2013 MLB predictions – from A-Rod's HBP count to Washington's World Series pursuit

The Angels and Nationals are the two scariest teams on paper heading into 2013, and I just couldn't convince myself to type in any other teams to reach the World Series. Will Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez stifle the thunderous trio of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton? We'll find out in October.

The Yankees, well, I believe in them more than most do. Many pundits don't give them a fighting chance because of all the home runs lost in the offseason and their aging core, but many have forgotten about one of the most balanced pitching staffs in the majors. Yes, I'm talking about the Yankees.

BUT, I just can't pick them to win the East after watching the Blue Jays win the offseason by a landslide; R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes and old friend Melky Cabrera are just a few of their prized pickups. Look for the Blue Birds to bolster their bullpen at the break and fly away with the division title...

Anyway, let's get down to it.

Vernon Wells: A symbolic 2013 Yankee

Vernon Wells has been on the Yankees' radar for a long time. Now according to multiple reports, the injury-plagued Yankees are on the verge of signing the outfielder.

It's hard not to categorize it as a desperation move. But on second thought, I can't think of a player that fits in more with the 2013 Yankees than Wells.

Fan offers Torii Hunter cash for dropped glasses [Photo]

A fan wearing a “Low Wage Puppet” T-shirt dropped his glasses in right field at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night and then held out cash for Torii Hunter, who returned the glasses without taking the money.

There, that’s your story in one sentence and a picture to prove it.

Now can’t we get other right fielders — past and current — to be as courteous as Hunter? Sorry, Gary Sheffield and Ichiro Suzuki. (Kidding about Ichirio, but still hilarious.)

Yankees-Angels Series Preview: Not the Same Old Halos

The Yankees open a three-game set with the Angels in Anaheim tonight as they try to protect their two-game lead in the East. They’ve made it 4-2 so far on this West Coast trip, and the Angels are just 5-5 in their last 10.

On the Hill:
Friday: Ivan Nova (4-3, 4.67) vs. Jered Weaver (6-4, 2.10)
Saturday: CC Sabathia (6-3, 2.98) vs. Ervin Santana (3-4, 4.34)
Sunday: Bartolo Colon (3-3, 3.26) vs. Joel Pineiro (2-2, 3.52)

Rookies support Vazquez to split series with Angels

Javier Vazquez nearly blew a 6-0 lead, but held on for a 10-6 win with four late insurance runs off homers by rookies Juan Miranda and Colin Curtis in the seventh inning.

Best of All: The top three Yankee hitters had huge days. Derek Jeter went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, Nick Swisher had two hits including a double and Mark Teixeira had three hits, two doubles and three RBIs.

Worst of All: Brett Gardner got ejected the day after Joe Girardi did. The Yankees are an angry team lately — I think the Angels, as well as the umps, are at fault here.

Coming Up: No day off for the Yankees this week; they host a four-game series with the Royals this weekend. It all starts Thursday night with CC Sabathia toeing the rubber.

Halos thump Hughes, Yanks

The Angels’ bats came alive against Phil Hughes and the Yankees’ pitching staff Tuesday night in a 10-2 slaughter at Yankee Stadium.

Best of All: Alex Rodriguez and Juan Miranda both had two-hit nights, and Nick Swisher stayed hot with a solo shot in the first.

Joe Girardi got ejected. He was wrong on a stupid play on the bases in the sixth inning, but he was right to get ejected. Why not? Down 6-2 with time still left for a comeback, why not try to spark the offense?

Worst of All: Hideki Matsui hit one of three homers against Yankee pitching. Godzilla may be closer to home in Los Angeles, but I bet he liked New York better.

The Yankees allowed 10 unanswered runs, as both Yankee runs were scored in the first inning.

Jonathan Albaladejo, Chan Ho Park and Chad Gaudin each allowed at least one run after Hughes was rocked for six runs over five-plus innings.

With Hughes and A.J. Burnett struggling, and now Andy Pettitte shelved for three to five weeks, the Yankees’ biggest strength may now be one of their most glaring weaknesses.

Coming Up: The Yankees will put the ball in the hands of Javier Vazquez to avoid the short-series sweep.

Angels-Yankees series preview

For once, the Angels are not the AL West leaders at this point in the season. The Yankees will see if a gloomy history against the Halos still holds true in a two-game series starting tonight.

