Too Much Tanaka

Masahiro Tanaka threw 114 pitches last night, 76 for strikes.  He mostly threw 4-seamers and splitters (57.9%), but mixed in plenty of sliders and sinkers as well.  By now, you know how well he managed throwing those 114 pitches, but look at the location of his offspeed stuff and understand why he was able to be so dominant last night:

That's the splitter plot, sweet MS Paint circle added by me for effect.  Of the 29 splits Tanaka threw last night, only those 3 in the middle of the zone were really good pitches to hit.  Over half of them weren't even in the strike zone and yet Tanaka got 15 swings and 6 whiffs.  That's nasty.

Game 39 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 NYM 0

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like Masahiro Tanaka has had to make a lot of important starts lately, as important as early regular season starts can be, that is.  He had another one on his hands last night as the Yankees headed over to Flushing for the first of 2 "road" games against the Mets as losers of 4 straight and falling apart at the seams thanks to a big rash of injuries.  The Yanks needed a big time effort from him to help get things going in the right direction again, and boy did he deliver.

Game Notes:

- The Mets got a single against Tanaka with 1 out in the bottom of the 1st.  It was the last baserunner they'd have until the 5th.  Tanaka was really dealing right from the start and the Met hitters had no answer.

- The Yankees slowly started to build their lead in the 2nd, mainly thanks to a terrible decision by Eric Young Jr. to dive for a ball that he missed and turned into a Brian Roberts RBI triple.

- Yangervis Solarte (best hitter on the team) made it 2-0 off Rafael Montero by punishing a 3-1 fastball, the fifth straight he'd seen in the at-bat, for a solo home run in the 4th.  Mark Teixeira led off the 6th with a solo shot of his own to make it 3-0.

- Tanaka only needed the 1.  A single in the 5th was eliminated by a caught stealing, he stranded a double in the 6th, and just for fun he struck out the side in the 7th on 3 different pitches to each batter.

- The last run came as a result of Brett Gardner's speed on the basepaths.  He singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Derek Jeter IF single.

- Tanaka finished what he started with a scoreless 9th, ending his first career Major League complete game in style.  He even got his first career hit in the previous half-inning.  Splendid.

Yankees' Run Differential Starting To Tell A More Accurate Story

As we approach the quarter pole of the regular season, the Yankees have fallen back to .500 and the middle of the pack in the AL East.  They've lost 4 in a row and 9 of 13, leaving them with a 19-19 record and a -18 run differential that is 3rd worst in the AL behind the Astros and the Rangers.  A few weeks ago, when they were playing better baseball and winning, the negative run differential was downplayed because of the small sample size of games.  Now that the sample has grown, a split of those 38 games shows a disturbing trend:

First 19 Games: 11-8 Record, 75 Runs Scored/84 Runs Allowed (-9 differential)

Last 19 Games: 8-11 Record, 94 Runs Scored/103 Runs Allowed (-9 differential)

Based on that split, the Yankees have basically played the same brand of baseball since Opening Day.  They've scored more runs and given up more runs over the last 19 games, but it's basically been below-average baseball and that's reflected in the matching run differentials.  They outplayed their run differential in the first 19 games and won a few games more than they should have and they weren't able to do that over the last 19 games, which is why they are where they are with a .500 record.

If luck wasn't on their side in the first 19, we'd probably be looking at a 17-21 team that's perfectly in line with its Pythagorean-expected record.  Considering all the injuries that have happened in the last 19, that doesn't exactly bode well for the future.

So You Remember What I Said About Al Aceves Last Week?

You know, about how he could actually help the team?

"Aceves is not old at 31, he's fully healthy, he's made changes to his pitching approach, and he's got experience pitching and pitching well in Yankee Stadium. Maybe he's got another year of '09 magic left in that arm. If so, the Yanks may have just solved their biggest bullpen problem."

Yeah, forget about that.  3 appearances since that 5/4 outing and here's his line in those 3 appearances: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 HR, 5 K.  Aceves has sucked big time and he probably pitched himself out of a roster spot last night.  The Yankees are calling up Chase Whitley to make the final start of this series on Thursday and they'll need to make a 40-man roster move.  DFA'ing Aceves would be a simple and smart move to make.

