Jose Veras was his typical lights out stuff again. He came in in the ninth, and promptly allowed two earned runs on two hits thanks to a Shin Soo Choo home run. He boosted his ERA to a just dominant ERA of 6.97. That's below 7...INCREDIBLE! He sure is Mr. Reliable eh? What with his 14 walks in 20.1 innings, and 1.60 WHIP, who could be better?
And that Brett Tomko has been so useful in the 'pen as well. Since his call up on May 9th he's made a total of 5 appearances (his last being May 24th) and has totaled 4.1 innings with a 4.15 ERA. The ERA's fine right? Well yeah. But what about how opposing hitters are hitting .313 on him. Yes, .313. His 1.62 WHIP is ridiculous as well. Sure, its 4.1 innings. But don't you think that there is a REASON why its only been 4.1 innings?
Meanwhile...in Scranton....
Future closer Mark Melancon has a 1.93 ERA in 18.2 innings. Oh, he's struck out 23 batters in those 18.2 innings and only walked 5. But obviously Veras has been more helpful eh?
Zach Kroenke, a phenomenal lefty, has a 1.17 ERA. ONE POINT ONE SEVEN! He's struck out 16 in his 23 innings pitched allowing 14 hits and 14 walks. But hey, We'd rather have that oh so useful Brett Tomko....
I've been sounding off on the bullpen situation for a while, but these moves make sense.Get rid of Jose Veras. He is just a waste of a roster spot. Plain and simple. I'd trade him for half a bag of Doritos. And Tomko, if we aren't going to use him then let him go.
We also have Angel Berroa on the major league roster. Angel Berroa who has 2 hits in his 12 at bats this year, hasn't drawn a walk, struckout 3 times (yes that is one time more than he's gotten a hit), He hasn't stolen a base either. We only bring him in as a late inning defensive replacement, but why don't we just let Pena do that? There is zero reason to keep him on the roster. Especially when at triple A we have guys that could be useful. Guys like Shelley Duncan who has shelled 18 home runs so far this year, Todd Linden who sports a .385 OBP is slugging .518, and has stolen three bases in three attempts, and John Rodriguez with his .391 OBP and .555 SLG. These guys can actually hit a baseball, something Berroa doesn't quite understand how to do. Sure these guys can't play the infield, but you can put them at the plate and know that there is some chance they might get on base, whereas with Berroa you just have to hope the "Sonic Boom" from Backyard Baseball(the one where all the fielders fall asleep) comes to life and works, then he might, maybe, might, possibly, may haps, just might reach base.
Brian Cashman, if you are reading this....pay attention. Get rid of Veras. Get rid of Tomko. Get rid of Berroa. Call up Melancon, Kroenke, and one of your three mashing triple A outfielders. Its just simple logic. I'm going to preach this until you listen. I said a while back, to bring up David Robertson, and guess what...since he's been back he's throw 2.2 perfect innings, and struck out three. You've got strong young players. Use them Cashman. Use them!
5/31/09
5/29/09
All-Stars
At first Teixeira trails in the voting (3rd place) by about 120,000 votes. He needs to beat out Miguel Cabrera (2nd Place) and Kevin Youkilis (1st place).
Robby Cano is fourth in the voting for second base behind Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, and Aaron Hill. Robby is about 267,000 votes behind the 1st Place Kinsler.
Derek Jeter is the highest vote getter in the AL so far with 664,630 votes. The second place shortstop, Marco Scutaro only has 273, 589 votes.
Alex Rodriguez, believe it or not, is third in the voting for third base, but don't expect to see him in the game as Evan Longoria has a lead of almost 420,000 votes.
Even with his injury Jorge Posada is fourth in the standings for catcher. He trails Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and Jason Varitek. If Jorge plays like he usually does upon his return he might be able to get to the top, but Martinez and Mauer have been incredible and both deserve the start more than Jorge. Posada trails Mauer by about 104,000 votes.
The outfield has Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton, and Ichiro as the top vote-getters. Damon is the only Yankee outfielder in the top 15 coming in at 11th. Damon is having a great year, but he most likely won't win a spot.
If I were to pick up a ballot right now my American League votes would be as follows:
C Joe Mauer
He's hitting over .400, has an OBP of .496, and is slugging over .800. Those are like video game stats. Just ridiculous. Add in that he is a phenomenal fielder (remember that dive play to tag out B-Gard and prolong the game). This is the easiest decision on the ballot.
1B Miguel Cabrera
.366/.428/.594. That is a stellar line. Now, Teixeira has more homers than Miggy, but Tex's .382 OBP, although phenomenal, isn't anything compared to Miggy's .428. Tex also has 12 more strikeouts than Miggy. So Cabrera gets the nod from me.
2B Ian Kinsler
He's hit 13 home runs and stolen 10 bases already. With his 2 triples and 11 doubles he's managed to slug .569. Don't forget that he's improved his defense drastically this year as well. I've heard the arguments of The Ballpark in Arlington being a hitters park, but Kinsler is a phenomenal player, there is no getting around that.
3B Evan Longoria
Surprised? Probably not. Like everyone else in baseball I'm a Longoria fan. The kid has 12 homers this year to go with his .324/.395/.622 line. He's also one of the best defensive thrid basemen in the game. I don't usually endorse using RBI's to judge a player's value, but his 51 ribbies this early in the year are impressive. He'll get the nod from me.
SS Derek Jeter
He's the captain. We know he's never used steroids. He's a class act. He's an all star game staple. And he isn't having a bad season either. Jeet's moved to the leadoff spot this year and the results have been okay. He's got a .378 OBP and he's slugging .464. Jeet's been hot on the basepaths too, so far racking up 10 steals. He's got 7 homers on the year as well. I gave Marco Scutaro (.291/.403/.449) serious consideration. However, I think he could start to fade fast as we get further into the season.
OF Adam Jones
OF Jason Bay
OF Torii Hunter
Jones (.357/.410/.637), Bay (.281/.407/.611), and Hunter (.315/.394/.595) are all having great seasons. Jones is going to be a superstar, you can just tell. He's a 5 tool guy. Word has it he threw 96 MPH as a high school pitcher (what can't this guy do?). He's an easy call, but he's not even in the top 15 in the MLB.com update. Bay (currently first in AL outfield votes) has had a great season in Boston. He's kept his OPS above 1.000 and has 14 homers on the year. Hunter, one of the most likable guys in the game, is acting like he used to in Minnesota again. He's stolen ten bag, homered eleven times, kept his OBP around .400, and brings that intangible energy that makes him so famous. He's also a pretty good fielder. Although by UZR and +/- ratings he might not be the best, it's the all-star game, and there is no outfielder more FUN to watch than Torii Hunter.
Robby Cano is fourth in the voting for second base behind Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, and Aaron Hill. Robby is about 267,000 votes behind the 1st Place Kinsler.
Derek Jeter is the highest vote getter in the AL so far with 664,630 votes. The second place shortstop, Marco Scutaro only has 273, 589 votes.
Alex Rodriguez, believe it or not, is third in the voting for third base, but don't expect to see him in the game as Evan Longoria has a lead of almost 420,000 votes.
Even with his injury Jorge Posada is fourth in the standings for catcher. He trails Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and Jason Varitek. If Jorge plays like he usually does upon his return he might be able to get to the top, but Martinez and Mauer have been incredible and both deserve the start more than Jorge. Posada trails Mauer by about 104,000 votes.
The outfield has Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton, and Ichiro as the top vote-getters. Damon is the only Yankee outfielder in the top 15 coming in at 11th. Damon is having a great year, but he most likely won't win a spot.
If I were to pick up a ballot right now my American League votes would be as follows:
C Joe Mauer
He's hitting over .400, has an OBP of .496, and is slugging over .800. Those are like video game stats. Just ridiculous. Add in that he is a phenomenal fielder (remember that dive play to tag out B-Gard and prolong the game). This is the easiest decision on the ballot.
1B Miguel Cabrera
.366/.428/.594. That is a stellar line. Now, Teixeira has more homers than Miggy, but Tex's .382 OBP, although phenomenal, isn't anything compared to Miggy's .428. Tex also has 12 more strikeouts than Miggy. So Cabrera gets the nod from me.
2B Ian Kinsler
He's hit 13 home runs and stolen 10 bases already. With his 2 triples and 11 doubles he's managed to slug .569. Don't forget that he's improved his defense drastically this year as well. I've heard the arguments of The Ballpark in Arlington being a hitters park, but Kinsler is a phenomenal player, there is no getting around that.
3B Evan Longoria
Surprised? Probably not. Like everyone else in baseball I'm a Longoria fan. The kid has 12 homers this year to go with his .324/.395/.622 line. He's also one of the best defensive thrid basemen in the game. I don't usually endorse using RBI's to judge a player's value, but his 51 ribbies this early in the year are impressive. He'll get the nod from me.
SS Derek Jeter
He's the captain. We know he's never used steroids. He's a class act. He's an all star game staple. And he isn't having a bad season either. Jeet's moved to the leadoff spot this year and the results have been okay. He's got a .378 OBP and he's slugging .464. Jeet's been hot on the basepaths too, so far racking up 10 steals. He's got 7 homers on the year as well. I gave Marco Scutaro (.291/.403/.449) serious consideration. However, I think he could start to fade fast as we get further into the season.
OF Adam Jones
OF Jason Bay
OF Torii Hunter
Jones (.357/.410/.637), Bay (.281/.407/.611), and Hunter (.315/.394/.595) are all having great seasons. Jones is going to be a superstar, you can just tell. He's a 5 tool guy. Word has it he threw 96 MPH as a high school pitcher (what can't this guy do?). He's an easy call, but he's not even in the top 15 in the MLB.com update. Bay (currently first in AL outfield votes) has had a great season in Boston. He's kept his OPS above 1.000 and has 14 homers on the year. Hunter, one of the most likable guys in the game, is acting like he used to in Minnesota again. He's stolen ten bag, homered eleven times, kept his OBP around .400, and brings that intangible energy that makes him so famous. He's also a pretty good fielder. Although by UZR and +/- ratings he might not be the best, it's the all-star game, and there is no outfielder more FUN to watch than Torii Hunter.
HIP HIP JORGE
Jorge Posada is back. He'll return to the lineup in Cleveland tonight to catch his long-time battery-mate Andy Pettitte as the Yanks lineup against reigning Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. Jorge's been out since May 4th with a strained right hamstring. When Jorge's backup, Jose Molina, was sent to the DL as well the Yanks were relying on an unlikely catching duo in Francisco Cervelli and Kevin Cash.
Until their injuries, Jorge and Jose were hitting well. Take a look at their stats.
Jorge Posada .312/.402/.584 in 77 at bats. 6 doubles, 5 homers, 20 RBI's, 10 Runs Scored.
Jose Molina .273/.333/.386 in 44 at bats. 2 doubles, 1 homer, 6 RBI's, 5 runs scored.
Then Cervelli and Cash stepped in...
Francisco Cervelli .300/.317/.325 in 4o at bats. 1 double, no homers, 4 RBI's, 4 Runs Scored.
Kevin Cash .231/.250/.308 in 26 at bats. 2 doubles, no homers, 3 RBI's, 1 Run Scored.
The Yanks have gotten no power from their replacement catchers and they haven't seen especially impressive on base skills either. By bringing Jorge back the Yanks will actually have some offense from their catcher. Don't get me wrong. Cervelli and Cash both performed better than anyone expected, but they still weren't effective offensive options. We're taking away one of these number 9 hitters and bringing in a number 5 hitter, vastly improving the offense. Either Cervelli or Cash could be sent down. Cervelli has outperformed Cash offensively, and he's been great behind the plate as well. However, although Cervelli is more valuable to the major league squad than Cash is, the Yanks may prefer to send Cervelli down so he can play consistently as they groom him to one day be an everyday catcher.
The Yanks' lineup should no look something like this...
SS Jeter
LF Damon
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
DH Matsui
C Posada
2B Cano
RF Swisher
CF Gardner(Melky will takeover when he gets back from nursing his shoulder injury)
That's a helluva an offensive force, and if our pitching can be consistent we can climb into first and keep a hold of it. We're currently a half game out, behind Boston.
In other rehab news:
Melky will be back Friday.
X-Man has been playing in extended spring training games.
Damaso Marte, Jose Molina, and Cody Ransom have all be
Until their injuries, Jorge and Jose were hitting well. Take a look at their stats.
Jorge Posada .312/.402/.584 in 77 at bats. 6 doubles, 5 homers, 20 RBI's, 10 Runs Scored.
Jose Molina .273/.333/.386 in 44 at bats. 2 doubles, 1 homer, 6 RBI's, 5 runs scored.
Then Cervelli and Cash stepped in...
Francisco Cervelli .300/.317/.325 in 4o at bats. 1 double, no homers, 4 RBI's, 4 Runs Scored.
Kevin Cash .231/.250/.308 in 26 at bats. 2 doubles, no homers, 3 RBI's, 1 Run Scored.
The Yanks have gotten no power from their replacement catchers and they haven't seen especially impressive on base skills either. By bringing Jorge back the Yanks will actually have some offense from their catcher. Don't get me wrong. Cervelli and Cash both performed better than anyone expected, but they still weren't effective offensive options. We're taking away one of these number 9 hitters and bringing in a number 5 hitter, vastly improving the offense. Either Cervelli or Cash could be sent down. Cervelli has outperformed Cash offensively, and he's been great behind the plate as well. However, although Cervelli is more valuable to the major league squad than Cash is, the Yanks may prefer to send Cervelli down so he can play consistently as they groom him to one day be an everyday catcher.
The Yanks' lineup should no look something like this...
SS Jeter
LF Damon
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
DH Matsui
C Posada
2B Cano
RF Swisher
CF Gardner(Melky will takeover when he gets back from nursing his shoulder injury)
That's a helluva an offensive force, and if our pitching can be consistent we can climb into first and keep a hold of it. We're currently a half game out, behind Boston.
In other rehab news:
Melky will be back Friday.
X-Man has been playing in extended spring training games.
Damaso Marte, Jose Molina, and Cody Ransom have all be
5/28/09
Cavs Magic
I was just watching the Cavs Magic game, and Lebron scored on a sick play. The cameras go into the stands and go to A-Rod and Mo standing together cheering. The announcers call A-Rod Alex, and Mo Mario Romero?????
Best closer in the history of the game and they can't even get his name right...
Mike Francesca is an Idiot
An absolute and total idiot. On his half radio show/ TV show, Francesca absolutely blew up on an person who called in defending Joba's role as a starting pitcher. Francesca went on to totally ignore every word that came out of this person's mouth, ignoring stats, and ignoring the fact that Joba Chamberlain is a 23 year old STARTING PITCHER, who has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the majors. If he can't have the patience to allow Joba to develop as a starter and not realize the talent he possesses, then he shouldn't even be working for YES. Joba has a 3.25 ERA in 21 starts for his career. As PeteAbe pointed out, CC has a 3.65 as a starter... People need to realize that with a little development, Joba will be a fantastic pitcher. As RAB said, this is a "short-sighted view that Joba Chamberlain belongs in the sacred, more-important-than-any-other-inning, 8th." As PeteAbe said, "starting pitching is the key to winning baseball, period.",People need to stop suggesting the stupidity that is putting Joba in the bullpen...
Watch the video of Francesca's rant. It is absurd.
