Betances Starting Tonight

I'm back from Vegas.  I'm unshaven, haven't showered, still in the clothes I wore out last night, and despite brushing my teeth twice and chewing a couple pieces of gum this morning my mouth still tastes like cigarettes.

And now I'm reading that Dellin Betances is starting tonight for the Yanks in the final game of the year.  What?  Am I still drunk?  What the fuck is going on?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Betances fan.  I think once he learns to harness his stuff and have some command, he could be lights out.  But he didn't exactly shine in his MLB debut last week when he did his best Rick Vaughn impression by walking 4 Rays and hitting 1 in just 0.2 innings.

I'm all for not using a regular starter so they can be lined up for the playoffs this weekend, but I also don't want to see Betances go out and struggle tonight and get his Major League career off to a crappy start.  You never know how something like that can affect a kid that young.  And what if he pitches well and shuts the Rays down and then the Fraud Sawx make the playoffs?  That would suck.  I guess we'll see what happens in a few hours.

The Next Week At AB4AR

Normally this would be the post where I tell you that this next week is going to be chock full of postseason preview goodness in preparation for the ALDS starting on Friday.  Unfortunately, tonight I'm flying to Las Vegas to attend a trade show for work and will be fully engrossed in that on Monday and Tuesday.  I'll have my computer with me, and if I do have the time I'll check in and post on the events taking place in Yankeeland, but don't expect anything major.

When I get back on Wednesday afternoon, you can rest assured that there will be plenty of posts devoted to previewing and breaking down the ALDS through the remainder of the week.  But I'll also be traveling out of town on Friday, and most likely won't be able to fully cover and comment on Games 1 and 2 next weekend.  Again, I'll do what I can to stay on top of things, but expect next week to be light thanks to the pesky rest of my life.

It's a bummer to not be able to go all in during playoff season, but after this next week is up I'll be 100% back in the game.  I'm talking game previews for every game, recaps of every game the next morning, in-game comments, and possibly a live blog or 2.  So hang in there over the next week and I promise 7 days from now you'll get the AB4AR-style postseason coverage you're used to.

In the mean time, do me a favor and check out the AB4AR Facebook page and "Like" it if you haven't already.  And don't be afraid to spread the good word about it to the rest of your Yankee fan friends.  Don't tell the Mets or Sawx fans, though.  They don't deserve to know.

Freddy And The Jesus Cement Their Postseason Roster Spots Tonight

(Probably your Game 3 ALDS starting pitcher.  Courtesy of the AP)

If there was any doubt that Jesus Montero and Freddy Garcia were going to play prominent roles in the Yankees' postseason plans, I think both of them ended that today.

The Jesus went 3-4, just a triple short of the cycle, with 2 runs scored and 4 driven in.  He absolutely owned Jon Lester in his first 2 at-bats and continues to show the plate discipline and ability to hit to all fields way beyond what he should rightfully be able to do as a 21-year-old.  I still say there's no reason why he shouldn't be penciled in as the DH every single game.

Freddy rebounded nicely from his recent struggles with 6 shutout innings against a decent Sawx lineup.  He allowed some hits, but all singles, and only walked 1 batter.  He mixed his pitches nicely and showed that he's more than capable of handling a postseason start.  I wouldn't be surprised if Joe dropped him the 3-slot behind Carsten and SuperNova and just went with those 3 for the ALDS.

One more win and the Yanks have homefield advantage through the AL postseason.  Plenty of opportunities to lock that up with the doubleheader tomorrow.

O Captain, My Captain!

How's a little 3-run job in your ear, Lester?  Fucking slob.

Shoulda rocked a little Cervelli clap when he touched home plate.

Dan Shaughnessy Waves The White Flag

Not really.  He's just doing his usual routine of writing outlandish crap that he doesn't even believe in order to cause controversy and stir up emotions amongst the unwashed masses of Fraud Sawx Nation.  And he does it well.  In his latest craptastic masterpiece, Dan argues that the Fraud Sawx shouldn't even be allowed to participate in the postseason if they make it.  Let's FJM the highlights: 

"With nowhere else to turn, I called baseball commissioner Bud Selig yesterday.  Left him a message:"

No you didn't. 

