L.I. Ducks: Let Idle Bridgeport Off the Hook

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Ducks lead series 2-1

I - LID 8; SOM 6

II - LID 6; SOM 5*

III - SOM 7; LID 4

IV - SOM @ LID

*12 innings

Long Island Ducks: Fail to increase lead over Fish with loss to Patriots.

Roger Clemens manned the first base line in Bridgeport last week, 

and my only thought was how the mighty have fallen.

Mother Nature delayed Atlantic League baseball along both sides of the Long Island Sound Wednesday evening, but only elected to postpone one.

The visiting Sugar Land Skeeters game against the Bridgeport Bluefish at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard was rained out.  On the other side of the Sound, however, baseball ultimately got underway where Long Island hosted the Somerset Patriots.

With Bridgeport declared idle, the opportunity arose for Long Island taking a full two game lead over the Fish.  Yet, after winning the first two games of their four game set against Somerset, the Ducks failed to seize the day, bowing to the Patriots in Game Three by a 7-4 margin.  As of close of business Wednesday, then, the Ducks hold a paper thin one game lead over the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Liberty Division standings.

With their victory, the Patriots closed to within three games of the Ducks.

Both literally and figuratively, the dog days of summer are in full effect.

Man, it's been hot out there!

Nine exhaustive games into their stretch of 20 consecutive scheduled games, the Ducks are clinging to a 5-4 record in August with eleven more games to play before their first day off on Aug. 22.  After which, they'll close out the month with another stretch of ten games in nine days.

Once the Ducks conclude their present series against the Patriots, it's on to play Freedom Division competition - Lancaster Barnstormers, New Britain Bees, and the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Ducks @ Bluefish

8/5/2016

I dropped in for the Ducks @ Bluefish game last Friday night at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, thinking it a cool way of kicking off my long weekend trip deep into the heart of New England and Red Sox Nation.

But I also swung by to get a glimpse of Roger Clemens ... yes, that Roger Clemens.

There he was ... coaching along the first base line for the Bridgeport Bluefish, and looking inconsequential as ever.

Now 54 years old, the man posted a 354-184 major league W/L record, with 4,672 strikeouts.  Yet, no one really seemed to care.

N.Y. Yankees: Girardi Whiffs Alex with Screwball

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Red Sox lead series 1-0

I - BOS 5; NYY 3

New York Yankees

vs.

Boston Red Sox

FROM

Fenway Park

New York Yankees: Actions speak louder than words...

Back during Alex Rodriguez' more "loosey-goosey days" when he first got outed for using PED's, he told a packed press room at Yankee Stadium and all the fans tuning in, "Judge me from this moment forward."

Remember that?

Then what happened...?

He was outed a second time with the discovery of his involvement with BioGenesis.

How did Alex handle this newest white hot controversy?

After playing the young and dumb card last time, he this time employed a full blown scorched earth policy.  Denials, lies, and false accusations at the ready, Alex threatened the Yankees, the team trainer and doctors, the Player's Association, and whoever else opposed him with lawsuits.

Only problem was that Alex could never follow through because he would then be made to testify, effectively causing him to out himself.  Knowing this, Alex had no choice but to drop the curtain on his absurd charade, and obediently serve his one year (2014) suspension from baseball -(conveniently during the same season Derek Jeter enjoyed his farewell tour - the very Derek Jeter Alex criticized in GQ magazine while en route to joining the Yankees during the 2014 off-season).

Alex returned from suspension last season to post very productive numbers through the first half of the schedule, but tailed off considerably after the all-star break.  This season has been no different.  

With the exception of May in which he only played six games, Alex Rodriguez was a starter on Opening Day and continued playing through July 31st, during which time he only slashed .205/.253/.358, with just six doubles, nine home runs, and 29 RBI though 215 at-bats.

As the non-waiver trade deadline loomed, Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner decided it was time to break from the Yankees traditional business model, and so together inaugurated a rebuilding process with haste, evidenced by their transactions during the days and hours leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.

There's little debating the Yankees then decided they had no more use for Alex Rodriguez.

