Game 20 Wrap-Up: TB 3 NYY 0

("So if I strike another guy out here, are you guys gonna get a few fucking hits or not?"  Courtesy of the AP)

I don't know about you guys, but I was pretty pumped about the Yankees being in a position to steal a series in which they had to face 2 of the 5 best lefties in all of baseball.  I would have been more pumped about their chances going against a RHP again if the lineup wasn't missing Youkilis and Wells, but with Andy Pettitte on the mound the Bombers were still in good shape.  Andy did his thing and gave the team every opportunity to win, the offense just forgot to show up.

Game Notes:

- And I mean REALLY forgot to show up.  No disrespect to Alex Cobb, I'm sure he's a sweet kid.  But he's just Alex Cobb and the Yankee lineup made him look like Bob Gibson last night.  They put 2 runners on in the top of the 2nd, then got sat down in order the next 4 innings.

- Pettitte was sharp early, working quickly and efficiently around a token baserunner in each of the first 4 innings.  His pitch count was only in the 40s and he demonstrated his command by striking out the side swinging in the bottom of the 3rd on a slider, 4-seamer, and sinker.

- He got into trouble in the 5th, when he hit Jose Molina with a pitch after having him down 0-2 to lead off the inning.  Kelly Johnson singled and the runners advanced after a Brennan Boesch error in right, and just when it looked like Andy was going to escape after 2 Ks he hung a curve to Ben Zobrist for a 2-run double.

- That inning seemed to take a lot out of Andy.  He gave up a first-pitch HR to Sean Rodriguez to start the 6th and labored through that inning to end his night.

- 2 ER in 6 IP is a damn fine showing, it just didn't amount to anything with the no-show offense.  They were also retired in order in the 7th and 8th (making it 18 straight batters) and did nothing with 2 singles in the 9th. I don't care who's out on the mound, that's awful.

So How Was Phil's Pitch Location Last Night?

(Fierce!  Courtesy of the AP)

After I opened this box last Monday, you knew I wasn't going to let it just be a one-off piece.  Phil Hughes made positive strides in his pitch location last Thursday, and not surprisingly it resulted in his best start of the year to date.  He had another strong start last night, going mano-y-mano with David Price, so it would make sense for his pitch location to be good again, wouldn't it?

So, Ben Francisco, What Would You Say ... You Do Here?

The Yankee offense's struggles against left-handed pitching are long and well-documented.  It's not like this is the first season they've failed to produce against southpaws, it's just that the lack of production this season stands out even more due to the large absence of good right-handed regulars.  There are a litany of reasons one can give as to why the production has been so putrid, all of them perfectly legitimate and easy to understand.  But there's one particular reason that continues to eat away at me.  Basically what it boils down to is the simple fact that Ben Francisco sucks at baseball.

Game 19 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 TB 3

(There's your game-winning run.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

It's been a tough little stretch of games lately against all the left-handers, and the Yankees could have used a win against one last night just to quiet the growing concerns about their ability to compete against lefties.  They didn't have an easy one to face in reigning Al Cy Young winner (who I predicted last year) David Price, and threw an even weaker than usual lineup out there against him without Kevin Youkilis (back) and Francisco Cervelli (Stewart).  But as they've done on one more than occasion already this season, the Yanks managed to do just enough and out smallballed the Rays to steal a big road win.

Game Notes:

- It looked like it was going to be business as usual for Phil Hughes in the bottom of the 1st, and not in a good way.  He gave up a leadoff walk and follow-up double to put runners on second and third with 0 outs, and needed 32 pitches to get out of the inning.  But he did escape with only 1 run allowed, and that was big.

- Big not only because it kept the offense close against Price but also because Hughes was terrific after the 1st.  He really attacked the strike zone with his fastball and allowed just 3 measly singles through the 6th.

- Price was as dominant as you'd expect, although he didn't exactly overwhelm the lineup.  The Yanks got to him on a wild pitch third strike and a pair of singles by Robinson Cano and Vernon Wells in the top of the 4th to tie the game at 1.

- Hughes gave the lead back after a leadoff walk and pair of singles in the bottom of the 7th, but finished the inning with a 3-slider strikeout to complete his second straight good start.

- And the lineup made sure he didn't waste it, scratching the tying run across in the 8th and then taking the lead in the 9th after Joe Maddon elected to leave Price out there.  Cano started with a single, reliever Fernando Rodney walked the bases loaded, and Ichiro came through with a big 2-run single to make it 4-2 Yanks.