Chien Ming Wang/ Jorge Posada
Chien Ming Wang had an impressive outing in relief last night. Wang pitched the 8th and 9th innings in the Yankees 9-2 win over the Rangers. Wang gave up no hits or walks, and struck out 2. He also induced 2 ground balls. Last night was definitely a good sign for Wang. He should be back in the rotation relatively soon, although I don't know when since Hughes is pitching very well. We'll see...
In other news, Jorge Posada will be activated tomorrow. Good news for the Yankees, considering his replacements weren't playing too well. Let me correct that, Kevin Cash wasn't playing too well. Cash hit .231/.250/.308 in his 10 games with the Yankees. Cervelli hit .300/.317/.325, which isn't great, but is fine as a replacement. Look for Cash to be demoted... Posada should add even more pop to the Yankees hot offense.
5/27/09
Melky Cabrera Update/ Other Thoughts
So Melky Cabrera, after a very awkward collision with the wall last night, is fine. He will miss tonight's game, but he shouldn't be out more than a week. That is good news for the Yanks, as Melky has been swinging a very hot bat this season. Melky has hit .323/.368/.481 through 22 games and 133 AB. The number that I am most impressed with is the .368 OPB. Considering his OPB was .301 last year and .327 the year before, this is a serious improvement. Hopefully, this isn't a fluke, and Melky will continue to get on base at this solid rate. If he can do this, his stock will seriously rise. He may even move up from the "4th outfielder" class to the "average to above average" CF class...
Mark Teixeira is so hot right now. Over the last 15 games or so, Teixeira has raised his dismal, sub-.200 AVG, to a relatively respectable .272. Tex is 21 for his last 48, and according to PeteAbe, he is 26 for 69 since the return of Alex Rodriguez. Throughout his slump, Tex kept his OPB high, drawing a lot of walks, which was a good indication that he would break out of his slump. His OPB is still at a stellar .382.
Chien Ming Wang has been stuck in the bullpen for a while now. He has only pitched 3 innings, and those innings weren't great. He gave up 2 runs in the 7-3 loss to the Phillies. Granted, this was much better than Wang's other outings this season. Although I would like to see Wang return to the rotation, Phil Hughes is pitching too well to merit a demotion. In his last start, Phil went 8 innings and gave up no runs. I don't know what they are going to do with the Wanger. I guess he'll have to wait until Hughes cools...
Rubber game tonight against the Rangers.
Here are the lineups:
P- AJ Burnett
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Gardner CF
Cash C
Burnett has an unsettling 5.28 for the season. He really needs to have a good night tonight.
5/26/09
In Game Update:
We finally have baseball in Arlington after a 2 hour and 25 minute rain delay. In the top of the first inning, Jeter led off with a hit, but the inning was quickly shut down after. Joba Chamberlain, the savior himself, has been through .2 of an innning. Joba gave off a leadoff triple to Ian Kinsler, which unfortunately knocked the great Melky Cabrera out of the game. Melky lunged for the ball in deep CF and slammed his arm into the wall very awkwardly. As he walked off the field, he kept moving his arm in a circle, which clearly indicated a shoulder injury. There hasn't been any word on the severity of the injury, but I will make sure to inform you as soon as I can.
On a more positive note, A-Rod made a great play to get Kinsler out at third after the triple. Michael Young, the next batter, grounded to third, and Kinsler danced a little too far off the bag. In a foot race to the bag, A-Rod dove and just got Kinsler.
Bases loaded for Marlon Byrd now... Joba needs to get out of this inning.
Best of luck to Melky. I hope that this injury won't cause him to miss time...
5/25/09
Looking at the Pitching Staff
The Yankees currently have the following pitchers on the active roster.
CC Sabathia
Andy Pettitte
Phil Hughes
Joba Chamberlain
AJ Burnett
Mariano Rivera
Phil Coke
Alfredo Aceves
Chien Ming Wang
David Robertson (Replaces Bruney who is headed to the DL, again).
Jose Veras
Brett Tomko
In Wang's only outing since he returned from the DL he came out of the 'pen to throw 3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Not great, but hey its better than what he had been doing earlier this season. I personally like leaving Wang in the 'pen for another week or so, or until Hughes has another dreadful outing. In the 'pen we can bring him out in a mop-up role which A. Has him pitch in a no pressure situation so we don't have him in with a game on the line B. Lets the rest of the 'pen rest. C. Keeps Hughsie in the rotation after his great outing today.
With the rest of the 'pen we'll obviously keep Mo (duh), Aceves (1.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP), and Coke (he's lefty and opposing batters are batting .217 against him plus he has a 1.14 WHIP).
Robertson should stay for a while. He was just called up, and he was earning his keep at Triple A with a 1.84 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.
Brett Tomko and Jose Veras, well let's just say I haven't been real pleased.
Veras has "great stuff" I know that, I hear Suzyn Waldman say that everyday. But, he also has a 5.59 ERA, and 13 walks in 19.1 innings. That's crazy bad. Oh, he also sports a WHIP of 1.45. And we don't want someone to take him away from us? Veras is out of options, so the Yanks are scared that if they send him to Scranton someone will claim him when he's put on waivers. I don't know how big of a problem his departure would be for this team. He's just not reliable at all. I get the same shiver in my spine when he takes the mound that I used to when the human white flag, Felix Heredia, used to pitch. He has been very unconvincing this season, but please, by all means Jose, prove me wrong...
Tomko, he doesn't have "great stuff." He's really just not that great. I mean we can give him a few more outings, but I don't see him as a real reliable reliever either. He has a 4.15 ERA through 4.1 innings, but what's worse is that opposing batters are hitting .313 against him.
In triple A though....we have Mark Melancon, who sports a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings. In that span he has 21 K's and has only walked 4. We also have Zach Kroenke, who has a 1.45 ERA with 10 K's in 18.2 innings. They're better than Veras and Tomko. Let's make the switch already.
CC Sabathia
Andy Pettitte
Phil Hughes
Joba Chamberlain
AJ Burnett
Mariano Rivera
Phil Coke
Alfredo Aceves
Chien Ming Wang
David Robertson (Replaces Bruney who is headed to the DL, again).
Jose Veras
Brett Tomko
In Wang's only outing since he returned from the DL he came out of the 'pen to throw 3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Not great, but hey its better than what he had been doing earlier this season. I personally like leaving Wang in the 'pen for another week or so, or until Hughes has another dreadful outing. In the 'pen we can bring him out in a mop-up role which A. Has him pitch in a no pressure situation so we don't have him in with a game on the line B. Lets the rest of the 'pen rest. C. Keeps Hughsie in the rotation after his great outing today.
With the rest of the 'pen we'll obviously keep Mo (duh), Aceves (1.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP), and Coke (he's lefty and opposing batters are batting .217 against him plus he has a 1.14 WHIP).
Robertson should stay for a while. He was just called up, and he was earning his keep at Triple A with a 1.84 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.
Brett Tomko and Jose Veras, well let's just say I haven't been real pleased.
Veras has "great stuff" I know that, I hear Suzyn Waldman say that everyday. But, he also has a 5.59 ERA, and 13 walks in 19.1 innings. That's crazy bad. Oh, he also sports a WHIP of 1.45. And we don't want someone to take him away from us? Veras is out of options, so the Yanks are scared that if they send him to Scranton someone will claim him when he's put on waivers. I don't know how big of a problem his departure would be for this team. He's just not reliable at all. I get the same shiver in my spine when he takes the mound that I used to when the human white flag, Felix Heredia, used to pitch. He has been very unconvincing this season, but please, by all means Jose, prove me wrong...
Tomko, he doesn't have "great stuff." He's really just not that great. I mean we can give him a few more outings, but I don't see him as a real reliable reliever either. He has a 4.15 ERA through 4.1 innings, but what's worse is that opposing batters are hitting .313 against him.
In triple A though....we have Mark Melancon, who sports a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings. In that span he has 21 K's and has only walked 4. We also have Zach Kroenke, who has a 1.45 ERA with 10 K's in 18.2 innings. They're better than Veras and Tomko. Let's make the switch already.
Great Win
Here's what I have to say...Props Phil Hughes. Hughsie, as you might know, was on pace for a no-hitter last time he pitched in Texas, last year, before getting injured in the 6th. And today he impressed again, though without an injury. Philly pitched 8 shutout 3 hit innings striking out 6, and walking 1. Great start for him. Pitching like that, he might get to stay in the rotation, depending on how Chien-Ming is progressing in the 'pen, getting ready to return to the rotation. On the offensive side, every Yankee that came to the plate got a hit. A-Rod had 5....The Captain, Tex, A-Rod, Robby Cano, and Johnny Damon all had extra base hits. Great game overall by the Yanks. I know some people were skeptical about Girardi bringing in Aceves and not letting Hughes finish the ninth, but why risk letting Hughes get hurt?
On another note, I was at Coors Field watching Torre's Dodgers kill my Rockies. It hurts my heart seeing him and Mattingly in Dodger uniforms.
Anyways, let's hope the Yanks get out there and win again tomorrow behind our Lord the Savior (he was hit by a line drive his last time out, but he's Joba Chamberlain, nothing can hurt him) and Kevin Millwood(quality year so far, let's wreck his ERA tomorrow).
This Yankee team reminds me of our teams of the late nineties. These guys like eachother, have talent, and play to win. Nick Swisher, class act, loves his late grandmother, says hillarious things, and is a quality reliever as well(0.00 ERA). AJ Burnett, introduces the whip cream celbratory pie. CC Sabathia, nicest guy in baseball. Derek Jeter, definition of perfection. Joba, gives 100% every time out, and cares about his game as much as anyone I've seen since Paul O'Neill. Johnny Damon started the WWE player of the game belt. This is a fun team. And you got to love 'em.
5/24/09
Thinking Ahead...
After the great heroics of A-Rod and Melky in the ninth inning today to win against the reigning world champs. I decided to look down the road and see what the Yanks are looking at schedule wise.
Sunday: CC Sabathia V. Philadelphia (Cole Hamels)
25, 26, 27@ Texas(25-17)
29, 30, 31, June 1 @ Cleveland (17-27)
2, 3, 4 V. Texas (25-17)
5,6,7,8 V Tampa Bay (23-22)
9, 10, 11 @ Boston (25-18)
12, 13, 14 V. Mets (23-19)
In other words, one more game against the reigning champs, 6 games against the AL West leading Rangers, 3 games against cellar dweller Cleveland, 7 against division rivals, and 3 against our foes a few subway stations down. This span of games will give us an interesting look at what our team can do.
Texas has a killer offense. That will test our rotation incredibly. We need to see AJ keep himself composed, pitch 7+ innings, and get out of any tough situations he faces. He needs to limit baserunners, as there are multiple long ball threats in the Rangers' lineup.
We need to sweep Cleveland. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. They are a bad team through and through and easy to beat, 3 wins there will give us some momentum as we go into another series with Texas.
Tampa hasn't come out of the gate strong, but they are still a phenomenally talented team. We need to knock around playoff hero and new call-up, David Price. We also need to keep Longoria in check. If that means walking him, then do it, he is a scary threat with the bat.
We've got to win 2 of 3 against Boston. The key: Wear out the bullpen. If we can get to the Boston bullpen by the 6th of the first game we can start to wear them out. The Yanks have a thing for heroics (especially Melky), and if we can get to the end of the bullpen, we can beat them.
Mets. Mets fans just annoy everyone. Who wants to listen to them breag about how they are the "best team in New York." Nobody does. Really, this is a series for bragging rights, and I sure want 'em.
Sunday: CC Sabathia V. Philadelphia (Cole Hamels)
25, 26, 27@ Texas(25-17)
29, 30, 31, June 1 @ Cleveland (17-27)
2, 3, 4 V. Texas (25-17)
5,6,7,8 V Tampa Bay (23-22)
9, 10, 11 @ Boston (25-18)
12, 13, 14 V. Mets (23-19)
In other words, one more game against the reigning champs, 6 games against the AL West leading Rangers, 3 games against cellar dweller Cleveland, 7 against division rivals, and 3 against our foes a few subway stations down. This span of games will give us an interesting look at what our team can do.
Texas has a killer offense. That will test our rotation incredibly. We need to see AJ keep himself composed, pitch 7+ innings, and get out of any tough situations he faces. He needs to limit baserunners, as there are multiple long ball threats in the Rangers' lineup.
We need to sweep Cleveland. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. They are a bad team through and through and easy to beat, 3 wins there will give us some momentum as we go into another series with Texas.
Tampa hasn't come out of the gate strong, but they are still a phenomenally talented team. We need to knock around playoff hero and new call-up, David Price. We also need to keep Longoria in check. If that means walking him, then do it, he is a scary threat with the bat.
We've got to win 2 of 3 against Boston. The key: Wear out the bullpen. If we can get to the Boston bullpen by the 6th of the first game we can start to wear them out. The Yanks have a thing for heroics (especially Melky), and if we can get to the end of the bullpen, we can beat them.
Mets. Mets fans just annoy everyone. Who wants to listen to them breag about how they are the "best team in New York." Nobody does. Really, this is a series for bragging rights, and I sure want 'em.
5/21/09
Peavy to Chicago....White Sox?
Via MLBTR we learn that the White Sox and Padres have agreed in principle to a trade that would send Jake Peavy to Chicago in exchange for a package that is believe to include Aaron Poreda, Lance Broadway, and Clayton Richard. They still need Peavy's approval.
Peter Gammons says that reasons Peavy might decline the trade would be the hitter's park of Cellular Field, and pitching in the American league. Also, playing for Ozzie Guillen may be a concern.
Scott Linebrink, a White Sock and former teammate of Peavy's says he doesn't think the NL/AL switch is as big of a deal as it was believed to be.
I don't really want to see Peavy in the AL, but he's not going to Boston, Tampa, Baltimore, or Toronto...so that's good. And seems like Chicago's giving up some pretty good prospects for him, so hopefully it'll be a bust of a deal and the White Sox will regret it...or they could have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball with Peavy and Buerhle. We shall see...
Peter Gammons says that reasons Peavy might decline the trade would be the hitter's park of Cellular Field, and pitching in the American league. Also, playing for Ozzie Guillen may be a concern.
Scott Linebrink, a White Sock and former teammate of Peavy's says he doesn't think the NL/AL switch is as big of a deal as it was believed to be.
I don't really want to see Peavy in the AL, but he's not going to Boston, Tampa, Baltimore, or Toronto...so that's good. And seems like Chicago's giving up some pretty good prospects for him, so hopefully it'll be a bust of a deal and the White Sox will regret it...or they could have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball with Peavy and Buerhle. We shall see...
Update: Peavy did not approve the trade to the White Sox.
5/20/09
And the Streak Goes to 8...
The Yankees played more good baseball tonight as their winning streak runs to 8 games. Phil Hughes pitched well, going 5 IP with 3 ER and 9 Ks. The 9 Ks in 5 innings is very impressive. The "bridge to Mariano" was made up of Aceves and Coke, and they combined for 2.2 and no runs. On the offensive side, the Yankees had a big game. They scored 11 runs, including a 6 run seventh. Swisher, Cano, and Cabrera went back to back to back in the second inning. Cano had the biggest day, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs. The Yankees only left 7 men on in tonight's game, which is an impressive stat. The Yankees are really starting to mesh. The pitching staff has only given up 24 runs in the last 8 games. The offense has really begun to show up, scoring 52 runs in the last 8. The Yankees are finally playing to their potential, and they should only get better as Wang and Posada return.
