C-Grand's September Struggles

(Not the happiest smile in the world.  Courtesy of The AP)

A little over 3 weeks ago, I was sitting here making the case that C-Grand should have been the leading AL MVP candidate.  Since then, things have hit a bit of a rough patch for Curtis as his numbers are down across the board in September.  After posting monthly OPS values of .908, 1.016, .845, .876, and 1.080 from April to August, he's rocking a measly .569 in September.  And his monthly wOBA breakdown is just as ugly: .399, .435, .363, .373, .462 April-August down to .262 so far in September.

As far as timing goes, Curtis' slump couldn't have been better and worse.  His drop in production hasn't affected the Yankees' ability to win games.  In fact, they've gone from 2nd to 1st in the division since my MVP debate post and currently sit just a handful of games from locking up another playoff berth.  The timing of the slump coinciding with the Fraud Sawx completely falling off a cliff and the Rays not doing enough to make a dent in the Yankees' cushion on them was a nice stroke of luck for the team.  But on an individual level, this slump could very well cost Curtis the AL MVP.  Jose Bautista still has the gaudy numbers that voters like, and everybody and their mother is jumping on the Justin Verlander bandwagon, so it's probably going to take a mighty big rebound over these last 2 weeks for C-Grand to put himself back in the voters' minds.

But what changed in September to cause this slump?  And how can C-Grand right the ship to head into the playoffs swinging the kind of bat he had been all season up until now?  Besides the low OPS and wOBA values, the thing that stands out most to me in September is the wide gap in BB/K ratio.  We all know that Curtis is a bit of a K machine, but his high BB% and incredible power numbers more than make up for that.  This month has been a different story.  Curtis already has 15 Ks this month and only 4 BB.  The eye test would say that he's been swinging at more pitches lately and not working himself into favorable hitting counts, and those BB/K totals would support that.

In addition, the contact Curtis has been making in September hasn't been nearly as effective as it's been all season.  His BABIP for this month is only .250, by far the lowest he's put up in any month.  His September LD% of 12.1% is a season low and his GB% of 45.5% is a season high.  Less solid contact and more balls on the ground are certainly a solid formula for low BABIP, and would support the theory of Curtis swinging more and putting himself in bad hitting situations.  It's a case of a couple different things all happening at the same time, and when these things happen to any hitter, it's going to spell a slump.  And let's also not forget that Curtis has had quite the workload this year.  He's played in 145 of the team's 148 games this season, and the recent scheduling debacles probably haven't done him any favors in terms of being able to rest a/o devote a little more time on the side to work with Kevin Long.

Given that this is the first time we've seen a prolonged slump from Curtis this year, I don't think this current situation is anything to be alarmed about.  We haven't seen him abandoning the swing mechanics that brought him this success and he doesn't seem to be guessing at the plate.  He's just not taking as many pitches as he has been all year to draw walks and favorable counts and he isn't making great contact on the pitches he is hitting.  With the off day today and surely more rest ahead as the regular season winds down, there's plenty of time for him to right the ship before the postseason.  And if all else fails, there's always Dr. Long.

Ahh You Fahcking Kidding Me?

Daniel Bahhd, wat ahh you doing out they-ah?!  We ahh still trying to climb outta this fahckin' slump and you ahh pulling this kinda hoarseshit?  That is nawt what you ahh paid to do.  You need to pitch with mah hahht!  HAHHT!  Like fahckin' Wes Welkah.  Did you see that fahckin' guy on Mahnday night?  99 FAHCKING yahhds, bro!!

3 fahckin' blown saves this mahnth.  9 eahrned runs.  Too many fahckin' wawlks!  Tawm Brady would nevah allow this kinda harrible perfoarmance!  You ahh bridging the gap to nowhey-ah!

And especially awn a day whey-ah Lack is stahhting!  It's been a tough fahckin' yee-ah fah the guy.  He needs a win.  WE need a win!  You need to fahckin' get it to-fahckin'-gethah, my friend.  Look at how upset Lack is:

I think he shat himself.  The fahhckin' magic numbah keeps getting lowah.  And we don't even know how Jawsh's ankle is going to hold ahp awn Friday.  Fahckin' nawt good times, bro.  Nawt good times.

Setting The Postseason Bullpen Hierarchy

The playoff bullpen is always a tricky situation.  You want to make sure you're covered for every conceivable match up or extra-inning situation that can and usually does come up, but you don't want to do it at the expense of thinning out your bench.  Depending on manager preference, opponent, and schedule, 10-11 pitchers is more than enough to cover a team for a series, 7 of them bullpen guys.  The Yankees are going to have some decisions to make when it comes time to pick the 25-man for the playoffs.  Here's how the pool of bullpen candidates breaks down.

