If you think back to the painful times of last September and October, you'll remember that one of the Yankees' biggest problems offensively was their inability to hit with RISP or string together multiple hits to keep rallies going. That's what led to so many games being closer than they should have been and it's what eventually sunk them when they ran into Detroit's pitching buzzsaw in the ALCS. With the bulk of the lineup's power on the shelf or in other uniforms, and their replacements being of similar "all or nothing" offensive makeup, I was counting on that frustrating trend continuing in the early part of this season. That hasn't been the case in these last three games, as timely hitting has been at the forefront of this current offensive explosion.
The slow and steady work back from the disabled list continues for the Yankees' gaggle of walking wound. Chad Jennings of LoHud had the latest on Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson's progress yesterday afternoon:
- Jeter returned to running the bases yesterday, not at full speed of course, and also hit in the cage and took some groundballs. That's positive progress from where he was last week, but it's still coming at a snail's pace. I'm putting my money on sometime in the fourth week of May.
- Granderson, who has spent the last week or so shagging flies, was cleared to begin swinging a bat this week and he'll do so in a pool to lessen the stress on his forearm. Still no definite timetable for C-Grand either, but mid-to-late May looks like a fair bet right now.
Baseball really is a funny game. It's one of the few sports where just a few days or a few games can make all the difference in the world. And as much as we're taught to not put a ton of weight into small sample sizes when evaluating stats, it is one of the few sports where sometimes a small sample size can tell you exactly what you need to know. Less than three full days ago the Yankees were 1-4, looking flat and old as flat and old can be, and facing the best pitcher in the American League as they tried to avoid getting swept out of Detroit. This morning they find themselves 4-4, having vanquished said best pitcher on their way to two consecutive road routes, and having scored 32 runs in their last three after scoring just 17 total in their first five.
(Cano, so hot right now. Cano. Courtesy of Getty Images)
I don't consider two straight wins a winning streak. I know a lot of people do, but that just seems a little aggressive to me. The Yankees had two straight wins to their credit heading into last night's game, and they had the chance to make it three and make it a legitimate winning streak in my eyes. They had the right pitcher on the mound to get it done in Andy Pettitte, who was hands down the best starter the first trip through the rotation, and the right offensive trends to get it done after putting up 18 runs in the previous two games. Both of those things combined in the perfect way and this baby was over early.
Game Notes:
- Brett Gardner started a rally in the top of the 1st that got killed by a Travis Hafner GIDP. In the 2nd, Gardner cashed in a 2-out rally with a big 2-run single to give the Yanks an early lead. The suddenly red-hot Robinson Cano followed up with a 2-run double and they were off and running.
- Andy was on the money early, retiring 5 in a row on groundballs through 2. His pitches had good life, and he was mixing them well again to get around a few walks and keep the Indians scoreless through 4.
- I don't know how he did it, but Robbie went from ice cold to molten hot in like 5 at-bats. He hit a 2-run HR to left in the top of the 4th to make it 7-0 and the rout was on.
- Sadly, Cano wasn't able to come through in his next AB in the top of the 6th. But Kevin Youkilis did, hitting a 2-run HR of his own to score Gardner for a third time and make it a 9-0 game.
- Andy had a heat check in the bottom of the 6th after he tried to challenge Asdrubal Cabrera with a first-pitch fastball down the middle and lost, but he got it back together and went K, K, groundout to end the 7th in style.
- Just to make sure there was no doubt, the offense chipped in more runs in the 8th on a Lyle Overbay solo HR and an RBI double by Cano ...
- ... And another 2-run HR by the pinch hitting Brennan Boesch ...
"To say that he's weak hitting the ball to left, however, would be a mistake and there's every reason to believe that Cano can make the necessary adjustment to combat this new approach."
Oh that's right. Something about Cano being one of the best hitters in the game and being more than capable of beating the new approach of pitching him away if opposing teams stuck with it. How'd that work out for Cleveland pitching yesterday?
