The New York Mets blow out the Philadelphia Phillies

The New York Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.  The game took place at Citi Field in Flushing, New York and the final score was 7-1 Mets.  Bartolo Colon started for the Mets and pitched well and the bullpen was good.  Daniel Murphy, Travis d'Arnaud and Juan Lagares led the Mets offense. 

Colon pitched 7 2/3 innings giving up ten hits and one run with a walk and six strikeouts.  He earned his 10th win of the season.  Josh Edgin faced one batter and retired him, Dana Eveland pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and Vic Black pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. 

A.J. Burnett lost his 10th game of the season pitching five innings and giving up eight hits and seven runs.  He walked two and struck out four.  Mario Hollands pitched two perfect innings with a strikeout and Phillippe Aumont pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk. 

Curtis Granderson drew a walk, Murphy had two hits and an RBI and Lucas Duda had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk.  Chris Young had a hit, d'Arnaud had three hits and three RBI and Lagares had two hits and two RBI.  Ruben Tejada drew a walk, Lagares hit a double and Murphy and d'Arnaud each hit two doubles.  d'Arnaud hit a homerun and the Mets were 3-10 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. 

Ben Revere had two hits, Jimmy Rollins drew a walk and Marlon Byrd had four hits.  Dominic Brown had a hit, Carlos Ruiz had four hits and an RBI and Blanco had two hits.  Brown and Ruiz each hit a double and the Phillies were 3-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.  Howard committed an error. 

In the first Murphy hit an RBI double, Duda hit an RBI single and Lagares hit a two run double to give the Mets a 4-0 lead.  In the fifth d'Arnaud hit a three run homerun to give the Mets a 7-0 lead.  Ruiz hit an RBI double in the eighth to make it 7-1 which was the final score.  The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Tuesday night. 

Yankees Spring Training Notes From The First Workout

I wouldn't say that anything really big came out of spring training today.  Mariano Rivera did show up on time though and spoke with the media.  He had an announcement well sort of.  He said he has made up his mind on retiring or not.  He isn't going to say what his decision is right now though.  It sure sounded like this will be his farewell tour.  If it is everyone needs to watch and admire every time you see him pitch especially in person.  Rivera is a living legend and there will never be another like him. 

Joe Girardi also spoke about a few small items which he usually doesn't do.  Girardi basically announced that the first five in his lineup would be Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.  I think that was assumed but it is unlike Girardi to do that so early.  I like the lineup that way and feel it is best that way.  I would expect Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin and Brett Gardner to round out the lineup.  That is a pretty good lineup if you ask me. 

Girardi also said David Robertson would be his eighth inning guy and Rafael Soriano the seventh inning guy.  He also said that Francisco Cervelli is almost certainly going to be the backup catcher.  That was a little bit surprising with Austin Romine also being there.  I think the Yankees like the idea of Romine developing more and being in AAA this season.  I think they also like him working with the pitchers who are on the cusp of coming up and maybe having them all come up together.  Romine appears to be the catcher of the future and with Martin the Yankees can afford to wait on him. 

The notes from Girardi are coming from the beat writers who are down in Tampa covering the team already.  There was also some A.J. Burnett talk as the trade was just finalized.  I am going to paraphrase what was said but Martin basically said that sometimes he would let negative thoughts get in his way.  He said that Burnett was always his own toughest critic.  He said he probably cared more then anybody and he worked extremely hard, he just couldn't get it figured out. 

Sabathia said it is tough because they came into this together.  He also said though he thinks it will be good for him.  He said sometimes a change of scenery is just what is needed.  He said that their families became very close and that will be the tough part.  Joe Girardi said a lot of nice things.  He said from his point of view he did everything that was asked of him.  Girardi said he worked hard and came prepared.  He said he had a good time with him and that A.J. won a lot of important games for the Yankees.  Martin said he text him after the trade and told A.J. he was going to bunt off of him. 

Martin also revealed today the Yankees were talking to him about a possible three year deal.  He said that the talks never progressed though.  He said numbers were discussed but he won't say what they are and he loves being with the Yankees. 

Welcome to Spring Training-Yankees Pitchers and Catchers Report

It is past midnight and that means it is officially spring training.  The Yankees pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Sunday morning.  The other position players will report six days later on Saturday.  Pitchers and catchers are the three words I look forward to all winter.  It hasn't been a bad winter in the New York metropolitan area but still there is something about spring training and the spring that is upon us.  There is something about seeing the plush, green grass, thinking about the sights and sounds of the ball park and the summer ahead.  Happy pitchers and catchers day to all the New York Yankees fans and also the fans of the other nine teams reporting on Sunday and the bunch that reported on Saturday. 

The Yankees will make the A.J. Burnett deal official on Monday or Tuesday and then will quickly sign Raul Ibanez as their lefty hitting DH.  They could also resign Eric Chavez and then they will be ready to go for the 2012 season.  What can you expect from the Yankees??  What are some things to look for?  Let me know your thoughts and opinions on the upcoming season.  I will start having wall to wall coverage here starting tomorrow even though there shouldn't be much going on in Tampa until Monday.  I will have a season preview coming, a look at the different positions and players and a look at some of the young guys in the upcoming weeks.  I want to hear from you, what else do you want to see me cover, let me know what you think is good and what is bad.  I will be working hard all spring and summer long to bring you daily coverage of the New York Yankees first and foremost and also the New York Mets and the rest of baseball. 