Tier 1- The No-Doubters: Mo, D-Rob, Sour Puss

These guys would be in even if they had their arms cut off Black Knight-style.  Despite some hard-hit balls against him recently, Soriano looked solid last night and has looked solid ever since he came back from the DL.  He's the official 7th Inning Guy.  D-Rob is a high-socked monster who's having one of the best seasons for a reliever in recent memory.  Any way you check the stats, D-Rob has been one of the 3 best relievers in baseball this season, and he has thrived in high-leverage situations.  He's got the 8th inning on lockdown.  And Mariano Rivera is still the closer for the team, and still the best closer ever.  He's in.

Tier 2- The Almost Assuredlies: Boone Logan, Cory Wade, Hector Noesi

If Mo, D-Rob, and SP are sitting at the head table of this party, then these 3 guys would be table 2 or 3.  Boone Logan, issues against lefties aside, is still the team's #1 lefty out of the 'pen.  And with big bats like Josh Hamilton and Big Sloppi looming in the playoffs, he's going to be Joe's go-to guy for those at-bats whether he's earned that role or not.  Wade has been an absolute steal of a pick up, effectively filling the 6th-7th-inning void left by Joba's injury and D-Rob's graduation to the setup role.  His sub-2.00 ERA is a bit deceiving, but he throws strikes and hasn't seemed to be the type to shrink in a big spot.  Noesi is like a 2011 version of Ramiro Mendoza.  He can come in to finish up lower-leverage games, provide an inning or 2 of high-leverage relief, or go 3-4+ innings if a game goes deep into extra innings.  Barring injury, I think all 3 of these guys are safe bets.

Tier 3- The Wild Cards: Luis Ayala, Phil Hughes

I'm going to go ahead and say that Phil Hughes won't be picked for the postseason rotation, but Joe will still want him available as a relief option since we've seen before how his stuff can play up out of the 'pen.  That being said, if Colon or Garcia goes down in the last few weeks, I think Phil gets the nod over A.J. if Joe sticks with a 4-man rotation, so I can't fully commit to him being the 7th reliever.  Ayala has had a mind-boggling season.  He's given the Yankees what they needed from him, but his 4.03 FIP exposes his 1.80 ERA as phony and he hasn't made very many high-leverage appearances. He has rebounded from a late-August slump to throw 4.1 shutout innings in 5 September appearances while only allowing 2 baserunners, and could replace Wade or Noesi if Joe values "experience."

Tier 4- Outside Looking In: A.J. Burnett, Aaron Laffey, Scott Proctor, every other September call up

Anything short of pitching complete game shutouts in the rest of his starts this season and I don't think A.J. gets invited to the postseason party.  And taking a lifetime starter and trying to make him a reliever in a short timeframe is risky, doubly so when the pitcher in question is A.J. Burnett, King of Wild Pitches.  Laffey could have been a Wild Card because of Boone Logan's recent dead arm, but as long as Logan is healthy Joe won't consider Laffey and shouldn't.  And since Joe doesn't seem interested in seeing what guys like George Kontos and Andrew Brackman can do, they don't have much of a shot.  Also, Scott Proctor sucks.

600 For Mo

(Start the countdown to 602.  Courtesy of The AP)

The cutter, the consistency, the inhuman ability to never age.  Mo's the greatest of all time.  'Nuff said.

What The Hell Is Going To Happen With The Catching Situation?

(Could this guy actually make the postseason roster?  Courtesy of Getty Images)

 Joe Pawlikowski already touched on this earlier today, but it's an issue potentially serious enough that everybody should have their say.  Long story short, the Yankees' catching depth has become what's known in the biz as a "fluid situation" over the past handful of days.

- Russell Martin has been out after taking a ball off the thumb on Saturday.

- Jorge Posada dusted off the shinguards and made an appearance behind the plate after Martin left Saturday's game.

- It's been confirmed that Frankie Cervelli did suffer a concussion after those 2 collisions at the plate last week against Baltimore.

- The Jesus made his Major League catching debut on Sunday, to OK reviews.

- Austin Romine, called up after Martin went down, started last night's game and did a decent job behind the plate while also picking up his first career hit.

With the flexibility that September roster expansion allows, the Yankees are covered for the rest of the regular season.  Romine projects as a Cervelli 2.0 at the Major League level, it's to the Yankees' advantage to get as many looks at Jesus as possible behind the plate to make a decision on how they want to use him long-term, and Martin's injury doesn't look like one that will shelf him long term.  And when it comes to concussions you really want to be careful with Cervelli, who has had a couple over the past few years.  Look at Sidney Crosby, look at Justin Morneau, and then sit the guy down for the rest of the year so he doesn't turn into a mush head.

But come October, decisions have to be made, and there are a lot of interesting scenarios that could play out when it comes time for Joe to pick his 25 men.  I think it goes without saying that Jesus will take Cervelli's spot on the postseason roster based on the merit of his bat alone.  But that still leaves the 25th roster spot as a wild card.  If it were me, I would roll Montero as the DH, Dickerson as the extra bench body, and Jorge as an extra bat.  But if Martin's thumb continues to be an issue, and the Yanks aren't convinced Montero can handle postseason catching responsibilities, that could open the door for Romine to be added.  Then the team would essentially be carrying 3 catchers (plus Jorge) and be severely limited in the late-game bench flexibility department.  Or the Yankees could cut another pitcher out of the 25-man and bring everybody.  Lots of interesting potential scenarios in play here.

