The Yankees' Wild 2013 Ride Keeps Rolling Along

(Pictured- the new Murderer's Row.  Wait, what?  Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Today should be fun, huh?  After starting off their "8 in 7" road trip with a 2-1 series win in Colorado and a 3-game sweep in KC, the surging Yankees will stop off in Cleveland today on their way back home for a doubleheader to make up for last month's rainouts.  They were 2-4 when they first came to Cleveland 5 weeks ago and used the first 2 games of that series to kickstart their season, winning both by a combined score of 25-7.  Since then the Yanks have gone 19-9, ascended to the top of the division, and silenced nearly all the critics who said they'd be done after suffering their rash of ST injuries, this extended stretch of success being driven by some of the players most expected to flop as full-time injury replacements.  Now they'll come back to where the season really started, even more injured and worn down than they were last time, and they'll do it with a 5-game winning streak in their pocket.

Game 36 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 KC 2

(Sure beats getting carted off the field.  Courtesy of the AP)

To know that you're heading into a day-day doubleheader with a victorious road trip already locked up is a great feeling and it's the position the Yankees find themselves in this morning after they completed a sweep of the Kansas City Royals yesterday.  It's still only 36 games into a loooooong season, but it's already starting to get to a point where you run out of things to say about the job this group has done in the first month plus.  Players keep dropping like flies, they bring new ones in to fill the gaps, and keep right on winning.  Their pitching has been great, their offense has been timely, and they got big examples of both yesterday with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound.

Game Notes:

- The lineup struck in a big way the 2nd time through the order, when Robinson Cano and Vernon Wells hit back-to-back HR with 2 outs in the top of the 3rd to give the Yanks a 3-1 lead.  Ervin Santana hung a couple sliders and they ended up as souvenirs.

- Kuroda gave up a cheap run in the bottom of the 1st off a leadoff double, and that was all the Royals got through 4.  He was attacking hitters, throwing a lot of strikes, and generating a lot of weak swings and contact.

- Wells continued his hot hitting with an RBI single in the 5th to give Kuroda a 3-run lead and that was all the offense the Yanks would get for the day.  They put a few runners on here and there but never really threatened to score again.

- Kuroda put a few runners on here and there as well, 2 in the 5th, 1 each in the 6th and 7th, before finally tiring and giving up a second run in the 8th.  He left with a 2-run lead after 7.2 very good innings.

- And as they seem to do every day lately, D-Rob and Mo combined to close out the win and the sweep.  That's now 15-15 in save opportunities and a 1.65 ERA for Rivera on the year.

Nova Ruled Out For Monday, Second Starter Options Aplenty (Updated)

Well I guess all that talk about what Nova and Phelps have to do to nail down the 5th starter spot was naught, huh?  David Phelps will be starting the first game of tomorrow's doubleheader against the Indians for sure, and after feeling something in his left side playing catch this morning, Ivan Nova will definitely not be starting the second game.  Not only will Nova not be starting, he more than likely won't be coming off the DL at all tomorrow when he's scheduled to, which puts the Yankees in a difficult position to cover the second game tomorrow now that Joe has ruled out CC Sabathia.

The most likely option is a tandem long relief start by Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno, each of whom are capable of going at least 2-3+ innings.  Not knowing if he'll have to use one or both of them today, Joe can't fully commit to that option right now and it sounds like he'll be using the new "26th man" rule for doubleheaders to give himself some insurance.

It's not your typical news source, but according to Ty Hensley's mother's Twitter account, the Yankees will call up Brett Marshall tomorrow to serve as their 26th roster man.  Marshall has been pitching in Triple-A all season (4.60 ERA/4.19 FIP in 31.1 IP), and is scheduled to make his next start tomorrow.  If Nuno or Warren becomes unavailable, Marshall will at least be able to go out and eat innings based on pitch count.  Either way, the Yanks should have at least have a plan for tomorrow night's second game.

** UPDATE 6:19 PM- Per Joe during today's postgame presser, Nuno will get the start in the second game.  Warren will be his caddy and Marshall will be on standby at the team hotel if it turns out they need another arm for the second game. **

Nunez To The DL, Gonzalez Called Up

After being unable to go again last night, the Yankees have elected to put Eduardo Nunez on the 15-day DL to hopefully allow him to completely recover from his nagging ribcage issue.  Nunez has been out of the lineup since leaving last Sunday's game with a muscle strain in his ribcage, so the DL stint will be backdated to May 6th.  The recently acquired Alberto Gonzalez will be called up from Triple-A to take Nunez's roster spot, and Mark Teixeira has been moved to the 60-day DL to open a 40-man spot for Gonzalez.

