Yankees Draft: Days Two and Three Recap

11^th round 332^nd pick: Matthew Borens RHP Eastern Illinois       

This pick really solidified the difference between this year’s and last year’s draft. Their first day three pick last year was Kendall Coleman, a young outfielder, who is a risky upside type pick. He may be a lottery ticket, but fans like when teams take lottery tickets in the draft. Though there isn’t as much information available on Borren’s it doesn’t sound like he has that type of upside, but is a safer pick. It isn’t as big of change as some are making it seem, but they clearly changed their philosophy a bit and are sticking with college kids. He is a big 6’7’’ pitcher who can add muscle, so there is some intrigue here, it’s just not the same level of mystery as taking a high school kid.

12^th round 362^nd pick: Chris Gittens 1B Grayson County College                

Rated as the 438^th best player in the draft, Gittens, is a two-way player that scouts like better as a hitter due to his tremendous power potential. BA states that he has easy raw power, and some natural hitting ability. He’s slimming down, but his size still limits him to first base. Power is going down throughout baseball, so I like this pick. Sure they draft several first baseman, and they have Bird, and O’Brien, but it makes sense to load up on power hitting prospects,

13^th round 392^nd pick: Bo Thompson 1B The Citadel SC    392     

Like Gittens, Thompson is known for his power potential, he doesn’t seem to have the same hitting ability but he does have a nice combination of power and patience. He already signed for just 60 k, and is slated to begin his Yankee career in Charleston. Like Gittens, he is too big to play anywhere but first, so it will interesting to see what they do, once Ford comes off the DL.

14^th round 422^nd pick: Sean Carley RHP West Virginia    

Ranked as BA’s 388^th best draft prospect, the Kenny Powers lookalike is an intriguing pick. Carley, has already agreed to join the team, and should begin the year in Staten Island. He is a three pitch pitcher, who may be best suited for the pen. He throws an 88-94 MPH fastball, a slider with average potential, and a raw changeup.  He already had Tommy John surgery, which is why he is a 5^th year senior, and why he is a bit rawer than other college guys.

15^th round 452^nd pick: Andrew Chin LHP Boston College               

Was ranked as BA 399^th best prospect, but didn’t have a scouting report. When he was drafted in 2011 (5^th round by the Jays), this was his scouting report.

"Chin might be the most complete pitcher at this point. Maybe he's not the same type of thrower or class as these other guys -- he tends to be in the upper 80's with his fastball, good in and out, good with the changeup -- but he understands the craft and is willing to work at it. He's a classic left-hander with good feel for how to set hitters up." Per ESPN

He might throw harder now, especially since he has recovered from Tommy John surgery. Either way, he sounds like a pretty interesting selection.

               

16^th round 482^nd pick: Derek Callahan LHP Gonzaga, WA              

In 2012 Callahan was ranked as the 9^th best prospect in the West Coast Summer league, but didn’t play up to his potential during the subsequent college season. He is a 4-pitch pitcher, with an 89-91 MPH fastball, a 78-81 MPH slider, a 74-76 MPH curveball, and an 80-82 MPH change. His slider is his strikeout pitch.

17^th round, 512^th pick: Garrett Cave RHP South Sumter HS, FL    

With the 17^th pick of the draft, the Yankees finally took their first real tough sign. Cave is a pretty good prospect and was ranked as the 116^th best prospect by BA. His fastball jumped to 93 MPH this season, and has led him to receive national attention. BA states that

 “He has a loose arm, athleticism and feel for spinning a curveball. He doesn’t use his changeup often but it flashes average. Cave will need to throw more strikes to remain a starter but has the attributes to do so if he cleans up his delivery, which has some east-west movement and a head whack. That also means his arm slot is not consistent.”

18^th round 542^nd pick: Justin Kamplain LHP Alabama       

Yet another college lefty Kamplain has had success in college and in the Cape Cod League. Kamplain put up the following stats in what could be his final season in Alabama: 90 IP, 69 K, 31 BB, 2.90 ERA, 1.07 WHIP. He is primarily a fastball changeup guy. His fastball sits in the 88-91 range. His change is slowly becoming his best pitch.  In addition to these two pitches, he also sprinkles in a curveball from time-to-time.

19^th round 572^nd pick: Joe Harvey RHP University of Pittsburgh                 

Ranked as the 468^th best prospect by BA. Harvey is new to starting. He has only been a starting pitcher this season. BA had this to say about him “He pitches at 90-92 mph and touches 94 with sink and fastball life. His control has improved significantly. While he has a durable build at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, his lighter secondary stuff prompts some scouts to project him as a reliever. His curveball flashes average but plays well below that. His changeup also needs development.”

20^th round 602^nd pick: Corey Holmes RHP Concordia University, TX         

BA’s 13^th best prospect in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. He has already signed with the team, and should be making his debut shortly.

21^st round pick 632: Porter Clayton LHP Oregon               

Porter is an interesting pick, as he barely pitched the past few years; as a Mormon he served his mission. He tried to make up for lost time this season. Overall, he has a good delivery, and has three pitches. His fastball is in the upper 80s/low 90s. His curveball is tends to sit in the upper 70s and his changeup is in the low 80s. The fact that he has pitched so little makes him a bit more intriguing to me, at worst his fastball, and curve combination could lead to a role in the pen, but I’m pretty curious to see if that’s where he starts.

22^nd round pick 662:  Jake Kelzer RHP Indiana

Ranked as the 486^th best prospect by BA, and the 12^th best prospect in Indiana, Jake is a definite relief prospect. He only has one above-average pitch, which is his slider. He has 90-91 MPH fastball which is rather straight. He did strikeout 44 batters in 32 innings, but I’m not sure of the extent of his strike-out ability, unless he throws a plus slider. He was a two-sport athlete, as he was on the swim team, so maybe his stuff will improve now that he only needs to focus on one sport. He was also injured, and is a redshirt freshman, so he doesn’t have a lot of experience.

