This Picture Perfectly Captures A.J. Burnett As A Pitcher

 (Nice hair, asshat.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

 
Just a dazed, disheveled, confused, sloppy, hot mess of humanity out there, capable of melting down on the mound at any given time with no rhyme or reason why nor any clue how to avoid it from happening.  I don't know if his brain is the blind leading the blind of his mechanics or vice versa, and I don't think anybody does.  But I don't think there is a more perfect visual representation of A.J. Burnett's Yankee career to this point than that photo above.  This should win a Pulitzer or some kind of major photography award.

P.S.- Coincidentally, that's the exact same expression I have on MY face every time A.J. leaves a game (minus the gay hair).

This Pretty Much Sums Up Last Night's Debacle

(Perfect representation of C-Grand's brain fart courtesy of Mike A. & RAB)

Mike from RAB hit the nail so perfectly on the head in his recap of last night's loss to Anaheim that it's not even worth me trying to come up with some of my own:

"Physical mistakes are one thing, but mental mistakes like that bug the crap out of me. It’s just awful. I can’t … I can’t even get my head around the stupidity. I mean, even Eduardo Nunez‘s steal after the leadoff walk was sketchy. Who knows if the Yankees would have won the game had Curtis stayed at first (probably not), but at least give your best homerun hitter a chance to do his thing, don’t take the bat right out of hands. Sheesh. Inexcusable, completely inexcusable.

...

I mean, not for nothing, but Joe Girardi had a shorter leash on Burnett in Chicago with what, a six or seven run lead? But no, let’s try to squeeze a few more hitters out of him with a fully rested bullpen after the intentional walk in a tie game. /facepalm"

Yep, that pretty much tells the story.  Curtis got beat by one of the oldest tricks in the book and Joe botched the call of when to go to the bullpen again.  Mo shitting the bed isn't even a story and shouldn't be.  This happens twice pretty much every year and this is the 2nd time.  But the mental mistakes on the parts of the players and manager are a big deal and incredibly frustrating.

Jorge's Last Hurrah

(Might have to get used to this position.  Courtesy of The Daily News)

I honestly didn't see this coming.  I know I've been tough on the guy a few times before, but I honestly did not see Jorge Posada falling off the cliff the way he has this season.  I actually expected his offense to improve a bit on the last couple years now that he wasn't going to have to deal with the constant injuries that a catcher accumulates over a season, but based on his output this year and Joe's decision over the weekend to bench him in favor of Eric Chavez at DH, I think we can officially say that Jorge is done.

Just looking at Jorge's numbers this year starts to bring the sandwich I just ate back up my throat.  For the season, he currently stands at a .230/.309/.372 tripleslash in 317 PA, good for a .299 wOBA and an 84 wRC+.  Between his terrible hitting, sloppy defense during the few times he has been on the field, and the fact that he runs the bases like a drunk, blind toddler with polio, Jorge has been worth -0.7 WAR this season, by the far the worst of any Yankee hitter with more than 100 PA.  He had a rough April and May, then seemed to get it together after the taking himself out of the lineup incident to post a .382/.419/.588 line in June.  But since then, he has come crashing back to earth in an even bigger way than he did in the early months.  July saw him put up a .534 OPS and .240 wOBA, and so far in August he's just 3-18 with 1 XBH, 1 RBI, and 4 Ks.  If his name wasn't Jorge Posada and he was putting up numbers like that, he wouldn't have made it past the middle of July before getting the invitation to ride the pine, so it's not like the Yankees didn't give him enough of a chance to pull out of a slump.  It was a perfectly justifiable move to demote him and go with the platoon of Chavez and Jones at DH.

And the saddest part is, it's not like Jorge's approach has changed to a point where it's affecting his ability to play at a high level.  His BB rate, while lower than his career average, is still a decent 10.1%, and his K rate of 19.9% is actually DOWN from the last 2 seasons.  But his BABIP of .264 and ISO of .142 are both career lows and he's hitting fewer line drives than ever and more ground balls than he has since '04.  He's still seeing pitches and taking the same swings, there's just no power left in the swings and no life left in the bat.  And since the Yankees have already taken the glove out of his hand this season, that really leaves nothing for him to bring to the table.

So now what will become of Jorge?  He won't be getting much burn, if any, barring injury to Chavez or Jones, and there is the continued prospect of Jesus Montero getting the call up to the Majors in the near future.  And as Mike at RAB pointed out yesterday, the Yankees are in a bit of bind in terms of roster flexibility thanks to their current 6-man rotation and 13 pitchers total being carried on the roster, so the situation that would work to the team's advantage would be to cut Jorge.  But with the way the Yankees treated his earlier tantrum this year, the amount of time they gave him to prove he was worth keeping in the everyday lineup, and the fact that they've completely caved on handling Derek Jeter's aging gracefully, I don't see that happening.  He may not get another at-bat this year, he may not make the postseason roster, but I just don't see the Yankees kicking one of their legends of the recent dynasty to the curb mid-season.

A scenario that could work could be the following.  There's no need to keep 13 pitchers on hand right now, especially when one of them is Hector Noesi, a guy who could be a legitimate option for the back end of the 2012 rotation.  Send Noesi down to the Minors to finish the season getting stretched back out as a starter this weekend and call up Montero.  Then when The Horse returns some time next week, the Yanks could send Cervelli back down to Triple-A, install Montero as the official backup catcher, and still maintain that 25th roster spot for Jorge.

It's not the ideal situation for Jorge, who's obviously a proud player and none too happy about his demotion, nor for the Yankees, who I'm sure would rather have 25 men on the 25-man roster who can actually play and play well.  But all things considered it's probably the best way to get through this month until rosters expand.  It's certainly not the way Jorge envisioned his career ending, and it's not what I saw happening, but it looks like we could be watching the end of an era over the next 2 months.

Kruk & Valentine "Astounded" By Yankees' Success This Year

(Not an intelligent man)

It comes as no surprise that John Kruk and Bobby Valentine are absolute morons, but the doozy they dropped on BBTN last night was all-world in its stupidity.