The Yankees and Granderson catch the Tigers

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers by the score of 10-1 on Tuesday night. The game got out of hand late but was a close game for most of the night. A.J. Burnett started and pitched into the sixth inning effectively. He almost didn’t get out of the first inning though, the bullpen was starting to warm as Burnett struggled. He didn’t start a game for ten days and maybe that had something to do with it but whatever it was he did settle down. The offense really came to life late in the game and Curtis Granderson was the hero with two amazing catches in center field that changed the whole game and probably saved the Yankees season.
Burnett pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up one run on four hits. He walked four and struck out three, one of the walks was intentional. Soriano pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings and only threw nine pitches to get the four outs. He struck out one batter, Phil Hughes pitched a perfect innings with two strikeouts and Boone Logan struck out the side in his one inning of work. Burnett earned the victory in the game.

Derek Jeter had a hit, two RBI and a walk, Granderson had a hit and an RBI and Robinson Cano had a hit, two RBI and a walk. Alex Rodriguez had his first two hits of the series and an RBI, Mark Teixeira had a hit and Nick Swisher had a hit. Jesus Montero had two hits and an RBI, Russell Martin had two hits and a walk and Brett Gardner had two hits and an RBI. Jeter and Granderson each had a double. The Yankees were 6-14 with runners in scoring position and they left 7 men on base.

In the third inning the Yankees took a 2-0 lead on a two run double by Jeter. In the fourth inning Victor Martinez hit a solo homerun to cut the lead in half and make it 2-1. The first inning for the Yankees could have been very bad and ended their season, Burnett loaded the bases by walking three men. One of the walks was intentional and then there was a deep drive to center field that just started to take off and Granderson leapt up in the air and snaired it. If Granderson doesn’t make that catch it is at least three runs and maybe an inside the park grand slam and the whole game changes. In the fifth Granderson hit an RBI double and Rodriguez had a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1 Yankees. The Yankees broke the game open in the eighth inning. There was a balk to score a run, an RBI single by Montero and an RBI single by Gardner. A wild pitch scored Montero and Cano hit a two run single. It was a 10-1 game at this point and that would be all the scoring.

The best of five series is all even now at two games each and game five will be Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. Ivan Nova will be starting against Doug Fister which was the game one matchup when the suspended game returned to play. The Yankees feel very good about playing at home and having Nova on the mound who has been their best pitcher the last couple of months. Derek Jeter had praise for Burnett, he said he got us to play on Thursday. Burnett did settle down after the first inning but Granderson deserves most of the praise, without his two spectacular catches out in center field who knows what would of happen and there would be a different story being told today. The winner of this series will move on to the ALCS to face the Texas Rangers who clinched their series over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday afternoon. If the Yankees do win and advance it will be a rematch of last years ALCS which Texas won in six games.

Yankees split a doubleheader with the Sox as the Sox win the nightcap in 14 innings

The New York Yankees split two games with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon and night. They won the first game in the afternoon by the score of 6-2 and lost the night game by the score of 7-4 in 14 innings. A.J. Burnett started the day game and pitched very well, Ivan Nova pitched on in the night game but not his best. The Yankees offense in both games was pretty good. The bullpen wasn’t bad either in either of the games. Scott Proctor gave up the runs in the night cap to lose the game but everyone else pitched well.
Burnett pitched 7 2/3 innings in the day game giving up five hits and two runs. He walked two and struck out six. Burnett is 11-11 on the season. Dave Robertson pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up one hit and he struck out three. Nova pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and four runs in the night game. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three. Boone Logan faced two batters and retired them both, one with a strikeout, Rafael Soriano pitched an inning giving up a hit and Mariano Rivera pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one. Raul Valdes gave up a hit and retired one batter, Cory Wade pitched two innings without giving up a hit and he struck out two and Aaron Laffey pitched two inning giving up two hits and he struck out one. Proctor took the loss giving up 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and three runs with a walk and a strikeout.

In the first game Brett Gardner had a hit, Derek Jeter had three hits and an RBI and Alex Rodriguez had a hit, RBI and a walk. Jorge Posada had two hits, two RBI and a walk, Andruw Jones had a walk and Russell Martin had two walks. Brandon Laird had a hit and a walk and Ramiro Pena had a walk. Jeter had a double and Posada had a homerun. The Yankees were 3-10 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Gardner and Jeter had a stolen base and Martin was caught stealing.

In the first game the Yankees scored two runs in the first inning. Gardner scored on an error by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. A wild pitch by Tim Wakefield scored the second run. In the third Posada hit a two run homerun to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead. Ellsbury hit a solo homerun for the Red Sox to make it 4-1 in the fourth inning. In the fifth Rodriguez hit an RBI single to increase the Yankees lead to 5-1. In the sixth Ellsbury hit another solo homerun to make it a 5-2 game. Jeter hit an RBI double in the sixth to make it 6-2 and complete the scoring in the game.

In the night game Teixeira hit a two run double and he scored on an error in the same play to make it 3-0. That was in the first inning and in the fifth J.D. Drew had an RBI single to make it 3-1. In the sixth Adrian Gonzalez hit a ground out and a run scored making it a 3-2 game. In the seventh the Red Sox took the lead with two runs. Marco Scutaro hit an RBI double and Jason Varitek hit an RBI single to make it 4-3 Red Sox. In the bottom of the seventh Dickerson hit a sac fly to tie the game at four. The game would remain tied until the 14th inning when Ellsbury hit a three run homerun to give the Red Sox a 7-4 lead that they would hold onto.

