F*cking Double Plays

I don't know how many other people have noticed it, but there's been an overabundance of double plays hit into by Yankee batters over the last week.  Including last night's game, the Yankees have hit into 12 double plays over their last 8 games.  8 of those GIDPs have come in the past 3 games, and 5 have come in the past 2, including a pair off the bat of Derek Jeter on Monday night and consecutive inning-ending ones in the 8th and 9th last night by Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson.

For my money, there aren't many things more frustrating in baseball than watching your team hit into a double play.  The only thing worse might be taking a called 3rd strike with RISP.  This recent spike in GIDPs from the Yankees has been frustrating enough as it is, and it's made even more frustrating when you consider the sources.  Of the 12 double plays in the past week, all of them have been hit into by the key members of the lineup:

- Jeter (4), C-Grand (3), Swish (2), Cano/A-Rod/Teix (1 apiece)

I can live with the lesser hitters on the team falling victim to the old GIDP every now and then.  But to have the major table setters and run producers in the lineup be the only culprits is a tough pill to swallow.  Not only are these guys not doing the job they're in the lineup to do, they're taking more runners off the bases so that the guy hitting behind them can't do the job either.

The Yanks are middle of the pack in MLB in GB rate this season (45.4%, tied for 13th), so it's not like this is a byproduct of them beating the ball into the ground more.  It's likely just attributable to a bout of small sample size bad luck.  But with the rotation still not in sync and the bullpen battling a plague of health problems, the offense needs to produce now more than ever.  It's hard to do that when you're continually putting 2 outs on the scoreboard with 1 swing.

Game 36 Wrap-Up: BAL 5 NYY 2

(The 8-inning streak is over.  Courtesy of The AP)

CC Sabathia was riding an incredible hot streak and the Yankees had already won a game pitched by Wei-Yin Chen once this season.  On paper, this seemed like a slam dunk win for the Yanks, but as the saying goes, that's why they play the game.

Game Notes:

- CC worked almost effortlessly through a 10-pitch 1st inning, and so it didn't look like a big deal when he hung a sinker to Adam Jones for a solo HR in the 2nd.  But that pitch was a clear indication that it was not CC's night.

- For whatever reason, CC just didn't have it last night.  He had trouble throwing his sinker and slider for strikes on a consistent basis, and never really established full command of his fastball.  It all added up to a very un-CC-like 8 hits, 4 walks, and 4 ER allowed in 6 innings.

- Also for unknown reasons, the Yankee offense was lifeless against Chen.  While CC struggled, Chen cruised through his 6 innings on just 80 pitches, allowing only 3 baserunners and 0 runs.  The 16 swinging strikes suggest that Chen was really good, but that still doesn't excuse the no-show from the lineup.

- Just when things really started to look bleak, Curtis Granderson stepped in with 2 outs in the 7th and for the 13th time this season hit the pitch that was thrown to him over the outfield wall.  It went to left field, and barely made it over the wall, but it still counted.  Robinson Cano was on 2nd after leading off with a double and the lead was down to 4-2.

- In a move that spoke both to how poorly CC was pitching and how taxed the healthy members of the bullpen are, Joe opted to go to Freddy Garcia in the bottom of the 7th.  Garcia let the leadoff hitter get on and eventually score a run on a stolen base, groundout advance, and a passed ball.

- 2 walks to start the 8th had the Yankee offense in business again, but a groundout by Swish and a killer 2nd-pitch GIDP by Cano on a hittable pitch ended the threat and effectively ended the Yankees' night.  They went down quickly and on another GIDP to end the game in the 9th.

- Maybe it was the news of the latest major injury to a key player finally being enough to affect the team's psyche, because the Yankees didn't play with much energy last night.  On a baseball level it's frustrating, but on a personal level it's understandable.  Hopefully they can shake it off tonight.

Can The Injury Bug Take A Hike Or Something? (UPDATED)

I know injuries are part of the game, but this is getting a bit ridiculous.  After last night, the Yankees have 4 more guys with injury/health issues to add to their list of walking wounded.  3 of them left the game because of their issues within 3 innings of each other!  Bodies are dropping so fast I feel like I'm watching the D-Day invasion scene from "Saving Private Ryan."

Dave Robertson's rib problem is bad enough that he's getting it looked at today.  If it turns out to be something with his oblique, he could miss some time, which would likely cause another round of roster shuffling moves to fill out the bullpen.  Obliques injuries tend to linger and take a long time to heal, so here's hoping for the best.  Ivan Nova's foot/ankle sprain doesn't seem too bad, but Joe acknowledged that it might be enough to cause him to miss his next start.

All of this on top of Brett Gardner's recent setback with his elbow, Chavez's little whiplash fiasco, Swish's continued muscle tweaks, and Teixeira's seasonal allergies or whatever he has blocking his airway.  And just to top it off, there's still Mo's torn ACL, Pineda's torn labrum, Cesar Cabral's elbow fracture, and Joba's ankle dislocation.

Somebody call in the meat wagon.  New guy's in the corner puking his guts out.



