The New York Yankees reach an agreement with Brian McCann

The New York Yankees reach an agreement with Brian McCann


The New York Yankees have opened up their wallets and signed Brian McCann. It is the first big signing of the free agency season. The Yankees who didn’t get much out of the catching position last year now have one of the best in the game. At least offensively that is. McCann isn’t a great defensive catcher but he isn’t horrible either. The Yankees had Jorge Posada for all those years and were able to win. You don’t find really good hitting catchers too often and now they have another on in McCann.

The Yankees did have Russell Martin a couple of years ago but he wasn’t even that good offensively. He hit a lot of homeruns but didn’t hit for a very high average. McCann is near a 280-career hitter. He is a pull hitter, which will play very well in Yankee stadium and their short right field porch. He is a guy who consistently hits 20+ homeruns and now should see a boost in Yankee Stadium. I could see him now hitting 30+ a year.

The Yankees not only gave him 5 years and 85 million, he has a 6th year vesting option which could push it to 100 million. He also has a full no trade clause. He is 29 years old so he is still in his prime.

Is this a risky deal, it could be in the final couple of years of the deal. The Yankees though are the ultimate now team. They are coming off a year where they missed the playoffs and their rivals the Boston Red Sox won it all. The Yankees are not going to rebuild, they are going to reload. This is just the first step; they now have their catcher.

McCann could also move to first base in 2016 when Mark Teixeira becomes a free agent and he will be able to get DH days being in the American League. I think this is a good deal for the Yankees and of course for McCann.

The Yankees will now set their sights on Carlos Beltran and then hope to resign Robinson Cano. If they can do that, it will be some lineup and they could work on the pitching. They have their eyes on Tanaka from Japan but don’t know when and if he will be posted. If he is they figure to go hard after him and hope to resign Hiroki Kuroda also. The Yankees anyway you look at it will have a very busy off-season. It got off to a good start for them on Saturday with this big signing. Stay tuned for more to come and it could be soon.

New York Yankees notes from a turn back the clock day at Steinbrenner Field

There was a reunion of sorts from 1998 today at Steinbrenner Field. Tino Martinez was back as hitting coach of the Marlins, David Wells and Jorge Posada were there as guest instructors, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera of course are still playing for the Yankees and Joe Girardi is their manager. Paul O’Neill was also there working for the YES network. 
The Yankees signed Brennan Boesch today who was released by the Detroit Tigers. He is a 27 year old outfielder who had a bad year last year. He hit 240 with 12 homeruns and 54 RBI in 132 games last year for the Tigers. He was in right field for 115 starts and committed just two errors and had five outfield assists. He is a 367 career hitter at Yankee Stadium and has hit 36 of his 42 career homeruns off of right handers. He will play good defense and provide some pop to the lineup. He had a couple of good years to start his career before last season. He will most likely be a platoon left fielder until Cutis Granderson comes back. He could be on the bench or DH when Granderson does come back especially if Hafner isn’t healthy. This move also allows the Yankees to move Juan Rivera to first base, he has hit well this spring and played good defense at first. They can keep Kevin Youkilis at third like they planned and just wait to get there guys back.

Sabathia made his first start today and will make two more before starting on Opening day against the Red Sox. He battled a little today especially early but he felt good and was happy with the outing and his catcher Francisco Cervelli liked what he saw.

Jeter said he had nothing to report and it is now just like any other spring training. He seems to be coming through the games fine and now it is just getting more and more reps on the field. He should be fine for Opening day like we expected with him.

The Yankees pitching really looks like a stength and it will need to be with the perceived lack of offense. Here are the starters coming up. Hiroki Kuroda on Saturday at home and David Phelps on the road, Ivan Nova on Sunday, Monday is an off day, Tuesday it will be Adam Warren, Wednesday is Vidal Nuno and Sabathia in the minor leagues, Phelps on Thursday, Nova on Friday with Kuroda in the minor leagues, Pettitte on Saturday and Warren on Sunday. There are more guys being cut and the guys will be coming back from the WBC soon. The regular players and pitchers will be playing more and the last couple of weeks is really when they should be peaking and getting ready to go for the season. The Yankees have won five of their last six games.

The Yankees are about to begin their exhibition season

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

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

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

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

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

Yankees Friday Spring Training Notes

It was a quiet day in Yankees camp today. There wasn’t much going on, Kevin Youkilis became a big story because there wasn’t much else going on. Youkilis clarified comments he made yesterday about always being a Red Sock. I think the whole thing was overblown and it really was much of nothing. He was just trying to say that most of his career is with them and you can’t take that away. The bottom line is performance, if he does well and helps the Yankees win the fans will love him and if not they won’t love him. 
George King of the NY post reports that the Yankees are going to have scouts watch Chien-Ming Wang as he pitches for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic. He has never been the same since hurting himself running the bases in 2008 with the Yankees. Billy Connors is recommending him as extra depth in AAA, Connors is with the Yankees as a spring training instructor.

Michael Pineda threw 25 pitches today, all fastballs. He reported no problems and is still on schedule. He has looked pretty good and had no setbacks. The Yankees could have a big piece coming in June if he keeps this up. He is projected as a number one or two starter and if he is anywhere near that the Yankees are going to have a good pitcher for a long time. Cesar Cabral is overshadowed but he had a chance to make the team last year and then the Yankees discovered a fracture in his elbow. He is on the exact same schedule as Pineda and is obviously overshadowed but he seems to be doing well also.

CC Sabathia is on schedule to throw his first bullpen of the spring on Saturday. He will be the last Yankees pitcher to do so. Francisco Cervelli will not be playing in the World Baseball classic. I think that would have been bad for him if he did, he wants to win the starting catcher job and needs to be in camp.

Jorge Posada will be a guest instructor but the Yankees don’t know when he will be showing up yet. Girardi said they usually make their own schedule and a lot of them wait until the games start. The Yankees first game will be next week so it is coming soon.

Girardi said the Yankees will quickly make up for todays light day with a crazy day on Saturday. He said there are a lot of bullpens and batting practice sessions planned. The full squad reports on Sunday with Monday being the first official full squad workout.

Yankees win their home opener behind a dominant Kuroda

The New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this afternoon by the score of 5-0. It was a very tidy two hour and 33 minute game. It was a beautiful day in New York City and Jorge Posada was in the house to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The Yankees Opening Day is something special and today was no different. Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees and was brilliant. Dave Robertson finished the game off pretty easily and the offense was led by a big hit by Nick Swisher. Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson each added a homerun. Albert Pujols was shutdown. 
Kuroda pitched eight innings giving up no runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out six in earning his first victory of the season. Robertson pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Ervin Santana took the loss for the Angels going six innings and giving up six hits and five runs with three walks and five strikeouts. The Angels bullpen pitched two innings giving up two hits and no runs.

Derek Jeter had a hit, Curtis Granderson had a hit and an RBI and Alex Rodriguez had three hits and an RBI. Robinson Cano drew a walk, Mark Teixeira drew a walk and Nick Swisher had two hits and three RBI. Russell Martin had a hit, Brett Gardner drew a walk. Swisher and Jeter each had a double, Rodriguez and Granderson each had a homerun. The Yankees were 1-6 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Rodriguez and Martin each had a stolen base and Gardner was picked off.

