Kei Igawa: Record Setter

AB4AR would like to be the first to congratulate Kei Igawa for setting the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankee all-time record for more innings pitched and most home runs allowed.  These records are a testament to Igawa's pedestrian stuff and dedication to being mediocre that have allowed him to be a constant staple of the Triple-A roster over the years.

So congrats, Kei.  I hope your teammates gave you the proper champagne shower in the locker room after the game.  You earned it, buddy.  I think we can now safely say that this was $46 million well spent.

/throws up

What To Do With The Roster?

The injury bug sucks, and it's been biting the Yankees hard over the last week.  The Yankee pitching staff was already hurting without Damaso Marte, Pedro Feliciano, Phil Hughes, and Rafael Soriano in the ranks, and then earlier this week they lost Joba Chamberlain, yesterday they lost Bartolo Colon and Amaury Sanit, and possible Triple-A replacement Tim Norton was also put on the DL earlier in the week.  Now Sanit is probably addition by subtraction, but it's a fair statement to say that the Yankee staff is in tatters right now and they need to get creative to stem the tide.

Coming into yesterday's game, Joe was carrying 13 pitchers, which was a ridiculous move when you consider that those 13 included Sanit, Jeff Marquez, and Lance Pendleton and not Hector Noesi, and even more ridiculous when you consider the fact that it left the Yankees with just 2 non-catcher bench players in Andruw Jones and Eduardo Nunez.  Things have already gotten straightened out a bit today with Noesi and Chris Dickerson being called back up to replace Colon and Sanit on the active roster and add a little more bench depth, but things still need to be figured out.

Noesi is the most likely choice to replace Colon in the rotation, but that isn't 100% certain.  David Phelps has been very good all season, Adam Warren has been great recently, and D.J. Mitchell pitched a pretty good start yesterday and is on the same schedule as Colon, making him the easiest to drop in.  If one of them gets called up to take Colon's spot instead of Noesi, then Noesi gets put back into the 'pen as the long man and somebody else has to go down.  That guy should be Marquez or Pendleton.  And the Yankees definitely don't want to play with fire by only having 2 available bodies on the bench, so Dickerson should stay.

It's a shitty situation to be in right now, but the Yankees have to figure out a way to make it work.  If it were up to me, I'd give Colon's rotation spot to Noesi, even if he can only work a short outing this next time out.  He has the highest ceiling of any of the candidates and has already shown he can get it done at the Major League level in his previous appearances.  I'd also think about strengthening the bullpen by swapping out Marquez and/or Pendleton for George Kontos a/o Ryan Pope from Triple-A.  You'd be upgrading the stuff and velocity of 2 middle relief options whose roles become more important with Joba and Soriano down while still having the option of carrying guys who can go more than 1 inning if needed.  Kevin Whelan was a good start, now it's time to get rid of the rest of the crap in there and at least have some solid arms.

My New Rotation: CC, A.J., Garcia, Nova, Noesi

My New Bullpen: Mo, D-Rob, Boone Logan, Ayala, Whelan, Kontos, Pope

Thank You, Fausto Carmona

(HELLOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Courtesy of The AP)

Thank you, Fausto.  Thank you for dragging the Yankees out of the zombified state they've been in for the last handful of days after enduring another asswhooping at the hands of the Fraud Sawx.  Thank you for reigniting a fire within the offense that had seemingly been blown out, had a bucket of water dumped over it, and then covered in sand since about halfway through Wednesday night's game.  It was only one game, and sure, the Yanks could come out tonight and lay another egg, but it was good to see guys fired up again, it was good to see the lineup be patient and then string hits together to make pitchers pay for making bad pitches, and it was good to see home runs get knocked into the deepest parts of the park.

And thank you, Fausto, for waking Joe up.  Tt was especially good to see that he still has a pulse there in the dugout.  He's been just as MIA as the rest of his club lately, still clinging to the "we gotta make plays/one game at a time/come out tomorrow" cliche rope as the performance and health around him has been faltering.  It's a manager's job to get his guys ready to play and to keep them up, and you could hear in Teix's voice in his postgame interview that he was fired up after watching Joe go face-to-face with Manny Acta.  Hopefully that energy is still there in the clubhouse today and hopefully it carries through the rest of the series.

And thanks, Fausto, for giving Ivan Nova such an easy situation in which to work on fixing his issues and throwing strikes in a low-leverage situation to build some confidence.  2 runs and a season-high 6 Ks in 7 strong innings?  That's as good a performance as Nova has had all year, and he probably earned himself another 2 starts at least in the rotation as the Yankees continue to wait for Phil Hughes to return.

So thank you, Fausto.  Thank you for waking the sleeping giant, even if it was just for one night.  If they're all still awake and still remember your shenanigans from last night when they get to The Stadium today, then I feel bad for your starting pitcher today.

Bartolo Colon Is The 900,000 Dollar Man

** CAPTAIN'S NOTE- This post was originally posted on 5/18 and got deleted during the little technical issue that Blogger had a few weeks ago.  But since it's all sadness and rain clouds in Yankeeland today and I don't feel like talking about any of that, I decided to brighten things up with a little comedy and re-post this gold.  A "Six Million Dollar Man" reference AND more Bartolo Colon fat jokes in the same post??  GodDAMN, I am hilarious!**

Nothing like getting some stem cells from your own fat hips injected into your shoulder to rejuvenate your career, huh? 

