New York Mets End Exhibition Season | Not A Good Day | Breaking News WorldNewsVine

The New York Mets got thrased by the score of 11-0 today by the Baltimore Orioles. They are now headed home and will begin the season on Monday from Citi Field. They will face the Florida Marlins with Johan Santana going up against Josh Johnson. I worry about the Mets pitching as they dont inspire much confidence. I think there bullpen might be ok but the starters are a real cause for concern. I do think the lineup will be better with Reyes and Beltran coming back. I think Jason Bay and Mike Jacobs will add some pop they were missing last season. The problem is they are going to have to average at least 6+ runs a game. New York Mets End Exhibition Season Not A Good Day Breaking News WorldNewsVine

Yankees Finish off Exhibition Season | Ready for Real Thing | Breaking News WorldNewsVine

I wanted to announce that I am the sports writer now for World News Vine. I really appreciate the support and attention you have given to this blog. I still will be writing my blog as I always have and welcome the continued support. I want you guys to read and support my articles for this site though as well and need you to click on the links I will be providing. Please pass these on to others so I can get as much support as possible. I will be generating some revenue from this of course but as you know I am dedicated to all the writing I can do and want to become a fulltime Journalist. I thank you for all of your time and support and please spread the word to others. Yankees Finish off Exhibition Season Ready for Real Thing Breaking News WorldNewsVine

Yankees Set Roster/Ready for Opening Night

The New York Yankees finished off their exhibition schedule with a 9-6 win over the future starts this afternoon. I am not going to go in detail about the game. The starters all got a couple of at bats and then came out of the game. Javier Vazquez pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up 7 hits and 3 runs with a walk and a couple of strikeouts. He had a good spring and is ready for the season. The best part of the game was that the regulars got their work in and didn't get hurt. Speaking of injuries all the guys that were nicked up are ready to go for tomorrow night. Jorge Posada played and came through it fine. He will be the starting catcher tomorrow, Francisco Cervelli will be on the roster, he is getting better and had a talk with Joe Girardi and was told if he does get into a game to just be smart. Damaso Marte and Alfredo Aceves both felt better today and will be available out of the bullpen. Here is the Opening Day Roster Starting Pitchers CC Sabathia A.J. Burnett Andy Pettitte Javier Vazquez Phil Hughes Bullpen Mariano Rivera Joba Chamberlain Damaso Marte Dave Robertson Alfredo Aceves Sergio Mitre Chan Ho Park Starting Lineup Derek Jeter(SS) Nick Johnson(DH) Mark Teixeira(1B) Alex Rodriguez(3B) Robinson Cano(2B) Jorge Posada(C) Curtis Granderson(CF) Nick Swisher(RF) Brett Gardner(LF) Bench Marcus Thames Ramiro Pena Francisco Cervelli Randy Winn What do you guys think of your 2010 New York Yankees. They will try and defend the title and I think they have a great shot at doing it. The season is long but this team has a deep lineup and some really good pitching all the way around. It should be a fun season and it all begins tomorrow night in Boston.

Yankees Updates

Marcus Thames has made the team. He said "That was a weight lifted off of my shoulders". He will be a reserve outfielder and get at bats against lefties who he has very good career numbers against. This hasn't been confirmed but according to a source and this is coming from Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees Blog the Yankees have signed Chad Moeller to a minor league contract. He will backup Jesus Montero at AAA Scranton. This same source is saying the Yankees have signed utility man Robby Hammock who can catch and play the corners. Damaso Marte, Francisco Cervelli and Jorge Posada all reported progress this morning. Posada is playing in the game today, Marte will play catch and Cervelli will play catch in the bullpen, hit in the cage and ride a stationary bike. They are all expected to be on the roster for tomorrows opener.

Grapefruit League Game 31-Mets at Orioles

The New York Mets will play their final exhibition game this afternoon in Sarasota against the Orioles. The game is at 1:05PM and will be on WFAN radio in New York. The Mets will head home and have a workout tomorrow at Citi Field in advance of Mondays Opener against the Florida Marlins. Jon Niese will get the start today and also expected to pitch are Oliver Perez, Ryota Igarashi and Sean Green. The Mets have one more cut to make before Mondays opener. According to the New York Daily News Francisco Rodriguez will rejoin the team tomorrow. He has been in Venezuela attending to a family matter. The New York Mets have announced that former Met Darryl Strawberry will throw out the first pitch on Monday. This is a good move by the Mets and it is about time they recognize their past.

