The New York Yankees defeat the Houston Astros 3-2

The New York Yankees defeat the Houston Astros 3-2


The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros on Friday night. The final score. was 3-2 and the game took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Adam Warren started and pitched well. David Adams who had the big hit of the game led the offense.

Warren pitched five shutout innings giving up two hits and a walk. He struck out four and won his third game of the season. David Phelps pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a hit and two runs with two walks and a strikeout, Joba Chamberlain pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a walk and Preston Claiborne walked one and struck out one in his one inning. David Roberston pitched a perfect inning and earned his third save of the season.

Robinson Cano had a hit, Alfonso Soriano had a hit and drew a walk and Mark Reynolds had two hits and an RBI. David Adams had a hit and two RBI, J.R. Murphy had a hit, and Murphy, Adams and Soriano each hit a double. The Yankees were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.

Brett Oberholtzer pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up five hits and three runs with two of them being earned. He walked one and struck out four and lost his fifth game of the season. Josh Zeid pitched 1 2/3 innings striking out three, Kevin Chapman pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Josh Fields pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out two.

Jonathan Villar had a hit, Jose Altuve drew a walk and Matt Dominguez drew a walk. Marc Krauss drew two walks, Chris Carter drew a walk and L.J. Hoes had two hits. Brandon Barnes had a hit, Brett Wallace had a hit and two RBI and Wallace hit a double. The Astros were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Villar had a stolen base and Elmore was caught stealing. Dominguez committed an error.

Reynolds hit an RBI single in the fourth and Adams hit a two run double to make it 3-0 Yankees. In the seventh Wallace hit a two run double to cut the lead to 3-2 Yankees. 3-2 was the final score of the game.

The Yankees record improved to 83-77 and the Astros record fell to 51-109. The two teams will play game two of three on Saturday night. Andy Pettitte will be making the final start of his career in his hometown, which should be nice.

The New York Yankees postseason hopes on life support after a loss in Toronto

The New York Yankees postseason hopes on life support after a loss in Toronto


The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees on Thursday night. The final score was 6-2 and the game took place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees and pitched ok. Joba Chamberlain out of the pen put the game out of reach. The Yankees offense was anemic again.

Kuroda pitched six innings giving up eight hits and three runs with four walks and seven strikeouts. Joba Chamberlain gave up two hits and three runs and a walk without recording an out, Cesar Cabral pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a walk and striking out two and Matt Daley pitched to one batter and retired him. David Phelps pitched a perfect inning.

Curtis Granderson had a hit and an RBI, Alex Rodriguez drew a walk and Robinson Cano had two hits. Alfonso Soriano had a hit and drew a walk, Vernon Wells had an RBI and drew a walk and Chris Stewart had a hit. Stewart and Cano each hit a double and Granderson hit a homerun. The Yankees were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.

Todd Redmond won his fourth game of the season pitching seven innings and giving up four hits and a run. He walked one and struck out seven, Sergio Santos pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Luis Perez pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with a walk and a strikeout and Jeremy Jeffress pitched to one batter and walked him. Casey Janssen saved his 32nd game of the season pitching 2/3 of an inning.

Jose Reyes had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk, Kawasaki had a hit and drew a walk and Brett Lawrie had a hit and an RBI. Adam Lind had two hits and three RBI, Colby Rasmus drew two walks and Moises Sierra had a hit and drew two walks. Anthony Gose had three hits and an RBI. Reyes and Gose each hit a double and Gose and Lind each hit a homerun. The Jays were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Gose had an outfield assist.

In the third Reyes hit an RBI double and Lawrie hit an RBI groundout giving the Jays a 2-0 lead. Granderson hit a solo homerun in the sixth to cut the lead to 2-1 Jays. Gose hit a solo homerun in the sixth to make it 3-1 Jays. The Jays broke it open in the seventh with three runs. Lind hit a three run homerun to push the lead to 6-1. The Yankees scored a run in the ninth on an RBI groundout by Wells to make it 6-2 and that was the final score.

The Yankees lost two out of three in Toronto and five out of six on their road trip. Their record fell to 80-73. The Jays record improved to 70-82. The Yankees will host the San Francisco Giants for a three game series beginning on Friday night.

New York Yankees notes from Baltimore

The New York Yankees lost two out of three in Baltimore. Here are some notes from the last couple of days. Phil Hughes had a dreadful start his last time out, he couldn’t even get out of the first inning. He pitched on Tuesday night though and was a lot better. He gave them a quality start even though he or they didn’t win. Vidal Nuno has pitched well in the limited time he has pitched. He came in though in the game and gave up a walkoff homerun to the only batter that he faced. 
Nuno though to his credit isn’t rattled. He has been a starter and isn’t used to coming into a game in the tenth inning. He hasn’t pitched in a while though since his start was skipped with the rainout and he was available for multiple innings, unfortunately he gave up a homerun and that ended the game.

Hughes did give up a couple of more homeruns, they were both to Chris Dickerson a former teammate. That is Hughes big knock against him, he does give up a lot of homeruns, at least these two were solo homeruns. Preston Claiborne has been a find for the Yankees. He was one of the last guys to be cut in spring training, continued to pitch well in AAA and got his chance in the majors. He has been great and pitched in a tie game in the ninth inning on Tuesday night. He has impressed everyone.

Travis Hafner has returned from injury and gone 4-9 in the past couple of games. He had two RBI last night. The game on Tuesday night was the first time this season the Yankees lost after scoring first in a game. It was the longest such stretch all-time for an American League team according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Joba Chamberlain was supposed to make an appearance today in a rehab game in Tampa. Joe Girardi said he wants him to have a couple of those before he is activated. He will most likely rejoin the team next week. Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira are playing in simulated games now which is a good sign. Ivan Nova is feeling good but no one is saying right now what is next for him. Andy Pettitte may just pitch in a simulated game, no rehab game.

