The New York Yankees creep closer to a wild car with a win over the Baltimore Orioles

The New York Yankees creep closer to a wild card with win over the Baltimore Orioles


The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. The final score was 5-4 and the game took place at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Andy Pettitte started and pitched ok, Mariano Rivera made it interesting but picked up the save. Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano each hit a solo homerun.

Pettitte pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up nine hits and three runs. He walked one and struck out three. Shawn Kelley pitched 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout, David Robertson won his fifth game of the season pitching an inning and giving up two hits and striking out one. Rivera picked up his 43rd save of the season pitching an inning and giving up two hits and a run. He struck out one.

Brett Gardner drew two walks, Rodriguez had a hit and an RBI and Cano had two hits and two RBI. Curtis Granderson had two hits and an RBI, Lyle Overbay had a hit and an RBI and Granderson hit a triple. Granderson, Rodriguez and Cano each hit a homerun and the Yankees were 1-4 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base. Gardner had a stolen base.

Scott Feldman pitched 7 2/3 innings giving up three hits and three runs with two walks and six strikeouts. Tommy Hunter took his fourth loss of the season pitching an inning and giving up two hits and two runs with a strikeout and Troy Patton pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one.

Brian Roberts had three hits and an RBI, Manny Machado had two hits and Chris Davis had a hit and two RBI. Danny Valencia had four hits, J.J. Hardy had a hit and an RBI and Nate McClouth had two hits and drew a walk. Davis, Valencia, Hardy, McClouth each hit a double and the Orioles were 4-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. McClouth was caught stealing.

In the first Cano hit an RBI groundout to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the third on a Davis two run double. Hardy hit an RBI double in the fourth to extend the lead to 3-1 Orioles. The Yankees would cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth on a Granderson solo homerun. In the sixth the game was tied at three on a Rodriguez solo homerun. The Yankees took a 5-3 lead in the ninth on a Cano solo homerun and Overbay RBI single. The Orioles would score a run in the ninth on a Roberts RBI single. The final score was 5-4 Yankees.

The Yankees record improved to 78-68 and the Orioles record fell to 77-68. The two teams will play the fourth and final game of the series on Thursday night.

Yankees Saturday notes as they get ready for position players to report on Sunday

CC Sabathia threw his first bullpen of the spring along with Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte. Sabathia said he did feel a little nervous because it was the first time doing it since his offseason elbow surgery. He said after the first couple of pitches though he felt good. He threw 29 pitches which were all fastballs and changeups. He said he will start throwing breaking balls in the next couple of days off of flat ground and then carry that into the next bullpens. Joe Girardi said today that he will probably miss the first turn through the rotation with games beginning a week from today. Mariano Rivera will probably also miss the first few games and not pitch until March. That is fine though with the extra time in camp. 
The Yankees have no idea who will start the game a week from today but it could be David Phelps or Adam Warren. Joe Girardi said he expects everyone to be in camp tomorrow and he also said so far no one has gotten injured.

Derek Jeter will address the media tomorrow in his annual start of spring training press conference. Rivera said he felt good again today and he has no doubt he will be able to pitch. He said he put a lot of work in during the year and he trusts god first and then himself. He is on a normal spring routine, he may actually be getting work in earlier then usual and he is wearing a brace but he is fine.

Francisco Cervelli said the Yankees told him he could play in the WBC if he wanted. He said he has a job that he can win and that has been his dream and he wants to make sure he is in camp and gives it his all. He said he talked to the manager of Italy back in December and told them he wasn’t going to play.

Spring training will get more lively tomorrow and there will be much more going on. The full squad reports and then in a week the games will begin. It has been pretty quiet the last couple of days but that is all about to change.

Yankees first official workout notes

The Yankees started their quest for championship #28 this morning as they held their first workout of the season. There are no players that reported late so all the pitchers and catchers are in camp, position players will report Sunday and then the ballpark will really come alive. Francisco Cervelli met the media today, Mariano Rivera did the same and Andy Pettitte was a big topic about not playing in the World Baseball Classic and possibly playing past this season. 
Cervelli denied the allegations against him. He said that he was recommended to go to the Biogenesis clinic by someone but wouldn’t say who. He said it wasn’t a teammate or his agents. He did say he went there and just listened and didn’t leave with anything. Cervelli also said look at him and his numbers, does it look like he is taking steroids. I guess you have to believe him, there is no reason not too and honestly I don’t think people care that much about him. He isn’t really a story, Cervelli has a chance to be the starting catcher this year and he is a Yankee but he really isn’t a big deal.

Mariano Rivera reported on time this year, he said he feels like a 9 out of 10 but will be a 10 when the season starts. He said he has made a decision on his future but isn’t going to announce it just yet. He did say he will let everyone know in the near future though. It sure sounds like he is going to retire and we should find out soon enough. He said he expects to be how he always is and that he is feeling great and excited to be back.

Andy Pettitte wanted to play in the World Baseball Classic especially with his old manager Joe Torre managing team USA. He said that Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman had concerns though and basically talked him out of it. He said they said we will support you if you do it but we would prefer if you didn’t. He said ultimately it was his final decision but he felt although he would of loved to pitch for his country he had to be loyal to the Yankees. Pettitte also said he isn’t sure if he will continue past this season but won’t make any decisions until the season is completed. He sounded the opposite of Rivera, that he may play again next season.