In a short segment discussing Jorge Posada being left out of the lineup on Sunday night and what it means for him and the team moving forward, they ended the piece rattling off a bunch of Yankee storylines from the season, including the "no #2 starter" one and the fact that Soriano is back pitching the 7th inning instead of the 8th, and concluding that it was "absolutely astounding" that the Yankees were only a game back of Bahhhhhhston this season.

Let's do a quick recap of what the Yankee roster includes, shall we?  This should help temper their amazement.

- A guy who has been one of the top 3-5 best starters in baseball this year in CC Sabathia.

- A Gold Glove-winning, multiple All Star at first base who has 32 HR and 86 RBI this year in Mark Teixeira.

- The best second baseman in baseball, who even in a down year, is still on pace to score and drive in 100 runs and be worth 5 WAR in Robinson Cano.

- The best all-around outfield in baseball in C-Grand (a legit MVP candidate), Brett Gardner (a legit Gold Glove candidate), and Swish (crushing it since June).

- 2 of the 3 best relief pitchers in baseball this year in D-Rob and Mo.

- A shortstop who has hit over .300 and OPS'd over .800 since returning to the lineup in July in Derek Jeter.

- A third baseman who, before he got hurt, was still the best at his position in terms of WAR in A-Rod.

When you take all those facts in, FACTS, it really shouldn't be astounding to anybody that the Yankees are only a game back.  If they could pull their heads out of their asses against the Sawx, they'd be leading the division right now!  Even though there's no clear cut #2, they have a staff of guys who have contributed like solid #3-#4 starters all year and are each capable of going out and pitching like an ace on any given night.  And the bullpen was just fine without Sour Puss Soriano, so getting him back is a luxury, regardless of where he pitches.  Injuries or no injuries, Jorge or no Jorge, the Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball, they have been since Opening Day, and it's really no surprise why with the talent level and production they've gotten from their team.

What's really astounding is how Kruk and Valentine bring home a paycheck for this type of analysis.  Just another case of lazy, unfounded, anti-Yankee commentary from the Worldwide Leader in Fraud Sawx Fans.

A.J. Burnett Is Starting To Really Piss Me Off

I didn't get a chance to comment on this because of my travel day last Thursday, but what the fuck was up with that stinker he dropped on the mound in Chicago on Wednesday night?  Dude was staked to a 12-run lead in less than 3 innings and he ended up not being able to finish enough of the game to qualify for the win.  That's not just bad, that's pathetic!  You could have put the ball on a tee and the White Sox probably could have gotten enough outs to qualify the tee for the victory.

Lost in the shuffle of the Yankees' recent success has been A.J.'s slow slide back to last season's levels of ineffectiveness.  He hasn't won a start since June, he's giving up home runs like it's going out of style, his ERA has gone from 3.93 in April to 4.06 in May to 4.15 in June to 4.83 in July and now 14.54 after his gong show of a start last week in August, totaling up to 4.54 (which ranks 86th out of the 106 ML pitchers who qualify).  His FIP has consistently sat anywhere from the low-to-high 4s range, with a craptastic 5.25 in July, and his current FIP (4.67) has him 94th out of 106.  And to top it all off, his BABIP against is a low .268, which means given some better luck for the hitters facing him all of these numbers could look even worse.

And the craziest part about all of this is, some of A.J.'s other stats suggest that he should be even better than he is this season.  His K/9 (7.76) is up almost a full strikeout higher than last season, and his BB/9 (3.97) is only slightly higher than his 2010 number.  His strand rate is better than 2010, his GB rate is better, his swinging strike % is up, he's given the Yankees 5+ innings each time out up until his last start, and yet his 4.67 FIP is only slightly lower than the 4.83 he put up last season.

It's to the point now where I have absolutely no confidence in A.J. to do anything but go out and pitch like shit each time he takes the hill in some fashion.  He throws 8 innings against Baltimore but gives up all XBH and loses.  He gets staked to a monster lead against the White Sox offense and proceeds to give up 13 hits.  Some days he walks the yard and can't command any of his pitches, some days he doesn't walk a batter and somehow still finds a way to lose!  No matter what happens, there's always a big pothole out there somewhere, waiting for him when he starts, and A.J. always manages to find the pothole, crash right into it, and completely wreck his shit.

If the playoffs were starting tomorrow, I would not have him in the rotation.  I would go CC, Bart, Freddy, and Ivan Nova.  I would do everything in my power to not have A.J. take the mound for any reason other than a garbage time appearance in a game the Yanks were losing.  It makes no sense to me, because for the first couple months he really looked better, but it's obvious that A.J. is what he is at this point, and what he is is a sucky starting pitcher.

P.S.- He's definitely back on the Shit List.

Oh, Eduardo!

What ye giveth ye also taketh away.

 (No high five for the bunt, Nuney.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

I'm not going to lie, that shot off of Beckett in the 5th last night was a thing of beauty.  1-0 cutter up in the zone and he absolutely crushed it.  It was a no-doubter practically from the time it left Beckett's hand.  It's exactly that type of swing and result that has made the Yankees believe the Nunez can be a productive everyday player, and since he was inserted into the everyday mix starting with Jeter's injury, he has more than held his own.  The kid is sitting .273/.325/.407 with a K rate under 10%, good for a respectable .330 wOBA.  He's shown the ability to recognize pitches and situations and work counts at the plate, and he obviously has more than enough pop in the stick to get the job done.

But in the field it's a different story, and last night in the 9th was another prime example.  For once, Nunez didn't botch a JV-caliber ground ball play, but his handling of Ellsbury's sac bunt attempt after the Scutaro leadoff double was atrocious.  Both Orel and the immortal Bobby V called it out, and I have to say I agree with them.  He was way too far in to start with and crept in even close when Mo let the pitch go.  It was a horrible bunt, one that was fielded easily by Mo (who is a tremendous athlete and would be a Gold Glove-winning pitcher if he started) but when he whirled towards 3rd to make Ellsbury pay for the bad bunt, Nunez wasn't there to cover the bag.  Instead he was standing right next to Mo.