The extra off-days during the playoffs will make things easier to manage, and surely factor into Joe's final decision.  But as the last couple days have reminded us, catchers are always an endangered species because of the position they play and their availability is always one foul tip or homeplate collision away from changing.

In Appreciation Of Chris Dickerson

(Swag.  Screen can courtesy of MLB.com)

Chris Dickerson is a dirty MF, huh?  Who knew?  I knew the guy was big, athletic, and an ideal late-game replacement as an outfielder or baserunner because of his speed, but that was an A+ home run swing last night.  That shot looked like it came off the bat of Barry Bonds.  And from a guy who's 6'3", 230, and looks even bigger on TV, why shouldn't it?  Dude looks like a goddamn linebacker!

And if you look at the numbers this season, small sample sizes be damned, Dickerson has been a valuable piece for the Yankees this year at the plate too.  In just 36 PA he's accumulated 0.4 WAR not only thanks to his athletic gifts that make him an above-average fielder and baserunner, but also thanks to him being serviceable with the stick.  Dickerson's line on the season, .333/.371/.485, .397 wOBA, 150 wRC+, is nothing to sneeze at.  His BB and K rates aren't ideal, but he makes the most of the contact he does make and generates good results (3 XBH, 8 R, 6 RBI).

I already had Dickerson as a shoo-in for the postseason roster for the obvious strengths he brings as a late-game option, but if he can continue to swing the bat well, his role could expand.  And with Nick Swisher dealing with elbow issues, this last few weeks of the season would be a great opportunity for Joe to get Dickerson some more time as an everyday guy and see if he can be a consistent contributor.  With what he's already done in limited appearances this year, I think Dickerson has earned it.

King Felix Got Dethroned

I don't know if that was his evil twin or an impostor in his uniform tonight, or if Felix Hernandez was really that awful.  All I know is the defending AL Cy Young Award winner, and owner of the Yankee lineup, got his fucking dick kicked in tonight.  9 hits and 6 ER is more than Hernandez allows over 3-4 starts against the Yankees and tonight he gave it up in 6 innings.

So I don't know how or why it happened.  But it did.  And that can only mean the Yankee bats are starting to wake up.  And that's more reason for David Ortiz to panic.

A Very Shiny Silver Lining

We are all well aware that the Yankees, for whatever reason or possibly multiple reasons, haven't been playing great baseball lately.  They've looked slow, sluggish, and sloppy over the last week and yesterday's come-from-behind win saved them from a bona fide losing streak.  But here's the best part.  They haven't lost a single game of their division lead during that time.  In fact, with yesterday's win the Yanks actually increased their lead over 2nd place in the AL East to 3.5 games, 4 in the loss column.

And why/how did that happen, you might ask?  Because the Bahhston Fraud Sawx, despite all they-ah hahht and grit, have quietly put on a bed-shitting performance over the last 2 weeks that rivals the big dump they took back in April to open the season.  I'm talking 5 losses in a row, 10 out of 13, including a weekend sweep at the hands of the Rays to pull them that much further away from the Yankees at the top of the division and that much closer to Tampa in the battle for the Wild Card.

And it's been a 5-alarm meltdown on all fronts for the Sawx.  We're talking guys in the lineup hitting the DL (Youkilis), guys in the lineup not playing well (Pedroia), the bullpen completely falling apart, Josh Beckett getting hurt, Tim Wakefield continuing to be old, John Lackey continuing to suck.  The rotation injuries are so bad right now that the Sawx started somebody named Kyle Weiland on Saturday.  I don't even know who the hell Kyle Weiland is, and I'm pretty sure Terry Francona didn't know either.  Predictably, he got shelled, Daniel Bard blew another lead, and then Jon Lester went out yesterday and got slapped around worse than he ever has.  It's downright boner-inducing how bad the Sawx are right now, and the timing couldn't have been better.

The Yankees showed signs of awakening during yesterday's game, and hopefully started to shift the momentum back their way with the victory.  The Sawx are still in a downward spiral and have so far shown no signs of being able to pull out of it.  They're slumping, they're hurt, and now they're in a fight for the Wild Card that could get very interesting depending on how their final 4 games with Tampa plays out.  This means they won't have the luxury of resting guys down the stretch who need it.  They might be running Beckett out there on a bum ankle to bail them out, they have no choice but to run John Lackey out there because every other starting pitcher is laid up in the hospital.

When Big Sloppi has gone from telling reporters to fuck off and flipping his bat after every meaningless home run to saying this in the postgame interview:

“Hell, yeah, you've got to panic,”

You know it's good times.  I'd rather it didn't happen, but the Yankees picked a hell of a time to have a slump.  And if they can keep yesterday's good vibes going and get back on the winning track this week, the AL race could be over by the time we leave work on Friday afternoon.