In other news, the Yankees held a Kangaroo Court today. For two months, the Yankees have been handing in "clubhouse infractions" that were brought to trial today. It's kind of funny to hear what the players were "charged" for. Mo was the judge, while Jeter, Burnett, and Damon sat on jury duty. Give it a read.
5/19/09
One Gone...More to Go
Edwar Ramirez was sent down to Scranton today when Brian Bruney was activated.
That still leaves Jose Veras, Jon Albaladejo, and Brett Tomko in the Yankee 'pen. It also leaves Mark Melancon, David Robertson, and Zach Kroenke in the Scranton 'pen. I know that Veras is out of options, but are we really worried about another team taking him? That's like being worried someone might pick up Kei Igawa or Kevin Cash off waivers. Oh me! Oh my! Let them take him if they want him. He doesn't have the stuff to stay in the Yankee 'pen.
That still leaves Jose Veras, Jon Albaladejo, and Brett Tomko in the Yankee 'pen. It also leaves Mark Melancon, David Robertson, and Zach Kroenke in the Scranton 'pen. I know that Veras is out of options, but are we really worried about another team taking him? That's like being worried someone might pick up Kei Igawa or Kevin Cash off waivers. Oh me! Oh my! Let them take him if they want him. He doesn't have the stuff to stay in the Yankee 'pen.
Alex Rodriguez
A-Rod homered in the first today, a two run shot to left. That's the fourth game in a row that he's homered. You can tell he's enjoying the new stadium. A-Rod also sports a .395 OBP and is slugging .563. However his batting average is an abysmal .176. Don't read too much into the average though. First off, its not a strong measure of success compared to other stats. Secondly, A-Rod's a career .305 hitter, his average will rise soon. The presence of A-Rod has helped Mark Teixeira immensely. Since A-Rod arrived on May 8th, Tex is hitting .433 with an OBP of .514, 5 homers, and 13 RBI's. Moral of the story: we've got a pretty strong 3-4 combo.
The JD Closser 'Behind the Plate Post"
This post is all catcher related-Thus it will be called the JD Closser "Behind The Plate"Post.
SI's Joe Lemire says that with Joe Mauer's recent production, and young age, there is no way Minnesota should let him walk after the 2010 season when he hits free agency. Everyone will want Mauer, but he'll cost a lot of money and could be out of Minnesota's price range. Other free agent catcheres that year could be Victor Maritnez, Gerald Laird, Jason Varitek, John Buck, AJ Pierzynski, and Ramon Hernandez. Honestly, Mauer's most likely suitor will probably be the Red Sox, as Varitek will be gone for the 2011 season. The Yanks most likely won't be interested as Jorge is signed through 2011, and we have Austin Romine and Jesus Montero on the farm, not to mention Franky Cervelli who's turning heads in the bigs, both with the stick (hitting only singles, but with a .375 avg.) and behind the plate.
Jason Churchill details possible draftee backstops. (Insider Only)
Ken Rosenthal discusses the possibility of Cleveland trading Victor Martinez. He'd bring back a king's ransom. That much is for sure. Teams that might want a catcher for a year and a half? The Mets and Brewers could be interested. And the Rays should be interested, as Dioner Navarro won't ever repeat what he did last year. Oh, and Boston's called Cleveland about V-Mart already. I'm hoping that means they want him to replace the dead bat of David Ortiz. If they're going to trade for someone to replace Varitek, their Captain, behind the plate...well that's just cold. The Yanks would never do that to Jeter. Just one reason why the Bombers have more class...
The Phillies signed free agent catcher Paul Bako. Not a big deal. Bako's really not that much better than Kevin Cash.
Cash, by the way... is 1 for 10 with 3 strikeouts. His only hit was a double, against the Twins on the 15th.
The mlb.com injury report says we could see both Jorge Posada and Jose Molina by late May.
Did you know....
San Fran's Bengie Molina leads Major League catchers in Home Runs with 8? He also leads catchers with 30 RBI's. All this while only sporting a .312 OBP.
Only two catchers have stolen more than one base so far...LAA's Mike Napoli and LAD's Russel Martin, something in that LA air...
Kansas City catcher John Buck has 3 triples...get that man some oxygen.
Highly touted young catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, acquired by Texas in the first Teixeira trade, leads major league catchers with 33 strikeouts.
Tampa Bay backup Catcher Shawn Riggans only has one hit in his four at bats this season. That hit was a home run.
Back later....
SI's Joe Lemire says that with Joe Mauer's recent production, and young age, there is no way Minnesota should let him walk after the 2010 season when he hits free agency. Everyone will want Mauer, but he'll cost a lot of money and could be out of Minnesota's price range. Other free agent catcheres that year could be Victor Maritnez, Gerald Laird, Jason Varitek, John Buck, AJ Pierzynski, and Ramon Hernandez. Honestly, Mauer's most likely suitor will probably be the Red Sox, as Varitek will be gone for the 2011 season. The Yanks most likely won't be interested as Jorge is signed through 2011, and we have Austin Romine and Jesus Montero on the farm, not to mention Franky Cervelli who's turning heads in the bigs, both with the stick (hitting only singles, but with a .375 avg.) and behind the plate.
Jason Churchill details possible draftee backstops. (Insider Only)
Ken Rosenthal discusses the possibility of Cleveland trading Victor Martinez. He'd bring back a king's ransom. That much is for sure. Teams that might want a catcher for a year and a half? The Mets and Brewers could be interested. And the Rays should be interested, as Dioner Navarro won't ever repeat what he did last year. Oh, and Boston's called Cleveland about V-Mart already. I'm hoping that means they want him to replace the dead bat of David Ortiz. If they're going to trade for someone to replace Varitek, their Captain, behind the plate...well that's just cold. The Yanks would never do that to Jeter. Just one reason why the Bombers have more class...
The Phillies signed free agent catcher Paul Bako. Not a big deal. Bako's really not that much better than Kevin Cash.
Cash, by the way... is 1 for 10 with 3 strikeouts. His only hit was a double, against the Twins on the 15th.
The mlb.com injury report says we could see both Jorge Posada and Jose Molina by late May.
Did you know....
San Fran's Bengie Molina leads Major League catchers in Home Runs with 8? He also leads catchers with 30 RBI's. All this while only sporting a .312 OBP.
Only two catchers have stolen more than one base so far...LAA's Mike Napoli and LAD's Russel Martin, something in that LA air...
Kansas City catcher John Buck has 3 triples...get that man some oxygen.
Highly touted young catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, acquired by Texas in the first Teixeira trade, leads major league catchers with 33 strikeouts.
Tampa Bay backup Catcher Shawn Riggans only has one hit in his four at bats this season. That hit was a home run.
Back later....
Tonight's Game
Carsten Charles Sabathia will try to find his first home win in pinstripes tonight.
The lineup:
SS The Captain
LF Johnny "Hotter than Hansel" Damon (Zoolander reference. Get with it.)
1B Mark "I'm pretty good at hitting homeruns" Teixeira
3B Alex "Off a night of partying with Kate Hudson" Rodriguez
DH Godzilla
RF Nick "SuperSwish" Swisher (He's not in a slump, he's just not hitting).
2B Robby Cano...Dontcha Know
CF Melky "Tienes Leche?" Cabrera
C Francisco "The Venezuelan-Italian Suprise" Cervelli.
We'll be facing Baltimore righty Brad Bergesen. He's terrible, and we all know the Yanks always have trouble against young terrible pitchers, but let's hope they play like true Yankees today.
Brian Bruney should be activated before the game tonight. Everyone wants to see Jose Veras sent down, but since he's out of options we're more likely to see Tomko or Edwar go. I still say we send all three of 'em down and Albaladejo, then bring up Robertson, Melancon, and Kroenke.
Steven Jackson was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh. We got him in the second Randy Johnson deal (when we got rid of the Big Unit). He was a good youn pitcher, and it's sad to see him go. Especially because he'd be a lot better in the 'pen than Veras, Edwar, Tomko, and Albaladejo. There's also a not in that article on the Eric Hacker- Romulo Sanchez trade. Chad Jennings writes a little bit about his first impressions of Sanchez, and notes that Wang has cleaned out his locker in Scranton.
The lineup:
SS The Captain
LF Johnny "Hotter than Hansel" Damon (Zoolander reference. Get with it.)
1B Mark "I'm pretty good at hitting homeruns" Teixeira
3B Alex "Off a night of partying with Kate Hudson" Rodriguez
DH Godzilla
RF Nick "SuperSwish" Swisher (He's not in a slump, he's just not hitting).
2B Robby Cano...Dontcha Know
CF Melky "Tienes Leche?" Cabrera
C Francisco "The Venezuelan-Italian Suprise" Cervelli.
We'll be facing Baltimore righty Brad Bergesen. He's terrible, and we all know the Yanks always have trouble against young terrible pitchers, but let's hope they play like true Yankees today.
Brian Bruney should be activated before the game tonight. Everyone wants to see Jose Veras sent down, but since he's out of options we're more likely to see Tomko or Edwar go. I still say we send all three of 'em down and Albaladejo, then bring up Robertson, Melancon, and Kroenke.
Steven Jackson was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh. We got him in the second Randy Johnson deal (when we got rid of the Big Unit). He was a good youn pitcher, and it's sad to see him go. Especially because he'd be a lot better in the 'pen than Veras, Edwar, Tomko, and Albaladejo. There's also a not in that article on the Eric Hacker- Romulo Sanchez trade. Chad Jennings writes a little bit about his first impressions of Sanchez, and notes that Wang has cleaned out his locker in Scranton.
5/17/09
Big Day
Today is Conor's birthday and he's at the Stadium to celebrate. Best birthday wishes to you Con, and enjoy the game.
Con's been the best friend a guy could ask for. I was 5 when he introduced me to the game of baseball and my life was completely changed. In the second grade we played together on the same little league team, notoriously calling ourselves the bash brothers. Con called me this past winter, telling me that we had to start a blog, and now we've got this site.
So here's to Con.
Happy Birthday.
Con's been the best friend a guy could ask for. I was 5 when he introduced me to the game of baseball and my life was completely changed. In the second grade we played together on the same little league team, notoriously calling ourselves the bash brothers. Con called me this past winter, telling me that we had to start a blog, and now we've got this site.
So here's to Con.
Happy Birthday.
Injury Update
Heard on the YES Network broadcast that both Brian Bruney and Chien Ming Wang will pitch for Scranton Wilkes Barre today. Hughes will definitely make one more start (v. Baltimore) and after that we should see Wang back in the rotation. Still no word as to whether Hughes will go to the 'pen or head to Scranton to start. I'm betting on a move to Scranton, but we'll see.
Roster Move Ideas
In the 'pen the Yanks currently have:
RHP Mariano Rivera
LHP Phil Coke (4.60 ERA, .228 avg against, 1.15 WHIP)
RHP Jon Albaladejo (5.00 ERA, .277 avg against, 1.44 WHIP)
RHP Jose Veras (6.75 ERA, .220 avg against, 1.50 WHIP)
RHP Edwar Ramirez (4.86 ERA, .258 avg against, 1.86 WHIP)
RHP Alfredo Aceves (2.45 ERA, .185 avg against, 0.95 WHIP)
RHP Brett Tomko (only pitched 2 games/1.2 innings, but allowed a run and 4 hits in that time).
Mariano, Coke, and Aceves deserve to be in that 'pen. Veras, Edwar, Albaladejo, and Tomko do not. Our dear friend Brian Bruney will be back within a few days, which will most likely result in a Tomko demotion. When LHP Damaso Marte returns (possibly by the end of the month), it wouldn't be surprising to see IF Angel Berroa demoted. However, I'm not a big believer in Marte. He's really just an overpaid, left-handed 4.00 ERA kind of pitcher. However, he's more valuable than Berroa, that's for sure. Even with Marte and Bruney coming up, we'd still have Albaladejo, Veras, and Edwar pitching in the bigs. Which isn't promising. So here is my bold suggestion. Demote all three of them to triple A. I know crazy. Then promote righties Mark Melancon and David Robertson, and lefty Zach Kroenke to take their spots. All three of them have ERA's under 2 at triple A. And Robertson held a 3.86 ERA through 4.2 innings at the big league level, better than Edwar, Veras, and Albaladejo. Melancon wasn't particularly strong in his 4 big league appearances this year, but he has a 0.66 ERA at Scranton, striking out 20 in 13.2 innings. That's just crazy. Give him another chance. He's Mo's heir and he has the skills to pitch in the bigs right now. Just let him get settled. I like Kroenke because while Edwar and Veras tend to let up more fly balls (0.67 and 0.65 GO/AO's respectively) he tends to be more of a ground ball pitcher (1.44 GO/AO). Hitters are batting .179 against him and he can pitch multiple innings every time out (16.2 innings in 9 games) which is helpful whenever a pitcher gets knocked out early. Oh, he's got a 1.08 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP as well. And even though he's a lefty he's actually been even better against righties, with a 0.82 ERA v. righties and a 1.59 ERA v. lefties. Give these young guys a chance. Cervelli, Melky, Coke, and Pena have all proved that if you give the young players a chance you might be surprised with what you see. Let's stop having to hold our breath when Edwar, Veras, and Albaladejo take the mound, and let's see what some rookies can do. Ideally, this would end up in a major league bullpen of:
RHP Mariano Rivera
RHP Brian Bruney
LHP Phil Coke
RHP David Robertson
RHP Mark Melancon
LHP Zach Kroenke
RHP Alfredo Aceves
LHP Damaso Marte
We would see RHP Jose Veras, RHP Edwar Ramirez, RHP Jon Albaladejo, and RHP Brett Tomko leave the bullpen. This is a little bit of an oversized pen, but A. Marte won't be back for a little while, so we don't have to worry about him for a week or two. B. The position player dropped was Angel Berroa, and any of these guys can hit better, field cleaner, throw stronger, and run faster than he can. C. Most likely someone will dissapoint, and when they do we'll send them down to Scranton for either OF Shelley Duncan (.324/.393/.667 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI's in 105 at bats), OF Todd Linden (.331/.410/.540 with 31 RBI's and 3 stolen bases in 139 at bats), 2B or Kevin Russo (.449/.500/.510 with 3 stolen bases in 49 at bats). So we could seriously strengthen our bench. If we have the young talent to upgrade our bullpen and bench, why not use it?
RHP Mariano Rivera
LHP Phil Coke (4.60 ERA, .228 avg against, 1.15 WHIP)
RHP Jon Albaladejo (5.00 ERA, .277 avg against, 1.44 WHIP)
RHP Jose Veras (6.75 ERA, .220 avg against, 1.50 WHIP)
RHP Edwar Ramirez (4.86 ERA, .258 avg against, 1.86 WHIP)
RHP Alfredo Aceves (2.45 ERA, .185 avg against, 0.95 WHIP)
RHP Brett Tomko (only pitched 2 games/1.2 innings, but allowed a run and 4 hits in that time).