Knowing the situation, Nunez should have stayed back, looking to cut down the runner at 3rd in the event of the bad bunt that they got, and let Mo handle the groundball.  Everybody in the ballpark knew that was coming, and between Mo and Martin, they could have handled even a good bunt to try to make a play and cut down Scutaro.  That's a situation where Chavez or A-Rod probably do the right thing and cover 3rd.  But Nunez being younger, dumber, and just plain bad in the field, didn't recognize the situation, and helped contribute to the eventual loss by allowing the Sawx to get exactly what they wanted out of a bunt execution that should have ended in Scutaro being out by a mile at 3rd.  And it's those continued types of errors in the field that are going to keep Nunez from ever becoming a stalwart in the everyday Yankee lineup.

AB4AR Summer Vacation

I'll be taking a much needed mini-vacation starting tomorrow.  I'm heading down to Myrtle Beach with 2 friends and will not be bringing my computer with me.  I'm sure I can find access to one easily, but I want this to be a real vacation, so as a result you won't be seeing any new stuff on AB4AR until next Monday.

I know this is devastating news, but don't hang your heads.  During my absence, there's plenty that you, dear readers, can do.  First and foremost on the list should be checking out the official AB4AR Facebook page and "Liking" it, if you haven't already done it.  Feel free to check out AB4AR's Greatest Hits on the homepage, search the archives, whatever.  For the best coverage of the continuing goings on of the Yankees, I would direct everyone to the best in the business, LoHud, RAB, IIATMS, and Larry and the boys at TYA.

Big thanks to everyone for visiting the site, commenting, and hopefully telling their fellow Yankee fans.  It's that stuff that makes doing this solo worth it, so I thank you and I'll promise to be back on Monday morning to fill the tremendous void that my vacation will undoubtedly cause in your lives.

Afternoon Weirdness- The Horse Is A Shark And Swish Can Sing

It's like I've slipped into the Twilight Zone or something in the last 2 hours.

First, a story breaks about MLB investigating A-Rod for participating in illegal underground poker games and possibly leading to a suspension.  I'll be honest, I had no clue that A-Rod even played poker.  I thought he was too busy raking and banging Hollywood has beens.  So this comes as a bit of a surprise to find out that not only does he enjoy getting his Doyle Brunson on, but he plays in high-stakes underground games, has been warned about it before, and now might be facing suspension for it.  Dude, come on.  Just go to AC.

Second, Nick Swisher is releasing an album of cover songs, with kids as his backup singers.  I can't even begin to think of anything to say about this, so I'll just show you the song list and say that I would be interested in hearing Swish take on "Heroes" and "Everyday People."

1. Heroes
2. I Won’t Back Down
3. Where The Green Grass Grows
4. Lean On Me
5. With A Little Help From My Friends
6. Everyday People
7. Proud Mary
8. Take Me Home, Country Roads
9. Joy To The World
10. Hang On Sloopy
11. Jumpin' Jack Flash
12. Believe

Shit's gettin' a little whacky in Yankeeland right now, people.  Take the appropriate action.

The ManBan Promotion Situation Is A Little Weird

(Definitely not a LOOGY.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

On the surface, this move to call Manny Banuelos up to Triple-A actually makes perfect sense.  It's not like Banuelos has been struggling or experiencing growing pains in Double-A this season.  He's got a 3.59 ERA, 4.24 FIP (good but not great), and is still striking out almost a batter an inning.  For a player his age (just turned 20 this year) he's still very much outperforming what he should rightfully be doing as a 20-year-old pitcher.  The only issue he's had this season is an increased walk rate, something not uncommon for 20-year-old pitchers.  It goes against the book on Banuelos, who is praised for his command, but it's not like he's completely lost the ability to throw strikes like Andrew Brackman, it's probably more just needing some fine tuning to his delivery and his approach as he faces better hitters, and that's the kind of thing a pitcher can learn at any level.  So with Nova back with the Yankees for the time being, Brackman presumably being taken out on a boat to be shot soon, and David Phelps still injured, why not send the kid up?

The Yankees just held ManBanout of potential trades for pitching targets that they were interested in acquiring.  They've made a big investment in him, hold him in high regard, and have watched him consistently produce at a high level at every level of the Minors so far.  It's to their benefit to see how Manny's stuff plays at the next level to help them continue to formulate their plan for eventually adding him to the big league rotation, and they can also expose him to better and more experienced coaches and teammates who can help his development and improve his command and approach.  And judging by the results of his start on Tuesday (2 R, 8 K in 5 IP), it looks like his stuff is going to play just fine.  This isn't a panic move to try to rush him into the rotation, and there are no known discussions about ditching the kid's innings limit this year.  Just the next step in the process to becoming the eventual top-tier pitcher that the organization envisions Banuelos being, in almost the same fashion that The Jesus moved up through the system.

But this little blurb from Joel Sherman's Monday piece casts a bit of a shadow on this smart surface move:

"Banuelos will make his Triple-A debut as a starter tomorrow, but the plan will be to bring him along quickly in hopes he usurps Boone Logan as the primary bullpen lefty."

Huh?  Primary bullpen lefty?  That's where the train starts to veer off the tracks.  Teams don't make prospects untouchable in the face of possibly acquiring a top-of-the-line young starter if they're planning on turning that prospect into a LOOGY.  And regardless of how ghastly the left-handed relief options are internally, the Yankees should not be entertaining the thought of converting ManBan to a reliever, even if it is just for the short term.  They've been down this road before with Joba, and everybody knows how that ended.  If the plan is to have Banuelos one day be at the top of the Yankee rotation, then he should be developed and used as a starter and a starter alone.  Tinkering with his approach and pitching style to fit a reliever role could do more harm to his development and innings limit increases than good to the Yankee bullpen.  And Boone Logan or not, with the team in the position they are in right now with regards to the playoff race, there is no need to alter Banuelos' development.