The bullpen was supposed to be a strength again this year. The Yankees came into Spring Training with the core seven guys all but guaranteed roster spots, or so we thought. As injuries in other parts of the roster mounted, and the resulting personnel moves to cover them created a 40-man roster crunch, some of those spots became less of a guarantee, and at the end of camp there was more than a bit of surprise when David Aardsma and Clay Rapada were DFA'd. Their back end bullpen spots were given to Shawn Kelley and Cody Eppley, with Adam Warren making the cut as well as long man coverage for Phil Hughes. With just seven games in the books, it's hardly an "end of the world" problem, but the poor performance of those late additions and the slightly surprising struggles of Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan has me once again questioning some of those "in/out" roster decisions.
(All the high fives to this guy. Courtesy of the AP)
After failing to put up more than 4 runs in each of their first 5 games, the Yankees broke out late against Detroit on Sunday, putting a 7-spot on the scoreboard when all was said and done. If there was a game where that needed to continue, it was yesterday's game in which Hiroki Kuroda was returning to the mound to make his regularly-scheduled start despite still feeling some numbness in his injured middle finger. Kuroda was able to get through 5+ innings, while the offense continued to trend in the right direction.
Game Notes:
- No time was wasted in getting to Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez. With 2 on and 1 out in the top of the 1st, Travis Hafner crushed a 3-run HR to center field and the Yanks led 3-0.
- It was a good thing too because Kuroda struggled in the bottom half. He gave the 3 runs back on 3 singles, 2 walks, and 2 sac flies, and he certainly looked as though he was having trouble with his injured finger and his command.
- Hafner recaptured the lead in the top of the 3rd with an RBI single to score Robinson Cano, who doubled to lead off the inning. That was the end of the fireworks for Hafner, but Cano was just getting started.
- After another run on a Brett Gardner ribbie single in the 4th, Cano led off the top of the 5th with a HR to left-center field. That all but ended Jimenez's day, and probably struck fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers everywhere.
- Cano wasn't done, stroking another solo shot to right in the 6th. 3 more runs tacked on in the 7th gave the Yankee offense 5 straight innings with at least 1 run and an 11-3 lead.
- Kuroda was much sharper in his last couple innings, finding the feel for his sinker and splitter and holding the Indians scoreless until he departed with 1 out in the 6th.
- Shawn Kelley came on and gave up 3 runs in the 8th, which didn't affect the outcome but wasn't encouraging. Joba followed him up with a scoreless, albeit BB-filled 9th inning.
One of the biggest takeaways from Opening Day was the over-exaggerated defensive shift that John Farrell employed against Robinson Cano and the associated "pound him away" pitching strategy that accompanied it. Both strategic moves were effective, as Cano managed just a measly single up the middle in the series, and I for one was interested to see what Detroit would do against him in the second series of the season. Cano had a tough finish to his 2012 season, especially against left-handers, and in a league that's becoming increasingly copy cat-ish as more and more variations of statistical analysis become available, perhaps the Fraud Sawx had laid the groundwork for how to handle the one big bat in the current Yankee lineup.
"I would be lying if I said it wasn't bothering me. At the same time I have to deal with it.''
That statement pretty much answers the, "... if he isn't 100%" part of the question and answers it with a clear answer of "no, he isn't 100%." Which brings me back to the first part of the question. It's the second turn through the rotation in the seventh game of the season, and Kuroda is being sent out to start with an injury to his pitching hand that caused him to have trouble gripping the ball, locating his pitches, and resulted in his removal from the game last Wednesday. He's basically admitted that the injury has not fully healed and that he doesn't know how it's going to affect him today. Does that make anybody else as nervous as it makes me?
I know Kuroda made it through his Friday bullpen without any major issues, and he's got Adam Warren handcuffed to him again, which is probably why Joe and Cash feel comfortable letting him start. I'd just feel a lot better about skipping Kuroda for a trip and starting Warren if that gives his finger enough time to fully heal.
Small sample size or not, getting swept by the Tigers to finish off a 1-5 start to the season would have been bad news for the Yankees. They hadn't pitched well coming into yesterday's game, they hadn't hit much better, and to lose again with CC Sabathia on the mound would definitely get the panic meter started. Fortunately it didn't come to that, as CC was much better than he was on Opening Day and in a very ace-like performance (for all those who still want to argue that he's not) outdueled Justin Verlander to get his team a much-needed win.
Game Notes:
- The bottom of the order got the offense started in the top of the 2nd. Francisco Cervelli, continuing to tighten his grip on the starting job, hit a 1-out RBI double and then came home on Jayson Nix's, yes that Jayson Nix's, 2-run HR to make it 3-0 Yanks.