"Please, Bud. This is your chance to think outside the box. You have sweeping powers that enable you to make unilateral decisions 'in the best interests of baseball.'"

Yeah.  Like turning a blind eye to steroid use, expanding All Star Game rosters to the point that the talent on display in the game is completely diluted, instituting the "homefield advantage in the World Series" clause to the ASG winner, and now considering expanding the postseason.  Those have all worked out in the best interests of the game. 

"How about banishing the 2011 Red Sox from postseason play on the grounds of horsebleep play for the entire month of September?"

Because that is the only month that should be taken into account when looking at a team's performance. 

"Let the worthy teams participate in the playoffs. The Sox are not worthy."

Even though they're 20 games over .500. 

"Really, how do you root for these guys anymore?"

Because you're a real fan who actually knew the franchise existed prior to 2004 and actually followed the team prior to 2004 and you've stuck with them through the good times and bad and don't jump ship and move on to Patriots season at the first sign of trouble?  Maybe that's how.  Just a thought. 

"They have the third-highest payroll in baseball."

And what a tough, gritty, underappreciated third-highest payroll it is. 

"They were in first place on Sept. 1. Three weeks later - with a full week left in the regular season - they were eliminated from the top spot in the division by a Yankee team that was roundly mocked throughout New England for most of the last year."

Because winning the regular season series is SOOOOOOO fucking important in the grand scheme of things.  But hey, at least Fraud Sawx Nation has that to fall back on. 

"This is about Carl Crawford’s pathetic 18-steal, no-production season. For $20 million a year, Crawford can’t get on base 30 percent of the time?"

Again, for the record, Brett Gardner leads the AL in SB with 46, has gotten on base at roughly a .350 clip all year, should win the Gold Glove in LF, and has racked up 4.9 WAR for just $529,500. 

"General manager Theo Epstein gets his share of the blame pie for the inestimable millions spent on 1. players who aren’t here and 2. players we wish weren’t here."

Yeah.  It's almost like Theo hasn't really done a great job over the course of the last couple years but has gotten a free pass on it from everybody in the MSM because they can't take their Sawx-colored glasses off and look at him objectively.  Wait, what? 

"And let’s not start on Bobby Jenks, Mike Cameron, and the raft of shortstop busts."

Actually, could we start on that?  I think that could be a fun conversation.

+1 For Russell Martin

“Anything to get the Red Sox out would be awesome for me…. They are fun to play against just because they have a quality team, and they’re gritty, and they play hard and stuff, but I’d love to see them lose.”

(Why?)

“Because I hate the Red Sox."

That gem of a quote comes from Mr. Russell Martin during yesterday's pregame interviews.  I'm going to gloss right over that game because it didn't actually count, matter, or even happen in my mind, and instead just focus on the beauty of Martin's blunt honesty here.  No PC bullshit, no standard player talk about "wanting to win every game," just pure unadulterated hatred.  That's my kind of Yankee.  Tip of the cap to you, Mr. Martin.

Postseason Roster Version 2.0

It's been almost 3 weeks since I took my first crack at predicting the 25-man for the postseason, and with all that's happened since then and the fact that I can't jinx the Yankees' playoff chances now, I figured it's as good a time as any to update the list.

Top 25 as of 9/22/11-

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) Alex Rodriguez
13) Boone Logan
14) Ivan Nova
15) Eric Chavez
16) Bartolo Colon
17) Freddy Garcia
18) Andruw Jones
19) Cory Wade
20) Eduardo Nunez
21) Chris Dickerson
22) Hector Noesi
23) Jesus Montero
24) Jorge Posada
25) Luis Ayala

Also Receiving Votes-

26) Phil Hughes
27) A.J. Burnett
28) Austin Romine
29) Raul Valdes
30) Francisco Cervelli

- Cervelli comes off the roster as a guarantee because of the concussion and the continued uncertainty surrounding his condition.  Everything so far makes it seem like the Yankee are going to keep him out of action as a precaution, which is a smart move considering how many he's had.  But I kept him eligible on the off chance that he does improve.  If he can go, you know the team would rather have him as the backup catcher.