"According to a story in the Dominican daily Dairio Libre, the new life in Colon's arm could be partially attributable to two treatments of stem cells - or "células madre" as they're called in the Dominican Republic, where Colon had the procedures. The doctors, Sergio Guzman and Leonel Liriano, told the newspaper they... sent "an invitation" out to Colon, which he accepted in March 2010. Guzman was quick to insist, though, that when they took fatty tissue and bone marrow from Colon's hip and injected it into injured tissues in his rotator cuff and elsewhere in his right shoulder, they weren't doing anything revolutionary." (via MLB Trade Rumors)

I don't know what was a more genius move, Colon opting for this treatment to try and bring some life back what was his completely dead arm or the Yankees for picking him up.  And if you don't think Cash knew that this had happened before he even started watching Colon in the Dominican winter league let alone before he decided to sign Colon, then you are just a dope.  Once again, Cash was playing chess while other GMs were playing checkers.

Apparently MLB is now looking into this situation after the report came out yesterday, but as Ben from RAB wisely pointed out, there really isn't much they can do and nothing illegal happened, so this was a calculated risk that has seemingly paid off for Colon and the Yankees.

Announcer: "Bartolo Colon.  Pitcher.  A man barely alive."

Cash: "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to inject stem cells from the butt into the shoulder to create the world's first 38-year-old man-titted effective starting pitcher. Bartolo Colon will be that pitcher. Better than he was before.  Better...stronger...faster.  But still pretty fat."

Speechless

I really don't know what to say.  I really don't.  I had all the confidence in the world that the Yankees would sack up, rally behind CC last night, and at least salvage a win and a share of the division lead from this series last night.  I was so confident that I even broke out the sarcasm before the game when I made fun of the MSM and their collective hand wringing after the first 2 games.

Unfortunately the Yankees didn't hold up their end of the bargain, bowing down again last night 8-3 to Fraud Sawx Nation.  They led 2-0 after the first 2 batters in the bottom of the first and then managed to get nothing off of Josh Beckett for the next 7 innings, even when they had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 2nd.  That's just horseshit, no other to say it.

I'm well aware of the insignificance that this series will most likely hold in the grand scheme of the 162-game season, hence the aforementioned sarcasm yesterday.  But losing still sucks, losing to your biggest rival still sucks, and the sucktitude of any loss gets magnified when it comes as a result of playing piss-poor baseball.  This team still can't hit when it has to, it still plays sloppy defense, it still has questions in the rotation, and its bullpen is in complete tatters after yesterday's bad news about Joba.  I don't know when things are going to start turning around, and I'd like to say it will happen when the plummeting Indians come into town, but with the way the Yanks are playing right now, that's far from a certainty.

The best thing you can say about this series was at least somebody finally hit this asshole:

(Screen cap used courtesy of RAB)

Unfortunately, that doesn't do nearly enough to ease the sting of another beatdown.

The Early-Season MSM Panic Meter Is Rising Rapidly

"There are Yankees killers and then there are Yankees killers and then there is Ortiz, who is a serial murderer of Yankees pitching." (Vaccaro, The Post)

"The Yankees are a second-place team now after falling 11-6 to Boston. Heck, they are just 4 1/2 games ahead of last-place Baltimore in the congested AL East." (Sherman, The Post)

"At this moment, just a game separates the teams ... Still, it feels like Boston is ascending, distancing themselves from their distasteful start to the season." (Sherman again)

"There are a thousand ways to look at the Red Sox domination of the Yankees, but start with the fact that when the Yankees need A.J. Burnett the most, he comes up small." (Kernan, The Post)

"Say the Yankees face the Red Sox in the ALCS. Who are they going to pitch in Game 2 of that series?" (Kernan again)

"It's becoming the first half of 2009 all over again, and right now the Yanks can only hope this season ends the same way that one did. But after an 11-6 Yankee loss Wednesday night, the Red Sox clearly have the Bombers' number, beating them for the seventh time in eight games." (Feinsand, The Daily News)

"It could have been a wonderful night, the best of the season at Yankee Stadium, a comeback to talk about all season. Are you kidding? After being 7-0 down against the Red Sox? It was right there in the bottom of the sixth, all over the bases and all over the place. Gardner didn't score. Jeter didn't hit. Red Sox win again." (Lupica, The Daily News)

As you can clearly see from all the literary mass hysteria, these are trying times in Yankeeland.  We're at DEFCON 2 here, people.  Another sweep at the hands of the Fraud Sawx is imminent, nobody can pitch, nobody can hit, Joba is staring down the barrel of TJS, and the Yankees are already screwed in the hypothetical 2011 ALCS showdown they will have with the Fraud Sawx.  And there is only one man who can save us.

(Courtesy of The AP)

That man is you, Carsten Charles Sabathia.  Your team needs you.  The NY sports writers need you.  We the fans NEED you, Carsten.  We need you to rise up, put the team on your back, and help salvage this all-important regular season series in June.  The Sawx are ascending, like majestic flying unicorns, towards the sun and their inevitable World Series trophy.  They are dominating your team, they have your number, and the last 2 days have shown that there is NOBODY on this team except for you and you alone who can turn out a good start.  For God's sake, you're 1 game back of the division lead, man! ONE WHOLE GAME!!!  IN JUNE!!!  DO YOU NOT SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF TONIGHT'S OUTCOME?!?!?!?!

