New York Mets end the regular season with a loss in Philadelphia

The New York Mets were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon.  The game took place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the final score was 5-2.  Gabriel Ynoa started for the Mets and he pitched well and the bullpen was pretty good.  Kelly Johnson had two hits to lead the offense. 

Ynoa pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up five hits and a run with a walk and two strikeouts.  Jerry Blevins pitched to one batter and retired him, Josh Smoker pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out one and Erik Goeddel pitched giving up two hits and three runs with only two being earned.  He walked one and struck out none and took his second loss of the season.  Josh Edgin pitched a perfect inning and Jim Henderson pitched an inning giving up three hits and a run. 

Jerad Eickhoff pitched six innings giving up four hits and a run with a walk and eight strikeouts.  Colton Murray won his first game of the season pitching an inning and giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout, Michael Mariot pitched 1/3 of an inning with a walk and Joely Rodriguez pitched to two batters and retired them both.  Hector Neris pitched an inning giving up two hits and he earned his second save of the season. 

Curtis Granderson drew a walk, Juan Lagares drew a walk and Matt Reynolds had a hit.  Jay Bruce had a hit, Alejandro De Aza had a hit and an RBI and Johnson had two hits.  Brandon Nimmo had a hit, Michael Conforto had a hit and Kevin Plawecki had a hit and an RBI.  Johnson, Reynolds and Plawecki each hit a double and the Mets were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Johnson had a stolen base and Lagares was caught stealing.  Duda committed two errors and Plawecki had a passed ball. 

Cesar Hernandez had two hits and an RBI, Jimmy Paredes had an RBI and Odubel Herrera had a hit.   Maikel Franco had four hits and an RBI, Andres Blanco had three hits and Aaron Altherr had a hit, an RBI and drew two walks.  Blanco hit a double and the Phillies were 4-8 with runners in scoring positioin and left seven men on base. 

In the third Franco hit an RBI single to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.  In the sixth De Aza hit an RBI single to tie the game at one.  In the seventh Plawecki hit an RBI double to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.  In the bottom of the seventh Asche reached on a fielding error and a run scored to tie the game at two.  Hernandez hit an RBI single still in the seventh and the Phillies had a 3-2 lead.  Paredes hit a sac fly to push the lead to 4-2 and in the eighth Altherr hit an RBI single to extend the lead to 5-2 which would be the final score. 

The Mets will host the San Francisco Giants in the wild card game at Citi Field on Wednesday night.  The winner of that game will play a first round NLDS against the Chicago Cubs.   

The New York Mets drop a close one in extra innings to the Atlanta Braves

The New York Mets were defeated by the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.  The game took place at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia and the final score was 4-3.  Bartolo Colon started for the Mets and he pitched ok and the bullpen pitched well.  Kelly Johnson had two hits to pace the Mets offense which only had seven hits total. 

Colon pitched six innings giving up four hits and three runs with a walk and two strikeouts.  Fernando Salas pitched an inning giving up a hit, Addison Reed pitched a perfect inning and Hansel Robles faced one batter and retired him.  Jerry Blevins pitched to two batters and retired them and had a strikeout, Erik Goeddel took his first loss of the season pitching 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout and Josh Smoker pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit. 

John Gant pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up four hits and three runs with one of them being earned.  He walked four and struck out six.  Brandon Cunniff pitched to one batter and retired him, Shae Simmons pitched an inning giving up a hit and Jose Ramirez pitched a perfect inning.  Ian Krol pitched an inning giving up two hits and struck out one, Jim Johnson pitched a perfect inning and Chris Withrow won his third game of the season pitching a perfect inning. 

Jose Reyes drew a walk, Asdrubal Cabrera had a hit and Yoenis Cespedes had a hit and an RBI.  Curtis Granderson drew a walk, Jay Bruce had an RBI and drew a walk and Wilmer Flores had a hit.  Johnson had two hits, T.J. Rivera had a hit and Travis d'Arnaud had a hit and drew a walk.  Flores hit a double and Cespedes hit a homerun.  The Mets were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Johnson had a stolen base. 

Ender Inciarte had a hit, Adonis Garcia had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Freddie Freeman had a hit.  Matt Kemp had a hit and two RBI, Nick Markakis had a hit and an RBI and Dansby Swanson had two hits.  A.J. Pierzynski had a hit.  Inciarte hit a double and Markakis and Kemp each hit a homerun.  The Braves were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.  Garcia and Peterson each committed an error.  Markakis had an outfield assist. 