** UPDATE- 3:10 PM- Dave Robertson has officially been placed on the disabled list with a strained left oblique.  No word yet on how long he'll be out, but it likely won't be quickly.  Per Marc Carig, Cody Eppley has been recalled to take D-Rob's spot on the active roster. **

The New And Improved Cory Wade

(Courtesy of Anthony Gruppuso/US Presswire)

There wasn't much hype when the Yankees signed Cory Wade to a MiL deal last June.  He had already been let go by the Dodgers and Rays in less than a year and hadn't pitched all that well the last time he found himself in a Major League bullpen (5.53/4.40/5.03 slash for the Dodgers in '09).  He was basically a low-risk, scrap heap pickup for the Yankees during a time when they needed bullpen depth; a guy who could hopefully eat innings while they waited for Rafael Soriano to get healthy.

Once he put on the pinstripes, though, Wade did more than just eat innings.  He posted a solid 2.04/3.76/3.80 line in 39.2 IP for the Yankees and became a reliable piece down the stretch to cover the middle innings, earning himself a new contract for 2012 in the process.  It was only natural to assume that Wade's performance would regress this season thanks to his unsustainably high strand rate from 2011 (91.2%) and his low strikeout numbers, but here we are 5 weeks into the 2012 season and Wade finds himself as arguably the best pitcher in the bullpen.

Game 35 Wrap-Up: NYY 8 BAL 5

(A-Rod responds to the latest Teix Message.  Courtesy of The AP)

Ivan Nova had already faced Baltimore twice this season in a little over a month.  In one start he gave up a lot of hits but managed to escape trouble, and in the other he gave up a lot of hits and didn't.  His ability to change up his routine and effectively mix pitches was going to be something to watch, and the poor weather conditions weren't going to make his outing any easier.  It certainly didn't look like they were going to be able to get the game in, but they gave it their best shot.

Game Notes:

- First pitch came only 15 minutes later than scheduled because of the rain, and it quickly became apparent which pitcher was affected by the slight delay and which one wasn't.

- Jason Hammel came out and dispatched the Yankees with just 24 pitches in the first 2 innings.  He struck out 3 and looked very sharp.  Nova, on the other hand, labored through a 20-pitch 1st inning, giving up an RBI single and RBI double in the process.  The rain was falling, he was up in the zone, and it looked like it was going to be a long night.

- The Yankee offense looked like they were swinging more to move the game along than to score runs through the first 3 innings, but Hammel wasn't so lucky the second time through the order, as Nick Swisher drove in A-Rod and Cano with a double to right in the top of the 4th.  The third time didn't get much better for Hammel, as he surrendered a solo HR to Curtis Granderson with 2 outs in the 5th to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

- We got glimpses of Ivan The Great and Ivan The Terrible in Nova' inconsistent outing.  He managed to work quickly through the 2nd and 3rd innings, and avoided any trouble after letting the first 2 guys get on in the 4th, but then promptly gave up 3 runs on a walk, triple, and 2-run homer by J.J. Hardy in the 5th to give Baltimore the lead back.

- Nova's issue, as usual, was his inability to spot his pitches where he wanted to in the strike zone. We didn't get a chance to see if he could correct the issue in the 6th after Nova injured himself fielding a grounder for the first out of the inning and had to leave the game.

- The Yankee offense was relentless after losing the lead in the bottom of the 5th. They came right back and tied the game at 5 in the 6th by loading the bases against Hammel and capitalizing on an error by Chris Davis, took the lead back on a 2-run Teix Message in the 7th, and scratched across an insurance run in the 9th after a 1-out double by Teix. The only inning that the Yankees didn't put a runner on base all night was the 2nd, and they put at least 2 on in every inning after the 3rd.

- Strangely enough, Clay Rapada also had to leave the game with a viral infection after coming in to relieve Nova, and it was all hands on deck for the rest of the bullpen, who responded with 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits and striking out 6.  Rafael Soriano got the call for the 9th with D-Rob nursing a sore ribcage.

Joe Forgot The 1st Rule Of Using Clay Rapada Club

(This guy never forgets the rules.  Courtesy of Inside Out Night)

Well, OK, the second rule.  The first one is obviously "Do Not Talk About Using Clay Rapada Club."  But the second is far more important when it comes to the Yankees winning games, or at least staying close in games they're losing.  That rule, in case you've forgotten, is...

A Brighter Turn Through The Rotation

It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the Yankee rotation this year.  There have already been issues with quantity of innings pitched and the quality of those innings, and as of yesterday the rotation has been shuffled again to include the returning Andy Pettite, who had an up-and-down debut against Seattle.  It's still too early for anybody to say whether Pettitte is definitely going to be a better long-term option for the back end, but the performance of the 4 other guys in the rotation on the most recent turn through is a very encouraging sign and hopefully a sign that the Yankees won't have to spend as much time biting their nails over the 5th spot moving forward.

