Game 146 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 TB 4

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

There's a strange feeling of positivity surrounding the Yankees presently, at least for me.  They're nowhere near putting everything together as they need to, but there are signs that they are starting to move back in the right direction as a team.  Curtis Granderson has started to find his power, Alex Rodriguez has hit the ball well since coming off the DL, Joba Chamberlain looks much better, the offense has shown some ability to successfully execute and play small ball to score runs when they need to (like Jeter's late RBI single on Saturday), and Ivan Nova's strong return to the rotation was a shot in the arm for the pitching staff.  A second straight win to take the series against Tampa would have been another positive step, and although it didn't turn into the blowout it could have, it was still a positive day for the Bombers.

Game Notes:

- Both pitchers had their stuff working from the minute they left the bullpen.  Hiroki Kuroda fanned the first 6 batters he got out in the game, and Matt Moore struck out the Yankee side of the 1st.

- Moore's command wasn't nearly as good as Kuroda's, and the Yankees used that to small ball their way onto the scoreboard in the 3rd.  Eduardo Nunez worked a leadoff walk, stole second base, and scored on a Derek Jeter single to right.

- A-Rod kept the small ball going with an RBI single through a pulled-in infield and a steal of 3rd on a 3-0 pitch to Robinson Cano, and then Russell Martin kicked the power game back up with a 3-run shot to right to make it 5-0 Yanks.

- Kuroda gave a run back on a solo HR in the top of the 4th, likely a byproduct of his long stay on the bench, and then got himself in big trouble in the 6th after walking the #9 hitter to lead off the inning.  Some fan interference and a freakish hop on a would-be double play ball contributed to a 3-run inning for the Rays and the end of Kuroda's day.

- I couldn't, for the life of me, explain why Joe used Boone Logan to start the top of the 7th against a righty, then removed him for David Phelps so that he didn't have him to pitch to Carlos Pena with 2 outs, but Phelps struck out Desmond Jennings to end the threat.

- It's worth noting that the offense did very little after the big 5-run 3rd.  They scratched a run across in the 4th thanks to some Nunez SBs, but only put just 2 runners on base after that.

- I'm sure Joe didn't want to use D-Rob and Sour Puss yesterday, as 2 full days of rest would have done them good, but he had little choice with the game being as close as it was, and Robertson and Soriano turned in 2 clean innings to preserve the win.

News On Teix Not Encouraging

There was some positive news on another injured Yankee that I'll address tomorrow, but the outlook wasn't so rosy for Mark Teixeira, who after being shutdown for another 10-14 days a week ago when he re-aggravated his calf injury, is still nowhere near ready to start rehabbing again let alone come back.

“I don’t have a timetable when he’ll go hit in the cage,” Girardi said. “He’s still sore.” (via LoHud)

That's not good if the calf is still bad enough that Teix can't even get a few swings in, and just strengthens the point I made earlier this week when discussing the offensive problems the Yankees have had at first base without Teix.  It's not reasonable to expect a guy who probably shouldn't have been playing in the first place to make it back to good-enough-to-play condition after making the original injury even worse.  Based on the team's initial estimation, Teix should be ready to come back a week from today at the latest.  If he can't even swing and hasn't been running, I just don't see how that's going to happen.

The more likely scenario is seeing the current platoon continue to operate as it has been, and sooner or later it might be worth giving Casey McGehee a look if Steve Pearce doesn't start to do something.

How's That For A Return?

An efficient 85 pitches in 6 innings; only 6 baserunners allowed in those 6 innings; fastballs located down in the strike zone; curveballs dropping out of the zone; 15 swinging strikes out of 53; 8 strikeouts; 2 runs allowed.

Dare I say Ivan Nova's first start since August 21st was...

Super?

Saturday Over/Unders

Getting ready to head to my company outing in a little while, probably won't be around until tomorrow afternoon, so here's some over/under lines for the remainder of this series.  If you were a betting man (or woman), what are ya takin' here?

