Recap of Tonights Yankees Game

The New York Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays by the score of 6-2 this evening. The story of the game was Sergio Mitre who got the start. He pitched 5 innings giving up 2 runs on 2 hits with a walk and 7 strikeouts. He was outstanding all night long, he is really making a case for a spot on this team. Joe Girardi said "He threw the ball really well tonight. Command of his fastball, he had good sink tonight. His curveball and changeup were very good tonight." He also added that he thought he could do anything they ask of him meaning relieving also. Joe Girardi said last year it would of been tougher coming back from the injury but now he is good. Chad Gaudin came on in relief and though his line will look worse then it really was I think he is pretty much eliminated from the 5th starters competition. He pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 of them earned and 3 walks. He did strike out a batter. Amaury Sanit pitched 2/3 of an inning getting both hitters out, he had a strikeout. Offensively Curtis Granderson had 2 hits and was hit by a pitch. He was taking out for precautionary reasons. He wasn't scheduled to play tomorrow and Girardi said he will be back on Sunday. Brett Gardner and Colin Curtis each had a hit and Nick Swisher had a hit and rbi. Jorge Posada had a hit and Juan Miranda had 2 hits, one of them was a solo homerun. Joe Girardi said they will have to make some decisions over the next couple of days regarding the 5th starter candidates. He said it is something they are going to have to decide pretty quickly. I think you will know a winner by the end of next week. Nick Swisher extended his hitting streak to 7 games. He is having a good spring and some other regulars are just starting to heat up like Alex and Curtis Granderson, the pitching seems to be all hitting their stride also. The Yankees always seem to have bad Aprils and I think they need to get out of the gate quick this year. The division is so tough and it will be hard to get behind this year like last year and make a comeback. The Yankees will play tomorrow at Houston at 1:05PM.

Grapefruit Leauge Game 3-Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

The New York Yankees will take on the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon at 1:00PM on the YES network. The game is at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. This will be the Yankees 3rd exhibition game and their record is 1-1. Here are the lineups and then some pregame notes from the great Lohud Yankees Blog, if you don't check it out or never have you can at http://yankees.lhblogs.com/ Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Granderson(CF) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Posada(DH) Thames(LF) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cervelli(C) Rays Lineup: Bartlett(SS) Rodriguez(LF) Longoria(3B) Zobrist(2B) Upton(CF) Navarro(C) Johnson(DH) Rugiano(RF) Richard(1B) The 5th starter competition will be in full swing with Phil Hughes starting and Joba to directly follow him. Nick Johnson is not expected to play today after experiencing back stiffness yesterday. Brett Gardner, Jaime Hoffman and Ramiro Pena were the only Yankees who started the first 2 games. They started in different positions each time. Nick Johnson said he did some exercises this morning and his back loosened up pretty good. Kevin Russo is ready to go today after missing the last couple of days with a illness. Elliot Johnson is part of the roster today, he is the guy that ran over Francisco Cervelli a couple of years ago in a spring training game. He did also break his wrist in that play. I guess this is something to watch for although I don't think it will be a problem now. The players schedule to come off of the bench for the Yankees today are Jesus Montero(C), Juan Miranda(1B), Reegie Corona(2B), Eduardo Nunez(SS), Kevin Russo(3B), Reid Gorecki(LF), Greg Golson(CF), Jon Weber(RF) and Jorge Vazquez(DH). Enjoy the game everyone and for those working it will be on replay later tonight, I have it on DVR to watch later on tonight, like I am doing for all the daytime games this spring.

Wrap Up of the day down in Tampa

The Yankees world is pretty quiet these days. Last year it was all about A-rod and his admission of steroids, this year they are world champions and there is just nothing crazy going on right now. This is New York and this is the Yankees so things can change quickly but for right now it is camp quiet and everything is good in the world. Here are some final notes from Yankees camp today. Some of the outfielders filtered in to the clubhouse today to drop their bags off in preperation for next week when they will all report to camp. Randy Winn was there along with Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson. Joe Girardi said that Winn has a lot of experience and is used to being an everyday player. He will be competing for playing time in the corners Girardi said. The Yankees haven't decided if they will keep both Hughes and Chamberlain on the same schedule to line them up for the 5th starter or break them up, we will see how that all shakes out. There are no major injuries and no visa problems right now which is a good thing. Joe Girardi said anywhere between 100-120 games played for Jorge Posada would be good. He is talking about him catching that amount of games. 1,528 fans were in attendance to watch the Yankees first workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. This was announced by the Yankees.