Sorry if I got anybody's hopes up with that post last week.  That one's on me, guys.  Do you want me to say I fucked up?  I fucked up.  Write it.

Game 38 Wrap-Up: NYM 12 NYY 7

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

There wasn't much to be excited about last night in Yankeeland.  The team was playing like shit, its players were dropping left and right to the bench and disabled list with injuries, the outlook wasn't good for some of the unknowns, and there was no end to the downslide in sight.  They were sending Vidal Nuno, one of the many replacement starters in the rotation right now, to the mound against the Mets, who came in with all the confidence in the world after their double comeback victory on Monday night.  It wasn't pretty, and the scene in Yankeeland got a little dimmer.

Game Notes:

- Nuno had nothing from the get go.  He hit the first batter of the game with his second pitch and gave up a 3-run HR to Curtis Granderson in a 4-run 1st inning, needing 37 pitches to survive it.

- His teammates got him back into it in the bottom half with a 2-out RBI single by Mark Teixeira and follow-up 2-run homer by Brian McCann.  It looked like it was going to be a back-and-forth affair.

- Then Nuno stayed in the game.  He gave up a run in the 3rd and 2 more in the 4th and it was curtains for him after 3.1.  Alfredo Aceves relieved him and didn't do much better, giving up 4 runs in 1.2 innings and ballooning the deficit to 11-4.

- The Yanks tacked on runs in the 5th (Soriano ribbie single), 8th, (Solarte solo HR), and 9th (McCann ribbie single), but they never made a serious comeback attempt.  It was all meaningless.

- Joe got himself tossed early for arguing balls and strikes.  He didn't miss much.  Preston Claiborne allowed his obligatory run in a mop-up 9th.

Tuesday Evening Injury News Roundup

Another day, another batch of injury updates.  This blows.

- Ichiro Suzuki will most likely not be available tonight.  Hasn't quite recovered from his tumble in Milwaukee.

- Mark Teixeira is back in the lineup tonight with his tired legs.  This is the only good news.

- The MRI on Carlos Beltran's hyperextended right elbow revealed a bone spur.  He took a cortisone shot and is going to wait a few days to see if that helps.  If it doesn't, surgery to remove the spur is the next option.

- Shawn Kelley's back still isn't better and he was placed on the disabled list with a "strained lumbar spine" retroactive to last week.  Sounds fun.  Zoilo Almonte was called up to replace him on the active roster.

Yangervis Solarte Should Probably Be Batting Second

(Courtesy of the AP)

If you had Yangervis Solarte as your pick for the player who would be leading all qualified Yankees in batting average, OPS, wOBA, and RBI on May 13th, then congratulations.  You're a smarter person than I.  Even after cooling off from his smoking hot initial start, Solarte has maintained a level of consistent aboave-average production over the last month that nobody else on the team can match.  He's got a hit in each of the last 7 games (multiple hits in 4 of those 7), 11 of the last 13, and he's either scored or driven in a run in 6 of the last 7.

This latest stretch of good hitting has come at a time when the Yankees aren't getting much from the middle of their lineup, and in that respect Solarte has been a quiet lifesaver.  In looking at his overall performance and the spot from which he's producing, however, the question needs to be asked as to whether it's time to move Solarte up in the batting order.  His strongly balanced .330/.405/.473 slash line and the way he's gone about achieving it could probably be put to best use in the 2-spot.

Matt Thornton: Ineffective Or Unlucky?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

There have been plenty of problems in the Yankee bullpen in the first 6 weeks.  One that isn't getting a lot of attention is the performance of Matt Thornton.  Brought in as the lone free agent reliever to replace Boone Logan, Thornton didn't inspire confidence that he had a lot left with his ST effort (7 H, 3 ER, 2 K in 4.0 IP), and so far in the regular season he's been pretty meh.  In 6.2 innings pitched spread over 16 appearances, Thornton owns a 5.40/3.85/5.02 tripleslash with only 5 strikeouts and 3 walks.  He's been perfectly mediocre despite mostly being used correctly in short outings by Joe, but has it really been all his fault?

