Yankees at Rangers Pregame

The New York Yankees will be taking on the high powered Texas Rangers tonight in Arlington, Texas.  The Rangers have gone to two straight World Series and lost them both.  The Rangers are off to the best start of any team this season.  They continue to mash the ball and also get good pitching.  The pitching matchup tonight is CC Sabathia and Derek Holland.  They are two left handers.  Here are the lineups and a couple of notes. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez(DH), Chris Stewart. 

Rangers Lineup:Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Mike Napoli, Nelson Cruz, Yorvit Torrealba, B Snyder(DH), C. Gentry(CF).

Michael Pineda will have his dye contrast MRI tomorrow instead of today.  There was a scheduling conflict. 

The Yankees lead the majors with 27 homeruns and Texas is right behind them with 26.  Texas is 13-3 and the Yankees are 9-6.  They are two of the best teams in the American League if not the two best teams. 

Holland is 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA so far this season.  Sabathia is 1-0 with a 5.59 ERA.  Sabathia has yet to get on track but after a rough first inning in his last start he really settled down.  It will be interesting to see how he does against probably the best offense in baseball. 

This is the first of a three game series that these two teams will play.  The Rangers eliminated the Yankees in the 2010 ALCS and then reached the World Series once again last season.  The Rangers were one strike away from winning it but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. 

Yankees vs. Twins Pregame

Here are the lineups for tonights Yankees/Twins game and a few notes.  The Yankees evened up the four game series with an 8-3 win last night.  The Twins won the first game on Monday night.  Hiroki Kuroda will start against Jason Marquis. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher(DH), Raul Ibanez, Eric Chavez(3B), Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.

Twins Lineup:Denard Span, Jamey Carroll, Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, Chris Parmelee, Sean Burroughs, Clete Thomas, Alexi Casilla.

Marquis is making his first career start against the Yankees.  He was a Yankees fan growing up in Staten Island, New York.  It is also his first start of the season, he was held back because he missed two weeks of spring training to be with his daughter.  His daughter Reese story has gained a lot of attention.  She is seven years old and had an accident riding her bike, she was in sever condition but is recovering now. 

Robinson Cano is 4-23 in his last six games and only has 1 RBI on the season.  Morneau has a 452 career average at Yankee Stadium.  That is the highest for any American League park. 

The twins haven't won a season series from the Yankees since 2001.  They were 4-2 against them that season.  The Yankees are 52-19 against them since then including 29-6 at both Yankee stadiums. 

Yankees at Twins Pregame

The New York Yankees will take on their favorite whipping boy the Minnesota Twins tonight at the stadium.  Freddy Garcia starts for the Yankees and old friend or enemy Carl Pavano will pitch for the Twins.  The man the fans love to hate for his four unforgettable years in New York.  He has done well with the Twins though over the last couple of years.  Here are the lineups and some pregame notes. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.

Angels Lineup:Denard Span, Jamey Carroll, Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, Justin Mourneau, Ryan Doumit, Valencia, Thomas, Casilla

Derek Jeter is off to a fast start, a lot different from last year.  He is hitting 366 with two homeruns and six RBI in nine games.  He has 15 hits and hit safely in eight of the games.  The hits are his third best start in that category of his career. 

He said he tried the strideless approach last spring and realized it didn't work.  He tried to go back to his old mechanics and that was an adjustment and then he got hurt.  He said it was a blessing in disguise because it gave him a chance to work on some things. 

In May Jeter will receive an honorary doctorate from Sienna.  He will speak on a video and his sister will accept the award for him.  It is meant to salute his charity work. 

CC Sabathia simply said "Bad" about his two starts thus far.  He will pitch tomorrow night.  I am not that worried about him, he is a workhorse and knows how to pitch.  He is also a big strong guy, if he was hurt he would say something and I don't think he is hurt at all.  He has also been known to be a slow starter in his career. 

Joe Girardi said he isn't considering a six man rotation for when Andy Pettitte or Michael Pineda comes back.  I would say right now Hughes will lose his spot to Pettitte but we will see what happens.  Pettitte should be back in a month, he is doing well so far but lets make sure and Pineda is a little further back then that.  These things have a way of working themselves out.  The Yankees would love to have the problem of everyone pitching well and making it a tough decision. 