23^rd round 692^nd pick:  Will Toffey 3B Salisbury School, CT           

Was DeCarr’s teammate, and hopefully will remain his teammate. Toffey is best described as an infielder, though he was playing short, and fits best at third. He has an above-average arm. He isn’t very quick out of the box, though he seems to be getting faster. He has good bat speed, and has decent power that should improve. He was a hockey player for a while, so he hasn’t really focused solely on hitting. He is committed to Vanderbilt, so he thought of as a tough sign, though maybe DeCarr will help. He was one the teams few prep picks, and he is a player I hope they sign. They didn’t draft many prep players so it will be disappointing if they can’t sign one of the best one’s that they drafted.  He was ranked as the 353^rd best prospect by BA, and the 4^th best in the state.

24^th round 772^nd pick: Dominic Jose CF Stanford       

Jose is the son of former Yankee Felix Jose, and was a toolsy outfielder when he first entered Standford. The school didn’t really offer him the opportunity to showcase his tools, and now the Yankees have to personally attempt to fix his swing. He has good power, and should be an adequate corner outfielder. The Yankees have a little project on their hands, as he has to prove he can hit. Overall this is a pretty good pick, he was ranked as the 261^st best pre-draft prospect by Minor League Ball, and was ranked as the 461^st best prospect by BA. The Yankees didn’t draft many position player prospects, or outfield prospects, so he should have an opportunity to play with the team.

25^th round 752^nd pick: Dylan Barrow RHP Univ. of Tampa              

Yet another college pitcher with little experience. He was an infielder in high school, and only began to pitch three years ago. In those three years he has learnt to throw a breaking ball, and throws a mid-90s fastball. I couldn’t find a lot of information on him, but he has reached 96 MPH in the past, and that alone makes him an interesting prospect.  Last season the Yankees took two relatively unknown kids in Ryan Butler and Nick Green. Neither signed, but were both picked a lot earlier this season. The Yankees have shown the ability to find some hidden gems in the past, and hopefully Barrow is another one.

26^th round 782^nd pick: Collin Slaybaugh C Washington State        

His academics are very good for a student-athlete and was the PAC-12 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He a 4.0 GPA in college, which suggests he is somewhat intelligent. His smarts and character might be better than his actual baseball tools. Though he did have a slash line of .299/.329/.364 in his final year. That’s not bad, but he’d need to show more power to be regarded as a major league player. Perhaps his smarts, and defense will allow him to become a backup catcher. Pitchers trust guys like him behind the plate.

27^th round 812^th pick: Griffin Gordon OF Jacksonville State

Had a .968 OPS in his final season, and showed a bit of speed with ten bases. Hopefully this means he is a true outfielder. There isn’t much info on him, so it’s hard to tell what kind of pick this was. It’s worth noting that he is a college senior, and was rated as the 172^nd best outfield prospect by BA.

28^th round 842^nd pick:  Lee Casas RHP USC           

Another player who is a bit of an unknown, had decent numbers as a two-way player.

29^th round 872^nd pick: Mariano Rivera RHP Iona                

Opposite of a no name player, Marino is the son of the greatest closer of all-time. His dad wants him to finish school, but he seems ready to leave. He throws a low 90s fastball and a slider. He doesn’t have a cutter. He reportedly has a nice easy delivery. I don’t think legacy picks are a bad thing, but would’ve thought that this is a tad bit early, I guess not.

30^th round 902^nd pick: Jorge Perez RHP Grand Canyon University

Baseball America ranked Perez as the 328^th best prospect in the draft. So he’s a pretty good value pick at 902, assuming they can sign him. The reason that he dropped this far was that he suffered from shoulder tendinitis and teams were scared off. He has a fastball that sits around 93 MPH, a slider that sits around 80 MPH, and a changeup that sits below 80 MPH. His fastball has good sink to it. BA states that his change is an above average offering, but his slider is not. He profiles best as a reliever.

31^st round 932^nd pick: Devyn Bolasky CF UC Riverside, CA            

Another scrappy outfielder, but at least this one can run. He is a contact orientated hitter that doesn’t walk or strikeout much. He has little power, but a lot of speed. He might be able to become a leadoff hitter if he gets his average up there. These were his stats last year: 54 games, 30 runs, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 26 RBI, 14 SB (7 CS), 13 BB, 18 K, .336 AVG, .370 OBP, .398 SLG%, .768 OPS.

32^nd round 962^nd pick: Jordan Ramsey RHP UNC Wilmington

Ramsey is an interesting pick because he is coming off of a down season that was riddled with injuries. These injuries may have affected his stock. Overall he was ranked as BA 288^th best draft prospect, but that might be undervaluing him a bit if he rebounds with the Yankees. He had blister and triceps injuries, and this really affected his performance he was much better last year. He still might end up being just a reliever as his secondary pitches aren’t that great, but he has a good 92-95 MPH fastball when healthy. He can throw a potentially average change, and a slider that occasionally looks good. If he signs this would be a pretty good pick as he ranked pretty highly, and probably only fell because of his injuries.             

33^rd pick 992^nd pick David Graybill RHP Arizona State University               

Yet another pitcher with little pitching experience, he was a two-way player out of high school but stuck with the bat in college. Now the Yankees are going to try to make him a pitcher again, this is very similar to what they did with Chase Whitley. I like this pick, he comes from an athletic family; his father was an Expo minor leaguer. I trust the team when it comes to these types of picks.

34^th round 1022^nd pick: Matt Wotherspoon RHP University of Pittsburgh             

Wottherspoon is a three pitch pitcher that could work of the rotation of the pen. He throws a mid-90’s fastball, a good breaking ball and a promising changeup. Hopefully he will be given a chance to start. It’s a bit surprising that he’d still be in school, he seems to have a decent three pitch mix, and he was ranked as the number 28^th best pitcher among college seniors.

35^th round 1052 pick Christopher Hudgins C Valhalla HS, CA       

Hit over .400 last year in 35 games, also had 12 homers and 2 doubles. Seems like a decent hitting prep player. And it’s really about time they took another prep player. Might be a tough sign but he played on their scout team, so maybe they can use that connection

36^th round 1082 round   William Gaddis  RHP Brentwood HS, TN                

Gaddis was just one of three high school pitchers taken in this draft, and he is pretty raw. He throws a fastball that has yet to reach 90 MPH, a slider and a changeup, he has good mechanics, and his fastball and slider have shown potential. People are really down on the fact the team didn’t draft many prep pitchers, but if they can get Gaddis, Cave and DeCarr, they would actually have signed as many prep pitchers as they did last year. Plus I think Gaddis might have a bit more upside than Alex Polanco, though it’s hard to tell at this point.