He has one at-bat for the month of August, when used as a pinch hitter on Aug. 2nd. Otherwise, ARod has yet to participate in any capacity.

Hal Steinbrenner said Alex would be free to play in his four remaining games as a uniformed player of the Yankees.  Joe Girardi echoed those same words.

It was with great anticipation Alex thought he was going to do just that, until he failed to read his name on Tuesday's line-up card.

Lets call that for what it is ... vindictive, passive or otherwise.  I'm not saying whether that was right or wrong of the Yankees (Girardi), justified, earned, etc.  Im just calling it like I see it.

The issue is clear in my eyes - the Yankees do not want Alex hitting his potential 700th career home run in their uniform.  Or, maybe they they're staunchly opposed to Alex going the same company as Babe Ruth.

You get the gist...

Meanwhile, during the latter innings of Tuesday's series opener between the Yanks and Red Sox in Boston, fans started chanting, "We want ARod! We want ARod!"

If you read my last article, there's every chance Boston fans genuinely wanted to acknowledge Alex in a respectful way.

The Yankees just aren't having it.  They let him have his fun for nine seasons previous to his suspension.  Now they're declaring his party officially over ... on their terms.

After all those hundreds of million dollars spent, the Yankees behavior is exacting a tax meant to humble Alex.

Outwardly, the Yankees appeared to let Alex bow out somewhat gracefully ... a noble effort considering they affixed their stamp upon his dishonorable discharge papers in hot wax back on July 31.

With regards to all parties involved, and particular emphasis on Girardi for not playing ARod Tuesday night, actions have always spoken louder than words.

N.Y. Yankees: Beware a Fateful Fenway ARod Farewell

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Boston Bracing for Alex Rodriguez'

Fenway Park Finale

New York Yankees: If ARod knew what I knew, he wouldn't play against the Red Sox.

Put it this way...

If you've been following my recent Tweets, you know I just spent a long weekend road-tripping minor league baseball games throughout New England.

I drove a lot of miles, and naturally listened to a lot of Boston sports radio along the way.  As you could imagine, Red Sox Nation has their own ideas as to what constitutes a proper send off with regards to Alex Rodriguez (regardless whether he plays or not).

I won't name the station(s) or several talk hosts, but offer this: fans calling in were easily more rational, reasonable, and responsible in offering their opinions than were their respective radio show hosts.

In most instances, hosts had no interest in celebrating ARod, but are not content with simply ignoring him.  They want to mock him.  Their leading idea was to have former catcher and old ARod nemesis Jason Varitek make a surprise appearance as an opening act.

For this, they were admonished by various callers.  One gentleman denounced this suggestion outright, calling it disrespectful.  The caller pointed out any attempt to acknowledge him, would indeed be a veiled attempt to humiliate him.  And so the conversation devolved into what would, or would not be respectful towards Alex Rodriguez.  Fans, however, voiced no interest in taking part in such underhandedness.

Some hosts nevertheless insisted on missing the mark on many levels.  That said, another fan called out the Red Sox for their distasteful treatment of Mariano Rivera, noting the organization made sure to (video) highlight all Mariano's failures against the Red Sox.  Although he believed their send-off was otherwise very respectful, he thought that particular tribute was uncalled for.

The hosts continued reveling in past glories, such as when fans wore blond-haired girl masks at Fenway Park, and once brought posters of needles to the game, both in tribute to ARod during his more comically troubled times with the Yankees.  The 2004 post-season hamburger helper purse slap didn't escape them either.   In fact, they remained quite vicious throughout ... mostly in jest of course.

Otherwise, good job by the New England fans for their sensibility, fairness and pragmatism.  They would be content to just let ARod come and go without incident, opting to ignore his questionable accomplishments ... but nothing more.  Sounds fair enough, but the hosts then questioned whether ignoring him was in of itself disrespectful - to which I disagree.

They strongly believed Alex Rodriguez is linked to their own recent 14 year stretch of history, due to how close he came to becoming a member of the Red Sox, and for the subsequent role he played with the Yankees against them.

Monday, as a guest on a New York talk show, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said Alex could play in all three games against Boston if he wanted to.