You would think the Yankees would have learned their lesson after the Joba fiasco and the continuing inconsistencies of Phil Hughes, and so far everything they have done in handling ManBan has indicated that they did.  But if there really are serious plans to convert Banuelos into a temporary lefty reliever, then clearly something is still wrong with the organizational attitude when it comes to their young pitching.  Calling Manny up to Triple-A to let him test the waters, learn, continue to develop as a blue-chip starting prospect, and stay on his predetermined innings limit for this year is a good move.  Calling him up to Triple-A to turn him into a lefty version of '07 Joba is a horrible move, and a potentially devastating one to his future.  I certainly hope the latter is just a rumor and not the team's true intentions.

The Rich Getting Closer To Getting Richer

And I have an easy excuse to use Photoshops!

Earlier in the week, it was reported that The Jesus is "expected to join the Yankees' lineup in the very near future."  BOOM!!

And as if that news wasn't good enough, today marks the day that The Horse's rehab begins as he'll travel to Tampa and will start "baseball activities" tomorrow.  I have no clue if those activities involve hitting off a tee, running some light sprints in the outfield, or just working on getting the proper mix of Big League Chew and Skoal in your lip, and I don't care.  POW!!

Trade deadline, schmade deadline.  How many other teams are going to add the greatest player of his generation and one of the best young prospects in the sport this month?  Answer:  none.

Phil Hughes Pitches A Shutout!

Well, a 6-inning shutout anyway.  But that's a pretty damn good result for a guy who was maybe on his way out of the rotation if he bombed tonight.

In all seriousness, Hughes was damn good tonight.  He only needed 65 pitches to navigate through his 6 rain-shortened innings of work and was very effective.  He threw a lot of strikes (48 out of 65), got ahead in the count (15 out of 20 batters faced got 1st-pitch strikes), and he even got 7 swings and misses.  His stuff was better, his command was better, he was better.  For one night, at least, Phil made the Yanks look smart for not making moves at the deadline and holding onto their solid 6-man rotation.

(He's back!  At least for one night.  Fuck it, I just wanted to use this Photoshop again.)

CC Good, Lackey Bad

(T-H-E  M-A-N.  Courtesy of The AP)

Last night was a case of true good pitching versus theoretical good pitching.  For the Yankees, CC was not nearly as dominant as his previous start against the Mariners, despite his final line appearing quite good:

8 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 104 Pitches (78 Strikes)

The 10 hits allowed were a season high, and even though he got 13 swinging strikes it was clear to anybody who watched that CC didn't have his best stuff.  His slider was a bit more floaty than it has been in the past month and he got in trouble a few times with it.  But at the end of the day, he still managed to limit the White Sox to just 2 runs and hold them there after his offense stopped producing.

On the other side, John Lackey turned in yet another outing that has become the norm for him this year:

6.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 106 Pitches (74 Strikes)

And he did this while actually looking like he was pitching pretty well (yes, I actually watched a Fraud Sawx game.  It was on ESPN in the background at my apartment while I was packing for vacation).  His stuff actually looked better than it has for most of this year, and early on Lackey was cruising, only to fall apart in the middle innings.  He couldn't locate when he had to, couldn't limit the damage, and didn't put his team in a position to win the game.

And that's the line that separates the real good pitchers from everybody else.  CC came out without his best stuff and best location and still got the job done when his team needed him to.  Lackey came out with what looked like very good stuff and very good command and collapsed.

Putting The Pitching Into Perspective

I've received a few comments regarding my take on the Yankees' deadline tactics over the last few days, basically arguing that the Yankees NEEDED to add a starting pitcher because they had no clear cut #2 option for the playoffs.  I'm sure there are plenty of Yankee fans out there who feel the same way, and probably a bunch more who are peeved that no bullpen arms were added, but I still stand firm in my belief that the Yankee staff is just fine, has been just fine all season, and will continue to be just fine moving forward as long as guys stay healthy.  Check out these numbers: 

Team A- 3.47 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 16.6 WAR, 7.40 K/9
Team B- 3.89 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 12.6 WAR, 7.16 K/9
Team C- 3.74 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 10.8 WAR, 6.96 K/9
Team D- 3.36 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 15.4 WAR, 6.59 K/9
Team E- 3.72 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 9.2 WAR, 6.76 K/9
Team F- 4.23 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 11.3 WAR, 6.83 K/9
Team G- 3.99 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 9.4 WAR, 6.20 K/9

That shows the breakdown of the top 7 teams in the American League (in no particular order) and what their teamwide pitching stats look like for this year.  You can gather from this that the top 3 pitching teams in that list are teams A, B, and D, with A having the best all around numbers.  I'll give you 3 guesses to figure out which team is which.

... Done?  Good.

Yankees- 3.47 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 16.6 WAR, 7.40 K/9
Red Sox- 3.89 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 12.6 WAR, 7.16 K/9
Rangers- 3.74 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 10.8 WAR, 6.96 K/9
Angels- 3.36 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 15.4 WAR, 6.59 K/9
Rays- 3.72 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 9.2 WAR, 6.76 K/9
Tigers- 4.23 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 11.3 WAR, 6.83 K/9
Indians- 3.99 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 9.4 WAR, 6.20 K/9

There you have it, folks.  The numbers don't lie.  The Yankee pitching staff, including the rotation that people swear ABSOLUTELY NEEDED to add a frontline starter, is the best in the American League.  Yes, the rotation has been carried by CC Sabathia (5.6 WAR), but that does not lessen the positive results it has gotten from Colon (2.2 WAR) and Garcia (2.2).  Even though we probably all thought that both of these guys would be long gone by now, thanks to injury or poor performance, they aren't.  They're still in the rotation and they're pitching as well as they have all season.  A.J. and Ivan Nova have combined to contribute over 230 innings of 2.0-WAR ball, and Phil Hughes is slowly making his way back to form.  In the bullpen, D-Rob (1.8 WAR) and Mo (1.6) have carried the load, but the team has gotten positive contributions from Hector Noesi, Luis Ayala, Cory Wade, and even Boone Logan.  Before he went down, Joba was putting up solid numbers and the team was seeing solid results from it.  This staff doesn't allow a lot of runs, they get good contributions from their starters, they limit damage, and they miss bats.

