The Yankees get shutout by the Baltimore Orioles and lose the series

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 5-0 on Wednesday night. Ivan Nova started for the Yankees and pitched well for six innings. The wheels came off a little in the seventh and the game got away from him and the Yankees. The Yankees offense once again was anemic though as they scored three runs in the three game series. They were able to win one game only because Hiroki Kuroda pitched such a great game. Jake Arrieta who has enjoyed success against the Yankees pitched really well. Nick Johnson continues to torch his former team. 
Nova pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up five runs on nine hits. He walked four and struck out three. Clay Rapada gave up a hit in 1/3 of an inning and he struck out one, Cory Wade retired the only batter that he faced and Freddy Garcia pitched two innings and gave up two hits in his first relief appearance. He also walked a batter. Nova is now 3-1 on the season and saw his winning streak come to an end. Arrieta pitched eight innings giving up five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts. He picked up his second win of the season and Jim Johnson pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.

Curtis Granderson had a hit, Alex Rodriguez had two hits and Robinson Cano had a hit. Raul Ibanez had a hit. The Yankees did not have an extra base hit and they left four men on base.

J.J. Hardy had two hits for the Orioles, Nick Markakis had two hits and an RBI and Adam Jones drew a walk. Matt Wieters had three hits, two RBI and drew a walk, Johnson had two hits and an RBI and Mark Reynolds drew a walk. Robert Andino had three hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Markakis, Johnson, Hardy and Wieters each had a double. Wieters and Markakis each had a homerun. The Orioles were 3-15 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.

In the fourth Wieters hit a solo homerun to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. The Orioles would score another run in the sixth on an Andino RBI single. The Orioles broke it open in the seventh with three runs. Markakis hit a solo homerun, Wieters had an RBI double and Johnson had an RBI single. The final was 5-0.

The Orioles won two out of three games in the series. The Yankees have now lost two in a row and their offense hasn’t done much of anything. The Yankees scored three runs in the three game series. The Yankees record fell to 13-11 and the Orioles improved their record to 16-9. The Yankees will head to Kansas City to begin a four game series on Thursday night.

CC survives a scare as Yanks lose to Pirates

It appears the New York Yankees dodged a bullet in losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-5 this afternoon. It wasn't that they lost the game but it had appeard that ace CC Sabathia was hit on the hand by a line drive. He did come out of the game but it looks like he is fine. He pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs on 3 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. I didn't get to see the game as my cable is out but it appears his command was a little off again. Jon Albaladejo who will probably be sent down in the next round of cuts was bad again. He pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up 3 hits and 3 runs. He also walked a batter. Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit. He did strike out two batters. I still think he can be this years version of Dave Robertson. He has had a pretty good spring. Nick Johnson continued his hot spring with a solo homerun and a walk. Kevin Russo had a hit and Marcus Thames and David Winfree each had a hit. Those 2 guys are attempting to make the team as a 5th outfielder along with Jaime Hoffman. I would think Thames has the upper hand at this point with his experience but we will see. Greg Golson had a hit and 2 rbi and Randy Winn had a hit. The Yankees have a day off tomorrow and on Tuesday they should have their regular lineup in. Mariano Rivera will also make his debut on Tuesday.