This move doesn't come as a huge surprise given the length of time it's already taken Nunez to recover from what was thought to be a minor tweak and the moves the Yankees have made/are making to address their dwindling infield depth.  They made the trade for Gonzalez a few days ago, and then there was yesterday's report about David Adams getting called up next week.  It all adds up to a pretty obvious DL stint situation, and here's hoping the extra week off will help Nunez get over this injury.

Game 35 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 KC 2

(Ho-hum, another save.  Courtesy of the AP)

One bad start in a row is nothing.  Two in a row is enough to get people to start paying attention.  Three would have been cause for concern.  Luckily Andy Pettitte didn't make it to three last night, rebounding from his recent poor stretch of command-less outings last night with a very good performance and outdueling "Big Game" James Shields for another 1-run Yankee victory.  That's 4 in a row, guaranteeing them nothing worse than a .500 record on this road trip with 3 games to play.  I'll take that any day.

Game Notes:

- Runs were hard to come by early for both teams.  The Yanks got theirs in the 3rd on a Chris Nelson leadoff double and a throwing error by Mike Moustakas.  KC got theirs a half-inning later on a leadoff single, stolen base, and a pair of groundouts.

- Pettitte's command was much better than in his last 2 bad starts, especially his cutter.  He was locating down in the zone, getting a lot of GB outs, and getting swings and misses on his slider.

- The one mistake he made came in the bottom of the 4th, when he grooved a 2-1 fastball to Billy Butler.  Butler hit it for a solo HR and the Royals had a 2-1 lead.

- That lead didn't last very long.  Shields hit Chris Stewart to start the top of the 5th, and after getting 2 outs he fell behind Vernon Wells 3-1.  Like Pettitte, he had to throw a fastball in that count and like Pettitte he threw a bad one that Wells hit for a 2-run homer and a 3-2 Yankee lead.

- Andy retired the final 7 batters he faced, all on the infield, and D-Rob and Mo nailed down the final 2 innings.  D-Rob was positively filthy in the 8th, striking out the side on 12 pitches.

Yanks Could Call Up David Adams Next Week

I haven't seen it confirmed by many other reporters, but according to Mark Feinsand the Yankees are planning on calling up David Adams next week to assume the full-time replacement third base job while Kevin Youkilis is on the DL.  Adams, who was surprisingly released by the team in March due to the roster problems, is eligible to be called up on May 15th per MLB's rules on player release and re-sign and would be another option to help cover for the loss of Youkilis.  With Eduardo Nunez still banged up, the team has few options on the left side and Chris Nelson has been little help.

Adams, who also happens to turn 26 on May 15th, has been raking since returning to Triple-A SWB.  He's currently hitting .314/.404/.477 in 99 PA, with 9 XBH, 9 RBI, and a healthy 11.1% BB rate.  He's been the full-time third baseman for the RailRiders, and has also recently got some work at second and first.  Adams' right-handedness would not only be a likely upgrade to the production of Nunez/Nix/Nelson, he could also offer some depth behind Cano and Overbay on the right side, and they're two players that could probably use a day off.

Adams doesn't project as that type of hitter in the Majors, but he's a likely upgrade over what the Yanks have right now and this is his best shot to break into the show.  If it happens, it sounds like a good move.

Game 34 Wrap-Up: NYY 11 KC 6

(All of the high fives and fist bumps to Mr. Overbay.  Courtesy of the AP)

The Yanks got their "8 in 7" road trip off to a good start by taking 2 of 3 in Colorado, and they were looking to keep the momentum going in Kansas City last night with Phil Hughes on the mound.  The Royals are off to a good start of their own this year, and finally appear to be taking advantage of all the high draft picks they've had in recent years.  It wasn't to be for them last night, however, as the Yankees jumped all over starter Wade Davis early and never let up on their way to a big offensive night.

Game Notes:

- Davis retired the top of the order 1-2-3 in the top of the 1st, then got in all kinds of trouble in the 2nd.  Travis Hafner drew a leadoff walk and scored on an Ichiro 2-run HR, Jayson Nix doubled and scored on a Lyle Overbay 2-run HR, and Hughes had himself a 4-0 lead.