And those numbers you see above have been accumulated with the people the Yankees have had in-house all year.  We've waited and waited for guys to fall off and they haven't, and they haven't experienced any major crippling injuries that have hurt their depth or performance.  They've been steady, they've been consistent, and they've been effective.  You can call it luck, call it overachieving, but it doesn't change the results.  Sooner or later we have to start seeing this as what it is, and that is a damn good job by the pitching staff.

For all the talk about the Angels' dominant pitching, their rotation falls off dramatically after Weaver, Haren, and Ervin Santana, and they don't generate nearly as many Ks as the Yankee staff.  Do you really think that A.J. or Freddy can't go out and beat a Joel Piniero or a Tyler Chatwood in a Game 4 of a playoff series?  The Fraud Sawx are down to Beckett, Lester, a rickety Erik Bedard, and John Lackey in their rotation, with plenty of question marks ahead of Bard and Papelbawn in the 'pen.  I don't know about you, but I'll take my chances against all those guys when the Yankees are countering with their top 4, and I'll take my chances with D-Rob and Mo vs. Bard and Pap.  The Tigers are Verlander and a bunch of #3-#4 guys, the Indians were Justin Masterson and the same until they got Ubaldo.  Are you seeing what I'm getting at here?

The point is, the Yankee pitching is just as good as all the other top teams in the AL on its worst day, and over the course of 105+ games it has proven to be better.  The Yankees didn't have as big a need for Ubaldo or Kuroda or Wandy or Bedard or Harden as their competitors did, and that's why they weren't as willing to up their prospect ante to add any of those guys.  And while their competition is throwing guys like Andrew Miller and Jeanmar Gonzalez out to plug their injury holes, the Yankees have a solid legit Major League option in Ivan Nova, and top prospects like Adam Warren and the recently promoted Manny Banuelos to come in and fill a gap if needed.

So for anybody out there who is still salty about no moves being made, here's a bit of advice.  Get past your feelings and your preconceived notions and check the numbers.  The Yankees, injuries and all, have a solid pitching staff and made the call as an organization to stick with the staff they have moving forward.  And given the results they've already gotten from that staff, it's tough to argue with that decision.  Can something happen to change that?  Of course.  But those same things can happen to everybody else.  And like I said last night, the Yankees have the pitching pieces in place to be covered today, tomorrow, next month, and next year.  How many of these other teams can say that right now?

Dave Robertson Is Good

I mean REALLY good!  Hey, everyone!  Come see how good Dave Robertson is!!

Yesterday was a perfect example of not just the kind of pitcher that Robertson has become, but the kind of respect and confidence he has earned from his manager to come in and shut people down in big spots.  After Noesi put a guy on with 2 outs in the 7th, Joe went right to D-Rob to get out of the potential jam, which he did perfectly.  He then came back out for the 8th and blazed through the 3 best hitters in the Oriole lineup, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Vlad Guerrero, striking out Markakis and Jones swinging and freezing Geurrero.  Robertson threw 19 pitches to record 4 outs, 12 of them strikes, 4 of those strikes swinging.  As the fireman yesterday, he didn't just man the hoses and put out the blaze, he also saved a woman and young child from the burning building and their pet dog.

Not like they already weren't going into yesterday's game, but after it D-Rob's numbers are just absurd now.  He's pitched 42.1 innings in 45 appearances this year, and in those innings he has put up a 1.49 ERA (tied for 7th amongst all relievers, 3rd amongst AL), 1.63 FIP (3rd MLB, 1st AL), 14.46 K/9 (2nd MLB, 1st AL), and 1.8 WAR (tied 2nd MLB, 1st AL).  He still walks his fair share of guys, but his stuff is so good and his ability to bear down and make pitches when he has to is so good that his tendency to be a bit wild at times actually seems to work to his advantage.  D-Rob has been nothing but lights out since Opening Day, to the point that I've just kind of taken it for granted and not given him his due, hence this post.  Soriano or no Soriano, D-Rob has earned his spot as Mo's setup man.  I think the fact that Soriano got used in garbage time on Saturday night and D-Rob was used in money time yesterday shows where Joe is leaning on the roles for these guys, and for once he's making the right decision when it comes to the 'pen.  Now hit the music!

Trade Deadline Passes With No Yankee Action

And that was the right move to make for the Yankees.

After Ubaldo went to Cleveland yesterday, the well pretty much dried up in terms of quality starting pitching options that were better than what the Yankees already have.  Hiroki Kuroda wasn't going to agree to a trade, Wandy Rodriguez's contract is a lot to take on and with questions about his ability to transition to the AL he probably wasn't worth the prospect package it would have taken to get him.  And everybody else beyond those 2 who could have been available just plain sucks.

And after the job the 3 Yankee starters did on Friday and Saturday, and with the job Freddy Garcia did again today, the Yankees are in a position where they currently have 6 starting pitchers who are capable of going out and pitching a very good game.  The fact of the matter is, there aren't a lot of teams out there, even among the major playoff contenders, who can say that.  Sure, there's no clear cut #2 starter, and each guy not named CC is just as capable of going out there and blowing up, but again I would say that that holds true for almost every other team out there.

Offensively, the team has already gotten Eric Chavez back, Andruw Jones has come to life, and this weekend provided more proof that Teix and Robbie Cano are starting to heat up.  Swish is on an absolute tear, C-Grand and Gardy are still producing, and Jeter and Martin are chipping in with hits and walks here and there.  Another bat wouldn't have made much more of an impact than the guys in the lineup already are, and of course there is the inevitable return of A-Rod next month.