In the first Granderson reached on a force attempt fielding error to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.  In teh first Bruce hit into a force out to make it 2-0 Mets.  Kemp hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1.  Markakis hit a solo homerun in the fourth to tie the game at two.  In the fifth Cespedes hit a solo homerun giving the Mets a 3-2 lead.  In the sixth Kemp hit a solo homerun to tie the game at three.  In the tenth Garcia hit a walk off RBI single to give the Braves a 4-3 win. 

The two teams will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday afternoon.   

New York Mets lose third straight to the Colorado Rockies

The New York Mets were defeated by the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.  The game took place at Citi Field in Flushing, New  York and the final score was 7-2.  Bartolo Colon started for the Mets and he didn't pitch very well.  Kelly Johnson had two of the teams six hits. 

Colon pitched five innings giving up seven hits and five runs with a walk and four strikeouts.  He took his sixth loss of the season.  Seth Lugo pitched three innings giving up a hit and two runs with a walk and four strikeouts and Antonio Bastardo pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. 

Jorge De La Rosa earned his seventh win of the season pitching six innings and giving up six hits and two runs with two walks and four strikeouts.  Boone Logan pitched a perfect inning, Jordan Lyles pitched a perfect inning and Gonzalez Germen pitched a perfect inning. 

Neil Walker had a hit, Yoenis Cespedes drew a walk and Wilmer Flores had a hit and an RBI.  Asdrubal Cabrera drew a walk, Travis d'Arnaud had a hit and Justin Ruggiano had a hit.  Johnson had two hits and an RBI and the Mets were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Walker had a stolen base and Ruggiano was caught stealing.  Flores, Cabrera and Ruggiano each committed an error. 

Charlie Blackmon had two hits and drew a walk, D.J. LeMahieu had a hit and three RBI and Nolan Arenado had a hit and an RBI.  Carlos Gonzalez had a hit and drew a walk, Trevor Story had a hit and an RBI and David Dahl had a hit and two RBI.  Nick Hundley had a hit, Daniel Descalso drew a walk and Ryan Raburn had a hit.  Gonzalez hit a double and Blackmon hit two doubles and Dahl hit a homerun.  The Rockies were 3-10 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. 

In the first Flores hit an RBI single, in the second Johnson hit an RBI single  and it was 2-0 Mets.  Story hit an RBI single in the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1.  Dahl hit a two run  homerun to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead in the fourth.  LeMahieu hit a two run single to make it 5-2 in the fifth.  In the seventh LeMahieu hit a sac fly to extend the lead to 6-2.  Arenado hit a sac fly making it 7-2 in the seventh. 

The Mets lost three straight to the Rockies and will try and avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon.  They will finish their series and then stay home for two with the Yankees before heading to Yankee Stadium for two.    

The New York Mets win their second straight game in Atlanta

The New York Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.  The game took place at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia and the final score was 1-0 Mets.  The game also lasted 11 innings and Jacob deGrom started for the Mets and pitched great.  The bullpen was good and Yoenis Cespedes had two hits and Kelly Johnson had the only RBI to lead the offense. 

deGrom pitched eight innings giving up seven hits and no runs.  He walked one and struck out six.  Jerry Blevins pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit ,Addison Reed pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings with a couple of strikeouts and he earned his second win of the season and Jeurys Familia saved his 26th game of the season and pitched an inning giving up a hit and he walked one. 

Julio Teheran pitched eight innings giving up five hits and no runs with no walks and seven strikeouts.  Arodys Vizcaino pitched an inning giving up a hit, Jim Johnson pitched an inning giving up a hit and Dario Alvarez pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout and he picked up his first win of the season.  Chris Withrow pitched 2/3 of an inning and walked a batter. 

Curtis Granderson had a hit, Asdrubal Cabrera had a hit and Cespedes had two hits and drew a walk.  James Loney had a hit, Wilmer Flores had a hit and Travis d'Arnaud had a hit.  Johnson had a hit and an RBI, Johnson hit a homerun and the Mets were 0-3 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Granderson had a stolen base. 

Jace Peterson had a hit, Ender Inciarte had two hits and drew a walk and Freddie Freeman had a hit and drew a walk.  Nick Markakis had two hits, Tyler Flowers had a hit and Teheran had two hits.  The Braves were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Inciarte had a stolen base and an outfield assist. 