- He gave most of it back quickly and in very frustrating fashion.  After putting the first 2 runners on, he struck out 2 in a row and had Jarrod Dyson 0-2 before falling back to 2-2 and throwing one 4-seamer too many for a 3-run homer.

- The Lyle Overbay show was just beginning.  He drove in another run in the 4th with a double and another in the 6th as part of a 5-run inning that finally broke the game open.  Chris Nelson also got in on the act with a 2-run single, and Brett Gardner plated him with an RBI triple.

- Hughes never got back on track, giving up runs in the 5th and 6th, and his night ended before he could get out of the 6th inning.  He threw strikes, just didn't locate his fastball consistently.

- The bullpen was real short behind him, but that didn't stop it from being effective.  Shawn Kelley was spectacular in 2.1 innings behind Hughes, allowing 0 baserunners and striking out 6.  Boone Logan K'd 2 himself in the 9th.

- Just for good measure, Overbay drove in another run on a GB single in the 9th.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 5/10/13

No time for jibber jabber today.  Onto the links!

- On Monday, Alphonso of It Is High... asked if Austin Romine had already been banished to the bench full time after his poor debut.  I certainly hope not.  I don't want 60 days of Stewart while Cervelli is on the mend.

- Mike Axisa of RAB started identifying potential need areas and trade deadline targets to fill them.  Never too early to start thinking about that when your team is as banged up as the Yankees are.

- On Tuesday, Martin Riggs of NoMaas pointed out some negative trends in the Yankees' BB and Swing rates this season.  Not a fun connection to the last year those rates were this low/high.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud commented on the varying levels of replacement-level production the Yanks have gotten for all their injured players.

- On Wednesday, Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits compared the Yankees' early production to the preseason projections to see who's been hauling the mail and who's lagging behind.

- Alex Pugliese of Yanks Go Yard traced the up-and-down career of Phil Hughes to present day to see if we are finally witnessing Hughes become the pitcher we all hoped he'd be.

- Jason Cohen of Pinstriped Bible offered up some sobering analysis on hot prospect Rob Refsynder.  Yes he's hitting the daylights out of the ball, but it's always good to stay grounded with college hitters in A-ball.

- Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA plotted Andy Pettitte's release points by start to show how big a difference there's been and what the cause(s) might be.

- On Thursday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog, on the heels of Joe's decision to bat David Phelps 8th the other night, looked back at some past instances of similar lineup moves.

Josh Norris of Minor Matters released a series of scouting report posts on various levels of the Yankee MiL system.  We've got Trenton here, Tampa here, and Charleston here.  Little surprised to read the report on Tyler Austin.

- Steve Lombardi of Was Watching put together a list of other Yankees you probably never thought you'd see at third base.  Bet none of 'em made a play as slick as Vernon Wells the other night.

- On Friday, fishjam25 of Yankees Fans Unite wondered if this year's Yankees are the 2013 version of last year's Orioles.  The team's penchant for winning close games certainly makes it a fair question to ask.

- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes approached the Stewart/Romine situation from a different angle, arguing that Romine shouldn't get more PT if Stewart gives the team a better chance to win.

This week's Friday Jam is "Stranglehold" by The Nuge.  Perfect tune to unwind to after work before a big old night of playoff basketball and hockey.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Just Mo Being Mo

Mariano Rivera will return to the scene of last year's shocking season-ending injury tonight when the Yankees play their series opener in Kansas City.  After some initial uncertainty about his future, Mo declared he would be back this season and six weeks into this season it's like he was never injured.  It's pretty much a broken record at this point talking about how great Mo is, but once again this season he has silenced the critics and gone right on doing his thing.

Rivera has appeared in 15 games this season and has pitched 14.1 innings in those games.  He's allowed 15 total baserunners and 3 earned runs, good for a 1.88/2.83 ERA/FIP split.  He's saved 13 of the team's 20 wins in the 13 chances he's had for a save, and the numbers indicate that he hasn't lost anything off his cutter.

Mo is 43 years old, coming off a surgery that would have probably forced most players his age to retire, and he hasn't missed a beat.  The guy is simply incredible and he's been just as big a contributing factor to the team's early success as anybody else, even if he hasn't gotten mentioned nearly as much as others.  It almost makes you want to bring up the question of whether he really should retire again...