- Sabathia was noticeably better than he was last Monday, both in terms of velocity, which was slight up, and command. He still wasn't in top form, but it was a step in the right direction.
- Through 5 innings, the Tigers had put at least one baserunner on in each inning. But CC always worked around it, throwing a lot of good sliders and changeups, and never allowed a runner past second base.
- To his credit, Verlander regrouped and held the Yankees scoreless from the 3rd inning through his exit with 1 out in the top of the 8th. The bullpen took over from there and it all went south for Detroit, once again at the hands of the bottom of the order.
- After a Vernon Wells double put runners on second and third, Ichiro hit a sac fly to score 1 run and Cervelli came up with another big RBI hit to extend the lead to 5-0. Kevin Youkilis singled in 2 more in the top of the 9th to put the finishing touches on the game.
- D-Rob and Mo haven't gotten a lot of work early, and it showed as each had to work their way around a pair of hits in the 8th in 9th innings. In typical D-Rob and Mo form, however, they ended each inning with a K.
The first time through the starting rotation hasn't exactly gone the way the Yankees planned or hoped for this season. CC Sabathia looked very ordinary on Opening Day, Hiroki Kuroda wasn't sharp before leaving with injury, and Ivan Nova looked very similar to what he was last season when he was the worst pitcher on the staff. Andy Pettitte was the lone beacon of light, and yesterday Phil Hughes returned from his bulging disk to take his spot in the rotation and look to join Andy on the positive side of the pitching ledger.
Game Notes:
-It didn't take long for the offense to get going, with a Vernon Wells solo HR in the top of the 2nd tying the game at 1. The Yanks got 2 more XBH in the inning, but thanks to Brennan Boesch getting thrown out at the plate they only had the 1 run to show for it.
- Hughes had the same problem that Nova did before him. His stuff was there, but his command in the zone was iffy at best. He didn't walk a batter through 4 innings, but did give up 5 hits.
- It call came apart for Hughes in the bottom of the 5th, when he had already thrown 75 pitches. He gave up a leadoff single to Austin Jackson, a double to Torii Hunter, and a single to Miguel Cabrera to make it 3-1 Detroit and he was done.
- Another great scoring opportunity came in the top of the 6th. Max Scherzer and his replacement Al Albuquerque walked 4 batters, and a couple big RBI singles by Hafner and Overbay made it a 5-4 game
- .For a second straight day, however, the Yankee bullpen was a huge letdown. Boone Logan, David Phelps, and Joba Chamberlain combined to allow 4 more runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in 4 IP.
Also for a second straight day, the offense went down quietly in the late innings. They put a few more runners on base than Friday, but still came up scoreless in the final 3 innings.
Derek Jeter said he was going to be ready to start this season. Both he and the Yankees did everything in their power to try to make that happen. When his ankle started to act up earlier in spring camp, both he and the team passed it off as a blip on the radar. Now, on the day he was supposed to be eligible to come off the DL and return to the lineup, Jeter finds himself no closer to coming back than he was when he first went on the DL.
There hasn't been much progress in Jeter's latest attempt to come back, as evidenced by this latest report from Bryan Hoch today. What Jeter is doing now is the same thing he was doing two months ago when he first really started to get back to baseball activities, and this second go-round with these incredibly watered-down activities is happening at a slower pace than two months ago. Jeter still isn't taking batting practice, he still isn't taking real fielding practice, and he still can't run the bases. Those are the three fundamental activities for any baseball player at any position, and the plain fact of the matter is that there's no timetable for when he's going to start doing them again. I've heard early May thrown around as the new possible return date, but even that looks like a stretch presently.
I said way back in November that I didn't think Jeter was going to be able to make it back in time for Opening Day, and my preference was that he and the team didn't attempt to rush his comeback to make that happen. They did, it didn't work, and now we don't know when he's going to be back on the field. Normally I like to puff out my chest and sing my own praises on one of the rare occasions when I'm right. In this instance, however, I really don't want to.
A good pitching day it was not for the Yankees yesterday. Ivan Nova, making his first start of the year, didn't turn in the type of performance anybody was looking for to instill confidence that he had overcome last season's command problems. And the bullpen continued to expose its soft underbelly with a less-than-effective job behind Nova. The offense wasn't much help either, failing to score more than 4 runs for the 4th straight time.
