Bronx Bomber Ball

The Yankees rotation is everything but a model of consistency. With the likes of Michael Pineda (who has been much better as of late), Nathan Eovaldi, and especially Ivan Nova getting the ball every fifth day, the Yankees are unsure what type of performance they will receive on any given night. As frustrating as they may be, Pineda and Eovaldi have tremendous talent and have even exhibited potential at the major league level. Nova, on the other hand, has no future with this organization. He's been with the team since 2010, and at 29 years old, will be heading into free agency this offseason. In a season that everyone, except Yankees upper management, realizes is lost, it would be much more conducive to the team's long-term interests to call up Luis Severino to replace the struggling Nova. Although Severino struggled during his brief stint in the majors this year, he is only 22 years old. Moving forward, he is one of the cornerstones on which the organization is depending on for

The Yankees continued their trend of walk-off victories today, beating the Texas Rangers by a score of 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th as a result of none other than a passed ball. After Chase Headley got on with a leadoff walk, he was moved to second from a sac bunt by Didi Gregorius. Aaron Hicks then walked, and both Hicks and Headley were moved to 2nd and 3rd from Starlin Castro’s groundout. Jacoby Ellsbury came to the plate and didn’t have to do any work, as Chase Headley was able to score from 3rd on a passed ball. Coming into today’s game, Michael Pineda (3-7, 5.24 ERA) had been cruising through the month of June, positing an ERA of 3.00. In a game he deserved to win, the righty picked up the no decision despite mowing down the Texas lineup.

Andrew Miller has been the definition of dominant during his time with the New York Yankees. In fact, it’s not crazy to label him as baseball’s best reliever. Since the start of 2014, the left-hander has struck out 277 of the 642 batters he’s faced, allowing just 85 hits in 167 innings pitched, per ESPN’s Buster Olney. So after looking at this ridiculous stat line, the question arises: Why would the Yankees ever trade him? Getty Images

The Yankees dropped the first two games of a key series with the Texas Rangers to fall two games under .500. After seven innings, the team looked dead in the water facing a 6-2 deficit, but thanks to a Brian McCann solo homer in the eighth, and a three-run shot as part of six run ninth inning, the Yankees won 9-7, on a Didi Gregorius walk-off two-run dinger. Picture Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

If you’re a Yankees fan, chances are you are sick and tired of the night in and night out lackluster performances put on by this underachieving and overpaid Yankees roster. We are now nearing the end of June which brings us within 5 games of the halfway point. Currently the Yankees are two games under .500 and showing no signs of turning things around. Being a lifelong Yankees fan, I am sick and tired of the complacency shown by the management and coaching but more importantly the Yankees players themselves. This is a roster that has a payroll just north of $214 BILLION (!), second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jim McIsaac

It was a pitcher’s duel between Cole Hamels (9-1, 2.60 ERA) and CC Sabathia (5-5, 3.17 ERA) through seven innings, but Texas broke through with five in the eighth to take Game 2 of this four-game series, 7-1. Carlos Beltran left the game in the first inning with a hamstring injury, but an MRI later revealed nothing severe. Beltran is now day-to-day. Photo Credit: Associated Press/Kathy Willens

“We can’t keep treading water. I want to be a contender, not a pretender,” Brian Cashman said to reporters just this week. It’s pretty obvious that every team in the Major Leagues wants to be a contender. No team wants to lose on purpose or continually be regarded as a below average ball club. The biggest difference between the Yankees and other similar ball clubs though, is that other teams recognize they aren’t contenders, and don’t try to tell themselves otherwise. Julie Jacobson - AP Photo

Here are some quick thoughts on the Yankees 9-6 loss to the Texas Rangers last night/this morning.. 1.       Ivan Nova struggled yet again. After looking like a resurgent pitcher in his first few starts, Nova didn't have his best stuff from the first pitch last night. It was far from his worst start ever, but giving up four runs in five innings is not what you want to consistently see. Photo Credit: AP/Kathy Willens

Unbelievable. In one of the craziest games in recent memory, the Yankees were hurt by a 3 hour, 35 minute rain delay as the Rangers rallied off Kirby Yates in the ninth to take Monday's series opener, 9-6. As the top of the ninth began, the rain began to fall harder and harder, and after Aroldis Chapman walked the leadoff batter and fell behind Shin-Soo Choo, Joe Girardi got his wish and convinced the umpires to delay the game. However, after the delay, Yates hit two batters, and then Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus both delivered 2-RBI singles to give Texas the win. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Kathy Willens

After a disappointing 7-1 loss to the Twins in Sunday’s series finale, the Yankees took another step in both the AL East and the AL Wild Card standings. The Yankees couldn't take advantage of playing two below average teams in the Colorado Rockies and the Minnesota Twins for the last week and a half, and now they will face a challenging test as they welcome the Texas Rangers, who are leading the AL West, into Yankee Stadium. Earlier this season when these two teams faced off, the Rangers took two out of three in Arlington.