The fate of the team, nay, the fate of the entire UNIVERSE may very well hang in the balance tonight.  Because I think we all know that if the Yankees lose tonight, and go down a whole 2 games to Fraud Sawx Nation, 1 in the loss column, then the season is basically over.  And even if it isn't, clearly the last 2 games have proven that this dominance will carry over for the rest of the regular season and into the hypothetical ALCS.

So save us, CC.  Save us from this terror and this misery.  Give us something to believe in.  Don't let the doom and gloom that has crept over all of us after these last 2 "do or die" June games engulf us all.

No, Really. Can Somebody PLEASE Hit This Asshole?!?

"I don't care what Joe Girardi says.  Take it like a man.  I'm done with that shit."

Seriously, fellas.  If you aren't going to make pitches, limit damage, or get hits with the bases loaded, can somebody at least put this clown in his place?

Bad Day At The Office

In case you missed any of it, here's how the Yankees' day went yesterday.

- Joba was put on the DL with a strained elbow flexor muscle.

- To replace him on the roster, the Yankees claimed former MiL batting practice pitcher Jeff Marquez off waivers from the White Sox.  Then they optioned Hector Noesi down to SWB and replaced him with Amaury Sanit.  All that added up to a bullpen last night that consisted of Mo, D-Rob, Boone Logan, Luis Ayala, Marquez, Sanit, and Lance Pendleton.

- Not long after that, Russell Martin's back acted up on him and he was scratched from the lineup in the afternoon.

- A.J. was the worst version of Bad A.J. we've seen all year, giving up 7 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in just 5.2 innings, and generating just 4 swings and misses on his 105 pitches thrown.

- A.J. compounded his ineffectiveness by not hitting or buzzing any of the Red Sox batters, neither early in the game as retribution or late in the game after they had shelled him to send a message.  But he did intentionally walk J.D. Drew.

- Francisco Cervelli airmailed 2 throws on attempted steals into the outfield.

- Curtis Granderson went 0-5 with 2 Ks.

- Brett Gardner failed to score on a wild pitch in the 6th that went all the way back to the wall behind the plate, despite Jeter waving him home almost as soon as the ball got away.

- Jeter followed that up with an inning-ending and rally-killing GIDP.

- Eduardo Nunez managed to successfully foul a ball off his own face.

- The Yankees lost their 7th out of 8 against the Fraud Sawx so far this season, 11-6, and lost the lead in the AL East.

Just a complete shit pile anyway you look at it.  Somebody hit the music...

Nick Starting To Be More Swisher And Less Punto Lately

(Are there any pictures of this guy NOT smiling?  Courtesy of The AP)

On May 26 Nick Swisher was at his lowest statistical point of the season.  He had just gone 0-3 against the Blue Jays and his tripleslash for the season was .204/.321/.289.  The .321 OBP wasn't horrible considering how low the BA was, but a .289 SLG is unfathomably bad.  I don't want to say that I could do that, because it's a well known fact to anybody who reads this blog on a regular basis that I was a horrendous player in my Little League days, but I think I could have closed my eyes on every swing, run into a few misplaced pitches here and there, and put up a .289 SLG.  The worst part about this was the fact that it was the 2nd game after Joe gave Swish 2 days off to get his shit together and the 2nd of the 2 games after the mini-vacation that Swish didn't collect a hit.  He was lost at the plate, sinking in the batting order, and the unintelligent portions of the Yankee fanbase had already written him off for this season and exercised their right to not pick up his option for 2012.

Since then, however, we've seen signs that the Swish we've come to know and love over the last 2 seasons is re-emerging from his 2-month slumber.  Since that fateful May 25 game, Swish has 10 hits in his last 33 at-bats, 6 of them for extra bases (3 2B, 3 HR), 4 runs scored, 7 RBI, and 9 walks to just 5 K.  His tripleslash has risen to .222/.345/.357, his OPS has crept above .700 for the first time since April 5, and his wOBA is back up above .300 at .315.  It's still a bit early to call him officially "back," but that undeniable positivity that I talked about when he came back from his benching on May 24 appears to have gotten Swish back on the right track.

My favorite stat out of all that is the 9-5 BB-K ratio.  We saw a lot of swinging and missing from Swish in May, even while he maintained a solid BB rate, so it's good to see him get back to seeing the ball, squaring up on it, and putting good swings on hittable pitches, all while not sacrificing his trademark patience and good eye at the plate.  If he can keep doing that and putting himself in good hitters' counts, this recent resurgence should continue.  And with the continued inconsistency of the heart of the order, that would be a welcome sight for Yankee fans.

Can Somebody Please Hit This Asshole?

(No, really.  Somebody needs to hit this asshole.)

Seriously, dude.  Why don't you stand and admire it a little longer?  Dick.  And then to say this after the game:

“I’m a home run hitter. It’s not like I do it all the time. But it’s part of the excitement. What can I tell you? I just went deep. You want more emotion than that. I just went deep. It’s another homer for Papi.  That was one of the Papi good ones."

“That’s Papi style.  You saw that before.” (via The Post)

Jesus Christ, bro.  Try not to sprain your AC joint patting yourself on the back.  Yes, you're a home run hitter.  And that's EXACTLY why you shouldn't have standing there like Barry Bonds hitting his 73rd admiring the fucking thing.  Let's review; you hit a home run off a rookie pitcher in what, at the time, was a 3-run regular season game in June.  Not September, not October, June.  You want to celebrate that?  Be my guest.  But don't be surprised if A.J. or CC stick one in your or one of your teammates' ribs before the series ends and don't bitch about it afterwords.  See how you feel about "Papi style" then.

