:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/16317031/20130711_jla_sv7_256.0.jpg)
Probables
- Friday, 7:05 pm: Scott Diamond vs. Hiroki Kuroda
- Saturday, 1:05 pm: Samuel Deduno vs. Phil Hughes
- Sunday, 1:05pm: Kyle Gibson vs. C.C. Sabathia
Yankees Notes
- ALL HAIL JETER! IT'S JETERMAS! JETERSPLOSION! JETERAVAGANZA! Well, maybe not, I guess, but Derek Jeter returned to the lineup Thursday against the Royals. He hit a single, which reportedly was greeted with the fervor of a World Series home run.
- Idle side note: When Derek Jeter retires, will the Twins present him with a gift, a la Mariano Rivera? I'm trying to figure out what the gift should be. Maybe a case of Crystal Pepsi, in honor of his fielding, which is also way overhyped given how awful it truly is.
- By the way, center fielder Brett Gardner and first baseman / DH / all-around Pronk Travis Hafner are both day-to-day, so that might take out two more of the guys you've heard of from the New York lineup. Get ready for the Twins to get swept by a lineup that's even more anonymous than the spring-training, split-squad, road-game nine that beat the pants off the Twins in Minneapolis last week.
Twins Notes
- The Twins have never won a series at Yankee Stadium under Ron Gardenhire, and I suppose there is a non-zero chance that this will be their last opportunity to do so. It's been 12 years, since the happy but ultimately fruitless year of 2001, since Minnesota took a series in New York.
- Michael Tonkin pitched awfully well, after replacing Caleb Theilbar when the latter went on the bereavement list. Prepare for a controversy when ol' Meat Raffle gets back.
- Oswaldo Arcia, in 42 July plate appearances, has six singles, two walks, and a double, for a sub-Butera .414 OPS. He's also struck out 13 times, nearly one out of every three trips to the plate. In many ways, he's having the opposite season to Aaron Hicks, who in the same span has an All-Star-esque .915 OPS (in 39 plate appearances).
- Another split: Brian Dozier, who is hitting at the top of the lineup again, has a .377 OBP since June 1. He's also slugging nearly .500 in that span, and his .868 OPS is best on the Twins and 20th overall in the American League.