Yankees at Orioles-Yankees go for the sweep Pregame

The New York Yankees started off their season losing three straight games to the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Yankees came into Baltimore and have won the first two games.  They are looking for the three game sweep tonight.  CC Sabathia is starting against Jake Arietta.  Here are the lineups and some notes. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner. 

Orioles Lineup:Nick Reimold, J.J. Hardy, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds, Ronny Paulino, Wilson Betemit, Robert Andino. 

The Yankees will have off Thursday and have their annual Welcome Home Dinner at night.  Jorge Posada will be in attendance and be presented with the Pride Of the Yankees award.  Posada will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday afternoon in the Home Opener. 

Mariano Rivera was able to secure his first save of the season last night.  Rafael Soriano broke a fingernail and was probably not available last night.  The Yankees still haven't announced if he is available for tonight's game. 

The Yankees really used their bullpen last night and will need Sabathia to go deep into the game.  If Sabathia is on this may be a game where he needs to go eight or even get a complete game.  The Yankees will not use David Phelps or Cory Wade.  They could probably use Rivera for an inning in a save situation and they may not have Soriano. 

The Yankees once again last night were 2-18 with runners in scoring position.  They haven't hit in the clutch so far at all this season.  This has been a problem for the last couple of years.  It is why they lost game five last year to the Tigers.  If they would of just got one hit or one sac fly they would of been back in the ALCS.  They really need to improve on this to be a championship team. 

Nick Swisher got hit in the foot last night but he appears to be fine and is in the lineup. 

New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles Pregame

The New York Yankees begin a three game series tonight in Baltimore against the Orioles.  The Yankes are 0-3 to start the season and Baltimore is 3-0.  The last time the Yankees were 0-3 to start was in 1998 and they went on to win 114 regular season games and the World Series.  Here are the lineups and some notes. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez(DH), Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Andruw Jones(LF), Russell Martin, Eduardo Nunez(SS). 

Orioles Lineup:Nolan Reimold, J.J. Hardy, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds, Wilson Betemit, Chris Davis, Robert Andino.

The pitching matchup is Ivan Nova and Brian Matusz.  They will both be making their first starts of the year.  Matusz had a tough year last year and Nova was in the running for rookie of the year winning 16 games. 

The Yankees were 13-5 against the Orioles last season.  The Yankees have begun a season 0-3 or worse nine times in their history.  1912, 1930, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1975, 1985, 1998 and this season.  They have won one world series, appeared in two and had a record above 600 three times in those seasons. 

Andy Pettitte will make an appearance tonight for the A Yankees in Tampa.  He will be facing Clearwater which is a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Dave Robertson the Yankees eighth inning man turns 27 years old today.  Freddy Garcia will start tomorrows game against Wei-Yin Chen who pitched in Japan last year.  CC Sabathia will face Jake Arrieta on Wednesday night and the Yankees will have off on Thursday.  The three games in Baltimore are all 7:00PM starts.  The Yankees will have their home opener on Friday afternoon against the Anaheim Angels. 

New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals Pregame

Here are the lineups for tonights Mets vs. Nationals game and some notes.  The Mets are 3-0 and riding a wave of enthusiasm and good momentum.  Will they be able to keep it up?  We will see but through the first three games they have looked good.  They were playing an Atlanta team that just can't score runs but it was still an impressive weekend.  I think the Mets more then anyone needed to get off to a good start and they have so far. 

Mets Lineup:Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Ike Davis, Jason Bay, Lucas Duda, Josh Thole, Kirk Niewenhuis, Mike Pelfrey

Nats Lineup:Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth, Mark DeRosa, Roger Bernadina, Jesus Flores, Edwin Jackson

Andres Torres has made no progress with his strained calf and needs at least two more weeks rest with it according to Mets manager Terry Collins.  Collins also said he has to keep a close eye on Francisco who saved all three games so far and is still experiencing some knee pain.  He stated if Francisco or Jon Rauch couldn't close then Miguel Batista would be the closer. 

Collins said Ike Davis would be off tomorrow with the left handed starter and Justin Turner would play first base.  Pelfrey starts tonight for the Mets.  He is making his first start of the year.  In his last two spring starts he allowed two runs in 10 1/3 innings pitched.  Pelfrey is 19-13 at Citi Field with a 3.44 ERA in 51 career games there.  Jackson will start for the Nationals and in 31 starts last year with the Cardinals and White Sox he was 12-9 with a 3.79 ERA.  He faced the Mets once last year and allowed five runs on nine hits with four walks in five innings. 