I, for one, am very happy that the Yankees didn't make any moves at this deadline.  They did not have a glaring need, and they didn't let moves by anybody else influence how they went about talking to their targets or change their plans in terms of what they were willing to offer to get somebody.  The great thing about this team is that it is built to win today, tomorrow, next week, next month, September, October, next year, 2 years from now, and 5 years from now.  The organization is stacked from top to bottom and it was good to see the Yankees go through this deadline keeping that setup intact.

With the deadline out of the way, no we can focus on what's really important.  Whittling away at those magic numbers and making the traditional late-season run against the Fraud Sawx to overtake them in the standings.

Sunday Shaping Up To Be Slow

I said on Thursday afternoon that the past 2 days would clear the waters in terms of what the Yankees planned to do before the trade deadline tomorrow, and after the past 2 days, I'm thinking there isn't going to be anything major that happens.  Long story short, the rotation stepped up and answered the call.

On Friday night A.J. was unlucky that every hit he gave up was a big one, but he also threw 8 innings and struck out 10 batters.  His stuff was solid, and the results were unfortunate thanks to the bad BABIP luck and the lack of offensive support, but he did nothing to indicate that he wasn't worthy of pitching in the postseason and everything to indicate that the Yankees can be confident in him moving forward.

Today, Bartolo labored through 5 tough innings, but still managed to only allow 2 runs and rack up another 6 Ks.  He did nothing to suggest that his performance moving forward was going to be anything to the contrary of what he's already done.  He's healthy, he's no longer concerned about his hammy, and he continues to pitch well.  Numbers-wise, he's been a viable #2 all year.

Then in the recently-concluded nightcap of the doubleheader, Ivan Nova pitched a damn good game.  He was overshadowed by the offense explosion, but 7 innings of 2-run ball with only 7 baserunners allowed and 6 Ks against the best hitters of the Baltimore lineup is impressive.  Nova even got 8 swinging strikes on his 98 pitches.  He was aggressive, efficient, and confident out there on the mound and should have secured his position as the next in line for the remainder of the year should somebody get hurt or Phil Hughes continue to struggle.

Obviously there is no way to predict how any pitcher will perform in pressure situations or in the playoffs against good teams.  But the Yankee pitchers who took the mound today and yesterday showed that they are capable of handling the job and made the likelihood of finding something better in the trade market very unlikely.  Throw in the fact that Ubaldo just got traded to Cleveland and Kuroda announced he wouldn't accept a trade anywhere and we're shaping up for a very quite final day tomorrow.  Sure, they may add a bench bat or a bullpen arm that we haven't heard much about, but from here on out I think it's safe to say the Yankees are going to roll with what they've got in the rotation.

From The "DUH" Department

Joe on A.J.:

"We just need A.J. to go pitch well." (via LoHud)

Gee, Joe.  Ya think?  I'd say 0 wins in July, combined with a 4.94 ERA, 5.35 FIP, 1.56 WHIP, 6.80 BB/9 in 23.2IP over 4 starts, and the fact that the front office may or may not be willing to part with their top 3 prospects in an attempt to shore up the rotation puts you right on point there.  What page of your secret binder did you dig that nugget of genius out of?

Derek Jeter 3K Looked Pretty Good

If you're a Yankee fan with HBO and you DIDN'T watch this last night, then first of all I hate you for having HBO and having the ability to watch this because I would have murdered somebody in my apartment complex if I knew they had HBO just so I could watch it in their place, and second of all you deserve to have your Yankee fandom taken away from you and be forced to be a Royals fan for the rest of your life.

I literally sat at my computer screen and watched this trailer twice in a row last night, and got goosebumps at least 4-5 times per viewing.  I touched on it briefly in my post about the meaning of Jeter's 3,000 hits earlier in the month, but it's worth saying again.  The guy is my favorite Yankee of all time, always will be, and no matter how far he falls in terms of his abilities over the next few years, I still have the memories and the visions of all the great moments he had that made him one of the greatest Yankees of all time.  And to see various other players, managers, and teammates expressing those same feelings was pretty cool.

P.S.- If this thing is out on DVD by Christmas and my grandmother, probably a bigger Yankee fan than me, doesn't get it for me, then she's never getting another birthday phone call from me ever again.

How's That $142 Million Working Out For Ya?

I know the Fraud Sawx are rolling right now and making a little gap in the AL East race, but I still think it's the right time for a fun little reminder of how well the Carl Crawford signing has gone for them.  Here's Carl's numbers to date:

.248/.283/.379 t-slash, .298 wOBA, 78 wRC+, 38 R, 23 XBH, 11 SB, -0.9 UZR/150, 0.0 WAR

Mind you he's "earning" $14,857,143 this season for that "production."  By comparison, for $529,500, the Yankee equivalent of a Best Buy gift card, Brett Gardner is putting up these numbers:

.285/.367/.407 t-slash, .355 wOBA, 122 wRC+, 53 R, 25 XBH, 32 SB, 23.4 UZR/150, 3.6 WAR

Gardner has also managed to stay healthy.  So yeah, I guess the Yankees are winning big time on that deal.  But Sawx fans can look on the bright side.  They've only got another 6 years and $127 mil of Crawford left. 

P.S.- How's John Lackey doing?

Saturday Will Determine The Yankees' Deadline Plans

After Phil Hughes' good but not great 6-inning, 2-run outing yesterday that involved giving up 9 hits to a Mariner lineup that would struggle in the Pacific Regionals of the LLWS, and with the consistently decent but not good  A.J. Burnett pitching on Friday, I think whatever plans the Yankees have or may have are going to be finalized after they get a look at 2 of their other questions marks on Saturday.  Those 2 question marks are Bartolo Colon and (in all likelihood) Ivan Nova, who will pitch in a double-header against the Baltimore Orioles.  Their performances in those games on the heels of whatever A.J. offers up on Friday can and, in my opinion, will determine which plan the Yankees choose to execute in the final day before the trade deadline.