ESPN New York’s Mark Simon has a great analysis posted about the Angels dominance of the Yankees since 2004. Ever since that infamous year, the Angels are the only team the Yankees have a sub-.500 record against (26-38, .406).

Head to Head: 
The Yankees faced the Angels twice in April, once in LA and once in the Bronx, and they split the six games evenly. Three of those games were decided by two runs, so expect some close ones in this series too.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	Angels starters	Yankees starters
Tues., 7:05 p.m.	Sean O’Sullivan (0-0, 1.29)	Phil Hughes (11-2, 3.65)
Wed., 1:05 p.m.	Joel Pineiro (10-6, 3.95)	J. Vazquez (7-7, 4.45)

Players to Watch:
Angels: Bobby Abreu. The ex-Yankee has crushed his former team in six games this season. He’s slugged two homers and drove in six runs with a .320/.393/.680 line.

Yankees: Jorge Posada. I’m sticking with my pick last series. Posada went 4-for-12 with two homers and four RBIs against the Rays. I don’t expect any more homers, but I think the hits will keep coming.

Prediction:
The Yankees have their rotation lined up for a sweep and I think they’ll get it done at home.

Yanks drop first series; I’m losing patience in Vazquez

The Yankees had won all five series prior to this weekend’s clash with the Angels, a team they took two of three from a week earlier. The Yankees called on Javier Vazquez for Sunday’s rubber game to lock up another series, but the wheels came loose early and the Angels won 8-4.

Quick ‘Cap:
The Yankees trailed 5-4 in the seventh with two on and two out for Kendry Morales. On a 3-0 count, Damaso Marte laid a fastball right down Broadway and Morales didn’t miss it, giving the Halos three more insurance runs they wouldn’t need.

New York led 3-0 after two on Jorge Posada’s two-run shot and Derek Jeter’s RBI groundout. Vazquez gave one back in the third, and then four more in the fourth before departing with two out.

Boone Logan and Alfredo Aceves kept it close for the Yankees, but the game was lost in the seventh. Yankees-Angels box score.

Thoughts:
Vazquez ends his April with a 1-3 record and a 9.00 ERA. At what point do you pull the plug? He’s making $11.5 million this year, so it’s not really a realistic choice. But who knows? Maybe we find out he’s trying to pitch through injuries again and he lands on the DL. I’m starting to think that could be the case.

On the other hand, keep in mind three of his four starts this year have come against the Angels or Rays. The fourth was against the Athletics, and he won.

Line of the Night:
Morales: 3-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R. He went 7-for-10 this series and is 11-for-21 in the season series.

Up Next:
The Yankees have an off day on Monday before starting a three-game series with the Orioles on Tuesday. Expect a full series preview, as usual.

Nick Johnson’s stiff back sidelines him until Tuesday

The Yankees won big yesterday, 7-1, without Nick Johnson due to a “stiff back”. This worries me because Johnson missed a little time in spring training with a back injury. Joe Girardi says he’ll be out until Tuesday (Monday’s an off day).

Other notes:

• Andy Pettitte pitched eight innings of one-run ball in yesterday’s win. He’s 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA on the year, both tops in the AL.
• Pinstripe Alley thinks Jesus Montero should be traded. I think he’s out of his mind.
• The Yankees will host the Pinstripe Bowl for four years. I’d be curious to see how a football game is played at the new stadium.

Video: Teixeira-Wilson collision still on front burner

When Mark Teixeira barreled over Angels catcher Bobby Wilson on Friday night, I didn’t even expect it to be discussed after the inning ended.

Instead, Teixeira’s been called out by ex-teammate Torii Hunter.

"He had the plate, we know that. He could have slid feet-first or gone to the right and swiped it with his hand," Hunter said. "But that's baseball. Sometimes, catchers get hit. We can sit here and analyze all day if it was dirty or bad, but there's nothing we can do about it.

Judging from the video, Teixeira has no idea whether he was going to beat the throw or not, or by how much.

The throw looks a little late from our view, but that doesn’t affect the type of slide Teixeira is going to do. A player rounding third decides what type of slide he’s going to do halfway down the third base line — not at the last second. Put yourself in his shoes, all he sees is a catcher ready to receive a throw and tag him out.