The New York Yankees split the split squad games yesterday. They won the home game against the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 5-3 and lost the road game in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers by the score of 6-2. Javier Vazquez started the home game and looked pretty good. He gave up a 2 run homerun but other then that was pretty sharp. He pitched 3 innings giving up 4 hits and 2 runs. He also had a walk and a couple of strikeouts. The hitting star of the game was Jorge Posada who had 3 hits and 2 rbi. Here is how the rest of the team did. Alfredo Aceves continued his strong pitching with 4 innings of work. He gave up 3 hits, the only run was a solo homerun. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one. I would say at this point he is in the lead for the 5th starters spot although I don't think he will get it. I think he will end up in the bullpen where he was last season. Royce Ring pitched a scorless inning giving up a hit and Dave Robertson struck out the side, giving up a hit in his one inning of work. The offense saw Nick Johnson continue his hot hitting by going 2-3 with a rbi. Brett Gardner who was leading off, had a hit and a walk. Robinson Cano had a couple of hits and a rbi, Curtis Granderson had a hit and Brandon Laird had a couple of hits. Jesus Montero is a hitting machine, he had a single in the 9th but it didn't count because it was just a extra half inning that didn't have to be played. They only played it to give the Orioles pitcher more work. In the road game Chad Gaudin got the start and wasn't very good, Sergio Mitre finally got hit around a little also. Gaudin pitched 3 innings giving up 5 hits and 3 runs with 1 walk and a strikeout. Mitre pitched 4 innings giving up 5 hits and 3 runs. He allowed a walk and 3 strikeouts. Boone Logan pitched another perfect inning. If the Yankees are thinking of carrying a second lefty he would have to be in the lead at this point. He has not given up a run all spring. Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira each had a couple of hits but the best thing to see was Francisco Cervelli getting 2 hits in his return from a concussion. Nick Swisher had a hit and Alex Rodriguez had a hit and rbi. Austin Romine and Jaime Hoffman each had a hit. I know this is posting the day after but my cable and internet have been out since yesterday evening and I still don't have it back. I am borrowing a computer.

Yankees sweep split squad games

The New York Yankees played a split squad affair today and won both games. They took on the Philadelphia Phillies in Tampa and won by the score of 7-5. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton by the score of 6-0. The 5th starter battle is between 5 men Joe Girardi has promised even though most feel it is really only between Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. If Joe Girardi is true to his word we got a real battle on our hands. Sergio Mitre pitched his second straight strong outing yesterday and now today Alfredo Aceves who was a intregal part of the bullpen last year was outstanding. He pitched 4 perfect innings with 3 strikeouts, that is his second straight strong outing. This was the game in Bradenton and here is how the rest of the pitchers fared. Ivan Nova pitched 2 innings giving up 1 hit and 1 walk with a strikeout. He didn't allow a run. Zach McAllister pitched 2 hitless, scorless innings with a walk and Jason Hirsh finished it out with a perfect inning. Hirsh is also pitching well and trying to make it as a longshot. It wasn,t that long ago that he was a top prospect. The offense had A-rod go 1-3 with 2 rbi,s and jon weber go 2-2 with 2 rbi. Eduardo Nunez was 2-2 with a rbi. He is a ss prospect who the Yankees are high on but of course Derek Jeter is in front of him. Greg Golson was 1-2 and Randy Winn was 1-3. Juan Miranda was 2-4 with a rbi. Before the Yankees signed Nick Johnson there was talk that he could be the DH, he has done nothing but hit in the minor leagues and he is probably too good for AAA anymore but who knows if he could hit in the majors. He is having a good spring so far so the Yankees will have their eye on him if Nick Johnson gets hurt or is ineffective. The game at home in Tampa was highlighted by Javier Vazquez, he gave up a leadoff homerun but that was it. He struck out 4 in 2 innings and really looked sharp after the leadoff batter. He featured pretty much everything, fastball, changeup and his curves. Jon Albaladejo bounced back in that he didn't give up a run in 1 inning but he did give up 3 hits. Dave Robertson had a rough outing, he pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 walks. Amaury Sanit pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up 2 hits and 0 runs with 2 strikeouts. Christian Garcia pitched 2 innings giving up a hit, run and walk with 2 strikeouts. Zach Segovia and Kevin Whelan were the other pitchers who appeared in the game. Segovia went 1 1/3 innings giving up 3 hits and 1 run. Whelan faced 2 batters and got them both out with a strikeout. Offensively Jorge Posada was 1-2 with a walk, Robinson Cano was 2-2 with 2 rbi and a walk. Nick Swisher was 2-3 with 3 rbi. Kevin Russo was 2-3 with a walk. He has a chance to be the utility outfielder and is playing well since coming back from illness. I still think Ramiro Pena will make the team though. The Yankees will play the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow afternoon at 1:00PM on the Yes Network.

