Bronx Bomber Ball

Yankees look to rebound after dropping three of four to the Houston Astros, welcoming a lackluster Kansas City Royals to Yankee Stadium for a three game set. New York still holds a razor-thin half game lead on the AL East but would like to put more distance between themselves and the Orioles before a major clash with the Boston Red Sox on the weekend. Joe Girardi and his team must believe that at least two wins over KC is not only possible but necessary to continue the team’s momentum.

In this 15th edition of the Bronx Bomber Ball Podcast, Steven Eareckson and Chad Raines discuss a wide ranges of issues pertaining to the 2017 New York Yankees. Steven and Chad begin by sharing their takes on Derek Jeter night, and paying tribute to the Captain's legendary and respectable career. The two then switch gears to talk about the disappointing game that succeeded the ceremony, delving further into the series defeat at the hands of the talented Houston Astros. You won't want to miss the hot takes on Masahiro Tanaka. Is he really an ace? Should he be a Yankee next year? These questions, along with many more related to the recent struggles of the rotation, potential trades in the coming months, and even creative hypotheticals are answered in our latest podcast!

1.   Gleyber Torres SS   – Torres returned from injury since our last update and didn’t miss a step. In the past two weeks he has raised his average about 10 points and mashed four doubles. He’s also added a home run and six RBIs since we last saw him. Torres continues to show that he is the real deal.  Team G R 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB AVG OBP SLG TRN (AA) 26 19 7 1 2 10 12 17 4 0.276 0.360 0.429 Photo Credit: J. Conrad Williams Jr/Newsday

When Greg Bird was put on the 10-day DL on May 2nd, it opened up an opportunity for Chris Carter to play every day. Since Bird went out, Chris Carter has vastly underperformed, and shown he doesn't deserve a spot in a righty-lefty platoon at first base when Bird comes back. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images Following the historical Derek Jeter retirement of no. 2 into Monument Park and coming off an exciting win of game one of this doubleheader, the Yankees came into game two looking to even the series at two game apiece. Masahiro Tanaka took the mound tonight with a 4.36 ERA on the season to tackle the strong Astros lineup. Charlie Morton had the ball for Houston tonight to face the Yankees and came into the Bronx with a 3.63 ERA. Tanaka would struggle mightily allowing eight earned runs spotting the Yankees a deficit that they could not recover from. Photo Credit: Elsa | Getty Images

The Yankees bullpen picked up Luis Severino’s slack in an 11-6 win against the Astros. A six-run seventh inning led by a Starlin Castro RBI double to tie it, and a three-run triple for Chase Headley to take the lead capped off a great come from behind victory, the Yanks tenth of the year. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

With Derek Jeter’s jersey number being retried Sunday night, no New York Yankee baseball player will ever again sport number two. Jeter’s number will be a part of a long list of retired Yankees’ numbers and will be the last single digit number to be retired in the organization. It is pretty clear as to where the future of number two stands. It will not be on the back of a Yankee player. What happened before Jeter, however? The number two did in fact belong on the backs of other players before Jeter. While no one who wore the number came close to Jeter’s credentials, there are a few notable names and a bit of interesting history. Photo Credit: MLB.com

One the eve of Derek Jeter’s jersey retirement ceremony, many Yankee fans are conflicted between looking back on Jeter’s illustrious career, and looking ahead at the bright future that this young Yankee team has ahead of them. Make no mistake, no matter how short the Yankees rebuild is, or how talented the Yankees are in 2017, Sunday night is all about the legendary Yankee captain. As a player who always seemed to have a flair for the dramatic, Jeter had his fair share of highlight reel and memorable moments in his career. While everyone has their own opinions on various moments and plays, this piece will countdown and recall some of your favorite Jeter moments throughout his storybook career.

Coming off a tough loss in which Jake Marisnick of the Astros threw Jacoby Ellsbury out at the plate to end the game, the Yankees looked to right the ship in game two of a four game extended weekend set with Houston. Going up against a young and talented arm in Lance McCullers Jr., the Yankees were going to need to come out early in order to have a chance. Unfortunately, McCullers dominated the Yankees as they were shut down in a 5-1 loss. Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II | AP

As I contemplated writing this piece, I knew I would be criticized by those who believe discussing such a topic at this point in time constitutes nothing more than premature conjecture. While it is still only early May, the Yankees' impressive 21-11 start shows that they have what it takes to be a real contender this season. Meanwhile, there are areas where the Bombers can improve. In order to go on a deep playoff run, the Yankees NEED another starting pitcher. CC Sabathia's recent implosions signify that the Yankees may very well have to replace him in the rotation at some point this season. The Yankees have plenty of time to get the wheels rolling on making such an improvement. One name that makes the most sense for this season, and moving forward, is Gerrit Cole. The Pittsburgh Pirates will no doubt have astronomically high demands for their ace. The Yankees have what it takes to make this trade happen. The pressing question, however, is if the Bombers are willing to part wi...