Hey, Remember This Fight?

Stacey Gotsulias is the queen of the historical posts over at IIATMS/TYA.  She's always good about remembering what big Yankee moments happened on what days, far better than I am, and it's always a pleasure to see those posts and be reminded of moments I experienced (like David Wells' perfect game).

Somehow I don't think she's going to get to this one, since it probably only matters to manchildren like myself, so I'll do the honors.  With the Yanks heading to Baltimore for a 3-game series tonight, and the video still being up on YouTube, let's take a minute to look back and remember the classic fight from 15 years ago between the Yankees and O's.  It's arguably one of the greatest fights in baseball history and another moment from my early Yankee fandom career I remember watching live.

Upgrading The 2-Spot In The Lineup (So Cano Doesn't Have To)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

With Derek Jeter around, the #2 spot in the lineup was never a problem.  Just pencil him in there and fill in behind him or pencil him into the leadoff spot and just plunk somebody in behind him.  The loss of Jeter, paired with the injury or free agent losses of a few other guys, has left the #2 spot in order an absolute dead zone this year.  Of all the issues the platoon-heavy and injury-shortened roster has caused in 40+ games, the biggest and consistently most noticeable is the gap in the 2nd spot and the problems on the back end of that get caused by Robinson Cano hitting there.

Cano has spent the bulk of his time hitting 2nd this season, and in 94 ABs there he's posted a .362/.406/.681 slash with 16 XBH, 16 R, and 22 RBI.  The 77 non-Cano ABs from the 2nd spot have resulted in just 14 total hits (3 for XB), 7 R, and 4 RBI.  Those results aren't surprising when you consider that it's been the Nixes, Ichiros, and (yeesh) Franciscos of the world occupying the spot, nor is the frustration that comes with having to watch those guys hit there.  Based on some recent roster additions, there might be some upgrade options available and opportunities to bump Cano back down and lengthen the lineup a bit.  Options like ...

Rain Helps A Shortened Rotation

(Thanks, Mother Nature.  Seriously.  Courtesy of Anthony McCarron)

Yesterday's rainout was a bummer in that it didn't give the Yankees a chance to sweep Toronto again and extend their division lead.  In the context of their current rotation situation and the always-important big picture, however, it could have been a blessing in disguise.

Andy Pettitte's spot in the rotation was scheduled to come up in this series against Baltimore, and the recalled Vidal Nuno was the likely candidate to make that start.  Because of yesterday's postponement, Joe announced that he will push the rest of his rotation back a day and go with CC, Hughes, and Kuroda in this series.  The team has a scheduled off-day on Thursday, with David Phelps getting the start Friday in Tampa and then CC and Phil cycling around again after him.  Pettitte/Nuno's spot would not come up again until May 28th, which would put Andy in a position to only miss 1 start if his back issue turns out to be as minor as the teams says and he comes off the DL as scheduled.

Andy missing any time is a loss for the rotation, there's no way around that.  But to have that loss minimized is another small silver lining to a bad situation.  It's not the first time something lucky like this has cropped up in a larger, unluckier circumstance.  Just another strange occurrence in a season full of them.

What Can Reid Brignac Do For You?

In their now never-ending quest to upgrade their infield depth, however so slightly, the Yankees acquired Reid Brignac from Colorado on Friday for $75,000.  This was the second time they went back to the Rockies well in a few weeks after acquiring Chris Nelson.

As for what he can do, the honest answer is not much.  At least not offensively.  Brignac is a career .228/.270/.321 lefty hitter with a BB rate under 5% and a K rate just less than 25%.  He was only slightly exceeding those career lines in 53 PA for the Rockies, so the Yankees didn't purchase him for his offense.  What he can do is play shortstop better than anybody the Yanks have right now, and he's also useful at second or third base.  If Eduardo Nunez is going to miss another week or so, and signs point to that happening, he could be a SS platoon option with Jayson Nix.

Brignac is basically a slight upgrade over Alberto Gonzalez, and if the Yankees can slightly upgrade at a position of need for such a minimal cost then they should do it.  Gonzalez was DFA'd to clear a roster spot, and Brignac was scheduled to be the starting shortstop this afternoon, so the Yankees seem ready to put him to work and see what they can get out of him for the next few weeks.