The Red Sox desperately needed the win as they were only ½ a game ahead of the Rays for the wild card. The two teams would have been tied if the Yankees won. The Red Sox now have a game lead with three to play. The Red Sox will head to Baltimore for three games and the Yankees will play at Tampa for three games. The Yankees have clinched everything so they will probably treat these last three games like spring training games. Hector Noesi will pitch on Monday, Bartolo Colon on Tuesday and TBA on Wednesday. I am sure the regulars will get some at bats but probably not play full games or rotate them where they won’t play all three games. I am not exactly sure how long Noesi could go but he did start the other day in a doubleheader so maybe he can give them four or five innings. James Shields will start for the Rays. It should be an interesting final three days of the regular season. The Yankees know they will play on Friday and Saturday at home and most likely at 8:30PM but the time isn’t set yet and the opponent is yet to be determined. The Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers are the two possible opponents. The Rangers have a one game lead. The Rangers will play at Anaheim and the Tigers will play at home against the Indians.

A.J. earns first August win as a Yankee

The New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals by the score of 7-4. A.J. Burnett made the start and pitched ok. He gave up a lot of hits but was able to limit the damage. It was his first August win as a Yankees. Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter led the Yankees offense. Jeter has been a different player since coming off the disabled list.
Burnett pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up three runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out two. Burnett is now 9-9 on the season. Boone Logan pitched 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout, Rafael Soriano pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up one hit and one run with a walk and Dave Robertson pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. Mariano Rivera earned his 31st save of the season pitching an inning and striking out one.

Gardner had two hits and two RBI, Jeter had three hits and three RBI and Curtis Granderson had two walks. Mark Teixeira had a hit, RBI and two walks, Robinson Cano had two hits and Nick Swisher had two hits. Jorge Posada had a hit and a walk, Andruw Jones had a hit and an RBI and Russell Martin had a hit. Cano and Swisher had doubles. Jeter had a triple and the Yankees were 6-21 with runners in scoring position. The Yankees left 11 men on base. Jeter had a stolen base and Logan picked off a runner at first base.

In the second inning the Yankees jumped out in front 2-0. Gardner had an RBI single and Jeter had an RBI single. In the fifth inning the Royals came back and took the lead. Melky Cabrera had an RBI walk and Billy Butler had a two run single making it 3-2 Royals. In the sixth inning Gardner had an RBI single and Jeter had a two run triple making it 5-3 Yankees. In the seventh inning Jones had an RBI single making it 6-3 Yankees. In the bottom of the inning Cabrera had an RBI double cutting the lead to 6-4. The Yankees added the last run of the game in the eighth inning. Teixeira had an RBI single making it 7-4.

The Yankees who were rained out on Sunday began a seven game road trip. The Yankees record is 73-46 which is tied for first with the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. They have the best records in the league. The two teams will play game two of the three game set on Tuesday night. Ivan Nova will make the start for the Yankees. Burnett is still looking for his first quality start since June 29th. Burnett will take the baby steps though and take winning his first August game as a Yankee as a positive. The Yankees who are 2-10 against the Red Sox know that if they keep playing the way they are and beat the Red Sox that they will get home field advantage through the AL playoffs. The Yankees have always enjoyed a home field advantage and after starting slow, this year is no different.

Yankees notes for Wednesday after a victory

Here were some pregame notes and I will sprinkle in some thoughts after the Yankees a postgame.  The Yankees evened up the three game series by beating the angels 9-3, Ivan Nova continued to pitch well and win games.  The offense went to work tonight on a kid called up from AA. Joe Girardi said that Alex Rodriguez will probably be starting his rehab assignment Friday as a DH and then hopefully play Saturday at third for either Class A Tampa or the Gulf Coast League Yankees.

Girardi wasn’t counting on him being back for the start of the next seven-game road trip Monday in Kansas City, but he does believe he will be back during the trip, barring any setbacks, of course.  The Yankees shouldn't rush him back, they are in a good position in the standings and they don't have to be desperate for anything.  It would be nice to win the division but it isn't a must, as long as you make the postseason. 

As for Mariano Rivera’s back-to-back bad outings, Girardi called them ”a blip.”  I would pretty much agree with that, if Nunez was more experienced or Arod was at third he probably wouldn't have blown that save in Fenway Park on Sunday night.  He is 41 years old and isn't the same guy but I would take him over most. 

“Usually when Mo has his little blips in the screen, sometimes they come back to back,” Girardi said. “Then he usually runs off a really good streak. If my sense is right, I think that’s what will happen. It’s just a little blip here.”

The topic that drew the most attention was the state of the rotation, with six good pieces and five holes. Ivan Nova starts tonight. Asked about whether Nova was pitching for a spot tonight, Girardi said, “No, I wouldn’t say that. Come out healthy.”  I think right now Burnett has to be the odd man out but I don't know if that is what Girardi will do.  It is easier to send a guy like Nova down, Nova though needs to stay at the major league level, it is great to see him develop and improve the way he has. 

“He’s pitched very well for us,” Girardi said. “That’s the bottom line. As we know, none of our pitchers are going to be perfect. Sometimes they’re going to have some blips. But we feel very good about him taking the ball every sixth day right now. That’s something we eventually have to get down to five here, just for our roster and just for the routine for the guys.

“I think the biggest difference in (Nova) – a month of it he wasn’t really here, three weeks – but the last two and a half months or whatever has been his slider and the ability to get swing and misses and strikeouts on it, and the improvement of that. It’s different weapon for him than his other pitches.”

