New York Yankees intrasquad game on Monday and exhibition games begin Tuesday

The New York Yankees will kick off their grapefruit league schedule with a trip to Clearwater to take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.  They will first have a intraquad game on Monday with a pitching machine doing the pitching.  We know that Adam Warren will make the start on Tuesday and here are some more news and notes. 

Alex Rodriguez was to DH and bat cleanup in the intrasquad game but he will make his exhibition debut on Wednesday at home against the Phillies.  He will not make the trip to Clearwater on Tuesday.  Arod will DH and also he is expected to get 2-3 at bats in that game.  Carlos Beltran is not hurt, the Yankees are just taking it slow with him and he will not appear in a game until Friday. 

Masahiro Tanaka had his first live BP of the spring on Monday morning and came through it fine.  Joe Girardi said "He's right where we want him to be."  CC Sabathia will face hitters for the first time later this week.  Joe Girardi announced today that following Adam Warren starting on Tuesday, Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday and Esmil Rogers on Thursday will be Bryan Mitchell and Chris Capuano for the split squad on Friday.  Capuano will pitch the home game. 

Luis Severino who is the Yankees top pitching prospect is making the trip on Tuesday and said he is definitely scheduled to pitch.  The rest of the travel squad for the exhibition opener is as follows.  Pitchers: Danny Burawa, Kyle Davies, Nick Goody, Jacob Lindgren, Diego Moreno, Branden Pinder, Chasen Shreve, Tyler Webb.   

Catchers: Francisco Arcia, Kyle Higashioka, John Ryan Murphy, Austin Romine

Infielders: Greg Bird, Cito Culver, Cole Figueroa, Jonathan Galvez, Garrett Jones, Nick Noonan, Jose Pirela, Rob Refsnyder, Kyle Roller

Outfielders: Tyler Austin, Jake Cave, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Slade Heathcott, Aaron Judge, Mason Williams, Chris Young. 

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. 

The Yankees are about to begin their exhibition season

The New York Yankees will begin their exhibition season on Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves. They will be playing at the Braves. Arod made a statement on Thursday through his PR people. It basically said he is focused solely on his recovery and that he will play again. He can’t wait to play with his teammates again as he feels they have a great team and looks forward to rejoining them at some point. I am not so sure I believe though that he will every rejoin the Yankees. Can they get rid of him? Will they get rid of him or will they even try?? I think if MLB finds him guilty they may try, it won’t be an easy fight though. 
The Yankees did announce on Thursday that they will be moving Brett Gardner to center and Curtis Granderson to left field to begin the exhibition games. The move will hinge on Granderson being able to play left field. They have no doubt that Gardner can handle center but Granderson hasn’t played left field too much. Phil Hughes and Mark Montgomery are feeling better. It doesn’t look like anything too long lasting or that will affect them again.

Jorge Posada reported to camp on Friday as a special instructor. The questions came of course about him unretiring like Andy Pettitte did last season. He said he is happy where he is at and he doesn’t think he could play right now. He said he doesn’t want to even try, he will be in camp a few days and then back home to be with his family. He said he will then come back later in camp also and wouldn’t mind being a roving catching instructor for the Yankees. He wouldn’t commit to full time coaching at this point either but said he want’s to be involved and is happy with his life right now.

Joe Girardi announced that Francisco Cervelli will get the start behind the plate for Saturday’s exhibition opener. David Phelps is starting on Saturday and is scheduled for two innings or 35 pitches, which ever comes first. The other pitchers being listed for Saturday are: Brett Marshall, Nik Turley, Mike O’Brien, Kelvin Perez, Branden Pinder and Chase Whitley. Girardi said he isn’t sure exactly which pitchers will get into the game after Phelps. Adam Warren will start on Sunday, Vidal Nuno on Monday and Jose Ramirez on Tuesday. The regular pitchers probably won’t get started until March and then they will be on regular rotation. Mariano Rivera threw his first live batting practice and everyone including himself seemed pleased with it. The most important thing is that he came out of it healthy.

Michael Pineda threw another 25 pitches in the morning. He came out of it feeling good, he is progressing at a good pace and should be ready to help the team by June at this point. Mark Montgomery also threw a 25 pitch bullpen and came out of it good.

Austin Romine, Robinson Cano, Dan Johnson, Eduardo Nunez, Mark Teixeira, Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott, Melky Mesa and Juan Rivera are the notables on the travel squad for tomorrows game.