Hiroki Kuroda left the game on Wednesday after getting hit in the foot due to not being able to push off of it. He is scheduled to make his next start though and said he could of pushed through the start but they took him out as a precaution. Kuroda had allowed two homeruns three homeruns this season and then allowed two in the first inning in this game. He had a very rare off night even before being injured. He allowed a season high in hits and runs in this game. Eight and five were the numbers and he pitched in just two plus innings.

Claiborne hadn’t allowed a run this year until rushing into the game to replace Kuroda and giving up a three run homerun. Claiborne to his credit said he was fine, just didn’t execute the pitch. Adam Warren was impressive pitching four shutout innings, he allowed five singles and no walks. He induced two double plays and has a 1.14 ERA this season. Curtis Granderson had his best night since coming off the dl. He was 3-3 with a double and a homerun. He appears to be getting his timing back and he should be a big help to the team and offense.

David Adams has been impressive in the field at third and with the bat. He hit his second homerun in three days on Wednesday night. The Yankees are off on Thursday and then will play a three game weekend series in Tampa Bay. They will see some of their teammates down there who are rehabbing. They will then come back to New York to play the Mets two games at Citi Field and then two home games against them before playing the Red Sox at home.

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.

The New York Yankees win third straight over the Toronto Blue Jays

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 5-4 on Saturday evening. The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. CC Sabathia started and pitched ok for the Yankees. Travis Hafner led the Yankees offense. Joba Chamberlain got the save. 
Sabathia pitched eight innings giving up four runs on nine hits, three of the runs were earned. He walked none and struck out four and picked up win number four on the season. Chamberlain pitched an inning giving up two hits and striking out one and picking up his first save of the season.

Brett Gardner had a hit, Jayson Nix had a hit and Robinson Cano had two hits. Vernon Wells had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Kevin Youkilis drew a walk and Hafner had two hits and four RBI. Ichiro Suzuki had two hits, Eduardo Nunez had a hit and Chris Stewart had a hit. Cano hit a double, Hafner hit a triple and hit a homerun. The Yankees were 3-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Wells had a stolen base, Stewart committed an error and had a passed ball. Suzuki had an outfield assist.

J.A. Happ started for the Blue Jays and pitched six innings giving up eight hits and three runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Esmil Rogers took the loss his second of the season pitching 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and two runs and Brett Cecil pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and striking out one.

Rajai Davis had a hit and an RBI, Melky Cabrera had a hit and Jose Bautista had a hit and an RBI. Edward Encarnacion had a hit, Brett Lawrie had a hit and an RBI and Mark DeRosa had a hit. Maizur Izturis had three hits, Emilio Bonifacio had two hits and Bonifacio hit a double and Bautista and Lawrie each hit a homerun. The Blue Jays were 0-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.

In the third Davis hit an RBI groundout to give the Jays a 1-0 lead. In the fourth Bautista hit a solo homerun to make it 2-0 and Lawrie flew out scoring a run on a missed catch error by Stewart. It was 3-0 Jays when Hafner hit a three run homerun in the bottom of the fourth. In the sixth Lawrie hit a solo homerun giving the Jays a 4-3 lead. In the seventh Wells hit an RBI single to tie the game at four and Hafner hit an RBI triple to make it 5-4 Yankees. The final score of the game was 5-4.

The Yankees have now won three straight games and improved their record to 14-9. The Blue Jays record dropped to 9-16. The two teams will play the final game of their four game series on Sunday afternoon. The Yankees will be looking for the sweep.

The New York Yankees lose 2-0 to the Atlanta Braves

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Atlanta Braves by the score of 2-0 on Tuesday night. The game took place at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. David Phelps and Joba Chamberlain pitched well for the Yankees. Brett Gardner had a couple of hits as his hot spring continued and Ichiro Suzuki had a hit. 
Phelps pitched four innings giving up a run on two hits. He walked one and struck out two and took the loss. Chamberlain pitched a perfect inning, Branden Pinder pitched an inning giving up two hits and struck out one and Mark Montgomery pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks. Francisco Rondon pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a hit and a walk with a couple of strikeouts and Shawn Kelley pitched a perfect inning with a couple of strikeouts.

Gardner had two hits, Suzuki had a hit and Jayson Nix drew a walk. Travis Hafner drew two walks, Ronnier Mustelier had a hit and Eduardo Nunez drew two walks. Corban Joseph had a hit, Suzuki hit a double and the Yankees were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Nix had a stolen base and Joseph was picked off of third base. Josephy committed two errors and JR Murphy committed one.

Paul Maholm started for the Braves and pitched 3 2/3 innings giving up three hits and no runs with four walks and two strikeouts. He picked up the win, Cristhian Martinez pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a walk with a strikeout, Dusty Hughes pitched a perfect inning and Cory Rasmus pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. J.R. Graham picked up a save pitching two innings giving up a hit and struck out one.

Jordan Schafer had a hit and drew two walks, Justin Upton had an RBI and Freddie Freeman had a couple of hits. B.J. Upton had a hit, Juan Francisco had a hit and Tyler Pastornicky had a hit. Elmer Reyes and Matt Pagnozzi each drew a walk. Schafer hit a double, the Braves were 0-11 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base. Schafer and Pastornicky each had a stolen base. Pagnozzi was picked off.

Upton hit an RBI groundout in the first inning to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. In the seventh inning they scored the final run of the game. Pastornicky after stealing second and advancing to third on the throwing error scored on a balk to make it 2-0 and that was the final.