In the 11th inning Johnson hit a solo homerun to give the Mets a 1-0 lead and that would be the only run of the game as the Mets held on for the 1-0 victory.

The Mets have won two straight games and will finish the series with the Braves on Sunday afternoon.   

New York Mets win in a thrilling extra inning game

The New York Mets defeated the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.  The game took place at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the final score was 2-1 in 11 innings.  Matt Harvey started for the Mets and pitched well  and the bullpen pitched great.  Wilmer Flores had three hits and Kelly Johnson and Yoenis Cespedes each had two hits. 

Harvey pitched six innings giving up two hits and a run.  He walked two and struck out eight.  Hansel Robles pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with a strikeout, Antonio Bastardo pitched an inning with a strikeout and Jim Henderson pitched an inning with three walks and two strikeouts.  Jerry Blevins won his second game of the season pitching a perfect inning with a strikeout and Jeurys Familia saved his 21st game of the season pitching a perfect inning with two strikeouts. 

Junior Guerra pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up five hits and a run with three walks and two strikeouts.  Will Smith pitched a perfect inning, Tyler Thornburg pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and he struck out one and Jeremy Jeffress pitched an inning giving up two hits and a walk with a strikeout.  Blaine Boyer lost his first game of the season pitching two innings and giving up two hits  and a run with a walk and a strikeout. 

Curtis Granderson had a hit and drew two walks, Cespedes had two hits and an RBI and James Loney drew a walk.  Asdrubal Cabrera had a hit and drew a walk, Flores had three hits and Johnson had two hits and drew a walk.  Kevin Plawecki had a hit, Matt Reynolds had an RBI and Johnson, Flores and Cespedes each hit a double.  Cespedes hit a homerun and the Mets were 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.  Plawecki committed an error. 

Jonathan Villar had a hit, Jonathan Lucroy had a hit and drew a walk and Chris Carter drew two walks.  Kirk Nieuwenhuis had a hit, Aaron Hill drew two walks and Ramon Flores had an RBI and drew a walk.  Nieuwenhuis hit a triple and the Brewers were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Broxton had a stolen base. 

Flores hit a sac fly in the fifth to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.  In the sixth the Mets tied the game on a Cespedes solo homerun.  In the 11th Reynolds lined into a force out but a run did score giving the Mets a 2-1 lead and that would be the final score. 

The New York Yankees drop the first game of their battle with the Baltimore Orioles

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.  The game took place at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland and the final score was 3-2 in 10 innings.  Hiroki Kuroda started and pitched well.  Brian McCann and Ichiro Suzuki each had two hits. 

Kuroda pitched seven innings giving up three hits and two runs with three strikeouts.  Dellin Betances pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts and Adam Warren took the loss, his fifth of the season pitching 1/3 of an inning.  He gave up two hits and a run and struck out one. 

Miguel Gonzalez pitched eight innings giving up six hits and two runs with five strikeouts.  Zach Britton pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with a strikeout and T.J. McFarland won his third game pitching a perfect inning. 

Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, McCann had two hits and Brian Roberts had a hit and an RBI.  Suzuki had two hits, Yangervis Solarte drew a walk and Kelly Johnson had a hit and an RBI.  Suzuki hit two doubles, Roberts and Johnson each hit a homerun and the Yankees were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. 

Adam Jones had two hits, Chris Davis had an RBI and Manny Machado had a hit.  Nick Hundley had two hits and an RBI, Machado hit a double and the Orioles were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. 

In the second Roberts hit a solo homerun to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the third on a Johnson solo homerun.  In the fourth the Orioles tied it on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Davis.  The Orioles won the game in the tenth inning on a Hundley RBI single. 

The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Saturday afternoon.  They will finish the series on Sunday night and then it will be the four day All Star Break.   

The New York Yankees use the long ball to defeat the Boston Red Sox

The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 6-0.  Vidal Nuno started and pitched well and Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson and Brett Gardner each hit a homerun. 

Nuno pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings.  He gave up two hits and two walks and struck out five to earn his second win of the season.  Dellin Betances pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings giving up a hit and a walk and he struck out two, Adam Warren pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Matt Thornton pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. 