Yanks Trade For A Little More Infield Depth

In their efforts to patch up the leaky infield situation, the Yankees made another small trade yesterday, adding Alberto Gonzalez from the Cubs for another PTBNL or cash.  You might remember Gonzalez from his days in the Yankee system from 2007-2008 and not much has changed since then.  He's still a good field/bad hit right-handed utility type who can play all four infield positions if needed.

Gonzalez won't be added to the 40-man roster.  Instead he'll be assigned to Triple-A SWB where he'll serve that utility bench role for the RailRiders and be available for call up if the injury problems continue.  Not a major move by any stretch of the imagination, but with Youkilis and Nunez still hurt, Jayson Nix still being Jayson Nix, and Chris Nelson not providing much in his playing time since being acquired, more depth isn't a bad thing.

Game 33 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 COL 1

("Way to be, Nixey."  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The forecast didn't  look promising for yesterday afternoon's series finale, which didn't help the Yankees' plans to travel to Kansas City for their 3-game weekend set.  They were in good shape for the game with CC Sabathia on the mound, and couldn't afford another rain-out and future make-up game scheduled with Monday's doubleheader already on the horizon.  The weather didn't cooperate enough to allow CC to finish up as strongly as he started, but they did get the game in and the Yanks squeaked out another close win to take the series and rise to the top of the division.

Game Notes:

- As he did the day before, Vernon Wells got the scoring started in the top of the 1st with a 2-out RBI single.  It was a well-manufactured run- Jayson Nix walked, moved to second on a Cano groundout, came around to score on the single.

- CC struggled out of the gate, giving that run back on a leadoff walk, single, and sac fly in the bottom of the 1st.  He then proceeded to sit down the next 10 batters he faced through the 4th inning.

- The offense manufactured another run for him in the top of the 4th on a Chris Nelson double, sac to third, and sac fly by Chris Stewart, and then the rains came.  2 hours and 7 minutes of delay, too much to bring CC back despite how well he was pitching, and the game went to the bullpens.

- Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino was rudely welcomed into the game in the 5th by Robinson Cano, who crushed a hanging 2-0 slider into right for a solo HR and big insurance run.

- It was all hands on deck behind CC and everybody pitched in to hold the lead.  1.2 innings from Adam Warren, a batter from Boone Logan, another scoreless appearance from Preston Claiborne, and the D-Rob and Mo show for the final 2.  Just enough offense, good starting pitching, lockdown bullpen.  That's the Yankee Way right now.

What Phelps Needs To Work On

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Yesterday, in anticipation of Ivan Nova's likely return (temporary at least) to the rotation, I looked at what he needed to change and improve to stick in the rotation should he get his spot back.  I honestly just assumed that if he was healthy he would be given the spot back upon his return based on the "you shouldn't lose your job for getting hurt" rule, but yesterday's results may have muddied the waters a bit. Nova struggled mightily with his command in his ExST outing, walking 4 batters in 5 IP, while David Phelps looked very good tossing 6 innings of 2-run ball against the Rockies, both runs coming on one mistake pitch. Phelps has performed admirably in his 2 spot starts, better than Nova was, and if there are questions about Nova's command, that could be enough to keep the door open for Phelps.  If the 5th starter competition is unofficially back on, here's what Phelps needs to do to lock it down.

C-Grand To Officially Start His MiL Rehab Assignment Tonight

(The Grandy Man can ... return to the lineup soon?)

From some bad injury news to much better injury news.  Curtis Granderson's rehab work down in Tampa has been picking up steam in the last week and yesterday it got kicked into overdrive with the announcement that he'll start his rehab assignment tonight when he plays for Triple-A SWB.

Donnie Collins, Mr. Everything for the RailRiders, had the details yesterday, and they make it sound like Curtis won't be rehabbing for very long.  According to Collins, C-Grand is scheduled to be with the team "for the next three or four games" before presumably being activated off the DL to re-join the Major League roster.

As of tonight's game, C-Grand's 20-day rehab clock will start ticking, but if the team is only planning to play him in a handful of Triple-A games he could be back with the Yankees within a week or so.  He's not the right-handed bat they desperately need, but he's a significant upgrade to a lineup that could use a lot more length and power right now.  Here's hoping everything goes smooth in these rehab games.

More Injury News! Ty Hensley Done For The Year

It's been a a day or two since we've had any bad injury news.  Luckily VP of Baseball Ops Mark Newman, by way of Chad Jennings, was there to provide that much needed bad news to keep everything normal.