Erick Aybar had two hits, Bobby Abreu had a hit and Albert Pujols had a hit. Mark Trumbo drew a walk, Maizur Izturis drew a walk and Peter Bourjos had a hit. They were 0-3 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. The Yankees scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Santana got the first two outs then a single to Rodriguez. Cano and Teixeira walked and then Swisher hit a three run double. Rodriguez hit a solo homerun in the third inning to make it 4-0 Yankees. Granderson hit a solo homerun in the fifth inning to make it 5-0. That was the final run of the game.

The Yankees have now won four games in a row and are 4-3 on the season. The Angels record fell to 2-5. Kuroda looked like a completely different pitcher then he was in Tampa Bay. It could have been that it was his first start as a Yankee, it could of just been a bad start. Whatever the case was for him he was the complete opposite today. Rodriguez looked like a completely different player. Rodriguez may have needed to get home also to get him going. The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Saturday afternoon. The Yankees will be looking for their fifth straight win as they send Phil Hughes to the mound.

Yankees at Orioles-Yankees go for the sweep Pregame

The New York Yankees started off their season losing three straight games to the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Yankees came into Baltimore and have won the first two games.  They are looking for the three game sweep tonight.  CC Sabathia is starting against Jake Arietta.  Here are the lineups and some notes. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner. 

Orioles Lineup:Nick Reimold, J.J. Hardy, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds, Ronny Paulino, Wilson Betemit, Robert Andino. 

The Yankees will have off Thursday and have their annual Welcome Home Dinner at night.  Jorge Posada will be in attendance and be presented with the Pride Of the Yankees award.  Posada will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday afternoon in the Home Opener. 

Mariano Rivera was able to secure his first save of the season last night.  Rafael Soriano broke a fingernail and was probably not available last night.  The Yankees still haven't announced if he is available for tonight's game. 

The Yankees really used their bullpen last night and will need Sabathia to go deep into the game.  If Sabathia is on this may be a game where he needs to go eight or even get a complete game.  The Yankees will not use David Phelps or Cory Wade.  They could probably use Rivera for an inning in a save situation and they may not have Soriano. 

The Yankees once again last night were 2-18 with runners in scoring position.  They haven't hit in the clutch so far at all this season.  This has been a problem for the last couple of years.  It is why they lost game five last year to the Tigers.  If they would of just got one hit or one sac fly they would of been back in the ALCS.  They really need to improve on this to be a championship team. 

Nick Swisher got hit in the foot last night but he appears to be fine and is in the lineup. 

Posada ready to hang them up

Jorge Posada is part of the Core Four which will now be down to two members.  Andy Pettitte was the first to retire before last season and now Jorge Posada is ready to make his announcement in the next two weeks according to reports.  Sweeny Murti was the first one to report this story as it broke on Saturday afternoon.  At first glance Posada doesn't seem like a Hall Of Famer but when you look deeper at the numbers he may have a case and I would say he is a borderline Hall of Famer much like Pettitte.  Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter are the two remaining members of the core four and they soon too will be leaving the field and going into the next portion of their life. 

Posada had a chance to sign with another team this year but I think he made the right choice.  He decided instead of hanging on for another year of diminished playing time he would retire a career Yankee.  This will also look better to the Hall Of Fame voting committee.  Posada had a lot of attributes mainly being the catcher on four World Championship teams.  He was considered a clutch player and the vocal leader of the team.  Jeter is the captain but Posada was always considered the fiery leader, the guy who would get in your face.  He wore his emotions on his sleeves and sometimes it boiled over. 

There are famous stories of him and El Duque Hernandez going at it.  It was mainly for Posada to motivate Hernandez though when the Yankees needed him most and it almost always worked.  Posada didn't always get along with pitchers, Randy Johnson didn't want anything to do with him and he wasn't the only one.  Posada though always worked hard and for a guy who came to the Yankees as a 28th round pick and a second baseman he made it work behind the plate. 

Posada was a very good switch hitting catcher and that was his strength.  He was never a strong defensive catcher but he did get better at it over time.  Posada for all of his defensive shortcomings didn't cost the Yankees as he was part of the four titles and an integral part as the catcher.  Posada got much better later in his career at throwing guys out trying to steal and blocking balls in the dirt.  Calling games I didn't have a huge problem with, it depended on the pitcher in that way, some had a problem and some worked well with him. 

Posada was born August 17, 1971 in Santurce, Puerto Rico.  He made his major league debut on September 4, 1995 in a 13-3 win over the Mariners at home.  Ironically the Yankees would take on those same Mariners in the playoffs that year and he would be along for the ride.  Posada played in nien games between 1995-96 and then in 1997 he became the full-time backup catcher to ironically again Joe Girardi who would become his manager in 2008.  He won his titles in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009.  He also appeared in the World Series in 2001 and 2003.  He was a five time all-star(2000-2003, 2007).  He was a five time Silver Slugger Award winner(2000-2003, 2007). 

Here are his career stats, he played in 1,829 games.  He had 1, 664 hits, 275 home runs, 1,065 RBI, 273 batting average.  In the postseason he played in 125 games, had 103 hits, 11 home runs, 42 RBI and a 248 batting average.  His fielding stats were he played 1, 574 games as a catcher and had 12, 877 innings.  He had 984 stolen bases against him, was caught stealing 387 times, had 696 assists and 90 errors.  His fielding percentage was 992. 

He will always be welcome back to Yankee stadium and as time goes on and eventually Jeter and Rivera retire these four, the Core Four will be recognized and celebrated for years to come.  I am sure Jorge won't be a stranger and he is very active in the Jorge Posada Foundation which supports and educates on Craniosynostosis which his son Jorge Jr. has.  I am sure Posada will be busy at home with his family who he has missed a lot of while playing and being on the road often.  It will be interesting to see how he is viewed in five years when he is first put on the ballot for the Hall of Fame.  He is worth putting in the discussion but if nothing else he will be remembered for being a great Yankee and a vocal leader of the latest dynasty. 

Yankees Post Game and Post Series notes

Obviously these next few days are going to be spent looking back on what exactly happened this week, and what might happen going forward. For now, there was only disappointment around the Yankees.  They of course are a team that expects to win the World Series every year and if they don't it is a failure.  The Yankees this year had a great season in where they fought all the way to the end and finished first with home field advantage when most picked against them.  I think because of that this first round loss is a huge disappointment but they just didn't get the job done.  The Tigers deserve some credit as they pitched well and hit when they needed too. 


“It’s terrible,” Joe Girardi said. “We only accomplished one goal when the season ended. We had to fight like crazy to get there. It’s a really empty feeling. It’s an empty feeling for everyone in that room, and it hurts.”

The problem was the offense, but that was largely a problem of timing rather than raw production. The Yankees outscored the Tigers 28-17 this series, and 28 runs were the second-most in franchise history for a single division series. The Yankees scored at least nine runs in each of their two wins.  The Yankees score runs in bunches and that is my problem with them.  In the regular season you can get away with it because you are facing bad teams and bad pitching more times then not.  In the postseason there are no bad teams and you face a lot better pitching. 

Problem was, they scored a total of nine runs in their three loses. The Tigers won those three games by a total of four runs.  The Yankees just needed a couple of more big hits and they would of won the series. 