Final Exhibition Game-Yankees Vs Yankees Future Stars

The New York Yankees will play one final exhibition game today at 1:0PM against Yankees Future Stars. This was set up by Yankees management and apparantly the players aren't too happy about it. The players would of preferred to break camp yesterday after the game and been in Boston for a workout today. They will play this game and then break camp and head to Boston and get there tonight. They will work out tomorrow prior to the game at 8:05PM tomorrow night. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. The Yes network will have pregame coverage starting at 7:00PM. Here are the lineups for todays game Yankees: Jeter(SS) Posada(C) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Cano(2B) Swisher(DH) Granderson(CF) Winn(RF) Gardner(LF) Javier Vazquez will start the game. This is pretty much the opening day lineup, Nick Johnson isn't in there today, he should be the DH and #2 hitter tomorrow, Swisher will be in RF and Winn will be on the bench. Yankees Future Stars: Heathcott(CF) Joseph(3B) Montero(C) Adams(2B) Murphy(DH) Curtis(LF) Suttle(1B) Nunez(SS) Mesa(RF) Jon Albaladejo is the starting pitcher.

Mets lose then cut down roster

The New York Mets lost to the Tampa Bay Rays tonight by the score of 4-2. After the game they told Kiko Calero, Chris Carter, Elmer Dessens, Bobby Parnell, Russ Adams and Nelson Figueroa that they will not be on the 25 man roster. I guess with this news it looks like Frank Catalanotto and Jenrry Mejia will make the team. The Mets got a good pitching performance out of Mike Pelfrey and hope this will carry over and he can have a good season. He pitched 6 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits. He didn't allow a walk and struck out 4 batters. Fernando Nieve came into the game in the 7th inning and wasn't great allowing a run, 2 hits and walk. He did strike out one in his 2/3 of an inning. Pedro Feliciano retired the only batter he faced. Jenrry Mejia pitched one inning allowing 2 hits and 2 runs but the runs were unearned. The Mets didn't too much offensively against Matt Garza who pitched very well. Mike Jacobs hit a 2 run homerun in the ninth and Jason Bay was 2-2 with a walk. Gary Matthews Jr. had a hit and a walk and Jeff Francoeur had a hit. The Mets play their last exhibition game tomorrow in Sarasota against the Orioles, gametime is 1:05PM. Jose Reyes was 1-4 in a minor league game today, he hit a homerun. He also played 7 innings in the field.

Yankees have caught the injury bug

The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles played to a 6-6 tie this afternoon. The big news of the day though was that Nick Johnson fouled a ball off of his knee in the first inning. He is day to day and stated to the media that he will be playing on Sunday night. It isn't so much that he got hurt but the last couple of days they have had guys coming down with injuries. Alfredo Aceves who has been battling back issues stated today that he will also be ready for Sunday. He pitched one inning today in minor league camp and came out of it in good shape. Damaso Marte has had a sore shoulder. He thinks it is from the strenthening exercises he has been doing on his shoulder. He said this injury is nothing like last year and that he is confident he will be fine. Andy Pettitte started the game today and pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings giving up 7 hits. He walked one and also struck out a batter. Andy was happy with his start saying "I felt like my command could of been a little bit better with my fastball. Other then that I felt really good." He stated that he got tired at the end which he knew would happen. He said even though he threw 100 pitches in his simulated game it isn't the same as the real game, that you can't duplicate the adrenaline. He said the biggest need from this game was to build his stamina up and he was glad to be out there and accomplish that. Mariano Rivera pitched an inning giving up 2 hits and 3 runs but none of them were earned. He also had a walk, strikeout and hit a batter. He hasn't been feeling well the last couple of days but I wouldn't worry about him. Boone Logan pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit, he also had a strikeout. It looks like he will make the team as the second lefty if they go that way because there is no one else left on the roster. The Yankees sent Royce Ring down. Offensively Randy Winn was 2-5 with a rbi and Mark Teixeira continued his hot spring with a couple of hits. Nick Swisher hit a 2 run homerun and Robinson Cano had a hit and rbi. Alex Rodriguez had a hit and rbi also. The Yankees will take on minor league all stars tomorrow at 1:05PM at George M. Steinbrenner Field. A-rod confirmed a NY Daily News story that he did meet with the Feds on Thursday. He didn't offer any other details then to say read the story. I guess there is nothing else to worry about with that and he will start the season and hopefully have a great drama free season once again.