Mariano, Coke, and Aceves deserve to be in that 'pen. Veras, Edwar, Albaladejo, and Tomko do not. Our dear friend Brian Bruney will be back within a few days, which will most likely result in a Tomko demotion. When LHP Damaso Marte returns (possibly by the end of the month), it wouldn't be surprising to see IF Angel Berroa demoted. However, I'm not a big believer in Marte. He's really just an overpaid, left-handed 4.00 ERA kind of pitcher. However, he's more valuable than Berroa, that's for sure. Even with Marte and Bruney coming up, we'd still have Albaladejo, Veras, and Edwar pitching in the bigs. Which isn't promising. So here is my bold suggestion. Demote all three of them to triple A. I know crazy. Then promote righties Mark Melancon and David Robertson, and lefty Zach Kroenke to take their spots. All three of them have ERA's under 2 at triple A. And Robertson held a 3.86 ERA through 4.2 innings at the big league level, better than Edwar, Veras, and Albaladejo. Melancon wasn't particularly strong in his 4 big league appearances this year, but he has a 0.66 ERA at Scranton, striking out 20 in 13.2 innings. That's just crazy. Give him another chance. He's Mo's heir and he has the skills to pitch in the bigs right now. Just let him get settled. I like Kroenke because while Edwar and Veras tend to let up more fly balls (0.67 and 0.65 GO/AO's respectively) he tends to be more of a ground ball pitcher (1.44 GO/AO). Hitters are batting .179 against him and he can pitch multiple innings every time out (16.2 innings in 9 games) which is helpful whenever a pitcher gets knocked out early. Oh, he's got a 1.08 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP as well. And even though he's a lefty he's actually been even better against righties, with a 0.82 ERA v. righties and a 1.59 ERA v. lefties. Give these young guys a chance. Cervelli, Melky, Coke, and Pena have all proved that if you give the young players a chance you might be surprised with what you see. Let's stop having to hold our breath when Edwar, Veras, and Albaladejo take the mound, and let's see what some rookies can do. Ideally, this would end up in a major league bullpen of:
RHP Mariano Rivera
RHP Brian Bruney
LHP Phil Coke
RHP David Robertson
RHP Mark Melancon
LHP Zach Kroenke
RHP Alfredo Aceves
LHP Damaso Marte
We would see RHP Jose Veras, RHP Edwar Ramirez, RHP Jon Albaladejo, and RHP Brett Tomko leave the bullpen. This is a little bit of an oversized pen, but A. Marte won't be back for a little while, so we don't have to worry about him for a week or two. B. The position player dropped was Angel Berroa, and any of these guys can hit better, field cleaner, throw stronger, and run faster than he can. C. Most likely someone will dissapoint, and when they do we'll send them down to Scranton for either OF Shelley Duncan (.324/.393/.667 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI's in 105 at bats), OF Todd Linden (.331/.410/.540 with 31 RBI's and 3 stolen bases in 139 at bats), 2B or Kevin Russo (.449/.500/.510 with 3 stolen bases in 49 at bats). So we could seriously strengthen our bench. If we have the young talent to upgrade our bullpen and bench, why not use it?
5/16/09
Links
Jon Heyman's take on Cliff Lee, Bonds, Clemens, and Twitter.
Tom Verducci on Adam Jones, Defense, and Veterans.
Jeff Pearlman writes a letter to Roger Clemens. Rocket's made mistakes, but I'll always be a fan.
Tim Marchman discusses Stephen Strasburg as an injury risk. He also mentions trading draft picks, and how it is currently illegal.
Tim Kurkjian on how we are in a golden age of third basemen.
Darryl Strawberry chatted with ESPN.com readers.
Patrick Hruby...is Jose Canseco the "Guardian of the truth?"
Jayson Stark questions some DL moves (like Dontrelle, Chien-Ming, and Oliver Perez).
Karl Ravech says Joe Girardi, Jerry Manuel, Eric Wedge, and Bud Black all could see the end of their current managing jobs soon. Girardi...that's a discussion for another post.
Ken Rosenthal says the Rangers may not collapse.
Sean McAdam discusses the Jays' success and whether or not they can sustain it.
Tom Verducci on Adam Jones, Defense, and Veterans.
Jeff Pearlman writes a letter to Roger Clemens. Rocket's made mistakes, but I'll always be a fan.
Tim Marchman discusses Stephen Strasburg as an injury risk. He also mentions trading draft picks, and how it is currently illegal.
Tim Kurkjian on how we are in a golden age of third basemen.
Darryl Strawberry chatted with ESPN.com readers.
Patrick Hruby...is Jose Canseco the "Guardian of the truth?"
Jayson Stark questions some DL moves (like Dontrelle, Chien-Ming, and Oliver Perez).
Karl Ravech says Joe Girardi, Jerry Manuel, Eric Wedge, and Bud Black all could see the end of their current managing jobs soon. Girardi...that's a discussion for another post.
Ken Rosenthal says the Rangers may not collapse.
Sean McAdam discusses the Jays' success and whether or not they can sustain it.
News from 'round the league.
Manny apologized to his teammates. Apparently he was "uncomfortable" talking in front of a group, but at least he got up there.
Ichiro homered twice. In the same game. Against the Red Sox. Ichiro isn't a home run hitter, so I love seeing him hit two against Boston.
Also in Seattle, Brandon Morrow lost the closer job to what will be a rotation of various pitchers headed by David Aardsma.
Boston benched David Ortiz tonight. That famous 3-4 Ortiz-Manny Combo's been seeing some rough times lately.
Adrian Gonzalez homered, for the fifth game in a row. That's just sick. I'm not big on the Padres (I'm a pretty big Colorado guy), but got to respect that.
Toronto's former closer, BJ Ryan, has been hurt and started the year poorly. Upon his return will be in a set-up role rather than the closer role. And he accepts it. If you have a closer pitching like Scott Downs is, you want him in every save situation.
Ichiro homered twice. In the same game. Against the Red Sox. Ichiro isn't a home run hitter, so I love seeing him hit two against Boston.
Also in Seattle, Brandon Morrow lost the closer job to what will be a rotation of various pitchers headed by David Aardsma.
Boston benched David Ortiz tonight. That famous 3-4 Ortiz-Manny Combo's been seeing some rough times lately.
Adrian Gonzalez homered, for the fifth game in a row. That's just sick. I'm not big on the Padres (I'm a pretty big Colorado guy), but got to respect that.
Toronto's former closer, BJ Ryan, has been hurt and started the year poorly. Upon his return will be in a set-up role rather than the closer role. And he accepts it. If you have a closer pitching like Scott Downs is, you want him in every save situation.
5/15/09
It's All About the Youngsters.... AGAIN
The young guys came through again for the Yankees tonight. In the ninth inning, the Yankees mounted a 3 run rally to beat the Twins. How'd it start? A Brett Gardner triple. How'd it end? Melky Cabrera with a walk-off single. Brett Gardner also played a big role when he hit an INSIDE THE PARK HR and went 3 for 3 on the day. Phil Hughes pitched 5 innings and only gave up 3. Youngsters in the bullpen (Albaladejo, Coke, Veras, and Ramirez) combined for 1 run over 4 innings. Great game by the Yankees tonight. Great showing by the youngsters. If they can keep this up, the Yankees will have so much more life. Great win.
Missed Out
As Conor wrote last night, Francisco Cervelli is surely bringing some energy to the club. We already knew he was a solid defender, but everyone was worried about his bat. Yet, he's held his own going 6 for 19 with 2 runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. Hopefully he can keep it up. Kevin Cash, our 4th string catcher, has played one game so far and went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. I'm sure I'm not the only one worried about having a career .183 hitter playing once or twice a week to give Cervelli a rest. So a few days ago I suggested the Yanks sign Javier Valentin, the best available catcher on the free agent market. But, they didn't. And Valentin signed with the Mets. I don't understand how we can sign Josh Towers ( who is worse than approximately every Yankee pitcher at every level including Kei Igawa), but we don't sign a catcher that would be an immediate upgrade at the major league level. Well maybe not immediate, he might need a little time to get his stroke back, but hell I'd still rather have him now then Cash.
Demolition
Kevin Rozell of "The Voice of the Yankees Universe" asked us to pass these pictures along. They are pictures of the demolition of the old Yankee Stadium. Its a very strange and sad sight to see. I'll be going to the game Sunday, and I must say, I'm not too excited to see the old place being dismantled, but boy oh boy is the new place nice...
Francisco Cervelli
I just want to comment on how much I love the rookies. After Mo got the last out by strikeout, Frank Cervelli stood right up and gave Roger's Centre a fist pump that rivaled Joba. He just looked so thrilled to be up there and being with the big guys. Kim Jones did a post game interview with him, and he couldn't stop saying how wonderful everybody was, how wonderful he feels playing in the MLB, and how special the situation was for him. As Kevin and I said in our guest post for PeteAbe, we really value the rookies, and love to see the excitement that they bring to the game every single day. You can add Cervelli to that list of enthusiastic young players. I hope he can continue to play well on an everyday level.
In addition to Cervelli, Pena, Gardner, and Melky are continuing to have that exciting effect. Go young players.
5/13/09
Today's Game
Hideki and the Captain are out again, resting some "nagging injuries."
At the Rogers Centre our Yanks are doing just fine, even without two of our best hitters. Through 6 and a half we are winning 8-2.
Quick stats
Melky, Tex, Damon, and Robby Cano have all double.
Pena, B-Gard, and Damon have all tripled
B-Gard hit a two run homer in the 2nd.
Everyone but SuperSwish has reached base at least once today.
The lineup, by the way, is as follows
Damon DH
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Melky LF
B-Gard CF
Pena SS
Cervelli C
Pettitte's pitched 5 strong innings allowing 1 earned run, on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out two.
We chased Richmond after only 1 and two thirds.
Follow the game on gameday.
At the Rogers Centre our Yanks are doing just fine, even without two of our best hitters. Through 6 and a half we are winning 8-2.
Quick stats
Melky, Tex, Damon, and Robby Cano have all double.
Pena, B-Gard, and Damon have all tripled
B-Gard hit a two run homer in the 2nd.
Everyone but SuperSwish has reached base at least once today.
The lineup, by the way, is as follows
Damon DH
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Melky LF
B-Gard CF
Pena SS
Cervelli C
Pettitte's pitched 5 strong innings allowing 1 earned run, on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out two.
We chased Richmond after only 1 and two thirds.
Follow the game on gameday.
5/12/09
Who'd a thunk it?
The Yankees lineup for tonight
CF Gardner
LF Damon
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
DH Matsui
2B Cano
RF Cabrera
C Kevin Cash
SS Ramiro Pena
On the Mound, AJ Burnett
*Jeter's out, nursing a sore right oblique.
Who would have thought even a month ago that there would be a time when the Yankees would start Melky Cabrera, Kevin Cash, Ramiro Pena, and Brett Gardner against one of the top 5 pitchers in the game, Doc Halladay. I sure didn't.
CF Gardner
LF Damon
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
DH Matsui
2B Cano
RF Cabrera
C Kevin Cash
SS Ramiro Pena
On the Mound, AJ Burnett
*Jeter's out, nursing a sore right oblique.
Who would have thought even a month ago that there would be a time when the Yankees would start Melky Cabrera, Kevin Cash, Ramiro Pena, and Brett Gardner against one of the top 5 pitchers in the game, Doc Halladay. I sure didn't.
Some Videos for You...
Web Gems. Got to love Getz' Jeter hop.
Kruk's Power Rankings
A Blind Pitching Coach..Inspirational
And my favorite song...
Kruk's Power Rankings
A Blind Pitching Coach..Inspirational
And my favorite song...
Looking back...
Before the season, on March 31st, I posted about teams to bet on in Vegas. I looked at the odds, and saw which teams were most underrated in the odds for the pennant and the World Series title.
Those teams...
Seattle (16-16)
Texas(17-14)
Kansas City (18-14)
Florida (17-15)
Cincinnati (18-14)
San Francisco (17-14)
Who knows if any of them will stay above .500, or win their division, or win the pennant, or win the World Series, but they are doing a lot better than anyone thought they would.
Those teams...
Seattle (16-16)
Texas(17-14)
Kansas City (18-14)
Florida (17-15)
Cincinnati (18-14)
San Francisco (17-14)
Who knows if any of them will stay above .500, or win their division, or win the pennant, or win the World Series, but they are doing a lot better than anyone thought they would.
The Protege takes on the Mentor
Tonight the Yanks take on the 1st place Jays north of the border at the Rogers Centre. AJ Burnett takes the mound for the Yanks and his former mentor, Roy "Doc" Halladay will pitch for Toronto. This will surely be an interesting match-up. the surprise 1st place team versus the team that was supposed to be in 1st, but is in 3rd instead. Add in that Toronto is putting one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball on the mound and this is a must see game. AJ Burnett has actually pitched well or at least at an acceptable level this season, though his stats might not show it. Sure, he got rocked in Boston, but in his other starts he's been at least passable. Let's look
4/9 5.1 IP 2 ER 6 K
4/14 8.0 IP 2 ER 9K
4/19 6.1 3 ER 2K
4/25 5.o IP 8 ER 3K (against Boston)
4/30 7.0 IP 4 ER 5K
5/6 6.0 IP 3 ER 8K
So if you don't include that start in Boston, Burnett has a 3.86 ERA, 8.27 K/9 and an average of about 6.2 innings a start. That's not half bad. Apparently AJ has been a great clubhouse guy as well, which I wan't planning on as the season started. If AJ can step it up today and go 7 innings with 3 or less earned runs we'll be in the game. We mostly just have to hope that our offense can hit off Halladay. We only have 3 hitters who have better than a .250 AVG against Doc. A-Rod's got a .273 avg against him with 1 homer in 33 at bats, Johnny Damon has a .341 avg. against him in 44 at bats, and Brett Gardner has hit .429 against him in 7 at bats. Both Hideki and Robby Cano have two career home runs off Halladay, and we have to hope they can get some power off him today as well.
Since A-Rod's epic 1st pitch, 1st swing, 1st at bat home run, he's gone 1 for 10 with a walk and no RBI's. It's a small sample, a really small sample, but let's hope A-Rod's bat shows up again tonight in Toronto. I'd love to see him have a 3-4 day to cement himself back into the lineup.
4/9 5.1 IP 2 ER 6 K
4/14 8.0 IP 2 ER 9K
4/19 6.1 3 ER 2K
4/25 5.o IP 8 ER 3K (against Boston)
4/30 7.0 IP 4 ER 5K
5/6 6.0 IP 3 ER 8K
So if you don't include that start in Boston, Burnett has a 3.86 ERA, 8.27 K/9 and an average of about 6.2 innings a start. That's not half bad. Apparently AJ has been a great clubhouse guy as well, which I wan't planning on as the season started. If AJ can step it up today and go 7 innings with 3 or less earned runs we'll be in the game. We mostly just have to hope that our offense can hit off Halladay. We only have 3 hitters who have better than a .250 AVG against Doc. A-Rod's got a .273 avg against him with 1 homer in 33 at bats, Johnny Damon has a .341 avg. against him in 44 at bats, and Brett Gardner has hit .429 against him in 7 at bats. Both Hideki and Robby Cano have two career home runs off Halladay, and we have to hope they can get some power off him today as well.
Since A-Rod's epic 1st pitch, 1st swing, 1st at bat home run, he's gone 1 for 10 with a walk and no RBI's. It's a small sample, a really small sample, but let's hope A-Rod's bat shows up again tonight in Toronto. I'd love to see him have a 3-4 day to cement himself back into the lineup.
5/11/09
Life on the Farm
Hey All,
I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently. I'm coming down to the end of school, and work is piling up like crazy. In a few weeks, Kevin and I will be totally done and ready to post with great frequency.
In the meantime, I thought I'd update you on how our big name prospects are doing in the minors...