(quote courtesy of Bahhston dawt cawm)

On This Day 10 Years Ago

On this day 10 years ago, I was just a sophomore in high school.  And I remember very early in the morning talks starting around the hallways about plane crashes around the country.  Nobody really had the real story, and over the next couple hours I heard so many different versions of what was going on, that I started to become legitimately worried that our country was under attack.  For the rest of the day in school, we pretty much stayed glued to the TV or radio as we went from class to class and as I started to see the images of the wreckage at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I knew that something was very wrong.

By the time I get home from school in the early afternoon, my parents were both already there, also glued to the TV.  I walked into our living room and asked them what had happened now and they told me that Mike was missing.  I laughed and told them that no he wasn't.  My brother Mike was also home from school and safely in the other room watching TV.  They told me that they weren't talking about my brother, they were talking about my uncle, who at the time wasn't my uncle yet but was my aunt's boyfriend.  I knew he was a NYC police officer, but it was that day, September 11, 2001, that I came to know that his patrol area was the World Trade Center, and that he was one of the first responders on the scene after the first plane hit the North Tower.  Hours later, after both towers had fallen, nobody had heard from him, nobody knew what had happened to him, and nobody knew where he was.

Miraculously, my uncle survived.  He was one of the lucky ones that day, and to hear him tell the stories of what had happened to him that day gave me a greater appreciation of not only how horrific things were that day at Ground Zero, but also of what it means to be a true hero and who true heroes really are.  We are raised to look up to the actors, musicians, athletes, the beautiful people.  Most of us never stop to consider the everyday heroes that are all around us: the doctors, the teachers, the soldiers, the firefighers, the police officers.  And while people like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia may dazzle us with their performance on the baseball field, and they along with the rest of the Yankees provide all of us fans with so much joy and happiness, they are merely men playing a game for a living.  They aren't the real heroes, and they would be the first ones to tell you that, especially on a day like today when we all look back and remember the tragedy of 9/11 and all the heroes who gave their lives that day.

Every year on 9/11, my thoughts always go to my uncle and I try to think about what he had to endure that day and how he's coped with those experiences ever since.  I don't think I will ever understand the hell he went through, and so I choose not to discuss it with him.  But I think back to that day, when I came to the realization of who my uncle was and what he did and I can't help but be in awe of him.  His actions, and the actions of so many others that day, were far more heroic than anything that anybody could do on a baseball field.  I thank him and I thank every other member of the NYPD, FDNY, PAPD, and all of our soldiers fighting overseas for the sacrifices they've made and the sacrifices they continue to make.

And if you haven't done so already, take a minute to reflect today on your thoughts and feelings from 10 years ago.  And offer your thanks and your prayers to someone you know who's a hero.  Without them, we wouldn't have the freedoms that we have in this country.  And that should never be taken for granted.

Wait, That Can't Be...

... Holy balls, it is!  That's Jorge Posada behind the plate.  With his catching gear on.  Catching!  In an actual game!!!

(Courtesy of The AP)

That's when you know things aren't going well.  And 1 run scored in the last 25 innings while the team's entire staff of catchers heads to the ER is not well.

Where O Where Have The Yankees Gone?

(I know, Teix.  I can't believe how shitty you guys are playing right now either.  Courtesy of The AP)

I guess this crazy schedule is really causing problems, huh?  For the 3rd game in a row this team looked like absolute garbage.  The offense is nowhere to be found, they're making unforgivable errors, and their bullpen seems to be thin every single day (I don't understand how that can happen with 19 pitchers on the staff right now).  And last night it all combined to waste one of Bartolo Colon's best outings in a while.  He looked like the early-season version of himself with great zip and location on his fastball, but it was all for naught.

You can throw credit Jered Weaver's way, and justifiably so.  He was dynamite last night.  But the Yanks still look lifeless right now.  Somehow they need to find a way to shake out of it and start winning this weekend to take advantage of the Sawx and Rays beating up on each other.

Bare minimum, Jesus Montero needs to be in the lineup every game until they get things going again.  He's the only player with some life in his bat right now.

Boone Logan Sucks Again

("Just give me the ball and get the hell outta here.")

Just a little over a week has passed since I had my post praising Boone Logan and the job he had done recovering from his disastrous start to the season.  Since that post, here's the line Boone has put up over his last 6 appearances:

2.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Ouch.  Not good, Boone.  Not good at all.  And in the last 2 appearances he's made, Logan hasn't retired a batter.  To make matters worse, he's reverted back to not being able to get lefties out, and that's a bit of a problem when the other lefty in the bullpen is Aaron Laffey.  So I'll step up and take the blame for jinxing him and killing his success.  Sorry guys.  Hopefully this new reverse jinx will help right the ship.

Boone, you suck!  You're a disgrace!  Get your shit together and start being more of a LOOGY, less of a LNOGY.

Everybody Who Wishes Ian Kennedy Was Still In The Yankee Rotation Raise Their Hand

(The kid looked good in the pinstripes.)