Grapefruit League Game 30-Mets at Rays

The New York Mets are playing the Rays at Tropicana Field this evening. Mike Pelfrey will make the start. Also available to pitch tonight are Ryota Igarashi, Jenrry Mejia and Pedro Feliciano. Here is the starting lineup for the game: Cora(SS) Castillo(2B) Wright(3B) Jacobs(DH) Bay(LF) Matthews Jr.(CF) Francoeur(RF) Tatis(1B) Barajas(C) Jerry Manuel said on WFAN today that the Mets will be making some decisions on the roster tonight after the game. He wants Jenrry Mejia on the team, said he could eventually be the 8th inning guy. He also said he believes they have enough talent in the bullpen to get the job done. Alex Cora will be the starting SS on Opening Day. He will play both Gary Matthews Jr. and Angel Pagan based on matchups. He is leaning towards breaking up his right handers. Mike Jacobs will probably be the cleanup hitter since he will now be the first baseman.

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.

Additions to Citi Field for 2010

The Mets will display a game day starting lineup above the escalators in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. That is the main area where everyone comes into the Stadium. Each side of the field level will now display vintage baseball cards of Robin Ventura, Cleon Jones and Dave Kingman. Blue Smoke, Big Apple Brews and Box Frites will be opening additional locations on the promenade level of the stadium. The 1969 and 1986 clubs will be celebrated in the Champions Club. This club was formerly known as the Ebbetts Club. The VIP entrances will be renamed. The first base one will be "Hodges VIP" and the third base will be "Seaver VIP". Left field will be the "Stengel VIP" and each will feature images of them celebrating their careers. There are now banners in the parking lot of Mets from all eras. The outfield bridge will now be known as Shea Bridge in honor of Bill Shea. The homerun apple now resides in front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda outside of Citi Field. Thank you to Matthew Cerrone for having this information on his www.metsblog.com. It is nice to see the Mets finally recognizing some of their history, it is a year late but better late then never.

Yankees Injury Updates

Here are some of the injury updates from the Yankees: Jorge Posada-He is fine, he could of batted lefthanded today if they needed him too. The situation didn't arise though. Mark Teixeira-He said he felt really good today and you know your own body. He said he knew he would be ok. He was wearing a protective sleeve on his arm today and said Joe Girardi told him he wants him to wear it until he 100% doesn't feel anything at all. Alfredo Aceves-Joe Girardi just said that he is better then he was yesterday and is still scheduled to pitch tomorrow. Dave Robertson-This is a strange one but Joe Girardi saw him shaking his leg during the game and went to check on him. It turned out his shoes were hurting him, Robertson said maybe it is time for new shoes.

Mets lose To Nationals

The New York Mets lost to the Washington Nationals this afternoon by the score of 9-3. John Maine got the start for the Mets and was up and down. He gave up 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 walks and 2 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Ryota Igarashi pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up 1 hit and 2 runs with a walk. Sean Green looked really good today striking out the side in his one inning of work. Bobby Parnell pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. Hisanori Takahashi got out the only 2 guys he faced. The Mets offense was led by Frank Catalonatto and Ruben Tejada who each had 2 hits. Angel Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr. each had a hit and Matthews also drew a walk. Mike Jacobs hit a 2 run homerun, he will now be the first baseman and have a real chance to not let go of the position. Fernando Tatis had a hit for the Mets. The Mets will play the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow night at Tropicana Field, the game is at 6:10PM.

A.J. Looks good in final tuneup

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 5-2 today. A.J. Burnett made his final tuneup start before the regular season. He looked pretty good pitching 4 2/3 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 runs. He walked 2 and also struck out 2. Royce Ring struck out the only batter he faced as he is trying to make the team as a second lefty. It is a fierce battle between him and Boone Logan. Chan Ho Park pitched another perfect inning with a strikeout and Dave Robertson pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit. Joba Chamberlain pitched a scoreless inning with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Curtis Granderson had 2 hits off of lefties today, it looks like he has worked out some of his issues this spring against lefties and is ready for the season. Brett Gardner had a hit, Nick Johnson had a hit, rbi and walk. Mark Teixeira had a couple of hits and Robinson Cano was 2-2 with 2 rbi. I guess the 5th spot is agreeing with him as he has been tearing it up all spring. Nick Swisher was 2-3 and Ramiro Pena had a double and rbi. The Yankees appear to be ready for Opening Night in Boston on Sunday. The Yankees will take on the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow afternoon at 1:00PM on the yes network and ESPN and then have their final tuneup on Saturday afternoon against the Yankees minor leaguers.