According to the Elias Sports Bureau the last time the Mets had eight of nine homegrown starters in their lineup not counting August or September was April 19, 1990 against the Cubs.  The names in that lineup were Gregg Jefferies, Darryl Strawberry, Dave Magadan, Kevin Elster and Dwight Gooden.  Those are the most recognizable names. 

Yankees vs. Rays-Game Two

Here are the lineups for the Yankees and Rays game tonight at 7:10PM.  Hiroki Kuroda will make his Yankees debut and David Price will pitch for the Rays. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter(DH), Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Andruw Jones(LF), Russell Martin, Eduardo Nunez(SS). 

Rays Lineup:Desmond Jennings, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist, Luke Scott, Jeff Keppinger, Jose Lobaton, Reid Brignac. 

Kuroda was 13-16 last season with a 3.07 ERA.  He pitched the last four years with the Dodgers after coming over from Japan.  Price was 12-13 last season with a 3.49 ERA.  Price in his career is 4-2 with a 4.05 ERA against the Yankees.  Kuroda has never faced the Rays. 

The game yesterday was only the second time that Mariano Rivera has blown a save against the Rays.  He was 60-61 and converted his last 27 chances against the Rays. 

The Yankees other big problem from the first game was runners in scoring position.  They left too many men on base and it came back to bite them.  The Yankees after having a 6-5 lead had the bases loaded three times and didn't score.  If they get one hit in those three chances they most likely are going to win the game. 

The Yankees will look to even the series before playing the finale tomorrow afternoon and the Rays will look to take the first two games and ensure a win in the series. 

New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves-Pregame Notes and Lineups

Here are the Mets pregame notes and lineups for this afternoons matchup with the Atlanta Braves.  The Mets will look to go 2-0 on the season.  The game is at 1:10PM. 

Kirk Nieuwenhuis is making his major league debut.  Here is the Mets Lineup:Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Ike Davis, Jason Bay, Lucas Duda, Josh Thole, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, R.A. Dickey. 

Atlanta Lineup:Michael Bourn, Martin Prado, Brian McCann, Dan Uggla, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, Francisco, Tyler Pastornicky, Jair Jurrjens. 

Dickey set a career high last season with 208 2/3 innings pitched.  He had a 3.28 ERA which was his second lowest in nine big league seasons.  He is 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 49 1/3 innings in his career against the Braves. 

Jurrjens got off to a fast start last year.  He had a 1.87 ERA in the first half but only made seven starts in the second half due to a bone bruise in his knee.  He was 13-6 last season with a 2.96 ERA.  In 13 career starts against the Mets he is 8-4 with a 2.94 ERA in 82 2/3 innings. 

Frank Francisco earned his first save of the season on Thursday.  He had his knee drained in Port St. Lucie last week and had an MRI which came back negative.  He pitched a scoreless inning and struck out one in his first appearance of the season. 

Welcome to Opening Day-New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays begin their 2012 season this afternoon at 3:10PM.  The Yankees will be live on the YES network, pregame coverage begins at 2.  Here are the pregame notes along with the lineups for both teams.  These are directly from the Yankees, the press notes. 

I will start with the lineups:Yankees:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.  CC was 19-8 last year with a 3.00 ERA and he is on the mound. 

Rays Lineup:Desmond Jennings, Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, Jeff Keppinger, Sean Rodriguez, Carlos Pena, Elliot Johnson, Jose Molina, Matt Joyce.  James Shields is on the mound, he was 16-12 last season with a 2.82 ERA. 

Derek Jeter is making his 16th Opening Day start at shortstop which is a franchise record.  The previous record was held by Phil Rizzuto and it was 11.  The last shortstop with as many Opening Day starts at SS for any team was the Red Barry Larkin who made 17. 

Alex Rodriguez has played in seven Opening Days with the Yankees and hit safely in all of them.  He is 12-30 which is a 400 batting average with four doubles, two homeruns and nine RBI. 

The Yankees this spring were 18-12-3 which is a 600 winning percentage.  It is their best spring since 2009 when they were 24-10-1 and of course won the World Series.  I don't make much of spring training results or stats but those are the facts. 

In 1973 on this date Ron Blomberg became the major leagues first DH.  He went 1-3 with an RBI ast the Yankees lost to the Red Sox in Fenway Park 15-5.  He walked with the bases loaded in the first inning in his first plate appearance. 

