New York Yankees notes from Denver

Eduardo Nunez is feeling better but he is not ready to play in a game. The Yankees will hope he is better in the next couple of days but in a NL park it isn’t helping them much. They are going to be short since the pitcher has to bat. Girardi said it is too early to make a move but if you think it is going to be close to the two weeks then you would DL him and get someone else in there so you have the extra body. The Yankees really don’t have a backup and Corban Joseph was just sent down and couldn’t be called up yet without Nunez going on the DL. 
The Yankees are officially on their third string left side of the infield. Jeter and Arod were the starters and then Nunez and Youkilis were the backups, it is crazy to have backups to the backups now playing. Girardi said it really tests the depth and I agree, I have never seen a season especially so early in the year with so many guys injured. Robertson was going to play catch pregame and if he still felt fine he would be able to pitch on Tuesday night.

Ivan Nova is going to pitch in an extended spring game on Wednesday. He could possibly start one of the doubleheader games on Monday in Cleveland because that will put him on schedule for that. Travis Hafner has no chance of playing the field so basically in Colorado he will get one pinch hit appearance each night. Granderson had five at bats in extended spring, Teixeira hit in the cage, Cervelli and Jeter aren’t doing anything yet and Arod did what he did yesterday which isn’t much. These updates were from Joe Girardi.

Brett Gardner had the day off because of the Yankees facing a lefty and that is it. Clay Rapada is now in AAA, he will get in some games there. He signed a minor league contract, it is possible he gets called back up to the big leagues at some point.

New York Yankees news and notes on an off day

The New York Yankees announced after the game last night that they had traded for infielder Chris Nelson from the Colorado Rockies. He can play third base and second base, he hasn’t played short since the minors. He isn’t particularly good at either according to reports. He had a really good last year, and isn’t off to a great start this year. He can hit pretty well but he seems to be filling a need for more infield depth and a right handed bat that the Yankees need. 
Eduardo Nunez and Ichiro Suzuki are starting to hit. Ichiro is batting 407 in his last seven games. He had three hit’s the other night and his average is up to 268. Nunez is over 200 now after three hit’s the other night.

Ronnier Mustelier is back with AAA Scranton and could be a factor in the major leagues. He got hurt in spring training and is finally back playing again. He is a third baseman who could help the major league club. Curtis Granderson tweeted tonight that he had some at bats in extended spring for the second straight day. I would expect him back in the next couple of weeks.

Michael Pineda is really looking good in rehab. He is throwing 95 which is pretty remarkable. I think he can and probably will be a factor for the Yankees down the stretch. He is an important guy going forward also as he projects at top of the rotation pitcher.

Joba Chamberlain was placed on the 15 day dl today with an oblique strain. Alex Rodriguez is running full bore now and will be reporting to Tampa on Monday. He will be doing some early baseball activities. He is right on schedule though, the Yankees say don’t think he will come back early. David Robertson tweaked his knee last night and is day-to-day. He seems to be ok but they are going to be careful with him.

Mark Teixeira will be with the Yankees through the weekend and then join Rodriguez and Granderson in Tampa next week. Brian Cashman said he is staying away from timetables but is happy these guys are going to be in extended spring and being closer to returning.

Corban Joseph was optioned back to AAA and Chris Nelson will be joining the team tomorrow. The Yankees will add a pitcher to replace Chamberlain but they don’t know who it will be yet. It could be Mark Montgomery, Preston Claiborne, I guess we will find out at some point tomorrow.

Welcome to Spring Training-Yankees Pitchers and Catchers Report

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

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

Hughes looks great in Extended Spring

The Yankees were off today and their wasn't much news. Phil Hughes did make a start down in Tampa in extended spring training though. He pithced 8 1/3 innings allowing 3 hits, 0 runs and had 12 strikeouts. That is very impressive although it was in extended spring. I feel really good about him as the 5th starter and think he may give them double digit wins. I think this is the year he really shows his potential and then stays in the rotation for good. He will be rejoining the team before pitching another extended spring game when the team is in Tampa this coming weekend. The Pitching Matchups for the rest of the series in Boston are: Tommorrow-A.J. Burnett vs Jon Lester Wednesday-Andy Pettitte vs John Lackey The Yankees will try to even up the series tomorrow. The games are at 7:00PM and on the yes network and wcbs radio 880AM.