37^th round pick 1112: Ryan Lindemuth 2B College of William and Mary, VA         

Lindemuth is a high contact second baseman that had a .446 OBP in his senior year. He also showed some power slugging .525. He already signed a contract with the team and will begin the season in Staten Island. Normally college seniors are just organizational types, so I don’t expect much. However it’s worth noting that the Pirates drafted him in the 20^th round last year, so maybe he just had a down season. I like that he signed quickly. These types of players are important for a system.

38^th round 1142^nd pick:   Andre Del Bosque RHP University of Houston - Victoria

Bosque is a 5^th year senior, and has already undergone Tommy John surgery, he’s also had other arm troubles. Also missed some time with an oblique injury. Can throw a low-to-mid-90s fastball. There isn’t much more information on him available.

39^th round 1172^nd pick:  Cameron Warren 1B Carl Albert HS, OK

Had solid numbers on the mound and at the plate but suffered a thumb injury this season, which hurt his stock. He is has a powerful build and may be underrated pick. First-base high school prospects aren’t that exciting but he has power, and has hit his entire career. Last year they drafted and signed a 1B/3B prospect in Drew Bridges, and he seems like a similar type of pick. Bridges was rated as the better player, but the thumb injury really hurt Warren. He is committed to the University of Oklahoma, but the Yankees may be able to break that.

40^th round 2012^th pick:  Madison Stokes SS A.C. Flora HS, SC       

With their final pick of the draft Yankees may have selected their promising selection of the day. Stokes was ranked as the 347^th best prospect in the draft, and is considered an unsignable player. He even tweeted that he is going to college. He might need to move to second, and he would have a good bat at that position.

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Sore hip not expected to keep Jacoby Ellsbury out of tonight's lineup

The Yankees and Royals did not get a chance to finish their four-game series on Monday because of harsh rain throughout the day in Kansas City. However, had the two teams played Monday night's contest, Jacoby Ellsbury would not have been a part of it.

Ellsbury was not in the Yankees' lineup yesterday because of a sore right hip that he hurt while rounding first base trying to leg out a double in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Royals.

Ellsbury, though, said that it's not very serious and expects to be in the Yankees' lineup on Tuesday when they open up a three-game series against Robinson Cano and Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

“Just had an awkward step,” Ellsbury said. “Caught myself, ended up getting the double out of it. Obviously finished the game. Came in today, but the plan was to come in at some point in the game if they needed me to hit or defense or run. Whatever it might have been, I was available.”

“We’re not concerned about it,” Girardi said. “I could use him, but he’s played a lot of days in a row here, so I figured with the conditions the way they would be if we played tonight, with the soft outfield, I’d give him the day. But I expect him to be in there tomorrow.”

The Yankees can't afford to lose Ellsbury night now since he has been on of the hottest hitters in their lineup during this terrible scoring drought.

Ellsbury will enter play on Tuesday on a 13-game hitting streak after a mighty slump just a couple weeks ago. During this streak, the speedy lefty has hit .385.

Known as an injury-prone guy throughout his career, Ellsbury has stayed off of the DL so far this season. He did, though, deal with some calf tightness near the end of spring training, but was ready to go when the season began. And about a month ago, he missed a couple of days with a minor hand injury.

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Yankees Minor League Recap: Luis Severino strikes out six in Charleston win

Triple-A Scranton: 7-4 win vs Toledo Mud Hens

LF Jose Pirela: 0-for-3, BB, R -- still hitting .326 this season
C Francisco Cervelli: 0-for-4 -- his second game with the Triple-A team, will play again on Tuesday before moving down to Double-A Trenton
CF Adonis Garcia: 2-for-2, 2 R -- batting .312 this season with a .351/.419/.622 line in his last 10 games
RF Zoilo Almonte: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
SS Zelous Wheeler: 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI -- he's hitting .310 this season
3B Scott Sizemore: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI -- hit a 3-run homerun in the 3rd inning, his second of the year
1B Russ Canzler: 0-for-3
DH Austin Romine: 1-for-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR -- his 3rd homerun of the year

Shawn Kelley: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K -- threw 16 pitches (11 strikes) in his second rehab outing; hopes to rejoin the Yankees on Wednesday in Seattle
Joel De La Cruz: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Francisco Rondon: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB 1 K
Danny Burawa: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K -- 3.05 ERA this season after impressing in spring training
Robert Coello: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K -- was awful during the spring, but has a 1.93 ERA in 18 appearances this season

Double-A Trenton: No game

High-A Tampa: 3-0 loss vs Brevard County Manatees

CF Jake Cave: 2-for-4 -- raised his average to .300 for the year
SS Cito Culver: 2-for-3
1B Gred Bird: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr: 1-for-4, 2 K
2B Jose Rosario: 1-for-3 -- his third game since being promoted from Low-A Charleston, where he hit .291

Dan Camarena: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR
Brett Garritse: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Kyle Haynes: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Low-A Charleston: 6-2 win vs Greenville Drive

LF Michael O'Neill: 0-for-4, BB, R
SS Tyler Wade: 1-for-4, BB, R
RF Aaron Judge: 2-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI, R, 2 K -- hitting .318, it's only a matter of time until he's promoted to Double-A
CF Dustin Fowler: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R, K
1B Raymond Nunez: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R
2B Gosuke Katoh: 2-for-4, RBI

Luis Severino: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K -- sporting a 2.92 ERA this season
Evan Rutckyj: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Who was your Baby Bomber performer of the night, you guys? Comment below.

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Game 63: The rain can stop, but will the Yankees score tonight?

The Yankees' offense is struggling right now and is throwing too many "let's not score any runs" parties. There is plenty of blame to go around, and a handful of people to throw it at.

1-for-17 with runners in scoring position on Sunday was pretty atrocious, as the Yankees were only able to produce one run through a countless number of scoring chances.

Derek Jeter, for one, has been awful lately, hitting .115 (3-for-26) over the past week. Joe Girardi really needs into moving him down in the lineup because he is not helping the Yankees at all, and that's what matters to Jeter. Just because it's Jeter, that doesn't mean he has to bat second every game, Joe.