D-Rob: The Best Reliever Who Never Pitches

David Robertson was activated from the DL on April 22nd.  He pitched in his first game since going on the DL on April 24th, the first of 3 games he pitched in 4 days before the off-day on April 28th.

Since then, D-Rob has appeared in 3 games.  3 games in the last 15 days.  Prior to his appearance against the Brewers on Friday, he pitched only once in a week.  Joe had chances to use him when it made sense in the 9th inning on Sunday and in the 8th inning last night and he chose not to do so.  He explained last night's decision by saying he was planning on using D-Rob for 4 outs if Matt Thornton had been able to retire Lucas Duda.

I get not wanting to overuse a guy when he's coming back from a leg injury and I certainly don't want Joe to burn D-Rob out in May, but to use D-Rob as little as he's been used since he was activated is crazy.  If he's available to get 4 outs, he should be available to get 5 and he should have been in the game after Thornton couldn't retire the righty last night.  Giving up runs and losing games late because you don't use your best relief pitcher is unacceptable, especially when he's as well rested as D-Rob is.

Game 37 Wrap-Up: NYM 9 NYY 7

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Where do you even start with this one?  Blown leads early, blown leads late, more guys hurt.  The list of Yankee problems is growing exponentially and a Subway Series-opening loss to the Mets at home last night added fuel to the dumpster fire.

Game Notes:

- The first blown lead came after Brett Gardner tagged a grand slam in the bottom of the 2nd to give the Yanks a 4-1 lead.  People had been calling for him to be more aggressive earlier in the count and he did that here, smoking a first-pitch fastball down the middle.

- Yankee starter Hiroki Kuroda made the lead hold up through 4, but he wasn't as sharp as he was his last time out and gave up some hard contact.  A Travis D'Arnaud home run in the 5th was the hardest.

- That is until Curtis Granderson came up with 1 on and nobody out in the top of the 6th.  C-Grand has seen enough of Hirok to know when he's got something good to hit, and he made Kuroda pay for leaving a 3-0 sinker up by hitting it out and tying the game at 4.

- As they've done a lot lately, the offense responded quickly.  A double by Alfonso Soriano, RBI single by Yangervis Solarte, RBI triple by Kelly Johnson, and a throwing error on a steal attempt added up to 3 runs in the bottom half of the 6th.

- Then the second giveaway came.  Joe was short in the 'pen again and nobody he went to could get the job done.  Aceves gave up a HR in the 7th, Thornton a few more hits and runs in the 8th, and Claiborne the deciding runs on a Chis Young 2-run blast, the Mets' 4th homer of the night.

Monday Evening Injury News Roundup (UPDATED)

BTW, Cashman said CC is going to see Dr. Andrews as a precuation, not because something got worse.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 12, 2014

Hopefully this doesn't become a regular feature on the site, but there was a lot of Yankee injury news this afternoon.

- The biggest story, to me at least, is the one above about CC Sabathia going to have his knee looked at by Dr. Andrews.  The team is saying it's just a precautionary move, but anytime the name "Dr. Andrews" is involved, that's simply not the case.

- Mark Teixeira admitted his legs felt tired this weekend and I can say that from what I saw of him rounding third yesterday afternoon, I thought he had actually hurt himself.  He's out of the lineup tonight with tightness in his groin, but Joe says he could be back in tomorrow.  We'll see.

- Last but not least, Joe announced earlier today that Michael Pineda will be out longer than the original 3-4 week recovery estimate.  He started a throwing program over the weekend, on flat ground, and there is no timetable for when he'll be on a mound or back in games.  This is just the next move in the series of careful ones the Yanks have made since his shoulder injury.  Can't really blame them.

** UPDATE 9:59 PM- Via Joe's postgame presser, Shawn Kelley is still not ready to return to game action and is day-to-day with back tightness.  According to Joe, Kelley "doesn't have the flexibility to finish his pitches."

- Also, Carlos Beltran left tonight's game early after hyperextending his right elbow taking swings in the batting cage.  He went for an MRI and the team is awaiting results.

- One more.  Ichiro was not available tonight because he has a sore knee and sore back from his sliding catch attempt yesterday.  Great.  Just fucking great. **

Carlos Beltran Has To Be Hurt, Right?