Yeah, me too.  I mean, damn!  I knew he was having a great year, but leading the NL in wins with 19?  I don't care what anybody wants to say about that stat being meaningless, that's still impressive when you consider some of the other dominant pitchers out there in that league.

And he hasn't backed his way into it by any means.  Dude has straight up become a good pitcher and his numbers across the board speak to that.  202 IP and counting in 30 starts, 2 fewer than he made last year when he threw 194 innings, a 2.90 ERA (down from 3.80 last year), a 3.37 FIP (down from 4.33 last year), and a 3.51 xFIP (down from 4.10 last year).  Kennedy has improved his stuff and his command considerably, evidenced by a K/9 of 7.93 (up slightly from 2010), and a 2.27 BB/9 (almost a full walk less than 2010).

It's impossible to say how Kennedy's progression since being traded to Arizon would have played out if he stayed a Yankee.  I'm sure the numbers above wouldn't be quite as good as they are pitching in the NL West if Ian had to face the Sawx and Rays and Jays all season, and he's still not much of a groundball pitcher (39.1%), which could be an issue in Yankee Stadium.  But there's no denying that Kennedy has become the type of pitcher the Yankees envisioned when they called him up, and having a guy like that would certainly be a huge benefit to a rotation mired in inconsistency, questions, and a constantly-changing idea of who the real #2 starter is.

I'm not trying to say that I wish the Yankees wouldn't have made that trade.  Curtis Granderson is an MVP candidate and I'm not missing Phil Coke or Austin Jackson at all.  But when you look at what's become of Joba, and you look at Phil Hughes' struggles this year, you have to think back and wonder what could have been with Kennedy if the Yankees would have shown a little more faith and patience in the kid.  It's a shame they didn't, but I'm glad to see somebody from the "Big 3" have some success.

A Little Bit Of Nitpicking

I hate to be "that guy," but I've really got a problem with the way things were handled the past 2 games.  I get that the Yankees were and still are in a shitty position schedule-wise for the rest of the season.  I get that Buck Showalter is a dickbag and yesterday's game probably shouldn't have been played yesterday.  And I totally get that the Yankees are sitting pretty for a playoff spot right now and are thinking big picture as this last month of the regular season progresses.  But I DON'T think that those factors add up to it being OK to not play to win, and I feel like that's the message that Joe sent with the way he managed both Wednesday's game and yesterday's game.

And that's not to say that the players don't share some of the blame for the 2 losses.  They flat out didn't play well, in the field or at the plate.  Against a team like the Orioles the Yankees should do more than score 8 runs in 2 games, and the Yankees should especially do more than put up 0 runs against a bullpen the likes of that of the Orioles.  But when your manager enters a lineup card on Wednesday that has basically the entire starting lineup on the bench on a day where your team's worst pitcher is on the mound, that sets the tone for that game maybe not being that important.  And the players, being human beings, can pick up on that and play as if the game isn't that important.  And when you get into extra innings the next game, and your manager decides to stick with Scott Proctor for a 2nd inning of work after he had a less than smooth 1st inning of work, and sticks with him during that 2nd inning even when he's clearly worn out and giving the game away, well that just sends an even bigger message that that game isn't that important.

Again, I get that yesterday's game was a crappy situation for the Yankees because it was supposed to be a West Coast travel day.  But that still doesn't excuse playing like you've got one foot on the plane, and it doesn't excuse managing like you've got one foot on the plane.  Sitting pretty or not, the Yankees aren't officially in the playoffs yet, and the AL East isn't locked up.  The only thing that makes those 2 things happen is winning ballgames, and the Orioles are a team that should be very easy for the Yankees to beat to cut that magic number down when they want to.  And with the decisions that were made over the last 2 days, I don't think they wanted to.

Everyone needs rest, and everyone needs to be healthy, but the bottom line is winning.  Winning is the most important thing, and since I don't feel that Joe managed to win yesterday or Wednesday's game, I certainly hope the calls he made help the team be ready to come out and play winning ball in Anaheim.

AB4AR "Another Day Game" Linkapalooza

I can't explain why I haven't done a linkapalooza in a long time.  And there's really no excuse for it.  There are worlds of better writers and better blogs out there than this one covering the Yankees and I simply haven't been living up to my responsibilities to give them their props and spread their gospel.  That's unacceptable and so it will stop today.  If you're like me, and you're stuck in a cube without access to today's game, devote some time to reading this stuff.  I haven't done this in a while, so in my best A.J. Burnett fashion, I guess I'll post these links the best that I can.

- Hippeaux of IIATMS created a bit of stir around the Yankosphere earlier this week with this piece about WAR being the new RBI.  The Hipster argues that WAR is just as dependent on context as RBI, which you can choose to believe or not believe on your own, but it's a very interesting and thought-provoking post.  High recommendation.

- In response to that post, William at The Captain's Blog put together this post arguing that WAR is not the new RBI while still admitting that there are flaws in the WAR stat.  William also delves into the major flaws with the UZR stat.  Another must-read for any stat freak out there.

