Yankees News and Notes Saturday 4/2/11

The New York Yankees had a lot to be happy about after Saturday afternoons win. They are 2-0 for the first time since 2005. Here are some news and notes from after the game. Joe Girardi on A.J. Burnett "I thought he threw the ball well. Stamina was somewhat of an issue. His ears have been clogged. he's had a hard time breathing. That's why we only let him go five innings." As a Yankee Burnett is undefeated in April 6-0 with a 3.99 ERA. He has made 11 April starts. Teixeira is usually the opposite having terrible Aprils. He had two homeruns all of April last year well he already has two in two games this year. He changed his offseason routine to try to get off to a better start and so far it is working. Teixeira said "Just swinging more and working out a little less. I've always been a guy who hits the weights really heavy. Because of that, I've always had great second halves and stayed strong during the whole year. But I was swinging a little more this offseason and trying to get my swing right." Teixeira is the first player to hit a three-run homerun or a grand slam in his teams first two game's since 2002 when Barry Bonds was doing it for the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees have scored 16 runs in their first two games. Alex Rodriguez said the good news for them is that everyone in the lineup is swinging well. A-rod needs 16 homeruns to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for fifth on the all-time homerun list. He hit number 614 today. Derek Jeter is 72 hits from reaching the magical number 3,000 and becoming the first Yankee to do so. He is tied with Al Simmons for 35th on the all-time hits list. Mariano Rivera has saved the first two games which is the first time that has happened since 2000. Russell Martin had his first Yankees homerun. Rodriguez said he has been impressive.

Mets battle their way to a win in extra innings

The New York Mets defeated the Florida Marlins by the score of 6-4 Saturday night. Jon Niese made the start and gave up two runs in the first inning. He settled down after that and ended up pitching seven innings without giving up another run. Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect eighth inning. Francisco Rodriguez blew the save in the ninth inning and Blaine Boyer ended up with the save in the tenth inning. The Mets battled back to tie the game at two in the sixth inning and they took the lead in the ninth inning on a Josh Thole RBI single. The Mets came right back after the blown save to score three runs in the tenth inning. Willie Harris had a big two run double. Boyer didn't make it easy but he did secure the save after giving up a run, the last out was a hard shot up the middle that Reyes made a nice play on and ran to second to get the last out. The Mets and Marlins will play the rubber game of the three game series Sunday afternoon with R.A. Dickey on the mound. The Mets will have off Monday and then head to Philadelphia for three games. They would love to head their with some confidence.

Yankees pound away on the Tigers as A.J. battles

The New York Yankees won their second straight game on Saturday afternoon defeating the Detroit Tigers 10-6. The game wasn't as close as it seems. The Yankees scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Burnett pitched five effective innings, he was battling a bad cold and lost his stamina in the fifth inning but after giving up two runs was able to fight through it and earn the win. Mark Teixeira, Russell Martin and Alex Rodrigez all had homeruns. Texieira hit his second three run homer in as many games as he looks to have a hot start to the season for the first time in his career. A-rod also had a double as he continues to hit like he did all spring in Florida. The Yankees bullpen gave up runs late but it was Luis Ayala and Boone Logan who were just getting some work. Mariano Rivera had to pick up an easy three pitch one batter save. The Yankees will be looking for the sweep Sunday afternoon when Phil Hughes takes the mound. Hughes will go up against another young right handed pitcher in Max Scherzer. The Yankees offense will try and continue their hot start. The Yankees are notoriously slow starters and this is the first time since 2005 they are 2-0 to open the season.

Mets at Marlins Game Two

The Mets will try to avoid a losing streak. Here is  their lineup tonight at Florida.  Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Davis, Duda, Emaus, Thole, Niese.  The Mets need more then 4 1/3 innings from the starter.  The offense was facing one of the best so I wouldn't worry about them as much.

Yanks vs. Tigers Game Two

Here is the Yankees lineup this afternoon.  Gardner, Jeter, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Swisher, Posada, Granderson, Martin.  A.J. Burnett on the mound with his first shot at forgetting last year.  He was battling a cold but should be good to go.