Game Notes:
- There was trouble right out of the gate for Nova, who allowed a run and multiple baserunners in each of the first 2 innings, throwing 52 pitches in the process. His fastball and slider had great life, evidenced by his 4 Ks, but he just couldn't locate them with any kind of consistency.
- The lineup had chances to score against a near-equally shaky Doug Fister, but didn't until the top of the 5th. With runners on the corners and 1 out, Brett Gardner scored on a wild pitch and then Kevin Youkilis followed with a 2-run HR to make it a 3-2 Yankee lead.
- The lead wouldn't last long, though, as Nova and Boone Logan combined to give it right back with a 2-out HBP of Miguel Cabrera and a towering 3-run jack by Prince Fielder on a fastball up from Logan.
- There was a scary moment for Eduardo Nunez the inning before, who left the game after getting plunked in the upper body. X-rays were negative and he's day-to-day.
- After going down 5-3, the offense never sniffed a comeback, going down in order in the final 4 innings against Detroit reliever Drew Smyly.
- As for their relief pitching, it wasn't very good. Shawn Kelley gave up a monster HR of his own to Alex Avila in the bottom of the 6th, then another 2-run shot to Fielder in the 7th to put the finishing touches on Detroit's scoring.
(Bringing out the old school Photoshop for this story)
How about a little good injury news to take us into the weekend? With guys taking balls off various parts of their bodies every other game (phrasing), I think we could all use a little pick-me-up, right?
Well via Donnie Collins and Cash, we've got one. Collins first reported that Phil Hughes had been scratched from his scheduled final rehab start for Triple-A SWB tomorrow while confirming that there was nothing physically wrong with him, and Cash put the pieces together for us by telling reporters that Hughes will indeed start in place of David Phelps tomorrow in the second game of the Yankees' weekend series against the Tigers.
Knowing the way the Yankees tend to take it easy on guys with injuries, and knowing Hughes' checked history with his back, this has to be a sign that he's 100% healthy. I can't see them making this move if there was even a sliver of doubt about that. Assuming Kuroda is still on schedule to make his next start, and he should be after throwing a bullpen with no reported problems earlier today, the Yanks have their projected starting rotation back together sooner than anticipated. And I'll drink to that!
Well it didn't take very long to get my hands on the company Brewer tickets this year. Got 'em for Sunday's game against the D-backs, which will give me a chance to see former Yankee Ian Kennedy in action. I'm still a little salty about how quickly the team gave up on him and still wonder how his career path might have turned out had they kept him around. Now onto the links!
- On Monday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog offered up his American League predictions for 2013, complete with W-L records for every team. That's dedication, folks.
- On Tuesday, Mike Ashmore of Thunder Thoughts revealed the Double-A Trenton rotation for this season. On paper it looks like it could be sneaky good, but I was bummed to not see Jose Ramirez included.
- Staying with the Thunder, Josh Norris of Minor Matters had the details on all the upgrades to the Thunder's stadium this season, both on the field and in the clubhouse.
- Craig Edwards of Pinstriped Bible commented on the added importance and added riskthe Yankees are taking with CC Sabathia in the new MLB world where teams lock up their best young pitchers to big deal.
- Chad Jennings of LoHud had the full player-by-player breakdown of the Yankees' record-setting 2013 payroll. Still a little mind bottling to think that's how much they're paying players when you see the current lineup on the field.
- On Wednesday, Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA examined the schedule to show how the Yankees may not get hurt too much by having a weak right-handed hitting team early.
- El duque of It Is High... made some counter-arguments to the widespread belief that Robinson Cano dumping Scott Boras automatically means he's going to re-sign with the Yankees.
- On Thursday, Mike Axisa of RAB commented on the early struggles of the top of the lineup, the struggles that surely impacted Joe's decision to move everybody else up on Thursday night.
- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes used some statistical analysis, both current and historical, to point out how stupid all the hand wringing was over the first two games.
- On Friday, fishjam25 of Yankees Fans Unite questioned Bahhston's logic in shifting against Robbie Cano. When you look at the spray charts and Cano's career numbers going the other way, it's a fair question to ask.