- Joe Paw of RAB broke down the Cy Young race between CC and Justin Verlander on Tuesday.  You'd be a fool to think that Verlander isn't the favorite, but like Joe says at the end, a monster September for CC could help him steal it.

- Dan Hanzus of River & Sunset had a post yesterday on Jeter's resurgent year this year and how the way he carries himself during it is reminiscent of Donnie Baseball's final Yankee years.

- Friend of the blog Larry Koestler from the TYA crew put together an all-encompassing analysis of Phil Hughes' 2-strike problems and comes to the conclusion that we'll likely see Phil back in the 'pen come this postseason because of his underwhelming secondary stuff and inability to finish hitters off with it.  The post made me sad, but it was right on the money.

- Ian Casselberry of Big League Stew adds a few more tidbits to A.J.'s historic wild pitch night last night.

/facepalm

- Joel Sherman of The Post had a good article today about Dave Robertson's importance this year and beyond.

- Continuing that trend, John Harper of the Daily News called D-Rob even more important than Mo when it comes to the Yankees' postseason success.  I have to say, it's a valid point.  Who knows how many 4-or-more-out saves Mo has left in him.  D-Rob locking down the 8th inning will go a long way towards keeping Mo fresh for the entirety of the postseason run.

There you go.  Enjoy.  Game's on right now, so it's time to bring up the online gamecast and watch it like an idiot as if it were an actual game.

Don't Lose That Confidence!

It's bad enough that Joe overmanaged a bit today and rested too many guys and it probably cost the team the game.  Seriously, you rest half of the regulars today and half of the regulars tomorrow and those 2 teams can still beat the Orioles.  You rest everybody and you roll out a JV lineup that kicked the ball all over the field and didn't do the damage offensively that they should have done against Britton and a garbage bullpen, and you end up just losing in extra innings.  But to make things even worse, this is the shit I have to read from A.J. Burnett after the game.

“I guess I kept them in as best I could.”

You guess you kept them in as best you could?  Are you fucking kidding me, bro?!?!  That might honestly be the weakest quote I've ever heard a professional athlete say in the history of organized sports.

First off, there's no guessing when it comes to a pitching performance.  You either pitched well or you didn't.  And your line today, A.J.- 6+ IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 4ER, 7 K, 3 WP- that's an example of not pitching well.  Secondly, you're not out there to keep the team in the game.  You're out there to fucking pitch well!  And lastly, this isn't the fucking Little League World Series.  Nobody is going to commend you for trying your hardest and doing the best you could.  And even if they were going to commend you, they certainly wouldn't do it if the best you could was 11 baserunners and 4 runs allowed in 6+ innings.  That's not the best you could.  The best you could would be 7 or 8 innings of shutout ball, because that's what you SHOULD be doing against the Baltimore Orioles lineup.

I read a comment like that, and I'm just at a loss for how the Yankees can even allow this guy to throw another inning for them this year.  Or next year.  Just let him go in the offseason and eat the contract.  He's a lame, weak, sadsack, hopeless mess and that quote not only proves it, but also proves that he doesn't even care.  Not even any serious discussion about what was happening on the mound, how he felt, what happened on the home run pitch.  Just "I guess" and "best I could."  What a fucking joke.

But hey, at least A.J.'s outing was a historic one today.  23 wild pitches ties the all-time Yankee record for most in a season.

Greatest Lineup In Yankee History?

Not quite.  Close, but not quite.

1) Nunez- SS
2) Martin- C
3) Swisher- RF
4) Rodriguez- 3B
5) Jones- LF
6) Montero- DH
7) Laird- 1B
8) Golson- CF
9) Pena- 2B

It's an understandable move by Joe considering how late/early last night/this morning's game ended, but also a bit surprising that he would sit this many guys while the team is in a close race for the division title.  I personally don't see why guys like C-Grand and Brett Gardner couldn't play today while Jeter, Cano, and Teix rest and then swap for tomorrow's game to keep the lineup more balanced, especially with The Human Meltdown on the mound, but whatever.  Not my call.  At least Joe was smart enough to put Jesus in the lineup to hopefully bless A.J. and his mechanics again.

(Lineup courtesy of LoHud)

A Little West Coast Finishing Time On The East Coast

Heh, wha-?  Who?  Did I miss anything?  Did the game start yet?  Is it still going?

I can't imagine how much that must have sucked for the players last night to have to wait around until 11:08PM to start that game.  And I can't imagine how it must have sucked for the fans who weathered the storm (literally) to stay and watch the game.  But I guess all's well that ends well, and the Yankees got a 5-3 win behind 6 pretty good innings from Phil Hughes and back-to-back homers in the 7th from the new Bash Brothers, Frankie Cervelli and Brett Gardner.

There isn't much time to rest, as today's game is scheduled for a 1:05PM start, so expect that game to be a little sloppy too.

P.S.- Magic number is down to 12...

Does Jesus' Arrival Spell The End Of Jorge Posada?