On this date in 1974 the Yankees played their first home game at Shea Stadium.  Yankee Stadium began a two year remodeling.  They beat the Cleveland Indians 6-1 as Mel Stottlemyre pitched a complte game and gave up seven hits. 

Enjoy Opening Day everyone, comment here or follow me on twitter @gmarchesej.  I can also be found on Facebook.  I will talk to everyone later after the game with the postgame reactions. 

Yankees vs. Indians Game One of Four

The New York Yankees lost three straight to the Boston Red Sox.  They are 1-8 against them this season.  The Yankees are in second place two games back.  Here are some notes and the lineup.
Joba Chamberlain will undergo Tommy John surgery and it will be on Thursday with Dr. James Andrews.  It is a big loss as the recovery is 12-18 months. 
Kevin Whelan has been called up from AAA.  He was the closer there and having a good season.  I wonder if he will be the first from AAA with Montero not far behind.
It looks like Chris Dickerson got sent out, nothing official yet.  Phil Hughes pitched two innings in extended spring yesterday and was consistently at 92 on the gun.  He is on his way back.  The Yankees could put him in the bullpen but I don't think they will.  I can see Nova being sent down or to the pen.
Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Brett Gardner, Francisco Cervelli.

Yankees vs. Blue Jays-Game 23

The New York Yankees will begin a three game series with the Toronto Blue Jays tonight.  It is a 7:05 game from the Bronx.  Freddy Garcia makes the start against Ricky Romero.  Here ate quick notes and the lineup.
Yanks lineup:Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Andruw Jones(dh), Curtis Granderson, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.
Francisco Cervelli is back, he will be activated before the game.  Gustavo Molina will be sent down to AAA.
Robinson Cano and Arod were the first two out today for early BP according to Jack Curry.  That isn't a coincidence.
Freddy Garcia will try and make it seven straight quality games for the Yankee starters.  They have been very good so far and the bullpen not as good as thought.  If the bullpen gets going watch out.

Yankees vs. White Sox-first of four

The NY Yankees take on the Chicago White Sox tonight at Yankee Stadium.  It is the first of four.  The Yankees are 12-6 and the Sox have lost 10 out of their last 11.  The Yankees were 4-2 against the White Sox last year.  Here are some quick notes and the lineup.
Phil Hughes had to cut his bullpen short today.  He had no pain but his arm still feels dead.  He was to see the Dr. this afternoon.  Hopefully it isn't anything structurally but we will see.  Joe Girardi and Hughes both said they are concerned.
Rafael Soriano played catch and said he is available.  They will try to avoid using Mo but will see how he feels.
Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.

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 vs. Twins Game Three of series

The Yankees will face old friend Carl Pavano tonight.  Old enemy to most fans as his four years was a waste.  The Yankees will send Freddy Garcia to the mound to make his Yankees debut.  The Yankees will rest Derek Jeter, Russell Martin and Jorge Posada tonight.  Here is the lineup:  Brent Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez(dh), Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez(3b), Edward Nunez(ss), Gusto Molina(c).

Here is the Twins Lineup tonight:Span, Nishioka, Young, Morneau, Kubel, cuddyer, Valencia, Brutena, Cassila. 

The game is weather permitting I guess because right now in New Jersey it is raining pretty good.  I think they will get the game in tonight though because tomorrow is a day game and then each team is heading out of town.  The game is scheduled for 7:05PM on the YES Network.  There is a chance that there could be a delay tonight, we will have to wait and see. 

Mark Teixeira helped Harlem RBI with donating one million dollars.  He is the fourth Yankee to hit four homeruns in his first five games.  The other ones are Alex Rodriguez, Moose Skowron and Mickey Mantle. 

JoSoMo leads Yankees to victory

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins by the score of 4-3 tonight.  Ivan Nova pitched well going six innings and giving up three runs on six hits.  He walked one and struck out three, he had a low pitch count and could of pitched the seventh if the lead was more.  The Yankees though have the formula now that it could be six inning games.  They have Joba Chamberlain in the seventh, Rafael Soriano in the eighth and Mariano Rivera in the ninth.  I like to call them JoSoMo and that is the second time in four games that formula has worked perfectly.  It will continue as Joe Girardi said tonight that Joba Chamberlain would be the seventh inning guy and we already knew that Rafael Soriano was the eighth inning guy and Mariano Rivera the ninth as the closer. 