I think if Boston fans call him out of the dugout for a tip of the cap and he receives a reciprocal ovation, all parties should consider themselves lucky.

Ignoring him should be considered in kind.

Road Trips 2016: Pawtucket Red Sox

Red Sox Nation Invasion: Pawtucket, Rhode Island

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Columbus Clippers

vs.

Pawtucket Red Sox

FROM

McCoy Stadium

Rhode Island

McCoy Stadium

Erected 1942

Road Trips 2016: Boston ~ Cy Young

Red Sox Nation Invasion: Boston

On the campus of Northeastern University

Huntington Avenue just off Massachusetts Avenue

Huntington Avenue Grounds

Road Trips 2016: Lowell Spinners

Red Sox Nation Invasion: Lowell, Massachusetts

NEW YORK - PENN LEAGUE

Aberdeen IronBirds

vs.

Lowell Spinners

FROM

LeLacheur Park

L.I. Ducks: First Place Showdown at Harbor Yard

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

FERRY CUP SERIES

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH

FROM

The Ballpark at Habor Yard

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Flock Migrate Across the Sound for First Place Showdown Against Fish.

Never mind the part about Long Island holding a 10-3 advantage over the Fish in this season's Ferry Cup series.  Bridgeport enters this weekend's series against the migrating Ducks by just a game in the Liberty Division standings.

The Ducks lost their Thursday morning series finale to the Patriots by a 3-1 score in Somerset, leaving the Bluefish just a half game behind.  Bridgeport, however, failed to seize the moment Thursday evening when they bowed to the Sugar Land Skeeters, thus setting the stage for this weekend's first place showdown at Harbor Yard.

These teams last met in July with the Ducks taking two of three at Bethpage Ballpark.

Friday series opener will feature a pair of right-handers.  Bobby Blevins will climb the hill for Long Island and will be opposed by Bridgeport's David Kubiak.

I just might be there, as I embark on my second road trip back into New England for more minor league baseball.  I'm thinking of attending just to kick back with a hot dog before the longer drive ahead, and of course, to cheer on the Ducks in another team's ballpark.

• The Ducks will miss Bridgeport starting pitcher Jonathan Albaladejo who pitched on Aug. 2 against Sugar Land, and whom leads the Atlantic League with 10 victories, and is fourth with 99 strikeouts.

• Long Island's Darin Downs and John Brownell are among those tied for second with eight victories each.

• Delta Cleary Jr. enters the series leading the Atlantic League with a .321 batting average.   Fehlandt Lentini is second with a .309 average.

Somerset Patriots salvage series finale

Ducks win series 2-1

I - LID 4; SOM 2

II - LID 3; SOM 2

III - SOM 3; LID 1

With the Ducks still patching together a solution for a fifth starter, southpaw Dustin Richardson made only his fourth start of the season Thursday morning in Somerset.  He tossed five innings before exiting on the losing side of a 3-1 game and eventual Ducks' loss.

Dustin allowed all three Somerset runs on 10 hits and two walks, with four strikeouts.  He faces 24 batters, threw 89 pitches, with 55 (61%) going for strikes.

The Atlantic League batting leader, Delta Cleary Jr. knocked in the Ducks lone run of the game with a double in the third inning scoring Fehlandt Lentini.

Somerset employed a pitcher by committee, utilizing seven hurlers, who limited Long Island to just four hits all game.  Starter Rudy Owens started, allowed just a hit but walked five batters in 2.2 innings of work.  Six other relievers combined to allow no runs on three hits, no walks, with five strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work.  Former Ducks closer Jon Hunton notched his league leading (tied) 25th save of the season.

On August 1, rhp DJ Mitchell was acquired from Bridgeport for first baseman Sean Burroughs.  He made his first appearance for the Ducks on Aug 3 in Game Two against Somerset.  He threw five innings for the victory, allowing just two earned runs on four hits and four walks, with five strikeouts.

• Mitchell previously made 12 appearances and nine starts for the Fish, posting a 2-3 record with a 4.39 ERA.  He allowed 58 hits and fanned 48 through 55.1 innings pitched.