- With Cervelli out, Jesus becomes the obvious choice to replace him because he can catch and he adds bench depth with his power.  Last night showed that teams are going to be willing to pitch around other guys to test him, but without other viable options Joe might as well give the kid a shot.

- I also removed Phil Hughes as he's been scratched from 2 straight starts and last night we learned that an MRI showed inflammation in his back.  He had already been struggling of late, almost certainly wasn't going to get a postseason rotation spot, and the bullpen hierarchy is already pretty much set.  Add in this new injury, and it doesn't spell a lot of opportunities for Phil to get used.

- So with Phil out, I inserted Luis Ayala as the new bullpen arm.  I had him as a Wild Card in my bullpen hierarchy post, and yesterday he continued his strong September showing with 2 Ks in a tight spot of Game 1 against the Rays.  He's as good as anybody else they could put into that position.

- I feel more comfortable saying that Jorge, Chris Dickerson, and Hector Noesi are locks than I did 3 weeks ago, and I still feel comfortable saying A.J. is out.  His meltdown in the 4th and 5th innings of his last start were surely the nail in the coffin.

- 2 intriguing question marks are Austin Romine and Raul Valdes.  Romine's gotten some work behind the plate since Cervelli went down, and will probably get more over the next week with the division wrapped up.  If Joe doesn't feel confident that Jesus can step in and catch if needed, he might bring Romine and go with a shorter 'pen.  And since finally being dusted off and used as a bullpen option, all Valdes has done is strike out 5 of the 11 batters he's faced in 2+ scoreless innings of work.  Maybe he slots into the #2 LOOGY role if Joe wants another southpaw.

This Is Why Games Are Won On The Field

Before the season started it was all Fraud Sawx all the time.  "The Fraud Sawx have the better pitching.  The Fraud Sawx made a big splash by signing A-Gon and Carl Crawford.  The Fraud Sawx bolstered their bullpen."

"The Yankees didn't get Cliff Lee.  The Yankees lost Andy Pettitte.  The Yankees didn't add a big-time pitcher.  The Yankees are stupid for signing Colon and Garcia.  The Yankees are too old."

And even when the season started, it was the same shit.  "The Fraud Sawx just haven't hit their stride yet.  They still have the deeper rotation.  They still have the better lineup.  The Fraud Sawx are the team to beat."

"The Yankees will never get back with this team for the whole season.  Colon and Garcia are washed up.  They'll get hurt and won't be able to replace guys.  The Yankees are too old."

Well how do you like them apples, you bunch of Bahhston nuthuggers?  A week to go in the season and your boys are drowning in their own choked up puke while the Yankees are celebrating on their homefield in ill-fitting AL East title shirts.  So enjoy battling it out down the stretch with what's left of your pathetic rotation and even worse bullpen, and take pride in the fact that you won the season series against the Yankees.  They'll be busy popping bottles in the locker room and getting ready for the ALDS.

P.S.- How sick was Reggie's postgame locker room celebration swag last night?  Dude was KILLING it next to A-Rod while he was talking to Tim Kurkjian.  Hat cocked, sipping from the bottle.  SWAG!!!

(Screen cap courtesy of ESPN.com video)

Postseason, Here We Come

It wasn't looking good through 7, but a little 8th inning offensive magic and here we are, with the New York Yankees officially in the 2011 postseason.  It's just a small part on the journey to title 28, but it's still an important milestone.  You can't win it if you aren't in it, and the Bombers are in.  So pop a little champagne at home, at work, in the car, wherever you are, and toast to the Yankees making the playoffs.  And then settle in for the nightcap tonight and root for the Sawx to keep losing.

And somebody please HIT THE FUCKING MUSIC!!!!!!!!

In Case Anybody Was Wondering...

... No.  No, ESPN does not have a pro-Bahhston bias.  None whatsoever.

As if I didn't already want the Fraud Sawx to complete their collapse this year more than I've ever wanted anything in the history of my existence, this cover and this issue of the shitpile that used to be ESPN: The Magazine makes me want it just a little bit more.  I can't believe this is actually a real thing, but it is.