Recap of todays Yankees game and some Notes

The New York Yankees took it on the chin today losing to the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 9-1. The story of the game though wasn't the final outcome it was Francisco Cervelli getting beaned in the head and leaving the game. He did seem ok on the field and was helped off of it but did get up under his own power. He was taken to a local hospital for precautionary testing which included a CT scan. The tests were negative and he said he was feeling a little dizzy and had a headache but he should be back in a couple of days. The story of the game on the field would be A.J. Burnett making his first start. He wasn't great but he was happy that he got his work in and did what he wanted to do. He was throwing only a fastball and changeup and as Joe Girardi said, his out pitch is the curveball and if you take that away, it is a different pitcher. He wasn't concerned with the results, just that he got his work in and starts to feel good about his changeup. His line on the day was 1 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk. He guessed that he threw 10 changeups on the day. Here is what Jorge Posada said about his outing "He's starting it down, that's the big thing. He's finishing it well. There was one of them that was up, hit off the end of the bat, but I thought he did a great job." Boone Logan was very impressive again, in his debut he retired all 4 batters he faced and 3 were lefties. Today he pitched 2 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts. I know it is early but he is really making a case to be the second lefty if the yankees carry one. Jonathan Albaladejo on the flip side was just awful, it was actually painful to watch. He got torched for 7 hits and 5 runs in 1/3 of an inning. He also walked a batter. That is his second bad outing, I don't think he will be making the team out of spring training this year. Mark Melancon continues to impress, the Yankees still have high hopes for him. He pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up 0 runs on 1 hit and had a strikeout. Andrew Brackman who really struggled last year after coming back from Tommy John surgery but has looked better in bullpens was bad today also. He pitched 1 inning giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. The other guys who pitched were Romulo Sanchez who pitched an inning giving up a hit and walk but 0 runs and Jason Hirsch who pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. The offense didn't do much at all. Reegie Corona, Brandon Laird, Colin Curtis,Austin Romine, Juan Miranda and Kevin Russo all had a hit. If you notice these are all minor league guys. Colin Curtis has been impressive so far this spring and Reegie Corona is a guy they like, he has been known for his defense. Austin Romine is right behind Jesus Montero as top catching prospect and Juan Miranda has had big numbers in AAA and Kevin Russo is a super utility type guy who has a outside chance of making the team. The lone RBI was a groundout off the bat of Ramiro Pena who is the frontrunner to be the utility guy again this year. Francisco Cervelli obviously will not make the trip tomorrow, Mike Rivera will take his place. Amaury Sanit will also not make the trip after appearing in todays game. Dave Eiland confirmed today that Mariano Rivera, Damaso Marte and Chan Ho Park will all throw a batting practice session on Monday. They are the only pitchers who have yet to face live batters. Andy Pettitte is pitching a 2 inning simulated game tomorrow and will move forward as if it was a real game. This will count as his first outing Dave Eiland said. Nick Johnson took batting practice today and felt good afterward. He said "I took a few swings in the cage, felt loose." Kei Igawa pitched well yesterday and Joe Girardi didn't rule out the idea of him creating a place for himself as a lefty reliever. I would bet against him ever pitching for the Yankees again though but you never know. The Yankees will play the Twins tomorrow afternoon in Fort Myers.