Oh, and tell your buddy Papelbon to calm down with his celebration too.  Dude, you're coming off a game where you completely imploded  and got yourself suspended and then you allowed a run to score and had the tying run at the plate last night before getting off the hook.  Not exactly worthy of yelling and screaming like you just saved Game 7.

But hey, if the Sawx want to treat their typical early-season dominance like it matters, be my guest.  Just don't make excuses when you get swept in September again and don't bitch and moan when Joba buzzes Youk's tower again.  You want to make yourselves targets?  Don't be offended when the hunters shoot at you.

(Photos courtesy of Anthony J. Causi at The Post.  Crosshair Photoshop work by Swanny Duckson.  Douchebaggery courtesy of Fraud Sawx Nation.)

The Fraud Sawx Have Freddy's Numbah

(Yeesh.  Courtesy of The AP)

Freddy Garcia has now made 10 starts this season.  In those 10 starts, he is 4-5 with 60 hits, 22 walks, and 9 HR allowed in 58.1 innings, equaling out to a 3.86 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 4.20 xFIP, and 1.41 WHIP.  For the most part, he has been serviceable as the 4th/5th starter, if not downright good at times.  But after last night's gong show at The Stadium, it's clear what his Achilles heel is and it really comes as no surprise.

In 2 starts against the Sawx this year, Garcia's line looks like this:

7 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 8 ER, 3 HR, 5 K, 10.29 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, 0-2

Now when he's been on this season, Freddy has pitched effectively against most offenses.  His movement on his off-speed stuff and his pitching intelligence have been enough to allow him to get by with a heater that has about as much zip to it as your average Little Leaguer's.  But against a good hitting team, that dog just don't hunt and last night the Sawx, a very good hitting team on a very hot hot streak,  just punished Garcia and got enough off of him early before Joe pulled the plug to hold on.

You look around the AL and you don't see many teams with lineups half as good as that of Bahhston, or the Yankees for that matter.  As long as he stays healthy, we can expect to get the same marginal service from Freddy against the rest of the league with a good start thrown in here and there, and with the Yankee offense that should be enough to be successful.  But if this is the best he can do against Bahhston, then Joe might want to think about juggling the rotation to keep him out of it the next time they come to town instead of Nova.

Teix KO'd In Top Of The 1st

Jon Lester kneecapped Teix in his first at-bat a few minutes ago.  All indications are it looks pretty serious, as Teix was writhing in pain after taking a pitch right off the right kneecap, and he hardly put any weight on his right leg at all as he was helped off the field.  Surprisingly, Jorge was brought in to pinch run for him, but I don't think we'll be seeing Teix for the next couple days at least.

Update coming later when it's available.  For now I will just say that's bush by Lester.  Whether it got away or not, there's no reason for that to happen in the 1st inning of a game.  That's retaliation-worthy as far as I'm concerned and the umps better allow the Yankees to exact their pound of flesh, preferably later in the game when Joba or D-Rob or somebody with a little heat on the fastball is in the game and not Freddy and his BP fastball.

** UPDATE- 8:18PM- X-rays were negative and the official word is that Teix has a knee contusion.  He'll be re-evaluated tomorrow but it looks like our worst fears won't be realized with this one.  Still, Lester can S a D. **

Yanks-Sawx Round 3- Something Has To Give

(Calm down, Youk.  You're fine.)

Both of the Yankees-Fraud Sawx series this season have gone negatively for the Yankees.  They lost 2 out of 3 in Bahhston earlier in the year and were rudely treated to their first sweep at the New Stadium in mid-May.  Since that disastrous 3-day period, both teams have been on a tear and this time the Sawx come back into town sitting just a game behind the Bombers for the AL East lead.

Both teams have been driven by a particular part of the roster lately, one coming as no surprise for one team and one a bit of a surprise for the other.  As friend of AB4AR Larry Koestler pointed out this morning on TYA, the Sawx have been mashing the shit out of the ball for the last 2 weeks to the tune of a .367 team wOBA.  After 2 months, the lineup is finally starting to live up to the hype and there are probably still pitchers having nightmares about their most recent outing against Boston.  Now, this is not to say that I'm lightening up on my anti-Frad Sawck stance.  They still suck.  Unfortunately, their offensive performance of late has not.

On the Yankee side of things, pitching has been the name of the game of late.  In the same 2-week span, the Yankee pitching staff has put together an AL best 2.91 ERA and 3.33 FIP.  CC has been a beastly man amongst boys, Colon continues to pitch well, A.J. has been serviceable, and somehow Freddy Garcia is still getting positive results with everything but the kitchen sink.  And to top it all off, the bullpen trio of Mo-Joba-D-Rob has held up their end of the bargain by putting zeroes up on the board.  If you would have taken a poll of Yankee fans on Opening Day and asked if a rotation that included Colon and Garcia would be part of an AL-leading anything over a 2-week span, I don't think you would have had many votes in the "Yes" column, but it's the truth.  While the offense still hasn't quite found its stride, the pitching staff has carried the team through this most recent stretch of success.

So starting tonight we've got the Sawx lineup against the Yankee rotation.  Which group will continue their hot streak and which will have their momentum halted?  And more importantly, how many times will I curse myself for moving out to WI, giving up the YES Network, and not having an ISP that allows me to get MLB broadcast package on my computer?

P.S.- Truth be told, I could give a shit if the Yankee starters get shelled in all 3 games.  It'd just be nice to see the boys take 2 of 3 and win a series to increase the division lead.