The combined line of Nova, CC, Kuroda, and Hughes from 5/8-5/12 looks like this:

- 29.2 IP, 25 H, 5 ER, 7 BB, 24 K, 5 HR, 34 GB, 4-0 Record

That works out to a 1.52 ERA and 3.43 K/BB ratio, and includes consecutive victories (excluding Phelps' outing in the middle) over James Shields, David Price, and Felix Hernandez in games where the Yankee starter outpitched his opponent.  There is a 4.48 FIP in those innings, driven up by the 5 HR allowed, but all 5 of those homers were solo shots and in a sample size this small I can live with that.  Eventually, the high HR rate will start to come down and guys' FIP lines will start to look better.

The important thing is that the Yankee rotation, at least on this most recent turn, started to look like the one we expected to see this season.  Guys are keeping runners off base, keeping the ball down in the zone, working efficiently and pitching deeper into games, and limiting damage by getting more groundball outs and big strikeouts when they need them.  Nova starts another turn tonight against Baltimore, a team he's already faced twice this season, once with good results and once without.  Hopefully he can continue this stretch of solid starting pitching performances and help inch his team closer to the top of the division.

Game 34 Wrap-Up: SEA 6 NYY 2

("I know, man.  Who doesn't score against Kevin Millwood??" Courtesy of The AP)

Everybody knows the backstory of this game.  No matter what the other storylines were or what was going on with the team, yesterday it was all about Andy Pettitte and his return to the rotation.  I wrote before the game that the expectations had come down a bit for Andy after his recent rehab starts and the improvements in the Yankee rotation, but it was still difficult to say whether or not he met or exceeded those expectations with his performance.

Game Notes:

- Pettitte got out of the 1st inning on just 11 pitches after a flyout, a walk, and a slick 6-3 double play turn by Derek Jeter, and he was off and running quickly and cleanly.

- Through 3 innings, Pettitte didn't allow a hit.  The only 2 baserunners he allowed were on walks and both were stranded.  Through a combination of good pitch location and some overaggressiveness on the part of the Mariner hitters, Pettitte worked through the lineup the first time on just 35 pitches and got 5 outs on the ground.

- Andy had been living a little more up in the strike zone than you'd like to see through 3, and he hung a slider to Justin Smoak in the top of the 4th that Smoak hit for a HR and a 2-0 Seattle lead.  That opportunity was created by a 2-out walk that Andy gave up, his third of the game.

- Kevin Millwood wasn't good enough to stick in the Yankee MiL system last year, but he made Yankee the offense look silly yesterday.  Millwood gave up just 1 hit through 4 (an Eric Chavez double) and struck out Curtis Granderson and A-Rod back-to-back on 6 pitches to open the 4th.

- Millwood started to lose his command a bit in the bottom of the 5th, and gave up a bases-loaded walk to Russell Martin to get the Yankees on the board, but got bailed out by a horrible first pitch-swinging GIDP by Derek Jeter to end the inning.  It was Jeter's second GIDP of the game and another example of the higher GB rate that's crept back up on him recently.

- Pettitte hit the wall in the 6th, giving up another 2-run homer and loading the bases on singles, but Joe left him out there and he manged to get out of the inning on another nice double play (Teix to Martin).

- Joe continued his recent trend of giving his starters a lot of leash, letting Andy get an out in the 7th before giving way to Cory Wade.  Wade and Clay Rapada gave up 2 runs in the 9th to put the game out of reach.

- Pettitte's final line- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 94 Pitches (60 Strikes), 12 GB Outs.  All the hits and all the runs came in his last 3.1 IP.

- The only offense the Yankees could muster for the rest of the game was another bases loaded BB by Robinson Cano in the 8th.  It was an ugly day for the O- no run-scoring hits, 0-5 with RISP, and 9 strikeouts.

Expectations For Pettitte

In just a little over an hour, Andy Pettitte will complete his spring comeback attempt when he once again dons the Yankee pinstripes and takes the mound to start for the New York Yankees.  To say this comeback was unexpected would be an understatement, at least for me personally, and there have been plenty of questions attached to this comeback related to how Andy would perform and what the Yankees could expect from him.  He's answer every question over the past month plus except the last one.  Today, that question will finally start to be answered.

I said right after he came back that I didn't want him to just be gift-wrapped a spot in the rotation, and I said after his last MiL start that I thought he could use one more, but the fact of the matter is that what Andy has already done in his build-up starts is better than what the Yankees have been getting from the 5th spot in their rotation from Day 1 this season.  He's been far more effective in giving up runs and limiting damage than Freddy Garcia was, and he's pitched deeper into games than David Phelps has in his 2 audition outings.  5+ innings of 2-3-run ball isn't flashy, but it's an improvement over what the team has been getting from the back end of the rotation, and with the top 4 pitching better lately it's exactly what this team needs.

The atmosphere is going to be electric today at the Stadium, and it should be.  It's not often that we get to see an integral part of a Yankee dynasty come back and compete again.  But to expect electricity and dominance from Andy today would be wrong.  As long as he can continue to be better than what the 5th starters before him were, Andy is going to be successful.  And to give him a start at home, against a weak offensive team is the perfect way to gauge where he's at and work him back into the fold.  I won't get to watch the game today, but if Andy is sitting 85-89 with his fastball, working his cutter consistently, and has better command of his other offspeed pitches than he did the last time out, I'm going to be happy.

