Bronx Bomber Ball

Coming off a solid 8-3 win and tying up the series in game two against the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees looked to take game three of a three game set tonight at Camden Yards. Unfortunately, Masahiro Tanaka struggled once again in a 10-4 loss. Photo Credit: Patrick Semansky | AP

Yesterday Major League Baseball released the first update of All-Star voting for the National League. While there were many players that deserved their spots as starters, such as Bryce Harper, Cubs fans got their voting habits going early as Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward who have had very poor starts are projected to start the game for the National League. All of the Cubs starting position players are in the top five ranking for their respective position.  American League All-Star voting used to be dominated by Red Sox and Yankees players as players from their respective teams would constantly be battling back and forth to see who would start the game. With new American League teams coming into prominence at the turn of the decade, it is very common to see fans bandwagon these new relevant teams and thrust their players into the Midsummer Classic. Yes, this is why the American League almost got renamed to the Kansas City Royals. The real question is how did the beloved Bronx Bombe

The New York Yankees knew that their upcoming road trip would be a true testament. A trip that would tell the team, and the fans just where they stand, as the dog days of summer lurk. Camden yards has not always been kind to the Bombers, especially in the last two seasons. Monday afternoon in Baltimore, the Yankees found themselves struggling once again. Their offense, which has been inconsistent to say the least, was unable to get things going and that led to the Orioles taking game one by a score of 3-2. As a whole, pitching for the Yankees has been surprisingly good, and in order to come out of this A.L. East road trip with their spot in first place, the Bombers need their offense to get rolling once again. AP Photo/ Patrick Semansky

In a low scoring battle on Memorial Day, the Orioles ended their seven-game losing streak, winning 3-2. The Yankees offense was once again average against former top prospect Dylan Bundy and Co. The Yankees fall to 29-19, but still remain 3.5 games ahead of the Orioles, who are now third in the grind of the AL East. Photo Credit: Nick Wass/AP

Yes, we are still over two months from Major League Baseball's trade deadline, but it's never too early to start looking at potential upgrades to the 2017 New York Yankees.  Through 47  games,  the  Yankees sit at 29-18 and the team's hot start is no longer just a streak of good games, this team is for real.  As  such, like  most contenders do, the Yankees will be on the lookout for roster improvements via both internal options as well as the trade market.   Today, I  want to take a deep dive into potential trade targets that Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman might go after.   Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

After taking two of three from the lowly Oakland Athletics this past weekend in the Bronx, the Yankees begin a stretch of 13 straight games against American League East opponents. The Baltimore Orioles currently sit in third place in the division with a record of 25-23. For most of the season, the Orioles have been one step behind the Yankees. The Orioles have lost seven games in a row, and enter this series against the Yankees in the midst of a tough last few weeks. These three games provide the Yankees with a prime opportunity to capitalize against a struggling team, while simultaneously distancing themselves from a division rival, though the Bombers should remain vigilant because the resurgent Red Sox are hot on their tails.

Throughout the past five games you could say the Yankees offense has been in a slump. The Bombers had not scored more than three runs in a game since last Monday night against the Royals. However, the Yankees had a chance on Sunday afternoon to close their brief home stand with a 4-2 record, and those wins would have been large in part due to pitching. Luckily while the offense has been cold these past few days, each pitcher has stepped up and kept the Yankees in the game, sometimes without their best stuff. Yesterday afternoon in the Bronx, C.C. Sabathia pitched his third solid outing in a row. Lasting six and a third innings, and only allowing two earned runs, the veteran was able to help the Yankees even up the series with the Athletics, striking out a season high nine batters. AP Photo/ Kathy Willens

Despite a very strong start from the struggling Masahiro Tanaka yesterday, the Yankees were unable to squeeze out a victory. CC Sabathia took the mound against an underrated Oakland lineup today sporting the sleek memorial day uniforms which feature a military green trim and camo cap. Although the Yankees only had two hits all day, Matt Holliday’s two-run home run in the sixth inning proved to be the game winner. Sabathia had a very good outing, leaving to a standing ovation after six and a third innings pitched of two run ball. Betances put the nail in the coffin and the Yanks locked up a 3-2 win. Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II | AP