The Yankees aren't going to go with a six man rotation much longer.  It seems that Burnett would be the odd man out but I am not so sure.  I don't think the Yankees would put him in the bullpen although he may be able to succeed as a reliever.  It will be interesting to see what they do but they can't take Nova out and Hughes will get a start on Saturday.  Hughes hasn't been great either but I think most would rather have him a kid then Burnett. 

Yankees news and notes after a loss to Oakland

Here are some Yankees news and notes following their loss to the Oakland Athletics today.  Thanks to the Lohud Yankees blog for providing some information.  If you don't know about the blog it is a great one that Chad Jennings of the Journal News runs. 

Less than 24 hours after putting up 17 runs and 17 hits, the Yankees posted three runs and nine hits. They went just 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11, including the potential tying run at third with two outs in the ninth. Rich Harden had his good changeup and held them to two runs and five hits over 5 1-3. And the A’s won 4-3 on a day when the heat index again hit 100.  I predicted that, whenever the Yankees, not just them though score a bunch of runs you know they will have trouble the next couple of games most likely. 


“You hold this lineup down to a couple of runs, you’re doing something,” Nick Swisher said. “So you’ve got to give credit where credit is due.”

Still, Swisher and Mark Teixeira agree this lineup misses Alex Rodriguez, expected to be out for about another month after knee surgery. The Yankees are 7-5 since Rodriguez went down. They are 5-5 since the All-Star break, alternating wins and losses in the last six games. And they are 9-9 in their last 18.

“He’s Alex Rodriguez,” Teixeira said. “I mean, this is one of the greatest players of all time. His presence, the fact that he has great at-bats, he makes the pitcher work, and then he’s going to drive in 100 runs, hit home runs and do everything he does. So obviously we miss him.”

Brandon Laird played the part of A-Rod in this game, making his first major-league start, at third. But the 23-year-old rookie went 0 for 3 and struck out with two outs and the bases packed in the fourth.

“It was my first time coming up with the bases loaded,” Laird said. “I felt pretty good. I was excited. But it just didn’t go my way. …

“It would’ve been nice to get a win. But I got my first start, got it under my belt, got it out of the way. Hopefully I have some more coming in the future.”

A.J. Burnett is now winless in his last four starts, but he pitched well enough to win in this one, charged with three runs, six hits, three walks and two hit batters while fanning six in 5 2/3. In 21 starts, he has given up three runs or less 13 times and four runs five times.  He is what he is, he is great at times, not so great other times but he takes the ball every fifth day and usually gives the Yankees a good chance to win.

“I thought he threw the ball extremely well,” Joe Girardi said.

Rafael Soriano’s rehab assignment will now shift after two outings with High-A Tampa. The reliever is scheduled to pitch today against Syracuse at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  He may pitch tomorrow also and then be ready to come back to the Yankees if everything is ok. 

David Robertson struck out his ninth consecutive batter with the bases loaded. After a scoreless ninth, he has allowed just two earned runs in his last 26 outings.  It is amazing how this guy gets in and out of trouble.

Hideki Matsui’s decisive homer off Boone Logan in the seventh snapped a 16 2-3-scoreless innings streak for the bullpen. Matsui has homered in four of his last five games here, all in a visiting uniform.

Derek Jeter went 3 for 4 with a walk and is batting .333 (21 for 63) in July after batting a combined .260 the first three months.  He isn't this good but you also didn't think he was as bad as he was hitting.  I would think he could still hit 280 or maybe even 290.  We will see but hopefully for the Yankees he is more like the hitter now then the first three months. 

Yankees lose to the Athletics

The New York Yankees lost to the Oakland Athletics by the score of 4-3 on Saturday afternoon. A.J. Burnett pitched pretty well but not good enough. He made a couple of mistakes and that is what cost him the game. The Yankees offense a day after scoring 17 struggled to do anything. They scored one late run and had the tying run at third in the ninth but left that runner stranded. Nick Swisher had a monster homerun in the game.
Burnett pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up six hits and three runs with three walks and six strikeouts. Cory Wade pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit, Boone Logan pitched two innings giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout and Dave Robertson pitched an inning giving up a hit and two walks. He did strike out a batter. Burnett took the loss and saw his record fall to 8-8 and his ERA is at 4.21. Burnett has lost four straight games.

Brett Gardner had a walk, Derek Jeter had three hits and a walk and Curtis Granderson had a walk. Mark Teixiera had a hit and an RBI, Robinson Cano had two hits and Swisher had a hit, RBI and two walks. Russell Martin had two hits and an RBI and Eduardo Nunez had two walks. Brandon Laird in his first start in the major leagues was 0-3, he left the bases loaded in one at-bat. Cano and Jeter had doubles and Swisher had a homerun. The Yankees were 2-11 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base. Jeter and Gardner each had a stolen base and Granderson was caught stealing. Burnett did pick off a runner at first base.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a Martin RBI single. The Athletics took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on a two run homerun by Josh Willingham. In the sixth inning Jemile Weeks had an RBI single to make it 3-1 Athletics. In the bottom of the sixth inning Swisher hit a mammoth solo homerun to cut the lead to 3-2. I think it was the longest homerun hit at the New Stadium, it hit the façade of the upper deck. In the seventh inning Hideki Matsui hit a solo homerun off of his former team. The Yankees trailing 4-2 in the ninth inning rallied but they fell just short. Gardner walked, Jeter singled. Granderson struck out and Gardner and Jeter stole second and third. The Yankees had second and third one out and Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly making it 4-3 and putting a runner on third with two outs. Cano made the final out stranding the tying run at third base.