Game 33 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 SEA 2

(Look at that.  A standing O.  Courtesy of The AP)

Phil Hughes has been trending up lately, and his teammates have been doing the same over the past 5 days.  The Yankees were fresh off of beating Felix Hernandez on Friday and facing a pitcher whom the have some familiarity with in former teammate Hector Noesi.  The struggles of April were starting to fade in the rearview mirror and the Yanks were looking to keep it that way yesterday.

Game Notes:

- It looked like we were being set up for a pitchers' duel as both guys worked through the majority of the first 2 innings unscathed.  But with 2 outs in the bottom of the 2nd, the Yankee offense strung together a trio of big hits (RBI doubles by Ibanez and Martin, and a 2-R HR by Jayson Nix) to stake Hughes to a 4-0 lead.

- For the 3rd straight game, Hughes seemed to use the "reliever mentality" he talked about to his advantage.  He threw a lot of strikes, worked from ahead in the count more often than not, and did a much better job of putting hitters away with 2 strikes.  Through 6 innings, the Mariners had just 3 hits and 1 walk to their credit.

- Raul Ibanez has been on a mini-tear this week and he continued that in the 4th with his 7th HR of the season.  He now has 7 on the season, 2 in consecutive games, and 4 in his last 5.

- Hughes did give up a home run to Mike Carp in the 7th for his only run of the day, a byproduct of being a flyball pitcher, but for the most part Hughes was outstanding yesterday.  He used his changeup a lot more than he had recently, and many of the flyballs he got were easy outs.

- The most important thing was that Hughes seemed to mix all his pitches better, which made him more effective with 2 strikes.  Rather than try to throw the ball by everybody, he was very willing to let the Mariner offense make contact and trust his defense behind him.  He only recorded 4 Ks yesterday, but he also only walked 1 batter.

- Hughes tired in the 8th, not a big surprise considering he was at 112 pitches, and Boone Logan came on to strike out Ichiro to end the inning.

- Robinson Cano kept his hitting streak alive with an RBI single for some insurance in the bottom of the 8th, and it was up to Logan to close the game out, which he did with 3 more strikeouts.  He did give up a run, but it was another stellar performance from Logan.

- Interesting note- Logan was the 3rd different Yankee reliever to record a save since Mo's injury.

Best Mo Tribute Video You'll See Today

TYA teammate Steve S. turned me on to this, and I have to say that I'm glad he did.  There are fan videos and then there are fan videos.  This one is the latter.  The proper tribute being paid to the original song, the video quality, the great use of on-site locations at and around Yankee Stadium, and the lyrical quality are all top notch.

Don't stop relievin', ACL's healing indeed.

Game 32 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 SEA 2

Hiroki Kuroda still hasn't quite figured out how best to use his stuff to effectively pitch at Yankee Stadium after his first couple starts, and he was facing an opponent last night who usually doesn't allow much margin for error and has a sparkling track record at the new Yankee Stadium in Felix Hernandez.  The pressure was on Kuroda, and very much to his credit he delivered.

Game Notes:

- When you're a sinkerball pitcher and the ball doesn't sink, you're usually in for a bad time.  Kuroda threw a sinker that stayed up to Dustin Ackley to lead off the game and Ackley parked it in the left field seats for a HR and a 1-0 Seattle lead.  It didn't look like a good omen for Kuroda or the Yankees.

- But Kuroda would recover from there and work through the 5th inning without any more damage, retiring 9 in a row from the 2nd-4th.  His stuff was better, his command was good enough (even if he didn't get his first K until the 5th), and his defense was strong behind him.

- Hernandez came into the game last night with 3 wins and a 0.38 ERA in 3 starts at the new Stadium, but that streak of dominance would not continue.  The Yankee offense manufactured a run in the bottom of the 1st to tie the game on a C-Grand single, SB, and RBI single from Robinson Cano.

- They didn't score again until the 6th, but the Yankee offense made Hernandez work.  The only clean inning he had was the 3rd, and he needed a strong defensive play to keep a run off the board in the 4th after 3 straight Yankee singles.  It seemed like only a matter of time before they broke through.

- In the top of the 6th, Yankee fans got a look at what they're missing when Jesus Montero cranked an opposite-field HR to give Seattle a 2-1 lead.  It really wasn't a a horrible pitch, but Kuroda kept the slider up just enough and Montero's power was enough to drive it out.

- In the bottom half of the inning, the Yankee bats finally hit paydirt.  A-Rod led off with a walk, Cano singled, and after 2 outs Raul Ibanez stepped in and smacked a 3-run HR to right field to give them a 4-2 lead.  The RISP Fail demons had been tormenting them all night, but Ibanez's big blow seemed to take the wind out of Seattle's sails.

- After Kuroda worked a quick 7th, Joe went to the 'pen and played a great mix-and-match game with his available guys.  Clay Rapada started the inning by getting Ichiro to ground out, then Cory Wade came in to get Jesus , and Boone Logan finished the inning with a strikeout.