Mets Vs Nationals

The New York Mets are playing a early game today, they started at 12 noon and the game is on SNY and WFAN radio in New York. Here are some quick notes from this morning. Francisco Rodriguez left the team to be with his family in Venezuela. Omar Minaya said he will be with the team for Opening Day. Minaya confirmed that Reyes will stay behind for extended spring training when the team breaks camp. He said "He will stay here with the extended program. he is coming along very well. We want him for the whole year and feel it's safter for him to stay down in Florida." There is no date for Reyes return right now. Minaya said it is likely that 12 pitchers are on the roster for opening day. Minaya said "I like our team, when you look at our team, with Jose hopefully getting in the mix, teh team as a unit feels good. Underneath the expectation levels, I think we can prove some people wrong."

Grapefruit League Game 28-Yankees at Blue Jays

Here are some quick notes from Joe Girardis session with the press this morning and then I have the lineup for today. Curtis Granderson will be the CF, they would of been fine with either Granderson or Gardner but the Yankees view Granderson as a everyday player. Gardner still has to earn his playing time, he will play CF the days Granderson does not. Francisco Cervelli has a Grade 1 strain of the hamstring and won't play in anymore exhibition games. Girardi thinks he won't go on the DL and will start the season with the team. Just in case they wanted to get Mike Rivera in these last few games. Girardi didn't committ to a full time platoon with Marcus Thames but it looks like he will get a lot of playing time against lefties. Girardi said he has swung the bat well against lefties and has played well enough in the field. His career numbers against lefties are very good. A.J. Burnett, Royce Ring, Chan Ho Park, Joba Chamberlain,Dave Robertson, Pat Venditte, Craig Heyer and Lance Pendleton are pitchers available today. Yankees Lineup: Granderson(CF) Johnson(DH) Teixeira(1B) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Thames(LF) Pena(SS) Laird(3B)

Mets defeat Marlins but have more bad injury News

The New York Mets defeated the Florida Marlins 6-3 this afternoon. Nelson Figueroa pitched 3 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits and striking out 3. Raul Valdez and Hisanori Takahashi pitched a scoreless inning in relif. Jenrry Mejia pitched 2 innings giving up a run but only because of a dropped ball in center by Angel Pagan. David Wright hit another homerun and Mike Jacobs hit 2 doubles. Jason Bay and Chris Carter also hit homeruns. Jeff Francouer was hitless and is only hitting 208 on the spring. The big news of the day was that Daniel Murphy is out 2-6 weeks with a sprained knee. This opens the door for Mike Jacobs who was maybe on his way out but will be the starting first baseman now. Jerry Manuel also announced his rotation for the first week and it is Johan Santana followed by John Maine, Jon Niese, Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez. I don't think it matters to much how you put it because it is basically Santana and then hope the rest of the games. I don't think you can feel good at all about this rotation. Jon Niese may be good but the other starters are showing a lot of questions. Perez is what he is and Maine hasn't been healthy in a long time and when he is, he is basically a 5 inning pitcher anyway. Mike Pelfrey is the guy who really needs to step up but has looked bad this spring. Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting that Jose Reyes will not be with the Mets on Opening Day. If this is true he will miss the first 5 games, the Mets want to be cautious with him according to Heyman. He will not start in any grapefruit league games either then and will keep working in the minor league games. I guess we will see how this plays out the next couple of days.

The plan for Phil Hughes

The Yankees came up with this plan for Phil Hughes, he won't make his first start of the season until April 15th. On April 5th he will throw 90-100 pitches in a extended spring start. This is basically the equivalent of a minor league spring training game. He will fly to Boston after the game to join the rest of the team. April 10th- He will make another extended spring start in the middle of a series in Tampa against the Rays. He will most likely be backed off to about 70 pitches, it is just like the other pitchers were in their last starts. April 15- He will make his season debut at home against the Angels. He will be stretched out just like the rest of the other pitchers at that point. Joe Girardi said they chose to do it this way because it will help to further control his innings. The innings he pitches in extended spring won't count against his total for the season. He said he was only throwing 50 pitches at times when the other guys were throwing 50 and they feel this is a good way to get him up to where he should be. He said the innings don't count because it is a controlled environment. If he throws 20 pitches in a inning and they want to stop the inning they can. In a real game you can't do this. Why wouldn't the Yankees option him to the minors and bring him up when needed. "There is a situation that might arise where you need him to make a spot start, or you get rained out and they want to play a double header. If he were optioned they would have to wait 10 days before calling him up. This seems like a pretty reasonable plan, I guess I like this plan. I think it will work out fine, I was thinking send him down but with Girardi explaining this I can understand what they are thinking. The notes come from Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees blog and Journal News.