“I tell you every time you go to the playoffs, it’s about pitching,” Derek Jeter said. “You’re not going to sit back and hit home runs, score 10 runs. I mean, we scored a lot of runs two days ago, but it was really one inning. You don’t just come out here and take BP in the playoffs. Teams you’re facing have good pitching. That’s why they’re at this point. So you can get away with a lot of things in the regular season that you can’t get away with in the playoffs.”

As in, a team can get away with its fourth, fifth and sixth hitters going a combined 9-for-55 during a five-game stretch in the regular season, but that doesn’t work in a five-game series. The Yankees middle three hitters, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher killed them and in the case of Teixeira and Swisher they haven't done a think in the postseason for three straight years now.  When those three failed to get a big hit with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, that was basically the turning point of the game and the story of the series.

“It was 3-1 and I said, ‘I’m going to get a pitch to crush right here,’” Teixeira said. “You almost start thinking about the bases clearing, the crowd cheering. I walked there, but it wasn’t enough. Not enough to get the job done… If we were one at-bat better, we might win the game. If we get one hit with the bases loaded, but every single game you play, there’s going to be five or 10 things you can look at and say, ‘If we did this’ or ‘If we did that.’ Unfortunately, we had a couple of those this series.”

 Ivan Nova said his forearm got tight in the second inning. He didn’t feel it at all during the first inning, so it was a non-factor on the home runs. “We didn’t like the way the ball was coming out of his hand,” Girardi said. “I think it was directly related to that. Some of his fastballs were cutting, and we never saw that. So I had to make a change, and I had to, you know, try to get our bullpen through it.”
 Nova was the first Yankees rookie to start a winner-take-all postseason game since Mel Stottlemyre in the 1964 World Series against St. Louis. “It’s hard,” Nova said. “We lost and we’ve got to go home now. You don’t want to be in this situation. You want to keep going, going to the World Series.”

Rodriguez hasn’t been productive since coming back from knee surgery, but he said health was a non-factor this series. “Everything this postseason is on me,” he said. “Let’s make that crystal clear. There’s no excuses for what happened these five games. I was healthy enough to do whatever I needed to do.”

 The Yankees went down in order in the ninth inning. Really, their last gasp was the ball that Jeter drove to the wall in the eighth inning. Off the bat, I thought he might have hit it out. It would have been a go-ahead, two-run homer with Mariano Rivera coming in to shut the door in the ninth. “I thought it had a chance,” Jeter said. “It was too high, but you never know here.”

CC Sabathia seemed especially dejected at his locker. He’d never pitched in relief and said he tried not to change his usual approach. “I try not to,” he said. “I tried to get ahead with the fastball, and that didn’t really work, so I went to my secondary pitches.”  He is a guy that takes his role very seriously and he knows the final month and into the postseason he was not at his best for whatever reason. 

 Sabathia had gone 370 consecutive appearances in the regular season and postseason before finally pitching out of the bullpen. Among the pitchers whose first career relief appearance came in the postseason, Sabathia had the third-longest streak. Mike Mussina went 400 starts before pitching in relief in the 2003 ALCS, and John Smoltz went 380 starts before his first relief appearance in the 1999 NLCS.

 Sabathia wouldn’t commit one way or the other about his opt-out. “I can’t even wrap my head around that right now,” he said. “I’m just thinking about what I didn’t do to help us win. In the next couple of days, next couple of weeks I’ll think about that and we’ll see what happens.”

 Robinson Cano set a Yankees division series record with nine RBI. The previous record was seven by Paul O’Neill. It’s the most RBI by a Yankee in a single postseason series — any round — since Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams had 10 each in the 2004 ALCS.

Jorge Posada had a .579 on-base percentage this series. He batted .429, his third-highest single-series postseason batting average behind the 2006 ALDS (.500) and the 2001 ALDS (.444).

 Rivera lowered his career postseason ERA to 0.70, the lowest mark all-time for a pitcher with at least 30 postseason innings. This was his 96th career postseason game, passing Kenny Lofton for sole possession of seventh place on baseball’s all-time list (pitcher or position player).

Rivera threw eight pitches this series and got four outs. All of his pitches were strikes.  He continues to add to his legend and it is simply amazing. 

 Weird situation with Benoit and the band-aid on his face. Jim Leyland said it was an in-grown hair, and the band-aid was to keep it from being infected. Girardi asked the home plate umpire to have it removed. “I’m not trying to play a mind game or anything,” Girardi said. “But it was pretty big band-aid and it was somewhat distracting, I think. It’s hard not to look at. And I’m sure he had a legitimate reason, and it’s not something I necessarily wanted to do, but to me it would have been a distraction.”

 The final world of the night goes to Jim Leyland the Tigers manager.  “The Yankees are so good that I would be lying if I said it didn’t give me a little extra satisfaction to be able to do it here in the fifth game,” Leyland said. “I don’t mean that disrespectfully, I mean that respectfully. It gave me a great thrill to be able to do it here in Yankee Stadium in Game 5. Unbelievable. I was just talking to Dave Dombrowski, other than the American League pennant and that time in the World Series, this will be a game I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

There won't be any Yankees game stories and there won't be any notes for a while, the Yankees will be on break and I will be on a Yankees break until after the World Series.  This is a very disappointing end to the season.  Baseball though is doing well and there are a lot of middle of the pack teams in terms of dollars.  It is good to see not just the big markets making it, but now some of the smaller ones, parity is at an all-time high in the sport. 

Yankees lose game two and the series is even

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon by the score of 5-3. Freddy Garcia started the game and pitched pretty well. The Yankees offense couldn’t do anything with Max Scherzer though. They rallied late but left a couple of scoring chances out on the bases including to end the game.
Garcia pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up six hits and four runs with three of them being earned. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out six. Boone Logan faced two batters and struck them both out, Cory Wade pitched two innings giving up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts and Luis Ayala pitched one inning giving up a hit and a run. Scherzer pitched six innings giving up two hits and no runs with four walks and five strikeouts for the Tigers.

Curtis Granderson had a hit, RBI and a walk, Robinson Cano had a hit and a walk and Alex Rodriguez had a walk. Nick Swisher had a hit, RBI and a walk, Jorge Posada had two hits and a walk and Russell Martin had a walk. Andruw Jones had an RBI, Posada had a triple, Granderson and Swisher each had a homerun. The Yankees were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and they left nine men on base. Jeter made a throwing error.

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Miguel Cabrera hit a two run homerun. Garcia settled down after that. In the sixth inning Cabrera hit an RBI single and Victor Martinez had an RBI single. The Tigers had a 4-0 lead. The Yankees would get on the board in the eighth inning on a Granderson solo homerun. In the ninth Don Kelly hit an RBI single to make it 5-1 Tigers. Nick Swisher hit a solo homerun to make it 5-2 in the ninth and Andruw Jones hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3. The Yankees had a couple men on in the ninth but Cano grounded out to end the game.