Shut Up, Hal

(Courtesy of the AP)

Hal Steinbrenner was in the house yesterday for team photos and he took the opportunity to make what I believe are his first significant public comments on the team's performance this season.  As expected, Hal's comments were all of the positive variety.  He said he was "pleasantly surprised" but "not shocked" at how well the team had done, citing the unexpectedly good performances of some of the veteran signings and the young MiL players called up to fill the injury gaps.

I know the day after a victory to put the team 11 games over .500 and third best overall in MLB isn't the time to get salty, but Hal's comments did nothing but make me roll my eyes when I read them yesterday.  I'm sure his feelings of excitement and surprise are genuine, as they are for a lot of other fans.  I just can't help but feel like this hot start makes Hal feel like his approach this offseason was the right one, and that in his mind his continued commitment to "building a championship-caliber team" is justified by the club's current record.

The real credit here goes to Cash and his scouting staff and Joe and his coaching staff for finding cheap players who still had something left in the tank and coaching them in a way that allows them to best use what they've still got.  All Hal did was handcuff Cash into only being able to target these players and force Joe to build the best lineup he could with them.  So enjoy the early success, Hal.  Your team's performance has given you the right to do that.  Just don't pat yourself on the back too much thinking you were a key part of this and that this was your plan all along.

P.S.- "I knew that the guys we got in the offseason were veterans. Whether people thought they were worth getting or not, I felt they were veterans and this is what you expect veterans to do.”  You knew that old players who had been in MLB for years and years were veterans?  Real astute observation.  I'm sure that was the determining factor in Hafner getting signed.

Game 43 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 TOR 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees have gotten fatter off playing the Blue Jays than any other team this season.  They entered today's game 7-1 against Toronto and looking to extend a 5-game winning streak against them.  David Phelps was getting the start, his next in the chance to prove his worth as a long-term rotation option and not just an injury stopgap, and he did it with one of the better lineups the team had put on the field in a while behind him.  Travis Hafner was back in his customary DH role after a few days off, and with Curtis Granderson in right field there was some more teeth to the middle of a lineup that had already beaten up Toronto starter Brandon Morrow once this season.

Game Notes:

- Phelps made it interesting early, working around 2 1-out walks in the 1st with a pick off and 2 leadoff singles in the 3rd with a double play ball and a big strikeout.

- Morrow stymied the lineup the first turn through the order.  The second time he wasn't so lucky.  With 2 outs in the 3rd Brett Gardner singled home Jayson Nix and then scored on a Robinson Cano Yankee Stadium 2-run HR 1 pitch later.

- Cano put on a repeat performance with 2 outs in the bottom of the 5th.  Morrow threw him a slider for a swinging strike 2, then 3 more that Cano made contact with.  He left the last one up in the zone just enough for Cano to square up and Robbie parked it over the fence.

- Phelps continued to put runners on base, but never in a way that created a real threat and never anything that led to another run through 7.  He also continued to display plus stuff with 8 more strikeouts.

- Hafner marked his return to the lineup with an exclamation point in the bottom of the 8th with a 2-run HR of his own.  Good to see the time off didn't affect his timing.

- Aside from another D-Rob homer hiccup in the 8th it was another solid job by the bullpen.  Boone Logan looked very good striking out 2 in a non-save 9th inning.

Kuroda The 1A To CC's 1

Since Hiroki Kuroda joined the Yankees before last season (regular season and postseason):

CC Sabathia- 40 GS, 280.2 IP, 104 ER, 64 BB, 270 K

Kuroda- 44 GS, 294.1 IP, 99 ER, 66 BB, 220 K

I'm not saying Kuroda is a better pitcher than CC.  In a one-game situation, I'd still probably want the big fella on the mound (think Game 5 of last year's ALDS).  But I will say that Kuroda has been the most reliable Yankee starting pitcher since the beginning of last season.  He's been healthy, he's been consistent, and he's assumed the role that both CC and Andy Pettitte have held down at different times since '09 as the rotation's stopper. Every big game like the one Kuroda pitched last night seems to come when the team needs one.  He's been an absolutely fantastic signing 2 years in a row and I really hope he wants to come back again in 2014.  As with Andy, the Yankees should keep offering Kuroda 1-year deals as long as he wants to keep playing.