The Yankees are 3-8 in the spring and the Braves are 6-6. The Yankees will host the Dominican Republic on Wednesday afternoon and the Braves will be off on Wednesday.

New York Yankees Tuesday notes

Brian Cashman shot down Johnny Damon today. He said it isn’t going to be something we pursue. He said he text Scott Boras and told him. He said we love Damon but he played with us a while ago and he can’t play the field every day and that is what we need. He also reiterated although he won’t rule out a deal entirely most likely the options will come from what they already have. 
Cashman said Nunez isn’t an option because he doesn’t feel his bat profiles as an outfielder. I personally think it is too much to keep moving him around. He is a good offensive player but bad defensively and I think he just needs to stick at short and hope he gets better defensively.

Hughes did more pool work today but there was no update on him. There could be an update tomorrow on him. Kevin Youkilis is a little sore and most likely won’t play again tomorrow. He says he is fine though and could play if it was during the season. The Yankees are usually extra cautious and there is no reason not to be at this point.

Joba Chamberlain created a little bit of a stir today when he talked about still being a starter. He said he could do it and would like to try it again. The Yankees joked about it but I am sure they aren’t too happy. He can become a free agent after next year. I personally think he would be better off taking over for MO and being the closer but we will see what happens. I don’t think the Yankees will ever put him back as a starter. Jose Ramirez made a good first impression pitching today. The Yankees liked what they saw and said he has a live arm.

The New York Yankees lose 4-3 to the Philadelphia Phillies

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Tuesday afternoon. The game was played in Clearwater, Florida. Jose Ramirez started for the Yankees and pitched two scoreless innings, David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain pitched well. Ichiro Suzuki led the Yankees offense with three hits. 
Ramirez pitched two scoreless innings giving up a walk, Robertson pitched a scoreless inning walking one and Chamberlain pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out two. Juan Cedeno pitched a perfect inning, Jim Miller pitched an inning giving up a hit, a run and a walk and Zach Nuding took the loss pitching an inning giving up three hits and three runs with a strikeout. Branden Pinder pitched a perfect inning with a couple of strikeouts.

Suzuki had three hits, Mark Teixeira had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Travis Hafner had a hit. Luke Murton and Matt Diaz each had a hit and Adonis Garcia had a hit. Bobby Wilson had a hit, JR Murphy had two hits and two RBI and Walter Ibarra had a hit. Teixeira and Murphy each hit a double and Murphy also hit a homerun. The Yankees were 2-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Suzuki had a stolen base.

Kyle Kendrick pitched two innings giving up three hits and a run with a strikeout, Aaron Cook pitched two innings giving up two hits and a walk and Chad Durbin pitched an inning giving up a hit. Zach Miner got the win pitching two innings giving up three hits, two runs and striking out two. Cesar Jimenez pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one and Jeremy Horst pitched an inning giving up two hits.

Jimmy Rollins drew a walk, Kevin Frandsen had a hit and an RBI and Ryan Howard had a hit and drew a walk. Domonic Brown had a hit and an RBI, Cody Asche had a hit and Tommy Joseph had had a hit and two RBI. Frandsen and Asche each hit a double and Brown and Joseph each hit a homerun. The Phillies were 2-3 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base. Lerud made an error

Teixeira had an RBI double in the first to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. In the sixth Frandsen hit an RBI double to tie the game at one. The Yankees took the lead with two runs in the seventh and then the Phillies came back with three and held on for the win. Murphy hit a two run homerun for the Yankees to give them a 3-1 lead. Brown hit a solo homerun and Joseph hit a two run homerun to complete the scoring.

The Yankees are now 1-3 in the spring and the Phillies are 1-2. The Yankees will host the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon and Phillies will travel to play the Minnesota Twins.

Yankees spring training notes on a quiet day

Wally Matthews quoted a source today who said Hal Steinbrenner may be beginning to break from his payroll cutting mandate. Are we surprised, I though eventually you might hear something about this. They are saying he may want to spend significantly in the off-season. He has said in the last couple of days they have reached out to Scott Boras and stated the desire to keep Robinson Cano and pay him a huge amount. 
David Price said that he wouldn’t be a Yankee long term because of their facial hair policy. Derek Jeter had a great quote about that basically saying do you think any player wouldn’t come because of that?? He is right basically saying it is about the money and if that is right a player won’t turn that down.

The Yankees went through pop up drills today. Joe Girardi said Jeter looked ok, he didn’t want him running all over the place so they still took it easy with him but he did some work and came out ok.

Girardi said he is impressed by the young power arms he is seeing. He said it isn’t just one or two either. The Yankees to seem to have a lot of quality pitching in their minor leagues and this is good for them if they want to keep that payroll down. It is always important to develop your own pitchers, if you can do that then you are in really good shape.

Curtis Granderson was in center and Brett Gardner in left during drills today. Girardi said don’t read into that though. Phil Hughes should be out about two weeks. The Yankees aren’t too concerned about him right now but it is a bulging disk in his back and he needs rest, they will have to worry a little bit until he comes back and is past the issue. Eduardo Nunez almost got hit by Joba Chamberlain in batting practice today and Kelvin Perez was hit in his non pitching elbow by a come backer.

It is about time for some games and more to talk about, it is pretty tedious right now and not much really going on. There isn’t much to say at this point and really nothing to analyze. That will all change soon though as the games begin on Saturday.