Austin Jackson- The 22 year old CF has started the year extremely well. He's through 26 games in Scranton at this point, and he's hitting a spectacular .365/.432/.452. He has not hit a HR yet, which attributes to the lowish SLG. He's flashed much more power in the past, so I'm sure these numbers can increase. If he continues to get on base like he is, he could be in the majors in no time. All it takes is one slump by Melky. We saw how fast Girardi bailed on Gardner...
Shelly Duncan- He is mashing the ball down in AAA. He has 10 HR in 23 games so far. He's batting .333/.405/.687. Impressive start for Shelly.
Ian Kennedy- He unfortunately has an aneurysm and will be out for a while. He was off to a great start though. He had a 1.59 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP through 22.2 IP. We will be excited to see him return.
Zach Kroenke- He is off to a great start as well. Through 16.2, Kroenke has a 1.08 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. His K:BB ratio is not so hot though, sitting at 1. If he can get the walks down, could he be a option in the bullpen?
Mark Melancon- He's only pitched 12 innings in AAA, but he has done a great job down there. He has a .75 ERA and a .83 WHIP. He has 17 Ks and only 3 BBs. That is unbelievable. I hope that he can figure out how to pitch in the MLB, because we could use dominance like that...
Zach McAllister- He's 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He's pitched 27 innings in AA. He's off to a good start.
Jeremy Bleich- Through 33.1 IP in Tampa, he has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Again, he's off to a solid start.
Dellin Betances- He's gone 32.1 IP and has posted a 3.90 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Both the ERA and WHIP could come down...
Jesus Montero- He's off to a fine start as well. He is hitting .302/.368/.538. He has 5 HR through 28 games. I can see his HR numbers increasing. By a lot.
Austin Romine- .295/.309/.419. The OPB is very concerning...
Andrew Brackman- He is not off to such a hot start in A ball. He's started 6 games so far and is 0-4 with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. He should be able to figure it out.
Pat Venditte- The ambidextrous pitcher is sporting a cool .61 ERA and .75 WHIP through 14.2 IP. How cool would it be to have this guy as our closer in a couple years?
There you go!
Links
PeteAbe talked to Brett Tomko and Francisco Cervelli about some Yankee prospects.
Teixieira is determined to raise his average.
Johnny Damon won player of the week.
In case you haven't heard, although I'm sure you have, Aubrey Huff fist pumped after his home run off Joba. He mocked 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba. But guess what, the Yankees won. So I really don't care. When Aubrey Huff can walk on water, let me know, but till then he ain't nothing compared to Joba. (Also check out Joba's bright blue shirt, black vest, and white collar combo. Looking spiffy bud).
Joel Sherman looks at how A-Rod could have been a Met.
Joakim "The Mexicutioner" Soria is on the DL. He's a phenomenal pitcher and KC has to be hoping he heals quickly.
The Cubs saw their third baseman, Aramis Ramirez, hit the DL as well.
Howard Bryant talks about David Ortiz's slow start. Ortiz doesn't think he's in decline, but I sure do. And I hope he is too...
Buster Olney on how Evan Longoria is the man. Wish he was a Yank, I really do.
Jon Heyman on Clint Hurdle and Eric Wedge (and whether they'll keep their jobs).
Teixieira is determined to raise his average.
Johnny Damon won player of the week.
In case you haven't heard, although I'm sure you have, Aubrey Huff fist pumped after his home run off Joba. He mocked 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba. But guess what, the Yankees won. So I really don't care. When Aubrey Huff can walk on water, let me know, but till then he ain't nothing compared to Joba. (Also check out Joba's bright blue shirt, black vest, and white collar combo. Looking spiffy bud).
Joel Sherman looks at how A-Rod could have been a Met.
Joakim "The Mexicutioner" Soria is on the DL. He's a phenomenal pitcher and KC has to be hoping he heals quickly.
The Cubs saw their third baseman, Aramis Ramirez, hit the DL as well.
Howard Bryant talks about David Ortiz's slow start. Ortiz doesn't think he's in decline, but I sure do. And I hope he is too...
Buster Olney on how Evan Longoria is the man. Wish he was a Yank, I really do.
Jon Heyman on Clint Hurdle and Eric Wedge (and whether they'll keep their jobs).
Thinking about the Deadline
I know, it's only May 11th, but I love the trading deadline (July 31st) and all the hype that leads up to it. So I'm starting my hype early with some thoughts/predictions/statements/wishes/etc.
Teams that could be sellers:
Oakland (Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, Bobby Crosby, Matt Holliday,
Seattle (Adrian Beltre, Erik Bedard, Russell Branyan, Jarrod Washburn)
Detroit (Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco)
Washington (Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns)
Baltimore (Melvin Mora, Aubrey Huff)
Cleveland (Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco, David Dellucci, Ryan Garko)
Pittsburgh (Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, Zach Duke)
St. Louis (Rick Ankiel, Kyle Lohse, Dennys Reyes, Jason LaRue)
Colorado (Garrett Atkins, Yorvit Torrealba, Jason Marquis, Huston Street, Ryan Spilborghs)
San Diego (Jake Peavy, Brian Giles, David Eckstein)
Teams that could be buyers:
Yankees (C, RP, CF)
Brewers (SP)
Phillies (SP)
Marlins (SP, 3B, OF)
Cubs (2B)
Angels (2B, SS)
Mets (SP)
Braves (OF)
Rangers (SP,RP)
Does anyone else think that Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik might send Erik Bedard to Milwaulkee, his former employer, to try and acquire some prospects he previously scouted?
The Angels are log jammed in the outfield (Torii Hunter, Juan Rivera, Gary Matthews Jr. , Reggie Willits, plus they have Vlad Guerrerro, who is on the DL). They should try to deal Matthews Jr. and/or Rivera. Matthews is signed through '11, making $10mm this year, $11mm next year, and $12mm in 2011. So it will be hard to find a taker. However, perhaps they could orchestrate a bad contract swap (Edgar Renteria perhaps?). I think a Juan Rivera ($3.25mm this year, $4.25mm next year, $5.25mm in '11) for Kazuo Matsui ($5mm this year, $5mm next year) would be a smart move. Kaz has post-season experience, with fine results (.347 OBP/ .500 SLG 2 doubles, 2 triples, and a homer in 46 postseason at bats). That's crucial for the Angels who expect to go far in the postseason.
Anaheim also needs some power, so they could also look at trading the speedy Chone Figgins and acquiring someone that can play third and hit with power like Adrian Beltre, Russell Branyan, Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, or Aubrey Huff.
The Braves could be the suitor that makes the most sense for Matt Holliday. I think he could get traded for a package built around Yunel Escobar. I don't think he'd bring back a top prospect like Tommy Hanson though.
Jake Peavy will get traded. Drayton McLane would probably love to have him in Houston, always buying when he should be selling, but he doesn't have much to give up. The Cubs could make sense, but they'd have to get the budget addition approved. We all know that Peavy has a no trade clause and prefers to stay in the NL. But, if that changes, Texas could be a fit. They have some promising young arms (Harrison, McCarthy, Feldman) along with a plethora of other young players, specifically a fine catching surplus(Max Ramirez, Saltalamacchia, and Taylor Teagarden). Who isn't going to respond to Nolan Ryan calling him up and saying that he wants him on his team? I also could see Peavy going to Milwaulkee for a package built around one of their young players like Alcides Escobar.
The Rockies need to trade Garrett Atkins. If they can get a young pitcher from the Angels or the Twins in exchange for Garrett they should. Names like Dustin Moseley, Glenn Perkins, and Nick Blackburn will surely be mentioned in trade talks.
Anyone else think that Wrigley Field could be a good landing spot for Placido Polanco? They need a second baseman and Detroit could host a firesale this summer. He could be traded for a young pitcher, probably not Jeff Samardzija, but maybe Sean Marshall or Randy Wells?
Now...what we all really care about...What's going on in the Bronx?
The Yanks have a very weak, injury-riddled, bullpen. We also may end up with a hole in center field, although if Melky keeps playing like he has been there will be no reason to worry.
With the bullpen, we need some reliable pitchers. Edwar Ramirez (5.40 ERA), Jose Veras (7.20 ERA), and Jon Albaladejo (5.63 ERA) just don't cut it. The way I see it right now we have two acceptable relievers in the 'pen, Mariano and Coke. Bruney's great, but he's on the DL. Aceves and Tomko could be good, but we won't know until they make a few more appearances. Damaso Marte is overrated, and on the DL. Even when he returns, I just don't see him as a quality arm any more. He hasn't been able to handle the Bronx ever since he arrived last year.
We should be looking to find some relievers via trade. Joe Beimel (1.74 ERA) , Bob Howry (3.38 ERA) , and Rafael Soriano (1.20 ERA) are some possible trade candidates. All are free agents after this year and all could be big parts of our bullpen.
There are some other guys to look at from Colorado (Grilli, Embree, Daley), San Diego (Perdomo), Cleveland (Sipp, Matt Herges), Chicago White Sox (Dotel, Linebrink, Thornton, Jenks, Carrasco), Oakland (Ziegler, Springer, Wuertz, Bailey), Seattle (Aardsma, Lowe, White), and St. Louis (Motte, Franklin, McClellan). These are all clubs that could easily deal a reliever either because of a surplus or because they won't contend this year. Hopefully Mark Melancon will come back up to the bigs sometime in the near future, and be effective. The core of our bullpen should be Mariano, Bruney, Melancon, and Coke. We need some other arms to throw in there and there are so many out there, we just need to go out and get them.
Currently we have a gaping hole at catcher with Jose and Jorge both out. I wouldn't mind signing free agent backstop Javier Valentin, but I'd really love to see us swing a deal for Yorvit Torrealba of the Rockies. The Rox want to get rid of him because he's a backup to Iannetta and he is making more than they'd like to pay ($3.5mm this year and a $4mm option with a $0.5mm buyout). Yorvit had success in the postseason in 07, is an okay hitter, he's better than Cash, that's for sure, and is above average defensively. The Rox need starting pitching and we could offer someone like Alfredo Aceves, Brett Tomko, Kei Igawa, Jason Johnson, or even Ian Kennedy(depending on what we got in return).
This summer will be full of blockbusters, of that I'm sure. But, we've still got a ways to go before we can know for sure where everyone will be heading.
Thanks to Cot's for contract info.
Teams that could be sellers:
Oakland (Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, Bobby Crosby, Matt Holliday,
Seattle (Adrian Beltre, Erik Bedard, Russell Branyan, Jarrod Washburn)
Detroit (Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco)
Washington (Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns)
Baltimore (Melvin Mora, Aubrey Huff)
Cleveland (Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco, David Dellucci, Ryan Garko)
Pittsburgh (Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, Zach Duke)
St. Louis (Rick Ankiel, Kyle Lohse, Dennys Reyes, Jason LaRue)
Colorado (Garrett Atkins, Yorvit Torrealba, Jason Marquis, Huston Street, Ryan Spilborghs)
San Diego (Jake Peavy, Brian Giles, David Eckstein)
Teams that could be buyers:
Yankees (C, RP, CF)
Brewers (SP)
Phillies (SP)
Marlins (SP, 3B, OF)
Cubs (2B)
Angels (2B, SS)
Mets (SP)
Braves (OF)
Rangers (SP,RP)
Does anyone else think that Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik might send Erik Bedard to Milwaulkee, his former employer, to try and acquire some prospects he previously scouted?
The Angels are log jammed in the outfield (Torii Hunter, Juan Rivera, Gary Matthews Jr. , Reggie Willits, plus they have Vlad Guerrerro, who is on the DL). They should try to deal Matthews Jr. and/or Rivera. Matthews is signed through '11, making $10mm this year, $11mm next year, and $12mm in 2011. So it will be hard to find a taker. However, perhaps they could orchestrate a bad contract swap (Edgar Renteria perhaps?). I think a Juan Rivera ($3.25mm this year, $4.25mm next year, $5.25mm in '11) for Kazuo Matsui ($5mm this year, $5mm next year) would be a smart move. Kaz has post-season experience, with fine results (.347 OBP/ .500 SLG 2 doubles, 2 triples, and a homer in 46 postseason at bats). That's crucial for the Angels who expect to go far in the postseason.
Anaheim also needs some power, so they could also look at trading the speedy Chone Figgins and acquiring someone that can play third and hit with power like Adrian Beltre, Russell Branyan, Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, or Aubrey Huff.
The Braves could be the suitor that makes the most sense for Matt Holliday. I think he could get traded for a package built around Yunel Escobar. I don't think he'd bring back a top prospect like Tommy Hanson though.
Jake Peavy will get traded. Drayton McLane would probably love to have him in Houston, always buying when he should be selling, but he doesn't have much to give up. The Cubs could make sense, but they'd have to get the budget addition approved. We all know that Peavy has a no trade clause and prefers to stay in the NL. But, if that changes, Texas could be a fit. They have some promising young arms (Harrison, McCarthy, Feldman) along with a plethora of other young players, specifically a fine catching surplus(Max Ramirez, Saltalamacchia, and Taylor Teagarden). Who isn't going to respond to Nolan Ryan calling him up and saying that he wants him on his team? I also could see Peavy going to Milwaulkee for a package built around one of their young players like Alcides Escobar.
The Rockies need to trade Garrett Atkins. If they can get a young pitcher from the Angels or the Twins in exchange for Garrett they should. Names like Dustin Moseley, Glenn Perkins, and Nick Blackburn will surely be mentioned in trade talks.
Anyone else think that Wrigley Field could be a good landing spot for Placido Polanco? They need a second baseman and Detroit could host a firesale this summer. He could be traded for a young pitcher, probably not Jeff Samardzija, but maybe Sean Marshall or Randy Wells?
Now...what we all really care about...What's going on in the Bronx?
The Yanks have a very weak, injury-riddled, bullpen. We also may end up with a hole in center field, although if Melky keeps playing like he has been there will be no reason to worry.
With the bullpen, we need some reliable pitchers. Edwar Ramirez (5.40 ERA), Jose Veras (7.20 ERA), and Jon Albaladejo (5.63 ERA) just don't cut it. The way I see it right now we have two acceptable relievers in the 'pen, Mariano and Coke. Bruney's great, but he's on the DL. Aceves and Tomko could be good, but we won't know until they make a few more appearances. Damaso Marte is overrated, and on the DL. Even when he returns, I just don't see him as a quality arm any more. He hasn't been able to handle the Bronx ever since he arrived last year.
We should be looking to find some relievers via trade. Joe Beimel (1.74 ERA) , Bob Howry (3.38 ERA) , and Rafael Soriano (1.20 ERA) are some possible trade candidates. All are free agents after this year and all could be big parts of our bullpen.
There are some other guys to look at from Colorado (Grilli, Embree, Daley), San Diego (Perdomo), Cleveland (Sipp, Matt Herges), Chicago White Sox (Dotel, Linebrink, Thornton, Jenks, Carrasco), Oakland (Ziegler, Springer, Wuertz, Bailey), Seattle (Aardsma, Lowe, White), and St. Louis (Motte, Franklin, McClellan). These are all clubs that could easily deal a reliever either because of a surplus or because they won't contend this year. Hopefully Mark Melancon will come back up to the bigs sometime in the near future, and be effective. The core of our bullpen should be Mariano, Bruney, Melancon, and Coke. We need some other arms to throw in there and there are so many out there, we just need to go out and get them.