Game 42 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 TOR 0

(Courtesy of the AP)

With the team struggling a bit in their series loss to Seattle, the Toronto Blue Jays were a welcome sight for the Yankees last night.  They'd played well against the Jays in a few series already this season, and even though the Jays had been playing better baseball of late, the Yanks had Hiroki Kuroda on the mound.  In 2 previous starts against Toronto this season, Kuroda was 1-0 and had allowed just 4 ER in 13.1 IP.  Last night he was on top of his game again and turned in his best outing against Toronto this season to get New York back on the winning track.

Game Notes:

- He's been struggling lately, so Brett Gardner made it easy on Robinson Cano by leading off the game with a triple.  Cano plated him with an RBI groundout and the Yanks had a 1-0 lead.

- Kuroda looked like an even more dominant version of himself that had bested Toronto twice this season early.  Through 4 scoreless innings he allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk.

- The Yanks didn't get much off of Mark Buehrle after the 1st, which made the kids getting involved in the second run even better.  David Adams and Austin Romine singled early, and Adams scored on a Jayson Nix sac fly.  Putting the "fun" in fundamentals.

- Adams was back at it again in the bottom of the 7th, leading off the inning with a double to left.  After an Ichiro bunt single, Romine came through with an RBI double and the kids were running the show.

- Don't let the lack of strikeouts fool you, Kuroda was dominating the Toronto lineup.  He allowed just 1 more baseunner in the next 4 innings, working a nasty sinker-splitter-slider combo, and finished after 8 shutout innings.

- Not surprisingly, Ben Francisco did nothing in this game hitting the 5th spot.  Bullpen needed a rest and it was Preston Clairborne who worked around 2 hits to handle a scoreless 9th.

Andy Pettitte To The DL, Vidal Nuno Called Back Up

This doesn't come as good news after Joe talked him leaving the game early last night down like it was no big deal.  The Yankees have elected to put Andy Pettitte on the disabled list with his upper left trap injury, and have recalled Vidal Nuno from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster and presumably in the rotation as well.

It's a small bit surprising that Joe would be so open about how not big a deal the injury was in last night's presser and then have this be the move the next day.  The Yankees just got done botching the Kevin Youkilis situation, so they shouldn't really be saying boo about anybody's health if the actions aren't in agreement.  There's a chance this is the Yankees using this latest injury blip as justification for putting Andy on the DL and giving him a significant chunk of time to fully rest his back, which they didn't do last time.  That being said, it still doesn't do much to ease the concern about this being a lingering issue for Andy for the rest of the season.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 5/17/13

I don't go to the movies nearly as much as I used to.  There's just nothing good coming out anymore, and I was reminded of that on Tuesday when I went to see the new "Iron Man."  I won't spoil any plot points for you if you haven't seen it but simply put, it sucked.  Hard.  Just a completely scrubbed, Disney-fied version of what should have been an awesome movie.  I knew the Marvel movies were going to be in trouble when Disney bought the rights and IM3 is living proof.  If you're on the fence about plunking down 10 bucks to see it, take my advice and wait for it come out on video or Netflix.  You'll be glad you did.  Now onto the links!

- It's technically from last week, but Josh Norris had a great Q&A with Gil Patterson on Saturday, shining a little light on the changes to the organizational pitching development approach and the plan for Jose Campos.

- On Monday, Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits searched through the current 40-man roster to find the most likely casualties when the injured regulars return.

- Brian D. of Yankees Fans Unite looked back at Andy Pettitte's surprising comeback from retirement on the 1-year anniversary.  Easily the most pleasant surprise of last season.

- On Tuesday, Greg Corcoran of Bronx Baseball Daily profiled fringe prospect Caleb Cotham, who's pitched well in 2013.  I think Greg is a little high on his ceiling for Cotham, but there's definitely Major League potential there.

- Jason Cohen of Pinstriped Bible wondered if CC Sabathia will make it to 300 wins, and compared some of his W-related numbers to his contemporaries.

- SG of RLYW examined projections and platoon splits to try to identify the optimal outfield setup now that C-Grand is back in the picture.

- On Wednesday, Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA commented on the near overabundance of starting pitching the Yankees currently have thanks to all their injury call-ups.  How does everybody play into the team's future plans?

