July 4th, 2009 by Lenny Neslin
Jorge Posada singled in the winning run for the Yankees (47-33) in the 12th inning to beat the Blue Jays (42-40) 6-5 on Independence Day.
Quick ‘Cap:
The Yankees collected five runs off Roy Halladay, four coming off home runs by Hideki Matsui, Posada and Johnny Damon. Damon’s two-run homer in the seventh tied the game up at five, and it would remain tied until Posada’s hit in the 12th.
Chien-Ming Wang pitched 5-1/3 quality innings, but left with a right shoulder strain immediately after surrendering a two-run homer to Adam Lind. He left with just 66 pitches, and seemed to be on his way to his first great outing of the year.
The Yankees bullpen pitched the last six innings in shutout fashion, and Brett Tomko ended up with his first win of the season. Full box score here.
Thoughts:
Wang’s status might be more important than this one win, as he could bring many more wins to the Yankees if he’s healthy. I’m happy for Jorge and still shocked that the Yankees banged out nine hits off Halladay.
Line of the Day:
Robinson Cano: 0-for-6, 10 players left on base. Fans are asking for his head, yet he still holds the second highest batting average on the Yanks.
Up Next:
The Yankees can take the series on Sunday’s matinee game, as they send out Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.89) who will face Scott Richmond (6-5, 3.69).
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July 4th, 2009 by Lenny Neslin
The Yankees backup catcher Jose Molina has played in two rehab games already, and is projected to return to the team for the Twins series on Tuesday, according to PeteAbe. He has been out since May 7 because of a strained left quad.
Here’s the Molina plan:
Saturday: Day off.
Sunday: 7 innings for Scranton.
Monday: 7 innings for Scranton.
Tuesday: Join Yankees in Minnesota if he feels good.
So far in his rehab stint, he is 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
When Molina returns, it will create an interesting roster move dilemma. The replacement backup catcher Francisco Cervelli has had a great influence on the Yankees and their pitching staff.
It’s tempting to keep all three catchers, but it really doesn’t make any sense now, especially with the addition of Eric Hinske. The Yankees can’t drop Ransom because he’s the only backup for the middle infield positions, and Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher aren’t going anywhere either.
I say the only option the Yankees have if they want to keep Cervelli is to try and trade Molina. But the Yankees have shown no indication of doing so.
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July 3rd, 2009 by Lenny Neslin
Fox Sports writer Jon Paul Morosi is reporting that the Yankees are monitoring Diamondbacks closer Chad Qualls. The D’Backs are currently 13 games out of first in the NL West, and look like they will be sellers at the trade deadline this year.
Qualls is currently the closer in Arizona and has converted 13 of 17 saves this season with a 4.22 ERA. This is his first season as a set closer, and has a career ERA of 3.35.
It is clear that Qualls would be a huge upgrade over Brett Tomko, but I would be a little hesitant for the Yankees to designate him as “the eighth inning guy.”
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July 3rd, 2009 by Lenny Neslin
A.J. Burnett provided a strong start, and Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano homered in the Yankees (46-33) 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays (42-39).
Quick ‘Cap:
Cano gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead after he slugged the first pitch of the second inning into the Yankees bullpen. After a leadoff double by Lyle Overbay in the fourth, Alex Rios drove him home with a single to tie it up.
The Yankees had a chance to break the game open in the fifth, but only managed two runs with the bases loaded and no outs. Mark Teixeira walked in a run and Johnny Damon scored on a passed ball. Vernon Wells made it 3-2 in the sixth with a solo shot, but then A-Rod blasted one to right in the eighth to make it 4-2. Mariano Rivera did his thing in the ninth for the 21st time this season. Full box score here.
Thoughts:
It was a good rebound win for the Yankees, and an especially good one for Burnett who lost the last time he faced the Blue Jays in May.
It was interesting to see Joe Girardi use two pitchers in the eighth inning (Phil Coke & Phil Hughes), rather than one or the other. Coke got his batter out, and then Hughes allowed one single but nothing further.
Line of the Night:
Derek Jeter: 2-for-3, BB. He was the only Yankee with a multi-hit game, as they only collected eight hits as a team.
Up Next:
In baseball, there is no July 4 holiday break. Cy Young Award candidate Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56) will face former Cy Young Award candidate Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, (10.06).
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July 2nd, 2009 by Rob Abruzzese
A little too early to say that he’s back to 100 percent, but Alex Rodriguez has been on a tear over his past six games:
6 games, 9-for-20, 8 BB’s, 6 Runs, 4 HR’s, 11 RBI’s, .450 BA, .607 OBP, 1.050 SLUG%
Just saying.
July 1st, 2009 by Rob Abruzzese
Joe Girardi continues to call Brian Bruney the setup man on this team, but after last night’s blown save in the eighth, Bruney might be degraded to middle relief. After watching Phil Hughes continue to dominate the sixth and seventh innings, it seems he could potentially replace Bruney for the more important eighth inning.
WasWatching.com brings up a good point about using Hughes similar to the way the Yankees used Mariano Rivera in 1996.
Have Hughes set up for the closer. Make the 8th inning his inning. In fact, just like Rivera was used in ‘96, have Hughes pitch the 7th and 8th innings of games, where needed, to get to your closer.
I completely agree. Hughes seems to have no trouble pitching two innings, and there is no doubt as to whether Hughes can be effective out of the bullpen.
In relief this year, he holds a 1.38 ERA and a 5.33 SO/BB ratio. Along with Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson and Phil Coke have been extremely effective out of the bullpen. Hughes replacing Bruney would solidify an already good bullpen.
June 30th, 2009 by Rob Abruzzese
According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the Yankees have traded a pair of minor leaguers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Eric Hinske and $400,000.