The Yankees offense has been on fire early on hitting 11 homeruns which is one shy of the team record.  Jorge Posada hit another two run homer his third in the last two games as he has looked like he is taking to the new DH role.  Alex Rodriguez continues to be on fire, he has been all spring and carried it into the regular season.  He hit a two run homerun tonight also.  The only part of the order not doing its job is the top with Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter struggling but they will get it together and then really watch out.  The Yankees offense is hard to navigate with all the switch hitters and when you can have Russell Martin hitting ninth, he has been an all star in the past that is pretty amazing.  Martin has looked great not only at the plate but behind it as well and he has a couple of stolen bases, the Yankees haven't had a catcher that could run in a long time. 

The Yankees will play the Minnesota Twins tomorrow night with C.C. Sabathia taking on Brian Duensing.  The games is at 7:05PM on the YES Network.  The Yankees just own the Twins in the Bronx, the Yankees are 10-1 over them at the New Yankee Stadium and under Ron Gardenhire they just haven't been able to win there at all.  The Yankees are 26-4 in their last 30 regular season games in the Bronx.  The Yankees also have won 18 of their last 20 games over the Twins. 

Arod said this about Nova "He did exactly what we expect him to do.  Tonight he made some pitches where last year, I think maybe the game could have got away from him."  The Yankees felt best about the fact that Nova didn't unravel late in his start, maybe now that he got past that fifth inning hump it will be in the past and he can consistantly work into the sixth and seventh innings. 

Yankees go for the sweep

The New York Yankees are looking for the sweep Sunday afternoon.  They will look to open the season 3-0 for the first time since 2002.  Phil Hughes and Max Scherzer are the pitchers.  Here is the Yankees lineup which remains unchanged from the first two games.  Gardner, Jeter, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Swisher, Posada, Granderson, Martin.  The game is at 1:05 on YES, enjoy the game.

Yankees Vs. Tigers Opening Day

The New York Yankees are set to play the Detroit Tigers Thursday afternoon Opening Day of the 2011 baseball season. C.C. Sabathia will face off against Justin Verlander. The Yankees already released their lineup on Wednesday and it is Gardner, Jeter, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Swisher, Posada, Granderson, Martin. Jeter will bat leadoff against lefties and Gardner will move to number nine with Swisher in the 2 hole. Here are some other things on the night before the season begins. The teams will take Friday off and then play Saturday and Sunday afternoon. The pitching matchup for Saturday is A.J. Burnett vs. Brad Penny, it is a 4:10PM start on Fox. Phil Hughes will face Max Scherzer on Sunday at 1:05PM on the YES Network. The Yankees placed Pedro Feliciano on the 15 day DL and have added Luis Ayala to the roster. They also added Gustavo Molina to the roster. The Yankees bench consists of Eduardo Nunez, Eric Chavez, Andruw Jones and Molina. Ayala is the last man in the bullpen, that consists of Mariano Rivera, Rafael Soriano, Dave Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan and Bartolo Colon. The Yankees are scheduled to play 13 of their first 16 games at home, 20 of their first 28 and 48 of their first 82. The 18 April home games are the most in franchise history. Sabathia will make his third consecutive Opening Day start for the Yankees becoming the first Yankee to start as many in a row since Roger Clemens did so in 2001-03. He is one of 12 players in franchise history to start three or more Opening Days. The Yankees three scheduled starters in the series are a combined 22-14 in their careers against the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees were 95-67 last season and finished one game behind Tampa Bay for the division. They were the AL wild card sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS but losing in six games to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. The Yankees have reached the postseason 15 of the past 16 years. The Yankees begin their third season of play in this Yankee Stadium. They own the most home wins and best regular season home winning percentage in the majors since the stadium opened in 2009. They are 109-53 over that span. The 109 wins are the most by a ML team in its first two seasons at a particular venue. The previous mark was 106. The Yankees last season led the majors with a 988 fielding percentage. They committed a major league low 69 errors. It was the Yankees all time highest fielding percentage and fewest errors in a non strike year.