Yankees notes as they prepare for the first spring game this Saturday

Joe Girardi named David Phelps as his starter for Saturday and Adam Warren on Sunday. The Sunday game will be the first one televised on the YES network. Phil Hughes had back spasms today in his upper back which Girardi considers good. He said he will be shut down for a couple of days and then they will see from there. Girardi said he isn’t too worried because he was a little ahead of schedule. 
Eduardo Nunez is going to get a chance to play a lot right now. It is another chance for him to make a name for himself. Nunez is a very good offensive player, he is dynamic with speed and some power. It is his defense that gets him in trouble. Nunez will play a lot of shortstop though with Jeter not being ready to play games yet and definitely not in the field for a little while. Jeter may even be the regular DH against lefties during the season which would give Nunez that opportunity to be the regular shortstop against lefty starters. Girardi said he has to earn it and that they have to toy with some different options but they liked what they saw out of him at the end of last year. They said they plan on keeping him at short for the most part, I don’t see him anywhere else right now other then DH.

Girardi said it is possible they keep both Nunez and Jayson Nix but then they wouldn’t have a lefty pinch hitter and they would like to have that.

Austin Romine said he is more or less stopped thinking about his back. He doesn’t really notice it anymore. He is very optimistic that he has gotten past that problem and a week into spring training and he has had no problems at all.

According to Chad Jennings of the Journal News and Lohud Yankees blog there was some buzz today about Ichiro. He made a behind the back catch during outfield drills, Brett Gardner said it was his fault because he asked him for it. He apparently does this every so often, he seems like a really fun guy to be around and he loves being a Yankee. I really like this guy and hope he continues to succeed because he is a crowd favorite.

Mark Teixeira will have his last day in Yankees camp before heading to the WBC on March 2^nd and Cano on March 3^rd.

Grapefruit League Game 28-Orioles at Yankees

Here is the lineup for todays penultimate exhibition game against the Orioles. The game is at 1:05PM from George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The lineup is via Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees Blog. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Johnson(DH) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Granderson(CF) Gardner(LF) This is your opening day lineup, looks pretty good to me. Andy Pettitte will make the start today and I don't think there is any rain in the forecast. The Yankees will open their 108th season on Sunday Night in Boston against their oldest and fiercest rivals. The game is at 8:05PM on ESPN. Chan HO Park has not allowed a run in 6 outings this spring. He has pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits and has struck out 8. The Yankees and Orioles are meeting for the 4th and final time this exhibtion season. The Yankees are 2-1 against them. The Yankees were 13-5 against them last season and it was their 12th straight winning season against the O's.

Games Begin Tomorrow But For Now Fun And Games

The Yankees will have their first exhibition game tomorrow at 1:00PM against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The game is in Tampa, the pitchers have been announced and they will be Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves who everyone already knew about. The pitchers available out of the bullpen will be Jonathan Albaladejo, Wilkens Arias, Jason Hirsh,Royce Ring,Amaury Sanit and Zach Segovia. The Yankees went to a local arcade today and took part in 3 different type of games there were in tournament style. The games were pop-a-shot, some kind of racing game and skee ball. There were four ideas that were thrown out and they were bowling, paint ball, ping pong and a pool party. Here is what Joe Girardi said about them: Paintball-"We thought that was dangerous." I can't disagree with him on that one. Ping Pong-"In pop-a-shot you want to have a soft touch, where in ping-pong they may want to spike it." That I guess is a good point but what could happen, maybe he means they try and do it too hard and hurt themselves. Bowling-"Pitchers arms, you get concerned." I can see his point but I don't think it is that strenous. Pool Party-"That had stubbed toes written all over it." I just think he didn't want to see grown men in speedos or whatever swimming attire they would of worn. Here is a recap of the action that took place today: Indy Car-Winner-A.J. Burnett and Runner Up-Dana Cavalea, for anyone that might not know he is the strength and conditioning coach. Skeeball: Winner-Andrew Brackman and Runner Up-Eduardo Nunez Pop-A-Shot-Winner-Royce Ring and Runner Up-Mark Melancon Here are some of the comments from Mark Teixeira that were obtained by Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News. "The highlights were A.J. Burnett just smoking the field in the video game racing, and Royce Ring probably being the best pop-a-shot basketball player I have ever seen." Mariano Rivera was last years big winner in the pool tournament but his name wasn't on the winners list this year. Here is what Teixeira had to say about that "I don't think he did as well, but I don't want to throw him under the bus. At pool he was definitely head and shoulders above the rest, but these arcade games leveled the playing field a little. I won't throw anyone else under the bus, but I admit the race car game was a little difficult and I finished last in my heat." He also added that "It was a great day, the fact that we get three or four hours not to have to worry about baseball and not have to compete on the baseball field, it was fun. Playing video games, we felt like kids again. It promotes a light-hearted atmosphere." Joba Chamberlain had flu like symptoms and didn't attend the outing today. He will attempt to throw a bullpen tomorrow and if he can, he will stay in line to pitch on Friday but if not plans will be adjusted. The Yankees also announced the probably pitchers for the games on Thursday and Friday, here they are: Thursday at Philadelphia: CC Sabathia, Kei Igawa,Zach McAllister,Mark Melancon,Ivan Nova,Romulo Sanchez. Friday vs Tampa Bay: Phil Hughes,Joba Chamberlain,Jeremy Bleich,Grant Duff,Dustin Moseley,Hector Noesi,Dave Robertson and Kevin Whelan.