It’s unfortunate Wilson wound up on the disabled list, but hey, that’s baseball. I don’t think he was in proper position to block the plate, which might have caused him to hurt his ankle. Pete Rose bowled over a young catcher, Ray Fosse, in the 1970 All-Star game, which essentially was an exhibition game. It’s part of the game.

If there were one player on the Yankees who you would never question the way he plays the game, it would have to be Derek Jeter or Teixeira.

Both teams’ managers are former major league catchers, and neither had problems with Teixeira’s choice to take out Wilson. That alone should really end this discussion.

And no, as my roommate asked, Teixeira will not be suspended for this play. Why? Because it’s not against the rules. It’s a part of the game!

Yankees-Angels series preview

The Yankees took two of three from the Angels last week at Yankee Stadium. This weekend the two teams will square off in Angel Stadium for a three-game set.

The Angels have won five of their last seven while the Yankees just lost their first in seven games yesterday.

In the last series, the Yankees faced the same three starters as expected this series. The only one who gave them trouble was Joel Pineiro, and he’s coming off 7 1-3 shutout innings against the Tigers.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	Yankees starters	Angels starters
Fri., 10:05 p.m.	A.J. Burnett (2-0, 2.37)	Ervin Santana (1-2, 4.35)
Sat., 4:10 p.m.	Andy Pettitte (2-0, 1.35)	Joel Pineiro (2-1, 1.77)
Sun., 3:35 p.m.	J. Vazquez (1-2, 8.27)	Scott Kazmir (1-1, 7.45)

Players to Watch:
Yankees: Alex Rodriguez. Yesterday’s altercation with Dallas Braden may provide a spark for him this series. And his history at Angel Stadium is ridiculously good. In 88 games started, he has 37 homers.

Angels: Howie Kendrick. The second baseman is hot hot hot in his last seven games, hitting .391/.440/.565.

Prediction:
The Yankees have won all five series thus far, and they don’t look like they’re slowing down. Yesterday, CC Sabathia didn’t look like he was going to make it past the third inning, but wound up pitching his second straight complete game. Look for Yankees’ starters to continue to thrive as they win another series.

Yankees take third straight series

The Yankees’ pattern of winning the third game of a series continued tonight, as the Angels were outplayed in every facet of the game. Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson and Derek Jeter provided the firepower for the Yankees in their 6-2 win on Jackie Robinson Day.

Quick ‘Cap:
After a dominant first inning from Phil Hughes, Hideki Matsui greeted him with a home run in the second. But that was the only blemish on Hughes’s line. He finished the fifth with 97 pitches, but Girardi opted to start him in the sixth and he allowed Torii Hunter to reach, who eventually scored on a grounder off David Robertson.

Cano responded to Matsui’s homer with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the second. Cano added a two-run homer in the fifth inning to chase lefty Scott Kazmir. Derek Jeter hit a solo shot in the third and lined a two-run double in the fourth. Granderson recorded two triples for the fifth time in his career.

Besides the inherited runner Robertson allowed, the bullpen was dominant. Damaso Marte struck out Bobby Abreu to end a seventh-inning rally, Joba Chamberlain induced an inning-ending double play in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera got the last out to pick up his fourth save. Full box score here.

Thoughts:
Tonight was very pleasurable to watch. Hughes looked very good in his debut: 5+IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K. The walks are obviously a little high, but he was just missing the corners (or getting jipped).

Granderson threw out Matsui at home (he was safe, but it was a good throw). Swisher had a couple bombs to center kept in the park due to wind. Cano continued to mash and Mark Teixeira walked three times. The bullpen was great too. Things are looking good in Yankeeland.

Line of the Night:
Cano: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI. He’s hitting .395/.400/.816. I’m hoping once pitchers start pitching around him he’ll be able to draw some walks to improve that on-base percentage.

Up Next:
The Yankees stay at home this weekend for a three-game set against the Rangers beginning Friday night.

Yankees mix up lineup against Kazmir

The Yankees face southpaw Scott Kazmir tonight, which has led Joe Girardi to the first change in the top five of the lineup this season. Nick Johnson and Brett Gardner will start the game on the bench, Randy Winn will start in left and Marcus Thames for DH. Lineups via LoHud:

Angels lineup	Yankees lineup
Erick Aybar SS	Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF	Nick Swisher RF
Torii Hunter CF	Mark Teixeira 1B
Hideki Matsui DH	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Kendry Morales 1B	Robinson Cano 2B
Howie Kendrick 2B	Jorge Posada C
Mike Napoli C	Marcus Thames DH
Brandon Wood 3B	Curtis Granderson CF
Reggie Willits LF	Randy Winn LF

Some notes:

• It’s Jackie Robinson Day! That means every Yankees will wear No. 42. (Mariano Rivera is the last player wearing the sacred number.)
  