Tonight's lineup at Kansas City:

Brett Gardner CF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Brian McCann C
Carlos Beltran DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Brendan Ryan 2B

LHP Vidal Nuno

It's raining right now at the ballpark, and it has been all day with no stop in sight, according to the weather reports. Let's see if they get this game in.

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Injury updates: Francisco Cervelli and Shawn Kelley close to returning

The Yankees have dealt with their fair share of injuries this season, with Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, David Robertson, CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Francisco Cervelli and Shawn Kelley all hitting the disabled list at some point.

The first three are back, the next two are out until who knows when, Nova is done of the year because of Tommy John, and the last two are the closest to returning from their injuries.

Here is a quick update on how Cervelli and Kelley are doing:

C Francisco Cervelli

Cervelli began a rehab last week, playing two games with the High-A Tampa Yankees, where he went 0-for-7 with a walk. He was transferred to Triple-A Scranton on Saturday and played his first game with the RailRiders yesterday, going 0-for-1.

Cervelli told reporters after the game that the plan for him is to play with the Triple-A club on Monday and Tuesday before moving down to Double-A Trenton to finish off the rest of his rehab assignment.

Cervelli hit the DL back on April 15 after blowing out his hamstring in a game against the Boston Red Sox, and was placed on the 60-day DL.

He won the backup catchers job in spring training over John Ryan Murphy and Austin Romine after putting up great numbers -- he would have won the starting job had the Yankees not just paid Brian McCann $85 million -- hitting .405 with four homeruns in 15 games down in Florida. However, he was hitting just .188 (3-for-16) before going down.

When Cervelli is ready to come back, the Yankees will have a little bit of a problem to figure: will they decide to carry three catchers on the roster, and if so, where will Cervelli fit in?

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has not ruled out the idea of carry all three of McCann, Murphy and Cervelli.

"A lot of it depends on where we're at when he's eligible to come off and where he's at," Girardi said.

Although, Cervelli has been told to start taking ground balls first base, and that could be an option for him when he returns. He's only played at first twice in his career, but the Yankees need a better backup first baseman behind Mark Teixeira, and if it gets him on the field, I'm sure Cervelli will be up to the challenge.

The Yankees' 40-man roster currently stands at 39 and Cervelli is out of options, but Murphy has played well since taking over as the backup, so it would be tough to send him down.

RHP Shawn Kelley

Kelley began his rehab with Double-A Trenton on Friday, pitching 2/3 of an inning in his first game outing since injuring his back a couple and going on the DL a few weeks ago.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters on Sunday that Kelley will pitch in another rehab game for Trenton on Monday and then will eye a return to the Major League team on Wednesday during their series in Seattle.

Kelley has said that he feels ready to go. but also said the same thing no longer ago before suffering a set back during the Yankees' trip to Chicago.

When he does return, the Yankees will have to cut ties one someone in the bullpen. My guess would be Matt Daley, hasn't been good lately, giving up a run in each of his last three appearances.

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Yankees Minor League Recap: Zelous Wheeler hits 6th homerun of the season in Triple-A

Triple-A Scranton: 5-4 loss vs Toledo Mud Hens

1B Jose Pirela: 1-for-5 -- he's hitting .330 this season
C Francisco Cervelli: 1-for-3 -- this was his first game with the Triple-A team during his rehab stint after playing two games in High-A Tampa. Cervelli said the plan is for him to play on Monday and Tuesday in Scranton before moving down to Double-A Trenton to finish off his rehab.
LF Zoilo Almonte: 1-for-4
2B Zelous Wheeler: 3-for-3 with a walk -- he hit his 6th homerun of the season, and 17th double. His three RBIs put him at 24 on the year.
DH Kyle Roller: 1-for-4 with two strikeouts
SS Carmen Angelini: 3-for-4, 2B, 1 RBI

Zach Nuding: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Pat Venditte (the switch-pitcher): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Double-A Trenton: 9-7 loss vs Altoona Curve

CF Mason Williams: 0-for-1 -- he left the game after one at-bat following being hit by a pitch on his elbow
OF Tyler Douglas: 2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBIs -- he took over for Williams when he left the game
LF Ben Gamel: 2-for-6, 2 RBIs -- took over in center field for Williams after starting in left field
DH Rob Segedin: 3-for-6, 2B
1B Peter O'Brien: 0-for-5 -- he is going to learn how to play first base, so maybe that's his way to the big leagues
2B Rob Refsnyder: 2-for-4, BB -- two more hits for this kid, who has been on fire lately

Manny Banuelos: 3 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Eric Wooten:  3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa: 5-2 loss vs Brevard County Manatees

SS Cito Culver: 0-for-4
DH Greg Bird: 1-for-4
3B Dante Bichette Jr.: 1-for-4, R
1B Matt Snyder: 1-for-4, 2B, R

Conner Kendrick: 4 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Chris Smith: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Nick Rumbelow: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston: 11-6 loss vs Savannah Sand Gnats

LF Michael O'Neill: 2-for-5, 3B, RBI, R
SS Tyler Wade: 1-for-5, 2B, R, RBI
RF Aaron Judge: 0-for-2, 3 BB -- hitting .315 this season
DH Jackson Valera: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI

Rookie Davis: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Chaz Hebert: 3 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 4 K

Who wins the award for the best performance of the night, you guys? Comment below.

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Yankees 1, Royals 2: Bombers waste a good performance from Hiroki Kuroda

How could Hiroki Kuroda, a solid pitcher that has spent seven seasons in the Major Leagues with the Yankees and Dodgers and have a career 3.45 ERA, be a below-.500 pitcher? Easy, he never gets any run support.

That was the case again on Sunday Kuroda pitched well, giving up just two runs over seven innings, but took the 74th loss of his career when the Yankees fell to the Kansas City Royals, 2-1, for their 6th loss in the past eight games, falling to .500 (31-31) on the season.

The Yankees as a team struck out 11 times, and missed out on countless scoring chances -- going 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position -- as the offense continues to play the "let's not score any runs today" game.