Right now the Yankee postseason rotation would be CC #1 and then ....  The group of Burnett, Colon, Hughes, and Garcia are all capable of going out and performing admirably in a postseason game, but are all also capable of going out and laying an egg.  Combined, they are a solid group of guys who I'd feel comfortable using in a Game 3 or 4, but no one stands out head and shoulders above the other right now in terms of being a viable #2 candidate.  A.J. is the baseball equivalent of a Magic 8 Ball, Colon could very well be worn out and injured again by the time the playoffs roll around, Phil still doesn't have his velocity or command fully back and may not find it this season, and Garcia has already shown that his mish-mash of offspeed slop doesn't play well against good offensive teams.  It's easy to see why all those conditions add up to the Yankees being interested in targeting a starter.

Joe started to open a Pandora's Box of opportunities yesterday during his presser when he made this statement in regards to there being a competition between Hughes and Nova for the 5th rotation spot:

“There could be.  I’m not going to say that there will be, but we want our guys to compete all the time. We want guys to throw the ball well and earn their spots every time. As far as saying there’s a competition for Phil Hughes’ next start, I’m not saying that.”

You can take that as typical manager speak, but to me that signifies Joe and the Yankees tipping their hand a bit.  There are already plenty of rumors going around about the Yankees' involvement in several starting pitching trade targets (Ubaldo, Kuroda, Danks, and for the life of me Carlos Zambrano), and they already lost one yesterday in Edwin Jackson.  There are no real solid indicators that the Yankees are serious about adding any of these guys, but if they were truly comfortable with their rotation situation right now I don't think we'd be hearing about a maybe/maybe not rotation competition.  This weekend is the chance for that comfort to be re-established or for the discomfort be confirmed and the justification for trading for another starting pitcher be provided.  So here's how I see it.

If Burnett, Bart, and Nova come out and pitch well, I think Cash and the front office will be OK moving forward with what they have in the rotation and just figure out how they want to stack the guys come playoff time.  They'll focus their energies on trying to find a few 'under-the-radar' guys like they did last year to fortify the bench and bullpen, and move into August knowing that they'll be further strengthened by the returns of Sour Puss and The Horse.  If those 3, especially Colon, come out and stink up the joint, I think we'll see the Yanks switch their attention to the rotation and probably go after Kuroda on Sunday if he's still available.

The future of some guys' jobs and some prospects' futures in the organization are going to be on the line in the 48 hours coming up on Friday and Saturday.  It's my hope that the starters do their jobs and the Yanks hold pat on giving up top prospects in what would be an act of desperation.  But for now, all we can do is wait and see what happens.

Teix Starting To Turn It Around

(And the battle rages on for team HR lead.  Courtesy of The AP)

July has been an ugly month for good old Mark Teck-SHARE-uh.  His OBP is .320 and his SLG is barely over .400.  By now every blog in the Yankopshere has covered his struggles and what the true cause really is, but the last week or so may be a precursor to the usual Mark Teixeira summer breakout we're used to seeing.

After the win over Tampa on July 18, Teix's line had bottomed out at .239/.344/.496.  He had just 2 XBH in the entire month, neither of them HR and none since July 3, and just 4 RBI.  In the 8 games since July 18, Teix has 10 hits in 32 AB (.313 BA), including 2 2B, 3 HR, 6 R, and 9 RBI.  The power and timing that was seemingly missing from his swing earlier in the month looks like it's starting to come back, he doesn't seem to be pulling off the ball too early and popping everything up as he had been, and the results are much better.  Teix is in the middle of a 5-game hitting streak after another 2-hit night last night, and has all 3 HR and all 9 RBI in just the last 5 games.  He's seen his season line creep back up to .245/.344/.509.

Small sample yes?  Yes.  Drastic improvement?  Not at all.  But with the long stretch of diminishing results leading up to this recent resurgence, I'll take the baby steps as a good sign.  Teix is one of, if not the most important cog in keeping the Yankee offense dangerous during The Horse's absence.  And up until recently he hadn't been living up to that responsibility of his massive contract.  But now all signs are pointing in the right direction and if he can continue this upward trend, and get his production back to the normal Teix levels we expect, it makes the immediate concern for adding a bat at the deadline less of an issue and makes the long-term concern of having the Yankee lineup at full strength and at its most dangerous during the stretch run and postseason much more likely.

CC Better Than Perfect

(Damn rain.  Courtesy of The AP)

I'm really starting to run out of things to say to describe the job CC Sabathia is doing this year.  I said way before the season started that I wasn't going to get involved in the "will he or won't he?" opt out talk, but I'm going to break that commitment right now and just say that the Yankees would be complete fucking morons to not get a new deal done with him before he even has the chance to opt out.  He's that good and they need him.

It helped that he was basically pitching against a Double-A lineup last night, but that still doesn't take away from how brilliant CC was last night.  Through 5.1 innings CC hadn't allowed a baserunner , had 11 Ks, and had only thrown 62 pitches.  That's beyond dominant.  That's beyond perfect.  That's downright inhuman.  He had to wait through a 30-minute rain delay before he lost the perfect game in the 7th to a legit single, and then waited through another 15-minute delay that really cost him as he lost his command after that in the 8th.  The Mariner hitters certainly didn't do anything to halt his miracle working on the hill last night.  The only person/thing that could halt it was another miracle brought on by Mother Nature in the form of rain.  What a whore she is.

Even with the 2 delays and 3 walks that he handed out in the 8th, CC's final line was still mind-bogglingly good:

7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 14 K (Career High), 102 Pitches (71 Strikes), 82 Game Score

He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 25 batters he faced, and racked up 19 swinging strikes (26.76%).  The fastball was working, the slider was downright murderous.  It almost didn't matter whether he had the rest of the team out there behind him playing defense.  It was the type of performance that you tell your kids about later in life if you were at the game.

With all due respect to the Justin Verlanders and Jered Weavers of the world, if CC is not the leading Cy Young candidate right now, then something is seriously wrong with people.  He has a better FIP (2.49) than both of them, more wins (MLB-leading 15) than both of them, and a higher WAR (5.6) than both of them.  He's pitched more innings than anybody in baseball except for Verlander, strikes out more guys than Weaver, and does it for a better team that has arguably a weaker staff, making what he does more valuable to his team's success than either of the other 2.  And last night was the perfect example of just how valuable he is.