Alex Rodriguez a World Champion

Alex Rodriguez started off last season n0t so great. He was revealed to be a steroid cheat and then had to go through that interview on ESPN with Peter Gammons that he admitted to doing it. He then went through the press conference in Tampa where all of his teammates came out to support him and I think that is where it all started with the new and improved A-rod. He got through that and then got the hip injury that I believe was a blessing in disguise. He went away all alone to Colorado to recover and contemplate where his life was headed. He admitted in a interview on the YES network last Thursday that he thought his career could be over, all he could think of was Bo Jackson and it was a scary thought. He got to work on his rehab and credits his recovery to his doctor who did a great job. We all know that Alex Rodriguez came back on May 8th and in his first swing launched a homerun. He went through the season with some ups and downs but amazingly finished with 30 homeruns and 100 rbi's. He finished the season with 2 homeruns and 7 rbi's in the last game knowing he needed that to finish with those round numbers. He of course then went on to have an amazing postseason where he would be the postseason MVP, that award was just presented to him last weekend. He now is not only further away from that surgery and didn't need any further surgery but he is a confident man. Alex Rodriguez is now a World Series Champion and a postseason hero. These are things that can never be taken away from him. He said last week in that interview on YES with Kim Jones that he was tired of that label of being a choker and just frustrated with losing in the playoffs so much. He went out and did something about it this past season along with the rest of that great Yankees team. Alex will now go into this season with something he really hasn't had and that is a ton of confidence. It is hard to predict what someone will do but being healthy and confident the skys the limit for A-rod and that is a scary thought for the opposing pitchers. The Yankees I am sure can't get wait to get started defending their title and knowing that they have one of the greatest players of all time on their side and feeling good about himself.

Where will the Damon story end?

The New York Yankees and Johnny Damon seemingly came to a bitter end with a painful divorce the other day. The Yankees signed Randy Winn and confirmed that Damon would not be coming back. The thing is usually when you have a bitter parting of ways there is anger, resentment, talking bad about each other etc. GM Brian Cashman was on the Yankees Hot Stove Show last night on the Yes Network and said that he wanted Damon back but it just didn't work out, he said he just hopes wherever he winds up it isn't for what he could of stayed a Yankee for. Johnny Damon was on WFAN this afternoon with Mike Francessa and said his heart is in NY and even floated the idea of returning to the Yankees in midseason via a trade. He said if not by a trade then maybe resigning with them at a later date. I just don't understand this whole thing. If both sides really wanted each other then they should of made it work. I am not one of those that thinks this is devestating for the Yankees. I like Johnny Damon a lot, I always have but they have gotten younger and they are much better defensively. Damon was not a good outfielder, had a terrible arm and runners took the extra base on him constantly. The good of Damon was he is a clutch player, he is fast and his swing was ideal for the New Yankee Stadium. He will not be the same player on another team, you watch and see his power numbers go down. I think the Yankees with Granderson in left and Gardner in center and Winn as the 4th outfielder are much better defensively. The Yankees are more versatile also as Winn can play all 3 outfield positions. He doesn't have any power compared to Damon but last year was his worst year and in other areas like speed and batting avg he is pretty comparable. He is a much better defender then Damon especially in the corner outfield positions. The comments on sports talk radio today and also on the internet are amazing. There are people so upset over this that they are threatening to not renew their season tickets. I think this is going a little overboard, I undertand that fans are upset but the Yankees are probably a better team right now then last season even without Johnnny Damon. This is a team that will be fine offensively and be better pitching wise and defensively. I know it is hard to say a World Championship team can get any better but in my mind they are and will be tough to beat next year. The Yankees know what they are doing and are going to be fine, they actually had a budget for once and stuck to it and you can't fault them for that. It will be interesting to see where Johnny Damon ends up, in the end best of luck to him and hopefully he won't regret his decision.