P.S.- Come on, ESPN.  If you're going to flaunt your Pro-Bahhston bias right in my face like that, at least spell your favorite city right.  It's BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSTON for Christ sake.

Ivan Nova's Sink-Or-Swim Moment

What Ivan Nova has done since being recalled from Triple-A has been among the most pleasant surprises for the Yankees this season.  During a time where they were struggling with inconsistent performances from A.J. and Bartolo Colon and trying to work Phil Hughes back into the fold, Nova provided some consistency behind CC Sabathia.  As he has continued to pitch well since his recall, Nova has made himself an increasingly likely candidate for the postseason rotation, with that spot being all but locked up as he headed into last night's start.  And last night's start, particularly the 7th inning, proved to me that Nova has what it takes to handle that responsibility.

Through 6 innings Nova had been very good.  He had held the Rays scoreless up to that point thanks to a combination of timely pitching and good defense, and scattered 5 hits, a walk, and an HBP.  His pitch count was low, his stuff was looking good, and all was right with the world.  But then he gave up a leadoff single, hit the next batter, and walked the one after that on 4 pitches.  Suddenly the fastball command was gone, Nova looked rattled, and the wheels looked like they were starting to come off of his great start as the batting order cycled back around to the top with the dangerous combination of Desmond Jennings and B.J. Upton.

This was the point where most pitchers Nova's age collapse.  They either try to get cute and lob one over the middle to throw a strike or continue to overthrow and walk the next batter.  Earlier in the year, I would have bet Nova falls into that same trap, but last night he took a deep breath (literally), got his composure, stepped back on the rubber, and refocused on the next batter.  He threw quality strikes to get ahead of Jennings 1-2, then ran a nasty 94 MPH heater up and in on Jennings' hands that he weakly popped into shallow left field, failing to bring the runner at 3rd home.  Then, after falling behind Upton 1-0, Nova didn't give in and throw a meatball.  Instead he throw a fastball inside and at the knees that Upton rolled over on and grounded weakly to 3rd to start the inning-ending double play.

Nova was in it deep, but instead of giving in and succumbing to the pressure, he buckled down and went after the hitters.  He located his pitches in good spots to induce weak contact, a great approach against a team of swingers like the Rays, and worked himself out of trouble.  And more importantly, Joe didn't go with the quick hook when things started to fall apart.  He left Nova in and said "sink or swim" and Nova swam.  He showed he can handle these situations and make pitches when he has to.  It's a trend that Nova has been following since the recall and it has served him well.  He isn't going to strike a lot of guys out, but he makes pitches when he has to.  And that's why we're going to see him get the ball in a big spot come October.

(Just call him "Nova The Awesome" now)

Could This Night Be Any More Perfect???

Super Nova passes his last test for proving he's worthy of being a postseason starter the Yankees can count on, C-Grand continues to look like he's breaking out of his slump at the perfect time, the team gets a shutout win over some of their nearest competition for the playoffs, and the Sawx blow yet ANOTHER game thanks to Daniel Bahhd and Jawnathan Papelbawn blowing the lead in the 8th inning against the Fighting Buck Showalters.

By this time tomorrow the postseason berth can be official.  I fucking love it.

P.S.- Erik Bedard looked pretty good on the hill starting for Bahhston too.

A.J. Burnett's Command Is Keyser Soze

7 strikeouts in the first 3 innings, 4 of them swinging.  No runs allowed, no walks, just a bunch of dinky infield hits.  A.J. Burnett was looking good.

Follow that up with 6 hits, 1 walk, and 4 earned runs allowed over his next 10 batters faced in the 4th and 5th innings and a ND after failing to retire a batter in the 5th inning.  Night and fucking day.  And somehow A.J. has managed to exceed last year's terrible numbers.  That's his power.

The greatest trick A.J. Burnett ever pulled was convincing the world that his command didn't exist.  And like that,

... poof.  It's gone.