2 Legitimate Leadoff Options

(You can't lose with either guy hitting #1 right now.  Courtesy of The Star-Ledger)

Since the beginning of Spring Training, the debate has raged on over who should be the Yankees' leadoff hitter.  First it was Brett Gardner, then Derek Jeter, then Gardner again, then Jeter again, and so on and so forth.  Over the last couple weeks, however, it's become apparent that the Yankees actually have 2 very good leadoff options in both of these guys.

Gardner has been remarkably consistent and downright good ever since the month of April ended.  And after a bit of a rough patch early in July, he has continued his consistent production, currently putting up a .333/.400/.417 line in 72 July ABs, not too far off his spectacular June (.317/.404/.463 in 82 ABs).  He's also a perfect 12-12 in SB attempts for the month, and that, combined with his continued solid walk rate and high pitches/AB makes him a prototypical leadoff threat that wouldn't even be considered for the bottom of the order on any other team.

But a funny thing has happened that has muddied the waters a bit this month when it comes to the Gardner vs. Jeter debate.  Ever since he's returned from the DL, Derek Jeter has rediscovered his spark at the plate.  I touched on that point very early on in his return, brought it up again after his storybook 5-5 3,000th hit day, and now I'll mention it again as he has continued to be productive.  For the month of July, Jeter is hitting .324/.385/.521 in 71 ABs, raising his season line to a more respectable .273/.337/.366.  Of his 23 hits so far, 9 of them have gone for extra bases.  To put that into perspective, Jeter only had 12 XBH in the first 3 months of the season COMBINED.

Jeter's resurgence can best be explained by this blurb from last night's LoHud postgame wrap-up:

"... Jeter said it’s not so much driving the ball to right field that tells him he’s hitting better lately, it’s more the pitches that he’s choosing to take and the pitches he’s choosing to attack. “I can tell if I’m staying back, taking pitches and swinging at good pitches,” he said. “I feel as though I’ve been doing that for the last few weeks so I’m happy with where I am right now.”

That sounds much more like the Jeter we all know and love, and that approach is reflected in Jeter's July swing stats.  His LD rate is a season high 19.6% this month, indicative of a hitter who is seeing the ball better and taking good swings at hittable pitches.  His BB rate is also the highest it has been all year this month at 9.0%.  The improvements in Jeter's selection at the plate explain the better results he's had, and make him just as viable a candidate to lead off as Gardner right now.

With both guys swinging the bat well and the offense as a whole still missing a key cog in A-Rod, it makes sense to me to platoon both Jeter and Gardner at leadoff depending on the pitching matchup to maximize the value of their current hot streaks.  The numbers would support this theory, as Jeter has murdered lefties this year to the tune of a .936 OPS and .414 wOBA (compared to just .621 and .270 vs. righties), and Gardner sports a .788 OPS and .350 wOBA against righties vs. .738 and .338 against lefties.  I would even want to keep Jeter near the top of the order against righties to take advantage of his current hot streak more and lengthen the lineup a bit.  My 2 lineups right now would look like this:

Vs. RHP:

1) Gardner
2) Jeter
3) C-Grand
4) Teix
5) Cano
6) Swish
7) Jorge (or Chavez)
8) Martin
9) Nunez

Vs. LHP:

1) Jeter
2) C-Grand
3) Teix
4) Cano
5) Swish
6) Jones (Or Jesus)
7) Martin
8) Nunez (or Chavez)
9) Gardner

The problem is whether or not Joe wants to tinker with the lineup to try to get the most out of his current hot hitters at the top and help try to bridge the gap to A-Rod's return.  But given the inconsistency his boys have shown lately, I'd rather have the problem of multiple guys hitting well that deserve to hit leadoff than neither of them hitting well.

** UPDATE- 3:29PM- I completely forgot to include Eric Chavez in the lineup versions.  Idiot.  Obviously he would be a more attractive choice than Nunez and probably more than Jorge given the way he's swung the bat this month. **

Here Come The Reinforcements

"New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Eric Chavez could return Tuesday after the team was satisfied with an evaluation of the third baseman on Monday night." (Courtesy of ESPN.com)

"Soriano said he's feeling much better, leaving for NY tonight and expects to be activated Wednesday or Friday." (courtesy of the SWB Yankees' Twitter)

A strong lefty bat to fortify the bench and left side of the infield during A-Rod's rehab and the man who was signed to be the 8th-inning bridge to Mariano making their returns right before the trade deadline, lessening the likelihood that the front office will panic and overpay in a stupid trade to add some warm body?  I'll sign up for that.  Mrs. Doubtfire will too.

A Much Needed "Pick Me Up"

It's been a rough couple of days for your faithful Captain.  My car died on me on Sunday and I had to fork over a hundo to have it towed to a repair shop, it was a completely shitty day at the office yesterday, I couldn't come up with anything good to write about, and to top things off I'm going to be out a couple grand to replace the entire engine in my dead car.  The rain delay before the game last night wasn't helping matters either, as their was nothing else on TV worth watching.  But by the time SportsCenter came on, I got the little boost I needed and it had nothing to do with the NFL lockout being over.

(Courtesy of The Bahhston Herald)

Look at that.  Isn't it glorious?  That's Kevin Youkilis wincing in pain after he hurt his hamstring running to first base late in the Sawx' loss to KC last night.  And it was at that moment that I saw him wince and limp up the baseline on the replay that I knew things were going to be OK.  That injury to Youkilis' hamstring was God's way of saying "It's OK, Brad.  I know you've had a tough day or 2, but this will make you feel better."  And it did.  It doesn't matter if Youk misses any time or not.  The fact that was hurt, in pain, and I got to see it was all I needed.  I would pay a premium to watch Kevin Youkilis limp around in pain if I could.

So the pep is back in my step and I'm ready to go for a better day of blogging than yesterday's 0-fer.  Thanks to Kevin Youkilis and his gimpy hamstring.