamondbacks 2 Yankees 4

The New York Yankees were able to pick-up their first win against a National League team in the Arizona Diamondbacks much earlier than usual in the season due to the Houston Astros moving to the American League West, which forces Inter-League play throughout the season.

Yankees Starter Ivan Nova wasn’t great by any means, but he wasn’t bad either, as he gave the Yankees exactly what they need from their fifth Starter. In Nova’s first win of the season he pitched a season-high five innings allowing just two runs, but he did give up seven hits, and two walks. He never let the Diamondbacks break thru for a big inning, but Nova was in trouble in almost every inning.

Yankees Have 4 Game Winning Streak Snapped by Orioles

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 13th, 2013

Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees

Final Score: Orioles 5 Yankees 3

The New York Yankees fell to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon, as the Yankees four game winning streak came to an end, and with the loss Sunday will be rubber game of the first series between these two teams.

Yankees Starter Phil Hughes got roughed up in his second start of the season, and for the second time couldn’t make it to the fifth inning, as he doesn’t look right due to missing a lot of spring training with the neck injury. Hughes went only three innings, while allowing five runs on nine hits, and two walks. Giving up homeruns was a problem for Hughes last year, and on Saturday it was one again, as he gave up three solo-homeruns to Ryan Flaherty, Nick Markakis, and Nolan Reimold.

Cano Powers Yankees Past Indians

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 8th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 11 Indians 6

The New York Yankees were able to pick up their second straight win, as they took the series opener in Cleveland, and for the Yankees it is their first winning streak of the season, as their record is now (3-4).

Hiroki Kuroda had a very tough first inning, which led to Manager Joe Girardi to get the bullpen going in the first inning, but Kuroda was able to settle down and get out of the tough inning. After being forced to leave his first start due to getting hit in the hand by a line drive, Kuroda was able to pick up his first win of the season against Cleveland. He finished going 5.1 innings allowing three runs on five hits, and four walks, while striking out six batters.

Yankees Lose Second Straight to Red Sox

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 3rd, 2013 

Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Red Sox 7 Yankees 4

The New York Yankees were unable to avenge their Opening Day loss to the Red Sox, as the Bronx Bombers lost for the second straight game on Wednesday against their arch rivals.

Hiroki Kuroda’s first start of the season went almost as bad as one could imagine, as he only pitched 1.1 innings due to try to bare hand a line drive from Shane Victorino in the second inning, which forced him to leave the game. Kuroda’s final line was 1.1 innings pitched, as he gave up four hits, one walk, and two earned runs. There is no word yet on how bad Kuroda’s pitching hand it hurt, but taking a line drive off a bare hand can’t feel very good.