Greatness Defined

(The G.O.A.T.  Courtesy of EPA)

I touched on it briefly yesterday after he recorded out number 3 to officially set the MLB all-time saves record, but Mariano Rivera and the record he set yesterday deserves more than just one short paragraph, so we'll kick off today's AB4AR schedule with some more praise for the man, the myth, the legend.

Like I said yesterday, there are all kinds of numbers and milestones in baseball that really don't mean anything.  For example, ESPN devoted air time last week to mentioning Tim Wakefield's 200th career win and Johnny Damon's 400th career stolen base.  No disrespect to either of those guys, but those aren't really records and they really don't mean shit in the grand scheme of things.  They're nice numbers that were achieved through longevity more than baseball excellence, and while that does merit some recognition, it doesn't merit as much as Mo's record because Mo's is a combination of both longevity and excellence.

After already being anointed as the greatest at his position in the history of the game, Mo reached a statistical level that supports that greatness yesterday.  His record allows him to sit atop the closer mountain and look down upon all his peers, not be lumped in with a group of other players, no matter how small and exclusive the group is.  Sure, A-Rod can say it's great to be a part of the 600-HR Club and likewise Jeter with the 3,000-Hit Club, but those are still clubs and neither of those guys is at the top.  Mo's "club" is far more exclusive, just 2 members, and he's the #1 member after yesterday.  Overrated or not as a statistic, there is something to be said for the greatest closer of all time also having the most saves of all time.  Having that record associated with Mo actually gives more importance to the record rather than it being the other way around.

Beyond just the record itself, though, it's the way he reached it that truly separates Mo from the rest of his competition and from the rest of the record breakers in Major League history.  After being dominant for the entirety of his career leading up to this season, and at an age where most other players are long retired, Mo is not only still playing, but still playing at the highest level.  His cutter might not sit mid-90s like it used to, but he has adapted to that fact and his drop-off in production has been negligible as he's aged, that is if you even consider his numbers over the last few seasons to be a drop off.  He is 41 years old and still the undisputed gold standard when it comes to measuring modern closers.

602

Mariano Rivera has just set the all-time Major League record for career saves with 602.

You can argue about the legitimacy and importance of all kinds of different statistical records in baseball, even saves.  I mean, Lee Smith held the record before Hoffman, and he still isn't close to sniffing the Hall of Fame.  But in this case, I think we can all agree that this record holds more meaning because it confirms what anybody who understands baseball already knows.  That Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all time.  And if there were still any baseball fans out there who doubted that statement, today ends the debate once and for all.

Congratulations, Mo.  It's an accomplishment well deserved.  And fitting to end it on a strikeout.

Tough Weekend For The Rotation

(7 HR allowed in his last 14 IP.  Oofda! (Courtesy of Getty Images)

- CC on Friday night: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 4 BB, 4 ER, 8 K

- Bartolo on Saturday: 4 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 6 ER, 3 K

- Freddy yesterday: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 4 K

I know the 6-man rotation was designed to keep guys like Colon and Garcia (and Phil Hughes) healthy down the stretch.  But clearly it has not been helpful to the staff's ability to pitch.  CC continues to show now command of his fastball, Colon continues to struggle with his as well, and Freddy Garcia has fallen off the cliff in September after being damn good through August.  Yesterday's start marked the 3rd straight outing in which he's not only failed to go more than 5 innings, but also the 3rd straight outing in which he's allowed multiple HRs.  He's allowed 21 H and 16 ER in just 12.1 innings over 3 starts this month.  It's almost like the entire team is in on some secret plan to get A.J. included on the postseason roster by pitching so poorly.

Just like with Curtis' recent slump, somehow this hasn't affected the Yankees' ability to win, as they actually increased their division lead to 4.5 games during this rough road trip.  But they finish the season with 10 games against the Sawx and Rays, and they're still in the process of lining up the rotation for the playoffs.  With the way guys are pitching right now, I'd hate to be in Joe's shoes when it comes to picking the 2, 3, and 4 starters because nobody has really stood out lately.  Hopefully juggling guys around and getting them back on a regular rest schedule helps them find their stuff, because the extra rest certainly hasn't helped at all.

