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Game 51: A Rare Sabathia Start in Toronto

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(Al Bello/Getty)
(Al Bello/Getty)

Here’s a weird stat I stumbled across today: CC Sabathia has started only two games at Rogers Centre since 2011. Part of that is just luck of the draw. If he’s not scheduled to pitch in the series, he’s not scheduled to pitch. Some of it is by design though. Last year the Yankees went out of their way to shuffle their rotation so Sabathia would avoid the Blue Jays. Given his ineffectiveness and their powerhouse offense, it made sense.

Now? Now Sabathia is pitching better than he has at any point since 2012 thanks to his new cutter/sinker approach, among other things. It’s only seven starts, but a 2.83 ERA (2.99 FIP) in 41.1 innings is best case scenario stuff from the big man. Hopefully the offense gives him more support tonight than they did last time out, when they wasted his gem against these same Blue Jays. Here is Toronto’s lineup and here is the Yankees’ lineup:

  1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury
  2. RF Rob Refsnyder
  3. 1B Mark Teixeira
  4. DH Carlos Beltran
  5. 2B Starlin Castro
  6. 3B Chase Headley
  7. C Austin Romine
  8. SS Didi Gregorius
  9. LF Aaron Hicks
    LHP CC Sabathia

Pleasant weather in Toronto this afternoon, so I imagine the Rogers Centre roof will be open. This evening’s game will begin at 7pm ET and you can watch on YES. Enjoy.

Injury Update: Dustin Ackley (shoulder) will indeed have season-ending labrum surgery. Sucks. That most likely ends his time with the Yankees. He was a non-tender candidate before the injury and the torn labrum makes it a lock. Ackley will be transferred to the 60-day DL the next time the team needs a 40-man roster spot.

All-Star Voting Update: MLB released the first fan voting update for the AL All-Star Game starters this afternoon. Here are the results. Brian McCann is second among catchers — it’s a distant second, he’s nearly 800,000 votes behind Salvador Perez — and Beltran is 11th among outfielders. No other Yankees are among the top five vote getters at their positions. Spoiler alert: the Yankees will not have an All-Star Game starter for the second straight year after having at least one every year from 2000-14. Here’s the ballot if you want to vote anyway.

Quick hits: Joe Girardi, Teixeira’s All Star chances

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By Joe: No topic divides a fanbase quite like the debate over the franchise’s current manager. It takes some serious string of winning, a la Joe Torre in the late 90s, for a manager to get near universal approval. Joe Girardi has not come close to achieving that. Fans take issue with him for some reason or another; some legitimate, some a bit less than. Gary Armida, formerly of the excellent FullCountPitch.com and now writing for NY Baseball Digest, takes a look at the situation. He’s not a fan, so he’s a bit more detached. The conclusion is mostly positive, though Armida is not hesitant to point out the skipper’s flaws. His best line: “It’s time to let go of the Torre era and realize that there is a manager in place who has grown from mistakes and isn’t afraid to try new things.” As with most things Armida, I suggest a full read.

By Ben: With just 54 hours and 30 minutes left until All Star voting closes, Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis are locked in a close battle. While last week Teixeira had the lead, this week, the Red Sox’s first baseman — who actually manned third for the past week — has a slim 40,000-vote lead. To get Teixeira to St. Louis, Yankee fans will have to vote their requisite 25 times a day between now and Thursday night. Voting is here. Vote also for Ian Kinsler too. He leads Dustin Pedroia by 7000 votes. Unseating an undeserved Josh Hamilton would be a-OK with me too.

Yanks’ protest denied; Teixeira leads in All Star voting

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Just a few quick notes before the game thread: MLB has denied the Yanks’ protest of Sunday’s game. Joe Girardi filed a formal complaint with the league on Sunday after the Marlins messed up a double switch. The denial is unsurprising; I can’t pinpoint the exact date, but it’s been around two decades since the Commissioner upheld a protest.

In other news, Mark Teixeira leads AL first basemen in the All Star voting. After finding himsef 1300 votes behind Kevin Youkilis last week, the Yanks’ slugger now has a 35,632-vote cushion. While Joe Mauer has himself a comfortable lead, Jason Varitek is second, and 1,108,054 fans think Varitek is an All Star. Remember: This time it counts!

Spectacular ratings for an All Star spectacle

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The numbers are in, and this week’s 15-inning All Star marathon at Yankee Stadium was a huge ratings hit. As Maury Brown at the Biz of Baseball reports, an estimated 14.54 million viewers watched the game, the most viewers of the Mid-Summer Classic in the last six years. Brown also notes that Monday’s Home Run Derby was the highest rated cable TV broadcast of the year and that merchandise sales — including the popular Statues on Parade — and FanFest attendance reached record highs as well. Brown does offer up an interesting question to ponder: How can MLB top this year’s Yankee Stadium send-off next year and in years to come?

Other undeserving All Stars

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We’ve been making quite the to-do over the Jason Varitek All Star selection. After all, it’s not everyday that someone hitting .218/.299/.354 with an OPS+ of 71 and a VORP of -2.6 gets to play in the Midsummer Classic. But is Jason Varitek the worst All Star ever? Al Doyle at The Baseball Analysts and Craig Brown at The Hardball Times look at some of the worst All Star selections of all time and the last 30 years, respectively. Varitek may not be the worst, but he certainly ranks up there.