Grapefruit League Game 19-Tigers at Yankees

The New York Yankees will take on the Detroit Tigers this afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. A.J. Burnett will get the start and be followed by Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera is also scheduled to pitch. Here are the game notes and lineups for todays game. Johnny Damon will be making his first trip back to Tampa to see his old teammates. This is the 4th of 6 meetings this spring between the two teams. The Yankees are 2-1 against the Tigers so far. Zach Segovia Amaury Sanit and Josh Schmidt are also available to pitch for the Yankees. Schmidt is up from the minor league complex. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Johnson(1B) Posada(C) Rodriguez(3B) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Granderson(CF) Winn(LF) Cervelli(DH) Cervelli will start at DH then move to catcher later in the game. The other players scheduled to come off of the bench are Juan Miranda(1B), Ramiro Pena(2B), Reegie Corona(SS), Brandon Laird(3B), Jon Weber(LF), Greg Golson(CF), David Winfree(RF) and Austin Romine at DH. Justin Verlander is making the start for the Tigers and also pitching for them is Joel Zumaya, Jose Valverde, Phil Dumatrait, Phil Coke and Josh Rainwater. Detroits Lineup: Inge(3B) Damon(LF) Ordonez(RF) Cabrera(1B) Guillen(DH) Kelly(CF) Laird(C) Sizemore(2B) Everett(SS)

Yankees Off Day

The Yankees were off today so it was very quiet in Tampa. The Yankees did send 2 more pitchers down to minor league camp today. The pitchers were Hector Noesi and Ivan Nova. The total amount of players in major league camp is now 52. If you are looking for some good minor league stuff then check out the Lohud Yankees Blog. Chad Jennings is the main beat writer and he had spend the last 7 years in Scranton covering the AAA team there. It was the Phillies at first but then became the Yankees. He was at minor league camp today with the Big Club being off. He wrote some good notes on his blog which can be found at http://yankees.lhblogs.com. It will be interesting to see if there is any A-rod news tomorrow. I hope he met with the FEDS today on the off day and then that is put to rest. The Yankees are going to have their full lineup tomorrow and Mariano Rivera is expected to make his first appearance of the spring. If you just want to see him don't turn the game on late, he will be in there early to get his work in.

Saturday Notes from Yankees Camp

The New York Yankees were rained out down in Tampa today. They had to get their work in, inside. They had some batting practice and pitchers throwing inside but everything was light today due to the inclement weather. Joe Girardi did announce his pitchers for the first 11 spring training games. These were just the starters and 5th starter candidates. The relievers weren't announced. Here is the list courtesy of Chad Jennings and the Lohud Yankees Blog: The first name is the starter for the day. Andy Pettitte isn't starting until March 12 but he will throw a simulated game in Tampa on March 7th. March 3 vs Pittsburgh: Chad Gaudin,Sergio Mitre,Alfredo Aceves March 4 at Philadelphia: CC Sabathia March 5 vs Tampa Bay: Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain March 6 vs Toronto: A.J. Burnett March 7 at Minnesota: Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre March 8 vs Philadelphia: Javier Vazquez-Split Squad March 8 at Pittsburgh: Alfredo Aceves March 9 vs Pittsburgh: CC Sabathia March 10 at Detroit: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes March 11 vs Atlanta: A.J. Burnett March 12 at Washington: Andy Pettitte March 13 vs Baltimore: Javier Vazquez-Split Squad March 13 at Detroit: Undecided

Fridays News and Notes from Tampa

Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes spoke to the media toay and you can hear about 3 minutes from each on the Lohud Yankees Blog. Here is the link http://yankees.lhblogs.com Andy Pettitte followed the lead of the other starting pitchers and stayed off the mound, he will wait a few days before he revs it up. Here is what he had to say "My bodys feeling good, everything feels good coming into the spring. I feel real good about that." Andy also said the workload of the playoffs shouldn't bother him because the Yankees did a good job at the end of the year of resting their pitchers for the playoffs. He also said he is happy they added another reliable arm and that they never had met before but have already played golf together. Joe Girardi said you would love to have 2 lefties in a perfect world but they feel their righties get lefties out well. He specifically mentioned Dave Robertson but did say that 2 lefties gives you so many more options. Yogi Berra was in the clubhouse this morning according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. Greg Golson and David Winfree both stopped in the clubhouse today, they are both going to be fighting for a job. It will be interesting to see what happens with guys like this, do they serve as trade bait, the last spot on the bench or go to the minors and add depth. Joe Girardi said the thing that has jumped out at him this early in camp was a lot of quality arms. He said some of the pitchers are big and intimidating, that he needs a step stool to talk to them. Here are the pitchers who threw today Joba Chamberlain, Christian Garcia, Phil Hughes and Edwar Ramirez. The second group was Kei Igawa, Mark Melancon, Boone Logan and Mosely. The third group was Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova and Kevin Whelan. The last group was Jeremy Bleich, Hector Noesi, Wilken De La Rosa and Mitchell. There isn't too much going on but I am going to try and post some pictures over the weekend and the starters are going to start throwing bullpens and then on Wednesday the full squad reports so it will get more interesting.