Currently we have a gaping hole at catcher with Jose and Jorge both out. I wouldn't mind signing free agent backstop Javier Valentin, but I'd really love to see us swing a deal for Yorvit Torrealba of the Rockies. The Rox want to get rid of him because he's a backup to Iannetta and he is making more than they'd like to pay ($3.5mm this year and a $4mm option with a $0.5mm buyout). Yorvit had success in the postseason in 07, is an okay hitter, he's better than Cash, that's for sure, and is above average defensively. The Rox need starting pitching and we could offer someone like Alfredo Aceves, Brett Tomko, Kei Igawa, Jason Johnson, or even Ian Kennedy(depending on what we got in return).
This summer will be full of blockbusters, of that I'm sure. But, we've still got a ways to go before we can know for sure where everyone will be heading.
Thanks to Cot's for contract info.
5/10/09
Joba and the 1st
The Yanks won today 5-3, Joba grabbing the win, Coke the hold with 2 scoreless innings, and Mo the save. Mark Texiera hit a solo shot in the first. Robby Cano also hit a solo, his in the 7th. And then Johnny Damon hit a 3 run homer in the 7th as well.
Joba's only real troubles came in the first inning. He allowed two singles to lead off the inning. Got a line out. And then served up a gopher ball to Aubrey Huff. Then he let Melvin Mora single on a bunt. Luckily Cervelli, defensive whizz, picked him off at first while Mora tried to steal second, and after a little game of "pickle" Tex tagged him out. Then Joba let Luke Scott single before he struck out Gregg Zaun. SO in the 1st inning he let the O's get 5 hits, and score 3 runs. But over his next 5 innings he only allowed 4 more hits and no more runs. He walked walked two and added 4 more K's to the one he had from the 1st.
Last week against Boston on el Cinco de Mayo Joba had a similar outing. In the 1st inning of that game he started off by allowing a single to Ellsbury, who then stole 2nd. Then he let Pedroia and Ortiz single. Followed by a Jason Bay homerun. Then he allowed a Mike Lowell single. Luckily, that was followed by the 1st out of the inning, a JD Drew line out to right, and then Jeff Bailey grounded into a double play. But, in that inning he allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits. In the 4.2 innings he pitched after the 1st, he allowed no earned runs, struck out 12 (yes, 12!), let up 1 more hit, and walked 2.
In Joba's 6 starts this year, he's only had 2 1-2-3 1st innings (KC on the 4/12 and Det on 4/29). Other than those 2 games, he's allowed at least 1 run in the 1st inning of every game he's started.
Basically, Joba hasn't particularly enjoyed the first inning this year, but after that he seems to be pitching phenomenally. He's got ace stuff, and he's shown that even if he has a bad inning, he can rebound and pitch strong for the rest of the game. He's got ace-caliber stuff, obviously, but he needs to figure out how to get through that 1st inning. If he can start games off solidly he'll be the Ace we know he is.
Joba's only real troubles came in the first inning. He allowed two singles to lead off the inning. Got a line out. And then served up a gopher ball to Aubrey Huff. Then he let Melvin Mora single on a bunt. Luckily Cervelli, defensive whizz, picked him off at first while Mora tried to steal second, and after a little game of "pickle" Tex tagged him out. Then Joba let Luke Scott single before he struck out Gregg Zaun. SO in the 1st inning he let the O's get 5 hits, and score 3 runs. But over his next 5 innings he only allowed 4 more hits and no more runs. He walked walked two and added 4 more K's to the one he had from the 1st.
Last week against Boston on el Cinco de Mayo Joba had a similar outing. In the 1st inning of that game he started off by allowing a single to Ellsbury, who then stole 2nd. Then he let Pedroia and Ortiz single. Followed by a Jason Bay homerun. Then he allowed a Mike Lowell single. Luckily, that was followed by the 1st out of the inning, a JD Drew line out to right, and then Jeff Bailey grounded into a double play. But, in that inning he allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits. In the 4.2 innings he pitched after the 1st, he allowed no earned runs, struck out 12 (yes, 12!), let up 1 more hit, and walked 2.
In Joba's 6 starts this year, he's only had 2 1-2-3 1st innings (KC on the 4/12 and Det on 4/29). Other than those 2 games, he's allowed at least 1 run in the 1st inning of every game he's started.
Basically, Joba hasn't particularly enjoyed the first inning this year, but after that he seems to be pitching phenomenally. He's got ace stuff, and he's shown that even if he has a bad inning, he can rebound and pitch strong for the rest of the game. He's got ace-caliber stuff, obviously, but he needs to figure out how to get through that 1st inning. If he can start games off solidly he'll be the Ace we know he is.
Catching Situation
Right now we've got Francisco Cervelli and Kevin Cash as our catching tandem. Yikes! I'm okay with Cervelli, just because I think he could use some big league experience and can call a game (see Sabathia's gem). But Cash? You got to be able to hit to some extent to play in the bigs. And to play in the Bronx, you have to be able to hit. So...we got to find someone better than Cash.
On the free agent market there are a few options:
Johnny Estrada
Javier Valentin
Paul Bako
Estrada only played 23 games last year .170/.200/.170. But, only 23 games so I'm not going to draw conclusions. But he did play in 120 games in 07 .278/.296/.403. In 442 at bats he hit 10 home runs and hit 25 doubles. He could hit for power and average, but that whole OBP problem is going to be a bummer. Estrada hasn't had an OBP over .350 since 04 (.378). He isn't great, but I'll admit it, he's better than Cash.
Valentin hit .256/.326/.411 last year in 94 games. Not great numbers. His OBP and SLG are higher than Estrada's were in 07 so I think he might actually be better than Estrada. And better than Cash.
Paul Bako played for Cincy last year and hit .217/.299/.328. Obviously Valentin and Estrada are better hitters, thus Bako's out. Valentin's still in the lead.
Toby Hall and Gary Bennett are both free agents too, but they really don't even deserve a look.
So overall, Javier Valentin is the most qualified free agent catcher available. Down on the farm the only guy we have that can hit is Jesus Montero, and he's at single A Charleston. Austin Romine's there, but he still hasn't learned to draw walks so he most certainly can't be called up. And calling Montero up so many levels, on such short notice, and at such a young age isn't smart either, so the free agent market is more viable.
Sure we can look at trades, but they can cost us young talent, and we only need this replacement until Molina and Jorge are back from their injuries.
On the free agent market there are a few options:
Johnny Estrada
Javier Valentin
Paul Bako
Estrada only played 23 games last year .170/.200/.170. But, only 23 games so I'm not going to draw conclusions. But he did play in 120 games in 07 .278/.296/.403. In 442 at bats he hit 10 home runs and hit 25 doubles. He could hit for power and average, but that whole OBP problem is going to be a bummer. Estrada hasn't had an OBP over .350 since 04 (.378). He isn't great, but I'll admit it, he's better than Cash.
Valentin hit .256/.326/.411 last year in 94 games. Not great numbers. His OBP and SLG are higher than Estrada's were in 07 so I think he might actually be better than Estrada. And better than Cash.
Paul Bako played for Cincy last year and hit .217/.299/.328. Obviously Valentin and Estrada are better hitters, thus Bako's out. Valentin's still in the lead.
Toby Hall and Gary Bennett are both free agents too, but they really don't even deserve a look.
So overall, Javier Valentin is the most qualified free agent catcher available. Down on the farm the only guy we have that can hit is Jesus Montero, and he's at single A Charleston. Austin Romine's there, but he still hasn't learned to draw walks so he most certainly can't be called up. And calling Montero up so many levels, on such short notice, and at such a young age isn't smart either, so the free agent market is more viable.
Sure we can look at trades, but they can cost us young talent, and we only need this replacement until Molina and Jorge are back from their injuries.
Transactions
Couple of roster moves everyone should be aware of...
Obviously yesterday we activated A-Rod from the 15 day DL.
Then Jose Molina was put on the 15 day DL with a strained left quad.
We sent Mark Melancon back to triple A, and called up Kevin Cash to the major league squad.
To make room for Cash on the 40 man roster we DFA'd Steven Jackson.
Today we optioned David Robertson to triple A and brought Brett Tomko up to the bigs.
We DFA'd Erick Hacker to make room on the 40 man for Tomko.
And Ian Kennedy is going to have surgery because of an aneurysm. Our hearts are with him.
What I don't understand is why Angel Berroa still has a 40 man spot. Ramiro Pena is better than Berroa. And when Ransom gets healthy he's better than Angel too. Berroa can't hit, field, or run. Why does this man still have a roster spot? I'd much rather have Steven Jackson on the roster.
I also don't understand why Berroa is on the active roster. Couldn't that spot be better occupied by Juan Miranda? At least he can hit...
Obviously yesterday we activated A-Rod from the 15 day DL.
Then Jose Molina was put on the 15 day DL with a strained left quad.
We sent Mark Melancon back to triple A, and called up Kevin Cash to the major league squad.
To make room for Cash on the 40 man roster we DFA'd Steven Jackson.
Today we optioned David Robertson to triple A and brought Brett Tomko up to the bigs.
We DFA'd Erick Hacker to make room on the 40 man for Tomko.
And Ian Kennedy is going to have surgery because of an aneurysm. Our hearts are with him.
What I don't understand is why Angel Berroa still has a 40 man spot. Ramiro Pena is better than Berroa. And when Ransom gets healthy he's better than Angel too. Berroa can't hit, field, or run. Why does this man still have a roster spot? I'd much rather have Steven Jackson on the roster.
I also don't understand why Berroa is on the active roster. Couldn't that spot be better occupied by Juan Miranda? At least he can hit...
5/9/09
To be a Yankee Fan
We've all enjoyed a day in the sun sitting on burning metal bleachers, chanting the names of all-stars, hall of famers, and even those rookies called up for their 15 minutes of fame. We've all taken that first bite of a hot dog, to look down and see that the cheap yellow mustard has dripped down the back of the dog and landed on our bright white shirt, so we try to stealthily dab it away, but make no real progress and walk around the whole day with the stain. We've all sat in our cars, listening over-attentively to John Sterling, yearning to hear history. We all sneak an occasional glance at the ESPN Bottomline to see if our team won on any given day. We've all let baseball steal a spot in our hearts, for it is more than a game to many, its a way of life.
Look back at the past ten years of your life, and ask yourself what do you remember. Sure, you'll remember falling in love, or getting married, or starting college, or getting promoted. And you'll recall tragedy, death, and disappoinment. But for every individual these life events are different, and they are only discussed by those very dear to you. However, we all remember winning the Subway series in 2000. We can all remember feeling our hearts drop as Luis Gonzalez hit that painful single off Mariano in game 7. We all remember cheering as the Yanks would face Byun Hyun Kim, as we knew we could hit him. We all remember the utter shock we felt as Aaron Boone hit his collossal shot to left. We all remember watching Wakefield walk off the field, as the Yankees surrounded home to dogpile on Boone. And we all remember that winter morning, when every sports station held the headline "Rodriguez to the Bronx" and we can recall that mixed sentiment, we hated seeing Fonsy leave, but were elated to have the left side of our infield manned by the two best shortstops in the league. We can all recount that feeling of optimism we felt as we held a 3-0 lead in the ALCS against Boston, only to have our hearts stomped on and our dreams trampled upon. We can recall Joba being swarmed by gnats in Cleveland as we lost to the Tribe in the ALDS. We all remember that empty feeling last October of not having baseball to enjoy. And we all recall the astonishment we felt when we found out that the Yankees had signed Mark Teixeira on top of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett to usher in the new cathedral. These memories unite us. For these events in Yankee history can be brought up to any fan, and they will recall them. True fans can be of any two backgrounds and be connected through this franchise of excellence. It is the pinstripes that bond together a society of fans, a dedicated troupe, with one common love: the Bronx Bombers. It pulses in our veins. It beats in our hearts. It pushes us to be better. It provokes each child's dream of hearing his name announced by Mr. Sheppherd. It gives us faith. It gives us a safe haven. It gives us love.
For as long as I can remember I've been told "It's just a game." "The players have already forgotten about it, so should you." But its not just a game. The players don't forget. These games sculpt memories, they write history, they make legends, they produce heroes, they bring disappointment, they bring fear, they bring joy, they bring something intangible that we just don't forget. Mariano hasn't forgotten Game 7 of '01. Boone surely hasn't forgotten the shot that brought him fame. Maris never forgot number 61. Ruth never forgot when he called his shot, nor did the rest of the nation. The players remember the game, the writers remember the game, the fans remember the game, and history remembers the game. We remember the dirt on Jeter's uniform. We remember the smile on Swisher's face. We remember Manny's astonishment as Melky's leaping grab robbed him of a homer. We remember the tears streaming down Joe Torre's face after each World Series Victory. We remember our little league teams. We remember that feeling of triumph as we cleanly fielded a grounder. We remember learning to stock sunflowers seeds in one cheek, then split the shell and spit 'em. We remember baseball because it moves with us through our lives. The memories stay, and new ones come around each year. For this isn't just a game. This is life.
Who doesn't have a favorite player? Be it Derek Jeter or Bubba Crosby, we've all felt a connection to one player or another. We've all rooted for "the bad guy" because we wanted our team to win. We've all rooted for "the class act" because...well how can you not? We've all rooted for the "feel good story" because we all believe in hope. We've all rooted for "the rookie" as we hope to see their career start off in fashion. We've all rooted for "the veteran" because they are simply woven into the seams of the baseball. We all have connected to these players, these people that most of us have never met. We've all felt joy and pain, love and hate, astonishment and disbelief because of the things these "foreign figures" do as they take the field. And sure, you can say we don't know them. But we do. For we're there as they have that rush of excitement or disappointment as they bring home a victory or a loss. We see them in their purest state. A state of 100% emotion, both good and bad. And it is in these moments that we "know" these players.
For this is where there are no barriers, for we are all connected by that pinstriped blood we all bleed, and by that irreplacable love that we all feel for a logo, for a name, for a uniform, for a franchise, for a nation, for a team. For we are the New York Yankees through thick and thin. And no one can ever change that. When the world kicks you down, your team will always be there. They may win, or they may lose, but they will always be there. Lou Gherig's speech will always ring through our ears. The smell of spring will always waft its way to our nose. The taste of peanuts will always make us lick our lips. The feeling of our old worn down leather gloves will always hold on to our fingertips. And that interlocking NY will always be burned into our eyes, we will always see it, and upon viewing it we will think of one word: Loyalty.
Look back at the past ten years of your life, and ask yourself what do you remember. Sure, you'll remember falling in love, or getting married, or starting college, or getting promoted. And you'll recall tragedy, death, and disappoinment. But for every individual these life events are different, and they are only discussed by those very dear to you. However, we all remember winning the Subway series in 2000. We can all remember feeling our hearts drop as Luis Gonzalez hit that painful single off Mariano in game 7. We all remember cheering as the Yanks would face Byun Hyun Kim, as we knew we could hit him. We all remember the utter shock we felt as Aaron Boone hit his collossal shot to left. We all remember watching Wakefield walk off the field, as the Yankees surrounded home to dogpile on Boone. And we all remember that winter morning, when every sports station held the headline "Rodriguez to the Bronx" and we can recall that mixed sentiment, we hated seeing Fonsy leave, but were elated to have the left side of our infield manned by the two best shortstops in the league. We can all recount that feeling of optimism we felt as we held a 3-0 lead in the ALCS against Boston, only to have our hearts stomped on and our dreams trampled upon. We can recall Joba being swarmed by gnats in Cleveland as we lost to the Tribe in the ALDS. We all remember that empty feeling last October of not having baseball to enjoy. And we all recall the astonishment we felt when we found out that the Yankees had signed Mark Teixeira on top of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett to usher in the new cathedral. These memories unite us. For these events in Yankee history can be brought up to any fan, and they will recall them. True fans can be of any two backgrounds and be connected through this franchise of excellence. It is the pinstripes that bond together a society of fans, a dedicated troupe, with one common love: the Bronx Bombers. It pulses in our veins. It beats in our hearts. It pushes us to be better. It provokes each child's dream of hearing his name announced by Mr. Sheppherd. It gives us faith. It gives us a safe haven. It gives us love.