Busy day in Baseball

It has been a rather uneventful couple of weeks around the baseball world. We are drawing ever closer to spring training and the start of the baseball season and today the baseball world was very busy. Here are some of the transactions and rumors that took place today. Ben Sheets signed a 1 yr contract with the Oakland Athletics for 10 million plus incentives. Jim Thome signed a one year 1.5 million dollar deal with the Minnesota Twins. It also includes up to 750,000 in incentives. Xavier Nady is close to a deal with the Chicago Cubs. His deal is for 3.3 million with 2.05 million more in incentives for games played. The deal is pending a physical which isn't a foregone conclusion for him since he is coming off the second Tommy John surgery of his career. This affects the Yankees as they are looking for a right handed bat to play the outfield. Johan Santana of the New York Mets threw off a mound today for the first time since leaving a game last August and undergoing elbow surgery. He threw 35 pitches in 6 minutes and came through it fine. He said he feels good and will just be building up for opening day. Chad Jennings of the Journal News and the Lohud Yankees blog had some Yankee news tonight. Joe Girardi was in Times Square receiving the Bobby Murcer award from B.A.T which is the Baseball assistance team. He spoke about Johnny Damon and said he never believes something is completely shut until it is completely shut. He did say though with that said he doesn't see it happening. He can see Gardner in center and Granderson in left, he said he does see them as interchangeable. Joe Girardi also said that he feels good about Francisco Cervelli being the backup catcher. He said that he played at a very high level for them last year and learned a lot. He thinks he can handle the job. Joe Girardi said that Bernie Williams hasn't asked him about coming to spring training as a instructor but if he does he will consider it. I don't think there is any doubt that if he asks he will be there and he said on the radio the other day he would like to be in spring training. Joe Girardi brought the World Series trophy today to his daughter school. I can only imagine that being the show and tell, how cool is that. Brian Cashman via Brian Hoch said that Johnny Damon does not fit into his budget and he is not going to discuss Damon any further. It sure sounded like the door is slammed shut on Johnny but I still don't believe it until he signs somewhere else which I don't see happening. I think eventually they will work this out. I think it is both sides being bitter at the negotiating and using the media for leverage. The Yankees did add some outfield depth today when they traded minor league infielder Mitch Hilligos to the Texas Rangers for minor league outfielder Greg Golson. He has had 7 at bats in the major leagues without a hit. He is 24 years old and is considered a very toolsy player.

Some news and notes from around baseball

It has been a pretty quiet Sunday unless your totally into the NFL. If you are then what a game tonight between Green Bay and Arizona, I will get into the NFL tomorrow with my recaps and the upcoming matchups for the divisional round. The Yankees don't have anything doing although there have been rumors about them being in serious discussions to resign Jerry Hairston Jr. who came to them at the trade deadline last year and could be the right handed caddy to Brett Gardner in LF and could also play all over the infield giving the regulars some rest. I don't know if anyone really cares, well I am sure all the woman do but it looks like Derek Jeter is getting married to girlfriend Minka Kelly. The story was in the NY Post and then it started making the rounds on the internet. International free agent Aroldis Chapman has signed with the Cincinatti Reds according to reports. It looks like the deal could be for 5 yrs and 25 million and has a 6th yr option which could push it to 30 million. Khalil Greene who was a starting SS for the Padres for 5 yrs will try and revive his career with the Texas Rangers and join Vlady Guerrero who just signed a 5 million dollar deal with incentives to be their DH yesterday.

New Baseball Committee

Comissioner Bud Selig announced this afternoon that he will have a new comittee starting this season. The committee will review on field baseball issues. There are 14 people on the committee and they are: Joe Torre-Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tony Larussa-St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Scioscia-Los Angeles Angels manger Jim Leyland- Detroit Tigers manager John Schuerholz- Atlanta Braves president Andy Mcphail-Baltimore Orioles president Terry Ryan-former Twins general manager Mark Schapiro-Cleveland Indians general manager Chuck Armstrong-Seattle Mariners COO Paul Beeston-Toronto Blue Jays CEO Bill Dewitt- St. Louis Cardinals owner Dave Montgomery- Philadelphia Phillies owner Frank Robinson-Hall Of Famer and former player George Will-Journalist Bud Selig thought that this group could have an impact rather quickly like within a year. I hope this works and it looks like a good thing but we will see what happens. The umpiring was terrible this past season and especially postseason although Bud Selig the comissioner said he has been thinking of this for some time and it isn't because of the poor postseason the umpires had. It is an interesting group consisting of many different backgrounds which is good.

Yanks in Minnesota

The New York Yankees had a workout today in Minnesota and were a happy group as you can expect after last nights thrilling victory. The Yankees will take on their former teammate if you can call him that tomorrow. I am sure they will really want to stick it to Carl Pavano and will be looking to hit him all over the ballpark. Andy Pettite will look to close out the series and send the Yankees back to NY to await the start of the ALCS. The big topic today was still the umpire missing that call down the line on Joe Mauers double that he called foul. A lot of talk has been about maybe instituting replay for other things. I am against replay, it is ok with the homeruns but this is baseball and the human element has always been a part of the game. I don't want to ruin the flow of the game by having too many replays. There really wasn't any news today from the workout, a lot of reporters were talking to A-rod and he continued to praise his teammates. A scary thing to think about though is a relaxed A-rod as he could carry the Yankees all through the postseason, he is that good. I don't know how if A-rod is hitting in the clutch and A.J. Burnett is pitching well the Yankees could lose but this is baseball and we will see what happens. If the Yankees do win they will have homefield advantage once again and open up the ALCS at the stadium next friday. The Yankees and Angels can both move on tomorrow and that would be strange having the whole week off before resuming play.