Staff ace John Brownell was stellar in Tuesday's series opener in Somerset.  He walked off to a no decision, but tossed seven innings, allowed one earned run on five hits and no walks, while striking out eight.

Extra Innings

The dog days of summer are upon us.  Long Island will have one day off throughout the month of August (Monday the 22nd).  Due to a scheduled double-header late in the month against Lancaster, Long Island will wind up playing 30 games in 30 days.

Brooklyn Cyclones: Arms Race Heating Up in Coney Island

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Dutchess Stadium

Brooks lead series 2-0

I - BKN 3; HVR 0

II - BKN 6; HVR 1

III - FRIDAY

GAME THREE

Brooklyn Cyclones

vs.

Hudson Valley Renegades

FROM

Fishkill

NEW YORK

Brooklyn Cyclones: Behind strong pitching Baby Bums are 7-3 in last 10 games; closing in on first place Staten Island Yankees.

The season long offensively challenged Brooklyn Cyclones have outscored 

the Hudson Valley Renegades by a 9-1 margin through two games.  

The Cyclones will attempt a sweep Friday evening.

The Brooklyn Cyclones have come a long way since their sub-par start to the regular season, and have effectively tightened up the McNamara Division race.

And now, the only thing better than the cool ocean breeze at Coney Island, is the heat being generated on the pitching mound at MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Mets first round draft pick (#19 overall) Justin Dunn is scheduled to make the third start of his professional career in Troy, N.Y. this weekend against the Tri-City Valley Cats.

He presently owns a 1-1 record with a 0.75 ERA after five appearances and two starts.  He has limited the opposition to a lone earned run on 12 hits and five walks, with 13 strikeouts through 13 innings pitched.

However, the Brooklyn Cyclones pitcher suddenly turning heads is left-hander Thomas Szapucki.  He was promoted to Brooklyn after just five appearances for the Kingsport Mets of the (R) Appalachian League, in which he posted a 2-1 record with an attention grabbing 0.62 ERA and 0.86 WHiP.  He allowed just 17 hits, walked nine, and fanned 47 batters in just 29 innings of work.

He has since made two starts for the Cyclones.  His last start on July 31 against Aberdeen was nothing short of a gem.  He earned an unfortunate loss after allowing one unearned run, but otherwise tossed seven innings of two-hit baseball, walking one, and fanning 10 batters.

Thomas made his Cyclones debut on July 14 against the Staten Island Yankees, and it was a beauty.   He pitched 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball, while limiting the Yanks to just four hits and three walks, while fanning eight batters.

The performance of starter Harol Gonzalez is also demanding attention, who after nine starts leads the NYPL with 67 strikeouts and a 0.88 WHiP, along with the league's fourth best 1.77 ERA.  He owns a 4-1 record so far, and has allowed 12 walks and just 37 hits through 56 innings pitched.

On Tuesday, Aug. 2, the Cyclones added getting one-hit by the Aberdeen Ironbirds to their list of ponderous 2016 achievements.

They've since went on to take two straight from the Renegades up in Hudson Valley.  This past Wednesday against Hudson Valley, Harol Gonzalez tossed seven innings of scoreless, four-hit baseball, while issuing just one walk and fanning four batters.  The series finale scheduled for Friday.

• Mets second round draft pick first baseman Peter Alonso hit his fourth professional home run against the Renegades.  He is presently slashing .295/.373/.534, with seven doubles and 18 RBI through 25 games and 88 at-bats.

Subway Series: Mediocrity Running Wild

From the desks of:  

HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET  and  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Yankees lead series 2-1

I - NYY 6; NYM 5*

II - NYM 7; NYY 1

III - NYY 9; NYM 5

*10 innings

SUBWAY SERIES

New York Mets

vs.

New York Yankees

FROM

Yankee Stadium

River Avenue, Bronx

Game One Final

NYY  6

NYM 5

10 innings

The Yankees extended their win streak to three games on Monday with an extra inning 6-5 victory over the hosting Mets.