The series is tied at one and now the series will shift to Detroit. The two teams will play game three on Monday night at 8:37PM. Justin Verlander will go up against CC Sabathia which started out as the game one matchup on Friday. The two aces didn’t throw a lot of pitches but coming back on three days rest will be interesting. I wonder if they won’t have the same stuff or if one might be affected more then the other one. CC Sabathia has pitched on three days rest before, I am not so sure that Verlander has. This could be one of those games where everyone is focused on the pitching and they don’t live up to the hype. Game three is pivotal as one team will head into game four facing elimination from the postseason. If there is a game five it will be on Thursday.

Yankees Notes prior to the start of the Postseason on Friday

Here are some notes from today's workout at Yankee Stadium with the postseason beginning tomorrow night.  ALDS Game One at Yankee Stadium will begin at 8:37PM with a marquee matchup of two aces in Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia, Game Two will be the same time on Saturday night.  The teams will have off Sunday and then shift to Game Three on Monday and Game Four if necessary on Tuesday.  The start times for the games in Detroit haven't been announced yet but I am sure they will also be at 8:37PM.  The games in the first round will be broadcast on TBS. 

The Yankees were in Tampa last night to finish their season.  It was a crazy night in baseball with a lot of emotion.  The Yankees didn't get home until the wee hours of this morning and that’s why Joe Girardi opened this afternoon’s press conference by saying up front that he wouldn’t be answering one of the most basic questions.

“Let me just start out by saying, and I’m sure this question is going to be asked, we do have the roster put together, but I have not had a chance to talk to everyone,” Girardi said. “So as soon as I get a chance, I will share it with all of you. Most of us got to our homes about 5 in the morning. You can understand why a few players aren’t here yet.”

Before you get too upset at Girardi, it’s worth noting that Jim Leyland also refused to announce his roster. So, for now we’re stuck waiting for an official group of 25 Yankees will be active for tomorrow’s division series.  I understand when Girardi protects his team but the fans and media can't stand it. 

“Just because people weren’t picking us to win the World Series (in spring training), doesn’t mean we didn’t believe it,” Mark Teixeira said. “At the same time, it’s nice to say, ‘Hey guys, told you so. Told you we had a good team.’ We don’t go out there trying to disprove people’s theories or hypothesis of what’s going to happen in the season. What we do is try to win every single game, and at the end of the year, it worked out for us.”  I don't think the Yankees can every really be a true underdog but it is crazy that basically no one picked them and there were some that said they wouldn't even reach the postseason. 

 Girardi confirmed what was suspected: That Jorge Posada will be his everyday designated hitter this series. All of the Tigers starters are right-handed. “I don’t live in the past,” Posada said. “I live in the future. I live day-by-day, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”  This is good to see with Posada as it should be his swan song, if he has a good postseason and the Yankees go deep what a way to finish his career. 

 Girardi on Alex Rodriguez: “If last night was a postseason game, I’m playing him. That’s the bottom line. As I said, the time of year, we had to be somewhat cautious with some of our players, because I would hate to lose a player on the last day of the season… I have no doubt that he’s healthy enough to play every day.”

 Jesus Montero is also healthy enough to play. “I saw him today,” Girardi said. “He’s fine. He got hit on the outside of the last two fingers. He’ll have a bruise, but I saw it. There wasn’t really any swelling. He’s okay.

 Because Girardi wouldn’t announce a roster, he wouldn’t announce whether Austin Romine is going to make the team as a backup catcher. With Montero healthy enough to play, and not expected to get any DH starts, he could serve as the backup catcher this series.

 Obviously A.J. Burnett hasn’t officially made the roster, but it’s clear he’ll be an active part of the division series bullpen. “You want to see how quickly he can warm up,” Girardi said. “That’s something we got an idea about (last night), and I feel that he can do it if he has to do it.”

 If the Yankees carry Burnett and Phil Hughes with Mariano Rivera, Dave Robertson, Rafael Soriano, Cory Wade and Boone Logan, that’s already a seven-man bullpen. Hard to imagine they’d carry more than eight, which would leave room for only one of Luis Ayala, Hector Noesi and Bartolo Colon.  I would be on Luis Ayala with Noesi and Colon being left off the roster.  I don't think Colon has anything left to offer them at this point.  Colon was a huge plus on this team for the whole first half, he was a suprise and gave the team everything that he had. 

 Girardi on his conversation with Burnett about moving to the bullpen for at least this round: “He was good about it. We talked about it, and I gave him the option, because he had just thrown about 100 pitches on Sunday, and it would have been his throw day, his bullpen day anyway. He said, ‘Yeah, I want to give it a shot.’ I said, ‘I’m going to have you face one hitter, that’s it. I can’t tell you exactly when it’s going to be, but I’ll try to give you sufficient time to warm up.’ He was great about it.”

 Leyland announced only his first three starters: Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer. He didn’t say whether Verlander will pitch Game 4 on short rest. Girardi has committed to Sabathia pitching that game.


Remember Josh Hamilton in last year’s ALCS? Given that context, Girardi was asked how he’ll approach pitching to Miguel Cabrera. “We understand the type of hitter Miguel Cabrera is and how you have to be careful with him,” Girardi said. “I think the biggest difference between this lineup with Detroit this year and maybe last year was the addition of Victor Martinez and how Avila has arrived. But in saying that, we will be careful with Miguel Cabrera.”  There is no way they can let Cabrera beat them, they had to learn from last year. 

It should be a good series, I would give the slight edge to the Yankees and say they are going to win the series in four games.  I know it is going out on a limb a little, I think most will probably say five games.  If the Yankees beat Verlander though, that makes it awfully tough on the Tigers.  The thing about the Yankees this year is they have the speed to go with the power which is a great combination, they can hit homers but also manufacture runs which you need to do in the postseason.

Yankees postgame notes from Monday night

The Yankees held rookie hazing night on Monday night and these were the costumes: Andrew Brackman and Dellin Betances are towering versions of Milli Vanilli. George Kontos is George Michael. Jesus Montero is MC Hammer. Brandon Laird is Slash, complete with a guitar and black vest and Austin Romine is Madonna.  I always get a kick out of this stuff and you can see pictures on the Associated press and also yankees.com



The story that had people laughing even before the costumes came from Russell Martin, who actually went into detail about his ejection in the fifth inning. He’d just gone to the mound to calm down Phil Hughes, who was upset about some borderline pitches, and when he got to the plate, Martin started talking to home plate umpire Paul Schrieber. Here’s Martin’s version of conversation.

Martin: “Did you stretch before the game?”

Schrieber: “What?” (said while walking in front of Martin)

Martin: “Did you stretch before the game?”

Schrieber: (gave Martin a puzzled look)

Martin: “I feel like you’re kinda tight right now.”

“I didn’t say it in a way that was condescending,” Martin said. “I was trying to loosen things up a little bit because I felt like he wasn’t really having a good time, and so he threw me out. I didn’t say he sucked. I didn’t say he was the worst umpire in the league. I didn’t say any of that stuff. I just made a joke and he then threw me out, no warning, nothing. Gone.”

Someone suggested that perhaps Schrieber didn’t get the joke.

“I think he got it,” Martin said. “I think he just didn’t like it.”

 Obviously Girardi didn’t go to his top relievers tonight. He said that’s because he wants to use all of his top guys on Tuesday. Using them tomorrow gives them a chance to stay fresh, but it still gives them two days off before the division series opener.