The Yankees started off the game by stranding a pair of runners on base after Brett Gardner singled and Carlos Beltran walked. Then in the 2nd inning, the Bombers loaded the bases with nobody out, but failed to capitalize when Brian Roberts struck out, Gardner grounded into a 3-2 fielder's choice at the plate, and Derek Jeter struck out to end the inning.

After his offense squandered an awfully good chance to put runs on the board, Kuroda gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, both with two outs, that put the Royals up 2-0.

Salvador Perez singled ahead of Lorenzo Cain, who doubled to make it a 1-0 game. Mike Moustakas followed with a single that extended the lead to 2-0.

But Kuroda settled down after that and took control of the game, limiting the Royals to just one hit over the next five innings. After going 6 2/3 in his last start, Kuroda made it through seven innings for the second time this season, and finished off the 7th having retired 11 straight Kansas City hitters. He only gave up two runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out three on 90 pitches. Maybe he's starting to turn things around this season after getting off to a slow start.

It took the Yankees awhile to get on the board against Jame Shields, who wasn't overly impressive today. The Yanks made him work, throwing 49 pitches in the first two innings.

Yangervis Solarte doubled off of Shields in the 6th, moved to third base on a past ball, then scored on a groundout to the shortstop by Ichiro, cutting the Royals' lead to 2-1.

Shields was chased after just six inning because his pitch-count had risen to 110 pitches. He gave up one run on six hits, walked two and struck out eight.

After Adam Warren worked a quick 8th inning, setting down the Royals in order, the Yankees came close to tying the game in the 9th. Ichiro singled to leadoff, moved to second base on a wild pitch, then to third on a Brian Roberts sac-fly, but Mark Teixeira struck out and Gardner struck out to end the game.

The Yankees and Royals wrap up this four-game series tomorrow night at 8:10 pm ET when Vidal Nuno takes the mound, facing off against Jason Vargas.

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Yankees Draft: Day One and Two Recap

Last season the Yankees system really faltered. There was no one in AAA, or even AA, that could come up and help the big league team with injuries. This led many to demand significant changes. People wanted heads to roll, and some even wanted Damon Oppenheimer and his scouting staff released. But the team made very little changes to their main draft/development structure. They did get a few new names, but the big boys kept their jobs. Everything seemed to stay the same, but this year’s draft shows that’s not exactly true.

Day 2 of the Yankees draft showed that the team may not have changed personnel this off-season, but they were pressured to change draft philosophies. According to Brian Cashman the team would focus on college arms over prep arms if everything was equal. This is a pretty major change as the team used to really like taking prep arms. College arms are a bit less exciting, but they are generally the safer options and a team that wants results might want to go that route.

The team has had a lot more success with college arms, they drafted Adam Warren, David Phelps, and Chase Whitley out of college, and all are playing big roles on this year’s team. So it makes sense for them to change their focus. Perhaps the change is just a coincidence, as they don’t exactly have a lot of free money lying around, due to the loss of their first round picks. Most of the most exciting prep players in this year’s draft will require a sizable bonus to keep them off college.

Either way this is what they did in the first two days of the draft.

Second Round (55th): Jacob Lindgren, LHP (Mississippi State)

With their first pick in the 2014 MLB Draft the Yankees selected Jacob Lindgren. Lindgren is a college reliever, and in many ways this pick set the theme of the Yankees draft. The Yankees used this draft to take mostly college pitchers who should move through the system quickly. The A’s are a good example of a team that uses this strategy well.

Lindgren was a pretty good pick, and he could potentially be up in the majors at the end of this season. He was regarded as one of the best relievers in the draft, and he had an insane 16.3 k/9 rate in 55.1 innings this season. He really is a special arm, and while the team could’ve have gone for a prep player, this was a nice safe option.

He has two plus pitches a mid-90s fastball, and a curve. He should be used as a late inning high-leverage reliever, and might be able to help this team at the end of the year. Both Fred Lewis and Cesar Cabral have struggled this season, so adding a high-end lefty relief prospect really fills a need.

Third Round (91st): Austin DeCarr, RHP (Salisbury School)
The second day started off really well, as they got a guy they were reportedly looking to draft in the second round. DeCarr is one of the top of the prep prospects from the Northeast. He 19 years old, as he spent a year at prep school, because he was undrafted out of high school. He was undrafted because of an elbow injury, so it’s not that he didn’t have talent.

DeCarr’s fastball sits 92-94, and has touched 96. He has a power curveball which Baseball America claims has plus potential. His third pitch is a changeup and like most prep pitchers he needs to work on it a lot to be a major league pitch. He is the type of prep pitcher they should be taking, as he has some polish, and projectability. MLB.com describes him as a strike thrower, so he is less of a project than many prep players.

Keith Law said he was a good pick in the third round. I agree, as he was pretty highly rated, but he has to sign, and that will take a lot out of the team’s funds. That might be a big reason as to why the team finished off the day the way they did, and took fewer lottery tickets on day 3.

Fourth Round (122nd): Jordan Montgomery, LHP (South Carolina)
The fourth round, was where the Yankees college starter strategy seemed to really come into play. They took a nice college lefty, who did well in the toughest baseball conference in college baseball. Jordan Montgomery may not have the highest ceiling, but he has always outplayed his stuff, and is a good pick. Not only will he probably save the team some money to go after DeCarr, but they also got a pretty good pitcher. Montgomery should fly through this system, and might be one of the team’s better lefty starters by the end of the year. He would give the team yet another back-end of the rotation type lefty, joining Nik Turley, and Matt Tracy, in upper-minors.

Montgomery has throws an 87-92 MPH fastball, a curveball, a cutter, and a changeup. The changeup is his best pitch, and his fastball is an effective pitch, as it has good movement, and he can locate it really well. He needs to work on his cutter, and curve, but for now he is projected to be a back-end starter. Even if he doesn’t improve those pitches he will develop quickly and be ready for the majors relatively soon.

Fifth Round (152nd): Jordan Foley, RHP (Central Michigan)
Like I said weeks ago, this team loves going back and re-selecting players. And Foley may have been the best player to re-draft --though they did have a couple of other good options-- that’s because there are times when Foley really plays like a much better starting pitcher than his final stat line suggests. On occasion he touches 96 MPH, throws a killer slider, and has a good splitter. This combination suggests that he would be a good starter, but he often has trouble putting it all together, and occasionally loses his slider. As a 5^th rounder this is a pretty good selection, and if he’s the type of college player that they select, I don’t mind if they ignore some prep guys.  