- Mike Axisa of RAB analyzed the tough position the Yankees are in with Ichiro right now due to his contract and poor performance.  To all the Ichiro huggers out there who hated my anti-Ichiro offseason posts, I told you so.

- On Thursday, Drew Sheppard of FanGraphs had an excellent piece on Mo's fastball/cutter movement, complete with gifs, and some cool counting stats on his broken bat totals.  Does he really have to retire?

- Chad Jennings of LoHud had injury updates on almost every injured player under the sun, minus Pettitte and Stewart.

- Alex Pugliese of Yanks Go Yard asked if Dellin Betances being out of MiL options was a bad thing?  I think that answer is a resounding "no."  It's now or never for him.

- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes touched on the over-reactive nature of fans in light of Phil Hughes' bombshow of an outing earlier this week.

- Martin Riggs of NoMaas pointed out another statistical area of concern relative to CC Sabathia.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog broke down the Yankees' early performance in 1-run games to see where they stack up historically and if they're capable of continuing their success.

- On Friday, el duque of It Is High... mused on the Montero-Pineda trade over a year later, when none of the pieces involved have made much of an impact at any level.

Going back to a very familiar well for this week's jam.  If you thought I was going to stay quiet on all the awesome new song clips that QOTSA has been releasing this week then you are outside of your mind.  This album is going to kick so much ass.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

The Continued Mo-volution Of Dave Robertson

(Haven't used this one in a looooong time)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When David Robertson first broke into the Majors with the Yankees in 2008, he was not all that dissimilar from what Shawn Kelley is today.  He had stuff for days and had a long list of strikeout victims to back it up, but he was so hot and cold with his command that he could get into trouble quickly.  D-Rob's "fireman" knack for getting out of jams and making his best pitches in big moments earned him a permanent spot in the 'pen almost from the moment he came up, and over the last 5+ seasons he's worked his way up the ladder to become Mariano Rivera's setup man and one of the best all-around relief pitchers in baseball.  While many other pitchers have tried to learn from the G.O.A.T., perhaps none have taken more away from working with Mo than D-Rob.

Latest On Pettitte & Stewart

The injury epidemic of 2013 continued to spread last night, as both Andy Pettitte and Chris Stewart left the game early.  Pettitte's back started acting up again and the team diagnosed his injury as a tight left trap.  Stewart pulled up lame running the bases in the 7th and was clearly affected by something in his left groin.  There was no official diagnosis on his injury.  He was scheduled for an MRI after the game, but as of yet the team has not announced the results.

After last night's game Joe talked down the seriousness of Andy's back.  There's no word on whether he will have to skip another start or two, and I would imagine the team will give him a few days before making that decision.  Regardless of what that decision is, this should still be a greater cause for concern.  This marks the second time in less than 2 months that Andy has had back problems.  No one needs to be reminded that that's not a good sign for an older pitcher like him.  He's dangerously close to venturing into DL territory the next time it flares up again.

As for Stewart, while we won't know anything for sure until word comes out on the MRI findings, Bryan Hoch reported late last night that he could be heading to the DL to recover.  That would put the team in a very bad spot with their remaining catcher depth.  Austin Romine will take over starting duties for the time being, and he represents the only healthy catcher ont he 40-man roster.  Bobby Wilson would be the top internal replacement option, and he's only hitting .174 in Triple-A.  It's just the chance Romine needs if it turns out Stewart does have to go on the DL.  Hardly the scenario New York wanted, though.

Game 41 Wrap-Up: SEA 3 NYY 2

(Not the kind of meeting on the mound you want to see.  Courtesy of the AP)

With the number of young pitchers the Yankees have had to call up already this season, it was strangely fitting that they got to face one of their former pitching prospects last night.  Aaron Harang was scheduled to make the start for Seattle but got scratched with back stiffness, opening the door for Hector Noesi.  Before being part of the now fateful Pineda-Montero trade, Noesi was cut from an almost identical cloth as David Phelps and Adam Warren.  He's still working to find the consistency of success that they have and was looking to make a statement last night against his former team.  Once again, a major unforeseen storyline overrode that potentially fun one, and once again the Yankees were on the shit end of it.

Game Notes:

- Andy Pettitte got the start for the Yanks and looked determined to do his best Phil Hughes impression.  He needed 70 pitches to get through 4 innings, and he gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in those innings.  None of his pitches were particularly sharp.