The Athletics snapped the Yankees 11 game winning streak against them. The three game series is even at one game each now. The rubber game will be on Sunday afternoon with Bartolo Colon facing off against Gio Gonzalez. The Yankees record dropped to 58-40, they remain in second place in the AL east but first in the wild card chase. Burnett said “I can only control what I can control out there.” I can’t control the offense, the hitting, the defense, what happens after I lose the ball that’s all out of my hands. I just try to keep my team in the best I can.” Burnett said “This team never quits so you have to be ready for anything.” Girardi said that he felt Burnett threw the ball well and Swisher gave credit to Rich Harden the A’s starter.

Yankees defeat the Cubs in a sloppy game

The big play of the game was Carlos Pena being nailed at the plate in the sixth inning.  Bowled over and knocked to the ground, Russell Martin picked himself off the dirt and turned toward two men. He was showing one of them his glove and more so that he had held onto the ball.  Who was he showing it to though??  The umpire or Carlos Pena?

“I was showing it to Pena,” Martin said. “That’s just the feistiness in me.”

 “When someone’s trying to run you over,” Joe Girardi said. “You don’t necessarily help them up.”

Ever since Buster Posey was lost for the season, home plate collisions have been a hot-button topic around baseball. Girardi has said time and again that he was against any sort of catcher-protection rule. Catchers are supposed to block the plate, he said, and that’s what Martin did tonight.

“That was a clean hit,” Martin said. “There wasn’t anything dirty. As a catcher, you have to know when to put your body in position and when not to… Yesterday, I told Swisher, ‘I’m getting bored back there. I haven’t had a play in a long time.’ I got what I asked for.”

 You can't forget about the error on the double play ball, but Eduardo Nunez still managed to show why the Yankees have some faith in him as an everyday shortstop while Derek Jeter is on the bench. He scored the go-ahead run, drove in the key insurance run and had his third two-hit day since taking over the position. “I don’t think Nuney (gets) enough credit for what he did in the ninth,” Gardner said. “The double he hit to left-center ended up being the game-winning hit. That was the difference.”  Nunez has a pretty good bat, he has some pop, can steal bases and has a good arm.  He has to get better defensively though, once that is cleaned up he may be the heir apparent at short stop.  Derek Jeter wasn't very good in the field in the minor leagues and really never good at all up the middle, they talk about his decreased range with age but he really never had great range at least up the middle. 


A.J. Burnett was pretty good today. Actually, he was very good today except for a bad fastball that Pena hit for a two-run home run. Burnett would have pitched through the sixth if not for Nunez’s error. He struck out eight and showed a terrific curveball.  If you didn't watch the game and see he didn't complete six innings you may say he wasn't that good but he would of been through the sixth without the error.  If Burnett can pitch that way consistently which he has for most of the year the Yankees are happy.

Another day with Burnett praising Martin for his ability to block breaking balls in the dirt. “If I’ve got a strike on a hitter, I’m going to throw it in the dirt as hard as I can,” Burnett said. “I always tell Russ, I just try to get it by him. That’s my goal. He won’t allow it to happen.”  Martin started off hot with the offense and has cooled down but he still is a very good defensive catcher and that is the most important thing.  This shouldn't be taken as an insult but Martin is the best defensive catcher the Yankees have had in a while.

Burnett on his weird sac bunt that started foul — by a lot — and rolled back into fair territory: “I work on putting English on it,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It bounced a good foot foul and hit that ridge and rolled back fair.”  It was a very weird play but as John Sterling would say that's baseball Suzyn. 

  Until Mariano Rivera allowed a home run in the ninth, this pieced together bullpen had gone eight straight games without allowing a run. Corey Wade, Hector Noesi and Dave Robertson pitched 2.2 scoreless to form the Rivera bridge tonight. “These guys have taken an opportunity and ran with it, a lot of these guys,” Girardi said. “We call up Corey and he does a good job. Noesi does a good job. They’re just throwing the ball well.”  Of course they miss Joba Chamberlain and Rafael Soriano and the lefties that never started the season but the bullpen they have now is doing a great job.  The main reason they miss those guys is the experience they have, these guys are getting good experience now though and so far so good.

 Girardi said he wasn’t bothered by a series of base running mistakes tonight. He likes his guys being aggressive. The head-scratcher was Alex Rodriguez being thrown out by 10 feet trying to stretch a single into a double. “I didn’t ask him,” Girardi said. “I usually don’t talk to guys right away in that situation. If I had to guess, I think he thought Soriano kind of dropped his head and was just was going to kind of take it easy throwing it in.”

Thanks to the Lohud Yankees Blog for providing some of the information from this game.  This was a very sloppy game for the Yankees but they will take any win and tonight will go for the series with their ace on the hill.  C.C. Sabathia is matching up against Randy Wolf.  It looks like a mismatch on paper but you never know.  This is a fathers day, night game.  The game is on at 8:00PM on ESPN.  The Yankees will head to Cincinatti to start a three game series there tomorrow night. 

The Yankees lose series finale to the Indians

The New York Yankees lost the series finale to the Cleveland Indians and weren't able to complete the four game sweep.  A.J. Burnett pitched great but he took the loss as Carasco pitched even better for the Indians.  The Yankees had a chance in the first couple of innings to jump out in front and really take control of the game but they couldn't do that.  The Yankees had the bases loaded and no outs in the first and didn't score, first and second no outs in the second and didn't score and then first and second one out in the third and nothing.  They didn't do much of anything after the third inning. 