The plan is still to have Phil Hughes pitch again on Wednesday. “We need to get him back out there,” Girardi said. “He hasn’t pitched in two weeks, so I wasn’t sure what I’d get today. It’s important that he comes out feeling okay tomorrow and that his back is okay.”

Girardi wasn’t worried about Austin Romine getting back behind the plate after catching 14 innings last night. “He’s young,” Girardi said. “I don’t worry about that.”  I would agree with that, at this point he can do it and is more then willing. 

 Girardi also said using Romine wasn’t necessarily an indication that he’s planning to carry Romine on the postseason roster. Girardi also wanted to save Montero for a pinch hitting opportunity, because he knows Montero might be asked to pinch hit in the playoffs.  I just don't see Montero catching in the postseason unless it is an emergency. 

Jorge Posada was involved in two double plays that ended with plays at the plate. “He made a good double play on the bullet, then the other double play on the stolen base attempt by Johnny,” Girardi said. “He did OK over there.”  I thought it was strange using the word ok, I thought he did better then that, those were two very good plays from a non first baseman. 

 Hector Noesi has allowed five runs on nine hits and three walked in 4.2 innings as a starter. He has a 6.84 ERA in 16 road appearances this season. His ERA is 2.59 in 14 appearances at home.

 Robinson Cano now has 81 extra-base hits, tied with Roger Maris for the third-most by a Yankees left-handed hitter since 1950. Don Mattingly had 86 in both 1985 and 1986.

Cano has 14 home runs in 8 career games at Tropicana Field. That’s his most at any visiting ballpark. In his past nine games at the Trop, Cano is hitting .417 with three homers and 10 RBI.  He made his major league debut in the ballpark so maybe that has something to do with it, but he definitely is comfortable in Tampa. 

Yankees split a doubleheader with the Sox as the Sox win the nightcap in 14 innings

The New York Yankees split two games with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon and night. They won the first game in the afternoon by the score of 6-2 and lost the night game by the score of 7-4 in 14 innings. A.J. Burnett started the day game and pitched very well, Ivan Nova pitched on in the night game but not his best. The Yankees offense in both games was pretty good. The bullpen wasn’t bad either in either of the games. Scott Proctor gave up the runs in the night cap to lose the game but everyone else pitched well.
Burnett pitched 7 2/3 innings in the day game giving up five hits and two runs. He walked two and struck out six. Burnett is 11-11 on the season. Dave Robertson pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up one hit and he struck out three. Nova pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and four runs in the night game. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three. Boone Logan faced two batters and retired them both, one with a strikeout, Rafael Soriano pitched an inning giving up a hit and Mariano Rivera pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one. Raul Valdes gave up a hit and retired one batter, Cory Wade pitched two innings without giving up a hit and he struck out two and Aaron Laffey pitched two inning giving up two hits and he struck out one. Proctor took the loss giving up 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and three runs with a walk and a strikeout.

In the first game Brett Gardner had a hit, Derek Jeter had three hits and an RBI and Alex Rodriguez had a hit, RBI and a walk. Jorge Posada had two hits, two RBI and a walk, Andruw Jones had a walk and Russell Martin had two walks. Brandon Laird had a hit and a walk and Ramiro Pena had a walk. Jeter had a double and Posada had a homerun. The Yankees were 3-10 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Gardner and Jeter had a stolen base and Martin was caught stealing.

In the first game the Yankees scored two runs in the first inning. Gardner scored on an error by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. A wild pitch by Tim Wakefield scored the second run. In the third Posada hit a two run homerun to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead. Ellsbury hit a solo homerun for the Red Sox to make it 4-1 in the fourth inning. In the fifth Rodriguez hit an RBI single to increase the Yankees lead to 5-1. In the sixth Ellsbury hit another solo homerun to make it a 5-2 game. Jeter hit an RBI double in the sixth to make it 6-2 and complete the scoring in the game.

In the night game Teixeira hit a two run double and he scored on an error in the same play to make it 3-0. That was in the first inning and in the fifth J.D. Drew had an RBI single to make it 3-1. In the sixth Adrian Gonzalez hit a ground out and a run scored making it a 3-2 game. In the seventh the Red Sox took the lead with two runs. Marco Scutaro hit an RBI double and Jason Varitek hit an RBI single to make it 4-3 Red Sox. In the bottom of the seventh Dickerson hit a sac fly to tie the game at four. The game would remain tied until the 14th inning when Ellsbury hit a three run homerun to give the Red Sox a 7-4 lead that they would hold onto.

The Red Sox desperately needed the win as they were only ½ a game ahead of the Rays for the wild card. The two teams would have been tied if the Yankees won. The Red Sox now have a game lead with three to play. The Red Sox will head to Baltimore for three games and the Yankees will play at Tampa for three games. The Yankees have clinched everything so they will probably treat these last three games like spring training games. Hector Noesi will pitch on Monday, Bartolo Colon on Tuesday and TBA on Wednesday. I am sure the regulars will get some at bats but probably not play full games or rotate them where they won’t play all three games. I am not exactly sure how long Noesi could go but he did start the other day in a doubleheader so maybe he can give them four or five innings. James Shields will start for the Rays. It should be an interesting final three days of the regular season. The Yankees know they will play on Friday and Saturday at home and most likely at 8:30PM but the time isn’t set yet and the opponent is yet to be determined. The Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers are the two possible opponents. The Rangers have a one game lead. The Rangers will play at Anaheim and the Tigers will play at home against the Indians.

Yankees news and notes before the doubleheader against Boston

If there were any doubt about Jesus Montero’s roster status, it’s surely gone at this point.


“I can’t envision a scenario where he won’t be on our postseason roster,” Joe Girardi said.  I really can't myself, it is hard to keep him off the roster the way he has played.  He is a very dangerous hitter who won't be affected by the moment.

The lingering question has more to do with playing time rather than a spot in the clubhouse. Montero seems to have locked up regular against bats against left-handed starters, Girardi wouldn’t commit to using Montero as his regular designated hitter against right-handers.

If the Yankees play the Tigers in the first round, they won’t see an left-handed starter the entire series.

“It very well could (affect his playing time,” Girardi said. “But every team does have left-handed relievers.”

Montero seemed happy to hear the news. He said he won’t fully believe it until Girardi makes it official — “I don’t want to say, ‘Yes!’” he said — but it’s clear that Montero’s hit enough to feel confident.

“I’ve been doing a good job, thank God,” he said. “Just trying to do my best. I’m helping and doing whatever they want me to do to help the team to win. I don’t decide anything else.”

 CC Sabathia threw four simulated innings this morning, a total of 65 pitches. “Able to work on some things and not be as intense, but get my work in,” he said.

Sabathia faced Ramiro Pena, Greg Golson and — after an inning — Chris Dickerson. He said he’ll throw a bullpen on Tuesday and be ready for Friday’s postseason opener. He hasn’t started studying scouting reports for either possible opponent. “I faced both teams a bunch of times, so we just have to wait and see,” he said.

Sabathia on the possibility of pitching Game 4 on short rest: “That’s up to them. I’ve done it before.”  The great thing about Sabathia is he will do whatever the team wants and he is big and strong and could handle that.

Girardi said he had not yet talked to Phil Hughes about how he feels a day after yesterday’s bullpen. The Yankees are still hoping to have him pitch in some capacity during these last three games, but they don’t have a game picked for him.