- After having his debut party spoiled by Hughes, David Adams had his first big moment in the bottom of the 2nd.  Curtis Granderson kept the inning alive with a 2-out infield single and Adams came through with an RBI double to right to tie the game.

- Andy looked like he was finding it after 2 Ks to start the 5th, then he winced on his last pitch and that brought out Joe and training staff.  Andy was done after 4.2, with everybody hoping for something as basic as spasms, and it was on an already overworked Yankee bullpen's shoulders.

- Shawn Kelley relieved Pettitte and actually struck out 5 of the 8 batters he faced in 2+ innings.  One of the ones he didn't turned out to be the deciding run, a Michael Morse solo HR to lead off the 6th.

- The Yankee offense wasn't short on chances to score.  They left runners on first and third with 1 out in the 5th, and first and second with 2 outs in the 6th.  They plated a run in the bottom of the 7th on a Robinson Cano RBI single, but stranded a runner in that inning and in each inning after.

- As if Pettitte wasn't bad enough, the Yanks lost Chris Stewart after the 7th when he appeared to tweak his leg running the bases.  It was called a left groin injury and the team is now down to 1 healthy catcher.

- Brett Gardner made it interesting by singling and stealing his way to third with 1 out in the 9th.  Jayson Nix and Cano failed to bring him home to tie the game.  Tough stretch lately for Cano.

BREAKING NEWS: Andy Leaves Tonight's Start With Apparent Injury (Updated)

He wasn't having that great a start to begin with, but it just got worse for Andy Pettitte when he had to leave tonight's game with 2 outs in the top of the 5th inning.  Pettitte had just thrown a pitch to strike out his second straight batter of the inning and appeared to grimace on his last pitch.  Joe didn't take any chances and removed Andy from the game.

It would be unfair to speculate, but the first place you think of with Andy is his back.  He's already missed a few starts due to back spasms this year and those type of problems don't just go away when you're his age.  More on this story as it becomes available.

** UPDATE 5/17 6:50 AM- The team announced that Pettitte left last night's game with a tight left trap.  After the game, Joe said he wasn't too concerned about it, so that's good news.  It was not said whether Pettitte will miss his next start. **

Want To See What No Command Looks Like?

There you have it.  36 pitches, 17 swings, 0 misses, 6 hits, 2 walks, 7 runs.  Phil Hughes joined a couple of select clubs in historical Yankee and baseball futility last night and it's not difficult to see why.  He was fastball-heavy again, and left almost all of them either right in the middle of the plate or way off the corners.  To make matters most, a lot of those fastballs middle and away as you right to left were thrown to left-handed hitters, putting them in perfect position to extend their arms and make solid contact, which they did.

It'd be easy to try to tie this back to Hughes' issues throwing inside or his need to work his offspeed stuff more, but that would be a moot point in this instance.  His offspeed stuff was just as bad, dropping right over the heart of the hitting zone or way off the corner.  Phil just had nothing last night, and it was the latest in a long line of examples of how frustrating his "hot and cold" career as a starter has gone.  As I mentioned earlier this morning over at IIATMS/TYA, if Hughes has officially settled at his ceiling of #4 starter, he might not be looking at offers as big as once thought after this season.

(Pitch plot courtesy of Texas Leaguers)

The One Good Thing To Come Out Of Last Night

This:

The good news? Preston Claiborne is using "When The Levee Breaks" as his entrance music. Excellent choice.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughSL) May 15, 2013

I've already signed my application forms to join the Preston Claiborne bandwagon based solely on his performance since being called up.  The kid still hasn't given up a run in 5 appearances and has looked really good in every outing, with 4 strikeouts and not a single walk on his ledger.  He's throwing strikes, attacking hitters, everything you want to see from a young reliever.  Now that I know he has excellent taste in music and comes out to a super badass song for his entrance music, I'm putting a rush on submitting those forms.  I need to be officially recognized as a Preston Claiborne fan.

