River Ave. Blues

Even though he turned only 24 in February, Luis Severino has been through an awful lot in his baseball career. He was a small bonus international signing who developed into a top prospect, had instant success at the MLB level in 2015, fell on his face and was demoted (to Triple-A and the bullpen) in […] The post Luis Severino and the off-the-field part of being an ace appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

This team, man. THIS TEAM. Never out of a game, talent up and down the roster, a new hero every night. What a fun season. It’s only going to get better too. The Yankees erased a 5-0 deficit in the final five innings Wednesday night to earn a 7-5 walk-off win over the Mariners. They […] The post Yankees 7, Mariners 5: Gary & Giancarlo Are Here appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

RHP Anyelo Gomez’s season is over, according to Conor Foley. He needs shoulder surgery. Gomez had a breakout season last year, throwing 70.1 relief innings with a 1.92 ERA (2.19 FIP) with 31.0% strikeouts and 7.5% walks at four levels. That earned him a look in Spring Training with the Braves as a Rule 5 […] The post DotF: Martinez makes season debut in Staten Island’s win appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

Last night, one of the Yankees’ young fill-in starters threw a gem in the series opener against the Mariners. Domingo German was great. Retired 18 straight at one point. Tonight, another young fill-in starter gets the ball, this time Jonathan Loaisiga. Johnny Lasagna threw five scoreless innings in his MLB debut last week. It wasn’t […] The post Game 71: The Kid vs. The King appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

A little more than one month ago, Greg Bird returned to the Yankees after having his second ankle surgery in as many years. Tyler Austin and Neil Walker did okay enough at first base in the interim. Although the Yankees weren’t having trouble scoring runs without him, adding Bird’s lefty power bat to the righty […] The post Greg Bird has had trouble with fastballs since returning from the disabled list appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

Later tonight, rookie right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga will make his second big league start, and it’ll be his 13th career start above the short season minor leagues. The kid came back from Tommy John surgery last year and zoomed through the minors, and given the way he pitched in his MLB debut last time out, it […] The post Starter or reliever, Sheffield is likely to help the Yankees at some point in 2018 appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

We are less than six weeks away from the 2018 non-waiver trade deadline and already the trade winds are beginning to blow. The Rays sent Denard Span and Alex Colome to the Mariners a few weeks ago, and the Royals have since gotten in on the act by trading Jon Jay to the Diamondbacks and […] The post Taking stock of the Yankees’ trade chips prior to the deadline appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

The headline is my new band. Spread the word. Anyway, good game, would watch again. The Yankees handled the Mariners — the 102-win pace Mariners — with relative ease Tuesday night. The final score was 7-2. The Yankees are 26 games over .500 four weeks before the All-Star Game. The Obligatory First Inning Run Maybe […] The post Yankees 7, Mariners 2: Dominant Domingo and the Dingers appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

Couple quick notes to get us started: Good report from Kiley McDaniel on RHP Roansy Contreras’ season debut the other day. He says the 18-year-old was 94-97 mph with his heater, with a slider that flashed 60 and a changeup that flashed 50 on the 20-80 scouting scale. That’s an above-average fastball, a potentially above-average […] The post DotF: Duran, Pereira, Duran make 2018 debuts in Pulaski’s win appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

The Yankees are back in New York after that quick game and a half trip to Washington interrupted what was originally a seven-game homestand. The Mariners — the contending (!) Mariners — are in town to begin a three-game series tonight. They have the longest postseason drought not only in baseball, but all North American […] The post Game 70: Back in the Bronx appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

Worry not, dear reader, for the dreaded trip to Seattle (and Oakland) isn’t until September. That doesn’t necessarily make this match-up any better, though. The Last Time They Met The Yankees hosted the Mariners for a three-game Players Weekend set last August, picking up two wins and outscoring the visiting club by 11 runs. Some […] The post 6/19 to 6/21 Series Preview: Seattle Mariners appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

After a rocky first few weeks to begin the season, the bullpen has settled in these last two months and become a strength for the Yankees. Aroldis Chapman has been nails in the ninth inning and the Dellin Betances/Chad Green setup duo has been great as well. David Robertson has bounced back from his little […] The post The Yankees need a starter at the trade deadline, but adding a reliever wouldn’t be a bad idea either appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

The 2018 non-waiver trade deadline is exactly six weeks away and, now that the draft is over, the first wave of trade rumors are starting to roll in. It is no secret the Yankees are looking for rotation help, and, according to Jon Morosi, they have interest in Blue Jays southpaw J.A. Happ. Morosi says […] The post The Yankees are reportedly interested in J.A. Happ, the best rental starter on the trade market appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

And the Yankees are still the only team in baseball without a three-game losing streak this season. Would this even have counted as a three-game losing streak? They lost the completion of the suspended game Monday afternoon, but that’s not really a full game for streak purposes, right? Whatever. It’s a non-issue now. The Yankees […] The post Yankees 4, Nationals 2: Hicks and Stanton lead Yankees to makeup game win in Washington appeared first on River Avenue Blues.

Couple notes to get us started: Glowing report on OF Everson Pereira in this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet. “When Pereira signed, he was an athletic center fielder with a well-rounded balance of tools and skills, hitting well in games with a fluid swing, good bat control and strike-zone judgment. At the time, Pereira was mostly […] The post DotF: Anthony Seigler makes pro debut on GCL Opening Day appeared first on River Avenue Blues.