- Yankee Hits w/ RISP Today: 2

- Yankee Runs Scored Rest of Series: 6

- Nova IP Today: 5

- Curtis Granderson HR Rest of Series: 2

- HR Allowed by Yankee Pitching Rest of Series: 4

Game 144 Wrap-Up: TB 6 NYY 4

(Just admit you're hurt so we can stop speculating.  Courtesy of the AP)

 

Normally a CC Sabathia-David Price pitching matchup is must-see TV.  The first team to 2 or 3 is usually going to win and there's always the possibility of a shutout, a complete game, or double digit strikeouts if one guy is really feeling it.  With the way Sabathia has pitched since coming off the DL, there wasn't quite that same luster last night, and the feeling was more geared towards hope, hope that CC wouldn't continue to get hit around and give up home runs.  He managed to not give up any last night, but still encountered many of the same problems that have plagued him all year.

Game Notes:

- The Yankees didn't get much against Price early, but they did manage 1 run in the 2nd inning.  Go figure that it was Steve Pearce coming through with the 2-out RBI single.  It's still not good that he's hitting in the middle of the lineup, but at least he produced there.

- After a close call in the 1st, CC worked painlessly and efficiently through the 4th, getting all 9 outs on the infield and 4 on the ground.  His command was better and he located his fastball well early in the count.  Sabathia was also throwing more changeups, a trend that's popped up recently.

- Things came apart for Sabathia almost inconceivably quickly in the 5th.  He gave up a leadoff double to Chris Gimenez, walked 2 batters after being ahead in the count, and allowed a pair of singles.  His fastball command went away, he couldn't finish hitters off, and Tampa took a 3-1 lead.

- Curtis Granderson got him back within a run with a solo blast to lead off the bottom of the 5th.  It's been a strange few games for Curtis, truly all or nothing, but he got all of the 5th fastball he saw in that at-bat.

- Sabathia got 3 groundball outs in the 6th and looked to be back on the right track, but couldn't close out the 7th inning, giving up a 2-out single to Ben Zobrist that scored a run and put the Rays back up by 2.

- Don't ask me why Cody Eppley was left out to start the 8th inning against a red hot B.J. Upton.  In a 2-run game in a playoff race this close it should have been Joba.  Upton took Eppley deep to extend the lead to 5-2, a run that would end up being very big.

- With Price out of the game after 7, the Yankees wasted little time trying to make a late run.  Derek Jeter singled and Alex Rodriguez homered to pull them within 1 with just 1 out in the 8th.  The Yanks drew 2 more walks, but Russell Martin struck out swinging and C-Grand grounded out on the first pitch he saw to end the inning.

- Joe went to Joba for the 9th, and Chamberlain got burned by some bad Eduardo Nunez defense to plate a Rays' insurance run.  Fernando Rodney sat the 9th down 1-2-3 and that was your ballgame.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 9/14

It's the annual company outing tomorrow, and for the 3rd year out of 4 my company is doing a big tailgate at the Brewers game.  The company outing is always a bit of a minefield.  It's supposed to be fun, supposed to be a time when everybody can put their professional guard down and just enjoy each other's company for a day, but at the same time you know you're being judged by everybody in a position of authority while you're there and you're judging the fuck out of everybody else too.  Tomorrow's event could be especially entertaining because not only are we having beer, the powers that be decided not to limit it.  I know there are plenty of people who I work with who can DRINK, and I am fully prepared to witness some legendary drunken shenanigans.  And when it's all said and done we all get to go in and watch the Brewers and the Mets continue their epic battle for the top spot in the "middle of the pack" group of NL teams.  Riveting.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Jimmy Kraft of Yanks Go Yard wondered if we were starting to see the beginning of CC Sabathia's decline.  It's not a comforting question to ask, but one that's fair to after watching him pitch since coming off the DL.

- Lisa Swan of Subway Squawkers weighed in with her opinions on the "Joe vs. Joel" dustup from last weekend.  Hers is decidedly pro-Girardi and anti-Sherman, and I can dig a lot of what she's saying.

- Josh Kramer of IIATMS put Russell Martin's season in the context of salary and concluded that Martin hasn't been worth his $7.5 mil this year.  Hard to argue with that, and even harder to comprehend how screwed up the Yankee catching situation has gotten.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud went position-by-position through the best 2012 MiL performers in the system.  With all the injuries down there, it's easy to forget that there were plenty of players who had really good years.