Game 40 Wrap-Up: SEA 12 NYY 2

(... Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees reached the quarter pole of the regular season last night, and they did it the same way they started the season by making roster moves and trying to piece a lineup together from the collection of healthy bodies they had.  David Adams was the newest addition, called up on his birthday and just a few months after being outright released from the team to create a 40-man roster opening.  He was playing third base and hitting 6th, a sign of confidence from Joe, and looking to make a name for himself by being the next next man up this season.  Any continuation of that fun storyline got quickly swallowed up by the suck of Hughes.

Game Notes:

- Phil Hughes' start last night ended almost as quickly as it started.  After getting Michael Saunders to fly out to start the game, Hughes put the next 7 runners on, the big dagger a Raul Ibanez grand slam, and actually got yanked with just 2 outs in the 1st and 7 runs on the board.  Awful doesn't even begin to describe it.

- Vernon Wells continued his hot hitting in the bottom half, clubbing his 10th HR of the season to get the Yankees on the board.  If they got blown out, at least they wouldn't be shut out.

- Preston Claiborne came on after Hughes and turned in another good outing, tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless ball with 2 strikeouts.  Brett Marshall made his Major League debut after and wasn't so successful.  He took one for the team to the tune of 5 ER on 9 H and 5 BB in 5.2 IP.  Not exactly a repeat of Nuno's debut.

- Chris Stewart, yes THE Chris Stewart, gave the Yanks their only other run with a solo HR, his 3rd of the year, in the top of the 5th.

- Other than those 2 homers, Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma was great.  He needed just 89 pitches to get through 7 innings, and kept the Yanks off balance with a great sinker/splitter combination.  Not that it would have mattered if he was off with the run support he got.

- Fun little deal with Alberto Gonzalez coming on to get the final out of the 9th on a 81 MPH fastball/changeup.  Even when your team is getting killed, position players pitching is always entertaining.

David Adams Officially Called Up (Updated)

This was hinted at over the weekend and it's become a reality today, at least according to Josh Norris' tweet earlier this morning.  David Adams, almost 3 years removed from an ankle injury that seriously jeopardized his career, has been called up by the Yankees to play third base while Kevin Youkilis continues to rehab.

It's been a long, strange trip for Adams.  From hot young prospect to almost having his career ended to being the player who caused the Cliff Lee trade to fall apart to a long, tough rehab, back to top prospect, and now to Major League starting third baseman.  With a Robbie Cano extension looking more likely these days, a situation like this was Adams' best chance to break into the Majors and now he can take that chance and try to carve out a permanent role for himself.

No word yet on who will be sent down/DFA'd/released to clear a 25-man spot for Adams, although the smart money and every ounce of hope I have would be and is on Ben Francisco.  Should he get the axe, the Yankees would have a bench of Alberto Gonzalez and Chris Nelson covering the infield, Ichiro the outfield, and Austin Romine the backup catcher spot.

** UPDATE 3:17 PM-  The team has made it official, Adams is in the locker room, he might be in tonight's starting lineup, and Nelson gets DFA'd.  Francisco survives again. **

Vernon Wells Was Never Slumping

(Vern, baby, Vern!  Just made that up.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Vernon Wells got off to a scorching hot start this season, all things considered probably the most surprising hot start out of anybody on the team.  After 10 games he was hitting .333/.421/.697, then he treaded water for the couple of weeks.  From April 28th to May 7th Wells saw his line drop down to .270/.328/.468, and the prevailing thought was that he was already starting to tire and come back to earth after that hot start that partially defied his contact rates.  Since May 7th, Wells has 12 hits (3 HR), 5 runs scored, and 9 RBI in 8 games, raising his line back up to its current .300/.353/.521 state.

The dreaded "S" word was thrown around early in the month when Wells wasn't producing, but a quick check of the periphs shows that Wells isn't slumping, wasn't slumping, and hasn't really shown any signs of slumping roughly one quarter of the way through the season.

Hafner Day-To-Day With Shoulder Soreness

Actually it's shoulder "tendinitis" according to the team, but either way it means there's nothing seriously wrong with Travis Hafner.  There was a bit of a scare when his name wasn't in the lineup last night and it was reported that he was going for an MRI.  That MRI showed no serious damage, he was given a cortisone shot, and Joe implied that he could be back as early as tonight.