Brandon Workman pitched seven innings giving up seven hits and four runs.  He walked two and struck out five and lost his first game of the season.  Craig Breslow pitched an inning giving up two hits and two runs. 

Gardner had a hit and an RBI, Derek Jeter had two hits and Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit and drew a walk.  Mark Teixeira had two hits and an RBI, McCann had two hits and two RBI and Johnson had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk.  Ellsbury hit a double and the Yankees were 1-4 with runners in scoring positon and left five men on base. 

Brock Holt had a hit and drew a walk, David Ortiz drew a walk and Mike Napoli drew a walk.  Jonny Gomes had a hit, Stephen Drew had a hit and Holt and Drew each hit a double.  The Red Sox were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

The Yankees scored a run in the first inning on a Teixeira sacrifice fly.  In the fourth they hit back-to-back homeruns to make it 4-0.  Johnson hit a two run  homerun and Gardner a solo homerun.  The Yankees made it 6-0 in the eighth on a McCann two run homerun. 

The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Saturday night.  Masahiro Tanaka will face off against Jon Lester in a premier pitching matchup. 

The New York Yankees lose big in Tampa then lose Ivan Nova to injury

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.  The game took place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and the final score was 16-1.  Ivan Nova started and pitched very poorly and then left with an injury.  Matt Daley who was just called up from AAA made his season debut and pitched poorly also.  It got so bad for the Yankees that backup shortstop Dean Anna had to pitch.  Kelly Johnson drove in the only run of the game for the Yankees. 

Nova pitched four innings giving up eight hits and eight runs.  He walked one and struck out four and suffered his second loss of the season.  The bigger loss is that he is hurt now and the Yankees wait word on how bad and how long he will be out for.  Daley pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up five hits and six runs with four of them being earned.  He walked two guys, Dellin Betances pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up no hits and no runs with two walks and three strikeouts and Anna pitched an inning giving up three hits and two runs.  It was the first time Anna ever pitched in a game. 

Chris Archer won his second game of the season pitching 6 2/3 innings giving up three hits and one run with four strikeouts.  Riefenhauser pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings and Lueke pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts. 

Jacoby Ellsbury, Alfonso Soriano and Kelly Johnson had the only hits for the Yankees.  Johnson had the only RBI and the Yankees were 0-1 with runners in scoring position and left one man on base.  Ellsbury was caught stealing and Yangervis Solarte committed an error. 

Ben Zobrist had three hits, Matt Joyce had two hits and drew a walk and Evan Longoria had two hits and four RBI.  James Loney had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk, Wil Myers had three hits, four RBI and drew a walk and Yunel Escobar had a hit and drew a walk.  Ryan Hanigan had three hits, six RBI and drew a walk.  Joyce, Zobrist, Loney and Myers each hit a double and Myers also hit a homerun.  Longoria hit a homerun and Hanigan hit two homeruns.  The Rays were 5-11 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

The Rays scored runs in the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth.  The Yankees only run came in the fifth inning.  This one quickly got out of hand for the Yankees.  The two teams will play their fourth and final game of the series on Sunday afternoon.  The Yankees will look to split the series and the Rays to take three out of four.   

The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox as the Bronx Bombers return

The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon.  The game took place at

Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 7-4 Yankees.  Hiroki Kuroda started

and pitched pretty well.  The bullpen was good once again and the offense sprang to life.  The

Yankees hit five homeruns in the game with Brian McCann leading the way. 

Kuroda pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up six hits and four runs.  He walked three and struck out five. 

Kuroda picked up his second win of the season.  Matt Thornton pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a

hit and striking out one, Dellin Betances pitched 1/3 of an inning and having a runner thrown out at

second and Adam Warren pitched a perfect inning with a couple of strikeouts.  Shawn Kelley picked

up his second save of the season pitching a perfect inning. 

John Lackey started for the Red Sox and pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up ten hits and six runs.  He

walked none and struck out six.  Craig Breslow pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking

out one, Andrew Miller pitched  2/3 of an inning giving up a walk and striking out one and Burke

Badenhop pitched one inning giving up three hits and a run with a strikeout. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and drew a walk and Carlos Beltran had two

hits and two RBI.  McCann had two hits and three RBI, Alfonso Soriano had two hits and an RBI and

Kelly Johnson had two hits and an RBI.  Yangervis Solarte had two hits, Dean Anna had a hit and

Beltran and Anna each hit a double.  Beltran, Soriano and Johnson each hit a homerun and McCann

hit two homeruns.  The Yankees were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on

base.  Ellsbury had a stolen base and Soriano committed an error. 