Some final Yankees Pitchers and Catchers Notes

Jon albaladejo who has made the opening day roster the last 2 seasons has shed 30 pounds. Phil Hughes will be working on his changeup much like last season when he was working on his cutter. He said he will work on it all spring long. He stated he wants to throw another bullpen before he starts mixing in his curveball and cutter. Mark Melancon got married over the winter and Jason Hirsh celebrated the birth of his baby. Chad Jennings of the Journal News and http://lohudyankeesblogs.com stated he considers Hirsh to be a sleeper, we will see. He is a guy who was highly touted a few years ago but hasn't lived up to his hype, he actually pitched pretty well in the minors when the Yankees aquired him last season. Jorge Posada admitted to watching the World Series DVD over the winter. He said " I watched it and you can't believe it, it was a lot of fun." This is all the blogging I will do for today but check back tomorrow for full coverage of the first workouts and also the New York Mets reporting down in Port St. Lucie. It is going to be a wild and crazy ride all season long so keep coming back and please participate by commenting and lets have some good discussions.

Arod update from Tampa

Alex Rodriguez ran the bases for the second straight day. He ran from the plate to first base four times after swinging a bat. He went from first to second base six times. He took 28 swings at curveballs from a pitching machine for the first time and then took sixty-three swings in regular batting practice. Joe Girardi says that he needs to slide before he gets into rehab games and then can come back, I suspect that may be coming in the near future though.

Off Day for Yanks but not a quiet one

The Yankees are off today but there will be news later as Chien-Ming Wang is pitching in a extended spring training game in Tampa. I would be suprised if they don't announce later today that he still needs to work on things and is going on the DL. Phil Hughes is ready to come up and make up for last year and it can't be any worse then Wang has pitching, I am sure it will be better. I also wouldn't be suprised to hear a A-rod update later on today from Tampa, I still think he may be back the first week of May but we will see. I know the Yankees are cautious but he has looked good so far and I know he wants to come back as quick as possible.

Rough Day for Coke

The New York Yankees lost to the KC Royals today in a tough game 6-4. Joba Chamberlain pitched well going 6 innings allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Brian Bruney pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Damaso Marte got both guys he faced out. The trouble began when Marte came out, Jose Veras walked the only guy he faced and then Coke gave up a double to tie the game before allowing 2 more hits and another run. The offense looked listless for most of the game and that can happen when your facing Gil Meche and you have Molina, Gardner, Cabrera and Ransom all in the lineup. The lineup didn't see anyone get more then one hit, Xavier Nady and Robinson Cano got the only rbis as poor defense led to the other runs. The Yankees move on to Tampa now to finish the first road trip of the year before they come home to officially open the New Stadium. Here are the pitching matchups vs the Rays Tomorrow- Chien-Ming Wang vs Scott Kazmir Tuesday- A.J. Burnett vs Matt Garza Wednesday- Andy Pettitte vs Andy Sonnanstine The first two games are at 7:08pm and the last game is at 4:08pm all on the YES network. Alex Rodriguez will be in Tampa tomorrow for the next phase of his rehab and is expected to be with the team during the game. It will be interesting to see if he talks to the media. I wonder how much longer before Ransom sits as he is 1-20, I wonder if they are thinking Arod hurry back.

Ian Kennedy Dominant

The Scranton Yankees-AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees beat the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs yesterday by a score of 2-1 in 11 innings. Ian Kennedy made his first start of the year and went a strong 6 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits with 0 walks and 11 strikeouts. Dave Robertson had a strong 2 innings of relief giving up 1 hit, 0 runs and 3 strikeouts. Brett Tomko pitched 2 innings giving up 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and had 3 strikeouts and JB Cox closed it out with a walk and hit but no runs allowed. The offense had Kevin Russo go 3-5, Shelly Duncan 1-5 with a rbi and Juan Miranda also go 1-5. Austin Jackson went 2-5 but also had 3 strikeouts. Angel Berroa went 1-4 with a rbi. Chad Jennings of the Times-Tribune and the Scranton Yankees blog had some postgame notes and reaction. Chris Stewart the catcher said that Kennedy was as good as he ever was last season and Manager Dave Miley said it was as good as he as ever seen him pitch in AAA. Chad Jennings thought he looked aggressive and confident like he did when he breezed through AAA on his way to the majors in 2007. He said you can be as aggressive as you want but it still comes down to execution. I think Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are going to have big years and be waiting for another chance at the big leagues. The Trenton Thunder AA affiliate of the Yankees lost to the Binghamton Mets 4-3 yesterday. Zach McAllister pitched 5 innings for Trenton allowing 4 hits and 3 runs only 1 earned though with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Kevin Whelan pitched a scoreless inning giving up a walk and having a strikeout. The offense saw Eduardo Nunez go 2-5, Edward Gonzalez was 3-4. Tampa the A affiliate of the Yankees won 2-1 in a strong debut by Dellin Betances. He has been called the Baby Unit and keep your eye on him, he is young and has had some injury problems but if he stays healthy he could be in AA at some point this year and definitely next year and expect to see him in the Big Leagues in a couple of years. He pitched 6 innings giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. The offense saw Jesus Montero go 1-4 and Austin Romine go 0-3. Damon Sublett went 0-4 and Brandon Laird was 1-4. Tampa has a bunch of pretty good prospects so I expect to talk a lot about them this year. Charleston A affiliate of the Yankees won 4-2. DJ Mitchell pitched 6 innings giving up 1 hit, 1 run with 6 strikeouts. The run was unearned. Pat Venditte who is the ambidextrous reliever pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit and had a strikeout. He picked up the save, he is a guy I will be watching this year as it is a fascinating story. DJ Mitchell is another good prospect for the Yankees but is in A so we can't get too excited over him with so many guys in front of him.

