Blake Snell looked impressive in his Major League debut, holding the Yankees to one run on two hits and a walk over five innings on Saturday, while striking out six. “I just settled in, and it felt like it felt my whole life when I went out there and pitched,” Snell told reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Snell has already been optioned back to Triple-A since the Rays only needed him for one start (due to Erasmo Ramirez being needed in the bullpen) but it seems quite likely that you’ll see Snell back in the Show later this season. Here’s some more from around the AL East…
- Aaron Hicks will be out of action for four-to-five days after receiving a cortisone injection in his left shoulder, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including Dan Martin of the New York Post). Hicks suffered the injury, described as Girardi as traumatic bursitis, when diving for a ball in Friday night’s game. If there’s no improvement shown over the next couple of days, the team could end up placing Hicks on the DL.
- Losing the right-handed hitting Hicks will only worsen the Yankees’ problems against left-handed pitching, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, an issue that developed late in 2015 and seemingly hasn’t been solved after the offseason’s moves. The Yankees entered today’s game with a .235/.324/.315 cumulative line against southpaws, and middling numbers overall against all pitching. A lackluster offense, Sherman notes, isn’t helping the team take advantage of its greatest weapon, the Andrew Miller/Dellin Betances combo at the end of games.
- X-rays were negative on Xander Bogaerts’ right wrist after the Red Sox shortstop was hit by a Luke Gregerson pitch in Friday’s game. Manager John Farrell told reporters (including WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford) that Bogaerts would’ve only been used in an emergency situation today, though the hope is that Bogaerts can return for Sunday’s game. Farrell also provided injury updates on Carson Smith and Eduardo Rodriguez, with Smith possibly on track to return from the DL later this week.
- Some Red Sox fans have already begun to whisper that Farrell should be fired in the wake of the club’s 8-9 start, which Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe considered to be very premature thinking. It’s rare for any team to fire a manager so early in a season, and Cafardo doesn’t think Farrell should be blamed so quickly given how the Sox have faced several pitching injuries.
- It’s already been a busy day for AL East news, as beyond just Yovani Gallardo’s DL stint and Branden Pinder’s UCL tear, more division items were collected in a pair of Notes posts.
How could one realistically expect more from Boston when they have one of the worst rotations in the league? Farrell can’t fix that.
It’s just easier for fans to fire the manager than come to the realization that the team just lacks talent. Same situation in Atl.
Why can’t it be both? The talent isn’t that good and Farrell sucks as manager. Team played better second half of last year after Farrell went down with cancer. Would the Sox be an elite team without Farrell running the ship? Nope. But they would still be in a better place without him.
Not for nothing but Farrell was once donned the ‘pitching whisperer’ in Beantown…..granted he’s been given some mediocre talent via free agency to work with but with the alleged young arms the sox have, one would think that the talents that led to his ultimate hiring as a manager would equate to an improved pitching staff….then again, you can’t get blood out of a stone
How can losing Hicks hurt the Yankees offensively? He has been absolutely atrocious with the bat.
He hasn’t been giving a chance for consistency. Girardi is jerking him in and out of lineups. He needs to play. Gardner needs to sit
Get a clue. Outside of Beltran, Gardner has been the teams best hitter so far. He had the tying and wining RBIs, yesterday, and he has an obp of over .425. Hicks has been invisible at the plate. Hicks and Ellsbury should also not be playing CF over Gardner. Clueless Joe strikes, again.
All about the Red Sox and Yankees…….
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It’s a little early to be firing Farrell, unless you buy into the trope that the Red Sox are so deep and talented that they can never lose 9 out of 17 games. That’s just not the real world. As for the Yankees, they are clearly treading water this year and probably next, until more of their ill-advised contracts shear off.
Not sure how you define “early.” It’s early in 2016, for sure, but Farrell has is entering his sixth season as a big-league manager. Save for one anomalous season (2013) his record as manager has been underwhelming.
Mr Ferrell has not arrived here and to this point in 20 games, two last place teams get you a very short leash, plus remember the SP staff totally stunk last year til they got to the end of July when Farrell left the team with cancer issues and wow it was like a light turned on, the whole team started playing better. Things have been slowly creeping out of Boston that the players are not thrilled with the MGR ….and then there is the bust Chris Young. He got pulled for a pinch hitter yesterday…patience has worn thin with him. Interesting to see where this ends up. So when will the light turn on? With this staff who knows…time for Mr Price to start earning his money and be the leader on this staff he is supposed to be…..go Sox!!