Mets lose to Marlins as Pelfrey struggled

The New York Mets lost to the Florida Marlins on Friday night by the score of 6-2. Mike Pelfrey who is being counted on as the ace didn't resemble anything close to that on Opening Night. He pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up four runs, he looked pretty good for the first three innings but then gave up a grand slam to John Buck and couldn't get out of the fourth inning. The Mets offense didn't do much at all as they didn't even record a hit until the seventh inning where they scored two runs. The Mets pitching looks like it will be their downfall but on this night their pitching and their offense were to take equal blame. It is only one game but the Mets want to get off to a good start and try to erase the negative thoughts most have of them. They will play game two of their three game series Saturday night at 7:10PM. Jon Niese will take on Ricky Nolasco. The Mets have a chance to turn it around quickly as they will play the next day and on Sunday afternoon. The Mets need to get a good pitching performance and hope that their offense will perform better. Josh Johnson does deserve some credit as he is one of the best pitchers in the league and lots of hitters struggle against him. Ricky Nolasco is good but he isn't an ace or unhittable.

Yanks Defeat Tigers on Opening Day

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day Thursday afternoon March 31, 2011. It was a frigid cold day out at the stadium. The two top pitchers pitched well but not great each giving up three runs in six innings. Sabathia only gave up two earned runs. The Yankees showed off their strengths in their bullpen and homerun power. Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera pitched three perfect innings with a strikeout each. They didn't need many pitches to do it either. 39 pitches total from the trio, the three headed bullpen monster we can call JOSOMO. The Yankees got homeruns from Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira. The star of the game was Granderson as he was dazzling out in center field as well as hitting the game winning homerun. Russell Martin had a nice debut with a couple of hits, calling a good game, a stolen base and a couple of runs scored. Alex Rodriguez continued what he has done in the spring, he had a double and a couple of walks to be on base three out of four at bats. Derek Jeter didn't get a hit but he did have a sacrifice fly. Brett Gardner tried to bunt twice for hits and was out but just barely in both instances. The two teams will take off Friday and then resume the three game series on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. A.J. Burnett will face Brad Penny on Saturday afternoon and Phil Hughes will face Max Scherzer on Sunday afternoon. The Saturday game is at 4:05 on Fox and Sunday at 1:05PM on the YES network. It is Opening Day and not even the cold could damper the spirits of the fans and players. Baseball is back and that is something that brings warmth to us all. I was out at the ballpark today and it was as cold as it has ever been but a win makes it all worth while and it was just great to be back in the ballpark. I feel it is a home away from home and it is a place that I love spending time in, there is nothing like going to a ballgame. The Yankees hope that it is the first of many victories this season on their way to a 28th Championship but for now they will savor the first one, enjoy it for a day and get back to work on Saturday.

Yankees Vs. Tigers Opening Day

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

Yankees News and Notes as the season nears

The New York Yankees announced their rotation on Saturday with Ivan Nova winning the fourth starter position and Freddy Garcia the fifth position. Bartolo Colon despite outpitching Garcia will be in the bullpen. He is the longman and spot starter although Joe Girardi envisions him being like Alfredo Aceves a guy who can do multiple things like pitching an inning or two or long relief or spot starting. Sergio Mitre was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday for outfielder Chris Dickerson. The Yankees feel they don't have great outfield depth and this would help. Dickerson in his first game on Saturday went 3-3 but he came out of the game with what they think is cramps. He was better on Sunday but they still don't know for sure what is bothering him. The Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins 7-6 on Sunday but Robinson Cano and Austin Romine each hit a homerun. The only guy who pitched who may be on the Yankees this season is Steve Garrison. The only reason he has a chance is because Pedro Feliciano is almost certainly beginning the year on the DL. The Yankees haven't announced their backup catcher, backup infielder and utility guys yet but they are expected to do so on Monday. It is expected to be Eric Chavez, Eduardo Nunez and Gustavo Molina. Francisco Cervelli should be returning in the beginning of May and Molina will hold the fort until then. Montero will be in AAA and Romine in AA and continue to develop, they are both young guys and the future at that position why rush them. The Yankees still don't know Curtis Granderson status but it looks like he may not have to go on the DL. If he doesn't that would be a good thing even if he can't start on Opening Day. Joe Girardi said he still isn't sure about the lineup, he is still thinking about it and won't know until Thursday what he is going to do. It seems that Romulo Sanchez may be traded, stay tuned on that one. The Yankees announced they will be doing their third annual Hope Week again this year. It will take place in July and they had a little girl today at the game that saved another girl from drowning. It is a great week that they have produced the last couple of years and it will continue.