Mets have intrasquad game, get ready for first Game Tomorrow

The New York Mets had a intrasquad game today and will have their first exhibition game tomorrow. Manager Jerry Manuel told reporters after the intrasquad today that Johan Santanas first start will probably be on March 9th. Jose Reyes hit a leadoff triple in the first at bat he had today, he showed no lingering effects of his hamstring as he was running around the bases. This was a very welcome sight for the Mets and all of their fans, this is something you should see quite often in Citi Field if he can stay healthy. Jose Reyes is the sparkplug and I really think he needs to remain the leadoff hitter but I think he will bat third until Carlos Beltran comes back. Tomorrows game is at 1:00PM against the Braves. Nelson Figueroa will get the start. The lineup will be Gary Matthews Jr. hitting leadoff and playing center field followed by Luis Castillo,Jose Reyes,David Wright,Jason Bay, Mike Jacobs who will DH, Jeff Francoeur,Ike Davis who will play first and Chris Coste will do the catching. There wasn't much else coming out of today, Matthew Cerrone on his blog, this is where I got the lineup for tomorrow stated that it feels much looser in camp this year and that there is better chemistry. I hope the Mets do have a better attitude and stay healthy, if they do that they can win some games, but pitching is the key and they need someone from the group of Mike Pelfry, Oliver Perez and John Maine to step up.

The Day in Mets Camp

Here is a list of Mets pitchers for the intrasquad game on Monday, the first exhibition game will be on Tuesday. There is also a list for the first 3 exhibition games. March 1-Egbert,Everts,Blackley,Niese,Stoner,Dickey,Mejia March 2 vs Atlanta-Figueroa,Takahashi,Parnell,Dessens March 3 at Atlanta-Misch,Feliciano March 4 vs St. Louis-Dickey,Stoner Jerry Manuel said today that he doesn't believe that Kelvim Escobar will be able to contribute at the beginning of the year and may start it on the disabled list. He didn't rule out that he could start with the team but he hasn't even thrown off a mound yet, nevermind even throwing BP or in a game. There are some good pictures and video as always on Matthew Cerrones Metsblog.com which can be found at http://metsblog.com

The Day in Tampa

There really wasn't a whole lot of news coming out of Yankees camp today. Brian Cashman did indicate that Marcus Thames have a opt out of his contract if he doesn't make the team so basically him and Jaime Hoffman are in the same position. If Hoffman doesn't make the team he has to be offered back to the Dodgers due to him being a Rule 5 pick. If thames doesn't make it he can become a free agent. Joe Girardi stated that he would have a team bonding exercise on Tuesday but wouldn't say what it was yet. He also said he knows who will start Wednesdays Grapefruit league opener and will announce that tomorrow. Joe Girardi said that he will put both Gardner and Granderson in left and center during the exhibition games. He said he knows they can both handle center but wants to see if they can handle left. Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte will each throw a bullpen on Monday which will be their first one. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain both threw batting practice today. Hughes threw 29 pitches getting 6 swings. Joba threw 30 pitches and got 7 swings. Chad Jennings of the Journal News said he probably would say Chamberlain had the better commnad. You really can't find out much from these sessions, during the games is when you find out a lot. Joba and Phil are both taking this competition as fun, they are friends and were joking about it today. If you want to hear some audio of them visit the http://yankees.lhblogs.com/ which is the Lohud Yankees Blog by Chad Jennings and Sam Borden. A.J. Burnett, Javier Vazquez and Wilken De La Rosa all threw bullpens today. The other pitchers who threw live batting practice other then Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes were Boone Logan, Dustin Mosely, Edwar Ramirez and Mark Melancon. The other group consisted of Kei Igawa, Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova, Kevin Whelan, Hector Noesi, Jeremy Bleich and D.J. Mitchell. There was still no sign of Chan Ho Park, maybe he will arrive tomorrow.