Sixth Round (182nd): Jonathan Holder, RHP (Mississippi State)
Holder was actually the closer at Mississippi State, despite the fact that Lindgren is the better prospect. Lindgren was used for multiple innings while he was used just for the 9^th. He did well as a closer and broke the SEC record with 21 saves in 2013. With the need to save money it made a lot of sense to pick a college reliever here. So far he is the second reliever taken by the Yankees.
  
As a reliever he is pretty highly rated and was BA’s 286^th best prospect. BA states that he is a two pitch pitcher; he throws a low 90s fastball, and a low 70s curve. He attacks the zone well, and barely walks anyone.BA described him as a potential 5^th or 6^th round pick, by a performance driven team, so the Yankees taking him makes a lot of sense. The team has done a good job of developing relievers, and have so many that some might be annoyed with the selection, but if they took a prep player here they probably lose the entire slot value. This is the point of the draft that teams go for college picks, so there’s no reason to complain. Holder sounds like he can become a good major league option.

Seventh Round (212th): Mark Payton, CF (Texas)
Payton was the first non-pitcher taken by the Yankees. He is a 5’8’’ senior who did very well in the Big 12. He currently has an on-base streak of 100 games, which is a Big 12 record. He even hit a homer the other day, which is really rare for him. In many ways he resembles current Yankee Taylor Dugas, who is currently in AA. He is rated as BA’s 270^th best prospect. He should be a quick mover, and might start the year at Charleston. As a senior he should allow the Yankees to save some money, which is very important in today’s draft. By saving money here they might have enough money to sway Garret Cave or others into signing.

Eighth Round (242nd): Connor Spencer, 1B (UC-Irvine)
The 8^th round  pick is one where the more I think about it the more intrigued I become. I like that he is described as a hitting-machine. Sure he is a first baseman but truth-be-told first baseman aren’t the type of power hitters they used to be, Freeman, and Loney are both prove that you no longer need power to be a major league first baseman. Furthermore he did hit in a terrible park, and has a frame that suggests he has some untapped power. Why not take him? It’s certainly a nice change of pace, from taking a college reliever, which what they usually take in this round. Maybe he surprises people. The only problem I see with this pick is that the Yankees already have a few other first base prospects, plus they drafted more in this draft. I don’t know where he will start, but I’m confident there will be a crowd at first wherever he goes.

Ninth Round (272nd): Vince Conde, SS (Vanderbilt)
All-SEC shortstop Vince Conde, was the Yankees first up-the-middle draft selection. They usually focus on this area, but with the presence of Thairo Estrada, and Jorge Mateo in Staten Island, and with all the infielders they plan to sign in July, they ignored this area until the 9^th round. Conde is an interesting player, but mostly serves as an under-slot signing. He might not be able to stick at short, and could end up at second base. Baseball America did mention that he has quick hands, and good bat speed, and Aaron Fitt did seem to like him. So maybe there’s more to him, than most seem to think.

Tenth Round (302nd): Ty McFarland, 2B (James Madison)
McFarland was the only player on day 2 that didn’t get a quick-take profile. The reason for this is simply, that I couldn’t find enough info on him, to reach an opinion. He was a good college player, but I have no idea what his true potential is, and all I really know, is that he went to a pre-draft with the Yankees and seemed to do well-enough to get picked.

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Game 62: Hiroki Kuroda looks to build off his last start

The Yankees still aren't playing well right now, and they just need some sort of winning streak to help them turn their season around. Just one game above .500, the Yankees enter play on Sunday having lost five of their seven games this month, including last night to end a short two-game winning streak.

David Phelps was tagged for a season-high seven runs on 10 hits, as the Yankees fell to the Kansas City Royals, 8-4, in the second game of this four-game series to kick-off a 10-game road trip.

On the bright side for the Yankees, though, not only is Jacoby Ellsbury back to hitting everything throw his way, but Carlos Beltran is back in the Yankees' lineup and collected his first hit last night since coming off of the DL, breaking an 0-for-9 start with a key RBI double in the 6th inning that helped the Yankees to rally back and tie the game with a three-run frame.

Beltran hardly played in any rehab games before rejoining the club this past week, so it was kinda expected that it would take some time to get back into the swing of things. For now, he's only going to be playing as the DH, but eventually will see some time in right field again.

"At some point, we'll try to have him throw, but I just don't have a date," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Today's lineup against Kansas City:

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Carlos Beltran DH
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Brian Roberts 2B
Kelly Johnson 1B

Pitching matchup preview:

If there is any pitcher that the Yankees were counting on to have a big season this year, it was Hiroki Kuroda, who dominated the league during the first half of the 2013 season before falling off the grid in the final six weeks.

Kuroda hasn't been good this so far this season, but is probably coming off of his best start of the year after limiting the A's to one run and two hits in 6 2/3 Tuesday -- his second longest start of the year since going eight innings against the Los Angels Angels back on May 8.

Kuroda is 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA when pitching on four days' rest this season, compared to being 1-3 with a 4.83 ERA otherwise. It's four days rest for him today.

As for the Royals, they'll be giving the ball to their ace, James Shields, who  has given up 17 runs (15 earned) in three straight no-decisions. Shields had won six of the seven starts prior to that and has seen his ERA jump from 2.67 to 3.68.

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MLB Draft: Yankees go back to school, focusing mainly on college kids

The 2014 MLB Draft has come and gone. The Yankees didn't have have a first round pick, but they still have 39 selections overall, and their draft strategy was pretty clear: college kids, and if they could pitch, all the better. Of the Yankees' 39 selections, there were 24 pitchers, nine infielders, four outfielders and two catchers -- 32 were from college and seven were high schoolers.