- On Tuesday, Matt Keegan of Pinstriped Bible examined Nick Swisher's approach and spray charts to try to explain his sudden and extra-slumpy slump.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog checked the remaining schedules for the playoff contenders to help set some confidence for the Yankees' chances and ID who they should be watching.

- On Wednesday, Greg Corcoran of Bronx Baseball Daily compiled and unveiled his list of the top 10 greatest rookie seasons in Yankee history.  No surprise that there isn't one season on there since '96.

- George S of Gutty Gritty Yankees discussed the team's failure to implement and execute the hit-and-run as another way to generate runs with their current watered down lineup.

- Brian D. of Yankees Fans Unite offered up his 9/11 tribute by looking back at the Yankees' 2001 postseason run.

- On Thursday, Mike Axisa of RAB broke down how the rotation would line up for the rest of the year if Nova and Pettitte rejoin soon as planned.  Assuming they stay healthy and pitch well, that rotation order inspires a lot more confidence.

- Mike Eder of TYA looked at Andruw Jones' struggles against the fastball recently to see if he's losing bat speed.  That would certainly explain his non-existent second half.

- On Friday, Robert Casey of Bleeding Yankee Blue mused on the legitimacy of Derek Jeter's MVP case.  He won't win it, we know that, but I'm intrigued to see where Jeter ends up finishing on the ballot.

- Last but not least, I'm throwing the link up to my buddy's Tunnels to Towers 5K donation page again.  If you aren't already donating and supporting someone doing the run, here's a great chance to help a great cause.

For this week's jam I'm going with "Unsung" by Helmet.  It's catchy, it's got a great guitar riff, and it doesn't get nearly enough play on the radio out here despite being an awesome 90s song.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Sour Puss To Opt Out? I'll Take It

(He's actually smiling!  I would be too if I was looking at getting another huge deal)

Get your grain of salt ready, considering the source, but Jon Heyman reported yesterday that Rafael Soriano is considering opting out of the final year of his contract after this season.

"There is a good chance Rafael Soriano will invoke his opt-out clause following a season in which he has been a savior for the Yankees, people familiar with the situation say."

Can't really say I blame Raffy if he does make that decision.  $14 mil is a lot of money to walk away from, but Soriano has had a monster year (2.14 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 9.31 K/9 in 59.0 IP, 38-41 in save opps) and there are going to be some deep-pocketed teams in the market for a closer.  He capitalized on his big year in Tampa to get this Yankee contract, why wouldn't he do the same thing after this season?

And from the Yankees' standpoint they really wouldn't be dead in the water without Soriano.  They'll likely get Mo back next season, they'll still have D-Rob, Joba, Boone Logan, and Aardsma out there, and they could use part of that extra $14 mil to fill any leftover bullpen holes.  If Soriano wants to test the FA waters, let him.  Make him a qualifying offer and when the Dodgers throw 3 years/$48 mil at him, take the extra draft pick and walk away.

Game 143 Wrap-Up: NYY 2 BOS 0

(Phil Hughes: Rotation Life Raft.  Courtesy of the AP)

It's good to know that the ESPN trolling of the Yankees and Yankee fans hasn't lost any of its zing now that the Fraud Sawx are less than an afterthought in the AL East.  I'm sitting in Hooters last night with a couple guys from work (classy) watching SportsCenter, and they're going on and on and on about how the Orioles "just seized control of the division with another dramatic walk-off win."  Ummm, they didn't "seize" anything.  They were up by 1/2 a game and the Yankees hadn't even played their game yet.  Let's wait for the outcome of that game before we just declare Baltimore the AL East champion for the day, huh?  Oh, and then Phil Hughes came out last night and shat all over ESPN and Baltimore's little 1/2 game lead party.

Game Notes:

- After being blanked through 3 innings, the Yankee offense did one of its patented "good but not enough" scoring innings in the 4th, loading the bases on an A-Rod single and a couple of walks but only scoring a single run on an Andruw Jones sac fly.

- The good news for them was that Hughes was locked in last night.  He sat the first turn of the Bahhston lineup down in order, managed to pitch a shutdown inning after the Yanks scored in the 4th (yay!), and dominated with mostly his fastball.

- He was in the lineup at DH after aggravating his bone bruise the other night, and Derek Jeter came through with a big RBI single in the 7th to tack on an insurance run.  That's leadership, folks.