You would think turning around a 98 MPH fastball doesn't happen very often, but that means you haven’t seen Nathan Eovaldi (6-5, 5.19 ERA) pitch. Danny Santana got the scoring party started with a laser beam that just got over the right field wall in the third inning and the Twins didn’t look back from there. Eovaldi’s consistent inconsistencies bit him him once again as he allowed four homers on Sunday, including back-to-back-to-back jacks to Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe and Max Kepler in the sixth inning. Eovaldi has now allowed four or more runs in five consecutive starts. The 26-year old right-hander threw pitch after pitch right down the heart of the plate. Photo Credit: Associated Press/Kathy Willens

For the second day in a row, the Yankees were once again helped by poor Minnesota defense. With runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the eighth, Eduardo Escobar booted his second double-play ball of the game. Aaron Hicks scored the go-ahead run and the Yankees won their second straight game over the Twins, 2-1. Starlin Castro was credited with the go-ahead RBI. Photo Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II Michael Pineda started and pitched well, giving up just one run and two hits while striking out eight over six innings. His only mistake of the afternoon was a leadoff home run to Brian Dozier to lead off the second inning. Following Dozier’s 9th home run of the year, Pineda retired 15 of the last 17 batters he faced. This was Pineda’s third quality start over his last four outings. After a rough April and May, Pineda has turned it around in June, giving up just 10 ER in 30 innings, while striking out 37 and walking just 5. His next scheduled start will be agains

1. Sell, sell, sell This one is probably pretty obvious. The Yankees clearly aren't a consistent enough team to go on the hot streak necessary to get back in contention. The result? The Yankees should sell the pieces they have for young talent that can aid in future years. The names I would attempt to trade include Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner, Nathan Eovaldi, Dellin Betances, Aroldis Chapman, and Brian McCann. These names all vary in how realistic trading them would be and what you could get back for them. For example, Carlos Beltran and Aroldis Chapman are pretty likely to be traded, but it's hard to envision the team moving Big Mac (though the Rangers have been rumored to be interested). Brett Gardner and Nathan Eovaldi might not bring in a huge return, but Dellin Betances with his youth, talent, and team control, could probably fetch a pretty penny on the market. If a player is not listed here I feel they should not be traded (ex. Andrew Miller) or simply won't

Despite Mark Teixeira's profound struggles before winding up on the disabled list, it appeared as if the Yankees would be stuck with a black hole at first base in his absence. The up and coming Greg Bird, who excited fans while filling in for Teixeira last year, was already out for the season. The initial replacement, Chris Parmelee, found himself on the disabled list almost immediately after being called up. The Yankees then turned to a player who fans have wanted to see get consistent playing time for quite a while: Rob Refsnyder. While Refsnyder is not considered a great fielder by any stretch of the imagination, he has filled in more than admirably at first base. His offensive production has also been much needed. Simply because Teixeira is returning from the disabled list does not mean the Yankees should sit Refsnyder on the bench. In fact, it would be a travesty. Photo Credit: David Lennon/Newsday

In the fourth, after Austin Romine tied the game with a sacrifice fly, Rob Refsnyder’s RBI single gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish. After Masahiro Tanaka (5-2, 3.01 ERA) posted six solid innings, "No-Run DMC" took over and dominated with three perfect innings, and the Yankees knocked off the Minnesota Twins, 5-3, in the Friday night series opener. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Frank Franklin II