Dustin Pedroia had a hit, Daniel Nava had a hit and drew a walk and David Ortiz had a hit.  Mike

Carp had a hit and two RBI, Xander Bogaerts had a hit and A.J. Pierzynski had two hits and two RBI. 

Herrera drew a walk, Jackie Bradley Jr. drew a walk and Pedroia hit a double.  Pierzynski hit a

homerun and the Red Sox were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. 

Bradley and Nava each had a stolen base and Carp was caught stealing. 

Beltran hit a two run homerun in the first to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.  Pierzynski hit a two run

homerun in the second to tie the game at two.  In the fourth McCann and Soriano hit back-to-back

homeruns to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead.  McCann hit a two run homerun in the sixth to extend the

Yankees lead to 6-2.  Carp hit a two run single against the shift in the seventh to cut the lead to 6-4.

In the eighth Johnson hit a solo homerun for the final run of the game.  The final was 7-4 Yankees. 

The two teams will play the fourth and final game of the series on Sunday night.  If the Yankees win

they will take the series three out of four games and the Red Sox are trying to earn a split of the

series. It will be Ivan Nova who will be looking to turn around his rough start against  Felix

Doubront. 

The New York Yankees win a wild seesaw battle with the Houston Astros

The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon.  The game took place in

Kissimee, Florida and the final score was 9-6 Yankees.  Ivan Nova started for the Yankees and

struggled early.  His overall line wasn't great but he did finish strong.  Manny Banuelos made his first

appearance in a game since undergoing Tommy John surgery and struggled.  He did retire the last

two batters he faced though and left with a smile. 

Ivan Nova pitched four innings and gave up three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.  Banuelos pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and three runs with a walk and a strikeout, Chase Whitley pitched 1/3 of an inning striking out the only batter that he faced and Cesar Cabral pitched an inning giving up a walk and striking out one.  David Herndon pitched a perfect inning, Fred Lewis pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Chris Leroux picked up the save pitching an inning.  He gave up two hits and struck out one. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, Mark Teixeira had a hit and drew a walk and Kelly Johnson had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk.  Austin Romine had two hits, Dean Anna had two hits and drew a walk and Yangervis Solarte had a hit.  Scott Sizemore drew a walk, Zealous Wheeler had a hit and an RBI and Zoilo Almonte had a hit.  Ramon Flores had an RBI, Mason Williams had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk.

Williams and Teixeira each hit a double, Johnson hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 5-15 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Williams was caught stealing in the game.  The Yankees will be at home to face the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon. 

Yankees Thursday spring training notes

Derek Jeter made his debut in 1996 and Kelly Johnson now his teammate was in the eighth grade.  I

was a senior in high school and it is crazy how time passes by.  Johnson said he is now 32 and that

isn't even that young.  He said it is surreal, that he feels like he is back to being a rookie again. 

He said it is amazing to be playing next to him, he grew up watching him.  It was a comfortable

feeling for the Yankees and their fans to see Jeter back at shortstop and smiling again.  He was

0-2 and didn't have to make a play in the field but he looked good running and everything seems

to be fine.  He won't play on Friday but should be back in the lineup on Saturday and then just start

getting more into the flow of things.  David Phelps said he is the leader and it was nice having him

out there.  He said even on a pop up hearing him say who has it and good job Phelps, things like that.

Phelps in his first spring start got through two innings allowing a run.  He struck out four guys though

and didn't walk anyone.  He said his control was good and he was pleased with the outing. 

Phelps is off the radar a little although he will be a big part of the team either as a fifth starter or out

of the bullpen.  He doesn't get the attention of Michael Pineda or Mashahiro Tanaka and even joked

about that.  He said it has been nuts all the extra media to see him.  I think that is pretty funny and

it seems like a good group so far that is having fun.  They seem to be meshing together well and that

is a good thing.  We will have to see how it translates on the field but so far so good. 

Brian Roberts was the last of the regulars to make his spring debut and said the strangest part was

putting on a different uniform.  He said he has played against the Yankees a lot and staying in the

same division makes it easier.  Mark Teixeira will get into a game next week as he is taking it slow

coming back from a major wrist injury. 