- Insurance runs came in the form of a pinch-hit, 2-run homer from Andruw Jones in the 8th, and D-Rob got the final 2 outs in the 9th to seal the win.

Does Joe Think We're Stupid?

Look, Joe, I still wanted to give you a little credit for sticking by your "Chris Stewart isn't CC's personal catcher" bit that you've been using on the media for the past couple weeks.  I really did.  I think it shows heart on your part to go up there every 5th night and stick to that same sad routine.

But if you're going to follow that up with something so blatantly dishonest about Eduardo Nunez being demoted to make room for Eric Chavez's return instead of Jayson Nix, that's where I draw the line.  You sent Nunez down because you want him to get more reps at SS?  Really??

Come on, Joe!  Just admit it.  We all know the truth.  Chris Stewart is CC's catcher (and also the man), and Eduardo Nunez flat out sucks at fielding and throwing the baseball.  Neither of those things are big secrets.  So cut the crap with the "more reps" routine, because the only thing those reps are going to do for Nunez is give him a greater opportunity to boot the ball all over the field and possibly set the Triple-A record for most errors by a shortstop in a season.

Just embrace the truth, Joe.  Take it all in.  It'll make you feel better.  Don't worry about Nunez's feelings.  It's not like he's going to cry.  There's no crying in baseball, remember?

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 5/11

Can't the Rangers just make things easy on me?  Just once this postseason?  It's bad enough that they are going to another Game 7, but it's even worse that the game isn't happening tonight but on Saturday night when I'll be out at a beer festival and presumably with no access to a television of any kind.  Luckily for me, I get to spend all afternoon standing in line at the DMV, hence the palooza making it out a little earlier than usual today.  Onto the links!

- On Monday, Donnie Collins discussed the current state of the Yankee pitching staff and how Andy Pettitte fits into it after his recent tune-up outings.

- David Roher of Deadpsin had an interesting piece in the wake of Mo's injury centered around what baseball would be like if every pitcher was Mariano Rivera.

- Vizzini of NoMaas took stock of the remaining crew in the now Mo-less bullpen and unsurprisingly concluded that it's still pretty damn good.

- On Tuesday, Mike Axisa of RAB examined Ivan Nova's problem with fastballs up in the zone and how it's affecting his performance.

- On Wednesday, Sweeny Murti of WFAN sat down for a Q&A with Michael Pineda about his injury.

- Greg Corcoran of Bronx Baseball Daily mused on current Triple-A utility man Ronnier Mustelier and how he could be a useful piece for the Yankees.  A guy who can hit the ball and play multiple positions on the bench?  I'll take it.

- William Tasker of IIATMS talked about accepting Raul Ibanez for what he does bring to the table, and being happy with how he's producing at the plate.

- Matt Imbrogno of TYA looked at all the HR Ivan Nova has allowed early in the season to see if he's missing badly or getting unlucky.  Location tells the story, and it ain't a good one.

- Mike Eder argued that Manny Banuelos should be promoted to the Major League rotation if he continues to show improved command.

- Frank Campagnola of Pinstripe Alley found some things that he liked about Phil Hughes' early starts.  Sounds like somebody wants Hughes to stay in the rotation.

- On Thursday, Steve Goldman of Pinstriped Bible attempted to ease the concerns about D-Rob after his blown save.

- Fishjam25 of Yankees Fans Unite scored an interview with Low-A Charleston masher Tyler Austin.  If he stays healthy, there's no reason to expect Austin to not be on every top 10 prospect list next year.

- On Friday, Chad Jennings of LoHud noticed what I'm noticing with Robinson Cano at the plate.  He's starting to heat up.

I'm going heavy on the Friday Jam today with some High On Fire.  I've been on a huge High On Fire kick lately.  Don't ask.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Game 31 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 TB 3

(Don'tcha know.  Courtesy of The AP)

CC Sabathia has been one of the hottest starting pitchers in the American League over the last 2 weeks or so.  David Price could make that same claim.  Truth be told, I would have rather had this game be the ESPN weekly national game and not Wednesday night's.  Ace vs. ace; 2 big lefties; that's must-see TV in my book.

Game Notes:

- CC's line after 2 innings was not an accurate representation of how he pitched, as both runs he allowed were unearned courtesy of 2 Eduardo Nunez errors, 1 each of the fielding and throwing variety.  The defense is really starting to become a problem for me with Nunez.  Chavez better pass his concussion tests.

That being said, CC did give up 4 hits in the first 2, so he wasn't exactly sharp either as the Yankees went down 2-0 early.  Not everything was hard hit, but CC seemed just a tick off with his location.

- Fortunately for the Yankee offense, they quickly bailed Nunez and CC out with 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.  Curtis Granderson, the guy who I said was going to keep being a monster, yanked his 11th HR of the season off an inside Price fastball that didn't get inside enough to cut the lead in half.  Then Eduardo Nunez walked, stole 2nd base, and came around to score on a single by THE Chris Stewart, who found himself at third base when all was said and done on the play after the Rays decided to practice their "Keystone Kops" routine.  Price looked no sharper than CC, and it was a 2-2 ballgame.