While it sounds like a bullet dodged here, a rare outcome when it comes to Yankees and injuries this year, it's still probably in everybody's best interests to give Hafner a day or two more than he actually needs.  If he feels like he can go today, play him tomorrow or Friday.  Hafner has been a walking DL stint for the last handful of years, and with the lack of depth in the lineup right now the Yankees need to keep him healthy and productive for as long as possible.  They're in a position where they have a small cushion in the division and are playing good baseball, so why not take advantage of that and give Pronk a little more time?  Short-term loss for a potential long-term gain.

Game 39 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 SEA 3

(Welcome back, bud.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

There aren't many pitching matchups better on paper than CC Sabathia vs. Felix Hernandez, and somehow that storyline took a backseat last night.  After having his forearm fractured on one of the first pitches of his first Spring Training at-bat, Curtis Granderson returned to the Yankee lineup tonight, the first of what is hopefully many more high-profile DL returns this season.  He was in an unfamiliar position, both in the outfield (starting in left) and in the lineup (batting 4th), but I'm sure he was just happy to be back playing in games that matter and back to having that short porch in right.

Game Notes:

- Tough first AB for Curtis, who came up with 2 on and 1 out in the bottom of the first.  After working a 3-1 count against Hernandez, he swung at a sinker and grounded it into an inning-ending double play.  He finished the night 0-3 with a BB, K, and R scored.

- CC cruised through a 1-2-3 1st, and was in trouble seemingly every inning thereafter.  He put 2 men on in the 2nd, gave up an unearned run on a double in the 3rd, and escaped a bases loaded jam in the 4th.  He just wasn't fooling anybody with his fastball.

- In typical King Felix fashion, he absolutely dominated the Yankee lineup through 5.  He allowed just 2 more baserunners after the 1st, striking out 8 hitters.  His line could have been even better had he not left after 6 innings with an apparent leg injury.

- CC gave up a HR to former Yankee, and still Yankee hero, Raul Ibanez to make it 3-0 Seattle in the 6th, but recovered to strike out the side after on some nasty offspeed stuff.  He was done after 6.1 and 12 total baserunners.

- The Yankees got to Felix for a run in the 6th, and after he left they struck in a big way against the Seattle bullpen.  Charlie Furbush got beat for 3 walks, a clutch 2-run double by Robinson Cano, and a sac fly to cough up the lead and make it 4-3 Yanks.  Classic Yankee patience on display in that inning.

- The Yankee bullpen, as usual, put on a clinic in holding a lead in the 8th and 9th with the usual suspects.  David Robertson used almost all 4-seamers and no cutters to handle the 8th, while Mo was who you thought he was for a 1-2-3 9th and his 16th save.

The Grandy Man Returneth

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

After the Yankees made a roster move to add a pitcher for yesterday's second doubleheader game, speculation started almost immediately about what it meant.  Brett Marshall was added as extra bullpen insurance, insurance that wasn't needed, but Brennan Boesch getting sent down to clear a spot was the real story because it could mean only one thing.  Curtis Granderson was ready to come back.

Joe hinted at it in his postgame presser, Donnie Collins added fuel to the fire with his report, and Granderson himself all but confirmed it last night on Twitter.  He's on his way to New York to meet up with the team today, and with Corban Joseph having to go back down to Triple-A immediately after yesterday's game the expectation is that C-Grand will be activated off the DL to fill that roster spot and will be in the starting lineup for tonight's game.

Give A Call To Adam Warren

(Might need to work on that high five form a bit.  Courtesy of the AP)

It's only 7 appearances, and there's some slight suggestion of BABIP and SSS luck working in his favor, but it would be wrong to not point out the great job Adam Warren has done so far this season.  After having a relatively stagnant year in 2012 in his second Triple-A season, Warren has blossomed and carved out a nice role for himself in the Major League bullpen this season.  His early career path has been very similar to the one David Phelps used to break into the show last year.

Like Phelps, Warren has shown an ability to be flexible in his relief roles and effective in multiple types of scenarios.  He's been good in short appearances and he's been very good in long appearances, like his first of the year coming in for Hiroki or his 4-inning save last night.  Like Phelps, his stuff has also played up a bit coming out of the 'pen, particularly his fastball velocity.  That has bumped his K rate up (7.23 K/9, 20.3% overall), and Warren's willingness to use all his pitches gives him options with 2 strikes.  He's basically the #1 long man with Phelps in the rotation right now, and he's pitched well enough to keep his spot on the roster when a pitcher gets sent down for C-Grand later today.