The New York Yankees use the long ball to beat the Minnesota Twins

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins by the score of 6-3 on Monday night. The game took place at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Andy Pettitte started for the Yankees and pitched well and their bullpen made it interesting. The Yankees offense was led by Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez. Hendriks started for the Twins and wasn’t very good. The Twins bullpen was good and their offense was led by Denard Span and Pedro Florimon. 
Pettitte pitched six shutout innings giving up seven hits. He walked one and struck out three and won his fifth game of the season. Joba Chamberlain pitched a perfect inning, Cory Wade pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run and Justin Thomas pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and two runs with a walk and a strikeout. Dave Robertson pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a strikeout. Liam Henriks pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and six runs with a walk and four strikeouts. He lost his eighth game of the season. Lewis Perdomo pitched 2/3 of an inning walking a batter, Tyler Robertson pitched an inning giving up a walk and striking out one and Matt Capps pitched an inning giving up two hits.

Derek Jeter had a hit and drew two walks. The hit extended his hitting streak to 18 games, Ichiro Suzuki had a hit, Alex Rodriguez had a hit and Robinson Cano had an RBI. Nick Swisher had a hit and two RBI, Curtis Granderson had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Ibanez had two hits and an RBI. Chavez had three hits and an RBI, Suzuki hit a double, Swisher, Granderson, Ibanez and Chavez each hit a homerun. The Yankees were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and they left six men on base. Granderson had an outfield assist.

Span had two hits, Ben Revere had a hit and Joe Mauer had a hit. Josh Willingham drew a walk, Justin Morneau had a hit, Ryan Doumit had a hit and drew a walk and Jamey Carroll had a hit. Chris Parmalee had a hit and drew two RBI, Florimon had two hits and an RBI. Doumit hit a double, Parmalee hit a triple and Florimon hit his first major league homerun. The Twins were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a Cano groundout and Swisher two run homerun. In the fourth Granderson hit a solo homerun to extend the lead to 4-0. Ibanez and Chavez each hit a solo homerun in the seventh to make it 6-0 Yankees. The Twins would get on the board in the eighth on a Florimon solo homerun. In the ninth Parmalee hit a two run triple to make it 6-3 and that was the final score.

The Yankees have now won eight of their last nine games. The Yankees took the first game of three and will play game two on Tuesday night. The Yankees lead in the AL East is now 1 ½ games in the AL East. The Yankees record improved to 89-64 and the Twins record fell to 64-90.

The New York Yankees break out in Baltimore to take back first place

The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 13-3. The game took place at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Freddy Garcia started for the Yankees and didn’t pitch too well, the bullpen did though. Curtis Granderson as a pinch hitter had three hits and five RBI to lead the offense. Zach Britton started for the Orioles and wasn’t very good, their bullpen also got hit around. Wilson Betemit led the Orioles offense. 
Garcia pitched 3 1/3 innings giving up three hits and three runs with a walk and a strikeout. Joba Chamberlain picked up his first victory of the season pitching 1 2/3 perfect hitless innings with a walk and four strikeouts, Boone Logan pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with two strikeouts and Cory Wade pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Derek Lowe pitched a perfect inning. Britton lost his second game of the season pitching 3 1/3 innings giving up five hits and five runs with five walks and two strikeouts, Jake Arrieta pitched three innings giving up three hits and three runs with a walk and four strikeouts and Zach Phillips pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run. Kevin Gregg pitched an inning giving up three hits and four runs with three of them earned. He walked two and struck out one and Tommy Hunter pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out two.

Derek Jeter had two hits and three RBI with a walk, Nick Swisher drew a walk and Chris Stewart had a hit. Alex Rodriguez had a hit and drew a walk, Robinson Cano had two hits, an RBI and drew two walks and Russell Martin had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Steve Pearce had an RBI and drew a walk, Raul Ibanez drew a walk and Granderson had three hits and five RBI. Jayson Nix had a hit and an RBI, Ichiro Suzuki had two hits and an RBI and Granderson hit a double and hit a homerun. Jeter hit a homerun and the Yankees were 7-15 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

Nate McClouth drew two walks, Wilson Betemit had a hit and two RBI and Adam Jones had a hit. Matt Wieters had a hit and an RBI, Mark Reynolds drew a walk and Chris Davis had a hit. Betemit hit a double, the Orioles were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. McClouth had a stolen base, Machado and Reynolds each committed an error. Exposito had a passed ball and Davis had an outfield assist.

In the first inning the Yankees took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Cano. In the fourth Pearce had an RBI walk, Nix had an RBI single, Suzuki had an RBI single and Jeter had an RBI walk. The Yankees took a 5-0 lead. In the fourth Betemit had an RBI double and Wieters had an RBI single to make it a 5-3 game. Granderson hit a solo homerun in the sixth to make it 6-3 and in the seventh Granderson hit a two run single to make it 8-3. In the eighth Jeter hit a two run homerun, Martin hit an RBI single and Granderson hit a two run double to make it 13-3.

The two teams split their four game series and ended the season with a 9-9 record against each other. The Yankees regained sole possession of first place and have a one game lead over the Orioles. The Yankees record improved to 79-61 and the Orioles record dropped to 78-62. The Yankees will have an off day on Monday and then head to Boston for a three game series. Baltimore will stay home and host the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