- Hughes mixed in some more changeups and sliders in the later innings, and pitched into the 8th before coming out after getting an out and giving up a double to the dreaded Pedro Ciriaco.  7.1 innings of shutout ball is damn good, no matter how crappy the opposing lineup is.

- Joe played matchup with his bullpen A-team to finish the 8th, got the ball to Soriano for the 9th, and it was untuck time in a hurry.  Sorry to spoil your celebration, Baltimore, but you're still tied for first place.

- Lotta good milestone notes from last night.  Hughes made his 100th career start, Jeter's RBI single tied him with Willie Mays for 10th on the all-time hits list with 3,283, and A-Rod's 1,888th career run tied him with Lou Gehrig for 9th all-time.

My Melky Mesa Theory

(Can we get this kid some swings in a different set of pinstripes?  Courtesy of Paul Hasdall)

There wasn't much reaction to the Yankees calling up Melky Mesa on Monday.  With Mark Teixeira expected to miss 2 weeks and there being plenty of position player depth on the active roster, the move looked like nothing more than adding a warm insurance bench body to cover for the loss of Teix and rewarding an upper-level prospect with a long MiL history for a job well done in Double- and Triple-A this season.  That's pretty much how the move has played out so far, with Mesa staying glued to the bench over the past 2 games despite there being instances where his skill set could have helped, but I think there might be something more to this move.

Stick with me on this, because this theory is admittedly out of left field (or right).  It also operates under the assumption that the Yankees will make the postseason, an assumption that has become decidedly more gross since the Yankees started to morph into a baseball version of a beat up military platoon.  But it does make a little bit of sense, at least to me, if you consider it with an open mind.  Methinks that the Mesa promotion is more than just filling the bench during September, and it is actually the Yankees sneaky giving him the chance to audition for Andruw Jones' postseason roster spot.

I Don't Know What To Say About Andy

(Does The Force help boost pitch counts?)

This scares me:

"If we feel he [Pettitte] can move around and compete enough in a game, it’s conceivable."- Joe, via The Post.

“We got through today, which was really good and he’s worked hard to get to this point because it’s been on a little bit shorter rest and we have to see how he bounces back.” - Joe, via LoHud.

“Can I give you 100 pitches? No.  But I feel like my stuff has been crisp. If they want me to do this, then I want to get back in there. I’m comfortable with doing that.” - Andy, via LoHud.

I don't like this.  I don't like it one bit.  But...

Game 142 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 BOS 4

(Nothing to see here, folks.  Just The Captain being a badass and playing through an injury as usual.  Courtesy of the AP)

This trading a 1-game lead for a tie thing every other day is starting to get old, and by the looks of the moves they announced yesterday the Yankees could be thinking the same thing.  There's 20 games left in the season and the urgency is starting to get turned up on their rotation situation.  Ivan Nova is going back in on Saturday for Freddy Garcia, and Andy Pettitte threw a 55-pitch simulated game and could be making his return as soon as next week.  That put some pressure on David Phelps to perform last night and a game the Yankees needed, and he hasn't exactly been coming up roses in those games.  But to the Yankees' credit, they didn't just yank the kid.  They gave him another start last night in Fenway Park, and Phelps looked up to the challenge.

Game Notes:

- The offense seemed determined to make it a frustrating night, putting up just 1 baserunner, an Eric Chavez double, in the first 3 innings against the positively horrid Aaron Cook.  Dude even struck out 2 guys!

- Luckily for them Phelps showed up with his A-game last night.  After looking overwhelmed by the pressure in his last 2 starts, Phelps was focused, sharp, and nasty with his fastball command and curveball bite through 3 hitless, scoreless innings.

- Clearly the Yankees had Cook right where they wanted him after 3, because in a span of 6 pitches in the 4th Curtis Granderson went yard to right center, Alex Rodriguez singled, and Robinson Cano went yard to left to give New York a 3-0 lead.

- Phelps started to get hit a little bit his second time through as well, but he worked through trouble to hold the Sawx at 1 run through 5.2 IP.  The 5th inning was big for Phelps, as he retired 3 in a row after Jarrod Saltalamachhia led off with a triple, 2 on strikeouts.