Yankees Draft Dante Bichette

How does that taste, all you Yankee haters who thought the Yankees were screwed picking 51st while the rest of their division had half the picks before them?  A little Dante Bichette right in your eye!  This guy was the MAN back in the day.  I remember playing RBI Baseball '94 on my Game Gear growing up and straight dominating the world with him and Andres Galarraga on the Rockies.  Dude could rake.  40 homers, 128 RBI, and a .413 wOBA in '95, 31, 141, .380 in '96.  That's some solid production any way you cut it.  Sure, the guy is probably older than dirt now and I have no clue how he managed to re-attain his amateur status for this draft, but that's beside the point.  The Yankees added a Major League caliber power hitter with the 51st pick in the draft.  Dante Freakin' Bichette, baby!

Wait, what?  It's not him?  Kid?  What are you talking about?  Dante Bichette JR.???  He has a kid?  After all the 'roids he did?  No way.  Is his kid any good?  Is that a good pick?

People don't seem to think so.

Oh.  Well that kinda sucks.  Now I just feel like an idiot.

Uhhhhh...

...

Draft Day, Draft Day, Draft Day!!

The MLB amateur draft starts tonight, which is always big news if you're a baseball fanatic.  Admittedly, I am not as big a draft freak as others, even though I love me some Yankee prospects.  I just don't have the time or the resources to follow up on all the potential talent out there at the HS and college level, so I leave that to the professionals who do and get my love on once guys officially become Yankees.

Last year's crop of talent was a lot of high-upside, low-risk variety from what I understand, and the Yanks are already getting solid returns from the likes of Rob Segedin (3rd Rd.), Tommy Kahnle (5th), Kyle Roller (8th), and Dan Burawa (12th) in A-ball and when short-season SI starts up, we'll get another look at the Cito Culvers and Mason Williams' of the world.  And with the Yankees not picking until the 51st pick this year (thanks a lot, Randy), expect them to be aggressive on someone who drops down the board from their slot.

And that right there is the extent of my 2011 MLB Draft preview.  Like I said, I'm not exactly Mel Kiper when it comes to this and I don't try to be.  If you're looking for excellent draft coverage, check out the stuff from the boys at The Yankee Analysts and anything that Mike Axisa writes about at River Ave. Blues.  Once the draft is over and I get a chance to follow up on these guys' thoughts, I'll weigh in with my take.  Maybe.  Until then, follow them and trust what they say.

West Coast Road Trip Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(High fives all around!  Courtesy of The AP)

- Before they went out on the road, I said I would be happy with a 5-4 record from the Yankees on this 9-day tour of some of the best starting pitching the AL has to offer.  So the fact that they came in 6-3 and extended their lead in the AL East is more than fine with me.

- That being said, it is a bit frustrating to look back on the series and see just how close the Yankees were to going 9-0.  A few hits with RISP here and another fluke Mo BS there in Seattle, and just a couple hits anywhere in the first game against Anaheim and things would be looking really bright right now.  I hate to rain on the parade by saying that there's always some "yeah, but... " scenario with this year's Yankees, so I just won't say it.

- A theme for the 2011 season that continued through this trip was the solid starting pitching.  From the end of the Seattle series through the Oakland one, the Yankees got 4 straight good performances from their rotation: back-to-back lights out jobs by CC and Colon followed up by 2 solid starts from Freddy and A.J.  I don't care who you're playing against, 6 runs allowed over a 4-game span is damn good.  CC followed up his beauty with another gem Saturday against the Angels and Colon was pretty decent yesterday, so the rotation continues to at the very least exceed expectations and at the most carry the team.

- The "Get Jorge The Hell Out of the DH Spot" campaign is in full swing now.  He started the trip hitting .178/.298/.357 and he finished it hitting .178/.290/.349.  He had 2 of his 3 hits for the whole trip yesterday, and even then he managed to ruin the double by inexplicably trying to stretch it to 3rd.  I don't care if it's more ABs for Andrew Jones, more for Chris Dickerson, or more for Chavez when he comes back.  If the Yankees aren't going to call up Jesus now, they need to do something with what they've got because Jorge is D-U-N DONE.

- Robbie Cano showed some signs of breaking out on the trip, getting 10 hits (6 for XB), scoring 6 runs, and also driving in 6.  His patience and selection at the plate still leaves a lot to be desired, but he is getting back to producing for a run-production spot in the lineup.

- Similar situation for The Horse, who also gather 10 hits, 7 runs, and 7 RBI over the 9-game trip.  He looks more comfortable at the plate and his swing looks much more in tune with his body than it did a few weeks ago.  Joe just needs to keep the guy healthy and give him a day every week at DH to do so, even if it means putting people in the first-base seats at field level in danger by playing Nunez at 2rd.

- I know he's The Fireman, but "The Magician" might have been a more appropriate name for D-Rob yesterday.  He pulled a David Blaine, completely setting up his own death-defying situation by walking 2 men to load the bases before managing to escape right before our very eyes without allowing a run.  Ta-da!!!!

- If all you're doing is looking at Mark Teixeira's BA and complaining that he's not playing well, then you're an idiot.  The guy is straight raking right now, and if the 18 HR and 41 RBI don't do it for you then maybe the .914 OPS, 149 wRC+, .394 wOBA, and career high .291 ISO will.  Just a little BABIP luck (Teix's is currently .236, 32 points below his career low, which was set last year) and we're talking about Teix as the leading MVP candidate instead of C-Grand and Jose Bautista.