It's become painfully apparent that Alex Rodriguez is no longer the player he once was. Last year, he shocked the baseball world with the numbers he put up. His 33 home runs led the team, while his 86 RBIs were second on the squad. As we remember, A-Rod's first half numbers were far better than those he put up in the second half. As one of his biggest fans, and consequently apologists, it's been tough for me to accept that Alex Rodriguez may be done. I thought his second half struggles last season were simply the result of an overworked forty-year old body. Unfortunately, his performance thus far in 2016 has essentially undermined that theory. The Yankees should give A-Rod every opportunity possible to straighten himself out; however, if he cant, they should seriously consider cutting him loose, even if that means being on the hook for the exorbitant amount of money he's owed over the next two years. Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg/ N.Y. Post

When Bryan Mitchell suffered a fracture and Grade 3 turf toe that required surgery, the magnitude of how much that would hurt the Yankees was unclear. Mitchell did not have a spot in the rotation (although he was arguably the Yankees best pitcher in spring training), but he did have a spot on the Opening Day roster, so he was likely in a middle relief/spot-starter and mop-up, Adam Warren-esque role. But with three of the five Yankee starters struggling of late, in addition to a sixth, Luis Severino who ultimately had to be demoted due to his struggles, the significance of Bryan Mitchell's injury is finally becoming clear. Picture Credit: Kim Klement | USA TODAY SPORTS

The Yankees will welcome the Minnesota Twins to town for a three game set after splitting a two game series with the Colorado Rockies. The Bombers enter the series as winners of four of their last ten games, and will hope to take advantage of an awful Twins team. Minnesota comes to the Bronx winners of five of their last ten, and have won three in a row. The Yankees have struggled to stay above .500 and hopefully this series will give their underachieving record a boost.

The New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies have a tendency to put up a lot of runs when they play each other. Today was no exception, except the Yankees actually came out on top. Both teams combined for 19 hits and 17 runs in the Yankees 9-8 win thanks to a walk-off homer from Starlin Castro. Picture Credit: Julie Jacobson | AP

Let’s begin by addressing the Aaron Hicks-John Ryan Murphy trade. Neither the Twins nor the Yankees have benefited from the deal. Murphy is hitting just .075 in the Majors this season, and is currently at Triple-A Rochester. For Hicks, his batting average of .214 and on-base percentage of .266 is horrendous. He only has nine extra base hits, seven of them being doubles, and has just 13 RBIs this season. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge, one of the top Yankees prospects, is currently awaiting his Major League debut at Triple-A Scranton, and with Hicks still having a minor league option, now is the right time to bring up Aaron Judge. Picture Credit: Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

Ivan Nova and Colorado Rockies starter Chad Bettis (5-5, 5.44 ERA) both had something in common in tonight’s 8-4 loss. Bettis got the win and Nova took the loss, but both threw games that were very similar to their last starts, against each other. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

Carlos Beltran has been the saving grace of the New York Yankees this season. In fact, he’s been the only consistent threat in an otherwise inconsistent Yankees lineup. Beltran is currently in the midst of a resurgent year, as the switch hitter is currently sporting a slash line of .283/.316/.567, to go along with 18 home runs. While his defensive struggles have been evident, his bat has more than made up for it. Beltran should really be serving as the Yankees designated hitter, but is obviously blocked by Alex Rodriguez. Kathy Willens/Associated Press

After taking three out of four from the lowly Twins in Minnesota, the Yankees return home as they welcome the Rockies for a quick two game series in the Bronx. The Yankees hope to redeem themselves against the Rockies following their two defeats in Colorado last week. The series victory against the Twins was a step in the right direction, however the Yankees are in the midst of a soft spot in their schedule. The Twins come to New York next for three games before the first place Texas Rangers make their way to town. Of these next five games, the Yankees should win at least four. That starts with taking care of business against the Rockies on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Yankees were unable to finish off a four game sweep of the lowly Minnesota Twins this Sunday. After getting off to an early 2-0 lead, Nathan Eovaldi continued his recent struggles and imploded in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Yankees failed to rebound from this deficit, losing 7-4. Although I'm content with taking three out of four from the Twins, a sweep would have been ideal. Once again, the Yankees fell below .500. Photo Credit: AP/Ann Heisenfelt

When the Yankees traded for Aroldis Chapman in late December 2015, they created the most dominant bullpen trio in the Majors. The trio of Betances, Miller, and Chapman, or “No-Run DMC,” as many media members and fans have called it, have combined to pitch 78.4 innings, while allowing 56 hits and 21 earned runs (2.41 ERA). But the most outrageous statistic is that the three have combined to strikeout 142 batters (1.81 K/IP). However, as of late, Chapman has shown signs of struggling in the closer role, while Miller has continued his excellence from last season. Even though Chapman is 13-for-14 in save opportunities this season, Miller should replace Chapman as the Yankees closer, because Miller has the better offspeed pitch, has better control and is better at working out of jams. Photo Credit: CBS Sports