- Granderson rocked one to right center for his first HR, and he rocked one to right for his second in the top of the 7th inning to put the Yankees up 5-1.  All of a sudden he's locked in on the fastball, and good thing because the rest of the team couldn't scratch a run across.

- Joe needed 3 innings from his 'pen after the 6th and they didn't get off to a strong start to that mission.  Cody Eppley and Boone Logan combined to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out in the 7th, and both runners scored as Joba tried to clean up their mess.  Once again, he looked good doing it.

- The Yankees had a grand chance for an insurance run with Chris Dickerson on third with 1 out in the 8th, but that positive situation took a nosedive when Derek Jeter grounded into a somewhat predictable inning-ending double play and then came up limping big time running the play out to first.  I know his left ankle has been bothering him for a while now, but this looked worse.

- In typical Jeter fashion he brushed it off as nothing, and Rafael Soriano did the same thing after giving up a solo homer in the 9th that made it a 1-run game.  He held on for the save and the Yankees held onto their tie for first in the division.

Who Can Take The Sunrise... ?

Sprinkle it with dew?  The motherfucking Grandy Man can.  Now somebody hit the fucking music!!!

The First Base Black Hole

6-40 (.150 BA), 8 R, , 1 XBH, 5 RBI, 8 BB, 18 K

That's the combined batting line from the first base position in the Yankee lineup since Mark Teixeira went down with his calf injury.  Or more accurately, that's the combined first base batting line since Teix went down with his calf injury, got rushed back into the lineup before he was ready to play because the offense was complete ass without him, and then had said calf blow up on him again in his desperate attempt to break up Saturday's still bullshit game-ending double play.  You don't have to be a sabermetric genius to figure out that the batting line you see above is terrible, even if there is some marginal value in the runs scored and walks.  What's worse is that this type of marginal production might be all the Yankees get from first base from here on out.

Thoughts On The Arizona Fall League Selections

(Happy 20th, AzFL!  You can almost legally drink)

To break up the monotony of analyzing the Yankees' continued problems at the Major League level, and the slight depression that comes with it, I thought I'd change gears and talk about a more positive topic- Prospects!

The Yankees announced their position player selections for the Arizona Fall League a few weeks ago, and officially finished those selections yesterday with the announcement of the group of pitchers who they'll be sending.  Josh Norris had the details, and the final AzFL Yankee lineup is an intriguing one for Yankee fans to say the least.  My quick take on each selection after the jump.

Game 141 Wrap-Up: BOS 4 NYY 3

(You can't give up game-tying HRs to midgets.  Courtesy of the AP)

I guess that off day came at the exact wrong time, huh?  On Sunday the Yankees were hitting, they were fielding, they were pitching, and they were winning.  Big.  Last night they came out against a gutted, deadstick Fraud Sawx team and put on a display of all their recent problems for the Bahhston fans who hadn't gotten to experience them.  They managed just 6 hits and 3 runs against a clearly-not-there Jon Lester and a cast of B-relievers, despite drawing 8 walks, they went 1-12 with RISP, their starting pitcher gave back the one lead the offense did get him, and the bullpen gave them game away in the 9th inning.  Sprinkle in a little bad defense and bunting, which reader Mark was kind enough to remind me about, and you have another vintage 2012 Yankee "coulda, woulda, shoulda" loss.

Game Notes:

- Things certainly got off to a good start offensively, when the Yanks worked 3 walks and a Nick Swisher double in 1 run.  But as usual, it was only 1 run because they made outs on their run-scoring plays.

- Lester looked like he was fixing to walk the yard when he gave up free passes to Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano to start the 3rd.  After Bobby V came out and blasted him, however, he was a different pitcher and retired the next 3 in order.

- Hiroki Kuroda had his first hiccup in the bottom of the 3rd when Pedro Ciriaco (who else) led off with a double and came around to score on a Jacoby Ellsbury single.  Ellsbury scored after a SB and a single by Dustin Pedroia to make it 2-1 Sawx.

- Yanks got 2 more runners on to lead off the 6th, and this time they didn't let the opportunity slip by.  Derek Jeter made great use of the Pesky Pole by bouncing a 2-run ground rule double right around it for a 3-2 lead.

- And this is where Kuroda's night went from potentially good to another "blah" outing.  He left a 2-0 sinker up in the zone to Pedroia and Pedroia tied the game with on a HR to left.  Shutdown innings, my ass.