Yankees lose early lead and then lose a seesaw battle in Chicago

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Chicago White Sox by the score of 9-6. The game took place at US Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. Freddy Garcia started for the Yankees and was cruising but couldn’t even get out of the fifth inning. The bullpen was bad and Derek Jeter led their offense. Gavin Floyd started for the White Sox and wasn’t great, their bullpen wasn’t that good either until the end. Dewayne Wise and A.J. Pierzynski led the White Sox offense.  Garcia pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up five runs on six hits with four walks and eight strikeouts. Cody Eppley pitched 1/3 of an inning retiring the only batter that he faced and Clay Rapada gave up a hit without recording an out. Joba Chamberlain pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout, Boone Logan suffered his second loss of the season pitching 1 2/3 innings giving up two hits and two runs with a walk and two strikeouts. Derek Lowe pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout. Floyd pitched 2 1/ 3innings giving up five hits and three runs with four walks and a strikeout. Santiago pitched three innings giving up four hits and three runs with three walks and two strikeouts, Veal pitched an inning giving up a hit and two strikeouts and Brett Myers won his second game of the season pitching 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit. Matt Thornton pitched a perfect inning and Addison Reed saved his 22^nd game of the season pitching an inning giving up a hit and striking out one.
Jeter had four hits and an RBI, Nick Swisher had a hit and drew three walks and Robinson Cano had a hit and drew a walk. Mark Teixeira had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk, Curtis Granderson had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Eric Chavez had an RBI. Casey McGehee had a hit and an RBI, Raul Ibanez had a hit and drew a walk and Ichiro Suzuki had a hit. Jeter hit a double and hit a homerun. The Yankees were 4-13 with runners in scoring position and they left 12 men on base.
Wise had two hits and two RBI, Kevin Youkilis had a hit and Adam Dunn had a hit, an RBI and drew two walks. Paul Konerko had a hit and drew a walk, Alex Rios had a hit and an RBI and Pierzynski had three hits and an RBI. Viciedo had a hit and an RBI and Alexi Ramirez had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk and Gordon Beckham had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Konerko hit a double, Wise, Beckham, Dunn and Ramirez each hit a homerun. The White Sox were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Wise and Rios each had a stolen base and Rios had an outfield assist.
In the first Teixeira hit an RBI single and a force out made it 2-0 Yankees. Granderson hit an RBI single in the second to make it 3-0 Yankees. In the fifth Wise hit a two run homerun to cut the lead to 3-2. Rios grounded out to tie the game at three, Pierzynski hit an RBI single and Viciedo hit an RBI single to make it 5-3 White Sox. Jeter hit a solo homerun to make it 5-4 in the sixth, Teixeira hit an RBI single to tie the game at five and McGehee hit an RBI single to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead. Beckham hit a solo homerun in the sixth to make it a 6-6 game. In the seventh Ramirez hit a two run homerun to make it 8-6 White Sox, the Sox would add one more run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-6 White Sox and that would be the final score.
The Yankees lead in the AL East is down to four games over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees record dropped to 72-50 and the White Sox record improved to 66-55. The two teams will play game two of the three game series on Tuesday night.

Yankees Monday night postgame notes

Here are the Yankees postgame notes after a loss in Detroit.  The Yankees really don't play well in Detroit and Ivan Nova has now had two really bad starts in a row.  The thinking was that it is possible he and David Phelps could swap spots but Girardi shot that down quickly.  Here are the notes via the Lohud Yankees Blog and my thoughts mixed in. 

Joe Girardi left no wiggle room. In fact, he seemed surprised by the question. In the face of overwhelmingly bad starts, is Girardi fully committed to Ivan Nova’s spot in the rotation?
“I mean, yeah,” Girardi said. “This guy has won a lot of ballgames for us so, yeah.”  I understand what he is saying and everyone goes through slumps but right now this has to be a concern. 
Nova allowed seven runs on 11 hits tonight. In his previous start, he allowed nine runs on 10 hits. Before that, he walked six guys. Nova’s ERA is above 8.00 since the All-Star break, and he’s won once since June 17. He has allowed at least six earned runs four times this year, three of those coming in his past five starts.
“They’re hitting everything,” Nova said. “It’s not one pitch in particular. They’re hitting everything.”
As he paced around the mound tonight, Nova’s confidence looked shaken, and Girardi pulled him after just 68 pitches. Nova, though, said his confidence is the same as ever. He’s just not making pitches.
“His slider didn’t have much bite to it,” Russell Martin said. “Made a couple of mistakes with that pitch. Tried to get the curveball going too, but then it was a little bit inconsistent. You just really have to rely on your fastball. Against a good offensive team, it’s going to be a tough day, and that’s what happened. … I don’t know if confidence, it’s just executing pitches when you need to. When you get ahead of a hitter 0-2, you try and put him away and you leave a breaking ball over the plate where it gets hit. It’s frustrating. I don’t know if it’s a confidence thing more than just a feel thing on the mound.”  I really don't know what the problem could be but Nova looks like a different pitcher.  He doesn't seem to have that same confidence although he says it isn't true. 
Whatever it is, Nova’s going to have to get it figured out on a big league mound, because the Yankees plan to hand him the ball in five days. Martin and Girardi both specifically mentioned Nova’s slider needing improvement — “When he’s been pitching good he’s had that slider, and lately we haven’t had that,” Martin said — but Nova seemed to think the problem was bigger than a single breaking ball.
“I’m not the only pitcher in baseball who is going through a bad time right now,” Nova said. “I know I’m going to get out of this one. … I’m not worried about (losing a spot in the rotation). I’m not worried about ERA or anything like that. I just want to help the team to win games. That’s the most important thing, help the team to win games. I’m not worrying about ERA. The ERA is more like a personal thing. I want to win games, no matter how, just win games for this team.”
 Justin Verlander is really, really good. Of course, we already knew that, but tonight was a reminder. Verlander matched his career-high with 14 strikeouts, and the only Yankees runs were unearned after Verlander’s own error in the fifth. “We’ve faced him before and we scored, (other times) he’s shut us down,” Derek Jeter said. “Lots of times, great pitchers get a little nastier when they have guys on base. They seem to bear down a little bit. He did that today. We scored those two runs, but the other opportunities, he pitched well. There’s a reason why he’s one of the best in the game. He showed that tonight.”
The Yankees weren’t too happy with the strike zone early in the game, but afterward, they didn’t seem particularly worked up about it. “It looked like was a bit generous,” Martin said. “But he was pretty consistent on both sides. Verlander just seemed like he was hitting those spots more than we were.”  I could agree with that but the strike zone was generous, there is nothing you can do though as he was consistant with calling it. 
 Girardi got into a shouting match with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo in the middle of the second inning, and it got a little heated when — according to Girardi — Randazzo stared into the Yankees dugout as if asking for a fight. “I didn’t care for some of the strikes early in the game,” Girardi said. “And we were talking back and forth and he looked at me and stared at me. I don’t get it. When the inning’s over, walk the other way. It’s pretty simple.”
Tony Pena seemed to be keeping Girardi from being tossed from the game, but Girardi said that wasn’t a huge factor in keeping him calm. “I threw Tony off me pretty easy,” Girardi said. “If I want to go, Tony’s not going to hold me back.”
 The Tigers first two runs came on solo homers by Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera. The fourth-inning shot by Cabrera was a monster, estimated at more than 450 feet to center field.
The Yankees got their two runs after Verlander dropped the ball while covering first base on what should have been the final out of the fifth inning. Jeter and Robinson Cano followed with RBI hits, but that was the extent of the scoring.
Jeter had his 43rd multi-hit game. … Cano also had two hits. … Eric Chavez had a terrific game with three hits and a great night in the field. … Martin had the only other Yankees hit. He also reached on an error.
Joba Chamberlain’s second appearance off the disabled list was much better than his first. Chamberlain allowed two hits and struck out one through 1.2 innings. His fastball reached 97 mph on the stadium gun. “Everything just felt a little rushed in the first one,” Chamberlain said. “Today just felt more compact, more fluid and I was able to throw everything for a strike. Obviously there’s still stuff we have to continue to work on but as far as being able to go out and throw any pitch in any count, I felt really good with it.”  Joba looked a lot better, he will build up, he hasn't pitched in 14 months until now so it will take some time.  His velocity was a lot better, I think his breaking stuff just has to get more sharper and that will come with more appearances. 
Last word goes to Nova: “I’m giving up so many runs the last two times, but I still have my confidence up, and I know I can do better than this. I’ve got to work harder than what I’m working, try to make the next one better. … I’m trying to get the pitch, my slider, to what I need it. I’m trying to make pitches, going into the bullpen and thinking like it’s the game, and doing what I’m supposed to do during the game, and then bringing it into the game.”

