Summer Baseball Tour 2011 - Yankee Stadium

LOS ANGELES ANGELS AT NEW YORK YANKEES

AUGUST 10th, 2011

YANKEES 9 - ANGELS 3

The New York Yankees play under the brightest lights with the highest expectations in the biggest city in the United States. Every season the expectation isn’t to merely contend for a playoff berth – but to win the World Series. From the first day of spring training the mindset within the organization is that the Yankees will be the last team standing in October. The franchise and their fans have reason to think that way – their 27 World Series titles are by far the most in Major League history. How do the Yankees consistently uphold these overreaching expectations? By outspending the competition. The Yankees extravagant payroll is often a point of heated discussion between baseball fans about the justice of the current payroll system. For example, the Yankees starting infield of Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez have a larger combined salary number than the total payroll of 12 Major League teams. However, the fact is that the Yankees are well in their right to spend as much as they would like and still be in compliance with the current MLB team payroll legislature. 

RF Nick Swisher, 1B Mark Teixeira, CF Curtis Granderson, and LF Brett Gardner

As usual, the Yankees are in contention to achieve their lofty goal of October success.The lineup is explosive, the bullpen, led by Mariano Rivera, is deep and experienced, and CC Sabathia is an elite ace at the top of the rotation. Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are tied for second in the AL in home runs with 35, Robinson Cano leads the team with a .303 average, Brett Gardner has contributed a team high 36 steals and we have yet to mention Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, and Alex Rodriguez.

The Angels are pushing the Rangers for American League West title, thanks in large part to their superb starting rotation, led by Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana. Weaver leads the AL in ERA (2.10) and is third in WHIP (0.97), Haren has a sub 3 ERA (2.98) and is ranked in the top five for  WHIP (0.98, 4th) and wins (13, 4th) while Santana's 3.17 ERA and 1.17 WHIP are excellent for a third starter. Offensively the Angels have struggled. The Halos rank 9th in the AL in total bases, 10th in home runs, and 11th in runs scored and OPS.

Yankees SP Ivan Nova

The pitching matchup on Wednesday night was Garret Richards (Major League Debut) versus Ivan Nova (10-4, 3.81). Richards couldn’t pick a tougher lineup to be making his Major League debut against or a more intimidating venue. Coming into the 2011 season, Richards was ranked as the seventh best prospect in the Angels system by Baseball America. Nova has pitched well for the Yankees this season and his strong performances should cement his spot in the postseason rotation.

View of Yankee Stadium from left field

Yankee Stadium, 2009

Yankee Stadium is located in New York within the borough of the Bronx. The new Yankee Stadium has the unenviable and seemingly impossible task of replacing the historic “House That Ruth Built”. The recognizable white frieze outlines the stadium roof of the upper deck. The concourses are large and resemble all the other modern ballparks. The Yankees made an serious effort to modernize the stadium, installing a top notch video board above the club in centerfield. Monument Park, a great homage to past Yankee greats, was relocated from the old stadium to below the club in centerfield in the new stadium. Having never visited the old Yankee Stadium, I can't make any direct comparisons between the two stadiums, but I can assume that the old stadium was very akin to Fenway and Wrigley, blessed with a strong personality and a great history while the new stadium provides a more comfortable setting to watch a ball game.

Location of Seat

View from Section 414 at Yankee Stadium

Section 414 - Row 1 - Seat 14

These seats were in the first row of the upper deck. Even though we were far away from the action, the view of the field is good and keeping your head in the game is easy. I prefer seats down the first base side or behind the plate. The Yankees used glass as their protective barriers, making it easier to see the field.

Wednesday, August 10th 2011

 Starting lineups for Angels and Yankees

LINEUPS

LOS ANGELES

SS Erick Aybar - Andrew Romine

2B Howie Kendrick

DH Bobby Abreu

RF Torii Hunter - Russell Branyan

1B Mark Trumbo

LF Vernon Wells

3B Alberto Callaspo
CF Peter Bourjos

C Jeff Mathis
PH Maicer Izturis

Pitchers
SP Garrett Richards
RP Joel Pineiro

As the late Bob Sheppard would say in his recognizable voice for years at Yankee Stadium "Now batting, the shortstop, #2 Derek Jeter, #2"

NEW YORK

LF Brett Gardner

SS Derek Jeter

CF Curtis Granderson

1B Mark Teixeira

2B Robinson Cano

RF Nick Swisher

DH Eric Chavez

C Russell Martin

3B Eduardo Nunez

Pitchers
SP Ivan Nova
RP Rafael Soriano
RP Luis Ayala

Granderson leads offensive charge for Yankees against rookie pitcher.

Before having recorded his first major league out, Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards watched Curtis Granderson round the bases following a 3 run shot in the bottom of the first.

The Yankees had a 5-0 lead before a surprise Peter Bourjos solo home run in the top of the fifth put Los Angeles on the board.

Granderson struck again in the bottom of the fifth, this time a solo effort that padded the Yankees lead to 6-1.

Richards went 5 innings, giving up 6 earned runs on six hits and two walks in his Major League debut.

Ivan Nova pitched very well through six innings, giving up 3 earned on 5 hits.

2011 Home Run Derby champion Robinson Cano went deep off of Joel Pineiro in the 7th that made the game 9-3, that score would be the final.

Next stop on the Summer Baseball Tour 2011: Citizens Bank Park for Washington Nationals versus Philadelphia Phillies.