He's not the young, top-of-the-rotation arm that the Yankees need and that they've been widely criticized for failing to develop over the last 10-15 years, but Warren has proven to be another useful homegrown pitcher capable of filling multiple roles on the pitching staff as needed.  Like Phelps, if he can continue to perform well, he could put himself in the mix for a rotation spot next year.

Game 38 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 CLE 0

(Dude, I want that.  Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees were blanked in the early afternoon opener yesterday, not surprisingly succumbing to the weak lineup Joe was forced to put out there.  They still had a chance to salvage a split of the doubleheader and finish off a 6-2 road trip in the mid-afternooncap.  Vidal Nuno was getting the start and Brett Marshall was called up to add bullpen depth behind him at the expense of Brennan Boesch, whose demotion to Triple-A may signal another exciting roster move coming today.  It would have been hard for Nuno to make a better first impression in his first Major League start, and this time the offense gave him some support to earn the split.

Game Notes:

- The offense wasted no time getting on the board in this one, plating a run on a pair of singles, a Carlos Santana throwing error, and a Vernon Wells groundout in the top of the 1st.

- Nuno retired the first 8 batters he faced into the 3rd inning, doing what he always does and pounding the strike zone with his 4-seam and 2-seam fastballs.  Hopefully David Phelps was paying attention.

- That 1st inning run was looking pretty lonely on the scoreboard for the Bombers.  They failed to capitalize on 2 walks in the 3rd inning and a leadoff single in the 4th.  Once again, the game was too close and the margin for error was zero.

- It didn't matter because Nuno worked brilliantly within his non-existent margin for error.  He worked around 2 walks in the 4th and 2 2-out singles in the 5th to finish his outing in style with a strikeout of Asdrubal Cabrera.  5 innings, no runs, 89 pitches.  Not bad for having not pitched since last month.

- It took 15 innings, but the offense finally broke out to support Nuno in the top of the 7th.  A pair of doubles by CoJo and Romine got it started, a pair of singles by Nix and Wells gave the cushion, and a 2-run double by Lyle Overbay broke the game open.  By the time the dust settled, it was 7-0 Yanks.

- Adam Warren, who's been sneaky disgusting in his limited appearances, relieved Nuno and pitched 4 shutout innings of his own, with 0 walks and 4strikeouts, to earn a save and finish off the shutout.

Game 37 Wrap-Up: CLE 1 NYY 0

(Good, but not good enough.  Courtesy of the AP)

I imagine the "let's play two" phrase never factored in a roster being in such disarray as the Yankees' presently is.  Just takes all the fun out of the idea when you know Alberto Gonzalez is going to be involved.  But, such was the hand the Yanks had been dealt and they looked to play it correctly and keep their winning streak going earlier today in Cleveland.  David Phelps was on the mound, likely looking at at least 1 more start after Nova's setback yesterday, and the Yankees needed him to provide some length to cover for Vidal Nuno in the second game.

Game Notes:

- Phelps was shaky through 3 innings, fighting command issues with both his 4-seamer and his offspeed stuff.  He gave up a run in the 1st on a Jason Kipnis solo HR, but limited it to that and struck out 4 batters.

- Opposing pitcher Justin Masterson displayed much better command, mixing both his fastballs and slider well in limiting the Yankee lineup to just 2 hits and no runs through 4.  He had to work out of a bases loaded situation in the 2nd, but facing Gonzalez is always makes that task easier.

- The balancing act continued for Phelps through the middle innings.  He walked 2 in the 4th and worked around it, then threw a 12-pitch, strikeout-strikeout-groundout 5th inning.

- Masterson continued to best him through innings.  The Yankee hitters were playing right into his hands, swinging early and often in the count and hitting a lot of grounders, and Masterson helped facilitate those swings with a lot of early strikes.

- Gutsy move by Joe leaving Phelps in for the 7th, and an equally gutsy job by Phelps almost getting through the inning.  He exited after giving up a double and a walk with 2 outs and Boone Logan cleaned up.

- The offense just never got going.  They went down as quietly in the 8th and 9th as they did in every other innings, giving Masterson a complete game victory.  Kudos to Preston Claiborne for a solid bottom of the 8th.