Game 13 Yanks-Sawx Live Blog

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

There's been a lot to like from this first Yankees-Red Sox series of the 2014 season.  The Yanks have gotten generally good starting pitching in all 3 games, with only a few bad pitches making CC and Hirok's lines look worse than they actually pitched.  The D-Rob-less bullpen has looked very good, with Dellin Betances and Adam Warren looking more and more like legitimate middle relief weapons.  And the middle of the order is starting to come around now that Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano are hitting consistently and Brian McCann broke out of his early slump with 2 jacks on Saturday.

The perfect capper to this positive series would be a victory tonight to secure the series victory, and that's a perfect situation for the first AB4AR live blog of 2014.  By now you know there won't be any Jeter in tonight's lineup.  Here's how the Yankee will look without him:

1) Brett Gardner- LF
2) Carlos Beltran- RF
3) Jacoby Ellsbury- CF
4) Alfonso Soriano- DH
5) Brian McCann- C
6) Yangervis Solarte- 2B
7) Kelly Johnson- 3B
8) Francisco Cervelli- 1B
9) Dean Anna- SS

SP) Ivan Nova

First pitch is a little over a half hour away.  Live blog goes live after the jump.

Yanks-Sawx Game 150 "Season On The Line" Live Blog

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees enter play tonight 2.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the second Wild Card spot.  They're 3 games back in the loss column, so even though they wouldn't mathematically be eliminated with a series-sweeping loss at the hands of the Red Sox tonight, to be 4 down in the loss column with 12 to play would be a Herculean task for this team to undertake.  The Yankees need a win tonight to keep their postseason hopes alive and they needed something good to happen to get some positive vibes going.  Guys are hurt left and right, pitchers are tired, the offense is sputtering, so how about we get a good old fashioned live blog going tonight to start the vibing?  Here's the Yankee starting lineup:

1) Curtis Granderson- CF
2) Alex Rodriguez- DH
3) Robinson Cano- 2B
4) Alfonso Soriano- LF
5) Lyle Overbay- 1B
6) Mark Reynolds- 3B
7) Ichiro Suzuki- RF
8) Brendan Ryan- SS
9) Chris Stewart- C

And taking the ball for this critically important game is Ivan Nova.  How will his triceps hold up?  Will he be able to put Boston's hitters away and give Joe some length?  We'll see.  ESPN will be showing the pregame ceremony for Mo prior to first pitch, so check back around that time for the start of the live blog.

Sunday Night Yanks-O's "Might As Well Watch This Ship Go Down" Live Blog

(So appropriate)

The Yankees and the Orioles are the ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" game tonight, and as much as it pains me to have to watch with the way they're playing right now, I can't not watch them when I have the chance.  So with the play on the field being of little entertainment, I figured I could try to make tonight's game a little more watchable with the first live blog since Opening Day.  The Yanks send Hiroki Kuroda to the hill tonight to try to salvage something from this series.  Here's the lineup that will attempt to support him:

1) Brett Gardner- CF
2) Ichiro Suzuki- RF
3) Robinson Cano- 2B
4) Travis Hafner- DH
5) Zoilo Almonte- LF
6) Lyle Overbay- 1B
7) Jayson Nix- SS
8) Chris Stewart- C
9) David Adams- 3B

First pitch is set for a little after 8 PM EST/7 PM Central.  Live blog will start sometime shortly before then.

AB4AR 2013 "Yanks-Sawx" Opening Day Live Blog

(Courtesy of the Yankees' PR team)

Welp, here goes nothing.  If nothing else, today's Opening Day game should be interesting.  The Yankees' recent roster moves and decision making when it comes to them can be questioned at a later date.  All that matters right now is the return of Yankee baseball to our everyday lives!  And what better way to commemorate the start of the 2013 season than with a good old-fashioned AB4AR live blog?

It doesn't come with quite the sizzle as it usually does, but Yankees-Fraud Sawx is still the premiere rivalry in MLB and a perfect way to really kick off the start of the season.  The lines are painted, the house should be packed, Sweet Lou is throwing out the first pitch, and the beer is cold.  Here's today's starting lineup for the Yankees:

1) Brett Gardner- CF
2) Eduardo Nunez- SS
3) Robinson Cano- 2B
4) Kevin Youkilis- 3B
5) Vernon Wells- LF
6) Ben Francisco- DH
7) Ichiro Suzuki- RF
8) Jayson Nix- 3B
9) Francisco Cervelli- C

And on the mound, making his fifth consecutive Opening Day start, CC Sabathia.  He'll square off against fellow lefty Jon Lester, with first pitch scheduled for 1:08 PM Eastern/12:08 PM Central.  Live blog will start sometime before then, likely around 11:30-11:45 my time when I get home from the office and get settled in.  If you're unlucky enough to not be at The Stadium and stuck at work, keep the "refresh" button handy and join in the fun.