The Yankees are coming off a rain shortened series against the Kansas City Royals, where they took two out of three games. The Oakland Athletics split a two game interleague series with the Miami Marlins, earlier in the week, and came into the Bronx with a 21-25 record. Masahiro Tanaka had the ball in game one for the Bombers as he is trying to bounce back, after arguably the roughest patch of starts in his American professional career. The A’s had a late scratch in the rotation, as Kendall Graveman is now sidelined with a sore shoulder. Southpaw Sean Manaea had his start pushed forward to today in place of Graveman. Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II | AP This was a huge start for Tanaka in terms of confidence, and he started off strong striking out the side, despite giving up a two-out double to Jed Lowrie. He kept that momentum going in the second striking out two more and not allowing a baserunner. The third inning was like an instant replay as he struck out two more batters an

It’ll be a three-game series in the Bronx this weekend, as the Yankees welcome the Oakland Athletics to town. Despite some recent bumps in the road, including going just 6-7 in their last 13 games, the Yankees have actually built on their AL East lead, as it is now up to 2.5 games. Oakland comes in with a 21-25 record, sitting in fourth place in the AL West and 9.5 games behind the 31-16 Houston Astros, who currently own the best record in baseball.

June is just around the corner and with that, the MLB draft is as well. The MLB draft is often the least hyped of all the major sports drafts but with all the young talent coming into the Yankees’ organization these last few years, Yankee fans should have plenty of reasons to be excited to add more to the mix. The MLB draft will take place from June 12-14 in scenic (not really) Secaucus, New Jersey and will be broadcasted on MLB Network and MLB.com. Credit: Rahim Ullah The Stanford Daily

The Yankees suffered an injury on the first pitch of tonight’s game against the Kansas City Royals. Alcides Escobar crushed a ball to deep center off of Luis Severino that Jacoby Ellsbury caught behind his back, and then collided with the wall and fell awkwardly. He was very slow to get up, and Joe Girardi and Steve Donahue rushed out to the warning track in center field to check up on Ellsbury. They appeared to give him the concussion protocol, and he convinced them to allow him to remain in the game. Kathy Willens | AP Photo

After splitting the first two games of this four game series against the Royals, the Yankees looked to get back on track against the struggling Jason Hammel, who entered the game with a 6.20 ERA. To the surprise of many, this game evolved into a pitcher's duel, as both Luis Severino and Hammel turned in outstanding starts for their respective clubs. Luckily for the Yankees, Severino was outright dominant, shutting out the Royals over eight innings. With the help of some timely offense, the Yankees strung together a win. The Bombers head into tomorrow's matinee with the goal of taking three of four from the lowly Royals, though that may be a tall order with Masahiro Tanaka, who has been downright awful this season, on the mound. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

For years, I have criticized general manager Brian Cashman, often berating him repeatedly in many of my articles here at the BBB. This season, I have come to the realization that Cashman has actually done quite an amazing job over these past few years. Don't get me wrong, Cashman has had his share of mistakes. We need look no further than his decision to give up Martin Prado for Nathan Eovaldi, give Chase Headley a four-year contract, or hand Ellsbury $153 million over seven years. The past three seasons and offseasons, on the other hand, have been a different story. The vast majority of Cashman's moves have been so brilliant that I've decided to reverse course, and praise a man I formerly had nothing but scorn for. Below, I identify and elaborate on Cashman's five best moves these last three years, and explain why these transactions have been essential to the Yankees 2017 success. Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The Yankees have had a pleasantly surprising start to the season, finding themselves in first place in the AL East with one of the best lineups in baseball and a stellar bullpen. Being in first place is impressive in itself for this team considering all the injuries they have dealt with early in the season, missing key players such as Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, and Didi Gregorius, not to mention Aroldis Chapman who remains on the disabled list for the foreseeable future. However, the one area that has Yankee fans worried early on is the starting rotation. Photo Credit: Brian Blanco | Getty Images

Coming off a tough series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees opened up another series at home against the Kansas City Royals, Monday night in the Bronx. The Bombers were just 3-3 in their last six games, and needed a win to start another hot streak and keep pace in the division. Big Michael Pineda got the start Monday night and gave the Yankees just over six quality innings allowing just two runs. The Bombers, who once again were forced to face what has been the Royals best pitcher in Jason Vargas, scored three runs on during his six-inning outing, and Chris Carter was able to add an insurance home run in the seventh inning to secure the Yankees 4-2 victory. AP Photo/ Kathy Willens