The two minor leaguers were Eric Fryer, who was a left fielder at single-A Tampa, and Casey Erickson, who was a right handed reliever with single-A Charleston.
Fryer was batting .250 with a .333 OBP, .344 SLUG%, and a .677 OPS in 59 games over 229 at bats. He came to the team this past off-season in a deal with the Brewers for pitcher Chase Wright. He wasn’t considered much of a prospect in the Yankees system especially with his poor offensive numbers this season.
Erickson had a 3-3 record with a 2.25 ERA behind 37 strike outs and 13 walks in 44 innings. He was initially a 10th round draft pick in the 2006 draft and has been overshadowed by other big names in that draft like Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, Zach McCallister, David Robertson, Dellin Betances, and Mark Melancon.
He was shifted to the bullpen this season as he hasn’t been able to put up the overwhelming numbers behind a soft fastball, and a decent curve and changeup. He wasn’t considered a strong prospect.
The Pirates picked up half of the remaining $800,000 they owed to Hinske, so the Yankees really didn’t give up much to get him. It appears to be a good deal. Batting .255 with a .373 OBP, a .368 SLUG%, and a .741, his numbers appear to be slightly below his career norm.
This by no means is an impact bat, but according to Sherman, the Yankees were looking to add a stronger piece to their bench to give Alex Rodriguez a few more days off.
Hinske also offers more options defensively than Shelley Duncan who was likely to be called up soon, but will now likely spend the rest of the season in triple-A barring some unforeseen injuries or trades.
June 29th, 2009 by Lenny Neslin
Mariano Rivera pitched four outs to earn his 500th career save, and also added his first career RBI on a walk to give the Yankees (43-32) a sweep and 4-2 win over the Mets (37-37).
Quick ‘Cap:
The Yanks jumped out to an early lead off Livan Hernandez, but he was able to hold the Yankees scoreless from innings two through seven. After a Derek Jeter double and a fielders choice attempt, Mark Teixeira drove in two runs with a double to left. Jorge Posada drove him in on a sac fly, giving the Yankees all they would need to beat the Mets.
Chien-Ming Wang notched his first win of the season (wow) with 5-1/3 quality innings. His only blemish was allowing a two-run rally to the Mets in the fourth. His groundout-flyout ratio was very promising: 11-2.
Phil Coke relieved Wang and struck out Fernando Martinez in the sixth, and Phil Hughes induced a fly ball to end the threat. Hughes pitched the seventh, and Brian Bruney recorded two outs in the eighth before Rivera entered the game.
He got out of the jam left by Bruney on a strikeout, and then accomplished something unforgettable in the top of the ninth. He then did his thing in the ninth for his 18th save of the season. Full box score here.
Thoughts:
Rivera accomplished another amazing milestone, and showed such class in doing so — not even showing a fist pump. He is clearly the greatest reliever this game has ever seen, and 500 career saves is just another gem to add to his resume. Congratulations, Mo.
Let’s not forget about Wang. He was good again, and pulled early again (85 pitches). Girardi said before the game that he will make his next start, so that’s good news at this point.
Line of the Night:
Rivera: 0-for-0, BB, RBI. 1-1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV.
Up Next:
The Yankees have a well-earned off-day on Monday, and open a three-game set against the Mariners on Tuesday.
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June 29th, 2009 by Lenny Neslin
Almost a quarter of a billion dollars was invested in starters CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett this past offseason. Both had excellent seasons last year, and both have started to pitch like it again recently.
Sabathia started the season with a 4.73 ERA in April, but it now stands a full run lower at 3.55. He has pitched over seven innings in nine of his last ten starts, giving the bullpen a nice breather every fifth day (he left one start early with elbow tightness). He is clearly the team’s ace and is one of the best in the league.
Burnett has been inconsistent all season, but perhaps blowing a six run lead against the Red Sox has turned his season around. Since the loss at Fenway, he has allowed just two earned runs in 20-1/3 innings. His strikeout numbers have been high all season, and that is a really good sign moving forward.
Together, the two are leading a deep rotation, and could do some serious damage in a playoff series. Everyone saw what Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson did for the Diamondbacks in 2001. These two starters at their best could be the closest duo to match what the D’Backs had.
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June 27th, 2009 by Lenny Neslin
The Yankees (42-32) and A.J. Burnett shut out the Mets (37-36) in a 5-0 victory. Burnett held a no-hitter through five innings, but Alex Cora – who was 0-for-21 prior to his at bat in the sixth inning – broke it up with a clean single to right-center field.
Quick ‘Cap:
The Yankees scored the first run of the game off ex-Yankee Tim Redding when Nick Swisher hit an opposite-field homer. The Yankees broke the game open in the sixth inning on four straight pitches. Mark Teixeira doubled, Alex Rodriguez singled him home, Robinson Cano doubled and Jorge Posada hit a three-run shot in the same place Swisher’s landed to end Redding’s night.
Burnett’s breaker was dominant all night, and he ended up with a season-high 10 strikeouts. He left after seven innings (108 pitches), and Brian Bruney and David Robertson pitched the last two innings perfectly. Full box score here.
Thoughts:
I knew the Yankees had a good chance to win this one, but I was not expecting Burnett to be as good as he was. He and the rest of the rotation has been very good lately, as has the defense. It seems like four runs a night will be good enough to win.
Line of the Night:
Brett Gardner: 0-for-5, 1 K. What a way to follow up a five-hit night. I wonder if he bats leadoff in Sunday’s game with possibly Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter returning to the lineup.
Up Next:
The winless Chien-Ming Wang (0-6, 11.20) will pitch under a national audience against Livan Hernandez (5-2, 4.05) to look for the sweep.
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