- Lotta strange decisions in the 9th, like Maddon sticking with Price, Maddon using his closer to intentionally walk a batter, and Joe not pinch hitting for Chris Stewart with the bases loaded.  Things got even stranger when Mo gave up a first-pitch HR to Evan Longoria in the 9th, but he shut the door there for his 6th save.

Analyzing The Yankees' Early Contact Rates

With the regular season still just three weeks old, offensive sample sizes are still too small to draw any meaningful conclusions.  For a player like Robinson Cano, we can safely assume that his hot start isn't due to BABIP luck and that he'll continue to rake moving forward, but for guys like Lyle Overbay, Francisco Cervelli, and Vernon Wells those assumptions aren't as concrete.  Their tripleslashs right now paint a positive picture, but a more accurate representation of how good they've been can be found in their early contact rates.  Regardless of sample size, contact rates tell the real, simple story of just how well a player is swinging the bat at any given time, regardless of whether those swings result in hits and RBI.  What do the contact rates for some of the Yankee hitters through the first three weeks of the season tell us about them?  Good question.

Pineda Throws Sim Game, Comeback Continues

Michael Pineda's journey back from serious shoulder surgery reached another big milestone yesterday when he threw his first simulated game at the team's MiL complex in Tampa.  Pineda has been throwing BP sessions for a few weeks now, and is slowly working his complete pitch repertoire back into the mix, but yesterday was the first time that he threw in a real serious game-type situation.

Both Bryan Hoch and Chad Jennings had the details on the session and they all sound positive.  Joe was in attendance and said he was, "happy with what I saw," calling Pineda's performance "pretty good" for a first sim game.  Pineda reportedly threw his fastball, changeup, and slider during the outing and while there was no radar gun on him (as there shouldn't be yet) the consensus seemed to be that he threw the ball very well.

There's still a ways to go and Pineda's rehab countdown still hasn't started, so he's got plenty of time to continue to work at the pace deemed best by the team.  But this does represent another important step forward for Pineda, who could become a key mid-season addition if the back end of the rotation continues to struggle.

Game 18 Wrap-Up: TB 5 NYY 1

(Courtesy of the AP)

From one AL East road trip to another, the Yankees made their way to Tampa to start a 3-game series against the awakening Rays last night, and they went in with their ace, CC Sabathia, on the mound.  They needed him too because they were facing another lefty and a good one at that in Matt Moore.  Joe tinkered with the lineup a bit again to try to find a combination that worked, but the late scratch of Kevin Youkilis due to his back tightening up on him again left the lineup even weaker than usual.  The situation couldn't have been better for Moore, and he thoroughly dominated.

Game Notes:

- Not the 1st inning CC wanted.  It was bad when he hung an 0-2 slider to Ryan Roberts for a solo HR.  It was worse when he gave up two straight hits with 2 outs to bring in another run.  And it got even worse when he followed that up by giving up a 2-run bomb to Yunel Escobar.

- Moore plowed through the lineup the first time through the order, then got touched up a bit when Robinson Cano took him deep to break up the no-hitter and shutout in the top of the 4th.

- CC worked around a 2nd-inning leadoff HBP but still didn't seem right in the innings after.  He was flexing his pitching a lot on the mound and in the dugout, and he gave up his second HR to Roberts in the bottom of the 3rd to make it a 5-1 deficit.

- Cano's homer gave the Yanks a little life, but there was really no more offense to speak of against Moore.  He abused the Yankee hitters with his fastball mix and retired the last 8 batters he faced on his way to 8 1-run innings.

- The Yanks had one decent chance in the top of the 6th after a Brett Gardner leadoff walk and Cano 1-out single.  Moore started to look shaky, but regrouped to strike out Vernon Wells and pop up Frankie to end the threat.

- Give CC credit.  He got it together after the poor start, and at least limited the damage to just 5 through 7 innings.  His velocity was actually better than last time, he just got hurt on bad location.