- Props to Joe for ditching the formula yesterday in the 6th, going to D-Rob early to preserve the lead, stretching Joba to get through the 7th and the 8th, and finishing things up with Mo.  A 6-3 trip looks and feels much better than a 5-4 one, Joe knew it, knew his horses were rested, and rode them to victory.  If only he could do that all the time.

- Now that the Yankees are coming back home, the Jeter 3,000 watch will kick into high gear.  Just one question, if his next 14 hits are all seeing-eye grounders through the hole at short, do we still applaud?

- CC is a monster.  Last 4 starts: 4-0, 33 2/3 IP, 28 H, 5 BB, 6 ER, 20 K, and he never threw more than 118 pitches in any start.  That's not just dominance, that's EFFICIENT dominance.  The power of the pants is undeniable.

- Best highlight of the trip, hands down, was the video of Torii Hunter falling into the stands on Cano's HR on Saturday as the small contingent of Yankee fans parted like the Red Sea and let him faceplant into the concrete.  Call them classless if you want (haters), but you gotta give Yankee fans credit.  They know when to get involved and when to stay out of the way.

- Off day today, then the fahckin' Sawx come into town for 3 starting on Tuesday.  The Yanks have pushed Nova back a day to line up Garcia, A.J., and CC for the series finale, while the Sawx have scratched Clay Buchholz from his Wednesday start and will instead throw Tim Wakefield.

Rotation Upgrade Options- Internal

Ivan Nova might have done just enough on Friday night to not lose his spot in the rotation the next time through, but still didn't do enough to guarantee his spot moving forward.  If he continues to not be able to keep runners off the basepaths and not generate any swings and misses, sooner or later the time is going to come where he'll be kicked to the bullpen and a new arm will be inserted into his spot, especially after Cash went public this week saying he was looking to upgrade the rotation.  With the trade market not quite heated up yet, the first place to look for a Nova replacement would be internally.  Here are the 4 top candidates.

Hector Noesi- He's always been plugged as a Nova 2.0 type, a guy with better stuff and even better command, and Noesi got called up earlier this season when the Yankees needed help in the 'pen.  He was pitching relatively well in Triple-A (3.92 ERA, 3.73 FIP), and has performed admirably in his limited innings for the Yankees (0.96 ERA, 3.15 FIP in 9.1 IP).  Noesi has already shown that the moment isn't too big for him, evidenced by his 4 shutout innings of relief in picking up the win in extras against Baltimore, and actually has a higher K/9 rate and lower BB/9 rate in the Majors than he had with SWB.  Most important, though, has been Noesi's ability to get swings and misses, Nova's biggest Achilles heal.  In his 9+ innings of work, Noesi has a 12.8% swinging strike rate, and the lack of info on him suggests that rate could stay consistent, at least for a little while before teams start to adjust to him.  If Nova got hurt tomorrow, Noesi would be my first choice as a replacement.

Carlos Silva- Silva was the last of the Yankee "Free Agent Veteran Scrap Heap" initiative earlier in the season, and has stuck around longer than Kevin Millwood after 5 starts in the Yankees' MiL system.  Looking at just his 3 starts in Triple-A, there are reasons to be hopeful that Silva could be better than Nova and reasons to be concerned that he might be a carbon copy.  In his 3 starts for SWB, Silva has pitched 18.1 innings, giving up 7 earned runs on 16 hits and 4 walks.  On the positive side, he has shown the ability to go deeper into games than Nova has been and has been much better at keeping guys off base.  On the negative side, Silva has struck out only 8 batters in these 3 outings, with his K total decreasing each time out.  His stuff sits somewhere between that of Nova and Freddy Garcia, so if he can't get guys to swing and miss in Triple-A, what's to say he would do it against better competition in the Majors? 

David Phelps- This guy (copyright: Jon Gruden) has been the best pitcher on the SWB staff so far this year, and is the most ready to come up and pitch at the Major League level.  In 11 starts so far, Phelps has put together a 3.29 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, has increased his K/9 rate from his 12 Triple-A starts last year, and has a K/BB ratio over 3.  He throws more strikes than Nova, walks fewer guys than Nova, and provides more length than Nova.  In his last 3 starts, Phelps has gone at least 7.1 innings every time out, with 16 K to just 3 BB.  His stuff might not play up to the Major League level as well as it is right now at Triple-A, but with Phelps' makeup and approach, it's reasonable to expect that he could provide results at least slightly better than Nova's.

Phil Hughes- He of the mysterious dead arm that was still never definitively diagnosed, Hughes has been on the recovery trail since his MRI, receiving cortisone shots, throwing off flat ground, and as recently as yesterday throwing off a mound in a simulated game.  While there haven't been any velocity readings on Hughes, the general consensus is that his arm speed and ball speed are looking good through the zone, and Hughes could be on his way to some rehab starts beginning in Extended ST.  The timetable for his return is still far out (at least a month), but if Hughes has recovered from whatever ailed him early in the year, and his arm strength and velocity is back, he would be a huge addition to the rotation and a huge upgrade over what Nova has been providing.

2 Runs On 3 Hits...

That's all we got??  Three goddamn hits?!

How's That Trade Looking Now?