(Not good.  Screen cap courtesy of MLB.com)

Carlos Beltran woke up this morning with the unfortunate distinction of being one of 2 negative WAR everyday players in the Yankee lineup (Soriano is the other).  After a blistering start to his season in which he generated most of the power production from the middle of the batting order, Beltran has been slumping badly for the last 2 weeks and has seen his batting line slip to .240/.292/.440.  While my analysis last Monday showed there were shifts in BIP distribution and most likely approach that were causing the slump, there may be an even simpler explanation for Beltran's troubling decline.

An Airing Of Grievances From A Frustrating Weekend At Miller Park

(Avoiding this dude on Saturday Friday night was literally the only good play Jeter made all weekend.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

For those who didn't know, my family came out to Milwaukee this past weekend for the Yankees-Brewers series.  They hadn't been out here in a few years and our favorite baseball team coming out to my neck of the woods was as good a reason as any to break that streak.  The girlfriend was also along for the ride, so with her meeting the fam for the first time and them meeting her for the first time, it was a pretty big social event.

More relevant to this post than that were my expectations for the series.  Despite losing the DH and coming in not playing the best baseball in May, those expectations were very high.  The Brewers were 4-6 in their last 10 games before this series and had been playing .500 baseball for the past few weeks after their white hot start.  I thought the Yankees were set up perfectly to come in off their series win in Anaheim, get another road series win, and set themselves up for an extended run of success against a relatively weak schedule over the next few weeks.  They got the W on Friday night, but for the most part these 3 games were not encouraging.  All in all, the weekend was a constant series of reminders of just how flawed a ballclub the Yankees are.

Already Broken News: Sabathia To The 15-Day DL

Didn't even see this yesterday before I passed out, but the Yankees put CC Sabathia on the disabled list with fluid in his right knee.  He went for an MRI after his start on Saturday night, which showed the fluid in the knee, but fortunately there's no structural damage.

For that reason, the team is optimistic that CC will be out for the minimum of 15 days, but you never know with older pitchers.  Even if it is a simple drain and rest and he misses the minimum amount of time, this is an area of concern moving forward.  Sabathia has battled health problems over the last 2 plus seasons and his right knee is his plant knee.  If there's fluid buildup now, it seems likely that there will be more or possibly more severe issues there later in the year.

The only good news here is that maybe the time off will give CC a chance to correct his fastball command problems.  They've been the bane of his existence this year.  The bad news is that now the Yankees are without 60% of their Opening Day rotation.  Alfredo Aceves is expected to take CC's spot in the rotation, and it seems like Chase Whitley will get called up to take Al's spot in the bullpen.

Game 36 Wrap-Up: MIL 6 NYY 5 (UPDATED)

(Courtesy of the AP)

This was a game the Yankees could have and should have won about 4 different times and didn't.  David Phelps pitched like David Phelps, the offense had a quick early burst and then disappeared for most of the time, Derek Jeter continued to look older than death and not much else, and Joe may or may not have lost the game for his team in the bottom of the 9th with a questionable bullpen decision.

It was a fun weekend with family and friends but a frustrating weekend as a Yankee fan.  I'm completely exhausted and going to bed now so I can be up before the sun to drive the fam to the airport.  A full recap of this game will be coming tomorrow morning can be found after the jump.

Maybe It's Time For A New Strategy, CC

The curse of the one bad inning continued for CC Sabathia yesterday.  This one was particularly bad because of the Brendan Ryan error that allowed the inning to continue and the back-to-back jacks that followe.  After the game, CC talked about what he was trying to do in the at-bat against Jonathan Lucroy:

“Just trying to throw a comeback sinker.  Ended up middle, didn't get in enough, and he put a good swing on it. Just a mistake."

Far be it for me to question a guy who's pitched for as long as CC has, but maybe throwing a sinker in an 0-2 count wasn't the best decision.  He's been so inconsistent with command of both of his fastballs this year and at 89-90 MPH, they aren't swing-and-miss pitches anymore.  In that situation, I would have rather seen another slider to try to get the strikeout.  Hell, waste one way down in the dirt and see if you can get Lucroy to chase.  That's way better than throwing a hittable fastball anywhere in the strike zone, regardless of whether you hit your spot or not.