Yankees News and Game Recap

The New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins this afternoon by the score of 4-2. Phil Hughes got the start and started out rocky but then was good the rest of the way. He pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 runs. He walked 1 and struckout 5. Boone Logan faced one batter and struck him out. Joba Chamberlain pitched a perfect inning, Dave Robertson pitched 1 inning giving up 2 hits and 1 run. Chan Ho Park pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts. Park has been really impressive this spring not allowing a run. Royce Ring pitched a inning with a walk. Derek Jeter was 1-3 today, Alex Rodriguez hit a solo homerun and Ramiro Pena was 1-3. Juan Miranda had a great day going 3-3 with a rbi. That was all the offense the Yankees were able to produce. A-rod looks really explosive and ready to go, Jeter has been getting hot which is a good sign also. I think it is the time when everyone is just ready to go including me. I am ready to write about some real games. Here are some notes from today: Francisco Cervelli felt something in his hamstring. The Yankees are being cautious and don't want him to run so he won't play in a game until Saturday. Phil Hughes pitched better then his line would indicate today. The first inning he had 2 outs and then 4 straight batters reached base. He said it was his curveball which he couldn't bury in the dirt. He was pretty pleased with his outing though, he threw 88 pitches and 61 were strikes. Teixeira is ok, he will play tomorrow according to Joe Girardi. He said he saw him after his cage work and he felt ok. Joe Girardi said that Alfredo Aceves is on target for friday but they will check on him tomorrow to make sure he is ok. Girardi will announce who his CF is tomorrow, he said "You can make an assumption." This is when he was asked if todays lineup was an indication? Girardi said yesterday that Joba was unlikely to pitch back-to-back days but he is on the traveling roster for tomorrow along with Chan Ho Park and Dave Robertson. Girardi said that "If the situation arises I will do it. I would like to see it." Here is what Girardi had to say about Joba "Throwing a lot of strikes, His slider has been better." The Yankees want to make sure that Alfredo Aceves is healthy before they settle on their opening day bullpen. Girardi said they want to watch a couple of more days, that they are leaning one way but in fairness to the guys they all have pitched pretty well and you want to see everything. Derek Jeter, Francisco Cervelli and Alex Rodriguez wont make the trip tomorrow to Dunedin to face the Blue Jays. The game is at 1:05PM.

Yanks Recap and Some Notes

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays this evening by the score of 5-3. Sergio Mitre got the start and looked very good. He pitched 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits with 0 walks and 5 strikeouts. He gave up a 2 run homerun in the 4th inning, that inning his pitches were up but that is a very good outing. Damaso Marte pitched a inning giving up a hit, run and walk. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Boone Logan got the save with a scoreless inning. He allowed a walk and had a strikeout. He is trying to make the team as the second lefty and if Aceves can't go and starts on the DL his chances look pretty good. Derek Jeter was 2-3 tonight with a walk, Nick Johnson was 1-4 with a rbi. Marcus Thames was 1-4 and Alex Rodriguez was 2-3 with a walk. Randy Winn and Ramiro Pena were both 1-4 with a rbi. Francisco Cervelli also had a hit. The Yankees will play the Minnesota Twins tomorrow afternoon at 1 on the yes network. Here are some postgame notes from tonights game: The Yankees assigned Jon Weber and David Winfree to minor league camp after the game. Weber hit 483 this spring and is tied for the team lead with 4 doubles. He was definitely the nice story of camp. He is 32 years old and never made the major leagues. He had this to say "It was the best time in my life, in my career, that I have ever had. I made it to the final week with the New York Yankees." Girardi said he did everything that he could and opened up some eyes. Mark Teixeira was at camp today and reported no swelling of his elbow. That was great news for the Yankees as he got hit hard last night. Alfredo Aceves was also feeling better today and there is a chance he will play catch tomorrow. The decision on if Phil Hughes will start in the minors and come up when they need a 5th starter or just start in the majors is coming soon. Girardi said "We should have that for you shortly. I think we are just about done with that." Joba Chamberlain probably won't pitch in back to back games this spring. The Yankees only have 4 more games.