Adjusting To Life Without Jeter

(Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The Yankees, their fans, and even Derek Jeter himself have known that his days as the team's starting shortstop were numbered.  That discussion was surely had with Jeter behind closed doors during his last contract negotiation and is more than likely the reason the final year of his deal became an optional one.  That timeline got sped up some when Jeter suffered his season-ending ankle injury last October and now appears to be speeding up again after last week's announcement that Jeter had re-injured his ankle, suffering a crack in the area of the original break that will put him on the shelf until at least the All-Star break.  That revelation fell into the "disappointing but not surprising" category for many of us who questioned Jeter's progress after the initial setback and cortisone shot, and now we, like the Yankees, have to figure out the best way to move forward without The Captain's familiar #2 anywhere on the lineup card.

Vernon Wells, Master Troll

I didn't think there was any way for Vernon Wells to actually turn me into a fan of his, but yesterday, just for a brief moment, he did.  After taking a healthy dose of boos from the still butthurt Toronto crowd for the entirety of the 3-game weekend series and dismissively wanking at them with his 7-15, 2 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI performance at the plate, Wells went the extra mile by making this great leaping catch to rob Toronto of an XBH and turn a double play and then "politely" doffing his cap to the crowd.

Telling an entire fanbase that has a legitimate reason to hate you for the way your career ended in that city, even if they should have gotten over it by now, to go fuck itself like that?  That's good trollin'.  Like I said, I didn't think there was a chance in hell Vernon Wells could make me a fan of anything he did in pinstripes this season, but Vernon, you magnificent bastard, you did it.

(Gif used courtesy of Pinstriped Bible)

Youkilis' Back Also Worth Keeping An Eye On

(Strikeout or back pain?  Only Youkilis knows for sure.  Courtesy of The Boston Globe)

Andy Pettitte returned to the mound Friday night and pitched 7 strong innings, easing concerns about the back issues that caused his last start to be pushed back.  As one back problem seemingly goes away (for now), another took its place in the form of Kevin Youkilis.  Youkilis left Saturday's game early after feeling some tightness in his back, and was a scratch from yesterday afternoon's game for the first time this season.  Joe said he expects Youkilis to be back in the lineup tonight against Tampa, and as expected, Youkilis has talked down the seriousness of the issue since the moment Saturday's game ended.  In the same way that Pettitte's back is still worth keeping on the radar, Youkilis and his back should also be closely monitored over the next few weeks.

Game 17 Wrap-Up: TOR 8 NYY 4

(Courtesy of the AP)

Just as they did in their last series against Arizona, the Yankees found themselves with a chance to take an unexpected sweep against the Blue Jays yesterday.  They also found themselves with Ivan Nova on the mound, which hasn't exactly been a recipe for success in the last year plus.  Nova's questionable back-of-the-rotation mate Phil Hughes got things moving in a positive direction in his last start, and the Yankees would have loved nothing more than to see Nova follow suit.  It didn't happen, and once again neither did the sweep.

Game Notes:

- It was business as usual for Nova in the first 2 innings: inconsistent fastball command, leadoff runners on, ill-timed walks, and cheap runs scored of sacrifice hits as a result.

- The Yanks got a run back in the top of the 3rd in the most unlikely of ways, a Chris Stewart leadoff home run.  Moments like that are rare, like seeing a unicorn in a field of 4-leaf clovers, and this one made it a 2-1 game.

- Nova worked in and out of trouble without allowing any more damage through the 5th inning.  He was actually in line for the win after the Yanks got 2 runs in the 5th on a pair of bases loaded walks and another in the 6th on a Brett Gardner sac fly to knock out Toronto starter Josh Johnson, but then the bottom of the 6th happened.

- Nova gave up a leadoff walk and a double to put 2 on with nobody out to end his day, then watched as Boone Logan and David Phelps combined to give up 4 more runs to give the lead back.  It was truly putrid work from both of those two, and fitting that Nova got the extra runs tacked onto his ledger.

- Joe stuck with Phelps for the next inning and he gave up a 2-run HR to J.P. Arencibia that basically sealed the deal.  A poor starting effort by Nova and an equally poor job of relief work behind him.

Probably Not The Start Ivan Was Looking For

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Ivan Nova was shaky at best again today, for the third time in his first three starts failing to inspire confidence that he can figure things out and improve on last year's problems.  He hasn't been good by any means, but  how bad has Ivan been in his first three starts?  You decide.

Nova's First 3 Starts in 2013: 14.2 IP, 19 H, 10 ER, 8 BB, 16 K

Nova's First 3 Starts in 2012: 19 IP, 25 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 20 K

Time to start pitching better, Ivan.  Clocks ticking...