Logan Verrett did well in his head-to-head match-up against C.C. Sabathia.  Logan allowed three earned runs on four hits and three walks, with four strikeouts through five full innings of work, but left on the losing side of a (then) 3-2 game.

It wasn't till the sixth inning that Mets fortunes, and C.C. Sabathia's for that matter, changed when   frequent call-up Matt Reynolds connected on a three run home run, making it a 5-3 Mets lead.

Sabathia then walked pinch hitter Steven Matz (Game Three's starting pitcher) earning him Joe Girardi's hook.  All told, C.C. was tagged for five runs on eight hits, walked three, and fanned five over 5.2 innings pitched.

Luck, however, was fickle this evening, tapping Mets relievers Jerry Blevins and Addison Reed on the shoulder.  Both each allowed a run during a Yankees two-run eighth inning, tying the game at five.

Seth Lugo earned the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning.

After hitting seven home runs in July, Wilmer Flores hit his first home run of August in the second inning off Sabathia.

Game Two Final

NYY  1

NYM 7

Tuesday's start was a test of sorts for Jacob deGrom, who passed with flying colors.  He battled lat issues early in the season, and now believes he's conquered some mechanical issues.

Against the Yankees, deGrom tossed seven shutout innings, while limiting the Yankees to just four hits and a walk.   He threw 103 pitches, with 69 going for strikes, and fanned eight batters.  

Jacob improved his record to 7-5, and sports a stellar 2.41 ERA.

The game marked Jay Bruce's first in a Mets uniform.  Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for second base prospect Dilson Hererra, Bruce went 0 for 4 in his Mets debut.  He saw a total of 13 pitches and fanned twice.

With the exception of 2014, Bruce has hit at least 20 home runs in each of his nine MLB seasons.   He's presently leading the National League with 80 RBI, and is believed he'll provide the Mets a formidable one-two punch from each side of the plate when combined with Yoenis Cespedes.

Game Three Final

NYM 5

NYY  9

Ugly is as ugly does.

In truth, both teams played terribly, but I only root for one of them...

Was Steven Matz' 20th start of the season an omen?  Apocalyptic nightmare?  Not quite, but allowing six runs on six hits and a walk, with six strikeouts through six innings pitched was eerily unsettling.

The newly assembled one-two punch of Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce lasted one game.  Yoenis is heading to the disabled list (with the other guys...) after "tweaking" his ailing quadriceps during his last at-bat in the ninth inning.  

It can be argued the Mets were foolish for devising this play/rest plan of DH'ing him against the Yankees and Tigers in the first place.  While the greater baseball establishment agrees total rest is the only effective remedy for quad strains, once again the Mets opt for playing injury roulette.  They have now exacerbated the situation, and prolonged their agony.  Meanwhile, Yoenis Cespedes' habitual golf playing requires an entirely different conversation.

The Mets offense otherwise continually shot themselves in the foot Wednesday night, essentially letting Yankees starter Chad Green repeatedly escape disaster by rolling over pitches and grounding into numerous double plays through the early innings of play.

  

Then there's Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, who defeated the Mets in more ways than one.   His three run home off Steven Matz in the second inning would ultimately prove the decisive blow of the game, but he also created some drama, and added a little comic relief into the fray.

With the very first pitch in Tex's very next at-bat, Steven Matz hit him in the leg with a pitch, of which Teixeira took exception, and very emphatically exhibited his displeasure.  Both benches and bullpens emptied, but cooler New York City heads prevailed.

The foolishness, however, didn't stop there.  The Yankees loaded the bases in the seventh inning with Hansel Robles on the mound and Teixeira the base runner on second.  In short, Robles thought Tex was stealing signs, and completely let Teixeira screw with his concentration.

Southpaw reliever Josh Edgin is back, making his first appearance for the Mets since undergoing Tommy John surgery.  He walked the lone batter he faced.

No one is complaining, but Jay Bruce is now 0 for 8 with a walk and three strikeouts though his first two games with the Mets.