- The 7th inning could have been a disaster, thanks to some bad defense by Russell Martin and even worse defense by Boone Logan that helped load the bases with 1 out.  But in came Joba Chamberlain, seeing some real high-leverage work for the first time this season, and he shut the door.  That's the one positive that can be taken from this game.

- It's tough to get on D-Rob when he got beat on 2 groundball singles, but he was still throwing too many cutters and not mixing his curveball well at all.  Ellsbury was hot all night, so it was fitting that he got the game-winning single to win it in the 9th.

Could Washington's "Strasburg Rules" Be A Roadmap For Michael Pineda?

(Sad Mike Pineda is sad.  Courtesy of the AP)

The news of the Washington Nationals' decision to shut down Stephen Strasburg for the season caused major waves in the baseball world this past weekend, and with good reason.  It's not every day that a team willingly shuts down its best pitcher during a playoff race.  In fact, I can't think of any day where that's happened.  The arguments for and against the move both have strong cases for being "right."  Strasburg is the cornerstone of the franchise and the Nats have a lot riding on him.  To risk his and the franchise's future at the expense of one year could be dangerous.  On the other hand, many a baseball purist will argue that opportunities to reach and win a World Series are precious and few, and are never guaranteed.  The Nats' chances of capitalizing on that opportunity this season are considerably diminished without Strasburg in the rotation.

The Yankees, while in no way directly affected by Washington's decision this season (unless they meet the Nats in the World Series), should be taking notes on how Washington handled Strasburg this season.  They'll be looking at a similar situation next year with Michael Pineda.

Concerned About Carsten

(Looks like a guy searching for answers just like we are.  Courtesy of the AP)

After his latest subpar outing, I was convinced that my worries about the condition of CC Sabathia's elbow were going to be proven correct and that we were going to be told sometime in the next few days that he'd been feeling some discomfort and was going back for another MRI.  That is, until I read Mike Eder's PITCHf/x diagnosis of CC's performance since coming off the DL for the second time.  Mike's breakdown of CC's pitch stats and mechanics lent no support to the theory that CC is pitching at less than 100% right now, and he came to the conclusion that CC's issues are more likely attributable to just some bad luck.  That should have alleviated my and everybody's concerns, as any kind of serious elbow injury to the team's ace would be the worst possible news.  So then why don't I feel any better?

Never Forget

Today marks the 11-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks on our country, and as someone whose family has such a close personal connection to the events I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to acknowledge today's significance.  I won't go back through and re-hash the details of my personal history, you can find them right here if you're interested.  Instead I'd just like to thank all the people who contributed to the rescue efforts on that day, those who were lucky enough to survive and those who lost their lives.  They're true American heroes and their sacrifice and bravery should never be forgotten.

It's easy to take things for granted in today's world.  I know I'm guilty of it from time to time.  But the freedoms and the rights that we have in this country are a gift, a gift that no person in any other country in the world can say they have, and knowing there are people out there whose job it is to protect those freedoms and those rights are what help make them so special.

There won't be a big concert or celebrity pledge drive on TV tonight, but that doesn't mean this day should be any less important.  At some point today, take a moment to think back on the events that unfolded 11 years ago, and pause to give thanks to those heroes we lost.  Their bravery and their memories should go on forever.

** UPDATE- Friend of the blog Gary Corbett brought this to my attention.  He's participating in the Tunnels to Towers 5K on September 30th to raise money to be donated to police, firefighter, and military personnel whose lives were affected by 9/11.  If you're already involved, good on you.  If you're not and you want to donate, you can do so here.**

The A-Rod Effect

(That guy's feeling the effect... Courtesy of Getty Images)

All horse-related jokes and puns aside, I have to admit that I've been shocked by Alex Rodriguez's success since returning to the lineup just a week ago.  He's looked healthy, he's looked quick and sharp in the field, and he's looked comfortable and powerful at the plate.  In his first 7 games back A-Rod is 8-26 with 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 R, 6 RBI, and 2 BB.  Throw an HBP in there and he's a guy who's been productive both as a run producer and scoring-opportunity creator in the middle of the lineup, something the Yankees were missing.  Not only has his presence back in the lineup resulted in big-time production from him, but it's also contributed to the rest of the offense around him starting to get things clicking and getting back to what the Yankees do best.