- After getting his 2nd hit to lead off the bottom of the 3rd, I sent my uncle a text saying, "Cano is starting to break out.  I can feel it."  Sure enough, the next time he came to the plate with Nick Swisher on in the 5th inning, he took a 1st-pitch hanging slider from Price and LAUNCHED it into the right-center field seats for his 4th HR of the season and a 4-2 Yankee lead.

- CC started to find it after a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd and seemed to get a little bit better every inning thereafter until he was back to the dominant form we've seen recently.  That point was punctuated in the 6th when CC came out and struck out the side, and then again in the 7th when he threw 2 straight sliders by B.J. Upton to end the threat.

- The Yankee offense was never able to connect on the final knockout punch to Price despite getting 5 runs, 11 hits, and 3 walks off him, and the game was still close enough at 5-2 heading into the late innings.

- I would have been happy to see CC be done after 7 innings and 109 pitches, but he must have felt good because Joe sent him out for the 8th and he retired the side in order on 10 pitches.  Big night for CC; double digit K and GB outs.

- With D-Rob unavailable, it was Soriano's game to close and he did just that, although not without a garbage run scoring after a leadoff single.  5-3 Yanks and a series win against a division rival.

BREAKING NEWS: Brett Gardner Suffers Setback With Elbow (UPDATED)

I'm a little late on this breaking story (damn internet was down at the apartment), but via Marc Carig, the bad injury luck continues for the Yankees as Brett Gardner has suffered a setback in his rehab from his right elbow strain.

Apparently there was some soreness and swelling after he played in the Triple-A game last night, which would explain why Gardner wasn't activated today, and he's probably getting an MRI as we speak.  As usual, I'll update this story as more details become available.

I'm really at a loss here.  When is this injury madness going to stop?  I can't take it.



** UPDATE- 6:46AM- According to Joe's postgame presser last night, Gardner re-aggravated the strain in his elbow that put him on the DL in the first place.  The plan is to shut him down for 10 days and see where he's at then, but Gardner will likely be out longer than that.  Dewayne Wise looks like he's going to stick around for a while. **

Shuffling The 25-Man Deck To Make Room For Roster Reinforcements

Had to post that clip.  Too funny not to.

But on a more serious note, the Yankees are going to get a shot in the arm over the next handful of days with regards to their 25-man roster.  They are finally starting to get healthy, with Brett Gardner and Eric Chavez both scheduled to come off the DL either today or tomorrow, and some guy named Andy Pettitte is going to be added to the starting rotation on Sunday.  There's been a recent burst of roster shuffling activity to cover for the injuries to Chavez, Mo, and Swish's missed time, and the shuffling will continue this weekend.

Looking at the active roster, it's pretty clear who the 3 targets for 25-man termination are.  Cody Eppley, who was recalled last week to replace D.J. Mitchell in the bullpen, should get the boot from his low-leverage mop-up spot when David Phelps gets knocked back to the bullpen to make room for Andy.  In the field, Jayson Nix and Dewayne Wise will likely get axed for Gardner and Chavez.  It will be a shame to lose Wise, who doesn't have any options and would have to clear waivers before the Yankees could try to stash him in Triple-A again.  He has hit incredibly well since Spring Training and can play all 3 OF positions better than anybody else left on the Yankee bench, but there just isn't any way that he's getting the nod over the Joneses and Ibanezes of the world.

The Yankee roster has never been the complete 25-man version it was expected to be at the opening of spring camp, and it never will be with a few guys out for the season.  But with the return of Chavez, Gardner, and Pettitte, it will become deeper and have more depth of talent than it has in the past few weeks.

Curtis Granderson's Continuing Power Surge

A while back, I wrote a piece that examined Curtis Granderson's statistical profile for the 2011 season and attempted to predict the likelihood of him maintaining that MVP-caliber level of production moving forward.  My expectation was that he would likely see a regression in his career-high HR numbers, but could still produce at a high level in 2012 with a more selective approach at the plate and a spike in his LD rate to supplement the dip in power.  We're a little over a month into the 2012 season and C-Grand's numbers so far are better across the board than they were last year.  He's currently hitting .274/.370/.581, with a .396 wOBA, 152 wRC+, and ISO and BABIP numbers both north of their 2011 values.  Of his 32 hits thus far, 15 of them have been for extra bases, including 10 home runs.  Granderson started to heat up towards the end of ST and hasn't cooled down since.  He's picked up right where he left off at the end of 2011 and has yet to show any signs of slowing down.

Game 30 Wrap-Up: TB 4 NYY 1

(You're still the best to me, Dave.  Courtesy of The AP)

David Phelps.  Jeff Niemann,  One night only.  Mano y mano.  Sure it was the undercard to the big "Sabathia vs. Price" battle tonight, but there was still plenty of intrigue surrounding this matchup.  Phelps was pitching to hopefully keep his name in consideration for a spot in the rotation, and the Yankees were looking to get back within striking distance of the division lead against a pitcher who'd been successful against them in the past.