Remember Ty Hensley's recent hip surgery?  Remember how he was originally expected to miss 3 months?  Yeah, you can forget about that.  According to Newman, the team is now viewing "Spring Training" as his targeted comeback date.  As in, "next year."

That makes tons of big picture sense.  Hensley is still young, still very raw, and there's no need to push a comeback timetable for a player like him who wasn't going to to throw a lot of innings this season anyway.  Better to give him time to heal, give him another offseason to work out and prep, and see how he comes back in 2014.  At the same time, between Hensley and ManBan, the Yanks will have their top upper and lower level pitching prospects coming off major injuries and missed seasons next year.  That's not good.

Game 32 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 COL 2

(A well-earned high five.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

After going down quieter than could normally be on Tuesday, the Bombers were back after it last night in the Rocky Mountain air, and in a fashion that's become quite commonplace for this group they managed to squeak out another close win to knot up the series.  They jumped out to a very early lead, lost it almost immediately, then scratched for it back in the 9th on a combination of bold managerial calls, good luck, and hustle.  Scrappy doesn't even begin to define it.

Game Notes:

- That early lead came in the top of the 1st, when Vernon Wells deposited a 3-2 fastball into the left field seats for a 2-run homer.  He hit it like he knew it was coming.

- Yankee starter David Phelps didn't wait long to give that lead back, making a similar mistake to Todd Helton with 1 on and 1 out in the bottom of the 2nd.  3-1 fastball down Broadway, yard shot, 2-2 game.

- Phelps was very good after that hiccup, allowing just 1 more hit and no runs over the next 4 innings.  He gave up just the 2 in 6 IP with 1 walk and 4 Ks.  He mixed pitches well and had a decent curveball and good change.

- The Yankee lineup didn't do much after Wells' HR either.  2 singles and a walk over the next 7 innings, with no runs to show for it.  They headed into the late innings with that short bench working against them, and that's when Joe went to work.

- After an infield single and 2 walks to load the bases with 1 out in the 9th, Joe went to Travis Hafner for Chris Nelson knowing he didn't have any other infielders to use.  He played to win the game there and Hafner didn't come through.  But Joe stick with it, hitting Brennan Boesch for the pitcher and Boesch came through by beating out an infield single to score the go-ahead run.

- That left Wells to play third in the bottom of the 9th, which he actually did splendidly:

(Check the range!  Courtesy of RAB)

The combo of Preston Claiborne, D-Rob, and Mo worked 3 scoreless innings to secure the win.

What Nova Needs To Work On

(Courtesy of Reuters)

With his 15-day DL stint winding down and the make-up doubleheader against Cleveland scheduled for Monday, the prevailing thought is that Ivan Nova will be activated to pitch one of those games.  Joe didn't fully commit to it before last night's game, acknowledging that the team would first want to make sure Nova came through today's ExST outing without issue before making the decision.  Assuming the reports from that outing all come back positive, however, the combination of timing and situation makes too much sense for it not to happen.

Nova wasn't pitching particularly well prior to hitting the DL.  Joe's short leash was a clear indication that he had lost confidence in Nova, and rumblings had already started about the security of Ivan's rotation spot.  A return to pitch in a situation of need like a doubleheader is not a guarantee that Nova will get his rotation spot back, especially if he pitches poorly, but assuming he will be back and David Phelps is heading back to the bullpen here's what Nova needs to do to nail down that spot.

Where Was Brett Gardner Last Night?

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

To not see Brett Gardner's name included in last night's lineup was more than a bit surprising.  There hadn't been any reports of him being sick or injured, the team was coming off a scheduled off-day for travel and had actually had 2 scheduled off-days in the last 5 calendar days, they were playing in the notoriously offense-friendly Coors Field, and Gardner has been the best defensive player and one of the best all-around players on the team so far this season.  Yet there he was, plopped on the bench while Joe elected to send arguably the weakest lineup of the season out there to play, not score, and lose.

Joe's explanation for this decision was, as you'd expect, matchups.  The Yankees were facing another left-handed starter last night in Jorge De La Rosa, and Joe wanted to put another righty bat in the lineup.  Unfortunately, the only available righty bat on the bench is Ben Francisco and that's where the decision making train starts to come off the tracks of logic.