The New York Yankees First Half Report

The New York Yankees ended the first half with the best record in baseball. If you just look at that you have to say it was a very successful first half of the season. The Yankees didn’t have it easy though, they were 21-21 at one point. The Yankees lost their closer, they lost one of their better pitchers in Andy Pettitte and Brett Gardner has only played a handful of games all season. The Yankees have had an ongoing problem with runners in scoring position. 
The main reason that the Yankees ended the first half with the best record is their pitching. Their bullpen continues to be a strength but after the first month or so the starting staff started to become a big plus also. Hiroki Kuroda has been great for the Yankees. He probably just needed some time to adjust to the American League and New York. CC Sabathia is the ace but he actually for a while was their worst starter, Phil Hughes turned it around and has been pitching really well and Ivan Nova continues to do what he does best which is win games. Pettitte really seemed to help their starting staff and he was pitching great before he broke his ankle in a freak play. He got hit in the ankle on a line drive and probably won’t be back until at least September.

The Yankees offense scores a lot of runs but they do it mainly on homeruns. The Yankees aren’t very good with runners in scoring position and that could come back to haunt them eventually. They hit a lot of homeruns though and they are sometimes very big hits. The Yankees like to say that when they are in the batters box there is a runner in scoring position. They say that because they have so many guys who can hit it out at any time. They are right to an extent but you would like to see more clutch hitting and less reliance on the homerun. The Yankees just aren’t built that way though, it could hurt in the playoffs but pitching remains the most important thing still.

The Yankees as crazy as it seems can get better in the second half. They need to keep up their pitching and stay healthy. They should get some guys back such as Brett Gardner, Andy Pettitte eventually and even Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees hitters can also get better, most of them are hitting under their career averages and some of them don’t have as many RBI as you would think. They have a seven game lead in the division so they are in good shape. It won’t be easy but they should be able to win the division and head into the playoffs in good shape. The wild cards this year will play a one game playoff and not be able to set up their rotation for the playoffs. The Yankees should have the luxury of a little rest and being able to set up their staff.

Yankees notes as they get their third baseman back with the team

Alex Rodriguez is in the clubhouse and on the field, but he won’t be in the lineup until Saturday at the earliest.  He is now continuing his rehab but doing conditioning and working on his defense and running.  He feels his swing is fine and that is why he left Scranton.  Interesting thing to watch is that in his time in Scranton he took top hitting prospect Jesus Montero under his wing.  He invited him to Miami to work out in the offseason and the coaches down there are really hoping for him to get called up soon and be happy with the challenge.  They think he is getting bored down in AAA because he has basically conquered the competition. 


“We’re shooting for this weekend, trying to be optimistic about that,” he said. “The one thing that I’m lacking the most is first-step quickness and defense, and opening up my gait and really trying to make good turns going home to second or first to third. Today we did a little bit of that, and tomorrow we’ll have another session.”

“If I felt like hitting was the one thing I felt most behind, it would probably be most productive to be down either in Tampa or Scranton getting a bunch of at-bats,” Rodriguez said. “But this is a situation that’s a little bit rare where conditioning is the most important thing and fielding is the most important thing, and those are things I can do here with our staff.”

Those pregame drills at third base were fairly intense, and Rodriguez went through two different conditioning sessions with strength coach Dana Cavalea. He ran this afternoon — “Opened up my gait as much as I have post-op,” Rodriguez said — and he was planning to doing a spinning session on a weight room bike after his media session.