Yanks avoid the sweep

The New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox today by the score of 8-5. We expected to see a pitchers duel with Mark Buehrle and CC Sabathia but didn't get it. CC Sabathia gave up 4 runs in the third inning but then settled down and gave them 4 shutout innings. Joe Girardi I think pushed the envelope too far and brought him out for the 8th, he gave up a leadoff double and then was pulled. Phil Hughes came on to get 2 outs and then Mariano came on to get the last out but not before giving up a cheap rbi single. CC Sabathia has not pitched like an ace especially lately and that is a cause for concern. I know a lot of people are into this thing with him pitching too many innings over the last couple of years which is true but I don't buy it now because his velocity is still high and his stuff is good but his location has been off. I am expecting him to go on a Burnett run and maybe him pulling out the win today can get him going. He really needs to pitch like an ace the rest of the season and carry the Yankees to the AL east title. The Yankees offense was led by Melky Cabrera who hit for the first Yankees cycle since Tony Fernandez in 1995. He also had 4 rbi's. I am really liking Jerry Hairston Jr. as he can play anywhere and can do whatever you want, sacrifice, get a rbi, get some hits. He reminds me of the late 90s teams that had those role players that were so important. Derek Jeter had 2 hits and a rbi and Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and A-rod all had a hit. Damon also had a rbi. Nick Swisher had a couple of hits and a couple of walks, Jerry Hairston had a couple of hits and a rbi and also a sac bunt. The Yankees now head to Toronto with a off day tomorrow and then face off against Roy Halladay which won't be easy at all, they can't look ahead at the Red Sox though and have to at least get one win in Toronto.

Rays at Yankees

The New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at 7:00PM. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham's Lohud Yankees Blog. The Yankees with a win tonight will have won 8 of their last 9 series. Andy Pettitte is tied with CC Sabathia for the team lead in wins with 5, he hopes he takes the lead tonight. He has been bothered by a bad back and given up a lot of hits and walks his last couple of starts but somehow survived, he is hoping to do better tonight though. Andy Sonnanstine has given up 78 hits and 16 walks in 56 innings this year. He is 3-1 with a 6.75 era in his last 4 starts which is an improvement. The Yankees need to make him throw pitches and hit the good ones they get. The Yankees have committed an error in 5 straight games. The Yankees are 17-11 at home after starting out so-so there. The best thing about the Yankees this year is their never say die attitude. They lead baseball with 20 come from behind wins and have won 11 games in their last at bat which leads the American league. The Yankees are 20-0 when holding opponents to 3 runs or less. They are the only team undefeated in this category, so if the Yankees get the pitching which they do more often then not they will win. If they ever get Wang going watch out with him CC and AJ and Andy and Joba on the backend that is a great staff. I think Joba is getting better and better and him being upset with his 6th inning yesterday is a good sign of that because he felt he should of gone at least 7. Nick Swisher has 11 homeruns, he did not get that until June 30th of last year. I love Swishers personality and intensity but Nady is just a better player and Swisher can really help this team coming off the bench and playing outfield and first base when guys need a rest. It will be interesting to see what happens when Nady does come back. Yankees lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Big Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF)

Minor League Notes

I am going to write about the minor leaguers for basically the first time this season. Chad Jennings who does a great job on the beat for the Scranton Wilkes Barre Yankees and has his own blog which you can access through this blog under the links just got down to Florida on Monday. The minor league camp just opened on Saturday and I plan on also covering the minor leagues throughout the season so if you are a fan of the Yankees minors or don't know much about it and would like to know about the minors then check out this blog for that information also. The Triple A Yankees won 4-3 over the Dunedin Blue Jays. Eric Hacker got the start and pitched 3 2/3 innings giving up 3 runs on 7 hits. He was having a rough time while he was in big league camp also. Jason Johnson pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings and Mark Melancon pitched 2 innings with 1 hit and 2k. Eric Duncan had 2 hits and a rbi, Kevin Russo was 1-3. Tim battle was 2-3 with a walk and SB, Edwar Gonzalez was 1-4 with a rbi. Francisco Cervelli had a sac fly, David Williams and Carlos Mendoza were both 1-2. Some of these names aren't too known right now but most I am sure you have heard of and if not as the season goes on I will get into more detail about the top prospects. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy of course will be the pitchers to watch in AAA along with Mark Melancon. Austin Jackson will be the position player to watch.