Grapefruit Leauge Game 3-Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

The New York Yankees will take on the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon at 1:00PM on the YES network. The game is at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. This will be the Yankees 3rd exhibition game and their record is 1-1. Here are the lineups and then some pregame notes from the great Lohud Yankees Blog, if you don't check it out or never have you can at http://yankees.lhblogs.com/ Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Granderson(CF) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Posada(DH) Thames(LF) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cervelli(C) Rays Lineup: Bartlett(SS) Rodriguez(LF) Longoria(3B) Zobrist(2B) Upton(CF) Navarro(C) Johnson(DH) Rugiano(RF) Richard(1B) The 5th starter competition will be in full swing with Phil Hughes starting and Joba to directly follow him. Nick Johnson is not expected to play today after experiencing back stiffness yesterday. Brett Gardner, Jaime Hoffman and Ramiro Pena were the only Yankees who started the first 2 games. They started in different positions each time. Nick Johnson said he did some exercises this morning and his back loosened up pretty good. Kevin Russo is ready to go today after missing the last couple of days with a illness. Elliot Johnson is part of the roster today, he is the guy that ran over Francisco Cervelli a couple of years ago in a spring training game. He did also break his wrist in that play. I guess this is something to watch for although I don't think it will be a problem now. The players schedule to come off of the bench for the Yankees today are Jesus Montero(C), Juan Miranda(1B), Reegie Corona(2B), Eduardo Nunez(SS), Kevin Russo(3B), Reid Gorecki(LF), Greg Golson(CF), Jon Weber(RF) and Jorge Vazquez(DH). Enjoy the game everyone and for those working it will be on replay later tonight, I have it on DVR to watch later on tonight, like I am doing for all the daytime games this spring.

Nick Johnson conference call

The New York Yankees officially signed Nick Johnson yesterday. Brian Cashman and Nick held a conference call with reporters. Here is some of the quotes from that call. Brian Cashman on the decision to bring back Nick: " There is no doubt that on-base percentage played a big role in the Yankees thinking that Johnson could be a replacement for Hideki Matsui at DH and for Johnny Damon in the two hole. But the big question is, can he stay healthy? It seems like DL has been just as prevalent in Johnson's career as OBP." " It is clear to dream about what he does and what he can provide if he stays healthy," Cashman said. " Certainly at the same time, I recognize and can't ignore the risk that comes with his trying to stay on the field and stay healthy." " This was a decision I was willing to make, recognizing that there's risk that comes with it because of his health history. Is there a rsk in signing him? Sure there is." Nick Johnson on coming back to the Yankees: " I started my career here, and I am just really happy to be back and put those stripes back on and to be with a great organization," Johnson said. " It is all about winning. That's something that I want to get back to doing."

Nick Johnson officially signs

Here is the official press release from the Yankees: The New York Yankees signed today 1B/DH Nick Johnson. Nick 31 was third in the majors last season with a 426 obp combined between Washington and Florida. He trailed only AL MVP Joe Mauer(444) and NL MVP Albert Pujols(443). He placed 6th in the NL with 99 walks while batting a career high 291 with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homeruns and 62 rbi's. The Sacremento native began 2009 with the Nationals batting 295(104 for 353) with 6 homeruns, 44 rbi's and a 408 obp in 98 games before being traded with cash on July 31st to the Marlins in exchange for left handed pitcher Aaron Thompson. In 35 games for Florida he hit 279 with 2 homeruns, 18 rbi's, 36 walks and a 477 obp. Johnsons 402 career on base percentage since 2001 his rookie season is 8th among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances over the span. He had his best overall season in 2006 with Washington, batting 290 and having career bests in games played(147), plate appearances(628),at-bats, hits, doubles(46), homeruns(23), rbi(77), stolen bases(10) and walks(110). His 428 on-base percentage was a career best and the second highest single-season mark in Washington franchise history behind Tim Raines 429 in 1987. Despite the numerous career highs, Johnson season was cut short on Sept 23, 2006 by a fractured right femur which forced him to miss the entire 2009 season. Johnson wwho is a lefthanded batter, is a 292 career hitter with 16 homeruns and a 424 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching and a 266 career hitter wiht 73 homeruns and a 394 on-base percentage against righ tnaded pitching. he owns a 992 career fielding percentage, having committed just 48 errors in 5,719 career chances. He began his professional career in the Yankees organization. after being selected by the club in the 3rd round of the 1996 First-year player draft. In 3 major league seasons with the Yankees from 2001-03, he batted 256 with 36 doubles, 31 homeruns, 113 rbi, 125 walks and a 376 on-base percentage. He posted a team leading 422 on-base percentage in his final year with the club before being traded on December 4, 2003 with outfielder Juan Rivera and lefthanded pitcher Randy Choate to the Montreal Expos in exchange for right-handed pitcher Javier Vazquez. In 8 major league seasons with the Yankees, Montreal/Washington(2004-06, 08-09) and Florida(2009) he owns a 273 career batting avg with 165 doubles, 5 triples, 89 homeruns, 379 rbi, 27 stolen bases and 487 walks. The Yankees 40 man roster now stands at 38 players.