Burnett pitched 7 2/3 innings giving up one run on five hits, he walked one in the last inning he pitched and srruck out eight.  Dave Robertson pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings.  He came in to the eighth inning with a two out jam and got out of it. 

Derek Jeter got a hit in the game to move to six away from 3000.  Jeter left the game in the fifth inning with a calf injury.  Jeter had an MRI after the game and it is a grade one strain of the calf and right now he is day-to-day.  The Yankees stated tonight that they will make a decision tmorrow on if he will go on the disabled list or not.  It may be the best thing for him to rest it and come back really strong but we will see what they do.  Robinson Cano was the only player with two hits. 

The Yankees won three out of four in the series after losing three straight to the Red Sox.  The Sox were off today and with the Yankees loss they are 2 1/2 games out of first place in the AL East.  The Yankees will begin a three game series with the Texas Rangers tomororw night before they head to Chicago to take on the Cubs and then Cincinatti.  It will be round two of interleague play and they will have five series in a row of interleague.  The Yankees will send C.C. Sabathia to the mound on Tuesday night vs. Alexi Oganda. 

Yankees lose to the Red Sox

The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox last night by the score of 6-4.  Freddy Garcia had nothing and four batters into the game it was 3-0 Sox.  He lasted only 1 2/3 innings.  Luis Ayala pitched 1 1/3 innings and then Hector Noesi really saved the Yankees bullpen by pitching six innings giving up two runs.  He pitched great out of the pen and got sent down today because he wouldn't be available for a while and the Yankeees are short in the bullpen.  The Yankees claimed Jeff Marquez off of waivers and he is expected to be with the team at game time and Amaury Sanit got recalled.  The Yankees were trailing 6-1 in this game and then got a big two run double from Nick Swisher to make it a 6-3 game.  The Yankees had their chance in the ninth, Jorge Posada had an RBI single to make it 6-4 and Arod was the tying run but struck out to end the game.  Posada was filling in for Mark Teixeira who left in the first inning after getting beaned on the knee.  He has a contusion but he will be playing tonight.  Posada went 3-3 with a walk in the game. 

The Yankees are now 1-6 against the Red Sox this season and 0-4 at home against them.  A.J. Burnett will pitch tonight against Tim Wakefield.  There are a couple of things to watch for, one of them is if the Yankees will retaliate tonight because of Tex and Martin getting hit last night and the other bigger one is Big Papi flipping his bat after his two run homerun in the fifth inning.  Joe Girardi did not like that at all but he wasn't going to have a rookie retaliate.  A.J. Burnett would be a guy that would and could do it tonight.  The other thing to watch for is Varitek who has never been comfortable catching the knuckleball is in the lineup because Jarod Saltalamacchia is in the hospital with an illness.  The Yankees when on base should run on him all night long.  This could be a huge part of the game, I wouldn't of been suprised if they even played Chris Dickerson in this game or at some point he does come in just to add even more speed to the lineup.  The game is on at 7:00PM on the YES network. 

The Yes Network directly after the game and then the postgame will premiere the Joe Girardi Yankeeography, you will want to stay tuned for that.  The series will finish off tomorrow night with a classic pitchers duel between C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett. 

Yankees lose a close one in Seattle

The New York Yankees opened their nine game, ten day West Coast Swing with a loss in Seattle on Friday night.  The final score was 4-3, it was a tight game but the Yankees had a 3-0 lead that they couldn't hold.  A.J. Burnett didn't pitch bad but he threw too many pitches and could only go five innings, the bullpen didn't get lit up but they weren't lights out either and allowed the Mariners to score the runs needed to win the game.  Luis Ayala and Boone Logan were the culprits in this game and now the Yankees have to face Felix Hernandez tonight.  They need a really good game out of Ivan Nova and they need to scratch out runs if they can on King Felix.  If they get guys on they will need to bunt, steal things like that because you don't expect to hit him hard.  Hernandez is 4-0 with a miniscule ERA against the Yankees in his last four starts, he really shut them down last year at Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees will have their hands full tonight. 

The Yankees also now find themselves in second place as the Boston Red Sox continue to win and are a game ahead of the Yankees, the Rays are only 1/2 a game behind the Yankees and this looks like it will be a battle all season long, most likely two of the teams will make the postseason and the other will be left behind.  I still think the Rays have overachieved and although they are good probably aren't this good, I expect the Red Sox and Yankees to make the postseason, another piece of it is in July they will make moves they have too probably the Yankees who will look for another starter, maybe another bat or call up someone from the minor leagues.  The Rays may not have the resources to do anything.  The reason the Rays can stay in it though is they have good young starting pitching. 

The Yankees really needed Burnett to pitch at least six innings but he was taken out after giving up two runs in the fifth and 97 pitches.  He could of maybe come out for the sixth but Girardi wanted to use Boone Logan to get the one lefty and then have Ayala finish the inning, if that happened he would of had Robertson pitch the seventh, Joba Chamberlain the eighth and Mariano Rivera the ninth but he didn't get there and they lost the game.  The Yankees bullpen right now is short because they don't have Rafael Soriano and they don't have a second lefty, they thought Pedro Feliciano would be that guy but he is hurt.  The Yankees clearly need a second lefty in the pen but who that could be is anyones guess because I wouldn't count on Feliciano coming back.  The Yankees could always go to the minors for other arms in the bullpen but Ayala has been pretty good so far, I could see the Yankees calling up someone like Dellin Betances or Manny Banuelos to pitch out of the pen but not until the later part of the year. 