- Egon Spengler of NoMaas presented their first new series recap of the season. These will come in handy if you're ever out of town and need to catch up on what you missed.
Today's Friday Jam is "When The Levee Breaks" by Zeppelin. This is always our go-to first jukebox song when my buddies from work and I go out drinking. Seven minutes gives you plenty of time to pick out the rest of your selections without having to rush, and this is easily one of the 3-5 best Zeppeling songs. Remember, kids, even in something as trivial as bar music, strategy is the key.
I'd say April Fool's, but that would be neither timely nor funny.
Eduardo Nunez was just taken out of the game after apparently being hit by a pitch from Doug Fister in the chest. Pretty much every beat writer with a Twitter account said he looked like he was in a tremendous amount of pain and he needed help getting off the field. Jayson Nix was brought in to pinch run and now we get to wait around again for more injury updates. Tough break for Nunez, who had gotten off to a pretty good start this season. More on this story as it becomes available.
** UPDATE 2:35 PM- Via Bryan Hoch, Nunez's injury is being called a bruised right bicep. X-rays were negative. That's really good news considering the amount of pain he appeared to be in, so I would imagine this will be called a 'day-to-day' injury. **
When the lineup for last night's game was released, there were probably a few eyebrows that went up. After just two games, one against a right-handed pitcher, Joe decided to change things up a bit and shuffle the deck against Ryan Dempster. Gone were Ichiro or Eduardo Nunez from the 2-spot in the lineup, and instead Joe moved the middle of the batting order up a spot to hit Robinson Cano 2nd, Kevin Youkilis 3rd, Travis Hafner 4th, and Vernon Wells 5th. With such an incredibly small sample size to evaluate and base lineup decisions on, a move like this in the third game of the regular season could have come across as one of desperation. Considering the circumstances surrounding the roster right now, and the severely depleted amount of above-average hitters in the lineup, I actually thought it was pretty smart and a great example of playing the hand you're dealt.
Andy Pettitte has always had a reputation as being a stopper, a pitcher you could count on to turn in a good performance when your team needed a win. The season was only two games old heading into last night, but the Yankees certainly could have used a win to get some positive vibes going into the weekend series against Detroit and in typical Andy fashion, the old lefty gave them the good start they needed.
Game Notes:
- Pettitte got into a little trouble in the top of the 1st, putting 2 runners on base with singles and then throwing a wild pitch that he didn't cover the plate on. Francisco Cervelli made a great play to retrieve the ball and tag Shane Victorino out at the plate, though, and no harm was done.
- With 2 outs in the bottom of the 2nd, the Yanks took the lead, their first since Game 5 of last year's ALDS, on Lyle Overbay's 2-run bloop single to left. Credit Eduardo Nunez for his ground-rule double the AB before to put RISP.
- He's not known for his power, but Brett Gardner muscled a leadoff HR over the wall in right in the bottom of the 3rd to make it 3-0.
- A 3-run lead isn't insurmountable, but Pettitte made it stand up with some great work. He gave up hits here and there, but always seemed in control and mixed his pitches beautifully to keep Bahhston off the board through 6.
- They finally struck in the top of the 7th on a Jackie Bradley, Jr. RBI double to make it 3-1. Pettitte then turned around and worked a quick scoreless 8th to ensure no further damage.
- He also got picked up by another atypical power hitter in the bottom half of the 7th when Cervelli hit a bomb to left to re-extend the lead to 3 runs.
- Mo came on for the first time since the end of last April and locked down the win. It didn't come without a run scored, but fuck it. A win's a win.
While Double-A has a much sexier collection of prospects, the newly named Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are more than holding their own when it comes to quantity of prospect talent on their roster this season. After being the bare bones level for most of 2012, SWB boasts a well-rounded collection of guys who could be breaking into the show sometime in the next year or so. In fact, with the problems injuries and payroll crunches are taking on the Major League team this season, we could see a few guys from here in the Yankees' dugout in the near future.
If there's one MiL team to pay the most attention to this season, it's hands down the Double-A Trenton Thunder. And it's not just because they have a badass name and logo, which they do. This year's season-opening edition of the Thunder will be stacked with high-end prospect talent, both in the field and on the pitching mound. There will be no less than eight top 20-30 organizational prospects on the roster to start this season, and that's not even counting the rehabbing Jose Ramirez, who will get some time in Extended ST to let a couple of small nagging injuries heal before joining the rotation. Check out the rest of this All-Star collection after the jump.
