Amazingly, the New York Yankees haven't missed Mariano Rivera all that much. He was lost for the season well over a month ago, but leads are just as safe in the ninth inning now as they were back when he was healthy.The Bombers have Rafael Soriano to thank for this. He took over as the team's closer in early May after David Robertson got injured, and he's been money ever since.So far, Soriano has 13 saves in 14 opportunities. Per Baseball-Reference.com, he has a 1.59 ERA and a 4.25 strikeout-to-walk ...
Now that Roger Clemens has been found not guilty on all six counts of perjury, talk can resume on whether or not he is worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame. This will undoubtedly lead to critical analysis of his career, though at face value, Clemens’ numbers should make his case a fairly simple one. However, many people are under the impression that Clemens only has a Hall of Fame case because his career received an unethical boost following his bitter breakup with the Red Sox. To many, Clemens ...
Since getting lit up by the Angels for seven runs in 5.1 innings on May 28, the former Yankee phenom Phil Hughes is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 21.1 innings over his past three starts. Is that just a nice hot streak, or can Hughes return to his 2010 form (18-8, 4.19 ERA)? Hughes is just 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA, but he has been solid of late. Even with that seven-run disaster, he has lowered his ERA from 7.48 in his past eight starts, ...
Just a few weeks ago the New York Yankees had been written off for dead by many. Under performing, over the hill, and simply no longer the driving machine they once were. Oh, the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be. Fast forward to the middle of June. The same team that was once cohabiting the basement of the AL East with the Boston Red Sox is now running neck and neck with the Los Angeles Mattinglys for the best record in the majors. There were no blockbuster ...
With Mariano Rivera on the shelf for the 2012 season, Rafael Soriano has thrived as the closer of the Yankees.Since taking over the role full-time, Soriano is 13-for-14 in save opportunities for the Yankees, has a 1.78 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.As the closer for the Yankees, Soriano looks very comfortable; as opposed to when he was the setup man last season for the Bombers in 2011 and had a 4.12 ERA and struggled at times.Soriano signed a three-year, $35 million deal with the Yankees back on January ...
The Rocket launched another unbelievable shutout Monday, leaving federal prosecutors holding their bats in disbelief at the end of a costly, drawn-out perjury trial.A day after the verdict, the consensus is that Clemens' acquittal doesn't mean he's innocent, but rather that the jury was unconvinced of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.That is certainly one possibility.The other is that the jury went O.J. on prosecutors and ignored the evidence at hand. This is a case, if not an air-tight case, where jury nullification may have played a role for some jurors.When ...
Coming off of a three-game sweep of baseball's sweetheart team in Washington, the Yankees have vaulted to the top of nearly every version of MLB's power rankings. New York's first 10-game winning streak since 2009 (the year they won No. 27) has put the Yankees back atop the competitive AL East by two-and-a-half games and has seemingly made them the favorites to represent the American League in the World Series. But not so fast, Yankee Universe. Your team isn't flawless. Yes, the Yankees are undoubtedly the hottest team in the game at the moment. ...
The New York Yankees have enjoyed truly excellent starting pitching in the month of June, but staff ace CC Sabathia wasn't joining in the fun all that much before Monday night. He had allowed a total of nine earned runs in his three June starts, with the other four Yankees starters combining to allow just 14 in 12 starts.So strangely enough, Sabathia went into his start against the Atlanta Braves on Monday night with something to prove. There was some (not a lot, mind you) pressure on him to show ...
The recent return of David Robertson to the New York Yankees provides the team's already strong bullpen with an added weapon, and it could mean the difference between a wild-card berth and a division title.After pitching a scoreless two-thirds of an inning against the Seattle Mariners on May 11th, Robertson suffered an oblique injury that landed him on the 15-day disabled list for the Bombers. From that point on, manager Joe Girardi had to utilize different relievers in matchup situations during eighth innings.To his credit, Girardi has been successful in ...
After his remarkable second half of 2011, Derek Jeter picked up right where he left of in 2012. He hit .389 in the season's first month with four home runs, 13 RBI and a 1.012 OPS. But the Captain's performance has declined since May 1.In May, he hit .293 with just one homer, and through 15 games in June, he's just 18-for-76 and has grounded into five double plays. This includes a 1-for-7 performance in Washington on Saturday against the Nationals, although he did score one of two go-ahead runs ...