The Horse Returns Today

So I was one day off.  It happens.  What's important is that A-Rod is back in the lineup today.  Via LoHud:

1) Derek Jeter- SS
2) Curtis Granderson- CF
3) Mark Teixeira- 1B
4) Robinson Cano- 2B
5) Alex Rodriguez- 3B
6) Nick Swisher- RF
7) Jesus Montero- DH
8) Brett Gardner- LF
9) Austin Romine- C

I'm a little surprised to see A-Rod not in his usual cleanup spot, but I guess that's Joe's way of trying to ease him back into things.  I will be enjoying the best that America's microbreweries has to offer today at the Great Lakes Brewfest in Racine, WI, so I won't be following the game today.  Go Yankees, and I'll see ya on Sunday.

Will We Get A Healthy Horse Tonight?

Alex Rodriguez's streak of consecutive 30-HR/100-RBI seasons will come to an end this season.  That much we know for sure.  And that's fine.  The ending of that streak comes with an injury-related asterisk because of all the time A-Rod has missed in 2011.  What we don't know for sure is whether or not The Horse will play tonight, whether or not his thumb is all the way healed, whether or not his knee will hold up to a full-time return to action moving forward, and quite frankly whether or not A-Rod will make it through the rest of the regular season and however far the Yankees go in the postseason without getting injured again.

The Yankee lineup is better with A-Rod in it, there's no denying that.  But the last couple months have shown us that the team is just as dangerous and successful without him in the lineup.  So Joe has a real tightrope to walk for the rest of this season in terms of how he uses A-Rod and how much he uses him.  Obviously it's important to shake the rust off, test the knee and thumb, and get his timing back at the plate so he's hitting on all cylinders come playoff time.  But in the interest of health, it might be more important to give The Horse more days at DH, take him out of games late for defensive replacements so he can rest, and to have some days where the team just leaves him in the paddock and lets him eat oats.  And that will be something that will have to be monitored daily.

I feel bad for doing it, because the guy's name is the title of this blog, but with all the bumps and bruises he's had over the last few years and now this season, I have to say that I'm not 100% confident The Horse will make it through the remainder of this year healthy.  In fact, I don't even feel confident he'll make it through tonight's game (assuming he will be in the lineup) without re-aggravating something.  So here are the odds:

- Re-aggravates thumb injury and leaves game- 2:1

- Re-aggravates knee injury and leaves game- 3:1

- Suffers some other leg injury and leaves game- 5:1

- Suffers some upper-body injury and leaves game- 10:1

- Plays whole game without injury, hits home run, and kicks catcher in the face with his back hooves after touching home plate- 500:1

Place your bets, people.  But do say a prayer that we get the long odds outcome and get the benefit of a healthy Horse batting cleanup from here on out.  I don't know if I can live with having to watch Eduardo Nunez man the hot corner in the postseason.

(I don't think horses have thumbs)

The Sawx Collapse: A Quick Photo Essay

Now only Youk knows for sure here whether the look of pain on his face is due to indigestion, his nagging sports hernia, or the fact that he just struck out in that at-bat and completely sucks as a baseball player and a human being, but never the less it's a fantastic job by the photographer in using the stadium lighting to pull your eye right to Youk's face.  He wants us to know Youk's pain, to feel it.

"Come on, meng!  Gimme a hug, meng!"

"... In the cold November raaaain!... "

Sad Josh Reddick is sad that he couldn't catch that 3-run homer and bring it back into the pahhhhhhhhhk.

And Sad Carl Crawford is even more sad that his team just got their dicks stepped on again at home.  Or maybe it's because he's still having an unbelievably shitty year: .249/.285/.396, .300 wOBA, 82 wRC+, and just 0.1 WAR.  Yep, that'll get the overtly racist home crowd to turn against you pretty quick if you're a black professional athlete in Bahhston.  Sadface.

Sure, the Sawx are probably still going to make the playoffs when all is said and done.  But it's still great to watch them, their fans, and ESPN wallow in their recent misery and have to sweat it out in these last couple weeks.  I'm legally bound as a Yankee fan to bag on them in situations like that.  It would be un-American of me not to.

(Photos courtesy of The Bahhston Globe and Reuters)

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.