There was another big play in the game, in the seventh inning Eduardo Nunez pinch ran with two outs and stole second base.  The bad part was that he immediately got picked off of second base though and that can't happen.  His hand strangely got stuck in the dirt and both Girardi and he feel he would of been safe if that didn't happen.  Girardi said he would wait until Saturday to talk to him about the play.  He said every player knows you can't be picked off in that situation. 

There was another big play in the game which was Nick Swisher being robbed of a homerun by Franklin Guiterrez in center field, that would of given the Yankees a 2-0 lead early on.  Swisher said that he though for sure it was five rows deep but he got back, leapt and made a great catch. 

Michael Pineda who is a rookie of the year candidate had his shortest outing of the year and had more walks then he has had in any game with five.  The Yankees actually did a pretty good job against him but they couldn't touch the bullpen. 

The Yankees losing streak reaches six

The New York Yankees lost their sixth straight game tonight.  They had a 5-1 lead off of David Price but A.J. Burnett was not able to hold it and the Yankees lost 6-5.  Burnett had one of his old innings where after crusing through five innings he imploded in the sixth inning.  He gave up a double and a homerun to Sam Fuld to start the inning.  It was 5-3 Yankees and he seemed to regroup getting the next two outs but then a single, wild pitch, single, wild pitch and two run homerun and it was 6-5 Rays.  It was the first time all season that the Rays have scored more then five runs in their own building.  The Yankees did not get a hit for the final three innings and they were left shaking their heads once again. 

Burnett got the loss and who knows what went wrong.  He didn't throw a lot of pitches so you can't say the pitch count, maybe Joe Girardi left him in a little too long but he is loyal to his regular guys.  The bullpen did a good job shutting down the Rays but the offense didn't do anything after sxoring three runs in the fifth inning. 

The Yankees record is now 20-19, they were just 20-13, they are three games behind the Rays and the Red Sox are now 21-20.  The Blue Jays are also 21-20 after winning six games in a row.  The Yankees and Rays will meet on Wednesday evening with Ivan Nova going up against James Shields.  Shields has been great this season adn Nova is up and down.  It looks like the Ynakees may lost their seventh straight game as they head to Baltimore to play two games against the Orioles. 

Yankees lose to the Jays as they squander many chances

The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 5-3 tonight.  The story of the game was all the missed chances the Yankees had.  They had bases loaded and no outs and didn't score and in the eighth inning had bases loaded and one out and couldn't score with Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher up.  The one concern for the Yankees right now is that if they don't hit homeruns they don't score runs.  Freddy Garcia didn't have his best stuff but battled through five innings and gave them a chance to win the game. 

Garcia walked five guys and that was his main problem, the control.  He did strike out six and only gave up three runs.  Dave Robertson had a chance to get out of the sixth inning with the score only 3-2 Jays but he made a throwing error into centerfield and the Jays scored twice that inning to take a 5-2 lead.  The Yankees only managed to score one more run on Robinson Cano's second solo homerun of the game.  It was his eighth of the season. 

The Yankees remain in first place by three games in the loss column over the Tampa Bay Rays and four over the Jays.  The Red Sox continue to struggle at 11-14 although they have played a lot better lately.  The Yankees and Jays will play game two of three tomorrow afternoon.  A.J. Burnett will make the start. 

Yankees at Blue Jays

The New York Yankees begin a brief two game series up in Toronto tonight.  A.J. Burnett makes the start against Kyle Drabek.  Drabek is who they got from the Phillies in the Roy Halladay deal and he is the son of former big league pitcher Doug Drabek.  Here are some notes and the lineups.

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.  A-rod is still out with the sore back and oblique, hopefullly he will be back tomorrow night. 

Toronto Lineup:Escobar, Snider, Bautista, Lind, Hill, Molina, Patterson, Nix. 

It will be the first game back in the booth for David Cone.  He played for both the Blue Jays and Yankees in his career.  The Blue Jays lead the league with 21 stolen bases even though they don't really have speedsters in their lineup.  They are a team that will run a lot so Martin will get a workout. 

The Blue Jays activated Frank Francisco today their closer and sent down Jesse Litsch.  The Yankees are the only team in the AL east to have a winning record.  They are at 9-5, it is considered by many to be the best division in baseball.  This is the first roadtrip for the Yankees as they only played three games in Boston, otherwise all the games have been at home. 

Martin has only allowed three stolen bases in 117 innings behind the plate.  He is tied for fewest in the majors with backstops who have caught at least 100 innings.  He leads all catchers in baseball with four homers and is tied with 11 RBI.  He has been a great signing for the Yankees and if this continues you can bet he will be signed to an extension. 

Burnett has an eight game win streak in April tying him with Tim Lincecum of the Giants for longest active streak in the majors.  He has not lost a game in April in his Yankees career going 8-0 with a 4.04 ERA.  Nick Swisher is batting 526 against left handed pitchers this season, he came into the season with a career average of 260 against them. 

Robinson Cano has a nine game hitting streak going.  He is batting 351 with five doubles, three homeruns and nine RBI during the streak.  Bartolo Colon and Brett Cecil are the starters for tomorrow nights game.  The game tonight is at 7:07PM and will be on MY9 in New York. 