Joba's Slider Keying His Turnaround

(How does nobody get a shot of mini fist pump yesterday?  Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees stood pat at the trade deadline when it came to addressing their relief pitching needs.  They had Joba Chamberlain close to coming back and were counting on his return to help fill the void created by the bullpen's regression.  Looking back now, it's easy (and correct) to say that strategy was flawed.  Putting faith in a player returning from a 14-month layoff that included Tommy John Surgery was misguided, and Joba's early results in his first 9 appearances reflect that.  Any way you cut it, 9 ER and 22 total baserunners allowed in 7.2 innings pitched is rough.  In this past week, however, we've seen signs that Joba is starting to find himself and starting to turn things around.  His command in general has greatly improved, but his slider has been very sharp and has really been the driving force behind his resurgence.

Reconsidering The Middle Relief Hierarchy

(Why is this guy still getting the ball over Wade?  Courtesy of the AP)

When the Yankees announced their first round of September call ups a little over a week ago, I commented on the perception of the move as one of desperation and semi-panic, at least in my eyes.  To pull some of the top Triple-A contributors away from their postseason to become the 30th and 31st men on the Major League roster didn't make a whole lot of tactical sense unless Joe was planning on working everybody into the PT rotation somehow.  There was certainly a case for adding these extra bodies with the Yankee roster being as beat up and stale as it was, particularly in the middle relief department.  So far though, there hasn't been much of a change in Joe's usage rates when it comes to his middle relief crew, bringing up the question of just why the Yankees called up some of the players they did.

Game 140 Wrap-Up: NYY 13 BAL 3

(Maybe Curtis likes coming off the bench.  Courtesy of the AP)

The Joe Girardi-Joel Sherman saga dominated the pregame talk, overshadowing Joe deciding to sit Curtis Granderson for a second straight game.  The argument can be made that Granderson deserves it with the way he's swung the bat since the All Star break, but with the Yankee lineup losing Teix again it was surprising to see Joe sit his biggest power threat for a second straight day while he's healthy knowing he was losing Teix today.  As it turned out that second day off may have been exactly what Curtis needed.  He entered the game as pinch hitter in the middle innings and made his presence felt in a big way, sparking a couple big innings to turn a close game into a laugher.  The Yankees hadn't had a game like yesterday's in some time, so to leave Baltimore on it with the division lead again is something to build on this week.

Game Notes:

- An Alex Rodriguez GIDP almost halted a Yankee threat in the 1st inning, but Robinson Cano came through with an RBI single to bring home Derek Jeter and at least get the Yankees 1.

- Zach Britton wasn't sharp or efficient from the beginning, and the Yankee offense rode that lack of command to a big, patient inning in the 4th.  A-Rod led it off with a single to right, and the rest of the lineup played patience to the tune of 3 more hits and 4 walks to build a 5-0 lead.

- For his part, Freddy Garcia was better than he'd been in his last handful of outings through the first 3.  But the long rest in the 4th didn't do him any favors as he gave the Orioles 3 runs back on 2 hits, 1 walk, and a hit batter before getting the hook with just 1 out in the 4th.

- Joe must have had a plan for C-Grand, because he  went to him to pinch hit for the practically useless Andruw Jones in the 6th and C-Grand responded with his 35th HR of the season to give the Yanks a 6-3 lead.

- Joe made the right call in removing Freddy when he did, he made the right call going to Joba Chamberlain to replace him (4 Ks in 1.2 scoreless IP), and he made the right call going to C-Grand when he did.  With his job performance coming into question, Joe had himself a day just as good as his players'.

- Granderson kept his good bench vibes going in the 7th when he came through with a 2-out, bases loaded, 2-run single to extend the lead.  A-Rod, who was hit by a pitch, and Cano, who was walked, both came around to score.

- The Yankees kept hitting as the Orioles worked through their bullpen in the 8th, and they didn't take their foot off the gas until it was 13-3.  Jeter's 2-run HR and C-Grand's 2-run double were the big hits.

- Big props to Cory Wade for throwing 2 scoreless after Joba and probably earning himself some higher-leverage consideration.  The Yankees needed a blowout win like this, and to get it against the with whom they're in direct competition for the AL East title makes it even better.