Gotta Love Good Pitching

Sabathia Last 3 Starts- 23 IP, 18 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 19 K

Kuroda Last 2 Starts- 16.1 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

Pettitte 3 Starts- 22.1 IP, 19 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 12 K

It ain't rocket surgery, folks.  You get good starting pitching, you win ballgames.

Cool FanGraphs Feature On Heathcott & Austin

If you need a little something to do to kill time before this afternoon's game, go ahead and check out this FanGraphs interview of sorts with Yankee prospects Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin.  David Laurila spoke with both players and their Double-A hitting coach on their respective offensive games, approaches at the plate, and what they're trying to work on, and provided some brief scouting report information on each.

The best part about this is that it's not a typical "Q&A" piece where you just get little snippets of what each player said.  The entire article is basically Heathcott and Austin talking uninterrupted about their games, swings, approaches, and it gives you a really good idea of where each guy is as a player.  The overall theme for Heathcott, from his coach to the scouting report to his own first words, was the need to improve his approach and get more at-bats.  Despite his age, he's low on reps for a Double-A player and he's already missed some time this year with a neck issue.  Austin came across as much more mature in his approach and techniques at the plate, and the constant reference to his multi-field power is very encouraging when thinking about his future as a Major League prospect.

It's not often you get in-depth discussion like this from top MiL prospects like Austin and Heathcott, who were 3rd and 5th respectively in this year's AB4AR Top 30.  Definitely a good read if you're a prospect hugger.

Game 15 Wrap-Up: NYY 9 TOR 4

(So much Pronk.  Courtesy of the AP)

There were obviously far more important things going on in the US when the Yankees and Blue Jays took the field in Canada for the first game of their 3-game weekend series.  But that didn't stop the Bombers from doing their job and it didn't stop them from putting a whooping on the new-look Jays in their first meeting of the season.  They had Andy Pettitte back on the mound after an extended period of time off to recover from some back stiffness, and they had their regular lineup back on the field against right-handed pitcher Brandon Morrow.

Game Notes:

- They didn't waste any time getting to Morrow in the top of the 1st.  A 1-out double-HBP-double sequence from Cano, Youkilis, and Hafner made it 1-0, and Vernon Wells chipped in an RBI groundout for another run.

- The Jays got 1 run back in the bottom half after a leadoff triple and RBI groundout by Melky Cabrera, but Pettitte was money after that, retiring 11 batters in a row through the 5th.  He had a lively 4-seam fastball and a nasty slider going, and struck out 4 in a row at one point.

- He got plenty more help from his offense, starting with a Travis Hafner solo HR in the top of the 3rd and ending with an errant Colby Rasmus throw home that plated 2 more and made it a 5-1 Yankee lead.

- The onslaught continued in the top of the 6th.  Lyle Overbay hit a 1-out solo HR and Francisco Cervelli hit a double to end Morrow's night, and Brett Gardner welcomed Brett Cecil to the game with an RBI triple of his own.  One more RBI groundout tacked on and it was 8-1.

- Jose Bautista crushed a 2-run HR to center in the bottom half to make it 8-3, Pettitte's only really bad mistake of the night, but he still made it through 7+ innings on just 90 pitches, showing no signs of lingering back issues.

- Vernon Wells chipped in a solo shot of his own in the 7th and Shawn Kelley sloppily finished the game for Pettitte.  Good start to the series if you're a Yankee fan.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 4/19/13

I really don't know what to say about the manhunt situation in Boston only to just say that I can't stop watching it.  I started last night, stayed up way later than I should have, and was right back online watching this morning at work.  I actually took a half-day to go back home and continue watching because I really wasn't of any value work-wise just casually faking my way through my job with one eye on my other computer screen.  It's an incredible, strange, and incredibly strange thing to watch play out in real time, like an episode of "24" come to life.  Never seen a multi-faceted law enforcement operation quite like this.  I just hope it ends soon and ends without any more American lives lost.  And now, since I'm trying to keep some kind of normal routine going, onto the links.

- On Monday, Chad Jennings of LoHud broke down the early storylines, both good and bad, and addressed what we still don't know about this team.

- On Tuesday, Dan Barbarisi of The WSJ followed the life of David Aardsma after his Yankee release and gave a really cool look into what happens for players in those situations.