Roberts said the basic same thing as Jeter.  That he isn't worried about anything injury wise, he feels

good and expects to play.  It doesn't mean that he will play all the time and I would have my concerns

most with him.  He hasn't played a full year in four years although last year is the most he has played

and he was healthy the whole second half so that is a good sign. 

Eduardo Nunez was feeling better on Thursday.  He said it was just bad salmon he ate on Tuesday

and not related to what Alfonso Soriano had.  Nunez had a good line about missing a week like

Soriano.  He said "A week, if I miss a week I don't make the team."  I agree though he is on the

bubble.  This is probably his last chance, he needs to make the team and play well and stay healthy.

I think he could be their third baseman with Kelly Johnson but the Yankees don't seem to feel the

same way. 

New York Yankees notes as exhibition games begin

Kelly Johnson played third base briefly for the Yankees on Tuesday.  He is getting acclimated there

but in reality it was last year when he was thrown into the fire.  He never played there but then he

was becoming Evan Longoria back-up.  This is what Johnson said "They just said, Hey lets go out and

get some early stuff and see how you look over there."  "I played that day, and I played like a week

straight .

Just whenever Longoria needed something, a day off or a DH day."  He went on to say that as an

infielder in the big leagues you kind of know and have an eye on other positions.  He said the one

thing that stood out to him about third base was you don't have as much time to throw over to first.

He said at second your mechanics don't have to be perfect but at third they do because you have

less time. Johnson said that Mick Kelleher, Willie Randolph and minor league coach Jody Reed have

all been helping him at third.  Yankees camp is light on true third baseman so he fits in but he said

he had one of the best teachers last year in Longoria.  I would agree with him on that one, he is one

of the best players in the league. 

Alfonso Soriano was able to hit and workout in the morning.  He said that he was feeling much

better according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News.  Ozzie Smith has teamed up with Budweiser

to try and make Opening Day a national holiday.  They need 100,000 signatures in 30 days and then

it will be brought to Washington D.C. to try and make it a law.  I think it is pretty cool and you

should check it out if you haven't already.   It is on MLB.com and budweiser.com.  The Yankees

played their first exhibition against major leaguers on Wednesday afternoon.  They played in

Bradenton against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Eduardo Nunez was the starting shortstop on Wednesday but was scratched with a stomach bug.  It

sounds like the Yankees have it going around as he is the second one to have it now.  Soriano was

the first and he is just starting to workout and feel better.  The Yankees decided to give Soriano five

days of workouts before putting him in a game.  He is only on day two so by the weekend he should

be ready to go.  Nova started on Wednesday and wasn't great but he wasn't horrible.  He already

has trust in his new catcher Brian McCann.  McCann went out to talk with him in the first inning and

let him know what he was seeing.  Nova said he listened and he told him I am not going to shake

you much as you have a plan and I trust you know what you are doing.  I think McCann will have a

huge impact on the Yankees both offensively and defensively.  Jose Ramirez who is a pitching

prospect is the latest spring training injury.  He felt his back tighten up warming up in the bullpen. 

There are no change of plans with Derek Jeter.  He is expected in the lineup on Thursday and to play

about five innings at shortstop.  Brian Cashman again shot down any thought of someone like

Stephen Drew.  He said we have spent our money and only things that are cost effective.  So either

a trade for infield help or a waiver claim, I tend to agree with this.  I don't think they are lying about

it.  I think if anything, they could make a trade but they could also do that at midseason if things

aren't working. 

Ellsbury reached base three times on Wednesday and didn't try to steal.  He stated that was

intentional. He said he does try and save them for the regular season.  Yangervis Solarte was the

standout of Wednesday.  He is a guy to keep an eye on as he may be able to help at third this

season.  They have Johnson and Nunez for there right now but Johnson is also the backup first

baseman and probably second also.  It isn't an ideal situation so someone else may have a chance to

open up eyes and get their shot in the infield.  Chase Whitley had a rough outing taking the loss and

being charged with all four runs in the seventh inning.  Dellin Betances pitched two scoreless innings

and had two strikeouts and no walks.  He is a guy who I think will make the team in the bullpen and

could have a big impact. 

The first televised game of the spring is on Thursday afternoon.  It is a 1:00PM start on YES and from

Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.  You should see most of the regulars for about half of the

game.  David Phelps gets the start in the game and Adam Warren will start on Friday.  The fifth

starter derby really starts to heat up.