Phil Hughes threw 40 pitches today in his bullpen and Clay Rapada threw 35. A lot of the pitchers seem ahead of the normal schedule. Hughes said it was his sixth bullpen already. The first workout was smooth, no problems reported.

David Adams who missed most of the last two seasons with an ankle injury will be sidelined now with a back injury. He will be in camp but won’t be cleared for full activity when the first full squad workouts begin.

The Yankees made a trade tonight. They have acquired reliever Shawn Kelley from the Seattle Mariners for Abe Almonte. Almonte was a minor league outfielder who really had no where to go with the Yankees. Kelley is 28 and went 2-4 last season with a 3.25 ERA. He made 47 appearances with the Mariners last season during three different stints with the big club. He averaged more then a strikeout per inning and he also made 14 appearances in AAA where he was 2-0 with six saves and a 0.90 ERA. Alex Rodriguez was placed on the 60 day disabled list to clear room on the 40 man roster and the Yankees 40 man roster now stands at 40.

Yankees Friday notes:Andy Pettitte returns to play

Here are the Friday notes as Andy Pettitte returns to the Yankees.  Chad Jennings provided the notes from the Journal News and Lohud Yankees blog. 

“It wasn’t really helpful to me because I said, ‘What are you telling me?’” Cashman said. “He goes, ‘I don’t know what I’m telling you. It’s just something I’m thinking about.’ I kind of forced it a little bit, or tried to.”

To force it, Cashman offered a contract worth $10-12 million. He also told Pettitte he was in negotiations to trade for Michael Pineda and sign Hiroki Kuroda, and if those deals went through, the available money and roster spots would be gone. Pettitte couldn’t commit, and told Cashman he would need six weeks to workout and decide whether he wanted to play.

“We kinda agreed that something may not happen,” Pettitte said. “So (I wanted to) keep working out, see if you can get the juices flowing.”

At that point, Pettitte to the Yankees was still a longshot. Step-by-step, though, the whole thing came together.

Mid-January: The Yankees acquire Pineda and Kuroda

PETTITTE: “When they signed those guys, (Cashman) called me and said you can shut it down. The money (the Yankees) were going to use is gone. And the spot in the rotation, we have 7 starters now – because at that time we had AJ – and they said, ‘Go ahead and shut it down.’ And I said, ‘Ok.’ And after about 3-4 days, I looked at my wife, and I said, ‘Babe, I was loving working out.’ I couldn’t commit to them, but I was loving working out. So she said keep working out. So I kept working out.”

CASHMAN: “We wound up doing deals. I called him and just said, ‘By the way, you’ve seen what we’ve done.’ He goes, ‘I get it, no worries, I’m going to shut it down. I understand. Appreciate the honesty.’ That was it. So we have now two additional pitchers. We’re excited about it. … He said he shut it down. He’ll tell you, I’m not sure if it was a week to 10 days. It was no more than 10 days, at least a week that he said he shut it down. But unbeknownst to me, he got it going again.”

Late February: Pettitte comes to camp as a guest instructor

PETTITTE: “The reason I couldn’t commit to the Yankees earlier was because I didn’t have time to get on the mound and do the stuff I needed to do to tell them whether or not I could get there. During my work right now, my bullpen work, I can feel it all coming back, as far as the mental side of it. … I didn’t know if I would tell them or not (about the workouts). I told Hal and Cash, ‘Y’all told me to quit working out, but I’ve still been working out, and I’ve still been throwing, and I think I would love to play, man.’ They were like, ‘Oh my goodness. How are we going to work this out?’”

CASHMAN: “The day he left, he met with me. If he had a flight that afternoon he grabbed me and shut the door (in Girardi’s office) and said, ‘I’ve got to tell you something.’ … We know he can pitch in New York. He’s left-handed, and I know he’s obviously certainly long in tooth, but he’s also done the transition from power pitcher to some degree from the left side to tremendous pitchability. All that equipment is still there, or should still be there. Let’s go see. Why not?”

Tuesday morning: Pettitte threw a top-secret, early-morning bullpen in Tampa

CASHMAN: “He came down here before the Red Sox night game. He showed up here at 7:30 a.m. in front of myself, Larry (Rothschild), Joe (Girardi) and I brought Gene Michael over and we watched him do a bullpen. Not for a tryout purpose, but in a lot of discussions it was like, ‘Well, how far are you away?’ He said he’d been working out since January. He said he’d been throwing batting practice to his kids. He’d done at least six bullpens. At the same time, he wasn’t in a spring training camp type workout for pitchers. It was one of those things where I think mentally, he thinks he’s farther ahead than he is and privately we think he might be farther away than he thinks he is, so he did a bullpen here. Guys can work out all winter, but you get under the sun, you get a feel for it this way. That gave us and him a little bit more information.”