Joe Girardi didn’t go into detail, but it’s clear that he’s mapped out a loose plan for how to use Rodriguez through the first week or so. It will probably include semi-regular DH games, gradually giving him more and more time in the field.

When he gets back in the lineup, Rodriguez expects to show the kind of power that was missing in the two or three weeks before he went on the DL.

“I’m able to lean back on my swing,” he said. “Kevin (Long) and I worked today, and every swing hurt a lot before going on the DL, so therefore I had to get off my back side and really jump out to the front side and really become more of a handsy hitter. In order to hit for power, you always have to lean back, and that’s the feeling I feel like I’m getting back to.”

Girardi was obviously frustrated and disappointed to learn that he was right and the umpires were wrong last night. He should have protested the game, but he trusted that the umpires — both crew chief Dana DeMuth and home plate umpire Chad Fairchild — knew the Kansas City ground rules better than he did.

“When two separate umpires on two different accounts tell you that, ‘No, that’s what we said, it’s a home run,’ I believe them,” Girardi said. “Maybe I don’t need to be so trustworthy next time.”

Girardi said he told the umpires that Mick Kelleher had been told the opposite — that a ball like Butler’s shouldn’t be a home run — but both umpires told him that they had clarified the rule after talking to Kelleher. Girardi said he won’t be so hesitant to question a similar situation in the future.

“I’ll be protesting every night,” he said.

 Freddy Garcia’s attempt to finally throw a splitfinger was pushed back yet again. At this point, it seems that starting on Sunday is a serious question, and Girardi said it’s entirely possible that Garcia could land on the disabled list. With the move retroactive, Garcia could be activated early next week.

Phil Hughes starts tomorrow and A.J. Burnett on Saturday. Ivan Nova will start Sunday if Garcia can’t make that start.

 Nick Swisher is just getting a half day off at designated hitter. He’s not hurt.  Joe Girardi likes doing this to keep his players fresh.

 Joba Chamberlain is with the Yankees during this series. He showed up because he started a weight lifting program today. “It feels really good,” he said. Everything is on schedule for Chamberlain, and he thinks he could begin throwing, “in a couple of weeks.”

 By the way, Chamberlain had two stomach surgeries this summer. He had his appendix out, and just a couple days later he was still hurting, and doctors discovering infection. Chamberlain was in the hospital for two weeks with a tube in his right side draining the infection. “I would rather have about 10 Tommy Johns than two stomach surgeries,” Chamberlain said. “That was no fun.”

 Chamberlain really does look a little bit thinner than when he left. He said he’s been able to work out some, and he’s been able to stay active outside. He said he feels terrific. “I’ve been tossing around a 5-year-old,” he said. “So I think that’s probably the best rehab you can do.”

Yankees vs. Red Sox-Yanks looking to avoid the sweep

The New York Yankees have lost the first two games of this three game series against the Boston Red Sox.  The Yankees also have Russell Martin out with a back issue and then today learned that reliever Joba Chamberlain has a torn ligament in his right elbow and will almost certainly need Tommy John surgery meaning his season is over.  The Yankees were already without what was supposed to be their eighth inning guy Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano never got his season started and the Yankees are left with Mariano Rivera, Dave Robertson and Boone Logan.  They need some pitching help and unless they turn to the young guys in the minors I don't know that they are going to get it.  Mark Prior would of been an option but he is also on the DL.  Phil Hughes is currently making his way back, could the Yankees shift him back to the pen, I guess it is a possibility but who knows if they would do that again. 

It has been a really tough couple of days for the Yankees as they lost first place last night and they also lose some of their players now.  I don't know if the Yankees will do it but I would look for some pay back tonight with C.C. on the mound.  The Red Sox have become way too comfortable at Yankee Stadium and something has to be done about it.  I am not advocating throwing at anyone but throw inside and make them eat some dirt and if they get hit oh well.  The Yankees are going to need seven or eight inning out of C.C. tonight and hopefully they can scratch out some runs off of Beckett. 

Here is the Yankees lineup for tonight:  Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Brett Gardner, Francisco Cervelli. 

The Red Sox also may be getting some bad news today as second baseman Dustin Pedroia was sent back to Boston for tests on his knee.  He is out for today but they hope that is it, he indicated it is possible he may need knee surgery, if that is the case that would be a huge blow for them. 

The Yankees are 1-7 against the Red Sox this season, not very good but a few yrs ago they were 0-8 against them and ended up splitting the season series.  The Red Sox right now are the better team but they aren't that much better.  I see it as a confidence thing, the Sox know they will beat the Yankees and the Yankees aren't sure they can beat them. 

There is one other thing this year that suprises me so far, the Yankees are only a couple of games over 500 at home.  They need to get that great home field advantage going again.  They always had it at the Old Stadium and in the two years since this stadium opened they have had it but not this year.  That is going to need to change if the Yankees are going to go anywhere this year. 

The game is on MY9, YES has pre and postgame.  I wouldn't expect the game to start on time as thunderstorms are rolling through the area but we will see.  I would expect a delay of an hour or more which on getaway day for the Red Sox and with how long they play will be really fun. 

Yankees vs. Jays the rubber game

The New York Yankes are playing the final game of their three game series with the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon.  The Blue Jays won on friday night and the Yankees bounced back to win last evening.  This is also the last game of a seven game homestand.  Here is the lineup and some quick notes. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Brett Gardner, Francisco Cervelli.  Ivan Nova makes the start and trys to get some momentum after pitching into the seventh inning for the first time in his career last time out. 

Cervelli was activated on Friday and will make his first start of the season today.  He broke his foot in spring training and rehabbed and came back a little earlier then expected.  He should play more now to give Russell Martin some rest so they don't wear him out.  Martin has been great but you don't want to burn him out. 