Grapefruit League Game 26-Blue Jays at Yankees

The New York Yankees are taking on the Toronto Blue Jays at home this evening. The game is at 7:05PM on the yes network. Here are the lineups for tonights game. There aren't really any notes, I will have some later on tonight or tomorrow after this game. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Johnson(DH) Thames(LF) Rodriguez(3B) Winn(RF) Pena(2B) Weber(DH) Cervelli(C) Golson(CF) Sergio Mitre is making the start. Blue Jays Lineup: Jose Bautista(RF) Aaron Hill(2B) Adam Lind(DH) Vernon Wells(CF) Lyle Overbay(1B) Edwin Encarnacion(3B) Travis Snider(LF) Alex Gonzalez(SS) Raul Chavez(C) Mark Rzepczynski is the starting pitcher for the Blue Jays.

Mets lose in more then one way

The New York Mets were defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon by the score of 9-4. Oliver Perez got the start and was dreadful again. He pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up 6 hits and 7 runs with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. He allowed 3 homeruns in the game. Elmer Dessens pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings giving up 2 hits. Sean Green pitched 2 scoreless innings giving up a hit and he had a strikeout. Kiko Calero pitched 1 inning giving up 2 hits and a run, he did have 2 strikeouts. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit and he had a strikeout. Daniel Murphy was 2-2 with a walk. He left the game with a knee injury suffered during a rundown. Jason Bay hit his 3rd homerun of the spring although he played bad in the field. Rod Barajas, Omir Santos and Frank Catalanotto each had a hit. Alex Cora left the game after getting hit by a pitch. I don't have any injury updates yet. According to SNY the Mets have told Pat Misch that he will not be on the roster. Mike Jacobs will play in Murphys spot tomorrow against the Marlins. The Mets have claimed Manny Acosta from the Braves this afternoon. He is 5-7 in his career with a 3.55 era. I am guessing they will be looking at him for the 8th inning. Carlos Beltran took indoor batting today in Port St. Lucie. The Mets are still hopeful he will be back by mid may but there hasn't bee a definitive timetable yet.

CC not great but Switch Pitcher is the Story

CC Sabathia had his final tuneup before it counts and wasn't too great. He actually had a poor spring but I don't think anyone has shown any concern and I actually feel the same way. He knows what he has to do and I am sure he will be find on Sunday night in Boston. He pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up 8 hits and 5 runs this afternoon with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Pat Venditte came on in relief of him, he is the switch pitcher and stole the show. He pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up 2 hits and 1 run but he was a attraction to say the least. Sabathia didn't even know he could throw with both hands, he said I came out saw a lefty coming in then saw a right hander and though oh he must of gotten hurt but then realized it was the same pitcher. He has put up good minor league numbers but is still considered a show more then anything. To his credit he was humbled by the experience and said it is up to him to be more then a show. The audio is up on the lohud yankees blog. Robinson Cano stayed hot going 2-4 with a solo homerun. Nick Swisher was 1-4 with his first homerun, Jorge Posada was 2-3 with 2 rbi and a walk. Curtis Granderson was 1-4 with 1 rbi, Juan Miranda was 1-4 with a rbi and Kevin Russo was 1-4. Robinson Cano remains hot, so far the 5th spot is really cooperating with him. Nick Swisher is having a good spring and so is Jorge Posada, the lineup looks ready to go. The Yankees will play the Blue Jays at 7:00PM at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Grapefruit League Game 25-Yankees at Braves

The New York Yankees will take on the Atlanta Braves this afternoon in Lake Buena Vista. CC Sabathia will be on the mound. The Yankees also have a home game this evening against the Toronto Blue Jays. Here is the lineup and some notes, mostly left over from last night. Yankees Lineup: Gardner(LF) Swisher(RF) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Granderson(CF) Miranda(1B) Russo(SS) Laird(3B) It is a rainy, dreary day in the Northeast but lets remember that baseball is right around the corner. The Yankees will open the season on Sunday Night in Boston, gametime is 8:05PM. CC Sabathia will go up against Josh Beckett. The Yankees and Atlanta will play their first and only meeting of the spring as they had a game postponed due to rain earlier in March. Chan Ho Park hasn't allowed a run in 4 outings. He has pitched 5 innings giving up 4 hits and has 5 strikeouts. Mark Teixeira is going to be ok, he has a nasty bruise and will take a couple of days off, he expects to play on Thursday though. Joba Chamberlain was hitting 93 on the gun last night. Javier Vazquez will make his final start of the spring on Saturday. He said he was only building arm strength last night, it was a tough night for him because it was so windy. He couldn't use his breaking pitches.