As Toronto continues to try to dig out of the 1-9 hole they opened up the 2017 season with, they remain in last place with their current 19-26 record. Sitting at 8.5 games out of first place behind the Yankees, the Blue Jays could very quickly find themselves becoming sellers at this year’s trade deadline. One name that could come up in trade discussions is the former AL MVP Josh Donaldson, and the Yankees could enter the sweepstakes according to Jonah Keri of SportsNet.ca . Photo Credit: Getty Images

As the Yankees head into the summer, they have began seeing their schedule with fewer and fewer off days. But playing so frequently also means having ups and downs. As the Yankees enter the closing series’ of the month of May, two players that the Yankees currently have on the disabled list are close to returning. Photo Credit: Elsa | Getty Images

Anytime someone thinks of a Yankees middle infield prospect, their focus will automatically go to Gleyber Torres. No one else really is considered, due to the fact that Gleyber is widely considered to be a future superstar, no matter where his position is. However, there is another middle infield prospect in the Yankees’ farm system that is currently making a name for himself, and that is Thairo Estrada. Photo Credit: Martin Griff

The Yankees were coming off a disappointing series against the Rays where they lost two out of three games, and the only game they won was against Chris Archer. The Yankees were 4-6 in their last ten games, but remained a half a game above the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. They came home to face the Kansas City Royals, who were in the cellar of the Central and were 6-14 on the road. The Yankees sent Michael Pineda to try to silence the poor Kansas City offense, and the Royals sent Jason Vargas who has been phenomenal, except in his start last week against the Yankees. Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II | AP The Yankees hit the ball hard early against Vargas, but had nothing to show for it after the first two innings, but the Royals got to Michael Pineda in the top of the third. After appearing like he was cruising through the Royals’ lineup, Pineda threw a pitch down the middle to Jorge Bonifacio and he cranked a solo homer to left to open the scoring. Whit Merri

Yankee rookie phenomenon, Aaron Judge was not even sure if he was going to make the roster out of Spring Training, after a dismal call up late last season. Fifteen home runs later, he is a rising major league star and became even more iconic today. A night after Judge made one of the greatest catches by a Yankee right fielder in a long time, the Yankees unveiled a new section in section 104 in right field, right behind where Judge plays, called "The Judge’s Chambers." Photo Credit: Ben Walker | AP

Following the Yankees salvaging game three to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Rays in Tampa Bay, the Yankees head back home for a week-long home stand. The Yankees open up on Monday night in the Bronx against the Kansas City Royals in a four game set. The Yankees just took two of three in Kansas City last week, and will be looking for another series win to get some momentum going into the weekend.

On a fast-track to the big leagues, Yankees top prospect Gleyber Torres has just had his track expedited as Pinstriped Prospects writer Antonio Mendes reports that he is being called up to Triple-A. Torres was slashing .273/.367/.496 with five home runs, 18 RBIs, and 10 doubles in 32 games with the Double-A Trenton Thunder prior to his reported call up, which the club has not yet confirmed. Photo via Presswire

The Yankees entered Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays in the midst of their first real rough patch of the 2017 season. The team had just a 3-7 record in their previous 10 games prior to Sunday, a stretch in which the starting pitching has struggled mightily for the most part. Masahiro Tanaka has had an especially rough go of it lately, following up his poor showing against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium last week with another disastrous performance against the Rays Saturday afternoon. That showing saw Tanaka’s ERA for the season balloon all the way to 6.56 and further increased concerns about his performance thus far this season. The Yankees looked to CC Sabathia to right the ship and end the road trip on a positive note. Credit: Chris O'Meara AP Photo

After dropping the first game of a three game weekend set in Tampa against the Rays, the Yankees looked to get back on track sending their number one starter Masahiro Tanaka to the mound. Tanaka struggled mightily on Derek Jeter night in his last start, failing to get through the second inning and he didn't have good stuff once again digging the Yankees a big hole that they could not recover from. Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara | AP