For as long as I can remember I've been told "It's just a game." "The players have already forgotten about it, so should you." But its not just a game. The players don't forget. These games sculpt memories, they write history, they make legends, they produce heroes, they bring disappointment, they bring fear, they bring joy, they bring something intangible that we just don't forget. Mariano hasn't forgotten Game 7 of '01. Boone surely hasn't forgotten the shot that brought him fame. Maris never forgot number 61. Ruth never forgot when he called his shot, nor did the rest of the nation. The players remember the game, the writers remember the game, the fans remember the game, and history remembers the game. We remember the dirt on Jeter's uniform. We remember the smile on Swisher's face. We remember Manny's astonishment as Melky's leaping grab robbed him of a homer. We remember the tears streaming down Joe Torre's face after each World Series Victory. We remember our little league teams. We remember that feeling of triumph as we cleanly fielded a grounder. We remember learning to stock sunflowers seeds in one cheek, then split the shell and spit 'em. We remember baseball because it moves with us through our lives. The memories stay, and new ones come around each year. For this isn't just a game. This is life.
Who doesn't have a favorite player? Be it Derek Jeter or Bubba Crosby, we've all felt a connection to one player or another. We've all rooted for "the bad guy" because we wanted our team to win. We've all rooted for "the class act" because...well how can you not? We've all rooted for the "feel good story" because we all believe in hope. We've all rooted for "the rookie" as we hope to see their career start off in fashion. We've all rooted for "the veteran" because they are simply woven into the seams of the baseball. We all have connected to these players, these people that most of us have never met. We've all felt joy and pain, love and hate, astonishment and disbelief because of the things these "foreign figures" do as they take the field. And sure, you can say we don't know them. But we do. For we're there as they have that rush of excitement or disappointment as they bring home a victory or a loss. We see them in their purest state. A state of 100% emotion, both good and bad. And it is in these moments that we "know" these players.
For this is where there are no barriers, for we are all connected by that pinstriped blood we all bleed, and by that irreplacable love that we all feel for a logo, for a name, for a uniform, for a franchise, for a nation, for a team. For we are the New York Yankees through thick and thin. And no one can ever change that. When the world kicks you down, your team will always be there. They may win, or they may lose, but they will always be there. Lou Gherig's speech will always ring through our ears. The smell of spring will always waft its way to our nose. The taste of peanuts will always make us lick our lips. The feeling of our old worn down leather gloves will always hold on to our fingertips. And that interlocking NY will always be burned into our eyes, we will always see it, and upon viewing it we will think of one word: Loyalty.
5/8/09
Legendary
Everyone was waiting. For months his name was whispered from man to man. Journalists diligently studied his every move. Rookies attempted to mimic his every move. His MVP awards shined from his trophy case. He worked like no other, always giving one hundred percent. For 6 weeks he yearned to join his team, his friends, his family on the fields where the whole nation would watch them. He did all he could, waving a broomstick through the air to strengthen his arms, refusing to speak off anything but his one true love, baseball. And on May 8th the natural returned to the field. As he walked towards the plates the opposing crowds jeered him. They booed and ranted of his antics. He blocked them all out with his tunnel vision. All he saw was the plate, the ball, the fence. The pitcher, clad in orange, stared him down. He hurled the tiny globe of hope, the globe in which the all-star lives and thrives. As the world zipped towards him at a staggering speed just under 100 miles per hour, the legend mustered all his might and brought the heavy bat through his zone, striking his world with immeasurable force. He looked up as the ball flew high and far, above the fence in left, and landed in the stands. He hopped and flipped his bat as he jogged around the bases. For he was back. His team was lifted. And the world was saved.
Indeed Alex Rodriguez has returned to the baseball field. We may not be the biggest fans of Alex Rodriguez the person, but dude can hit. We all hope to see Alex play at his typical level as the year progresses on, and he is certainly a much needed upgrade in the lineup over the likes of Angel Berroa and Ramiro Pena. We will see if his ego and the never-dying cloud of controversy that follows him around will be any type of a problem for the Yanks as the season progresses, but we'd have to hope his ball-playing ability will have the bigger influence.
Meanwhile... CC Sabathia has thrown 8 shutout innings, walking one, allowing two hits, and striking out 5. I told you, he's just a late starter.
UPDATE: He's in for the ninth, and allowed singles to the first two hitters, Cesar Izturis and Brian Roberts. But then he struck out Adam Jones. 1 out. Men on 1st and 2nd. Nick Markakis to the plate.
UPDATE: Then he struck out Nick Markakis. Now Melvin Mora's at the plate.
UPDATE: Then he struck out Melvin Mora. 9 shutout innings. 113 pitches. 8 strikeouts. YEAH CC.
Robinson Cano who had been in a pretty big slump went 2 for 4 today with a double.
Indeed Alex Rodriguez has returned to the baseball field. We may not be the biggest fans of Alex Rodriguez the person, but dude can hit. We all hope to see Alex play at his typical level as the year progresses on, and he is certainly a much needed upgrade in the lineup over the likes of Angel Berroa and Ramiro Pena. We will see if his ego and the never-dying cloud of controversy that follows him around will be any type of a problem for the Yanks as the season progresses, but we'd have to hope his ball-playing ability will have the bigger influence.
Meanwhile... CC Sabathia has thrown 8 shutout innings, walking one, allowing two hits, and striking out 5. I told you, he's just a late starter.
UPDATE: He's in for the ninth, and allowed singles to the first two hitters, Cesar Izturis and Brian Roberts. But then he struck out Adam Jones. 1 out. Men on 1st and 2nd. Nick Markakis to the plate.
UPDATE: Then he struck out Nick Markakis. Now Melvin Mora's at the plate.
UPDATE: Then he struck out Melvin Mora. 9 shutout innings. 113 pitches. 8 strikeouts. YEAH CC.
Robinson Cano who had been in a pretty big slump went 2 for 4 today with a double.
5/7/09
Molina Leaves Game
I'm listening to the game on the radio and Jose Molina left the game with a strained quad. He'll have an MRI on it. We really have no other catchers that can play, just Frankie Cervelli.
Sterling's listing the injuries
A-Rod
Wang
Nady
Bruney
Marte
Posada
Molina
Yikes!
Sterling's listing the injuries
A-Rod
Wang
Nady
Bruney
Marte
Posada
Molina
Yikes!
Swish your vote. Vote Swisher!
You all probably know that the all-star ballot is out. You can vote 25 times online for every email address you have. I just voted 50 times over two emails. It took 10 minutes. You can write in 1 player from each league, so write in Swisher. I was going to right in Melky as well, but it only let me write in one for the AL. Go to MLB.com go to the ballot. And vote for your favorite players (like Nick Swisher). He's worth the vote and the ten minutes, because we all want to see him starting the midsummer classic in St. Louis. So vote now!
UPDATE: There is another blog, VOTESWISHER.COM , dedicated to spreading Vote Nick Swisher awareness. Check it out. And then GO VOTE FOR SUPERSWISH. (Write him in as an outfielder).
UPDATE: There is another blog, VOTESWISHER.COM , dedicated to spreading Vote Nick Swisher awareness. Check it out. And then GO VOTE FOR SUPERSWISH. (Write him in as an outfielder).
Fantasy Update...
Conor and I posted our teams on April 23rd.
Here's where we are now.
Kevin's Team (3-0-1)
C Rod Barajas
1B Ryan Howard
2B Robinson Cano
3B Russell Branyan
SS Yunel Escobar
LF Adam Dunn
CF Elijah Dukes
RF Justin Upton
DH Mike Jacobs
Utility Miguel Cabrera
Bench Mark Teahen
DL Travis Hafner
SP Jarrod Washburn
SP Jair Jurrjens
SP Kevin Millwood
SP Jered Weaver
SP Dan Meyer
RP Bobby Seay
RP Scott Downs
RP Matt Thornton
RP David Weathers
RP Chris Sampson
Bench Kevin Slowey
Bench Javier Vasquez
Bench Erik Bedard
Bench Phil Hughes
DL Jesse Litsch
Again, it's a HR, XBH, SB, OBP, SLG and IP, K, ERA, WHIP, SVHD (saves + holds) league. And bench members are moved in when they're starting or basically whenever I feel like it.
Here's Con's team. (4-0)
C Chris Iannetta
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Chase Utley
3B Aramis Ramirez
SS Derek Jeter
LF Jason Bay
CF Grady Sizemore
RF Matt Kemp
DH Jack Cust
Utility Ryan Braun
Bench Ryan Theriot
Bench Randy Winn
Bench Raul Ibanez
DL Ryan Doumit
SP Roy Halladay
SP Zack Greinke
SP Yovani Gallardo
SP Cole Hamels
SP Zach Duke
RP Jonathan Broxton
RP Matt Capps
RP Heath Bell
RP Kevin Gregg
RP Dan Wheeler
Bench Justin Verlander
Bench James Shields
DL Joey Devine
If you've got thoughts let's see em in the comments.
Here's where we are now.
Kevin's Team (3-0-1)
C Rod Barajas
1B Ryan Howard
2B Robinson Cano
3B Russell Branyan
SS Yunel Escobar
LF Adam Dunn
CF Elijah Dukes
RF Justin Upton
DH Mike Jacobs
Utility Miguel Cabrera
Bench Mark Teahen
DL Travis Hafner
SP Jarrod Washburn
SP Jair Jurrjens
SP Kevin Millwood
SP Jered Weaver
SP Dan Meyer
RP Bobby Seay
RP Scott Downs
RP Matt Thornton
RP David Weathers
RP Chris Sampson
Bench Kevin Slowey
Bench Javier Vasquez
Bench Erik Bedard
Bench Phil Hughes
DL Jesse Litsch
Again, it's a HR, XBH, SB, OBP, SLG and IP, K, ERA, WHIP, SVHD (saves + holds) league. And bench members are moved in when they're starting or basically whenever I feel like it.
Here's Con's team. (4-0)
C Chris Iannetta
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Chase Utley
3B Aramis Ramirez
SS Derek Jeter
LF Jason Bay
CF Grady Sizemore
RF Matt Kemp
DH Jack Cust
Utility Ryan Braun
Bench Ryan Theriot
Bench Randy Winn
Bench Raul Ibanez
DL Ryan Doumit
SP Roy Halladay
SP Zack Greinke
SP Yovani Gallardo
SP Cole Hamels
SP Zach Duke
RP Jonathan Broxton
RP Matt Capps
RP Heath Bell
RP Kevin Gregg
RP Dan Wheeler
Bench Justin Verlander
Bench James Shields
DL Joey Devine
If you've got thoughts let's see em in the comments.
Links
We re-signed Humberto Sanchez, this time he isn't on the 40 man roster though.
A-Rod will be back with the Yanks tomorrow. Hopefully we'll see some strong offense from him this year.
Ramon Valdivia, a former Yankee scout in the Dominican, is suing the team for $3mm. He claims he was unjustly fired last August when he was suspected of skimming money from contract bonuses, and claims he has proven he wasn't involved.
If you were worrying, Joe Girardi's job is safe.
Brian Bruney made a dumb thoughtless move and blamed the Umps and a video replay for his elbow injury. Brian, you can only blame yourself. I do agree that the viewing of replays should have a set time though.
Here's an excerpt from Selena Roberts' book. Interesting article on why not to trust Selena Roberts, as Jason Whitlock talks about her reporting on the Duke lacrosse scandal. He compares to Reverend Al Sharpton, which could be seen as quite an insult.
Jon Heyman ranks managers and looks at the 05 draft class. In the 05 draft class, the Yanks picked up Zach Kroenke and Brett Gardner. But, our victory was the next year, when we signed Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, Mark Melancon, and Zach McAllister.
Tom Verducci echoes what I said earlier, asking fans to be patient with CC and Tex.
A-Rod will be back with the Yanks tomorrow. Hopefully we'll see some strong offense from him this year.
Ramon Valdivia, a former Yankee scout in the Dominican, is suing the team for $3mm. He claims he was unjustly fired last August when he was suspected of skimming money from contract bonuses, and claims he has proven he wasn't involved.
If you were worrying, Joe Girardi's job is safe.
Brian Bruney made a dumb thoughtless move and blamed the Umps and a video replay for his elbow injury. Brian, you can only blame yourself. I do agree that the viewing of replays should have a set time though.
Here's an excerpt from Selena Roberts' book. Interesting article on why not to trust Selena Roberts, as Jason Whitlock talks about her reporting on the Duke lacrosse scandal. He compares to Reverend Al Sharpton, which could be seen as quite an insult.
Jon Heyman ranks managers and looks at the 05 draft class. In the 05 draft class, the Yanks picked up Zach Kroenke and Brett Gardner. But, our victory was the next year, when we signed Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, Mark Melancon, and Zach McAllister.
Tom Verducci echoes what I said earlier, asking fans to be patient with CC and Tex.
Laughing at You Manny
Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for breaking MLB's Performance Enhancing Drug Policy. He didn't test positive for steroids, but some other banned substance.
Here's Peter Gammons' take.
It is said that Manny took HCG. HCG is usually used to restart a steroid user's testoserone production after a steroid cycle. Manny claims he was using it for a "personal issue" and it was prescribed by a doctor. HCG is a fertility drug for women, by the way. Manny apologized, which is surprising to me.
Yahoo claims the HCG was a "sexual enhancer." Low testoserone can mean erectile dysfunction, and HCG would boost testoserone levels to fix that problem.
Manny will lose $7.7mm because of his suspension.
I'm so glad we didn't sign him. It would suck to deal with him and A-Rod's PED issues. I've always held a very low opinion of Manny Ramirez. He's someone I have very little respect for, and if he was using steroids, then I have even less respect for. And if he was using HCG as his own Viagra, well you can't help but laugh at him can you? No wonder the guy has to act like he's the best there is in baseball, cause obviously he isn't as gifted in some other aspects of life...
Here's Peter Gammons' take.
It is said that Manny took HCG. HCG is usually used to restart a steroid user's testoserone production after a steroid cycle. Manny claims he was using it for a "personal issue" and it was prescribed by a doctor. HCG is a fertility drug for women, by the way. Manny apologized, which is surprising to me.
Yahoo claims the HCG was a "sexual enhancer." Low testoserone can mean erectile dysfunction, and HCG would boost testoserone levels to fix that problem.
Manny will lose $7.7mm because of his suspension.
I'm so glad we didn't sign him. It would suck to deal with him and A-Rod's PED issues. I've always held a very low opinion of Manny Ramirez. He's someone I have very little respect for, and if he was using steroids, then I have even less respect for. And if he was using HCG as his own Viagra, well you can't help but laugh at him can you? No wonder the guy has to act like he's the best there is in baseball, cause obviously he isn't as gifted in some other aspects of life...