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Yankees Minor League Recap: Rob Refsnyder continues to rake in Double-A

Triple-A Scranton: W 3-1 vs. Toledo Mud Hens

1B Jose Pirela 0-4, K
RF Adonis Garcia 1-4, HR, RBI -- his fifth homer of the season
LF Zoilo Almonte 1-4, HR, RBI, K -- his eighth homer of the season
DH Kyle Roller 0-2, 2 BB, K
C Austin Romine 0-3

Brian Gordon 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Preston Claiborne 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K - 1.00 ERA w/ SWB

Double-A Trenton: W 4-1 vs. Altoona Curve

CF Mason Williams 2-4, double
LF Ben Gamel 2-4, double, K
C Gary Sanchez 1-4, 3 K
DH Peter O'Brien 0-4, K
3B Tyler Austin 0-3, K, HBP
2B Rob Refsnyder 2-3, K - on fire lately, 20 for his last 40

Shawn Kelley 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Matt Tracy 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP

High-A Tampa: L 1-4 vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs

CF Jake Cave 0-4
SS Cito Culver 1-3, double
1B Greg Bird 0-2, 2 BB, K, E3 - made his second fielding error of the season
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-2, 2 BB
2B Jose Rosario 2-3, CS, E4 - made his first fielding error of the season

Jaron Long 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - gave up two homers in his High-A debut after allowing no homers in 49.1 innings at Low-A
Stefan Lopez 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: L 0-4 vs. Savannah Sand Gnats

LF Michael O'Neill 0-4, K
SS Tyler Wade 0-3, K
RF Aaron Judge 1-4, double, 2 K
3B Miguel Andujar 0-4, 2 K
2B Gosuke Katoh 2-3, double

Brady Lail 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K, WP
Rony Bautista 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

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Yankees 4, Royals 8: David Phelps allows season-worst seven runs

Even after the Yankees scored three runs in the 6th inning to tie the game, David Phelps gave those runs right back, as the Bombers fell to the Kansas City Royals, 8-3, on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals roughed up Phelps throughout his start, tagging him for three runs in the 2nd and four runs in the 6th to give give him a season-worst seven earned runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings.

Kansas City took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning against Phelps. Billy Butler doubled to open the inning, then Alex Gordon followed with a double to bring him home. After Salvador Perez singled, Lorenzo Cain singled to score Perez, putting the Royals up 2-0. Mike Moustakas dropped down a bunt to move the runners over, then Alcides Escobar singled to drive in the third run.

After stranding runners on first and second with two outs in the 5th, the Yankees finally got to Royals starter Danny Duffy in the 6th, taking three runs on the board to tie the game.

Derek Jeter singled with one out, and two batters later, Mark Teixeira walked to put runners, once again, on first and second with two outs. But this time, the Yankees capitalized. Carlos Beltran picked up his first hit since coming off of the DL after starting 0-for-9, doubling to right to score Jeter.

Then the next batter, Yangervis Solarte, singled into center field to drive in both Beltran and Teixeira, evening the game at 3-3.

The Yankees and Royals didn't stay even for long, though, as Kansas City would come out swinging the in the bottom of the 6th against Phelps.

Phelps opened the inning by walking Butler and Gordon, then Perez made him pay for those walks, hitting a three-run homerun to left field, putting the Royals back on top, 6-3. Cain tripled off of Phelps immediately following the homerun, and after finally recording the first two outs of the inning, Norichika Aoki singled to make it a 7-3 game.

That was the end of Phelps' awful night, as Matt Daley then took over. Daley finished the 6th, gave up a solo homerun to Eric Hosmer to open the 7th, then gave the ball to Jose Ramirez with two outs in that inning. Ramirez walked one in the 8th, but nothing more than that in 1.1 innings of work.

The Yankees were able to add a run in the 9th when Brian Roberts grounded out to score Solarte, who doubled to open the inning then moved to third base on an Ichiro single, from third base, cutting the deficit to 8-4.

With the loss, the Yankees fall to 31-30 on the season, and will look to stay above .500 tomorrow when they send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face James Shields at 2:10 pm ET.

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Game 61: Yankees going for a third straight win

The Yankees kicked off their 10-game road trip last night on a good note, beating the Kansas City Royals thanks to seven innings of two-run ball from Chase Whitley, and a bases-clearing double in the 3rd inning by Brian McCann that turned out to be the difference-maker for the Bombers.

That win puts them on a two-game wining streak, as this four-game series continues tonight on FOX at 7:15 pm ET with David Phelps and Danny Duffy squaring off.

Derek Jeter is back in the Yankees' lineup after sitting out last night following being in the lineup seven straight games. Because Jeter was out, Joe Girardi was able to have Jacoby Ellsbury lead off last night with Brett Gardner batting second. I really liked the lineup that way, and think it should be like that more often, as Ellsbury and Gardner can use their speed at the top of the lineup to create runs.

But as long as Jeter is healthy, we probably won't see much of that with him always batting second.

Ellsbury, by the way, has been hitting the ball a lot better over the past couple of weeks, even as the No. 3 hitter. He enters tonight's game on an eleven game hitting streak going, and over the span is batting over .400 (17-43).

Pitching match-up preview

David Phelps will get the ball for the Yankees tonight as he looks to follow up Whitley's quality performance last night. Phelps (1-3, 4.11 ERA) had one of his worst outings of the season Monday against the Mariners, as he was tagged for six runs in six-plus innings, while walking three and hitting a batter in the loss.

Phelps has only received an average of 2.89 runs of support in his six starts, so hopefully the Yankees' offense will give him something to work with tonight, rather than the usual lack of support.

Danny Duffy will be Ned Yost's starter tonight. Duffy is looking to turn things around after giving up 11 runs total in his last two starts, which have come after he took a perfect game into the 7th inning against the Baltimore Orioles on May 17th.

Game thread: Lots going on in the sports world tonight. Obviously you can use the comment section below to talk about tonight's game, or even the Belmont Stakes, Stanley Cup (Go Rangers!) and US Men's National Team game against Nigeria. Let's chat, you guys.

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Yankees' lineup vs Royals: Derek Jeter back after day off

The Yankees and Royals continue this four-game series tonight at Kauffman Stadium. Derek Jeter is back in the lineup after sitting out the series opener last night. With Jeter back, Jacoby Ellsbury slides back down into the three-hole after batting leadoff on Friday, and Brett Gardner leading off again. I liked it better when Ellsbury and Gardner were the 1-2 punch, but Joe Girardi must not want to move Jeter down because, well, he's Jeter.