The New York Yankees have mightily exceeded expectations so far this season, and it is no mystery to why they have started so strong. They have gotten the most out of their roster, and the players as a whole have come out of the gates firing. The Yankees have had many players outperform their preseason projections and their young players are thriving earlier than expected. The question remains, however, how many of these players will travel to Miami in July to be a part of the Midsummer Classic? Photo Credit: AP

Coming in after a tough loss yesterday against Danny Duffy and the Royals, the Yankees looked to bounce back against the Rays in Tampa. They did not have their manager though, as Joe Girardi was attending his daughter's high school graduation so bench coach Rob Thomson filled in. Man, did the Yanks try to win. They had two different leads, and were able to tie the game in the eighth, but the bullpen did not want them to win. Oh well. Move on and focus on the next game. Luis Severino (2-2, 3.86 ERA) and Erasmo Ramirez (2-0, 2.92 ERA) made the starts tonight. Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara of AP

Don't look now, but the Kraken is back in full force.  Since his return to the lineup on May 5th in Chicago, Gary Sanchez has hit to a scorching .357 clip with two long home runs, eight runs batted in and boasts a ridiculous .471 on-base percentage.  Simply put, Gary is back.   Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports

The first-place Yankees are fresh off a series win against the Kansas City Royals and will continue their road trip by traveling to St. Petersburg to face off against the fourth-place Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees come into the series at 24-14 and sit on top of the standings, but are 5-5 in their last ten games. Other than CC Sabathia’s outing in Kansas City, starting pitching has been ineffective for the Bombers and it will need to be improved upon against the Rays. The Rays are 21-22 and are coming off of two series wins in Boston and Cleveland, so they will look to continue their momentum on their seven-game home stand. The Yankees are 4-2 against the Rays this season including a sweep in New York that was a part of their eight-game winning streak early in the season. However, despite their subpar record, the Rays always tend to play the Yankees tough and make every game competitive, which should lead to a quality series.

Seeking a sweep of the Kansas City Royals, the Yankees turned to rookie left-hander Jordan Montgomery  who was opposed by staff ace of the Royals, fellow southpaw Danny Duffy. Coming off yet another double-digit run performance in their 11-7 win last night, the Yankee bats sought to keep things going and force Duffy's sixth straight winless start. Unfortunately for the Yankees, Danny Duffy was at his absolute best tonight, dominating with his strong fastball/slider combination to keep the Bombers off balance all evening.  The Yankees flirted with being  shut out  for the first time this season, but were able to scratch out a run  in the ninth.   Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The New York Yankees are guaranteed a series win following an 11-7 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. A strong performance by Michael Pineda, combined with a multi-hit performance by nearly every start, led the Yankees to a dominating performance. It is Pineda’s fourth win of the season improving his record to 4-2 and it moved his ERA to 3.42. Photo Credit: Charlie Riedel | AP

The idea of Betances as a closer is a touchy subject. Yankees team president Randy Levine was critical of the star setup man and his agent after for what he described as a “half-baked attempt” to inflate the player’s value before the season. Betances, a three-time All-Star, lost a case for a $5 million arbitration deal and was instead awarded $3 million but the criticism didn’t end there. Photo via Sports Illustrated 

After a rough weekend series against the Houston Astros where the New York Yankees saw themselves win only one game, they still managed to stay in first place. The A.L. East will be a tough division all year long, and while the Yankees can ill afford to rely on other teams losing, it greatly benefited the Bombers that the Orioles have lost four in a row, and the Rays took two of three from the Red Sox. Sunday night against the Astros on a night where Derek Jeter had his number retired, the Yankees had a chance to split the series with what looks like the best team in baseball, but failed to do so. However, after going down 8-0 early, the Yankees did what they have done all season, and that is fight. They were able to make the game closer than it should have been, ultimately falling by a final score of 7-10. Photo Credit: TNS/ John Sleezer

As the summer approaches, CC Sabathia has continued to decline in the waning years of his career. He has become a liability in an already average rotation and should be looked at to be replaced. With many better options, both in the minors and possible trade options at the upcoming deadline, Sabathia's Yankee career could be coming to an end. Photo Credit: John Minchillo/AP