With a day to let the initial excitement and eventual disappointment of Opening Day settle down, the Yankees returned to the diamond last night for the second game of their season-opening series against Fraud Sawx Nation. They had Hiroki Kuroda on the mound making his 2013 debut, the "better" version of their starting lineup on the field, and hit-or-miss right-hander Clay Buchholz as the opposing pitcher. If there was anything that could have made the situation better to get a W, it would have involved a batting tee. Unfortunately, that situation fell apart pretty quickly.
Game Notes:
- The weather wasn't kind (low-30s wind chill, 25 MPH winds), and Kuroda never looked comfortable with his grip or slider command. He gave up a run on 3 hits in the top of the 1st, and then had to leave the game with 1 out in the 2nd after taking a line drive off his pitching hand and following up with 2 HBPs and a walk to force in another run.
- Cody Eppley relieved Kuroda, and got out of the 2nd with a well-timed double play ball, but Joe elected to go back to Eppley instead of Adam Warren to start the 3rd and Eppley put 4 more runs on the board before Joe finally pulled the plug.
- Down 6-0 early, the Yanks got on the board via a solo HR by Travis Hafner in the bottom of the 4th. Good to know they still have a few healthy guys who can hit bombs.
- After that, Buchholz settled down and worked through the next 3 frames scoreless, including wiggling out of a 2-on, 1-out jam in the 7th.
- Nobody was expecting him to do much more than take one for the team, but Warren was actually very good in his 5.1 innings of work. He allowed just 1 more run, got the game to the 9th without using up any major 'pen guys, and threw both his fastball and his changeup very well.
- Vernon Wells was the big offensive star of the night for New York, racking up 3 hits in 4 ABs. His last one was a 3-run homer off former Yank Alfredo Aceves in the bottom of the 8th. It was enough to make the game look respectable, but in the end the Yanks still came up short.
It wasn't a good start and it wasn't a long start for Hiroki Kuroda tonight, who just left the game with 1 out in the top of the 2nd after taking a line drive off the fingertips on his pitching hand. He reached out with that bare hand on a leadoff line drive up the middle, and after throwing a few warm-up pitches to test the hand, hit 2 batters and walked another to force in a run. More on this story as it becomes available. Obviously this is not good news for the Yankees.
** UPDATE 7:29 PM- Via Dan Barbarisi, the Yanks are calling Kuroda's injury a "right middle finger contusion." X-rays still to come... ** ** UPDATE 10:16 PM- X-rays came back negative and Joe told the media after the game that it's just a bruised middle finger. I bet Kuroda misses his next start, but probably no more than that. Definitely better than a break. **
There was a brief period of time after his signing on April 15th where things were looking pretty sweet for Brennan Boesch. He had hooked on with a team in desperate need of help in the outfield, signed a guaranteed Major League deal with that team, and because of the circumstances surrounding the rest of the outfield competition, looked to be a lock for a starting spot in that team's outfield for at least the first month of the regular season.
Then Boesch missed a few games with a strained rib cage, watched as the Yankees traded for Vernon Wells and signed Lyle Overbay, and ended up being one of the final players selected for the Opening Day roster, now in the 4th outfielder spot instead of the starting lineup. He was on the bench to start Monday's home opener as Joe elected to go with right-handed hitters Wells and Ben Francisco against southpaw Jon Lester, and there he stayed for the entirety of the game. When Boston went to the bullpen and brought in a right-hander in the bottom of the 6th inning, it was Travis Hafner and Overbay who got the calls to be the lefty pinch hitters over Boesch, and they were the only lefty pinch hitters Joe used in the game's final 4 innings despite Boston using three more right-handed pitchers.
Continuing our quick run up the MiL preview ladder, we move to High-A Tampa, where many of last year's top prospects made at least a quick stop on their 2012 journeys through the system. Some of them have already moved on to the next level, some have stayed to start the 2013 season here, and some are making the jump up from Charleston after spending a full year last year in Low-A. One thing that's for certain with this team- everybody knows who the top two players are.