The Yankees “Jekyll and Hyde” offense was in true form against the Twins on Saturday, but they woke up just in time to rally from a 4-0 deficit to win 7-6. In the ninth, with the game tied at four and none out, the Yankees loaded the bases after two walks and a bunt single. After Starlin Castro struck out, Jacoby Ellsbury delivered a tiebreaking, 2-RBI single, giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead. Brett Gardner extended the lead to 7-4 with a sacrifice fly to center, and the Yankees won their third straight game against the Twins on Saturday afternoon. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Jim Mone

The days where you could expect to see many Yankees on the All-Star team are in the past. I long for the days when most, if not all, of the Yankees infield would either be starting for the American League, or found amongst its reserves. For a few years, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Mark Teixiera were fair bets to make the squad. At this point, we'd be lucky to see even two players represent the 2016 team in San Diego this July. I know it's quite early, however I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of those potential All-Stars. In what has otherwise been a disappointing 2016 season, it will be nice to give credit to some of our unsung heroes. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger/ USA TODAY Sports

After a 45-minute rain delay to start the game, the Yankees came out hot, scoring early and often to help starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka earn his fourth win of the season. New York used a four-run first inning, which included an RBI double from Rob Refsnyder and a two-run home run from Carlos Beltran, his 17th of the season, to jump on the Twins early. Didi Gregorius capped off the first inning scoring with a run-scoring infield single, raising his batting average to .280 on the season. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Jim Mone

For twenty seasons, Yankees fans cheered on the legendary Derek Jeter, who played the shortstop position for New York from 1995-2014. In the 2014 offseason, the task of replacing Jeter loomed large on the Yankees front office. To replace Jeter, the Yankees acquired Didi Gregorius from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team trade in December 2014. After a horrendous start to the 2015 season on offense, Gregorius recovered to hit .294 in 2015 after the All-Star Game, and has really endeared himself to fans and the team with his slick fielding and improved hitting. Gregorius is one of the few success stories in a tough 2016 campaign, and he’s one of the reasons why the Yankees are still relevant in the American League East. Picture Credit: Kathy Willens/Associated Press

After six strong innings by CC Sabathia (5-4, 2.20 ERA), the Yankees were staring at another game with a low offensive output. Earlier in the sixth, the Yankees loaded the bases with none out, scored a run via a Jacoby Ellsbury RBI single, had the bases loaded again, but could not muster any further runs. However, after Brian McCann and Alex Rodriguez reached to start the seventh, Didi Gregorius sent a Fernando Abad pitch over the wall in deep right for a three-run homer, and the Yankees won 4-1 on Thursday night in Minneapolis. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Ann Heisenfelt

The Yankees 2016 season has not gone the way many of us would have hoped. This team just can't seem to put it together. For every step forward, they take two steps backwards. It's about time we accept that the Yankees are, at best, an average baseball team. In fact, I'd even go as far as calling them mediocre. The only thing to look forward to is seeing Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman pitch the late innings of a victory, and this scenario is not all that frequent. The offense has been horrendous. The rotation has been plagued by inconsistencies. As a 1990s baby, I've never witnessed a losing season in which the Yankees were out of contention by mid-summer. It's hard to accept, but in order for the Yankees to have a better future they must become sellers at the deadline. Unless they miraculously turn it around in the coming weeks, which is highly unlikely given their recent performance, the organization should actively shop many of its players. I&

After losing two games in Denver to the Colorado Rockies in the first half of an Interleague home-and-home series, the Yankees must get started on a winning streak to get themselves well over .500 before the All-Star break if they want the rest of the summer to be meaningful. Today marks the start of a four-game series against the Twins and the start of seven games against them in the next ten days. Minnesota is 20-45, which is the worst in the American League and second-to-last in the Majors.