AB4AR Yanks-Sawx "Return Of Swish" Live Blog

(Pimp juice.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

It was implied when Joe used him as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 9th last night, and it was made official when tonight's lineup was posted.  Nick Swisher is back.  Not all the way back, as he's the DH tonight and not playing his usual spot in right field, but being healthy enough to swing the bat and run the bases is a step in the right direction and the Yankees could certainly use Swish back in the lineup to help lengthen it a bit.

The Bombers are looking to bounce back from last night's 9th inning disappointment to get the series win, and based on the way he pitched last time out, they've got the right man for the job in Hiroki Kuroda.  There's some weather in the area again, which is good if you're looking for a symbolic final cleansing of last night's loss but not so great if you're live blogging the game like me and hoping that rain delays don't drag this thing out until midnight.  Hopefully the heavy stuff clears through and stays away once the game starts.

Yankee Starting Lineup-

1) Derek Jeter- SS
2) Curtis Granderson- CF
3) Mark Teixeira- 1B
4) Robinson Cano- 2B
5) Nick Swisher- DH
6) Andruw Jones- LF
7) Russell Martin- C
8) Ichiro Suzuki- RF
9) Jayson Nix- 3B

SP) Hiroki Kuroda- RHP

First pitch is scheduled for just after 8PM Eastern/7PM Central.  Regardless of Mother Nature's cooperation in making that happen, I'll be back sometime right around 7 to kick this live blog off right.  Go Yankees!

AB4AR "Parachute Pants vs. Knuckle Dick" Subway Series Live Blog

The decision to do another live blog was a pretty easy one to make once I knew tonight's pitching matchup was Carsten Charles and Robert Alan.  I've listened to everybody on ESPN fall all over themselves praising R.A. Dickey for the past couple weeks and declaring him the no-doubt NL ASG starter over guys like Greinke, Strasburg, and Cain, who are having just as good if not better seasons, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for CC and the Yankee offense knock Dickey down a peg tonight.  CC is coming off a much more CC-like complete game win against Atlanta on Monday, and if he has that 4-seamer working again tonight he could really chew up this Mets lineup.

NYY Starting Lineup:

1) Derek Jeter- SS
2) Curtis Granderson- CF
3) Alex Rodriguez- 3B
4) Robinson Cano- 2B
5) Mark Teixeira- 1B
6) Nick Swisher- RF
7) Raul Ibanez- LF
8) Chris Stewart- C
9) CC Sabathia- P

First pitch should be about 8:07PM Eastern/7:07 Central, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that it's a knuckleball.  Live blog kicks off about 30 minutes before that, so I should have plenty of time to get a few jabs in at John Kruk or whoever is in the BBTN studio tonight.  Come join me, won't you?



(I wanted to go with the Ron Burgundy, "we're on the air?  Right now?  I don't believe you" line here, but I couldn't find it)

Yanks-Braves "Sweepin' In The South" Live Blog

It's been a while since I've done a live running blog for a game.  In fact, for the last one I did in March the game didn't even count, so this is an even more monumental occasion and the timing couldn't be better.  The Yankees are playing good baseball right now, they're on top of the AL East, and they're going for their 2nd consecutive sweep.  The only thing that could potentially ruin this situation is if ESPN has a crummy announce team (which they will).  But it's not like this will be the first time I've bagged on ESPN.

Tonight's Lineup:

1) Derek Jeter- SS
2) Curtis Granderson- CF
3) Alex Rodriguez- 3B
4) Robinson Cano- 2B
5) Mark Teixeira- 1B
6) Raul Ibanez- LF
7) Nick Swisher- RF
8) Russell Martin- C
9) Hiroki Kuroda- P

First pitch is scheduled for just after 7PM Eastern/6PM Central, so check back around then and we'll kick this thing off.  It's going to cut into my usual writing time for the posts that I have to put up tomorrow, but fuck it.  WE'LL DO IT LIVE!!!



** Live blog starts after the jump **

Yanks-Sawx "First Televised Game I Get To Watch This Year" Live Blog

(F*ck you, Saltalamacchia.  Courtesy of The AP) 

It's only Spring Training, there are only three regulars in the Yankee lineup (Gardner, C-Grand, Ibanez), and Adam Warren is the starting pitcher for the Yanks, so obviously this game means less than nothing.  But it's being televised on ESPN, which means I have the ability to finally watch some live Yankee baseball this year, and that means it's the perfect opportunity for the first official AB4AR live blog of the season!

Coverage starts at 7PM EST/6PM Central, with first pitch some time right after that.  Come hang out, check in, and feel free to add a comment or two.  I'm more than capable of entertaining myself with bad jokes and commentary on how bad Ibanez's swing looks, but it's always more fun with more people.  If nothing else, we can laugh at what I'm sure will be ridiculously one-sided, Bobby V ball-licking commentary from the announcers together.

Yankee Starting Lineup-

1) Brett Gardner- LF
2) Curtis Granderson- CF
3) Andruw Jones- RF
4) Eric Chavez-3B
5) Raul Ibanez- DH
6) Brandon Laird- 1B
7) Jose Gil- C
8) Ramiro Pena- 2B
9) Doug Bernier- SS

SP) Adam Warren- RHP

Fraud Sawx Starting Lineup-

Who gives a damn?