Jose Reyes closer to returning

The New York Mets defeated the Florida Marlins by the score of 7-6 today. They also got good news when Jose Reyes took live batting practice and looked good. He is likely to run the bases next and then play in a minor league game. The Mets won't say if he will be ready for opening day or not, I am not sure if they really know. Jon Niese got the start and pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up 6 hits and 4 runs, 3 of them were earned. He had 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.Bobby Parnell pitched 1 inning giving up 2 hits and 1 run. Jenrry Mejia pitched a inning giving up a hit and a run, Pedro Feliciano pitched a inning giving up a hit and 0 runs with 2 strikeouts. Fernando Nieve pitched a inning giving up a hit and 0 runs with a strikeout. Pedro Feliciano wants to be the 8th inning guy but he is too valuable as a lefty specialist. Jeff Francoeur led the offense with 3 hits, Daniel Murphy had 2 hits. Angel Pagan had a hit and rbi, Gary Matthews Jr. had a hit, rbi and walk. Henry Blanco had 2 hits and 2 rbi, Ruben Tejada had 2 hits a rbi and walk. The team will have information about the final pitching staff on Thursday. Pedro Feliciano said after the game that he feels he will get the job as the setup man, that he isn't comfortable being just a lefty specialist. Johan Santana will pitch in a minor league game tomorrow.

Yanks offense keeps rolling as tempers flare

The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 11-7 tonight in Sarasota. This game though was more then just the final score, Mark Teixeira left the game early with a elbow contusion after getting hit by a pitch, later on in the game Francisco Cervelli got hit also and Joe Girardi lost his temper. It was reported by Chad Jennings who was live blogging the game from down there that he was shouting and motioning to the other dugout. I don't know what the repercussions will be if any but Baltimore and the Yankees will play many games this season as they are in the same division and I am sure this isn't over. Javier Vazquez got the start and pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up 7 hits and 4 runs with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. He was pitching well until he gave up a 3 run Adam Jones homerun in the 6th inning. Joba Chamberlain got the final 2 outs of the 6th inning giving up a hit and striking out one guy. Chan Ho Park once again pitched a scoreless inning. Dave Robertson pitched an inning giving up 2 hits and 1 run with a walk and strikeout. Royce Ring didn't pitch too well in his bid to be the second lefty. He pitched 1 inning giving up 2 hits and 2 runs with 1 walk and strikeout. Robinson Cano hit a 3 run homerun, David Winfree hit a 3 run homerun and had 4 rbi and Marcus Thames hit another homerun. Mark Teixeira had a hit and rbi before leaving the game and Alex Rodriguez had a hit. Randy Winn had a hit and Francisco Cervelli had a hit, walk and stolen base. Greg Golson also had a hit. The Yankees will play split squads tomorrow with the away game at Atlanta at 1:00PM and a home game against Toronto tomorrow night at 7 on the yes network.

Grapefruit League Game 24-New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles

The New York Yankees are taking on the Baltimore Orioles this evening from Sarasota. I don't know why I said the Cincinatti Reds yesterday but I did and that was clearly wrong. Here is the lineup for tonights game which won't be on TV or radio. I will then have some notes after the lineup. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Johnson(DH) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Cano(2B) Thames(LF) Winn(RF) Cervelli(C) Golson(CF) Javier Vazquez is making the start. The big news of the day is that Alfredo Aceves has a balky back. He will skip tomorrows relief appearance. Joe Girardi said he has been tight and "a little out of line" for a few days, the Yankees have decided to give him a few days off. Girardi said he believes that Aceves will pitch later this week and be ready for the opener on Sunday. Girardi said "It is something we're going to have to manage." Joe Girardi said the team will likely wait until Thursday or Friday before they finalize their roster. It is still a possibility that Phil Hughes starts in the minor leagues and is called up when the Yankees need the 5th starter. Girardi said him and Brian Cashman have not had a chance to talk about it yet, how they are going to do it. Girardi said "I am not quite ready to make that decision, but I am definitely leaning one way." That is what he said when asked about who his CF will be. Joel Sherman of the NY Post has reported a team source told him it would be Granderson and that is what I believe also. Pat Vendite the switch pitcher is on the travel roster for tomorrows game and Girardi is excited. He said "I have wanted to see it all spring, I would like to put him in against a left, right ,left." Joba, Dave Robertson, Grant Duff and Royce Ring are available out of the bullpen today. Alan Horne is injured again, he was the Eastern League pitcher of the year a couple of years ago. He just can't stay healthy. He has more then a 80 percent tear in his rotator cuff.