(Jorge might have to get used to this seat.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Before Jesus Montero made his debut last week, the DH spot in the Yankee lineup was a bit of a revolving door.  With Andruw Jones swinging the bat incredibly well lately as the designated designated hitter against lefties, and Eric Chavez and Jorge Posada not so much against righties, Joe was left to play the matchup game or just ride the hot hand when it came down to Chavez and Posada.

With the arrival of Jesus, though, and the way he's handled himself at the plate so far (not even including yesterday's power breakout), that revolving door appears to be on its way to closing pretty soon.  Montero has looked confident and composed at the plate, definitely not overmatched, and has already shown the ability to hit to all fields and the opposite-field power that had helped draw him such high praise as a top prospect.  After being inexplicably held out of Friday night's game when both The Horse and Teix were given the night off, Joe has penciled Montero's name into the DH spot each of the last 3 games (against RH and LH starters), and Jesus has rewarded him with increasingly positive performances each time out.

Since Jesus' arrival, Jorge has had exactly 1 at-bat, a pinch hit attempt on Saturday.  He had already become a bit of an afterthought as a DH option thanks to his horrific R/L splits, and this introduction of another potentially potent bat will lessen Jorge's already declining opportunities to prove he can still be a valuable part of this team.  With roster space at a premium again come playoff time, teams want to make sure they are getting the maximum value out of each of the 25 spots.  Andruw Jones and Eric Chavez, even with at-bats being taken away by Jesus, still have value as a 4th OF and a backup for the corner infield spots should one be needed, and they will be included on the postseason roster because of this.  But Jorge is basically only a bat at this point, and a limited one at that.  If Jesus continues to show he can carry the load, his bat becomes more valuable to have coming off the bench in the playoffs than Jorge's.

The Yankees have not completely cast Jorge aside, at least not yet.  He is in tonight's lineup, DHing and batting 8th, most likely as an opportunity to show he still has something to offer as a left-handed hitter.  I know if I were filling out the lineup card, there's no way I sit Jesus after the show he put on yesterday.  But Joe, being the loyal type, is going to do everything in his power to give Jorge chances here and there down the stretch.  But if Jorge doesn't produce, and Jesus keeps firing Heavenly lasers into the bleachers, Jorge could spend the entirety of the postseason strictly as a spectator.  Not a very pretty image for one of the great Yankees of this recent generation, but an increasingly likely one.

The 6-Man Rotation Roulette Continues

The big story this past weekend, before Jesus went H.A.M. yesterday afternoon, was supposed to be the announcement of who would be taking the 5th spot in the rotation for the remainder of the season.  Joe teased it in his pregame presser on Sunday, and we all thought we were finally going to get to see this issue get resolved, with Phil likely getting the spot and A.J. being rightfully relegated to bullpen mop-up duty.

But a funny thing happened during Joe's postgame press conference.  Instead of sitting in front of everybody and saying that, despite his recent solid outing against Fraud Sawx Nation on Thursday night, A.J.'s recent body of work was not enough to keep in the rotation, or saying that Phil was looking better, but this recent setback of bad outings has the team concerned about his ability to give them consistent innings, Joe decided to say nothing.  Instead, he reverted back to classic 2nd-grade tactics and gave us all the "PSYCHE!" response when asked what his decision was.

“We’re going to go another time through.  I’m allowed to change my mind; that’s why I don’t make instant decisions… We want to see it again. We liked what we saw from our guys.” (via LoHud)

At this point, and after Joe's explanation, I think it's safe to say that we're going to see the 6-man rotation for the rest of this season.  For some reason, whether it's Joe or Cash or ownership or input from the staff or a combination of any of those people, the Yankees refuse to look objectively at the big picture when it comes to their staff and make a decision.  After telling us that this past week would be the final audition and a decision would be made, that plan was scrapped and now everybody gets another turn through, another audition, that will chew up another week and presumably show or not show enough for the team to make a call.

The decision would have been easy if A.J. would have gone out and bombed against Bahhston on Thursday night, and I'm sure that's what everybody was expecting.  But with as much lead as he's already been given on his leash, the fact that he turned in a decent performance when he needed it the most, and the fact that Joe changed his mind in the 11th hour on Sunday, I think that points to the decision makers previously listed secretly wanting A.J. to be the 5th man and that group giving him every opportunity to be that guy.  A.J.'s good start combined with Phil's 2nd bad start in a row gave them just enough to be able to justify keeping A.J. around for another turn and they took it.

And since they took it, and since the team continues to play well, and since they have regained the division lead and hacked a bunch of games off the magic number in the past 5 days, the Yankees (and Joe) can get away with these indecisive shadow games.  There's no pressure on them to cut down to 5 men because of their current standing, and they've shown themselves now to be unwilling to demote A.J. based on merit, so why bother creating another story if they don't have to?  They can just keep managing the 6-man story as they have been the last couple weeks.  And it allows them to give an extra day's rest to Bartolo and CC, whether those guys want or need it or not, and to focus on planning out the postseason rotation.