A.J. Burnett yesterday wasn't great but it was a good example of the difference in him.  Last year he would get frustrated and get out of control.  This season so far he has been able to fight through things, he knew he didn't have his curveball and early on he admitted it bothered him but he found a way to fight through it and earn the victory.  He finished April at 4-1 with an ERA under four.

Burnett recorded the 26th pickoff of his career yesterday ranking him fourth amongst active right handers.  Granderson lost a ball in the sun to lead off the game yesterday but didn't use that as an excuse.  He said it was hit harder then he thought.  He did admit the sun was troublesome until the seventh or eighth inning.  That is what you have to like about Granderson, he is a good guy and very accountable, he doesn't use excuses and comes to play every day. 

The Yankees were 4-9 with runners in scoring position yesterday after being 0-8 on Friday night.  The five runs were the most they scored this season without hitting a homerun.  They are a team that has mostly relied on homeruns and they need to have more games like this where they score in other ways. 

The combination of Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera pitched the last three innings the way they are supposed too.  They didn't give up any runs.  Soriano bounced back from a rough outing last time out and he vows he will have a better May after a rough April.  I still believe he will get better and really help this team and the bullpen will become a strength of the team. 

Yankees Vs. Rangers The Rubber Game

The New York Yankees will take on the Texas Rangers tonight in the third game of the series.  The two teams have split the first two games.  The Rangers won 5-3 on Friday night and the Yankees won 5-2 yesterday afternoon.  C.C. Sabathia will make the start looking for his first win of the year.  It is not his fault that he hasn't gotten a win as his ERA is at 1.45.  He will go up against Alexi Ogando who has not given up a run in 13 innings so far this season.  Here are some notes and the Yankees lineup for the game.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the first game Bob Sheppard ever covered.  He hasn't done a game in four years and that seems amazing because he was such a part of the stadium.  There are a lot of things that aren't the same since leaving the old Stadium and that is definitely one of them but time moves on.  April 17, 1951 was the first game he ever worked.  He did 121 consecutive postseason games including 62 games in 22 World Series.  That was all from 1951-2006, his first game was also the debut of Mickey Mantle. 

Kevin Millwood made his first start at Trenton today and pitched seven innings which was what the game went since it was a doubleheader.  In the minors they do two seven inning games when it is a doubleheader.  He pitched a one hit shutout throwing 88 or 89 pitches depending on who you talk too.  Millwood said it was a good first step. 

The Yankees will try to make it four out of four in series wins at home this season with a win tonight.  In the last six games Yankee relievers have held opponents to five earned runs over 23 innings.  That is good for a 1.96 ERA.  Joba Chamberlain has looked really good this year and has not allowed a hit in five of his eight appearances.  He has struck out nine and walked two in 8 1/3 innings. 

The Yankees lead the majors with 24 homeruns this season.  They have homered in 11 of the 13 games this season.  They have had at least two homers in eight of the games.  The Yankees have scored at least four runs in a major league high 11 games this season.  They are 8-3 in those games. 

Yankees Lineup: Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.  Eric Chavez is taking A-rods spot, he must still be hurting, I am guessing he will be back in the lineup for Tuesday. 

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 have busy day on Friday

The New York Yankees on Friday announced the signing of veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal. He will serve as insurance in AAA and he has an opt out on May 1st if he isn't called up to the Majors by then. The Yankees also traded Sergio Mitre to the Milwaukee Brewers for Chris Dickers who will serve as outfield depth. If Curtis Granderson starts on the DL which may be likely considering how conservative the Yankees are then he has a shot to come north with the team on Tuesday. The Yankees will play their final grapefruit league game on Tuesday and fly to New York after, they will work out at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday and open the season on Thursday afternoon. The Yankees will announce their roster decisions or most of them on Saturday. They met on friday and know what they are going to do but they wanted to talk to the players first. It appears that Gustavo Molina will be the backup catcher with Jesus Montero headed to AAA to continue to work on things, he is only 21 and it isn't that big of a deal although some fans will make it that. Austin Romine will be in AA Trenton and could move to AAA by some point this season depending on how he performs. They are guys worth watching and probably the future for the Yankees but why rush them when you don't have too, Francisco Cervelli will be back by the beginning of May and he will reclaim his job most likely. Montero said he will be fine with going to the minors, he said he gave it his best shot and knows his time will come. He said he will work hard down there and he will get his chance eventually. Girardi nodded his head when asked if Nova made the rotation. Girardi said Nova didn't have his best stuff on Friday night but still pitched effectively. He said that is maturing as a pitcher when you are able to do that. Eric Chavez hit his first spring homerun in his first game back from a calf injury, he just missed another and finished with three hits. He is batting 421 this spring and will the the backup infielder. He can play first and third and that is important especially with the Yankees wanting to give A-rod some time off. Curtis Granderson came through his pregame running feeling good enough that he was cleared to do some light throwing as well. Girardi said the intensity will pick up tomorrow. Joba Chamberlain, Dave Robertson, Boone Logan and Rafael Soriano all pitched and are all scheduled to pitch back-to-back so they should all get into tomorrows game as well. Nick Swishers foot was fine during the game tonight. Joe Girardi came out to argue a call at home plate tonight, he said he figures you have to practice. Chris Dickerson the new outfielder coming over from Milwaukee is flying into Tampa tonight and they aren't sure when Kevin Millwood would be coming to Tampa. Brian Cashman the Yankes GM said he isn't done shopping yet, it doesn't mean he will make another move this spring but he will keep looking around. "I feel that we have some quality choices in house, but my job is always to find people who are better than what we have." The Yankees will play the Pittsburgh Pirates at home tomorrow afternoon. The game will be on the YES network at 1:05PM.