NEW YORK METS           55-52

NEW YORK YANKEES    54-53

Extra Innings: Baseball's Most Prolific Bench Warmer

ICYMI

N.Y. Yankees: Hal Steinbrenner Backs Brian Cashman 

The Yankees were home, facing a lefty, yet Alex Rodriguez didn't even get his cleats dirty.  I question whether the Yankees front office think his skills are that badly diminished, whether they are holding a grudge against him, or if they are purposely preventing him from hitting home run number 700 of his career.  He would be the fourth player in history to do so, joining Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Barry Bonds.  Yet, the lack of attention is deafening.  Hell, the club may very well even be trying to frustrate him into retiring.

The Mets will start Bartolo Colon in Thursday's series finale against whom Alex Rodriguez has enjoyed great success throughout his career.  It will be interesting to see if Alex is thrown a bone.

N.Y. Yankees: Hal Steinbrenner Backs His General Manager

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

First stop ... Roosevelt Avenue, Queens

Next stop ... River Avenue, Bronx

SUBWAY SERIES

New York Yankees

vs.

New York Mets

Series tied 1-1

I - NYY 6; NYM 5*

II - NYM 7 ; NYY 1

Game Three @ BRONX

Game Four @ BRONX

*10 innings

New York Yankees: The dreams and hopes of a whole generation of seven year olds ... ruined.  But in time, they'll understand.

A famous New York football coach once said, "You are what your record says you are."

The New York Yankees entered this year's Subway Series with a par 52-52 record.

Meanwhile, after posting a 15-7 record in April, the Mets have played below .500 baseball since.   There's hope, though.  After Sunday's victory over the Colorado Rockies, the Mets finished 13-13 for the month of July, and entered Monday's Subway Series opener with a 54-50 season record.

The teams, however, couldn't be headed in more opposite directions.  The Mets are struggling, but are nonetheless attempting to defend their National League title, while the Yankees have officially entered rebuilding mode.

Monday's numerous non-waiver trade deadline transactions confirmed that.

If you ask me, Hal Steinbrenner played this one correctly.  I began the season thinking Brian Cashman needed to be fired, and the only thing saving his employment was Hal's perceived lack of baseball experience on my part.

I still do not think Hal is prepared to move forward without Cashman, but having them operating on the same page of music trumps all ... to include Randy Levine.

*  *  *  The PHANTOM MENACE  *  *  *

The law of diminished returns caught up with the Yankees.  It happens.  But one must first recognize the situation for what it is.

It was indeed becoming painfully evident Randy Levine and Brian Cashman were on divergent paths with regards to the present state of the Yankees, and the club's future.  Now Cashman gets to be general manager, and do general manager stuff.  For a change, the Yankees will cultivate their own farm system instead of relying on 28 other team's developmental efforts.

He gets to rebuild a team a la Gene Michael, instead of just writing checks for other team's all-stars and jacking up YES ratings.

In fact, Brian Cashman has already done well to quietly reinvigorate a long dormant system.  The Yankees AAA affiliate (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders) presently owns the best record in the International League.  Their AA affiliate (Trenton Thunder) owns a 68-40 record, and their New York-Penn League affiliate (Staten Island Yankees) are just 1.5 games out of first place with a 24-19 record.

Then consider Cashman's transactions:

• Top relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller were traded to the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, respectively, for a clutch of highly touted prospects.

• Carlos Beltran was traded to the Texas Rangers for likewise highly touted Dillon Tate, among others.

• Ivan Nova was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for ... it doesn't matter (two players to be named later is a steal). 

Then consider Mark Teixeira's contract will come off the books after this off-season, while C.C. Sabathia has a vested $25 million dollar option for next season with a $5 million dollar buyout which I fully expect the Yankees to explore.

Alex Rodriguez' contract will finally expire after the 2017 season, but I have a strong belief the Yankees just may eat that money too.

That leaves Jacoby Ellsbury's pact as the lone remaining albatross to resolve.

There's certainly something to be said for winning.  Brian Cashman doled out nearly a half billion dollars to purchase the 2009 World Series.  Well worth it for the Core Four - without a doubt.

The Yankees have been paying an onerous price ever since.

But there's good news.  Better days are not that far away.


Head-Butting Mr. Met is next...