1. Brett Gardner LF
2. Derek Jeter SS
3. Jacoby Ellsbury CF
4. Mark Teixeira 1B
5. Carlos Beltran DH
6. Yangervis Solarte 3B
7. Alfonso Soriano RF
8. Brian Roberts 2B
9. John Ryan Murphy C

David Phelps will be on the hill for the Yankees tonight. Full primer coming later.

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Kendrys Morales not waiting for the Yankees, signs with Minnesota

With his draft pick compensation finally gone thanks to the passing of the start of the MLB Draft, Kendrys Morales has signed with the Minnesota Twins, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Yankees had been interested in Morales, according to Heyman in the past, but will hate to find lineup help elsewhere.

The Yankees, like I just said, were interested in him with injury concerns surrounding Mark Teixeira's wrist and Carlos Beltran's elbow.

Heyman said a couple days ago that the Yankees asked Morales and his agent, Scott Boras, to hold off on signing with a team while they evaluate the health of both Teixeira and Beltran, but obvisouly that wasn't happening after Morales had already waited through the first two months of the season to sign.

I thought that Morales would have been a decent signing for the Yankees, but only in the case that Beltran needed surgery and couldn't play. He's not an option anymore, though, so now it's time to start looking at the trade market, I guess.

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MLB Draft: Yankees select 1B Bo Thompson 392nd overall

Going with a couple of big first baseman back-to-back, the Yankees used the 392 pick to take 5-10, 255 pound right-handed first baseman Bo Thompson out of The Citadel in South Carolina.

Thompson played in 56 games in college this past season, hitting 14 homeruns with 52 RBIs, while batting just under .300 at .299. It's clear the Mark Teixeira won't be around forever, so the Yankees seem to be piling up on first baseman, hoping that any one of them will break out and be their next big thing at first base.

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MLB Draft: Yankees select 1B Chris Grittens 362nd overall

With the 362nd pick (12th round) in the MLB Draft, the Yankees selected another college guy, first baseman Chris Gittens out of Grayson County College, a Junior College school.

Grittens' stat page on the official JuCo website says that he was also a pitcher in college, but the Yankees drafted him as a first baseman, so it seems like that's where he play as he tries to work his way through the farm system.

He's a big guy at 6-2, 250 pounds and hit .404 this past season with Greyson County, hitting three homeruns and driving in 42 runs in 41 games.

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MLB Draft: Yankees select RHP Matthew Borens 332nd overall

With the 332nd pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, the Yankees selected Matthew Bornes, another college pitcher, a right-hander out of Eastern Illinois. The 6-7, 195 pound righty entered Eastern Illinois as a reliever his freshman year, but converted into a starter over the next two seasons, making 15 starts in 2014 with a 3.39 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 109 innings.

As we can see here, the Yankees are going with another college pitcher, which they seem to be doing a lot of in this draft, a plan they probably had figured out going in. My guess, they would go after more college players with the hopes that they would be a little more ready and could possibly get through the system quicker than most high school players.

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Yankees 4, Royals 2: Chase Whitley tosses seven innings for fist MLB win

By: Gavin Ewbank | Lead Writer

Chase Whitley went through his first four big league starts without picking up a decision or making it past five innings. He accomplished both of those feats on Friday night, holding the Kansas City Royals to two-runs over seven innings in the Yankees' 4-2 victory over the Royals in the first of a four-game set this weekend at Kauffman Stadium.

The Yankees scored four runs in the first three innings, and didn't manage to get any more runners across the pate for the rest of the game after that, but Whitley and the bullpen made sure that wasn't an issue.

Brian Roberts put the Yankees up 1-0 in the 2nd inning on a two-out single to center field that scored Mark Teixeira, who singled to open the inning then moved over to second base on an Brian McCann groundout.

The Royals, though, tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom half of the 2nd inning on an single off the bat of Salvador Perez following an Alex Gordon double.

The Yankees re-took the lead in the 3rd inning after Jeremy Guthrie loaded the bases with one out. Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner singled back-to-back to open the frame -- and I want to note that Ellsbury was batting leadoff for the first time in forever with Derek Jeter on the bench tonight, and I really like those two together at the top of the lineup, creating runs with their speed -- then after Carlos Beltran grounded out to move the runners over, Mark Teixeira was hit by a Guthrie pitch to load the bases.

A batter later, McCann slapped a ball the other way into left field, getting all the way into the left field corner for a bases-clearing double, as McCann ended up at third base when the thrown from the cut-off man went to the plate, putting the Yanks up 4-1.. McCann might not be hitting too many homeruns this season, but he sure is going to the opposite field.

Whitley was able to hold that three-run lead for the next couple of innings before the Royals tagged him for one more run in the 5th.

Gordon singled then stole second base to kick off the inning, then two batters later, Lorenzo Cain singled into center field, scoring Gordon to cut the lead to 4-2. Ellsbury threw the ball back into Brendan Ryan around the edge of the infield, and Cain caught Roberts sleeping, taking second with nobody at the bag. It was alright, though, because he didn't score.

Whitley made it through that inning, as well as the 6th and the 7th, finishing his best start as a big league pitcher since being called up back in May. He gave up just the two runs on five hits, striking out three without a walk on 87 pitches.

This was his fifth start this season, and I must say that I really like this kid. He's not the kind of guy that is going to end up as a second of third starter down the road, but I do think he is very quality, and as long as he can start getting past five innings in each start, he can be a very solid No. 4 starter going forward, possibly.

Joe Girardi handed the ball to Dellin Betances to begin the 8th. He struck out the first two batters -- because that's what he does -- then gave up a double to Alcides Escobar before getting a groundout to end the inning.

Betances then gave way to David Robertson, who locked down his 14th save of the season. He put on his best Betances impression by striking out the first two batters, but then put on his best Robertson impression by making the game far more interesting than it should have been. He gave up a double to Billy Butler, then walked Gordon on four pitchers before getting Perez to groundout to Yangervis Solarte to end the game.

The Yankees and Royals will continue this four-game series on Saturday night at 7:15 pm ET with David Phelps and Danny Duffy squaring off in that contest.

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