Nick Johnson and Johnny Damon

The story goes that on Thursday the Yankees said to Johnny Damon we will go to 2 yrs and roughly 20 million and agent Scott Boras said no 2 yrs 26 million. The Yankees said time is running out this is your last chance and they didn't take it so the Yankees went and signed Nick Johnson and then a couple of hours later Scott Boras called back the Yankees and said he will take 2 yrs 22 million and the Yankees said sorry we can't take the Nick Johnson deal back now it is too late. This is coming from Ken Davidoff of Newsday. I am suprised Johnny Damon did this because if he really wanted to come back so bad why didn't he just say 2 yrs 22 million to start with and they could of worked it out. I think the Yankees are better off with Johnson and Granderson as they will be younger and more athletic and they save some money also. I think the Yankees as presently constructed have a very good defense to go along with their pitching. They really only need to sign one more starter and they should be ready to go. Nick Johnson brings a high OBP to the show and will fit really well in the Yankees patient lineup. He was averaging about 4.1 pitches per plate appearance last year and has always been a high OBP guy. His career on base is over 400. He should fit into the #2 spot well, the only knock is that he is slow but that is ok if he is getting on base for the guys behind him to have a chance to knock him in. I think the Yankees will end up signing Ben Sheets on a cheap incentive laden deal but that may take a while, I think Phil Hughes will be the 5th starter and Joba will end up back in the pen. A interesting trade from baseball today was the Seattle Mariners obtaining Milton Bradley from the Chicago Cubs for Curtis Silva. It really was two bad deals exchanging hands. I think Seattle got the better deal because Bradley is a good player if he can behave himself. Seattle is really going for it with all the moves they have made. I am also starting to wonder if Jason Bay really wants to come to the Mets. It doesn't look like anyone else wants him but he is waiting for a better deal. If he really wanted to come to the Mets why didn't he just except the deal already. It has been a week and why don't the Mets just up the offer and get if over with?

Granderson press conference and more news

Curtis Granderson was officially introduced as a Yankee today in a 11AM press conference. The first thing I noticed about him is wow he is well spoken and very smart. He really does seem like a great guy like everyone says and will fit in the clubhouse well. He is going to wear #14 which is half of 28 but the reason he picked it is because it was his high school number. Joe Girardi will wear #28 but said he would check with Granderson to make sure it is ok, Granderson was asked about it and said he is fine with the number he has. A-rod and CC Sabathia were also in attendance with Brian Cashman the Yankees GM and owner Hal Steinbrenner. I find it amazing how Cashman says a lot without saying anything. Hal Steinbrenner did say that although the Yankees do have a budget and are trying to stick to it that that could change if they felt they needed to make and extra move or a move that would put them over, I wonder if they are in on Matt Holliday and no one knows just like with Big Tex last year. A-rod said at the press conference that he went to see his doctor in Colorado on Sunday and Monday and that he doesn't need any further surgery. He is going to step up his offseason conditioning program and will be working out with Granderson and Tex with Kevin Long starting on Jan 4th in Miami. Nick Johnson appears to have signed a deal, George King of the NY Post was the first one to report this and it will be for 1 yr 5.5 million when it is official. He will serve as the primary DH but can also play first base. I think this pretty much means Johnny Damon is done as a Yankee. I wonder if the Yankees will just go after pitching now and put Melky in left? I would doubt it but they could live with that.