Results tagged “javiervazquez”

For Yankee fans, Opening Night 2005 could not have come soon enough. A brutal winter, the anticipation of seeing Randy Johnson in pinstripes and the disappointment left over from last year’s collapse, have created an urgency among the fans to see their team play ball.

To get Johnson, the Yankees shipped Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro, and $9 million in caaaash money. The Daily News reports that the trade will push the Yankee payroll over $200 million with pitching accounting for nearly $100 million. Is this just the rich get richer or a pitching renaissance in New York with Pedro and Randy? Of course, the Yankees still have to beat the Red Sox.

But for now, Vazquez remains with the Yankees and Johnson with the Arizona. Is there anyone that doubts that Randy Johnson will be a Yankee next season? We all know that what George wants, George gets. Except maybe those pesky championships which have eluded the Yankees since 2000.

Johnson, a 41 year old lefty, is an intimidating presence when on the pitcher's mound. Standing at 6'10" and with arms that seem to go on for miles, it often seems like he is pitching from behind a left-handed batter's head. Problematic when you've got only a spit second to determine if a pitch is a ball or strike. In 2004, Johnson was 16-14 with a 2.60 ERA in 245.2 innings pitched. He also had a whopping 290 strikeouts.

Wells has always been a fan favorite at Yankee Stadium, but with his antics, he could be a perfect target for the bleacher creatures. Pitching perfect games drunk, wearing Babe Ruth's hat during a game and asking for his number, getting in fights, being so round that his uniform is hardly buttoned.

Seems like the issue for the Yankees is their starting pitching. Mike Mussina and Jon Lieber are the probable starters for games one and two, but the other two starters remains a question until the Yankees officially file their post season roster and Joe Torre makes a decision on Orlando Hernandez's status. The NY Times reports that Jason Giambi will be left off the post-season roster and Javier Vazquez will pitch in long relief. Torre has yet to make an announcement as to who he will pitch in game three, but Brian Cashman says the Yankees are going to have 11 pitchers on the post-season roster. As they say, pitching wins the post-season. The Twins will start Johan Santana, a solid candidate for the Cy Young award, in game one followed by Brad Radke in game two. MLB.com is reporting that Hernandez is the tentative starter for game three, which considering his performance in recent outings is rather surprising. In his past two starts, both against Toronto, Hernandez has given up 10 total runs in 9.1 innings of total work. His surgically repaired shoulder has been acting up, but the Yankees may not have anywhere else to turn. Then again, the Yankees have had poor pitching all year and they've managed to win 100+ games.

Last night's 6-4 victory against the Twins came on a 9th inning on 2-run home run by the most senior member of the Yankees, Bernie Williams. Javier Vazquez was less than stellar in his final start before the playoffs, giving up four runs in 7.2 innings, including two home runs. Lucky for him, his teammates really know how to hit. Hideki Matsui hit his 31st home run of the season (he had 16 last year - talk about adjustment!).

Chacin, 23, led the AL East cellar dwelling Blue Jays to an eventual 6-3 win (box score). He pitched seven full innings before leaving with bases loaded in the 8th inning. Chacin gave up 3 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, 2 runs and picked up 2 strike outs.

Hentgen lasted only two and two-thirds innings, giving up eight earned runs, seven hits, four walks and striking out zero. Vazquez managed to go six innings, giving up nine hits, three earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. Felix Heredia, Juan Padilla and Paul Quantrill finished off the game, without allowing another Blue Jays run and allowing only two more hits.

The All-Star game is tonight at 8 on Fox. Lest you think that this game is as meaningless as the All-Star games of other sports, the two leagues are playing for home field in the World Series. Whether or not home field should come down to some players that may not care, or if home field actually matters in the World Series at all, is open to debate.

The game also marked the return of former Yankee David Wells returned to loud cheers from the fans at Yankee stadium. Wells pitched a stellar 7 innings, scattering 5 hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. His Yankee counterpart, Javier Vazquez pitched 8 innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and 8 strikeouts.

While Gothamist isn't saying that all these deals were busts, it certainly is troubling. What are the Yankees to do this year when they need that big trade to push them into the playoffs? Certainly, they can't trade away their prospects because they have none. We're sure that Brian Cashman and George Steinbrenner will think of something before the July 31st trading deadline because they really need a consistent 5th starter. Right now, their hopes pin on their current crop of prospects and the June 7th draft where the Yankees hope to increase their system wide depth.

The Mets won their season-high fourth straight game last night, defeating the San Francisco Giants, 2-1 in 11 innings (box score). It was their first series sweep of the season and moved them to 13-15, two games below .500 and - shh...don't tell them - three games out of first in the sorry NL East. The victory came on a game-winning home run by Mike Piazza, who just set the home run record for catchers on Wednesday. Before Piazza's dramatics in the bottom of the 11th, ultra-slugger Barry Bonds was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs, but David Weathers pitched himself out of the situation.

This weekend brings us the first meeting this season of the Yankees and the Red Sox, in a four game series that any baseball fan can enjoy. The two teams have not met since last October when Aaron Boone ended the ALCS with a home run and when there was an incident between Don Zimmer and Pedro Martinez. Boone and Zimmer are gone, and Martinez is not scheduled to pitch, but the rivalry has only heated up since. During the off season, the Red Sox signed Curt Schilling and tried to trade for Alex Rodriguez, who was eventually acquired by the Yankees, making him the new person to hate.

Before yesterday's Yankee home opener, George Steinbrenner cried during an inverview with CBS 2. The Bleacher Creatures chanted, "Thank you, George," which brought the 73 year old majority owner to tears. The Boss also said that he was "happier than he's ever been" and that the reason he goes out to sign the best players is that "the desire to win was instilled in me by the people, like those people out there." Steinbrenner cried the other day while talking to former Yankee Roger Clemens. Gothamist wonders what's Georgey-poo's next move will be.