• Phil Hughes will make his 2010 debut. He’ll either be a bust, or he’ll shine. Here’s what I think will happen to Hughes if he has a rough start to the year.
  
• River Ave. Blues mentioned a lineup change idea that I agreed with regarding Mark Teixeira’s slow start.

Angels even series

Javier Vazquez was outmatched by Joel Pineiro and Angel reliever Kevin Jepsen held off the Yankees’ eighth inning rally as the Angels tied up the series with a 5-3 win.

Quick ‘Cap:
Pineiro went seven strong with seven strikeouts and departed with a 5-1 lead. The first three Yankees reached base off Scot Shields in the eighth, but when Jepsen entered after Nick Johnson’s RBI single he brought an electric fastball. After throwing 12 fastballs of his first 15 pitches, he used three breaking pitches to strike out Jorge Posada to end the frame.

The Angels scored twice off Vazquez in the third and the Yankees finally got a run on the board in the fifth on Nick Swisher’s RBI triple. Brett Gardner grounded back to Pineiro to strand Swisher.

Vazquez was relieved with one out in the sixth by Alfredo Aceves, who allowed an inherited runner to score and then one more in the seventh. Both Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte tossed scoreless innings to give the Yankees a chance. Full box score here.

Thoughts:
You can say all you want about Vazquez — oh, he heard the boos — but he wasn’t that bad today. He just looked a lot worse because Pineiro was lights out and he hasn’t made the fans forget about 2004 yet. He’s 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA now, but he’s also faced the Rays and the Angels — two of the top teams in the league. Let him work out the kinks now and be better down the road. After all, which part of the year is more important?

Line of the Night:
Mark Teixeira: 0-for-4, RBI, K. His .097 batting average is starting to catch up with the Yankees.

Up Next:
The Yankees will play their third straight rubber match Thursday night and Phil Hughes will make his 2010 debut.

Angels-Yankees series preview

It’s time to collect some rings! Today is ring day at Yankee Stadium, as the Yankees host the Angels in their home opener today.

And yes, that means Hideki Matsui is getting his ring too.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	Angels starters	Yankees starters
Tues., 1:05 p.m.	Ervin Santana (0-1, 6.00)	Andy Pettitte (0-0, 1.50)
Wed., 1:05 p.m.	Scott Kazmir (0-0, -.--)	J. Vazquez (0-1, 12.71)
Thurs., 1:05 p.m.	Jered Weaver (1-0, 3.00)	Phil Hughes (0-0, -.--)

Players to Watch:
Angels: Matsui. Firstly, there’s no doubt he’s very comfortable in Yankee Stadium. Secondly, he’s off to a hot start, batting .370/.414/.667. Lastly, the last time he played in Yankee Stadium he racked up six RBIs in the World Series-clinching game and hoisted the series MVP trophy over his head.

Yankees: Phil Hughes. I can’t wait for his first start of the year. He’s not facing any slouch either, so he’ll have to be on his A-game.

Prediction:

Even at the home-opening series it’s hard to be confident in the Yankees when they play the Angels. I’d be happy if the Yankees stole one of the games — maybe one off closer Brian Fuentes in Game 2. Just maybe.

TMZ: Yankees getting World Series rings on April 14

TMZ is reporting the Yankees will receive their World Series rings on April 14 when they play the Angels.

Maybe this day was chosen to make it more convenient for Hideki Matsui. More likely, the Yankees are doing it to rub it in the faces of one of their biggest rivals.

April 14 is a 1 p.m. game — the team’s second home game of the season. If you want to go, $9 tickets are still available as of this morning.

Information on the design was unavailable, but TMZ reminded fans their ring in 2000 included 22 major diamonds.

Hideki Matsui arrives at Angels camp

^ Hideki Matsui not with Yankees ^

 

Something is not right with this picture… Welcome to 2010, folks.

Photo: AP/Eric Risberg