All of the regulars not in the Game 1 lineup will be in the Game 2 lineup. No one is sitting out hurt. “There might be one guy that I use in both games today,” Girardi said. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t bring in someone late, but I think you have to be smart about it at this point.”

On using Jorge Posada as the cleanup hitter: “He has a lot of experience against Wakefield,” Girardi said.  That is true they have faced each other many times over the last 15 years or so.  The Yankees are also playing a doubleheader and don't have a lot of the regulars in there for game one so why not.

The Yankees have locked up home field advantage because Detroit lost last night, so these last five games are all about getting ready for the playoffs. “It’s something that we worked very hard for during the course of the season,” Girardi said. “And it’s nice because I’ve always said that our club is built around our ballpark. We’ll still going to go out and play hard. It’s not going to change my approach, in a sense, but we’ll be smart with guys these last four days.”

Yankees win and MO breaks the all-time saves record

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-4 on Monday afternoon. It was a makeup game from an earlier rain out. The Yankees seemed to be on the road forever as they had a long and tough road trip. A.J. Burnett started this game and didn’t pitch very well. He was staked to a big lead and still couldn’t qualify for the win. The bullpen did it’s usual good job. The offense was good on this day.
Burnett pitched four innings giving up nine hits and four runs with one walk and eight strikeouts. Cory Wade who earned the win pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up three hits and a walk and he struck out two. Wade is now 6-1 on the season. Boone Logan faced one batter and retired him, Rafael Soriano pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Dave Robertson pitched a perfect inning. Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout to record his 43rd save of the season and also to earn the all-time major league baseball saves record. He now stands alone on top of the mountain with 602 saves and he has more to come. Rivera didn’t need validation but now he is officially the best there ever was.

Derek Jeter had three hits and a walk, Curtis Granderson had a hit, two RBI and a walk and Mark Teixeira had two hits. Alex Rodriguez had a hit, RBI and a walk, Robinson Cano had two hits an RBI and two walks and Nick Swisher had two hits and an RBI. Andruw Jones had a hit, Brett Gardner had a hit and Jesus Montero had a hit. Russell Martin had a hit, RBI and a walk. Jones and Jeter each had a double, Cano had a triple and Granderson had a homerun. The Yankees were 3-13 with runners in scoring position and they left 12 men on base. Martin had a throwing error.

The Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a two run homerun by Granderson in the first inning. In the second Martin had an RBI single to make it 3-0 Yankees and in the third Cano had an RBI triple and Swisher an RBI single to make it 5-0. The Twins got on the board in the fourth inning. Chris Parmelee hit a solo homerun to make it 5-1. Michael Cuddyer hit a two run homerun in the fifth to make it a 5-3 game. Luke Hughes grounded out to score another run and pull the Twins to within 5-4. In the sixth Rodriguez had an RBI single to make it 6-4 and that would complete the scoring in the game.

The Yankees are off to a good start in their eight game final homestand of the season. This was a one game makeup from a rained out game in April. The Yankees will begin a four game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. The Boston Red Sox lost game one of a doubleheader on Monday afternoon and the Yankees are 5 ½ games up in the AL East. They have a magic number of three to clinch a playoff spot and five for the division title. The Yankees now have accomplished getting Rivera the record and they want to clinch as fast as possible now. The Yankees only have to win a couple of games against Tampa Bay and they will clinch a postseason berth. It depends on what Boston does but if they win a couple against Tampa, they may only need to win one against Boston to clinch the division title but will most likely clinch it against them at home. The Yankees would like to get that done and then be able to rest some guys and get their rotation set up for the first round of the playoffs. The playoffs will begin on Friday September 30th.

Yankees lost their fourth straight as Posada is pressed into duty as a catcher

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Anaheim Angels by the score of 6-0 on Saturday night. CC Sabathia started and although he struggled especially early on he did battle his way through and gave the Yankees a chance to win. The bullpen was a different story as they let the game get out of hand. The offense continues to struggle as they couldn’t muster anything against Dan Haren. Jorge Posada who hasn’t caught a game since last October was pressed into duty because of an injury to Russell Martin. Francisco Cervelli the backup catcher is having concussion symptoms and Jesus Montero was the DH, they didn’t want to lose the DH so Posada had to catch.
Sabathia pitched six innings giving up one run on eight hits. He walked four and struck out five. Sabathia failed to record his 20th win of the season. Hector Noesi pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up three hits and four runs with a walk and a strikeout and George Kontos made his major league debut giving up two hits and one run in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters.

Derek Jeter, Eric Chavez, Montero and Posada each had a hit. Jeter had a double, the Yankees were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and they left two men on base. The Yankees offense was non existant. Jeter led off the game with a double and Montero had a single in the second and then the Yankees didn’t have a base runner until the eighth inning. Dan Haren pitched a complete game shutout.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the second inning Maicer Izturis RBI double. Mike Trout had an RBI single in the seventh to make it 2-0. Erick Aybar hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 and Jeff Mathis hit a two run homerun making it 5-0 Angels. The Angels would complete the scoring with a solo homerun from Torii Hunter in the eighth inning.

The Yankees have lost four games in a row. They have dropped the first two games of this three game series in Anaheim. The Yankees remain 2 ½ games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox also keep losing. The Tampa Bay Rays are suddenly only four games back of the Red Sox for the wild card. The Angels are only 1 ½ back of the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West. The Angels are right in the wild card race as well and so is Texas. It should be an interesting finish with the Yankees and Red Sox playing three more times and the Rays playing the Red Sox five more times and the Yankees seven more times. The Yankees and Angels will complete their three games series with a Sunday afternoon game and then the Yankees will head to Seattle for a three game series.

Yankees news and notes after Monteros big day

Here are some notes from after the Yankees game and their thrilling 11-10 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.  It was like a playoff atmosphere and young Jesus Montero really got everyone excited with his first two major league homeruns. 

“I’ve seen everybody doing that, and I was dreaming of that before,” Montero said of the curtain calls. “I’ve seen Jeter and Posada and everybody doing that, and I’ve always told myself, ‘One day, I’m going to be one of those guys.’ It was an amazing moment. I’m so happy right now.”

Montero said that it was Jorge Posada, of all people, who was telling him to climb the steps of the dugout and acknowledge the fans. A pretty classy move if you ask me, considering Montero is basically seizing Posada’s job.  I think Posada realizes this is the end for him and there is nothing he can do about it, he has had a great career and at some point it happens to everyone, he took Girardi job when he was young and coming up. 

“He was telling me, ‘Get out there! Get out there! The fans want you. They want you to say hi!’ ”

What really stands out to me is the manner in which Montero hit both homers. They just about landed in the same spot, and neither of them just made it out, it was way out in the bleachers,  Montero crushed both balls the opposite way.

Girardi compared Montero’s opposite field power to a young Alex Rodriguez. Now that’s a lofty comparison. The fact that he could stay back on those balls and drive them with such ease is incredible less than a week into his major league career. Girardi had been DHing Montero against lefties, but he hit both home runs against righties.  I think right now it is the easy thing to do, let him play against lefties but eventually he will be hitting against anyone.