Preach, Teix. Preach

(Just in case you're like Jerry Meals and missed it the first time)

Hard for anybody to call him a robot after these comments:

“We could have had a big inning there [the 8th inning] and a questionable call on me as well.  And in the ninth, sometimes you wonder if the umpires are just trying to get out of there. They don’t want you to make a comeback, they want to go home, because those are terrible calls. It is what it is, but we’re out there fighting, I’m out there playing on one leg, and I wish it would have gone my way.”

The really pathetic part about all of this is that Teix will get fined for being honest and telling the truth, Jerry Meals won't get any kind of punishment for sucking at his job, and Bud Selig gets another opportunity to trot out of his cave and explain to us why the "human element" of bad umpiring is what makes baseball great to justify his putting the instant replay issue on the back burner.  Meanwhile, he's spending most of his time calculating the extra revenue that the additional Wild Card playoff round will generate.

My only hope is that a blown call even more egregious than Meals' call last night ends up costing a team that stupid 1-game Wild Card round.  Maybe that's what it will take for Bud to finally get in touch with reality and join the rest of us here in the 21st century.

Game 139 Wrap-Up: BAL 5 NYY 4

(Not even close.  Not even remotely close.  Used courtesy of Jimmy Traina)

If you were going to say that things looked like they were starting to really turn around for the Yankees, you would have used last night's game as the perfect example.  They were coming off a win that put them back into sole possession of first place in the division, they got that win thanks to a solid pitching effort from Phil Hughes and some power hitting by the recently returned Alex Rodriguez, and they came into the game last night knowing they were getting Mark Teixeira back from injury to continue to strengthen the lineup and knowing they had CC Sabathia on the mound.  Things should have been adding up to a win for the Yanks, but some more team struggles and a horrendous 9th-inning call helped kill that.

Game Notes:

- Teix's return paid immediate dividends in the top of the 1st when he hit a 1-out that moved Derek Jeter to third and allowed him to score on an A-Rod sac fly.  An RBI double by Ichiro in the 2nd made it 2-0 Yanks after 2.

- The lead didn't last long at all.  After a clean 1st, CC gave up back-to-back HRs to Mark Reynolds and Lew Ford in the 2nd to tie the game, one on a fastball and the other on a slider.

- Sabathia couldn't fix his problems in the 3rd, allowing another run on a J.J. Hardy double.  He had a hard time locating down in the zone, and it resulted in a lot of balls in the air and solid contact by the Baltimore hitters.

- After the 2 runs in the first 2 innings, the Yankee offense cooled off against Saunders through the 5th.  They forced him out of the game after a walk to Teix and single by Cano in the 6th, but Darren O'Day struck out Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson to kill the threat.

- Any chance CC's start had of ending up "good" ended in the 6th.  He gave up his third HR of the night to Hardy, setting a new career high in the process, and then another RBI hit to Ford to make it 5-2 Baltimore.

- Alex Rodriguez continued his hot hitting and impressive power since his return with a homer in his 2nd straight game to bring the Yankees within 2 in the top of the 8th.  He got a first-pitch fastball right in the middle of the zone and crushed it.

- The Yankees put the pressure on in the 9th, loading the bases with 0 outs and scoring a run on a Nick Swisher groundout to make it 5-4.  With Teix coming up and 2 runners on, it looked like at least a tie game was in the cards...

- Teix, already bothered by a bad third strike call in the 8th, worked a 2-2 count before rolling a slow groundball to second.  He slid headfirst into the first base bag to try to break up the double play, and was CLEARLY safe to even the oldest naked eye, but was called out by the first base ump to end the game.  Just to add insult to injury, Teix tweaked his calf again running to first and is out today.

Russell Martin Finally Getting Some Good BABIP Luck

(Courtesy of the AP)

Russell Martin's down year has been just one of the contributing factors to the Yankees' decreased offense output, and one of the most puzzling.  Mike Eder of TYA touched on this topic on Thursday, the topic of Martin's incredibly unlucky season-long BABIP luck.  It's hovered around the .200 level all season, resulting in Russ spending most of his time below the dreaded Mendoza Line.  It's only been a week, but there are already signs that Martin's BABIP luck is finally starting to turn.