Baseball 2009 almost here

The baseball season is set to kick off tonight with the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves. Brett Myers will get the start going against Derek Lowe. The game will be on ESPN sunday night baseball. It will be interesting to see how the MLB network will be during the season, I think they have done a great job so far and it should be fun to watch. They will have the nightly show beginning at 7 and not ending till the last pitch of the last game. They will have live look ins, highlights, analysis. The New York Yankees are in Baltimore now taking batting practice and working out. You can see some pictures over on Peter Abrahams blog http://yankees.lhblogs.com Joba Chamberlain made his final start of the spring down in Tampa pitching for AA Trenton against AAA Scranton. He threw 75 pitches going 5 1/3 innings giving up 2 runs on 2 hits. He was so good though that he faced 5 additional batters with 3 outs. He started out giving up 2 hits and a walk but then retired 16 straight, he had 5 strikeouts. He said he was working on fastball command and his changeup. He said it was good, one of his best days as far as consistency goes, He said he is excited to get going.

Lineup Changes for today

Chieng-Ming Wang and Jorge Posada were in Tampa and got rained out then headed to Dunedin for a minor league game and got rained out and now they are in Clearwater to face the Phillies with the regular club. Jorge Posada is now leading off and catching and Wang is pitching. Damon, Tex, Nady, Cano, Ransom, Cabrera and Pena will fill out the rest of the lineup in that order. Joe Girardi said today that if the season were to start today Nady would be the RF based on what he did last season, I also think without Arod and Newsday brought this up today that they need that right handed power.

Alex Rodriguez Off To Dominican Team

Alex Rodriguez met with MLB investigators last night in Tampa for two hours. He was cooperative according to a MLB press release. He was expected in Jupiter last night and will work out with the Dominican team today in preparation for the start of the WBC. The WBC is starting on thursday and will be covered on the MLB network.

Yanks Win Again

The Yankees defeated the rays in tampa today 5-1. Phil Hughes pitched 2 scoreless innings, he did hit 2 batters but was just coming inside and hit them, not a big deal. Jorge Posada had a homer and rbi double in his first game, Shelly Duncan smacked a 3 run homer as well. Big Tex had a hit in his debut. I am going to watch the replay and have some more comments later on after I see the pitchers. I did notice that Phil Hughes looked really toned up, he looked good and it looked like his fastball was popping which is a good sign.

Picture From The Last Workout Before the Games Begin

Here are the Pics from Today in Tampa. Yogi and Reggie arrived today. The team was hard at work after playing hooky yesterday.

Some Notes From Yankees Camp

Ching Ming Wang faced bernie today in batting practice. He said this about Bernie " I left one sinker up high, he hit it far." He said he is feeling no discomfort whatsoever and is throwing all of his pitches. Arod did not talk about any of the stories out today, he did say he expects to meet with MLB investigators in Tampa. He also said it would take 18-24 months for this to blow over. I have no idea where he came up with that, Arod just go out and play well and if the team wins it won't be a big deal. According to Peter Abraham of the Journal News and the Lohud Yankees Blog,Andrew Brackman was fun to watch especially when he was up against Jesus Montero. These two guys are two of their top prospects. Brackman has a lot less moving parts then expected, his delievery is pretty fluid. Xavier Nady is the expected RF but Swisher will get plenty of at bats in several positions. Damaso Marte's hamstrings are feeling better and he was out running around today. I thank Peter Abraham for providing this information on his blog once again

Baseball is Back At Last

Here are some pictures from down in Tampa. Today is the official report day for pitchers and catchers with the rest of the squad set to report officially on Tuesday. Jeter and Swish are over at the minor league complex as well as others. Joe Girardi got his first taste of the media in 2009. This is a great day as baseball is finally back.