I'll come out and say that I still think it's a stupid idea, but after the events that unfolded over the weekend this is how I see the Yankees playing it for the rest of the year.  There's been enough inconsistency from their rotation each time through that they can easily say they haven't seen enough to make a decision, and with them still sitting pretty in the playoff picture, there's no reason, from their perspective, to boot somebody.  Phil can come out tonight and throw a gem and A.J. can completely bomb and that still won't change anything.  Joe will still get up in front of the mic and say that they "like what they've seen" from each guy and "we don't want to rush a decision" until time runs out on the regular season and they don't have to make that decision anymore.

The Almighty Hath Striked

Lord knows there are plenty of serious conversation topics that could be had about the rotation after this past weekend.  But that same Lord has bestowed a glorious gift upon us this week.  And today that gift, the Almighty Savior, Jesus Montero, shone the light into the hearts and eyes of all us mere mortal Yankee fans with his majestic home runs.  He shone the light, and the light was good.  And that is why we will leave the serious rotation discussions for another day.  Because The Jesus hath made it good.

(Photo courtesy of The AP.  I can't believe they were actually able to make him out through the lens with all that radiant holy light coming off of him.)

Back On Top

Oh hello there, first place!  Good to see you again.  How ya been?

After a tough first inning in which he allowed 2 runs, Ivan Nova stepped up and got it together, allowing just 3 total baserunners (2 on an intentional walk and an error by Derek Jeter) over the next 6 inning of shutout ball to continue his ways.  Sprinkle in a rare Brett Gardner home run, a Robbie Cano single that put him on the doorstep of another 100-RBI season, some shutdown bullpen work by Sour Puss and Mo in D-Rob's absence, and the Rangers shitcanning the Red Sox, and you've got yourself a good night.

The magic number is down to 17 and the Yanks get right back at trying to shave it down some more this afternoon with the $900,000 Man on the hill.  Unfortunately I will not be around to watch or comment today, as I'll be enjoying the Pearl Jam 20 Year Anniversary Concert in East Troy.  So while I'm drinking my face off and rocking out to Queens of The Stone Age, I hope y'all will be doing the same to the Bombers this afternoon and some college football tonight.  Enjoy, and I'll catch you some time on Sunday when I stumble back into sobriety.

Taking A First Stab At The Postseason Roster

Now that's it finally September, I feel like I can start to talk about the playoffs without risking being a jinx to the Yankees' chances.  After last night's win, their magic number to clinch a berth is at a measly 19, and barring a collapse of the magnitude usually reserved for the other NY team, we can safely assume that the Yankees are going to be playing October baseball for the 3rd year in a row.  With that in mind, it's time to start trying to figure out what the Yankee postseason 25-man roster will look like, and as is tradition here at AB4AR, that will be done in an AP Top 25 Poll format where I rank the 25 guys who will make the eventual roster from 1-25, with the higher ranking players being the most likely to make the roster and the lower ranking ones being less likely.  And just like the AP Poll, spots are always subject to change pending on-field results. 

Top 25 as of 9/2/11-

1) CC Sabathia
2) Mariano Rivera
3) Curtis Granderson
4) Robinson Cano
5) Dave Robertson
6) Nick Swisher
7) Derek Jeter
8) Mark Teixeira
9) Russell Martin
10) Brett Gardner
11) Rafael Soriano
12) Boone Logan
13) Alex Rodriguez
14) Eric Chavez
15) Freddy Garcia
16) Bartolo Colon
17) Ivan Nova
18) Andruw Jones
19) Cory Wade
20) Francisco Cervelli
21) Hector Noesi
22) Eduardo Nunez
23) Phil Hughes
24) Jorge Posada
25) Chris Dickerson

Also Receiving Votes-

26) Luis Ayala- If a bullpen guy gets hurt.  But he's trending downward lately.
27) A.J. Burnett- Only if a starter gets hurt.  Hasn't come close to earning a spot.
28) Jesus Montero- Depending on how he hits and how Jorge doesn't in September.

Off To Never-Never Land

(Screen cap courtesy of MLB.com video)

Yeah.  It was a strike, bro.  Mo did you fucking dirty.

MVP candidate indeed.

Jesus Already Paying Divine Dividends

The box score will show 0-4 with a HBP and a run scored, but Jesus Montero did more than that in his Yankee debut yesterday.  Shit, he did more than I think any of us imagined he could do in a first game.  He helped heal A.J. Burnett.

Sure, the media will report on the mechanical changes that A.J. showed in his delivery last night, specifically his hand placement out of the windup and in the stretch.  But after 2+ years of subpar performance and all-world pitching coach Larry Rothschild not being able to make a dent in improving A.J., you're not going to convince me that last night was finally the start of all the side work paying off.  Last night was fucking divine intervention, plain and simple.  The Jesus has arrived, his power and glory shone down upon the unwashed Yankee masses, and A.J. Burnett, sad, pathetic Yankee sinner, was the first to feel the power of The Jesus.

So if he can make that kind of major contribution without even getting a hit, just imagine what he can do for the rest of this month.  Here's hoping A.J. puts a little extra in the collection plate this Sunday.