Game Notes:

- Things didn't look good for Phelps in the top of the 1st, when he gave up a leadoff double to Yankee killer in the making Ben Zobrist and walked Carlos Pena on 4 pitches to start the game.  He didn't look sharp and loaded the bases before wriggling off the hook without allowing a run on 28 pitches.

- After that, it was like he flipped an internal switch because Phelps was a completely different pitcher.  He retired the 2nd-4th innings in order on just 42 pitches, spotting his fastball down to both sides of the plate and working from ahead in the count almost the entire time.

- The Yankee double play combo of Derek & Bob were responsible for the first Yankee run of the game in the bottom of the 1st.  Jeter led off with a first-pitch single and came around to score on a 2-out double by Cano, which had the added bonus of being hit the opposite way in an attempt to attack the outside of the plate, something Cano has not done well thus far.

- The only problem with Cano's run-scoring hit was that it was the only one the Yankees could muster.  Niemann was very good after the 1st, allowing just 5 baserunners and no runs over the next 6 innings with 4 strikeouts.

- Of course, a bad offensive night for the Yankees merits a mention of their continued struggles to hit with RISP.  They were 0-8 as a team last night, with 8 men left on base.

- Phelps hit the wall in the 5th and ended his outing just as he started it, by having no command and loading the bases on a double and 2 walks, and it was up to the Yankee bullpen from there.  Boone Logan, Cory Wade, and Rafael Soriano combined for 3.1 IP of scoreless ball, and despite the offense continuing to be shut down, the Yankees still led 1-0 going into the 9th.

- Just when I go and start tooting his horn for him, D-Rob had to go and blow the save in his 2nd consecutive post-Mo opportunity.  It was a bit of a freak occurrence, as the first 2 hitters of the inning got singles swinging on the first pitch and advanced on a poor throwing decision by Swish, but that fastball to Matt Joyce was poorly placed, and I'm sure that won't stop everybody from freaking out today.

- The bottom line is that Robertson had been LONG overdue for an outing like last night's, and it sucks that it had to happen when it did.

Dave Robertson > Rafael Soriano

(Hey look!  It's the new closer!  Courtesy of Reuters)

The biggest non-Mo talking point since Mo went down with his ACL injury has been who should take his place as closer this season.  It was talked about immediately after the injury was confirmed, it was talked about after D-Rob handled the 9th inning in order in a non-save situation on Friday night, and it was talked about again after he did his normal tightrope walk routine to close out the win last night.  Obviously the only 2 real candidates are Dave Robertson and Rafael Soriano, but I still feel like I have to ask this.  Why is anybody even talking about this in the first plate?  Why is there even cause for a "Robertson or Soriano" discussion?  Did I get transplanted into an alternate reality where Rafael Soriano is a better pitcher than Dave Robertson?  That's the only thing that I can think of that would explain this situation.

It's real simple, people.  Dave Robertson should be the closer.  And the reason he should be the closer is that he's simply a better pitcher and a more effective reliever than Rafael Soriano.  For all the talk about how erratic D-Rob can be and how many walks he issues and how you don't want runners on base in the 9th inning, the fact remains that Robertson has showed a consistent ability over the last 2+ years to get big outs when he needs to get them in a variety of different high-leverage relief situations.  And if you want to talk about walks, let's talk about how before last night Robertson had issued just 3 walks in 12.0 IP this season, good for a 2.25 BB/9 value that was only slightly higher than Mo's 2.16.  Robertson has shown serious improvement in his command and ability to throw strikes and paint corners, and has done it without sacrificing any of the nastiness of his stuff that allows him to rack up his dominant strikeout totals.  If that doesn't work for you, try these nuggets of knowledge on for size.

Some Designated Food For Thought

Yankee DHs This Season: .272/.328/.482, 10 XBH, 23 RBI, 11 BB, 19 K

Jesus Montero This Season: .275/.289/.431, 9 XBH, 16 RBI, 3 BB, 22 K

Just in case anybody wanted to reignite the "Cash blew the Montero trade" fire after the latest news of Jose Campos hitting the MiL DL with elbow inflammation.  Not having Montero's bat in the lineup has not hurt the Yankees at all this season.

Game 29 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 TB 3

(Jesus Who?  Courtesy of The AP)

As seems to be SOP around Yankeeland lately, there was big breaking news yesterday with the announcement that Andy Pettitte would make his return to the rotation on Sunday.  Ivan Nova was scheduled to start on Sunday after making his start last night, and recent struggles aside, there wasn't much reason to expect that Nova was the one targeted for replacement in the rotation.  In any event, Nova pitched like he was trying to earn a spot, and got the Yankees their 2nd straight win in the process.

Game Notes:

- In plain English, Nova was not fucking around last night.  He came out firing, and retired the first 12 batters he faced through 4 innings in order.  Well, sort of in order.  He gave up a leadoff single to Ben Zobrist to start the game and then retired 12 in a row after ending that 1st inning with a strike-'em-out/throw-'em-out DP.