Mets Split Squad is now one Game

The New York Mets game with the Washington Nationals in Viera has been cancelled due to rain. The game in Port St. Lucie is still on with the Marlins. Jon Niese will get the start. Oliver Perez will start tomorrow instead of today. Here is the lineup for todays game: Mets Lineup: Pagan(CF) Cora(SS) Wright(3B) Murphy(1B) Francoeur(RF) Matthews(LF) Blanco(C) Tejada(2B) Niese(P)

Some Yankee notes from Today

Here are some notes from today via Chad Jennings of the Journal News and Lohud Yankees Blog. Chad Gaudin has reportedly signed with the Oakland A's. Sergio Mitre is starting the home game of the split squad games on Tuesday and the Yankees plan on him pitching more then 3 innings. They want to keep him stretched out in case of an injury, he will be the guy they go to early in the season. It could also be Alfredo Aceves but most likely it would be Mitre. CC Sabathia will pitch the road split squad game on Tuesday. Girardi said "That is where CC asked to go. I said great that works out good." Joe Girardi said that all of these missed games for Andy Pettitte may actually keep him stronger through the year. I guess you can always find a positive in any negative. The Pitchers scheduled for tomorrow night are Javier Vazquez, Joba Chamberlain, Chan Ho Park, Dave Robertson and Royce Ring. The whole regular infield will make the trip tomorrow. Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher will not along with Jorge Posada.

Mets get pounded

The New York Mets lost to the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon by the score of 10-5. Mike Pelfrey got the start for the mets and continued to have a terrible spring. He pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up 12 hits and 6 runs with 0 walks and 3 strikeouts. He allowed 3 homeruns, he has a 7.97 era this spring. Sean Green faced one batter and got him out but it looks like he will start the year in AAA according to Adam Rubin formerly of the NY Daily News who will be working for ESPN NY now. Ryota Igarashi didn't pitch too well going 1 inning and giving up 3 hits and 3 runs with a walk. Pat Misch pitched an inning giving up 3 hits and 1 run with 1 walk. Elmer Dessens pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit. Angel Pagan had a big day with 2 hits and 3 rbi. Luis Castillo had a hit and Fernando Tatis had a couple of hits. Jason Bay had a walk and Frank Catalanotto had a hit and 2 rbi. Fernando Martinez, Ruben Tejada, Mike Pelfrey and Chris Carter all had a hit each. The Mets will play a split squad tomorrow. They will be at Washington and home against the Marlins.

Yanks game called in 4th inning

The Yankees were able to get in a few innings but the game was called in the 4th inning today due to the rain. Andy Pettitte was supposed to start but didn't because they thought they would have a long rain delay and didn't want him to start and then have that happen. He actually came into the game in the 4th inning and had a nice 1-2-3 inning but then the game was called. Damaso Marte, Mariano Rivera and Boone Logan all had scoreless innings. The Yankees offense looked to be in midseason form as they scored 6 runs in the first inning and were leading 8-0 when the game was called. A-rod had a 2 run single in the first and Robinson Cano had a 2 run double. Brett Gardner had a sac fly that was really because of Robinson Cano being aggressive, it was a short fly ball that should of never scored a run but it did. Derek Jeter had a single and Nick Johnson and Mark Teixeira both had walks. Nick Johnson came up for a second time in the first inning and had a rbi walk. Derek Jeter also walked in his second at bat of the first inning. This game doesn't count for anything as the game was called before they got 5 innings in. The Yankees will play the Reds in Sarasota tomorrow evening.

Grapefruit League Game 24-Tigers at Yankees

The New York Yankees will be hosting the Detroit Tigers this afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The weather forecast is calling for rain but we will see if they get this game in. Andy Pettitte is starting and he has been dealing with rain all spring. Here is the lineup for todays game. The Yankees have their A lineup in and now as we mark one week until opening day the Yankees should have this pretty much every day this week. Yankee Lineup: Jeter(SS) Johnson(DH) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Granderson(CF) Swisher(RF) Gardner(LF) I will have some game notes in a little while. Alfredo Aceves, Mariano Rivera, Damaso Marte, Royce Ring and Boone Logan are also scheduled to pitch. The Yankees play the last of 5 spring games against the Tigers today. They defeated them 2-1 yesterday and are 3-1 against the Tigers this spring. This is only Andy Pettittes second official start of the spring. He has pitched in intrasquad games. He allowed 2 runs ininngs in his only start against the Phillies.