- Mike Ashmore of Thunder Thoughts profiled Trenton OF Neil Medchill, an injury-plagued former quasi-prospect who's been quietly mashing under the Heathcott-Austin-Flores radar.

- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes wondered about Ichiro and what's in store for him after his slow start.  Like Bryan, I expect a bounce back, but not a big one.

- Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA analyzed the small changes to Travis Hafner's swing mechanics that have helped him get off to his hot start.

- On Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of Bombers Beats compiled and presented the collection of at-bat songs for the currently active Yankees.  My rankings: 1) Nix, 2) Francisco, 3) Boesch.

- Martin Riggs of NoMaas noticed an interesting early trend in Brett Gardner's swing rates.

- Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits mused on Francisco Cervelli's strong start and what it might mean for Cervelli moving forward.

- On Thursday, Mike Axisa of RAB commented on the transitional period that CC Sabathia might be starting to go through.  I'm still holding out hope that his fastball will heat up with the weather, but it does look like CC is starting to lose some of his juice as he moves into his mid-30s.

- Greg Kirkland of Pinstriped Bible praised the Yankees' solid early defensive performance, which is worthwhile praise IMO.  While they'll never be considered a great defensive team, they haven't shot themselves in the foot yet.

- Hunter Farman of Yanks Go Yard listed some other back end rotation options should Nova and Hughes continue to struggle.  Probably a little early to think about that, but it never hurts to be prepared.

- On Friday, el duque of It Is High... asked a pretty simple and intelligent question about Derek Jeter's comeback and the high expectations that came with it.

- Raimundo Ortiz of Bronx Baseball Daily reminded everybody of how valuable Brett Gardner is right now.  Well-rounded piece by Raimundo, and if you still think Gardner and his defense aren't valuable, you're an idiot.

- SG of RLYW compared the production projections for Jeter and Nunez over a full season to see how much the Yankees stand to lose at shortstop while Jeter is out.

For today's Friday Jam, we're going with a little old school Boston.  Just seems right after all that's gone on this week, and I have to think the people of the Boston area are going to need to blow off some steam and relax when this asshole is caught.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Did Phil Pitch Inside Last Night?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

After his downright disastrous start last Saturday, I took a venture into the PITCHf/x realm on Monday and determined that, for whatever reason, Phil Hughes was not pitching inside to hitters.  He really hadn't shown stellar command of his 4-seamer in either of his first two starts, and the fact that he was working away and missing away made it much easier for hitters to look for a certain pitch in a certain area and tee off on it.  Having done that analysis just a few days ago, I couldn't very well sit by and let his start last night go un-analyzed.  So let's play another round of America's newest favorite Yankee-related game, "Did Phil Pitch Inside Last Night?"

Game 14 Wrap-Up: ARI 6 NYY 2

(D'oh!!  Courtesy of Getty Images)

If you would have asked me before the first game of the season, I don't think I would have said I ever expected to see a 7-1 stretch of ball from this squad, especially not with how slow and lifeless they looked to start the season.  But lo and behold, here we are, with the Yanks in that position and doing exactly what they need to do while their injured heal.  They've had better starting pitching, a red hot Robbie Cano, a solid collective offensive performance from the rest of the lineup, and relatively clean defense.  They had a series sweep on the line against the Diamondbacks last night, and Phil Hughes was tasked with making it happen.

Game Notes:

- Hughes got off to a great start, giving up just one single in the 1st and retiring the 2nd in order with 2 swinging strikeouts.  He was mixing pitches and he looked comfortable.

- As he's apt to do, though, Hughes gave up a leadoff HR in the top of the 3rd on a thigh-high 1st-pitch fastball down the middle.  He recovered to get out of the inning and the next 2 unscathed, and worked around runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out to do it in the 5th.

- The offense wasn't showing much early against Patrick Corbin.  They got a few walks here and a single there, but he had sat down 7 in a row and kept the Bombers scoreless through 5.

- The bad pitch bug came back to bite Phil in the top of the 6th on an atrocious 1-1 fastball.  It really was an unforgivable pitch and Martin Prado made him pay for a 2-0 D-backs lead.  Hughes bounced back again to finish that inning and go 1-2-3 in the 7th for what was, all in all, a good start.

- Robinson Cano got the Yanks back in the game with his 5th homer of the young season in the bottom of the 6th, but he couldn't come through with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 8th, instead striking out on a pitch that hit him.  Kevin Youkilis struck out too and the Yanks went to the 9th down 1.