I don't know, maybe I'm off base here.  It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me to throw your weakest pitches in a pitcher's count.  If the sinker was 92-93 with consistent movement, it'd be a different story.  But it's not and CC's not locating where he wants to, so why throw it and give the hitter a chance when you've already got him in an 0-2 hole?

Game 35 Wrap-Up: MIL 5 NYY 4

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

CC Sabathia pitched the best baseball of his career in the summer of 2008, when he was traded to Milwaukee and almost single-handedly pitched the Brewers into the playoffs.  I had just moved out to Wisconsin that summer and I can tell you that the city was absolutely in love with the guy.  He hit the free agent market that offseason and signed with the Yankees.  Fast forward to 2014, when the big guy is pitching the worst baseball of his career and making his first return back to Milwaukee.  CC got a standing ovation yesterday at the beginning of the game and it was all downhill from there as the Yanks failed to secure a comeback win.

Game Notes:

- It didn't take long for things to go south for CC.  He gave up a DEEEEEEEP home run to Carlos Gomez to lead off the bottom of the 1st, I mean really deep.  The ball hit off the windows of the stadium club in left field, at least halfway up.  Longest home run I've ever seen at Miller Park.

- The lineup would mount a 2-out rally for him in the top of the 3rd to take the lead.  Jacoby Ellsbury was awarded first base on catcher's interference, he scored on Brett Gardner's triple, and Gardner came around on a single by Carlos Beltran to make it 2-1 Yanks.

- And then the wheels really came off.  With 2 outs in the bottom of the 3rd, Brendan Ryan booted a ball at shortstop to put a runner on.  CC then gave up a 2-run home run to Jonathan Lucroy and a solo shot to Aramis Ramirez on the next pitch to make it 4-2 Milwaukee.  Hanger City on weak fastballs.  Same old story.

- To their credit, the Yanks fought back.  Mark Teixeira popped a solo HR to left in the 6th and Alfonso Soriano scored Kelly Johnson with a pinch hit single in the 7th to tie the game back up at 4.

- The shorthanded bullpen couldn't hold the lead though.  Joe went with Alfredo Aceves in the 7th and he couldn't retire Rickie Weeks with 2 outs.  Weeks snuck a ribbie single through for the go-ahead run and the Milwaukee bullpen held on in the final 2 innings.  Worth noting that Beltran misplayed a ball in right that ended up as a double 2 batters before Weeks.

Kelley Day-To-Day With Back Tightness

Last night, my old man and I were wondering why Joe didn't have Shawn Kelley warming for the 7th or 8th inning.  The game was close, which almost always means Joe sticks with his regular guys in their regular roles.  Turns out he wasn't available due to an undisclosed back injury.  Kelley said he started feeling a little stiffness in his back during the Angels series and it tightened up worse on him after the flight into Milwaukee.  He went for an MRI, which came back clean, so for now the Yankees are calling him day-to-day and seeing how a few days of rest affects it.

Doesn't sound like a serious problem right now, but it'll be worth following over the next few days.  I wouldn't expect to see Kelley tonight or tomorrow afternoon, so the Yanks are once again working with a short bullpen.

Game 34 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 MIL 3

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

I thought the stars were aligned for a big time Masahiro Tanaka outing last night.  Between his nasty stuff, the Brewers' lack of experience seeing him, and their tendency to be free swingers at times, another double digit strikeout performance was more than in play.  It didn't up being quite as stellar as I hoped for, but he was still good enough to win and kept his year-plus winning streak alive with a well-deserved victory.

Game Notes:

- Early on it looked like he might toss a complete game shutout.  He walked Carlos Gomez to start the bottom of the 1st and then promptly retired the next 8 batters he faced.  Through 4, he gave up only 2 singles and struck out 4.

- Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo was up to the task of matching Tanaka early.  He held the Yankees scoreless the first time through the order with only a walk and a Jacoby Ellsbury base hit against him.

- Things started to unravel for Gallardo in the 4th, after he had to throw almost 50 pitches to get through the first 3.  A Carlos Beltran leadoff walk and a Brian McCann single put 2 runners on with 1 out.  Gallardo left a first-pitch slider out over the plate and Yangervis Solarte smacked it into the right field bleachers for a 3-run homer and a 3-0 Yankee lead.  A Brett Gardner single and a Brian Roberts double to right made it 4-0.

- Tanaka kept cruising into the 6th, when a pair of back-to-back doubles finally got the Brewers on the board.  Jonathan Lucroy singled past Derek Jeter's rotting corpse to pull within 2, but an Aramis Ramirez double play ball and another K ended the threat.

- The Yanks got a pretty big insurance run in the 8th thanks to a leadoff double by Beltran.  Ichiro pinch ran for him, stole third base, and scored on a Mark Teixeira groundout.

- Adam Warren replaced Tanaka with 2 on and 1 out in the 7th and got another clutch double play to snuff out a potential Brewer rally.  He handled the 8th as well and D-Rob sandwiched a Mark Reynolds solo shot between 3 strikeouts for the save.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 5/9/14

So here's the deal for this weekend.  The family is in town, we're going to all 3 Yanks-Brewers games at Miller Park, and in between the games I'll be spending the bulk of my time entertaining them.  As a result, the content on the site will be pretty light this weekend, possibly nothing more than game recaps.  If I have time to post anything more than that, I will, but expect it to be a slow weekend at AB4AR and things to get back to normal on Monday.  As for tonight, I couldn't be more excited to see Tanaka pitch live.  Tonight's tickets are the best ones I got, so hopefully he gives me my money's worth.  I'm setting the over/under for strikeouts at 12.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog put the Yankees' early negative run differential through the historical ringer to see what it can tell us about their chances for success going forward this season.

- On Tuesday, Vizzini of NoMaas discussed the team-wide decrease in walks as a possible contributing factor to the uninspiring early offensive production.

- Mike Axisa of RAB mused on how Joe will fit Brendan Ryan into the infield rotation and whether or not he'll utilize Ryan as a late-game defensive caddy for The Captain.

- On Wednesday, Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes commented on a recent victorious Yankee trade that doesn't get the ink it probably should.

- Andrew Mearns of Pinstripe Alley broke down the SSS numbers to show how the Yankee infield  has been limited by the hot-and-cold production of Brian Roberts and Yangervis Solarte.

- El duque of It Is High... pondered the possible outcomes for Derek Jeter's final season based on how he looked in the first month.

- On Thursday, Chad Jennings of LoHud got the scoop on the organizational plan for Manny Banuelos' comeback season from TJS.

- Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA proposed a rotation switch with Vidal Nuno and Alfredo Aceves and explained why it could give Joe a greater bullpen advantage.

- Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits explained why the Yankees should move Derek Jeter off of shortstop and suggested an outfield platoon option that could make it possible.  It will never happen, but I would support the move if Joe made it.

I'm going back to the QOTSA well for this Friday's jam and with good reason.  Went to see them at the Riverside Theater on Wednesday night with the girlfriend and they absolutely brought the house down.  Only thing that would have made it better would have been them playing "In The Fade", which was originally on the setlist.  Here's a taste of the show with the opener, "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire".



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.  I know I will.

Report: A Handful Of Injured Prospects Close To Returning

Chad Jennings of LoHud put together one of his classic prospect update posts yesterday, and you didn't have to sift through it very long to find the best bits of news.  According to Mark Newman, DL-stricken prospects Slade Heathcott, Tyler Austin, Bryan Mitchell, and Dan Burawa are all "about a week away" from being activated and returning to game action.

You'll remember that Heathcott has yet to play at all this season as he's been rehabbing from offseason knee surgery.  Austin has been out with a groin strain for a few weeks, Mitchell with a sore elbow, and Burawa with an oblique strain.  Greg Bird was activated earlier this week and assigned to High-A Tampa, so the rest of this crew following him back into action would be a nice boost to a prospect crop that's had another uneven start to the year.

Newman also told Jennings that 2012 1st rounder Ty Hensley has been throwing bullpen sessions at the Tampa complex and should start facing hitters next week.  Getting him ready in time for the start of the short season leagues would be great.  Dude has missed a lot of time.

Yanks Announce Plans To Honor A Bunch Of Guys

I was running around for most of the day yesterday so I didn't get a chance to cover this.  The Yankees announced plans to honor multiple former team members yesterday, most notably former manager Joe Torre.  Torre will have his number 6 retired in a pregame ceremony on August 23rd.  The manager for the most recent Yankee dynasty of the late 90s-early 2000s, Torre and the team have had to work to repair their relationship over the last few years.  It's good to see that that work has been completed.

The team also announced that there will be ceremonies to honor former players Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, and Goose Gossage with plaques in Monument Park.  Those ceremonies will be held on June 21st (Martinez), 22nd (Gossage), and August 9th (O'Neill).  To be honest, I'm a little surprised that all 3 of these guys are receiving plaques out there.  They were good Yankees but not great Yankees, and I don't think they deserve to be honored before better, homegrown players like Bernie Williams.

Speaking of Bernie, the team did say there are plans to honor him next year, although they did not announce what the plans are or when that will happen.  Hopefully Bernie gets his number 51 retired because he deserves it.  Between him, Paulie, Tino, Torre, and whatever's planned for Derek Jeter at the end of this season, the Yankees are going heavy on honoring that late 90s dynasty.  When Jeter has his number retired, that will be the end of single digit numbers in Yankeeland.  Pretty cool.

Murphy Adapting Well To Backup Role

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

There was a lot of talk about the Yankees possibly trading one of their surplus catchers in Spring Training, and it was widely known that multiple teams were scouting those catchers in March.  But after wallowing through last season with Chris Stewart and Austin Romine, I think the front office learned its lesson and they wisely chose to hold onto all of them.  When Francisco Cervelli went down with his annual April injury, the Yanks had a decision to make on who to call up to take his spot.  Rather than go with the more experienced Romine, they chose last year's breakout prospect John Ryan Murphy, signifying a passing of the prospect torch from Romine to Murphy and the team valuing talent over experience.

Musing On The Interleague Outfield Rotation

The Yankees have an off-day today as they make the trip from Los Angeles to good old Milwaukee.  They start a 3-game series against the Brewers tomorrow night, their 2nd interleague series of the young season and the first in which they'll be the road team.  Including these 3 upcoming games, the Yankees will play 7 of their next 12 games as the interleague road team, which means 7 of the next 12 without the benefit of the DH.

The Yanks have had a pretty solid outfield rotation working so far this year.  Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Carlos Beltran are the clear top 3, but Alfonso Soriano has gotten some time in place of Beltran and Ichiro Suzuki has been a surprisingly consistent offensive and defensive contributor as the 5th outfielder.  Without the benefit of the DH spot in the lineup, that rotation will have to shorten and Joe's going to have some work to do when it comes to giving everybody the proper amount of playing time and rest.  Piggybacking on an idea that Mike Axisa touched on earlier this morning, I'm curious to see how Joe handles juggling those top 4 guys.

Game 33 Wrap-Up: NYY 9 LAA 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees have found some interesting ways to lose in the last week.  They almost added a new way to the list on Tuesday when they coughed up an 8th inning lead, but managed to eek out a win.  Last night, they got back to more traditional winning formulas: good pitching AAAAND good hitting.  Whatever they learned from facing Hector Santiago last time they definitely carried over to this game and they head into their travel day with 2 straight Ws and a much needed series win on the road.

Game Notes:

- The offense didn't waste any time, loading 'em up in the top of the 1st on a pair of walks and an error.  Mark Teixeira doubled in 2, Yangervis Solarte sac flied in 1, and Brett Gardner and Brian Roberts each singled in a run to make it 5-0 Yanks.

- A lot has been made of Derek Jeter's lack of power early on, and he silenced the critics on this night by hitting his first home run of the season to make it 6-0 in the 2nd.  Yeah, Jeets.

- Very strong start for Vidal Nuno, who needed one badly.  He gave up a run in a shaky 2nd inning, then retired the next 12 in order through the 6th.

- He was pulled with 1 out in the 7th and had he been at The Stadium, he would have left to a nice ovation.  Dellin Betances replaced him to finish the 7th and gave up a garbage run in the 8th.

- That run wouldn't be nearly enough to make a comeback, as the Yanks tacked on 3 more in the top half of the 8th.  John Ryan Murphy had the big blow with a 2-run single and that was more than enough cushion for Preston Claiborne in the 9th.