Austin Jackson 2011: 236 PA, .224/.288/.333, 15 XBH, 23 R, 14 RBI

Curtis Granderson 2011: 235 PA .278/.348/.612, 31 XBH, 44 R, 41 RBI

Jackson '11: 74 wRC+, .283 wOBA, -5.5 UZR/150, -0.1 WAR

Grandy '11: 165 wRC+, .415 wOBA, 1.2 UZR/150, 2.9 WAR

Anybody still bumming over trading Austin Jackson for C-Grand?  Anybody?  Frye?

Didn't think so.

The Grandy Man can indeed.

Nova Pitching For His Job Tonight?

Joe can say whatever he wants, ...

"I wouldn’t say he’s pitching for a slot… He’s had some ups and downs. I think (his youth is) part of it. I think there’s been some inconsistency. I think he’s walked more people than he’s accustomed to walking. But I think it is all part of a learning process for him and trying to get him back to using all of his pitches.” (via LoHud)

But Cash clearly thinks the rotation isn't good enough ...

“We are a championship-caliber-contending team with areas of need that I need to work on. We are going to have to continue to look for ways to improve our pitching.” (via The Post)

And the truth of the matter is that Ivan Nova has not been very good lately.  2 weeks ago he was coming off a streak of 4 solid starts out of 5, but after his last 2 outings he has looked tentative, inconsistent, and has not been able to give the Yankees length or quality stuff.  He's got a K/9 rate of just 4.50 and a BB/9 rate of 4.00 to go with it and just a 3.9% swing-and-miss percentage.  If there's a spot on the staff that could use improvement, it's his.

I like ya, Ivan.  But when you actually are pitching like Ivan The Terrible and your manager is making excuses for you while your GM publicly states that he's looking to improve the pitching, that don't add up well for you.

How Are Things Over In Flushing?

David Wright has a broken back, Fred Wilpon is a jack-jawing old fuck, Terry Collins is losing his shit, the team has no money, the players can't execute, the ballpark is half empty, and Einhorn IS Finkle.

Yep, sounds about right.

** UPDATE- 1:07PM-  The Mets are down 7-0 to the Pirates in the middle of the 3rd.  This is beyond "when it rains, it pours" if you're a Mets fan.  This is "when it pours, it downpours and your whole basement floods a week after you just converted it into your new mancave and the water damage destroys your new 3-D TV."

And it's hilarious.

Justifying The Yankees High All Star Count

By now everybody knows that the first ASG voting standings were rolled out by MLB yesterday, and in what should be no surprise to anybody, the Yankees are well represented.  And by "well represented," I mean "the entire starting infield and 1/3 of the starting outfield"-WELL represented.  On the surface this appears to be a case of the Yankee big names capitalizing on their stature and getting the ballot boxes unfairly stuffed by their fans.  But when you really break it down, a case can be made for all but one of these guys being deserving of their spots at the top of the voting.

C- Russell Martin- 1st in wOBA (.369) and OPS (.810), both by hefty margins over the other AL 5 catchers with enough ABs to qualify.  Also 1st or 2nd in traditional stats like HR (9), RBI (26), XBH (15), and with 6 SB thrown in with good measure.  With Joe Mauer on the shelf and Martin leading all AL catchers in WAR (1.8), this is a pretty easy choice.

1B- Mark Teixeira- Tops amongst AL 1B in HR (16) certainly gives him street cred with the general voting public, but being 3rd in RBI (38), R (33), OPS (.902), wOBA (.389), and WAR (1.8) behind Adrian Gonzalez and Miggy Cabrera makes Teix's battle a bit of an uphill one.  But chicks dig the long ball, fans dig the long ball, and Teix is giving the people what they want right now. 

2B- Robinson Cano- A down year for Cano still has him head and shoulders above his main competition at second.  He leads AL 2B in Hits (59), HR (11), RBI (37), and is 2nd in R (31), SLG (.514) and wOBA (.364).  His OBP and WAR numbers don't stack up against other deserving candidates like Howie Kendrick, but Cano's status as the reigning best 2B in baseball and the fact that Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia are having down years too works to Robbie's advantage.

3B- Alex Rodriguez- I already touched on this yesterday, but it warrants repeating for the All Star discussion.  The Horse is the best 3B in the AL.  period.  2nd in Hits (56), 1st in R (32), 2nd in HR (9), 3rd in RBI (31), 2nd in OPS (.845), 2nd in wOBA (.373) and 1st in WAR (2.2).  And he's playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at the hot corner.  He may not be replicating '05 or '07 but he's still the best of the bunch.

OF- Curtis Granderson- This one is a no-brainer.  C-Grand has arguably been the best player in MLB not named Jose Bautista this season.  He's 2nd amongst all OF in R (44) and HR (17), 1st in RBI (41), 3rd in OPS (.960) 3rd in wOBA (.415), and 3rd in WAR (2.9).  Need I say more?

SS- Derek Jeter- This is where the proof train stops.  If Derek Jeter were named Ray Whitson (don't know where that came from) then he probably wouldn't even be on the ballot.  Statistically, the only SS he's been better than so far are Cliff Pennington and Alcides Escobar, 2 guys who I could definitely probably outhit.  But the ASG is a popularity contest, and Jeter's track record has certainly earned him the popularity he has, so if you're going to get mad at anything, get mad at the system.

Wait, Mark Teixeira Stole Home Last Night?

If you're like me, and didn't get the chance to watch the game last night, you probably didn't believe it either when you read that in the game recaps this morning.  But sure enough, he actually did do it.  Here's visual proof:

Is that the most improbable steal of home ever?  I know it took some brain farts on the part of A-Rod and the A's to make it possible, which makes it a bit of a fugazi steal of home, but this is still Mark Teixeira we're talking about.  He of the 16 career stolen bases and 5 times caught stealing .  Dude can run the bags with the best of them but he isn't exactly Lou Brock in his prime.