- And there waiting to save them was Francisco Cervelli.  With 1 out in the 9th, Frankie stepped in and hit a 1-2 pitch over the plate into the left field seats to tie the game at 2.

- The game went to extras, where the Yankees were unable to come up with anything.  D-Rob handled the 10th and gave the ball to David Phelps, who wiggled out of trouble in the 11th but gave up 4 in the 12th for the loss.  Just didn't seem to have his best stuff.  Oh well.

BREAKING NEWS: Jeter's Ankle Re-Injured

This has all happened very quickly in the last half hour or so, but it was reported earlier by multiple Yankee beat writers that Derek Jeter returned to Charlotte today for an "unscheduled visit" with the surgeon who performed his ankle surgery last year.  A quick press conference was set up by Cash to update everyone ont he results of that visit, and via Bryan Hoch, a CT scan on the ankle revealed a "small crack" in the part of the ankle that was originally injured.

This is obviously not good news for Jeter, who has been more or less spinning his tires trying to work his way back after suffering a setback late in spring camp.  No word yet on how much longer this sets Jeter's return schedule back.. More on this story as it becomes available.

** UPDATE 3:37 PM- Via Mark Feinsand, Jeter's doctor told Cash that 95% of people who suffer this injury come back "just fine."  I guess that's a little bit of good news. **

** UPDATE 3:39 PM- Via Andrew Marchand, Cash said Jeter is expected to be out until "at least after the All-Star break.  Bummer. **

Anatomy Of An Unexpected Comeback

Things weren't looking good for the boys last night.  They were down 3-0 heading into the bottom of the 7th inning and hadn't shown many signs of offensive life against Arizona starter Wade Miley.  He had cruised through 6 innings of work on just 77 pitches, the kind of efficiency that few Yankee starters have had this season, mainly on the strength of his 2-seamer.  The Yankee lineup played into Miley's game plan by swinging early in a lot of at-bats, and the fact that Miley hadn't had to go to his curveball and changeup much didn't bode well for the Bombers as they opened the bottom of the 7th with the weakest part of their lineup.  But as the old saying goes, that's why they play the game and the game the Yankees played in that half inning was the kind of smart, clutch, winning baseball that they were unable to play in so many close games last season.

Brett Gardner Still Doesn't Have A Stolen Base This Year

Really, he doesn't.  And I'm not trying to imply that it's a bad thing.  Gardner has come up with some big hits early on, he's popped 2 HR, and he's starting to boost that tripleslash up to a respectable leadoff man level.  I just find it incredible that the fastest guy on the team and one of the top base stealing threats in all of baseball doesn't have a single one in 13 games.  For all the talk about how the Yankees were going to have to play small ball and run more this season to manufacture runs, they have just 3 SB as a team right now, one of them by Chris Stewart.  That's right, THE Chris Stewart is currently the team leader in SB and Brett Gardner is not.  Inconceivable!

Run, Brett.  Run!

Game 13 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 ARI 3

(PROOOOOOOONK!!!!  Courtesy of the AP)

It was back to the lefties for the Yankees last night, yay!!(not yay)!  NL ROY runner-up Wade Miley was on the mound for the D-backs and Joe countered with an only slightly modified version of his last "vs. LHP" lineup.  He had Vernon Wells in the 2-spot again, Ben Francisco 5th at DH, and Brennan Boesch in right field.  He also had the hot-out-of-the-gate Francisco Cervelli hitting 6th ahead of Boesch.  The Yankees also had their own lefty on the mound to counter Miley, the same lefty who'd allowed just 1 ER over 15 IP in his last two starts.

Game Notes:

- Unfortunately for the Yanks, CC Sabathia was not nearly as sharp to start as he was in those two outings.  He struggled to throw his fastball for strikes in the top of the 1st, and left a couple of changeups up, one of which Paul Goldschmidt hit for a 2-run HR.

- CC settled down after that rough 1st, retiring 9 of the next 10 batters he faced to get through the 4th inning.  He was getting a few more outs in the air than usual, but his slider and changeup were working.

- Miley was absolutely brilliant through 6 innings, giving up just 2 hits and a walk and keeping the Yankee hitters on their toes.  He was at just 77 pitches after 6, and looked ready to go the distance.