In what was once again a tough outing for Ivan Nova (5-4, 4.77 ERA), as well as another failed day of Yankees offense, the Rockies completed the sweep of the first half of a home-and-home Interleague series with a 6-3 win. Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu combined to drive in five of the six Rockies runs, and Chad Bettis, who had been struggling as of late, found his groove on Wednesday afternoon in Denver to lead Colorado to victory. Picture Credit: Associated Press/David Zalubowski

This Yankees team occasionally has the tendency to make mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young winners, and tonight’s loss was a prime example. Colorado Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa (3-4, 7.61 ERA) came into tonight with an ERA of 8.81, and no, that’s not a typo. The left hander threw five innings of shutout ball, allowing only three hits. AP Photo/David Zublowski

There has been much debate as of late regarding whether or not the Yankees should be sellers this July. The next eleven games will be played against the Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins. Both of these teams are not very good. While the Rockies have hovered around .500, the Twins are flat out atrocious. Fortunately, the Yankees play four of these games against the Rockies, and seven against the Twins. Let me reiterate: SEVEN against the Twins. The Twins are by far the worst team in the American League. There is no excuse for the Yankees to not win at least five or six of those games, though at least the latter would be preferred. Against the Rockies, they should take three. These eleven games should help elevate the Yankees to an above .500 team. This is much easier said than done. Needless to say, if the Yankees don't go on some type of run this next week or so they should become sellers come July. After all, if they can't beat the Rockies and Twins, who can they beat?

The Yankees lately have gotten their act together for the most part and were able to win some ball games, including a five-game winning streak that included a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels. During that time, Carlos Beltran was the best hitter and CC Sabathia pitched like it was 2009.  Picture Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The Yankees head to Colorado having just dropped two out of three to the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium. After getting themselves above .500 for the first time since April on Friday, the Yankees dropped the next two games. Having putting together a brief five game winning streak, the Yankees once again reverted back to their offensive struggles. Despite having relatively solid pitching performances from both Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda, the Yankees offense couldn't get it together, scoring only one run in both games. Luckily, the Rockies haven't been much better this season. The pitching match ups may favor the Yankees in both games, however it's increasingly difficult to remain optimistic when it comes to this team.

On Old Timers’ Day in Yankee Stadium, the current Yankees team struggled on offense for the second straight day. Michael Fulmer (7-1, 2.52 ERA) shut down the Yankees offense, and the Tigers got all they needed early on with well-timed hitting. Ian Kinsler collected two more RBIs, and totaled seven in the last two games to lead Detroit to a 4-1 win on Sunday. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Kathy Willens

A few days after losing their fourth first baseman in Chris Parmelee this season, the Yankees have signed Ike Davis to a Major-League contract, per Jon Heyman ( @jonheyman ) . The news of the interest by the Yankees was first broken by Mark Feinsand ( @FeinsandNYDN ) . Davis, who was just released by the Texas Rangers today, has been playing at Triple-A Round Rock, which is the Rangers affiliate at the Triple-A level. At Triple-A this season, Davis is hitting .268 in 142 ABs, with four homers and 25 RBIs. Picture Credit: Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette

On a warm Saturday night, Ian Kinsler singlehandedly led the Tigers to a 6-1 win with a 5-RBI night. The Yankees offense couldn’t get anything going after scoring 33 runs in the last five games, and Masahiro Tanaka’s two mistakes both resulted in home runs. The Tigers also snapped the Yankees five-game winning streak, and with the loss, the Yankees returned back down to .500. Picture Credit: New York Yankees Twitter

In the midst of climbing back above .500, the New York Yankees have also been focusing on the 2016 MLB Draft. Below are all the selections the Yankees made in this year’s draft (with overall pick number in parentheses): Rounds 1-10 Round 1 (18): OF Blake Rutherford , Chaminade Prep HS Picture Credit: Scott Kurtz/Student Sports

Due to Nathan Eovaldi’s recent struggles, the timing of this article is horrible. However, rumors have been circulating around the league that numerous teams have interest in the Yankee right-hander. If the Yankees even entertain talks with another team about trading for Eovaldi, it would be one of the dumbest decisions Brian Cashman ever made. Picture Credit: Presswire

Coming off a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels, the New York Yankees were eager to continue their winning ways against the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees have now won seven of their last ten after tonight’s 4-0 win. The bombers were paced by an incredibly effective CC Sabathia (4-4, 2.28 ERA), who continued his resurgent year, tossing seven shutout innings quieting a dangerous Detroit lineup. Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey (1-6, 4.68 ERA) struggled early on but still threw seven solid innings. Picture Credit: Getty Images/Rich Schultz