Summer Baseball Tour 2011 - Citi Field

SAN DIEGO PADRES AT NEW YORK METS

AUGUST 8th, 2011

METS 9 - PADRES 8

Two relatively bad National League teams meeting for a four game series in early August rarely results in compelling baseball but the second game of the San Diego Padres and New York Mets series proved otherwise. The Mets are faced with the rather odd situation of being the second most popular within their own city, always taking a backseat to the more historically successful Yankees. When the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to California in 1957, New York was left without a National League baseball club.  In 1962, the Mets filled that void and embraced both the Dodgers and Giants fan bases by using blue (the primary color of the Dodgers) and orange (the primary color of the Giants) as their team colors.The Mets have had their share of good and bad, most notably the 1969 Amazin' Mets and the infamous 1986 World Series victory over the Red Sox while also dealing with periods of underachieving and controversy.

Over the past six season,The Mets went from being one win away from clinching the National League pennant in 2006, to being major disappointments in 2007 and 2008 when they twice suffered catastrophic September collapses and have since settled in as a national irrelevance, and are on pace for a third consecutive sub .500 season. This season, Jose Reyes leads the NL with a .336 average and his 16 triples are best in the majors. When healthy Reyes is arguably the most dynamic player in the big leagues but the injury prone shortstop succumbed to another hamstring injury the game before we saw the Mets and was placed on the 15 day DL. Overall, the Mets rotation has struggled without ace Johan Santana who has missed the entire season with a shoulder injury and the Mets offense has been mediocre.

San Diego was last season’s biggest surprise that won 90 games but missed the postseason by one game after a September collapse, had no choice but to trade face of the franchise and perennial All Star Adrian Gonzalez before his contract expired at the end of 2011 where they would lose him to the highest bidder and receive nothing in return. Gonzalez was sent to the Red Sox and in return the Padres received 1B Anthony Rizzo and SP Casey Kelly, two of Boston’s top prospects and thus began the Padres extensive rebuild. This season the Padres have produced a team OPS of .655, the worst in the National League and the 68 total home runs they have hit are the lowest total in either league. San Diego is currently in last place in the NL West.

Mets RHP Mike Pelfrey

The pitching matchup Monday night was Tim Stauffer (7-8, 2.96) versus Mike Pelfrey (6-9, 4.48). Stauffer has been a reliable starter for San Diego this season, following last season where he was used primarily as a reliever and posted a 1.85 ERA in 82.2 innings. However, when you dig deeper into the numbers it’s obvious that Petco Park, the Padres notoriously pitcher friendly home, plays a significant role in Stauffer’s overall numbers; in 75 innings at Petco he’s accumulated a 2.64 ERA, but when isolating his stat line to the 78 innings he’s pitched on the road, that number rises to 4.38. Pelfrey has been a full time start with the Mets since 2008 and he's been inconsistent. Last season was his best to date, posting a 3.53 ERA in 204 innings but he doesn't miss many bats (career 5.07 K/9) and hasn't lived up to the expectations that come with being the ninth overall pick, which he was in 2005.

Citi Field

Citi Field, 2009

Citi Field is located in Flushing, New York within the borough of Queens near Arthur Ashe Stadium and the home of the US Open. Citi Field was built to replace the decrepit Shea Stadium, home of the Mets from 1964 to 2008. It’s another ballpark modeled in the retro classic model, the exterior consisting mainly of bricks. In terms of architecture the design is relatively bland. Citi Field has large concourses and various dining options. The Jackie Robinson rotunda, located at the home plate entrance, is a rousing tribute to bravery and courage of the man who broke baseball’s color barrier and a classy gesture by the Mets organization. Citi Field is a quality modern baseball stadium, but the lack of any pre-game atmosphere dampens the overall fan experience.

Location of Seat

View from Section 513 at Citi Field

Section 513 – Row 1 – Seat 4

These seats were in the first row of the upper deck, right behind home plate. You get a good centered view of the field and the video board is directly in your line of sight. The only downside is the big black protective railing which, depending on how you position yourself in your seat, restricts your view of the game much more than the see-through protective railings you see at many other ballparks.

The protective railing could be altered to augment the viewing experience from the upper deck

Monday, August 8th 

LINEUPS

SAN DIEGO

RF Will Venable

SS Jason Bartlett

CF Cameron Maybin

1B Jesus Guzman

2B Orlando Hudson

LF Kyle Blanks

3B Luke Forsythe

C Luis Martinez

PH Blake Tekotte

Pitchers

SP Tim Stauffer

RP Chad Qualls

RP Heath Bell

Batting third and playing third base, #5 David Wright

NEW YORK

CF Angel Pagan

2B Justin Turner

3B David Wright

1B Lucas Duda

LF Jason Bay

RF Willie Harris – Jason Pride

C Ronny Paulino

SS Ruben Tejada

PH Mike Baxter

Pitchers

SP Mike Pelfrey

RP Pedro Beato

RP Ryota Igarashi

RP Jason Isringhausen

Duda caps 9th innings rally with walkoff single off of All Star closer Heath Bell

My expectations weren’t that high for a game between two bad teams sending out mediocre pitchers in a half empty ballpark but baseball is a funny game and the Padres and Mets delivered a memorable evening of unscripted theater. The game seemed over when All Star close Heath Bell entered in the bottom of the ninth with a two run lead, but the Mets battled and Lucas Duda was the hero when he ripped a two RBI single off of Bell that handed the Mets an improbable walkoff win. Earlier in the game, Angel Pagan, Jason Bay, and David Wright all homered for New York while the Padres used the sixth and the eighth to do the majority of their damage. It wasn't elite baseball but it was an exciting game.

Next stop on the Summer Baseball Tour 2011: Yankee Stadium for Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees.