Never Forget

12 years ago today our nation was rocked by the worst attack against it in history.  Work, social life, baseball rooting allegiances, and everything else took a back seat as we watched our friends, family members, and fellow Americans suffer as a result of the senseless hatred of others.  I don't need to go into the details of my personal connection to the 9/11 tragedy anymore.  Those who've been AB4AR readers for years know the story, and those who are new can find it here.  But I'd be remiss if I didn't write something today to commemorate the tragic events of that day and honor those who were lost.

They say time heals all wounds and there's been a lot of time to heal from the events of that day 12 years ago.  But some wounds never heal, some losses can never be forgotten, and many lives will never be the same.  The pain from that day still lingers, and it's remembering the heroes and the sacrifice of so many on that day that helps the healing continue and reminds us all what it means to be an American and live in this country.  There's plenty that people find wrong with this country these days and sometimes it's easy to forget about all that it gets right.  Use today to remember that.  Tell someone you love them, hug somebody you haven't hugged in a while, find a fire fighter or police officer and shake his or her hand, be thankful for all the freedoms you have as a citizen of the United States.  And never forget all those we lost.

Injury News Round-Up: 9/11/13

Another day, another fresh batch of injuries to sift through.  Here's the latest...

New Injuries:

- Ivan Nova- Left after 6 IP and 79 pitches due to tightness in his right triceps.  Didn't sound like he or Joe were concerned about him missing his next start, although this has been a lingering problem for him all year.

- Alex Rodriguez- Was taken out after the top of the 8th when he felt his left hamstring tighten up on him running the bases.  A-Rod himself said he expected to at least be able to DH today.  We'll see.

- Austin Romine- Left in the bottom of the 8th after taking a foul ball off the mask.  Joe said Romine "probably" had a concussion and he was going to get checked out at a local hospital after the game.  If he does have one, it could mean the end of his season.  Gotta be careful with head injuries these days.

Old Injuries:

- David Robertson- Threw a 10-pitch bullpen yesterday and felt no problems.  Assuming he doesn't feel anything when he wakes up today he should be back in the 'pen and available tonight.

- Boone Logan- Had an MRI on his left elbow and the results were sent to Dr. James Andrews for further evaluation.  That's never a good sign.

- Derek Jeter- No real update on his status other than the team saying he's in a "holding pattern." He hasn't done any baseball activities since leaving on Satuday, and last night's acquisition of Brendan Ryan doesn't make it sound like he's coming back anytime soon.

Game 145 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 BAL 5

(Courtesy of the AP)

It's almost getting comical at this point.  The Yankees and injuries.  They started last night's game by making another roster move to add an arm to their ailing bullpen.  They ended last night's game by making a trade for a defensive shortstop who won't even be eligible for the postseason if they make it because Eduardo Nunez is so terrible moonlighting as a starting shortstop.  And in between they lost 3 more players to injury, 2 that appear to be less serious (A-Rod and Ivan Nova) and 1 maybe not so lucky (Austin Romine).  There will be more roster moves coming today, and oh yeah, they scored another huge comeback win to keep those playoff hopes alive against Miguel Gonzalez and the O's.

Game Notes:

- Alex Rodriguez has been surprisingly good against right-handed pitching this season, and that continued in the top of the 3rd when he smoked a 2-out double to right center to score Chris Stewart and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

- This start for Nova was frighteningly similar to the last time he pitched against the Orioles.  He gave up a pair of singles through 3 scoreless innings and needed just 31 pitches to get it done.  He was cruising.

- The Orioles set themselves up with 2 groundball singles in the bottom of the 5th and got a gift when Eduardo Nunez's eternal shittiness struck again.  He bounced a throw to first for an error that allowed a run to score and put runners on second and third with nobody out.

- A questionable cutoff decision by A-Rod on a Nick Markakis sac fly a batter later gave Baltimore the lead, but it was Chris Davis who did the big damage with 2 outs.  Nova hung a first-pitch curveball and Davis crushed it to center for a 2-run home run and a 4-1 Orioles advantage.

- Alfonso Soriano and Mark Reynolds hit solo HRs in the top of the 6th to get the Yankees back in it, but they really opened things up in the 8th against the Baltimore bullpen.  A-Rod led off with another double, scored on Robinson Cano's single, and then Soriano came up again and hit a 2-run homer.  A pair of doubles from Reynolds and C-Grand made it 7-4 Yankees.

- Joe pulled Nova after just 79 pitches and 6 innings - due to tightness in Nova's triceps - and went to work again with his short bullpen.  Adam Warren gave him a solid inning, Shawn Kelley a not so much 0.2 and it was time for another multi-inning Mo save attempt.  He got it done and the Yanks got a big win.

2014 Schedule Released

Major League Baseball released the 2014 schedules for all teams today, without game times of course.  There's plenty to discuss with respect to the Yankee schedule for next year, but with the focus still being on their dwindling playoff chances in 2013, let's just hit the highlights for now.

- Season opens on the road on April 1st, 2014 against the Houston Astros.  It ends on September 28th on the road against Boston.

- Home opener is April 7th against the Orioles.

- Subway Series will be May 12th-15th with the first 2 games at The Stadium and the last 2 at Citi Field.

- Interleague play will take place against the NL Central, including 2 home series against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, 2 road series against St. Louis and Milwaukee (!!!), and a 4-game split with the Cubs.

- As is usually the case, the start and end to the regular season will be primarily AL East opponents- 17 of the first 22 games and 26 of the final 29.

C-Grand Slump Comes At The Worst Time (For Everybody)

(Courtesy of the AP)

As bad as the weekend series against Boston went for the Yankees, there's something to be said for them putting up 29 runs in the 4 games.  It wasn't for lack of offense that they lost 3 of the 4 games, and guys like Robbie Cano, Brett Gardner, Alfonso Soriano, Lyle Overbay, and even Ichiro all had various levels of productive weekends at the dish.

One guy who didn't was Curtis Granderson, who's seen his production slow since first coming off the DL last month.  Joe sat him for Friday night's game and didn't even use him in a late pinch hitting role, and in the 3 games he did play C-Grand went 1-13 at the plate with a double and 5 strikeouts.

Derek Jeter Needs To Retire

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

I didn't mention Derek Jeter at all in my recap of my weekend at The Stadium.  That wasn't an accident.  There's plenty to say about Jeter after this past weekend and I felt it deserved its own post.  Jeter looked bad again in the field on TV on Thursday night while contributing to the eventual loss, and he looked even worse in the field and running the bases in person on Friday and Saturday.  He left Saturday's game early with more ankle-related issues, and once again he's taking some time off to rest, be re-evaluated, and attempt to get back on the field.

With the number of times that formula has played out unsuccessfully this season and with how bad Jeter has looked when he has been on the field, it's time to stop waiting around for things to improve and talk seriously about Jeter's future.  A lot of people aren't going to want to read this, but the truth is that Jeter doesn't appear to have a future in baseball anymore, at least not in the way he'd like to have as a productive everyday shortstop.  The truth is that Derek Jeter needs to retire after this season.

Game 144 Wrap-Up: BAL 4 NYY 2

("Come at me, bro!" Courtesy of the AP)

It was a strange start to say the last to the tough 11-game stretch that's going to make or break the Yankees' slim playoff chances.  They ended up going 1-3 against Boston in a series that could have easily seen them go 3-1 or lose all 4 games.  They were battered and bruised in the bullpen and working with an even shorter crew of useful arms after Joe used Mo for 2 innings on Sunday, and with the ever-shaky CC Sabathia on the mound that wasn't a good backup plan against a dangerous Baltimore offense.  Joe stacked his best bats in the top 5 spots of the batting order in hopes of getting some early runs against Chris Tillman.  It didn't work, as Tillman was on top of his game and the Yanks lost their 4th in 5 games.

Game Notes:

- Lotta fireworks in the 1st inning.  Alex Rodriguez hit a solo HR in the first half, Nick Markakis hit a leadoff double to set up the tying run in the second half, and when the inning was over Joe and Buck Showalter got into a shouting match at home plate over sign stealing.  Gotta love that added Wild Card pressure.

- After the 1st inning it was much smoother sailing for CC.  He gave up a few loud outs through 3 more scoreless innings but also got a few big strikeouts.

- Those loud outs turned into hits and runs in the bottom of the 5th.  Another leadoff double by J.J. Hardy got things started, and a couple of 2-out hits on badly located fastballs made it 3-1 Baltimore.

- The heavier workload in the 5th seemed to take its toll on CC.  He gave up 2 hits before striking out the side in the 6th and gave up another run in the 7th after his own throwing error before escaping with a K of Adam Jones.  If the bullpen was deeper, he probably would have been done after 6.

- A-Rod's homer in the 1st was all the lineup could muster against Tillman.  He mixed his fastball and changeup beautifully and threw enough good curveballs to keep the Yankee hitters off balance.  He gave up only 2 more hits through the 7th.

- Lyle Overbay finally broke through with a solo shot in the top of the 8th to chase Tillman from the game, but Buck had the option of going to his bullpen aces and he did that to shut it down and save the win.

Yanks-Sawx "Yankee Stadium Weekend" Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Well I don't think those 4 games went down quite the way anybody wanted them to.  The Yankees held late leads in each of the first 2 games of this series, only to watch the bullpen - the best and worst of it - blow them to put them in a 2-0 hole.  Saturday afternoon we were reminded that David Huff is who we thought he was, and Sunday almost turned into another blown lead disaster when Mo, called upon for 6 outs with the rest of the 'pen either unavailable or ineffective, gave up a Yankee Stadium cheapie HR to Will Middlebrooks that could have cost the team another much needed victory.

Somehow the Yanks are still in the playoff picture after this weekend, the same number of games out of the second Wild Card spot that they were before the first pitch was thrown on Thursday night.  They owe that to Tampa and the rest of the contenders forgetting how to win too, and even though they're no longer right behind the Rays in the race they still have a little glimmer of postseason hope with 19 games to go.

It was a fun experience to finally get to check out The Stadium, not so much fun watching how the 3 games I attended played out.  After the jump, my recap and random thoughts on the stadium, the games, and where the team stands with the 2013 regular season finish line in sight.

Weekend Injury News Round-Up

It was a big weekend for injuries for the Bombers, especially in the bullpen.  With guys leaving or being unavailable for games seemingly every other hour, here's the latest on where the newest batch of walking wounded stands (or sits):

- Derek Jeter- Left Saturday afternoon's game early thanks to more problems with his surgically-repaired left ankle.  Joe said he didn't like the way he was moving, and even though a CT scan showed no structural damage, the plan is still to rest Jeter for a few days before re-evaluating him.

- David Robertson- Wasn't available after pitching Thursday night with what's being called tendinitis in his right shoulder.  Is expected to be out for a few more days before throwing a bullpen session to test the shoulder.

- Boone Logan- Left Friday night's game with pain in his left biceps.  An MRI on Saturday showed no structural damage and he was given a cortisone shot yesterday.  He could be back by the next Boston series.

- Chris Stewart- Left yesterday's game in the 6th after taking a pitch off the left foot.  No broken bones but Stewart said after the game that there are some strained ligaments.  No word on how long he'll be out, but I wouldn't expect to see him back behind the plate tonight or tomorrow.

I'm Back

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

4 games, 3 losses, 2 Mo blown saves, 2 bullpen injuries, a handful of terribly-timed bunts and questionable in-game calls, another Derek Jeter injury setback, and 1 walk-off win on a wild pitch.  Definitely a strange and frustrating weekend in Yankeeland, and a lot to talk about from my first live YS3 experience.  First and foremost, yes, I think all the talking I did about attending the games helped jinx a lot of what happened Thursday-Saturday.  The injuries to D-Rob and Logan, the blown lead on Friday night, and the beatdown on Saturday?  I'll take responsibility and say those are on me.  My bad, guys.

As for the rest of the weekend and where the Yankees now stand with less than 20 games to go, those are topics for a different post.  I'm slowly working myself back into blog mode, so we'll start breaking things down in greater detail later today.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 9/6/13

Well the big day has finally come.  Today I make my inaugural visit to the new Yankee Stadium.  By the time this post goes up, I'll already be in some state of intoxication and as I explained before, I'm not sure how or how much I'm going to be blogging about this weekend's games/festivities.  We'll see how this first night goes.  In any case, go Yankees and onto the links!

- On Tuesday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog compared the AL Wild Card contenders' remaining schedules to see who was in the best position and how difficult the Yankees' road will be.

- Brian D. of Yankees Fans Unite mused on what Andy Pettitte's future holds after this season.  Personally I think this will be the final retirement for him and he'll be done for good whenever this season ends.

- Mike Axisa of RAB looked back at a few recent examples of September call-ups who helped the team as the Yankees added a batch of those to the active roster this week.

- On Wednesday, el duque of It Is High... pondered the possibility of Mo or Jeter getting the new postgame Gatorade bath treatment.  I have to agree that it would be pretty cool to see Mo get it.

- Jesse Schindler of Pinstriped Bible looked at how Phil Hughes might fit into the bullpen hierarchy now that he's been removed from the rotation.  Don't expect anything high-leverage.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud had Phil and Joe's thoughts on the move to the bullpen.

- On Thursday, Mike Ashmore of Thunder Thoughts had Game 1 of the ELDS covered from all angles and game 2 was no different.  He's a must-follow for all the Thunder playoff coverage.

- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes tossed around the idea of bringing Hughes back as the setup man next year.  Not a bad idea given his relief history, I just don't see any way the team takes him back.

- Nathanial Stotlz of FanGraphs analyzed Jose Campos, his first season back after last year's elbow injury, and what kind of prospect he is now after that injury.

- William Tasker of IIATMS/TYA marveled at how great Mo has been in his final season.

- SJK of NoMaas commented on the team's organizational catching depth now that scouting reports on Gary Sanchez's defense continue to be negative.

- SG of RLYW projected the change in postseason percentages in the AL East based on all possible outcomes of this weekend's series.

For today's jam we're dusting off a classic that I haven't used in a while.  Only seems fitting to bring this one back out when I'm heading to the ballpark.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

So Here's The Deal...

As I may have mentioned once or twice in the last few weeks, I'll finally be going to the new Stadium this weekend to watch the remainder of this series.  Between going to the games, drinking before, during, and after the games, and then finding a way home after, my opportunities to write about the experience and what happens on the field will be severely limited.  I'd like to say I'll at least be able to squeeze game recaps in, but that will depend heavily on where I end up sleeping each night and what the computer situation is wherever I wake up.

So expect a slow weekend of content here on the blog.  If news is breaking, chances are I won't be covering it until Monday morning.  If I can get something written for any of the next 3 games I will, but I'm not making any promises.  If you've gotten to the point where you can't go that long without your AB4AR fix, just keep coming back and watch this gif of A-Rod's slide into second last night over and over.  That should tie you over.

Kelley Out With Triceps Inflammation

When explaining his decision to go to Joba in the 10th, Joe told the media that Shawn Kelley was unavailable last night due to triceps inflammation.  Apparently he's been feeling something recently and although tests showed no structural damage and he won't be going on the DL, Joe stated that Kelley would be out for the rest of this series and the plan is to bring him back sometime next week.

This shortens the bullpen for this critical series and we saw firsthand last night what happens when Joe has to stray away from his top high-leverage guys.  Kelley has been really good this season and without him in that righty setup mix it could mean more innings for Joba or (gulp) Phil Hughes.  Hopefully they get some better starting pitching these next 3 games to lessen the need for good middle relief.

Game 140 Wrap-Up: BOS 9 NYY 8

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Not to diminish what they've done in the last week or so, but if we're being honest, the Yankees have been feasting on some weaker competition lately.  Shit started getting real again last night with the Sawx coming back to town for a 4-game weekend set.  The Yankees needed to not only hang with them but beat them if they were serious about staying in the Wild Card race and things didn't get off to a very rosy start for Ivan Nova last night.  It only got weirder and more unpredictable from there as the Yanks and Sawx played to another one of their all too familiar back-and-forth marathon games.  From a near blowout loss to an incredible comeback win to a blown save to a near walk-off win to a heartbreaking extra innings loss in a matter of 3 innings.  Where do we even begin with a game like that?

Game Notes:

- Nova didn't have the command he showed in his previous outing last night, and the Sawx lineup really worked him over.  He threw 80 pitches in the first 3 innings, including a 47-pitch 3rd that scored 2 runs.  Lotta 3-ball counts and a lot of fouled off pitches.

- A 2-out walk and single loaded the bases for Robinson Cano in the bottom of the 3rd and he narrowly missed a YS3-aided grand slam on what was a 2-run, game-tying double.

- Nova left after 4 innings, 96 pitches, and a solo HR by Will Middlebrooks to give Boston the lead back.  Preston Claiborne came out to start the 5th and also gave up a solo HR to make it 4-2.  He actually didn't retire any of the 5 batters he faced and had 2 more runs tacked onto his ledger before Adam Warren got out of the inning.

- Boston starter Jake Peavy handled the Yankees through 6 and got another run to make it 7-2.  He was over 100 pitches and yet was sent out to start the bottom of the 7th, when the Yankee lineup made its move.

- An Ichiro walk and a Vernon Wells pinch hit single ended Peavy's night, and the Yankees greeted Matt Thornton with an RBI single, walk, and an RBI groundout to make it a 7-4 game.  Thornton gave way to Junichi Tazawa, who gave up a ribbie single to Alfonso Soriano and a ribbie double to Curtis Granderson to pull New York within 1.

- A-Rod struck out and it was up to Lyle Overbay to keep the rally going.  He pulled a groundball single through the right side of the infield to plate 2 runs and just like they did against Chicago earlier this week the Yankees had turned a late deficit into a lead to hand over to their bullpen.

- D-Rob handled the 8th without issue and Mo got 2 quick outs in the 9th before giving up a single to Mike Napoli.  Napoli was pinch run for and the runner immediately stole second and took third on a bad throw by Austin Romine.  The next pitch was hit for a single and the game was shockingly tied.

- The Yanks still had last ups in the bottom of the 9th and were in business after a 1-out Soriano walk.  He almost got picked off first by reliever Craig Breslow before advancing to second, and only pitches later DID get picked off second when he broke way too early for third.  Absolutely cannot happen in that situation with C-Grand at the plate and Joe's reaction in the dugout told the story.

- With few viable arms left in the 'pen, Joe went to Joba in the 10th.  With 1 out and a runner on first, he threw what appeared to be strike 3 to Shane Victorino on a check swing.  First base ump Joe West, always the center of attention, ruled it no swing and Victorino hit the go-ahead single on the next pitch.  Yanks went down quietly in the bottom half and the new worst loss of the season was achieved.

No Shortage Of Drama These Next Four Games

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It feels like it's been a long time since the Ryan Dempster-Alex Rodriguez beanball incident took place.  In reality it's been less than 3 weeks, but as almost everybody hypothesized right after that fateful game on August 18th, the Yankees have used that moment and that game as a rallying point.  They've picked up 18 wins in the 26 games since and have been slowly marching their way towards the front of the Wild Card line.  This weekend's series is indescribably important as it starts an 11-game stretch away from the dregs of the American League and against tough AL East competition.  The Yanks need to go at least 7-4 to stay within striking distance of the Rays and keep their playoff hopes alive.

They also have a little score to settle with their rivals from that 8/18 game, a score they didn't get the chance to settle when Brian O'Nora went quick trigger with the bench warnings.

Tyler Austin Can Play For My Team Any Day

Austin, on facing Syndergaard: "It's going to be a long night. For him."
— Nick Peruffo (@nickperuffo) September 4, 2013

He didn't have the best season, but that's some badass shit from Tyler Austin in Game 1 of last night's Double-A playoffs, a game the Thunder won 6-5.  Not only did he talk trash about the opposing starting pitcher, top Mets prospect Noah Syndergaard, he backed it up with a 3-5 night at the plate with 2 doubles off Syndergaard and 2 RBI.  That's the kind of stuff prospect evaluations don't measure and that's why I'm still on board the Tyler Austin bandwagon.

Come out, talk some trash, whoop some ass, and raise a little hell.  If you're down with Tyler Austin, give me a hell yeah!

Gardner Swinging A Mean Bat Again

(Courtesy of the AP)

Maybe that extra rest Joe has been giving Brett Gardner, when he's been perfectly healthy and when he maybe hasn't, is starting to pay off.  After being below average for the better part of the last 2 months, Gardner has turned it back on in the last week plus.  He's 12-38 in his last 10 games (.316 BA) with 7 XBH, 8 R, 4 BB, and 4 RBI.  7 of those 12 hits have gone for extra bases (6 2B, 1 3B) and Gardner has 2 hits in 4 of his last 5 games, so the pop is definitely back in his bat.  Throw in 1 HBP and that's 17 times on base for Brett in 10 games.  That's good leadoff hitting.

The Yankees' turnaround in late August was due primarily to the return of the power to the middle of their lineup.  With Cano hitting like he was and Alfonso Soriano leading the AL in home runs, it was easy to overlook Gardner's offensive inconsistency at the top.  Whether he was or still is hurt or not, Joe recognized that something was amiss with Gardner, got him a few extra days off, and it appears to have done the trick.  With Gardner raking again in the leadoff spot, some of the pressure comes off the middle of the lineup to keep up their pace, which has slowed in the last week, and the team becomes more dynamic and flexible offensively.

Game 139 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 CHW 5

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Not like I'm trying to toot my own horn or anything, but you're all welcome for sparking this turnaround.  On August 8th, you may recall, I wrote this post declaring the Yankees done and the season over.  Since then they've gone 17-8, changed the entire atmosphere around the team and the stadium, and pulled within 2.5 games of a playoff spot.  If you've been an AB4AR reader for long enough, you know I can jinx with the best of them and that's exactly why I wrote that post.  I jinxed the season being over, thereby reversing the fortune of said season and acting as a reverse jinx to get the team back into contention.  It was the AB4AR jinx at its finest and I'm glad I pulled it out when I did.  Just wish I knew how to use it to turn CC around...

Game Notes:

- White Sox starter Erik Johnson made a rookie mistake hanging a first-pitch curveball to Robinson Cano in the bottom of the 1st and Cano slammed it for a 2-out solo HR.  Johnson almost unraveled, loading the bases after the at-bat, but recovered to strike out Ichiro.

-  Sabathia, after giving up a run on a double and 2 walks in 1st, settled down and managed to work safely through the next 5 innings.  His command wasn't much better - he walked 4 batters total in the game - but he managed to work around potential trouble every inning.

- After not imploding in the bottom of the 1st, Johnson did in the 4th.  An error put 2 on and nobody out and Johnson gave up a run-scoring double to Lyle Overbay and a 2-run triple to Brett Gardner to make it a 4-1 Yankee lead.

- After working a 1-2-3 7th with 2 Ks, CC put 2 men on in the 8th and that was it for him.  A better outing, thanks in part to the White Sox sucking, than what CC's been giving this summer.  Good to see some GB outs again.

- A Cano RBI single and Alfonso Soriano sac fly to make it 6-1 seemed like enough to cruise to victory with D-Rob on in the 8th but Robertson struggled and only retired 1 of the 5 batters he faced after CC left.

- A 5-run lead evaporated into a 1-run lead and Joe went to The G.O.A.T. to finish the 8th and the 9th.  It was Mariano Rivera's first 4-out save since 2011 and he handled it without issue.

Joe Speaks For Us All With His Comments About Mo's Retirement

“It’s just a man who has retired talking to another man who’s thinking about retiring, and just telling him my feelings on it. It’s not me lobbying him to come back, because as I've said along, I would never want a player to come back if he didn't want to come back.  I’ll just talk to him, because I want to make sure that his heart is right when he decides it’s time.”

Those were some of Joe's very candid words to the media after last night's game about his feelings on Mariano Rivera's retirement.  Joe, you sly devil.  I see what you're doing there.  Of course you aren't lobbying Mo to come back.  Why would you want to lobby the greatest relief pitcher of all time, greatest athlete at doing 1 thing in the history of organized sports, the most beloved Yankee since Mickey Mantle, and arguably the all-around best teammate and person in sports to come back for another year when he's clearly still got it?  Nobody would want that.

In all seriousness, I like that Joe was that open and honest about the situation with Mo last night.  He said what he felt and even though he didn't come out and admit it, Joe obviously doesn't want Mo to retire and wants Mo around next year.  It's a feeling that everybody else in that clubhouse surely shares and a feeling that we all as Yankee fans share, and good on Joe for expressing it.

Hughes Out, Huff In

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Guess those 1.1 scoreless innings he tossed on Monday wasn't enough to save his job, huh?  Joe announced last night that Phil Hughes will be removed from the starting rotation and moved to the bullpen for the rest of the season and David Huff will be taking Hughes' place in the rotation this Saturday against Boston.  This comes on the heels of Huff's latest solid long relief appearance, also on Monday, and ends weeks of growing speculation about how much longer Joe would stick with Hughes.  Time wasn't on his side after the Yanks failed to find any good offers for him at the deadline, and after another month of mostly poor starts Joe finally decided he had seen enough.

Game 138 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 CHW 4

(Courtesy of the AP)

The beauty of Monday's rainout/blowout was that it allowed Joe to save the bulk of his bullpen horses.  The way Hiroki Kuroda has been pitching lately, Joe needed all his best reinforcements at the ready and he had to be equally ready with a quick hook if Hirok didn't have it.  The Yankees are at the point where they need to be doing everything possible to win every game, even with them being much closer to the second Wild Card spot than they were a few weeks ago.  They had a tough battle against Chris Sale on their hands and needed a good start from Kuroda or a big time bullpen performance to increase the odds of winning.  A little late timely hitting didn't hurt either.

Game Notes:

- Kuroda got bit by some textbook Eduardo Nunez bad defense in the top of the 1st, leading to an unearned run for the White Sox.  Still, his stuff didn't look all that good and his command wasn't sharp.

- The Yanks tied the game back up in the bottom of the 2nd in a really unorthodox way.  Vernon Wells singled and moved to second on an error, then third on another error.  With Chris Stewart batting and 2 outs, Wells went for the steal of home and got it on a delayed double steal attempt, completely catching Sale and rest of the White Sox off guard.

- Hirok seemed to right the ship by retiring the 3rd and 4th innings in order.  But he got into trouble when he put the first 2 runners on in the 5th and an Alexei Ramirez triple brought them home to give Chicago the 3-1 lead.

- Joe should have taken what he could get by getting Kuroda through the 6th and been happy, but he let him start the 7th and Kuroda left a sinker up that turned into a solo home run to extend the deficit.  Bad decision in hindsight.

- After stranding a Nunez leadoff double in the 5th and doing a whole lot of nothing against Sale, the lineup finally broke through in the bottom of the 8th.  A couple of 1-out hits chased Sale from the game and Alfonso Soriano came through with a 2-run single against Nate Jones to pull New York back within 1.

- As questionable as Joe's decision was with Hirok, his decisions with the hitters in the bottom of the 8th made up for it.  He took his chances with Curtis Granderson against a lefty 2 batters later and it worked, and he let Nunez face a righty with runners in scoring position and it worked.  A little comeback turned into a 5-run go-ahead inning and a chance for Mo to do what he does.

AB4AR "Best Of The Month" Awards: August 2013

It seems like it's been a while since we've started one of the "best of the month" posts on a positive note.  That's because it has.  May and July were kinda "blah" months and June was a disaster.  To be fair, the Yankees' 16-12 record in August doesn't stand out as overwhelmingly good.  Their stumbling, bumbling start to the month has a lot to do with that.  Now that they've got some more guys healthy and have an everyday lineup that's more befitting of the team's reputation, things are on the upswing and the Yankees closed the month of August in much better shape than they were when they started.  They're back in the playoff hunt, they're as healthy as they've been all year, and they had a month chock full of great performances and great moments.  See the best of the best after the jump.

Have A Year, J.R. Murphy

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When he stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the 8th yesterday, J.R. Murphy helped set a new Yankee franchise record by becoming the 52nd different player used this season.  It wasn't just a throw-away at-bat either.  Murphy patiently worked a 3-1 count before lining a hard hit groundball single through the left side for his first career Major League hit in his first career at-bat.  He got to be a part of Yankee team history while adding to what has already been a very big year for him personally.  With the season he's already had in the Minors, the call up, and the hit, Murphy has thrust himself into the conversation for top organizational prospect and put himself firmly on the map to not only secure a 40-man roster spot and avoid being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft after this season, but to make next year's Opening Day roster.

What To Do With Hughes Now?

(Courtesy of the AP)

Thanks to his gross ineffectiveness in his 9 previous starts, the Yankees elected to push Phil Hughes back to yesterday, preventing him from pitching in a meaningful game against an AL Wild Card competitor over the weekend.  Strategically it was a smart decision, although the same argument could be made for CC Sabathia, and it almost paid off in spades when the Yankees came within 9 outs of sweeping the Orioles.

Now they face the same dilemma with Hughes heading into this weekend's big series with Baahhhhhston and yesterday's rain-shortened outing did nothing to move the confidence needle in either direction.  Yes, it was Hughes' first scoreless outing since May and we should all be very proud of him for that, but his overall body of work this summer still isn't nearly good enough to trust him with the ball in an important game.  If he wasn't good enough to pitch against the O's, why would he be good enough to pitch against a team 8 games better than the O's?

Impressive Debut For Cesar Cabral Yesterday

September roster expansions means guys getting first looks in the Majors and Joe used garbage time yesterday to get a few players their first taste Major League action.  The most notable of MLB debuts was that of Cesar Cabral.  The 2012 Rule 5 pick worked a scoreless inning in the top of the 8th, allowing 1 base hit and striking out 2 on 13 pitches.

It wasn't exactly the heart of the order, if there even is one of those in the White Sox lineup these days, but Cabral looked very good in his short appearance.  Of those 13 pitches, 11 of them were strikes and 4 of those strikes were swinging.  Both of his strikeouts were against the left-handed hitters, and Cabral displayed a fastball-slider-splitter trio of pitches that he could get over the plate for called strikes and then throw down in the zone to get swings and misses.  As far as 1-inning appearances go, it was as impressive a small sample debut as you could ask for.

Cabral looked like a favorite for a bullpen job coming out of spring camp in 2012 before his elbow fracture derailed his momentum.  The Yankees keeping him around this season while he rehabbed shows how highly they think of him, and with Boone Logan set to hit the free agent market after this season Cabral could work his way into the leading contender spot to take over that role.  Expect to see a lot more of Cabral this month after what he did yesterday.