So Cool
I was checking my fantasy on ESPN a few minutes ago, and I decided to check out Rick Reilly's article. The title of the article is "How do you beat a guy who throws righty and lefty? You don't.", and it discusses the only ambidextrous pitcher in the game. And guess who he plays for? Thats right, Pat Venditte (23 years old) is "throwing almost daily for the Charleston Riverdogs. The Riverdogs are the Yankees A Club. I had never heard of this guy before. He is a closer and he has put up great numbers so far. For April, his ERA is 0.00 through 6.1 IP. Last year, he had a .83 ERA. Reilly writes, "and best of all, he can relieve himself!" Just what we need in the Yankees bullpen... Too bad hes 3 years away...
5/5/09
Notes and News: Posada, A-Rod, Aceves
The Yankees called up Alfredo Aceves and optioned Anthony Claggett back to Scranton. Aceves will be taking on that long reliever role I would assume.
Jorge Posada is on the 15 day DL with a right hamstring strain. He was hurt yesterday on a slide in the 6th inning. Frakie Cervelli is being called up from double A to take his roster spot.
Alex Rodriguez homered twice today in a rehab game, going 3 for 6. He'll be up by mid-May at the latest.
Joba's mom was arrested for selling Meth. Stay strong our Savior. We know you're better than her.
Good post by PeteAbe at his blog. He talks about the controversy with the ump in yesterday's game and the Red Sox first base coach stealing signs (maybe he's friends with Bill Belichick). Also, interesting to hear that Derek Jeter has never been ejected from a game. What a class act.
Outside of the Yankee realm...
Jerry Crasnick's got an interesting piece on plate discipline.
Video on San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg. Nats' fans should be excited.
Jorge Posada is on the 15 day DL with a right hamstring strain. He was hurt yesterday on a slide in the 6th inning. Frakie Cervelli is being called up from double A to take his roster spot.
Alex Rodriguez homered twice today in a rehab game, going 3 for 6. He'll be up by mid-May at the latest.
Joba's mom was arrested for selling Meth. Stay strong our Savior. We know you're better than her.
Good post by PeteAbe at his blog. He talks about the controversy with the ump in yesterday's game and the Red Sox first base coach stealing signs (maybe he's friends with Bill Belichick). Also, interesting to hear that Derek Jeter has never been ejected from a game. What a class act.
Outside of the Yankee realm...
Jerry Crasnick's got an interesting piece on plate discipline.
Video on San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg. Nats' fans should be excited.
Just Say No to Joba Chamberlain in the Bullpen
Is the Yankee bullpen struggling? Yes indeed?
Is it the worst in baseball with a 5.93 ERA through 24 games? You bet!
Does Joba Chamberlain belong in the bullpen? Absolutely not.
Over the last week or so, especially on the ESPN broadcast last night, people have not stopped talking about the "possibility" of Chamberlain being moved back out because of the rough situation. There is no possibility. It's not going to happen.
Joba Chamberlain is off to a good start for the Yankees as a starter. His ERA is a solid 3.13, his whip a respectable 1.215, and his SO/9 rate is a great 10.6. He has pitched 23 innings so far, so he's averaging about 6 IP per start. As you all know, Joba has great stuff. A nasty slider, a good hook, and a power fastball that will challenge any hitter in the game. Here's the deal. Joba Chamberlain is much more valuable for the 6 or 7 IP he has per start than he is for 1 IP every couple of days. He has some of the best stuff on our team, so why wouldn't you want him for 6 or 7 IP every 5 days? Removing a starter, especially one with the potential of Chamberlain, from our rotation to make him a set up man will not do anything except lower the chances of us winning the game where Joba should be pitching. In addition, Joba WANTS to be a SP! He has expressed that he isn't interested in the SU role. A high morale can go a long way... Joba is one of the more highly touted SP prospects in the game today. Let the kid pitch.
The bullpen should be able to figure itself out. Granted, Bruney and Marte are both out, but Girardi should be able to make a bridge with the guys he has out there. Adding Aceves was a great idea (a little overdue), because he should be able to take the load off some of these guys. Girardi has to use everybody out there, but at the same time needs to let people settle into roles. There has been a lot of Joe Torre bullpening, and its not helping anybody. It's also not helping that guys that should be pitching well are grossly underachieving. Albaledejo's ERA is sitting at 7.30, Vera's at 8.03, and Ramirez's at 5.40. These are all guys that contributed a lot last year, and they are just having rough starts.
The bullpen should be able to get back on track soon. The guys out there did a good job last year, but they need to pull their socks up and get going. But I'm sick of hearing that Joba is the "answer". He's not.
5/3/09
Damaso to DL: Claggett To The Bronx
Damaso Marte is going to the DL. He hasn't been used in 7 games, and when he was used he wasn't very effective. He has "a weakness and some tendinitis" according to Joe Girardi. He had an MRI on Friday and will see a doctor tomorrow. Anthony Claggett will take his roster spot. Claggett pitched in one game this year, it was that atrocious loss to Cleveland that Wang started on April 18th. He walked 2, struck out two, allowed 9 hits, and let in 8 earned runs over a grand total of 1.2 innings. He hasn't exactly shined at triple A either. He has a 4.26 ERA over 12.2 innings, walking 3, striking out ten, and allowing 18 hits. However the righty has a GO/AO of 2.71, so at least that means we shouldn't have to worry too much about him letting up any gopher balls to that short right field fence.
This is an interesting call-up, because Steven Jackson (1.74 ERA), Zach Kroenke(0.84 ERA), and Jose Valdez (3.00 ERA) are all better options than Claggett. Here is my thinking...Casey Fossum was signed yesterday, and he will start for Scranton today. I say we'll let him start today, then call him up in 4 or 5 days to take on a role as a long reliever, and we'll send Claggett down. Claggett has already been at the Major League level this year, so shuttling him up to the Bronx wouldn't waste an option. But, what I don't understand is that Steven Jackson was on the Major League roster for a while, not appearing in a single game, and then was sent back to triple A. Doesn't that mean we've used his option for this year? Because if we have, he's the smarter call-up. The only reason I can see us bringing up Claggett rather than Jackson is because Claggett's 2.71 GO/AO is much more promising than Jackson's 0.71 GO/AO. With our little homer haven in the Bronx it would make sense that Joe G. would be worried about bringing up a fly ball pitcher. Overall, I think Claggett's stay will be short lived unless he really impresses, and we may see Casey Fossum in the near future.
It's a little crazy to see how our list of players on the DL is growing...A-Rod, Wang, Nady, Bruney, Ransom, Marte...To lose our 1st string third baseman, our 2nd string third baseman, our number 3 starter, our opening day right fielder, our most reliable reliever and our most established reliever this early in the season is frustrating, and frankly a little frightening. It says loads about our depth that we still have a 13-11 record. Being able to call in Nick Swisher, Phil Hughes, and Mark Melancon is definitely a good situation to be in. And Ramiro Pena, Angel Berroa, and Anthony Claggett aren't the worst options either. And now that we have Swisher nursing that bruised elbow, we have a guy in right with a .321/.397/.536 line, who has smashed 4 homers and knocked in 10 runs so far this year. Yes, no other than the Melky Way, the Melkman, the one and only MELKY CABRERA. Okay, sorry...it's just...Melky's the man. Anyways, our depth is crazy good and when we get A-Rod back, watch out.
This is an interesting call-up, because Steven Jackson (1.74 ERA), Zach Kroenke(0.84 ERA), and Jose Valdez (3.00 ERA) are all better options than Claggett. Here is my thinking...Casey Fossum was signed yesterday, and he will start for Scranton today. I say we'll let him start today, then call him up in 4 or 5 days to take on a role as a long reliever, and we'll send Claggett down. Claggett has already been at the Major League level this year, so shuttling him up to the Bronx wouldn't waste an option. But, what I don't understand is that Steven Jackson was on the Major League roster for a while, not appearing in a single game, and then was sent back to triple A. Doesn't that mean we've used his option for this year? Because if we have, he's the smarter call-up. The only reason I can see us bringing up Claggett rather than Jackson is because Claggett's 2.71 GO/AO is much more promising than Jackson's 0.71 GO/AO. With our little homer haven in the Bronx it would make sense that Joe G. would be worried about bringing up a fly ball pitcher. Overall, I think Claggett's stay will be short lived unless he really impresses, and we may see Casey Fossum in the near future.
It's a little crazy to see how our list of players on the DL is growing...A-Rod, Wang, Nady, Bruney, Ransom, Marte...To lose our 1st string third baseman, our 2nd string third baseman, our number 3 starter, our opening day right fielder, our most reliable reliever and our most established reliever this early in the season is frustrating, and frankly a little frightening. It says loads about our depth that we still have a 13-11 record. Being able to call in Nick Swisher, Phil Hughes, and Mark Melancon is definitely a good situation to be in. And Ramiro Pena, Angel Berroa, and Anthony Claggett aren't the worst options either. And now that we have Swisher nursing that bruised elbow, we have a guy in right with a .321/.397/.536 line, who has smashed 4 homers and knocked in 10 runs so far this year. Yes, no other than the Melky Way, the Melkman, the one and only MELKY CABRERA. Okay, sorry...it's just...Melky's the man. Anyways, our depth is crazy good and when we get A-Rod back, watch out.
5/2/09
Patience: It's a good thing, I promise.
Who all has been disappointed with CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira so far this year? I know I have been. I wish CC was pitching like he did in Milwaulkee, and I wish Tex was hitting like he was in Anaheim, but neither of them are doing what we were expecting. But is that reason for concern? Let's see...
Let's look at CC first. I'm just going to look at his April starts, so not his start today.
CC pitched 32.1 innings over 5 starts to the tune of a 4.73 ERA. He walked 14, while striking out 19. And he maintained a GO/AO of 45-30 (1.63). His WHIP was 1.39. He is walking 3.90 hitters per 9 innings, and punching out 5.29 batters per 9 innings. Okay those aren't all star stats. But for his career, CC has 4.54 ERA in April and March, not that much worse than his 4.73 that he has now. For his career, in April and March CC has a 7 K/9 and a 1.39 WHIP. Yes, that is the EXACT SAME WHIP he had this April. Sure those K numbers are down a little, but not enough for concern. CC is a slow starter, and he'll hit his stride soon. So don't worry too much. He's right around his career norm. And hell, at the end of April last year he was 1-4 with a 7.88 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP. Then he went on to have one of the most dominant pitching years in recent history. So, don't worry.
Next up, Mark Teixeira. First, I just want you to remember that in two weeks time he'll have Alex Rodriguez hitting behind him. That kind of protection will give him more pitches to hit. Secondly, despite Tex's abysmal .182 average, he does have a .354 OBP because his batting eye is one of the best in the game. Interestingly, his career average for March/April is .249 and his career OBP for March/April is .349. So he is actually getting on base more this year than usual, he just isn't hitting the ball. Which we can see in his slugging percentage (Mar/Apr career .433 Mar/Apr 09 .338). The good news is that Tex is being smart in the box and drawing walks. Also he's playing a fine first base, so he isn't letting his hitting woes get to him too much. He's going to get better, I'm sure. He'll get protection from A-Rod. He'l start to find his stroke. He'l keep his keen eye. And he'll take advantage of that short porch in right. Let him heat up. He'll be fine, and he'll start to stroke the ball soon. Don't give up hope.
Let's look at CC first. I'm just going to look at his April starts, so not his start today.
CC pitched 32.1 innings over 5 starts to the tune of a 4.73 ERA. He walked 14, while striking out 19. And he maintained a GO/AO of 45-30 (1.63). His WHIP was 1.39. He is walking 3.90 hitters per 9 innings, and punching out 5.29 batters per 9 innings. Okay those aren't all star stats. But for his career, CC has 4.54 ERA in April and March, not that much worse than his 4.73 that he has now. For his career, in April and March CC has a 7 K/9 and a 1.39 WHIP. Yes, that is the EXACT SAME WHIP he had this April. Sure those K numbers are down a little, but not enough for concern. CC is a slow starter, and he'll hit his stride soon. So don't worry too much. He's right around his career norm. And hell, at the end of April last year he was 1-4 with a 7.88 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP. Then he went on to have one of the most dominant pitching years in recent history. So, don't worry.
Next up, Mark Teixeira. First, I just want you to remember that in two weeks time he'll have Alex Rodriguez hitting behind him. That kind of protection will give him more pitches to hit. Secondly, despite Tex's abysmal .182 average, he does have a .354 OBP because his batting eye is one of the best in the game. Interestingly, his career average for March/April is .249 and his career OBP for March/April is .349. So he is actually getting on base more this year than usual, he just isn't hitting the ball. Which we can see in his slugging percentage (Mar/Apr career .433 Mar/Apr 09 .338). The good news is that Tex is being smart in the box and drawing walks. Also he's playing a fine first base, so he isn't letting his hitting woes get to him too much. He's going to get better, I'm sure. He'll get protection from A-Rod. He'l start to find his stroke. He'l keep his keen eye. And he'll take advantage of that short porch in right. Let him heat up. He'll be fine, and he'll start to stroke the ball soon. Don't give up hope.
A-Rod, Fossum, SuperSwisher, and Damon
A-Rod played 5 innings at third, albeit only getting in on one play, which he fielded cleanly. Alex hasn't exactly been an offensive force in these rehab games, going 0 for 6 today with 2 punch outs and not running the bases, but hey he's in games at least. Alex's rehab overall is going well and we should see him in the Bronx in less than 2 weeks. I'm not a big A-Rod fan, just because of who he is as a person. And the tipping pitches in Texas rumor really upset me. That is intentional on-field cheating, and cheating so that the other team can hit off your own teammates. But, dude can hit. So I'm going to complain about him being in the lineup. And for any of you that are worried he's tipping pitches in the Bronx, he's playing third so no righty could see him, and it's a big turn for a lefty to look to third then to the pitcher and then hit, so it's not happening in the Bronx. I like that he'll only talk baseball to the reporters right now, because when he talks about other things he says stupid things.
The Yanks signed journeyman 31 year old left-hander Casey Fossum. Fossum was in the Mets' organization to start the year, but was DFA'd earlier this week. He'll start Saturday for Scranton. I'm okay with this move, mostly because I think he could end up helping the major league 'pen. But, I wish we had our young guys starting in the minors, they need those innings and they need that experience. I am going to be a tad upset if he ends up starting at the major league level instead of Ian Kennedy or Alf Aceves, because I think they are better more promising pitchers, but if he comes into the 'pen I have no beef with him.
Nick Swisher is day to day with a bruised elbow after getting hit by Jered Weaver yesterday and having to leave the game early. X-Rays were negative.
Johnny Damon talked about his future after this year. He would like to come back, but doesn't know if it's likely because of our young outfielders(Ajax, Gardner, Melky).
The Yanks signed journeyman 31 year old left-hander Casey Fossum. Fossum was in the Mets' organization to start the year, but was DFA'd earlier this week. He'll start Saturday for Scranton. I'm okay with this move, mostly because I think he could end up helping the major league 'pen. But, I wish we had our young guys starting in the minors, they need those innings and they need that experience. I am going to be a tad upset if he ends up starting at the major league level instead of Ian Kennedy or Alf Aceves, because I think they are better more promising pitchers, but if he comes into the 'pen I have no beef with him.
Nick Swisher is day to day with a bruised elbow after getting hit by Jered Weaver yesterday and having to leave the game early. X-Rays were negative.
Johnny Damon talked about his future after this year. He would like to come back, but doesn't know if it's likely because of our young outfielders(Ajax, Gardner, Melky).
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