Cue the "you just can't predict baseball, Suzyn" sound clip from Sterling on that one.

Overrated Yankees Are So Overrated Because They Play For The Overrated Yankees

 (Here's the poll.  Click for larger if you want a closer look at the hatred.)

 The good news it that for the second year in a row, The Horse and Joba topped an MLB players poll conducted by Sports Illustrated.  The bad news?  It's the yearly "Most Overrated Players" poll.  And not only that, but Derek Jeter came in 3rd in the poll and Nick Swisher was tied for 4th.  So the 4 most overrated players in MLB are Yankees.  Now normally I would take something like this and use it as a soapbox to stand on and proclaim that it's the latest in the MSM's never ending quest to besmirch the good name of the Yankees.  But since it was actually the players who voted, I'll just say that it's a classic case of guys drinking too much haterade.

First, let's start with Swish.  Sure he's having a down year this year, but that hardly makes him overrated.  The guy is probably still underrated after the Yankees picked him up for parts off the scrap heap in 2009 from Chicago.  All he's done since putting on the pinstripes is be above average in every way imaginable.  He hits for power and gets on base plenty and plays a pretty good right field.  An OPS+ in the 120s and a wOBA of .376 over the last 2 seasons speak for themselves.

Now Jeter is an interesting scenario.  For each of the last 3-4 seasons, the argument could have been made that the guy was overrated.  His range had deteriorated, as had his power, and yet he was still praised by the MSM for his "playing the right way" style.  But now, I would make the argument that that high praise is no longer present when looking at Jeter.  He's a weak, groundball-hitting machine with next to no range left at short, and the media presents him as such.  For a guy his age playing a premium position at a below-average level, Jeter is probably perfectly rated right now.

Joba is an interesting case.  He probably gets put into this category because of all the chaos surrounding his status as a starter or reliever, which is unfair.  And while he does have a tendency to give up home runs in bad spots (career high 16.7 HR/FB % this year), and while I do tend to bag on the guy a lot, Joba has actually been pretty damn solid his whole career, and even better this season.  His FIP and xFIP numbers have always been below his ERA, he's getting groundballs at a career high clip this season (62.3%), his walks are down, and he's recovered some of the velocity and swagger that he had back in '07-'08.  With the Fraud Sawx shelling out 9 mil to Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler to completely shit the bed the way they have this season, it's hardly fair to call Joba overrated with the numbers he's put up.

Last is The Horse, and his case is just as ridiculous as Joba's.  For all the talk about how washed up he is, the guy is still 2nd amongst all MLB third basemen in SLG, 3rd in OPS, and 3rd in wOBA.  He may not walk as much as he used to, but he doesn't strike out as much as the great Kevin Youkilis, and he plays a much better third base defensively than everybody not named Adrian Beltre.  And surprise, surprise!  Guess who leads all third basemen in WAR with 2.1?  That's right.  Alex F'ing Rodriguez.  Opinions can be whatever people want, but the numbers don't lie.  Even at 35 going on 36 and possibly with some lingering oblique/back issues, A-Rod is still the best all-around third baseman in baseball.  How is that overrated???

What this poll boils down to is the players who aren't on the Yankees being sour grapes towards them.  People see how much money guys are making and they get jealous.  It's natural.  But being properly rated isn't all about money.  Sure it's a determining factor, but you still have to look at the production, and for the most part, the production of these 4 supposedly overrated Yankees doesn't support the claim of their overratedness.  Overpaid?  Sure, I'll buy that argument.  But not overrated.  Grow up, MLB guys.  Don't be haters just because you aren't lucky enough to be on the team with the most money.

The $900,000 Man Comes Through Again

(Not gonna lie, I kinda want to hug the guy too.  Courtesy of The AP)

How's this for a stat line:

9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 103 P (71 strikes)

If you would have told me I'd be getting that line from a 38-year-old Bartolo Colon in a start on the West Coast in late May, I would have asked for the phone number of your drug dealer.  At this point, there is no debate anymore, no other way to say it.  The guy has been flat out money.  He has been worth the 900k the Yankees shelled out to get him and then some after just 8 starts!

For a change of pace this season, Joe actually made a decision about his pitching staff that worked out when he decided to flip CC and Colon's spots in the rotation after last week's off day.  And boy did it work out.  CC's outing on Sunday was a tough act to follow but Colon blew it out of the water yesterday with an extra day's rest.  He absolutely owned the outside corner with his fastball, consistently getting ahead in the count (first-pitch strikes against 23 of 30 batters faced) and then putting guys away thanks to his pinpoint command.  As has been the case in his strong outings, he never lost any velocity as the game wore on, and Joe followed up one good decision with another by letting him go out for the 9th inning and finish the game.

There's really nothing left to say about what Colon has done this year and how smart Cash was for monitoring him and then having the faith in what he saw to sign the guy.  Every time he steps on the mound, I feel like more of a jackass for all the negative ranting and raving I did back in January and February.  But with the kind of results Colon has put up, I don't mind looking like a jackass.  I mean, a 3.26/3.35/2.91 tripleslash and 1.3 WAR in just 11 outings?  For less than a mil???  That's highway robbery of the highest order.

If anybody needs me, I'll be going back through my earlier posts where I made fun of Colon's moobs and slapping myself.