Yankees defeat Orioles on a cold rainy night

The New York Yankees finally got back to playing baseball and it looked like the couple of days off helped their offense.  The Yankees scored seven runs on the night, six in the first two innings.  They got a couple of guys that were cold going.  Derek Jeter had a couple of hits and an RBI, Jorge Posada had a solo homerun and a single.  Mark Teixeira had a couple of hits, Alex Rodriguez continued his hot hitting with a three run homerun and another hit and walk.  Robinson Cano had a hit and two RBI. 

A.J. Burnett is now 3-0 winning his first three starts for the first time in his career.  Burnett pitched terriffic until the seventh inning when he gave up two two run homeruns.  I don't know if it was tiredness or what but I am going to guess he made a bad pitch gave up a homerun and then lost his focus and gave up another one and it was 7-4 and he was out of the game.  The bullpen preserved the win for him though with outstanding work.  Dave Robertson got the two batters out that he faced, one with a strikeout.  Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless eighth inning giving up a hit and Mariano Rivera recorded his fifth save of the season. 

The Yankees got some bad news that was relayed by Joe Girardi after the game though.  Pedro Feliciano MRI showed significant damage to his left shoulder.  It looks like this is very serious, it sounds like he could need surgery but Joe Girardi wouldn't go into specifics after the game.  He said in fairness to the media he would give them that but in fairness to the player he wouldn't say more.  He said Feliciano has to talk to the team doctor, his agent and his family and then decide what is next for him. 

The Yankees will have Phil Hughes on the mound tomorrow night looking for his velocity and confidence.  Hughes needs to have a good start and get back on the right track.  He doesn't need to be perfect or be all the way back but he needs to show some positive progress if for anything else his own psyche which has to be shaken at this point at least somewhat.  The Yankees will try and sweep this abbreviated two game series and take over sole possession of first place on the very young season. 

Yankees vs. Twins the Rubber Game

The Yankees and Twins were rained out last night.  The rainout turned this series into a three instead of four game series.  Freddy Garcia was scheduled to pitch and now will be skipped.  A.J. Burnett will face Francisco Liriano at 1:05 on the Yes Network.
Here is the Yankees lineup:Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, Andruw Jones, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.  The bench players were going to get in last night but with the rainout the regulars got their rest without missing a game.  Garcia will have 16 days off but nothing they can do.  He may pitch sim games and will be available out of the pen. 

Yankees pound away on the Tigers as A.J. battles

The New York Yankees won their second straight game on Saturday afternoon defeating the Detroit Tigers 10-6. The game wasn't as close as it seems. The Yankees scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Burnett pitched five effective innings, he was battling a bad cold and lost his stamina in the fifth inning but after giving up two runs was able to fight through it and earn the win. Mark Teixeira, Russell Martin and Alex Rodrigez all had homeruns. Texieira hit his second three run homer in as many games as he looks to have a hot start to the season for the first time in his career. A-rod also had a double as he continues to hit like he did all spring in Florida. The Yankees bullpen gave up runs late but it was Luis Ayala and Boone Logan who were just getting some work. Mariano Rivera had to pick up an easy three pitch one batter save. The Yankees will be looking for the sweep Sunday afternoon when Phil Hughes takes the mound. Hughes will go up against another young right handed pitcher in Max Scherzer. The Yankees offense will try and continue their hot start. The Yankees are notoriously slow starters and this is the first time since 2005 they are 2-0 to open the season.

Yankees News and Notes on a Saturday

The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Nationals by the score of 6-5 on Saturday afternoon. They lost on a walk-off single. A.J. Burnett pitched well once again though and that is more of a story. Burnett did give up two runs on two hits but after giving up the runs he retired the last nine batters he faced. One of the biggest problems he had last season was letting things get out of hand, not being able to stop the bleeding so that is a good sign. Here are some news and notes from Saturday. Kei Igawa was able to get in touch with his family and left for Japan, he will get as much time as he needs before returning to the Yankees. I am not going to make any jokes with this one as he is going through a very tough time and he should be given the right to do what he needs to do. Derek Jeter has been adjusting to swinging without a stride and after starting out slowly is hitting 333. He has only struck out once and only has one extra base hit. He has never been a power guy but wants to show more of that, it will come though. Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson also have new mechanics, Granderson started his change at the end of last season and he has continued to do well with it this spring leading the team in runs scored and batting 348. Gardner is hitting 273. Jorge Vazquez won't win a spot on the team unless there is an injury but he isn't being ignored. He is hitting 480 on the spring and hit his third home run of the spring on Saturday. Burnett talked well about Russel Martin saying he knows what he wants to do back there and he knows Burnett pretty well. He said confidence is a big thing with him. Burnett has yet to walk anyone in the spring which is amazing for him, he realized when talking about it and saying I guess I jinxed it now. Robert Fish and Daniel Turpin are two Rule Five picks the Yankees got this year, they have both been pretty bad and it looks like they will be gone soon. Mariano Rivera is scheduled to get in his first game tomorrow afternoon. Rafael Soriano is expected to be in the game as well. Eric Chavez was in the orginal lineup for today but the Yankees decided against it since it is a long bus ride and maybe not the best idea for a guy with a history of back problems. He is not hurt they were just being cautious. Ramiro Pena is only hitting 154 this spring, Eduardo Nunez is thriving, I don't know what they will do but by the numbers Nunez is clearly leading for the backup infielder job. Pena has been doing it the last couple of years though and has never been much of a hitter. He is known for his defense and the Yankees may value that more.