“You have to be able to do that to hit a ball like that out,” Girardi said of Montero’s ability to stay back on the ball. “It’s using you lower half to elevate low pitches, and that’s the other thing that he does well.”

It’s hard not to think that Montero should be the full-time DH, considering the fact that he pulled two hard singles against a left-handed pitcher yesterday. Offensively, he seems to be the complete package.  He has done nothing but hit in the minor leagues and there is no reason to think he won't do the same in the majors. 

“His numbers kind of speak for themselves,” Curtis Granderson said. “He’s always hit in the minor leagues, and sure enough, he’s swinging the bat really well so far.”



Girardi talked about how Montero has sparked the team.

“It can energize a team when young kids come up and perform at a high level, especially in the dog days,” he said. “We’re going at it pretty hard here. Our guys generally get excited when young guys have success.”

When asked if he believes Montero will be a key component in the postseason, Girardi offered some cautious optimism. “The one thing is you don’t get too giddy over one game, and you don’t get too down on another,” he said. “You wan tot watch him over a period of time. But we’ve always said that this young man can really swing the bat.”  I would agree with what he is saying but it is hard not to get excited about the kid and what his potential is. 

After all of the pregame talk about Freddy Garcia’s success this season, he simply didn’t have it today. For only the second time all season, Garcia failed to give the Yankees five innings. He was knocked out before the end of the third, allowing seven runs. The Orioles hit just about everything hard. I don’t want to make too much out of one bad start, but it would be difficult to argue that Ivan Nova isn’t the Yankees No. 2 starter right now. “They hit every pitch that I threw,” Garcia said. “It wasn’t one pitch. They hit sliders, split, slow curve, fastball. They hit everything that I have. I’ve got to forget about it, and just think about my next start.”

 Luckily for the Yankees, Baltimore starter Brian Matusz didn’t have it, either. He didn’t make it out of the second inning. In total between the two teams, 12 pitchers were used. “It was a hitters day,” Garcia said.

What felt like the big blast before the Jesus Show was Robinson Cano’s grand slam in the second inning. After going down 5-2, the Yankees fought back to make it 5-4. Cano came up with the bases loaded, fought off some tough pitches, and then absolutely smoked at ball out to the bleachers in right field. In year’s past, people have discussed his inability to come through with runners in scoring position. But this season, he seems to have drastically improved his focus in those situations. You just feel like he’s going to get that big hit. The grand slam was his third of the season, and seventh of his career. “That was a huge hit for us,” Girardi said. “Robbie has been dynamite all year. The one thing I’ve said about Robbie is that I wouldn’t count him out of that (MVP) race yet.”

 Mark Teixeira also homered for the Yanks. He went 2-for-4, including a hard hit single from the left-side, where he has been struggling.

 The Yankees brought in former Yankees Scott Proctor. It was his first appearance in a Yankee uniform since July 27, 2007 (against Baltimore, ironically). He pitched two innings, allowing three hits and one run. The most impressive relief performance came from Luis Ayala, who gave the Yankees 1.2 innings without allowing a hit. He’s been an unsung hero, with an impressive 1.90 ERA.

 Girardi said that both Dave Robertson and Rafael Soriano were unavailable today. He’s clearly getting cautious about their workloads here in the home stretch.  He should be also as you want them fresh for the postseason.  I think this is what Girardi does the best, managing the pitching staff and making sure the bullpen isn't overused and that everyone gets enough rest. 

Mariano Rivera had a bit of a rough inning, allowing one run, but still held onto to pick up his 597th career save. He’s now four behind Trevor Hoffman for first-place all-time. “I thought he threw some pretty good pitches,” Girardi said. “He gave up some hits, but that’s going to happen. What I didn’t like was that they put up on the board that he had only given up two hits in eight innings.” (He was joking about that last part.

 Girardi said at his press conference that Hector Noesi will rejoin the team tomorrow. There was a rumor flying around the Dellin Betances may be in line for a call up, but Girardi wouldn’t confirm it. He said they still have to discuss if anyone else will be brought up besides Noesi.  Donnie Collins who is a beat reporter with Scranton Wilkes Barre is reporting that Ramiro Pena, Greg Golson and

 The Yankees have now won five straight, and with Boston’s loss, have extended their lead in the division to two and a half games. Phil Hughes will get the start against Tommy Hunter tomorrow at 7:05 p.m.

Yankees Game Recap from their win over Tampa

The New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays by the score of 9-2 on Saturday afternoon. Phil Hughes made the start in what could have been an audition to stay in the rotation. Hughes pitched well and did nothing to make the decision any easier on the Yankees. The decision actually was made for the Yankees after the game as it was discovered that Freddy Garcia had a kitchen accident and cut himself, he will not be able to start on Sunday and for now is out of the rotation. The bats came alive with Jorge Posada having the biggest day. Derek Jeter also had a good day.
Hughes pitched six innings giving up two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out six. Hughes improved his record to 3-4. Cory Wade pitched two innings giving up one hit and he struck out one and Hector Noesi pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.

Brett Gardner had two hits, Jeter had two hits and Curtis Granderson had two hits, an RBI and a walk. Mark Teixeira had two hits and an RBI, Robinson Cano had two hits and a walk and Nick Swisher had three walks. Eric Chavez had a hit, RBI and a walk, Posada had three hits and six RBI and Russell Martin had a hit.

Cano and Teixeira had doubles. Granderson and Posada had homeruns. Granderson hit his 33rd of the season which ties him for the major league lead with Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays. Posada hit a grand slam which was the tenth of his career. The Yankees were 2-11 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base. Gardner was picked off and Jeter made an error.

The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two run single from Posada. In the fifth inning Granderson hit a solo homerun to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Posada hit a grand slam to give the Yankees a 7-0 lead. The Rays tried to fight back and they scored two runs in the sixth inning to make it a 7-2 lead for the Yankees. Desmond Jennings hit a solo homerun and Ben Zobrist had an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the sixth the Yankees got the two runs right back. Teixeira had an RBI double and Chavez grounded into a force out scoring another run. The Yankees had a 9-2 lead and that is how the game would end.

The Yankees record is now 72-46, they have evened up the three game series. The Yankees lost on Friday night and won on Saturday. The rubber game will be on Sunday weather permitting. The Yankees were supposed to send Garcia to the hill but he was taken out of the rotation with a cut on his hand. He had a kitchen mishap and the Yankees think will miss just one start. It worked out well for the Yankees for now as they were about to make a decision on eliminating one of their starters from the rotation. The Yankees have been using a six man rotation for a couple of weeks now and it seemed to be Hughes against Burnett. Hughes had had two good starts in a row as Burnett continues to struggle. It doesn’t matter right now as everyone will stay where they are until Garcia gets back. The Yankees currently trail the Red Sox by one and a half games in the AL East. The Red Sox were playing on the West Coast and depending on the outcome it would either be a one or two game deficit in the standings. The Yankees lead the wild card by eight games over the Anaheim Angels. Posada had this to say after the game “It’s special, I got an opportunity today to play. It’s tough to sit around. It’s not easy to be sitting here and looking at everybody playing. It’s tough.” Posada had not played in six days since being informed at Fenway Park that he would no longer be the regular DH. Girardi said “I said to him that day in Boston that he still was going to play a role on the team and I meant it. I knew he was itching to get back in there.” Posada talking about the fans, the Yankees had a sellout crowd today said “They’ve been so supportive , the fans are a big reason why I love playing the game, especially here. They deserve a lot of credit. They’ve supported me all throughout my career. They were a big part for me today.”