Yankees have busy day on Friday

The New York Yankees on Friday announced the signing of veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal. He will serve as insurance in AAA and he has an opt out on May 1st if he isn't called up to the Majors by then. The Yankees also traded Sergio Mitre to the Milwaukee Brewers for Chris Dickers who will serve as outfield depth. If Curtis Granderson starts on the DL which may be likely considering how conservative the Yankees are then he has a shot to come north with the team on Tuesday. The Yankees will play their final grapefruit league game on Tuesday and fly to New York after, they will work out at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday and open the season on Thursday afternoon. The Yankees will announce their roster decisions or most of them on Saturday. They met on friday and know what they are going to do but they wanted to talk to the players first. It appears that Gustavo Molina will be the backup catcher with Jesus Montero headed to AAA to continue to work on things, he is only 21 and it isn't that big of a deal although some fans will make it that. Austin Romine will be in AA Trenton and could move to AAA by some point this season depending on how he performs. They are guys worth watching and probably the future for the Yankees but why rush them when you don't have too, Francisco Cervelli will be back by the beginning of May and he will reclaim his job most likely. Montero said he will be fine with going to the minors, he said he gave it his best shot and knows his time will come. He said he will work hard down there and he will get his chance eventually. Girardi nodded his head when asked if Nova made the rotation. Girardi said Nova didn't have his best stuff on Friday night but still pitched effectively. He said that is maturing as a pitcher when you are able to do that. Eric Chavez hit his first spring homerun in his first game back from a calf injury, he just missed another and finished with three hits. He is batting 421 this spring and will the the backup infielder. He can play first and third and that is important especially with the Yankees wanting to give A-rod some time off. Curtis Granderson came through his pregame running feeling good enough that he was cleared to do some light throwing as well. Girardi said the intensity will pick up tomorrow. Joba Chamberlain, Dave Robertson, Boone Logan and Rafael Soriano all pitched and are all scheduled to pitch back-to-back so they should all get into tomorrows game as well. Nick Swishers foot was fine during the game tonight. Joe Girardi came out to argue a call at home plate tonight, he said he figures you have to practice. Chris Dickerson the new outfielder coming over from Milwaukee is flying into Tampa tonight and they aren't sure when Kevin Millwood would be coming to Tampa. Brian Cashman the Yankes GM said he isn't done shopping yet, it doesn't mean he will make another move this spring but he will keep looking around. "I feel that we have some quality choices in house, but my job is always to find people who are better than what we have." The Yankees will play the Pittsburgh Pirates at home tomorrow afternoon. The game will be on the YES network at 1:05PM.

Regular Season Game 14-Yankees at A's

The New York Yankees will take on the Oakland A's in game 2 of their 3 game series. The Yankees will try and win their 5th straight series to start the year and 6th game in a row. Here are some of the notes and lineups. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Johnson(DH) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Granderson(CF) Winn(RF) Gardner(LF) Phil Hughes makes his second start against Ben Sheets. I will have the link to the rest of the notes pretty soon. The game is on the yes network and wcbs 880 radio in New York. Joba Chamberlain was officially named the 8th inning guy today by manager Joe Girardi.

Regular Season Game 13-Yankees at A's

The New York Yankees begin a 3 game series with the Oakland A's tonight and the start of a long 9 game roadtrip. Javier Vazquez starts tonight and is the only Yankees starter witout a win. He will face Gio Gonzalez. The A's have gotten off to a suprising start at 9-5, here are the notes and lineups for tonights game. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Johnson(DH) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Swisher(RF) Granderson(CF) Gardner(LF) A's Lineup: Davis(CF) Barton(1B) Sweeney(RF) Kouzmanoff(3B) Suzuki(C) Chavez(DH) Ellis(2B) Buck(LF) Pennington(SS) Joe Girardi said that he expected Chan Ho Park to play catch at some point today. Gardner is in the lineup against the left hander today. He has faced Gonzalez quite a bit also in the minor leagues but Joe Girardi didn't realize he has had success against him. He is in the lineup because he has been playing well lately. Before the game while both teams were stretching the Yankees called former teammates Chad Gaudin and Edwar Ramirez over. The Yankees surrounded them and gave them their rings and had some fun with them. Nick Swisher is 0 for his last 16 and went 1 for 19 in the past homestand. The Yankees are sticking with him though in RF and Joe Girardi said that he has probably hit about 10 line drives in his past 4 games and has nothing to show for it. I don't know how long they will stick with him but maybe if this continues they will let Winn play a couple of games. Enjoy the game it starts at 10:05 eastern time on the yes network. It will be a late night so I don't know if I will have any more posts tonight or get my articles in for world news vine. IF not please check back tomorrow for all of your information from the game, enjoy the game.