- After a slow start, the Yankee offense started to build a little cushion for Nova.  It started in the 4th inning, when Raul Ibanez clubbed a 2-run HR just one AB after Robinson Cano was thrown out trying to score from 3rd on a Nick Swisher groundball.

- Curtis Granderson extended the lead with a solo HR, his 10th of the season, in the bottom of the 5th to make it 3-0 Yanks.  His at-bat was a 10-pitch battle against James Shields and ended when Shields hung a changeup.  Just a beautiful display of hitting by Granderson.

- After cruising through 5 innings, Nova got into a bit of trouble in the top of the 6th, giving up a leadoff HR to Jose Molina (really) and walking Ben Zobrist.  After a visit to the mound, Nova gathered himself and ended the inning with a GIDP by Carlos Pena and a follow-up groundout by B.J. Upton.

- Joe showed a lot of faith in Nova by letting him come out for the 7th, and Nova made that decision look questionable by giving up another HR, a walk, and a double to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.  But as he did the inning prior, Nova managed to work out of trouble again, stranding the runners and ending the frame with a K of Jose Molina.

- The Rays tacked a run on in the 8th off of Rafael Soriano, but a solo shot from Ibanez in the 7th and an RBI double by Mark Teixeira in the 8th was enough to keep the Yankees ahead.  Left-handed RBI from Teix always make me smile.

- It was an impressive outing for Nova.  His fastball was living mid-90s again, his slider was really working for him, and he threw some nice curveballs for strikes and mixed pitches well.  He still missed his spots a few times, but the fact that he worked out of trouble twice late in the game, and the fact that Joe left him out there to do it, spoke volumes about how Nova has grown as a pitcher in the last year.

- After a clean outing on Sunday, D-Rob decided to get back to his usual routine and load the bases in the 9th in his first save opportunity of the season.  He struck out the last 2 hitters he faced, and as usual no runs crossed the plate, but there was a little sweating involved in locking down the W.

BREAKING NEWS: Andy To Start Sunday Vs. Seattle

Via Marc Carig:

"Pettitte to start Sunday"

"with the Yankees"

Cash made it official today.  Right now, Ivan Nova is scheduled to pitch Sunday, but barring injury I can't imagine he will be the one to lose his rotation spot.  That battle will be between Phil and Dave.  But it's really happening.  Andy Pettitte is going to pitch in a Major League game wearing the Yankee pinstripes again, and that's pretty cool.

Best Promotion Ever? Best Promotion Ever

I don't know much, people, but I do know this.  I have never been more upset about missing a Yankee game since I moved away from the East Coast than I am about missing tonight's game.  The New York Yankees are reinventing the stadium promotional giveaway game as we know it.

BOOM!!!  "Hand Sanitizer Keychain Day."  Are you kidding me???  Why not just give fans the keys to the locker room??  How about "Who Wants to Bat Cleanup?" Day or "Be The Bullpen Coach for the Game" Day??  I mean, look at this thing.  It's incredible!!!

 

As it is, your ticket to the game gets you first-person access to watching the historic New York Yankees play baseball.  Now you're telling me I could also be protected against all kinds of viruses and diseases that I may get from high-fiving the strangers around my in the stands AT NO EXTRA COST?!?!  That's highway robbery!

If you're reading this and planning on going to the game tonight, grab your car keys and your Yankee hat as soon as you're done and get your ass to The Stadium to make sure you're one of the first 18,000 fans in attendance in order to take advantage of this sweet deal.  Actually, scratch that.  Don't even finish reading this.  Just get to The Stadium NOW because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you don't want to miss.

/so fucking jealous

Awaiting Brett Gardner's Return

(Probably beat that out for a hit.  Courtesy of The AP)

I'm a big Brett Gardner fan, so I was all excited to write this post about how his return later this week should help spark the the team and get them back on the winning path they were on before he went down in mid-April.  But then his rehab outing got delayed by weather last night, likely pushing his whole return schedule back a day.  This gave me some time to check some numbers on what the Yankees have done with and without Gardner and I was a bit surprised at what I found.

Gardner went down on April 17th making a sliding catch in a win against the Twins.  In that game he went 2-2 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, 3 runs scored, an RBI, and the sliding catch that led to the injury to boost his season line to .321/.424/.393.  That's not too shabby and about as Gardnerish as a batting line gets, but the Yankees were only 6-5 in those 11 games that Gardner played before hitting the DL, averaging 5.18 runs/game.

Since he went on the shelf, the Yankees have used a rotating cast of characters in left field and that cast has not been nearly as productive as Gardner.  In the past 17 games, the Yankee left fielders have combined to go 11-60 at the plate (.183 BA) with 16 strikeouts to just 6 walks, 2 runs scored, and 4 RBI.  The lone bright spot in that stat line is the fact that 5 of the combined 11 hits have gone for extra bases, but the production hasn't been there.  I thought for sure this would lead to a big drop in runs scored as a team, but the average of 4.94 R/G over the past 17 games really isn't that far off from what the Yankee offense was doing with Gardner, and the 9-8 record over that span doesn't look any better or worse than the 6-5 with Garder.  So is Brett Gardner really that meaningless?