I'm extremely happy," Jeter said. "Jorge has a lot of pride. You're talking about someone that's used to playing every day for a long time. He's been working extremely hard, and he had a huge day. That's not easy to do when you haven't played for a while, to come in and be productive." Jeter has been quiet but Posada is his best friend on the team and you know it must have been bothering him also.

Granderson hit his fifth homerun in the last five games. Girardi wouldn’t commit to far down the line on Posada but said he will start on Sunday. Girardi said “This guy is a beloved Yankee, and we all love him. At times, it has been a struggle for him, but he has never stopped working. For that, I’m extremely proud of him.” Girardi and Posada have an interesting relationship, Girardi was the catcher when Posada came up and basically took his job. They have had their disagreements since Girardi has been the manager but they have seemed to work through everything. The bottom line with Posada is if he continues to be productive he will play more and if not he will ride the bench. Posada is in his swan song as a Yankees and it usually doesn’t end well for a great player. Posada has been a great Yankee and it is very difficult to say goodbye to someone like that and for him to say goodbye.

The Yankees defeat Oakland and some postgame notes

The New York Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics by the score of 5-0 on Monday evening.  Bartolo Colon made the start and pitched a complete game four hit shutout.  It was his first shutout since 2006.  Colon continues to be a huge story this season, he is the frontrunner right now for comeback player of the year.  Colon was good in spring training but no one could of seen this coming.  He is 3-3 on the season but with a low threes ERA.  The Yankees offense got going early in this game with three first inning runs.  They tacked on a couple more late in the game and they cruised to victory.  The Yankees have now won two in a row after losing the first two of this long road trip in heartbreaking fashion.  The Yankees and Athletics will play game two of their three game series on Tuesday night in Oakland, game time is 10:05 Eastern Time. 

“I feel really good,” Colon said. “I thank God that I’m healthy, and I’m helping the team to win. I feel really strong physically and mentally right now.”


Trevor Cahill had allowed as many as three runs in a start only twice this season. The Yankees scored that many in the first inning. “Cahill’s one of the best pitchers in baseball,” Mark Teixeira said. “We didn’t get a lot of hits off him, but we made them count. Scratching out a couple of runs early was big for us.”

 Teixeira has a seven-game hitting streak and has four home runs in his past five games. He’s hit seven homers in his past 11 games and is now tied with Curtis Granderson for the second-most homers in the American League.

 Jeter extended his hitting streak to five games. He’s hitting .359 in that span and has reached base to start the first inning in 20 of his 41 games as the Yankees leadoff hitter this season.

 Colon has not walked any of the 69 batters he’s faced to leadoff an inning. No other American League pitcher has started more than 30 innings without walking the leadoff hitter. This was Colon’s ninth career shutout and his first since July 5, 2006 in Seattle. It was his 32nd complete game.

Colon said he actually feels like a better pitcher now than when he was in his prime because he’s throwing more strikes now. “When he first came up he threw the ball as hard as he could,” Jeter said. “Now he’s hitting spots, his ball is moving, he’s getting ahead of guys. He’s become more of a pitcher. I think he was more of a thrower.”

 Brett Gardner snapped an 0-for-13 stretch with a bunt single in the ninth. He also stole two bases tonight, the second one as part of a double steal that setup a sac fly in the seventh. It was a shallow fly ball to center. No chance any of the Yankees except Gardner would have so much as attempted to score on that ball.

Jorge Posada is 0-for-10 on the road trip and has one hit in his past 17 at-bats.  Posada is going to be an interesting one.  I don't know how long the Yankees will keep him out there if he isn't hitting, he is a Yankees icon but you have to do what you have to do to win.  Will the Yankees keep him around as a bench player, will they just release him outright or will they keep him as DH as long as they are winning.  It is impossible to know right now but it will be June in another day and he is still hitting below 200. 


Alex Rodriguez snapped a season-high nine-game hitting streak.

The Yankees are 22-4 against Oakland since Girardi became manager in 2008

Yankees Postgame Notes

The sixth inning last night is what doomed the Yankees.  Joe Girardi said when he walked out to the mound it was about telling not asking though.  He decided to walk Juan Rivera even though he had a groundball, strikeout pitcher on the mound.  The next four hitters in the lineup were 0-6 with four strikeouts.  He ordered Colon to intentionally walk him.  Colon said he told A-rod to tell him whatever you want I have no problem.  After the walk he gave up a single, walk and three run double that broke open the game.  If they didn't walk Rivera would the same thing have happened, who knows that is the beauty of baseball, you get criticized if it doesn't work and praised if it does.  No one knows the outcome you just try and make the best decision at that time. 

The Yankees got a groundball but not where they wanted and it turned into a big inning.  That does happen, look at the Yankees in the Sunday game against the Mets, a lot of that was the ball falling in the right spot.  The biggest problem in this game and especially that inning was Colon not having the command he usually does, he was missing with his fastball.  He walked Eric Thames on four pitches. 

Girardi was asked why he didn't use Nick Swisher to pinch hit for Jorge Posada late in the game.  He said he was saving him for if they had a couple of guys on base.  I would think a lot has to do with what happened and he is trying not to disrupt Posada anymore. 

Girardi said that Cano hasn't been the same hitter this year but he is still being productive and that is what counts to him.  Cano though just isn't the same feared hitter he was last year and I don't know what it is.  It could be concentration because in the field he hasn't been the same either but I am not sure. 

The Yankees still don't hit guys they haven't seen.  It was Carlos Villanueva first start since 2009 and he got the win.  The Yankees just don't historically hit those guys, it is baffling but they like guys that they know what they are going to do.  The Yankees were 2-15 with runners in scoring position, that has to change. 

Brett Gardner had two stolen bases and Curtis Granderson had one, three stolen bases was a season high for the Yankees.  Granderson scored all three of the runs for the Yankes and is on pace for 123 runs scored which would be the most by a Yankees CF since Rickey Henderson scored 130 in 1986. 

A-rod has had three straight multi-hit games pushing his batting average up to 289.  Yankees and Jays will play game two of their three game series tonight at 7:00PM.  Rickey Romero and C.C. Sabathia are the starters, that should be a good matchup.

Yankees win their third straight in a blowout

The New York Yankees won their third straight game tonight.  They won 13-2 over the Baltimore Orioles.  C.C. Sabathia pitched eight dominating innings and Amaury Sanit closed it out struggling but getting the job done.  He gave up two runs in that final inning but at least he didn't let it get too out of hand.  The offense was on fire, Derek Jeter had a couple of hits, Nick Swisher had a big game with four RBI, Jorge Posada had a double and a couple of walks.  Posada played first base for the first time this season and 16th time in his career.  The Yankees offense really needed a game like this as they have really struggled lately. 

The Yankees will now play a three game weekend series at Yankees Stadium against the Mets.  Freddy Garcia will start against R.A. Dickey on Friday night.  The Mets are without Ike Davis and David Wright who are both on the disabled list.  The Yankees will try and make it four games in a row.