Game 31 Wrap-Up: COL 2 NYY 0

("Little help here, guys?"  Courtesy of the AP)

Well this'll be something, huh?  A battered Yanks team kicked off an 8 game/7 day road trip in Colorado last night with one of the saddest lineups they've put on the field to date.  No Gardner, no Hafner, Nix batting 2nd, Francisco 5th, Nelson 7th, and Hiroki Kuroda hitting 9th and pitching as per the woefully outdated NL rules.  If there was a game setting the Yanks up for a poor stretch of games it was last night, and they didn't disappoint (or did they?).  0 runs and just 4 hits against Colorado pitching in what was one of the lamest 2-run games you'll ever see.

Game Notes:

- For as much as he talked about not liking pitching at Coors Field, Kuroda looked good early.  He was efficient, strong with his 4-seamer, and needed just 58 pitches to get through 4 scoreless.

- His offense wasn't doing much to help him through those innings.  Jayson Nix was stranded at second in the top of the 1st, then stranded Ichiro at third in the 3rd after Ichiro stole 2 bases.  The Yanks tried to create chances by stealing bases, but there weren't many and they didn't capitalize on any of them.

- Kuroda made one mistake on the night and one was all it took to lose the game.  With a runner on first and 2 outs in the 6th, he threw a 3-2 fastball right down the middle to Carlos Gonzalez.  Gonzalez hit it for a 2-run HR and that was the ballgame.

- If you're looking for small victories, Shawn Kelley managed to not give up a home run in his 1 inning of relief work behind Kuroda in the 8th.

Bob Klapisch Should Probably Stop Talking

("Hey, Alex, can you talk more about what it's like to be a poopyhead?"  Courtesy of the AP)

Lot going on in Yankeeland right now.  They're exceeding expectations early despite non-stop injury problems, and traveling out to Colorado to play a series in a National League park with what could be a severely shortened roster.  They've got 2 pitches expected to carry the load struggling with velocity and command problems, a pitcher most weren't sure what to expect from pitching lights out, and an early AL MVP candidate in Robbie Cano.  No shortage of legitimate, relevant topics to write about with respect to this team right now, which can mean only one thing... It's time for some good old-fashioned A-Rod trolling!!!!

Alex Rodriguez was part of the parade of injured rehabees who made the trek to the team's Tampa complex yesterday, and of course that got every MSM beat writer aflutter as their A-Rodars started beeping out of control.  Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record took it a step further with a truly asinine article about the Yankees being better off without A-Rod.  I know I shouldn't link to this, because this type of attention and cheap pageviews is exactly what Klap is going for, but I can't help it.  Something this stupid needs to be given its moment to be recognized for its stupidity and then torn apart for it.

Cervelli Going To Be Out Longer Than Six Weeks

It doesn't come as much of a surprise, given how quickly the injury was diagnosed and the fact that he was recently moved to the 60-day DL, but Francisco Cervelli is not going to be back in 6 weeks as originally estimated.

Anthony McCarron is down in Tampa covering the massive Major League DL rehab effort ramping up there this week and he spoke to Cervelli earlier today.  According to Frankie, he's 3 weeks away from starting hand strengthening exercises and 5 away from starting baseball activities again.  It goes without saying that a catcher recovering from a broken throwing hand is going to need more than 1 week of rehab games to get back into full game shape, so expect Cervelli to be out of action until early July.

This news is another blow to a roster already stretched to the point of breaking.  They could be just 23 guys strong tonight with Nunez and D-Rob still nursing smaller dings, 22.5 if you factor in Travis Hafner's lack of a defensive position.  The obvious downside to this is more Chris Stewart in the lineup; the only upside is a longer opportunity to get a look at Austin Romine.

Prospect Stock Up & Stock Down: April 2013

(Well done, Mr. Murphy.  Courtesy of Michael Mancuso/The Times)

Slight change to the AB4AR in-season prospect coverage format this year.  There are already a ton of bigger blogs doing regular prospect coverage, so the idea of doing a full monthly recap really doesn't make a lot of sense.  By the time I get to it, y'all already know who's been playing well and who hasn't.  Instead, this year I'll close every month with just a quick hit on a prospect at each level who's performing well and could be in line for a promotion and one who's not.  Pretty simple, pretty standard, and yet still a pretty effective way to get an idea of what's going on in the system if you aren't a regular prospect watcher/hugger.