GIRARDI: “It was pretty good. He did his regular warmup, which I think is 34 pitches. Then he probably threw to (the equivalent of) three hitters, 15 pitches or so. He had all of his pitches. He threw them all. He threw them all pretty well. He got a little tired at the end but that’s to be expected I think. That’s somewhat of a long bullpen. We were pleased, and I can’t believe no one ever said anything.”

PETTITTE: “Once I stood on that mound, the other morning, it was like I’d never left. Even though it was Tuesday morning, and Cashman was standing there with Gene Michael and Joe, and Larry, and it was just like I had never left to tell you the truth. It was really weird.”

This morning: Agreed to $2.5-million deal during call with Cashman, Randy Levine and Hal Steinbrenner

CASHMAN: “It’s not easy when you make an offer of anywhere from 10, 11, 12 million in the wintertime in late December, to it’s now March whatever, and this is the best we can do. … He’s worth more than this, clearly, if he’s right. You know that. But we’re at the stage of the game now — just like anybody who signs in January, February, March, some of these free agents that are still sitting out there — they’re not going to get what they think they’re worth. It’s now about getting a job and taking what they can get.”

GIRARDI: “Until it was done I didn’t necessarily think (it would happen). I hadn’t known about it for very long, so I thought maybe when he threw his bullpen it would be a reality, and then it didn’t happen the next day or that day, so then I thought, well maybe it’s not going to happen. Really, until today I didn’t believe it was going to be a reality.”

PETTITTE: “Swish just called me and was screaming on the phone. I’ve talked to the guys, I’ve texted with pretty much all of them, before we released this, because I wanted to them to know. … Mo doesn’t know for sure. Mo’s not carrying a cell phone around anymore, he told me. He probably found out today. I did talk to Jeet. They’re excited, they’re fired up. I think the first text message I got when it came out was from Jorge. He’s fired up, and just saying congrats, and just wishing me the best.”

Next Tuesday: Pettitte is scheduled to arrive in Tampa to join the team

PETTITTE: “I’m sure I’ll be in touch with Larry, the pitching coach, then it’ll just be me and him getting this figured out, and figuring out exactly how slow they need to take me. I’m throwing bullpens where I’m throwing 60 or so pitches in a bullpen, so that’s built up pretty good right there, but I may have to back off from that to just start getting my leg stuff, covering bases, things like that. I haven’t done any of that on a daily basis.”

GIRARDI: “Obviously the next step is to get him prepared to pitch. He’s got to go through a spring training, basically. I can’t tell you exactly when he’ll be ready. You’ve got to make sure his legs are healthy and in shape, not healthy but in shape to take on what it takes to be a starting pitcher. He knows. He’s done it so many times, but we’ve got to make sure his legs are underneath him.”

CASHMAN: “He hasn’t thrown in a game since October 2010. We’re going to make sure we do the right thing, not cut a corner and rush and put him in a position where this is a waste of time and he’s not going to be in a position to stay healthy and be healthy and not be effective. He’s got to go through and get ready. … Does it complicate things? Yeah it does. But Andy Pettitte’s worth complicating things for.”

Are there other notes, not really as it is an Andy Pettitte day.  Derek Jeter will be out until at least Tuesday with a sore calf.  He stated he was fine just precautionary and I can't blame them.  Phil Hughes showed today he didn't want to lose his spot in the rotation.  The old adage is you can never have enough pitching and it is true.  Russell Martin and Nick Swisher also have minor injuries. 

Yankees at Orioles

The New York Yankees begin a 3 game series tonight in Baltimore at 7:05 on the YES network. The Yankees are also beginning a 7 game roadtrip that will see them go to Toronto for 4 games after they are finished with Baltimore. The Yankees begin today with a 6 game lead in the AL East and a 4 1/2 game lead on the Angels for best record in the AL and homefield advantage. The Red Sox are idle and begin a 3 game series in Tampa tomorrow. The Angels are playing in Seattle tonight. Here are pregame notes and the lineup via the great Lohud Yankees blog. The Yankees are 9-3 against the Orioles this season. The Yankees are 20-7 in August so they hate to see it go, but tomorrow September begins. Derek Jeter is hitting 381 this month with 26 runs scored, 17 rbi's and 11 extra base hits. He has reached base in the first inning in 9 of the last 13 games. Johnny Damon is 9 of his last 23 with 6 runs scored, 5 rbi's and 3 xbh. Jorge Posada is 8 of his last 20 with 5 xbh and 10 rbi's. He came back yesterday from 3 days off and looked good, hopefully this contraption on his finger will hold up. Andy Pettitte is 3-1 with a 2.79 era since the all star break. He has allowed only 43 hits in 51 2/3 innings with 54 strikeouts. Pettitte is 25-6 career against the Orioles with a 3.65 era. He has 38 career appearances against them. He has more wins against the Orioles then any other team. Guthrie is 1-2 with a 5.21 era this season against the Yanks. I would expect them to hit him hard tonight. Phil Coke in his last 14 appearances has gone 11 innings, given up 15 hits, 13 earned runs, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts and 4 homeruns. He has allowed 10 homeruns this season. Jensen Lewis of Cleveland is the only reliever in the AL to give up more. He has given up 11. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Hairston(3B) Cabrera(CF)