- CC gave up another run on a leadoff triple and a sac fly in the 5th and that was all Arizona would get as he went 8 strong for the second straight start.  His last 2 innings might have been his best of the game.

- The stage was set for a comeback, and a comeback the Yankees got in the bottom of the 7th, once again with 2 outs.  Boesch doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd, Eduardo Nunez drew a walk to load the bases, Jayson Nix drew one to force in a run and chase Miley from the game, and Brett Gardner came through with  a HUGE 2-run single off lefty Tony Sipp to complete the comeback and tie the game at 3.

- After the bottom of the order did the heavy lifting in the 7th, Travis Hafner gave New York the lead with a 2-out, pinch hit solo HR.  Brilliant use of the bench by Joe pays off in a big spot and Mo shuts it down for the save.

Joba, Your Fastball. Woof!

I thought the slider was going to be the key for Joba this season, and truthfully he could stand to tighten up the location on that baby too.  But his fastball has been an absolute disaster in his first 5 appearances.  Not only is he throwing it over a MPH slower than he did last year (according to FanGraphs and Texas Leaguers), he's also not throwing it for strikes:

(Click to enlarge, courtesy of TL)

Sweet fancy Moses, that is terrible!  Almost every pitch is either in the meaty middle portion of the strike zone or nowhere near the strike zone.  He's thrown his 4-seamer for strikes less than 50% of the time in the 47 times he's thrown it so far, and if he wants to cut down on the walks and set up his slider more effectively he needs to start commanding it better.

P.S.- Yeah, I know I just mixed '90s references there with "Home Alone" and "Seinfeld."  I'm that good.  Deal with it.

Rotation Issues Creating An Extra Need For Middle Relief, An Opportunity For Young Pitchers

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Last Tuesday, in light of the middle relief corps' poor start, I questioned the decision making in letting pitchers like David Aardsma and the still injured at the time Clay Rapada go in favor of guys like Shawn Kelley and Cody Eppley.  I also quickly questioned the logic in keeping the team's top two spot starters, David Phelps and Adam Warren, together in the bullpen as long relievers rather than sending one of them down to stay stretched out in case the Yankees needed a spot start or two.  The middle relief issue has faded to the background a bit as the Yankees have gone on a nice little 6-1 run since their rough start, and Eppley has been banished to Triple-A thanks to the return of Phil Hughes to the rotation.  But as that rotation has come together and everybody has gone through at least twice, the need for strong middle relief, particularly long relief, has continued to be put on display.

Game 12 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 ARI 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees returned to action last night after Monday's scheduled off-day, trying like so many others to get back a little sense of normality after the events that occurred in Boston.  There was a moment of silence scheduled before the game, a planned playing of "Sweet Caroline" at the end of the 3rd inning, and because of the off-day the Yanks were using last night's game as their way to honor Jackie Robinson, so there was a little more emotion to last night's game than a normal early-April interleague game against an NL West team would have.  And as they've been apt to do during this hot streak, the Yanks did just enough to get a W.

Game Notes:

- A shortage of scoring opportunities was no issue early.  The Yanks loaded the bases with 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st and came away with nothing, and did the same thing in the 2nd against a shaky Brandon McCarthy.

- Ivan Nova matched McCarthy nibble for nibble, and was the first to crack in the top of the 3rd when he gave up 2 runs after loading the bases with no outs.  He seemed to be struggling with his new sinker command and was inconsistent with his curveball, and Joe had the 'pen up when the trouble started.

- The lineup got another big opportunity in the bottom of the 4th after a pair of leadoff singles from the bottom of the order, and they finally cashed in when Robinson Cano CRUSHED a 3-run HR to give the Yanks a 3-2 lead.  McCarthy tried to sneak a 302 change by him and Robbie knew it was coming.

- Nova recovered and made it through 5 without further issue, and then handed the game over to the bullpen.    Boone Logan and Joba Chamberlain were up first and worked the 6th and 7th easily.

- Big insurance run tacked on in the bottom of the 7th after Kevin Youkilis singled and Travis Hafner doubled to lead off the inning.  It involved another bases loaded situation, and they didn't get as much as they probably wanted out of it, but Eduardo Nunez's sac fly was still a big run.

- D-Rob and Mo nailed down the 9th in typical "D-Rob and Mo" fashion and the Yankees scratched out another close win.