So without further ado, here are the "stock up/stock down" prospects for the first month of the season.

A Small Victory For Logic- C-Grand Might Not Play Center When He Returns

(Courtesy of US Presswire)

There was a time, long ago after the 2012 season had ended, when the idea first came up of swapping Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner in the outfield this season.  Curtis' defense had drifted in liability territory over the past few seasons while Gardner consistently churned out some of the best defensive metrics in baseball, and it only made sense to make the move to a better defensive outfield alignment playing in YS3.  The plan, as far as we knew it, was beginning to take place early in spring camp until C-Grand stepped in for his first AB and promptly got his arm broken by an errant J.A. Happ fastball.

Once the extent of the injury was known, Cash came out and all but declared that plan dead.  This past weekend, however, there were implications that the plan could once again be changing, more than just implications actually.  According to Joe's pregame presser yesterday, the idea of keeping Gardner in center field and playing Granderson somewhere else (probably left) is still on the table and something the Yankees and C-Grand are working towards right now as part of his rehab in Tampa.  The natural reaction to this news?  Celebration.

Continued Injury Problems Stretching The Yanks Thin

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

After a 13-game stretch against sub-.500 opponents, the Yanks got a step up in competition this past weekend when the Oakland A's came to town and took 2 out of 3.  It was a close, competitive series in which the Yanks showed flashes of all the things that have made them successful thus far: good starting pitching, timely hitting, power, and solid defense.  But unlike games against Houston or Toronto, those flashes weren't enough to get the job done in two close games and weren't enough to overcome the continued erosion of the 25-man roster due to injuries.  In the same way this past weekend's series showed us that the Yankees still have steps to take this season, it also showed us how difficult those steps can be when your team is this beat up.

Cutter Problems Killing Andy Lately

(Courtesy of the AP)

After allowing just 7 ER in his first 4 starts of the season, and going at least 6 innings in each of those starts, Andy Pettitte has struggled mightily in his last 2 outings, the second of which came yesterday against Oakland.  In 9.1 IP over both starts, Pettitte has allowed 10 ER on 14 H and 5 BB, with just 5 K to show for his effort.  According to Andy, his cutter has been the source of his struggles in the last week.  He just hasn't had any kind of control over the pitch let alone command, and a quick look at the pitch location plot is proof of that:

Game 30 Wrap-Up: OAK 5 NYY 4

(Courtesy of the AP)

Andy Pettitte was not very good in his last start, which came on Austin Romine's first start of the season as the new backup catcher.  As a result, Chris Stewart got the start behind the dish for Andy's start today but it was more about Andy finding his command.  He didn't have much of it in his last start, especially on his cutter, and when you're an older pitcher like Andy who no longer has much velocity to speak of, that command is even more critical.  He didn't have it again today and really struggled to perform on the mound as the Yanks dropped a close one and the series against Oakland.

Game Notes:

- Andy flirted with disaster early, loading the bases in the 1st and giving up a leadoff double in the 2nd, and he finally gave up a run in the 3rd after a leadoff walk came around to score on a Robinson Cano error.

- Cano made up for it in the bottom of the 3rd by singling home Brett Gardner with 2 outs to tie the game, but Andy gave it right back on a leadoff HR the next inning.  He was really struggling with his fastball command and was throwing way more 4-seamers than cutters, which is never a good sign for him.

- The struggles continued in the top of the 5th, when Pettitte walked his fourth batter of the day and followed that up by giving up a 2-run HR to Yoenis Cespedes.  He made it through the inning, but he was at 100 pitches and had not pitched well at all.

- Oakland starter Dan Straily was much more efficient than Pettitte, needing just 70 pitches to limit the Yanks to 1 run through 5.  He got into trouble with 1 out in the 6th and got pulled, and the Yanks pounced on Jerry Blevins for 3 runs on an Ichiro RBI double and a Lyle Overbay 2-run single to tie the game at 4.

- Preston Claiborne made his MLB debut and pitched a solid 2 scoreless innings, and without D-Rob it was up to Boone Logan to handle the 8th.  He didn't, giving up a solo HR to Josh Donaldson.

- The Yanks had a great chance to get that run back in the bottom half, with 2 on and 1 out after singles by Travis Hafner and Ichiro, but unlike the 6th Overbay couldn't come through with another big hit.

- Got another chance with 2 on/2 out in the 9th before Grant Balfour struck out Vernon Wells to end the series.