BREAKING: Jeter Back To The DL

As first reported by Meredith Marakovits and just confirmed by a few other beat writers, Derek Jeter has been placed on the disabled list, presumably to cover the litany of leg issues he's dealing with but officially due to the latest one, a Grade I strain of his right calf.

In addition to adding Alex Rodriguez to the active roster, the Yankees also designated Brent Lillibridge for assignment this afternoon to clear a 40-man spot and recalled David Adams from Triple-A SWB.  For the next few days at least, they'll have A-Rod and Adams to handle third base and Nunez and Nix to handle short.  Trading 2 third baseman for 2 shortstops on the active roster.  No word from the team yet on plans for Jeter moving forward, but at least they aren't sending him back out there to have his legs snap beneath him as he tries to run to first.

Alex Rodriguez Officially Suspended By Major League Baseball (Updated)

From the league itself:

"Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today that third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2013 Championship Season and Postseason and the entire 2014 Championship Season for violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and the Basic Agreement.

Rodriguez’s discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years. Rodriguez’s discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation. The suspension, which will become effective on Thursday, August 8th, will cover 211 Championship Season games and any 2013 Postseason games in which Rodriguez otherwise would have been eligible to play.

Under the terms of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, Rodriguez’s suspension will be stayed until the completion of his appeal if Rodriguez files a grievance challenging his discipline."

There you have it.  With the suspension not starting until Thursday it's a few less games than initially reported, but this is basically what was expected to come out of this announcement.  Now let the fun of the appeal process begin...

** UPDATE 2:26 PM- Bud Selig has issued his own personal statement, if you're interested in reading what he has to say. **

** UPDATE 2:47 PM- Yankees have released their official statement as well, and it contains a return of fire across A-Rod's bow in its denial of any involvement in the investigation.  Fun times. **

** UPDATE 3:39 PM- The MLBPA has issued a statement on all the suspensions, pledged their support to A-Rod and his decision to appeal, and said that they believe Bud Selig "has not acted appropriately under the Basic Agreement." **

Timing Of Latest Injury Setbacks Leaves Rotation Dangerously Thin

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It was another poor outing for Phil Hughes yesterday, the poorest and shortest he's had since his 0.2-inning meltdown against the Mariners in May.  In his last 3 starts, Hughes has completed just 12.1 innings and has given up 13 R (10 ER) on 19 H in those innings with 8 BB to just 6 K.  His leash with Joe has gotten shorter to the point that were it a literal leash it would probably be choking him to death as soon as he took the mound, and his inability to work efficiently and deeply into games is becoming a burden on the bullpen.  Hughes needed 71 pitches yesterday to retire just 8 batters.

Combined with the unadulterated putridity that has been CC Sabathia's last 4 starts, suddenly the Yankees are rolling with an even worse rotation than they had a few weeks ago.  The group that needed to turn things around in concert with the offense if the Yankees were going to make a serious playoff charge has become an alternating "all or nothing" collection of some of the best and worst pitching we've seen this season.  For every great start Hirok or Nova goes out and pitches, Sabathia and Hughes pitch one equally as bad if not worse a day or 2 later.

Yanks Planning To Run Jeter Into The Ground Now?

(Courtesy of the AP)

That Derek Jeter is out of the lineup again and possibly heading back to the disabled list for leg issues is not surprising.  He's battled them since first starting his comeback from ankle surgery in Spring Training and 2013 has all but turned into a lost season for him because of it.  Based on comments made by Joe before and after last night's game, the Yankees' possible plan to handle Jeter moving forward does come as a bit of a surprise.

Today Should Be Fun, Huh?

It's a new week, the Yankees are further back in the playoff races than they have been thanks to another series loss, but fear not, people, because we should have a multitude of awesome stories to distract us from that today.

Sometime this morning, MLB should formally announce its suspensions of all the players connected to the Biogenesis clinic.  From the latest media reports, anticipation is that Alex Rodriguez will be handed a suspension through the end of the 2014 season but will not have his right to appeal blocked.  Barring any last minute injuries or changes in Bud's plan, A-Rod and all the great media coverage that comes with him should be back in the lineup tonight.

Later in the day, probably before the start of tonight's game, we could get news on the 3 latest injury setbacks to afflict the team.  Derek Jeter could be put back on the DL with a Grade I calf strain, Michael Pineda could have problems with his surgically-repaired right shoulder, and David Phelps could have a serious elbow problem.  Yaaaayyyy!!!

And if that wasn't enough, the Yankees could lose tonight to a former mid-tier lefty pitching prospect in Jose Quintana, a guy they basically let walk away after the 2011 season.  He's hooked on with the White Sox and has pitched to a 3.62/.378 slash in 22 starts this year, good for a 2.5 fWAR or more than any other non-Kuroda starter on the Yankees has this season.  And who says the Yanks can't develop pitching talent?

Yes sir, this is going to be an awesome day.  Suspensions, injuries, endless beat writer stupidity and A-Rod bashing, and former prospect reunions.  Great day to be a Yankee fan indeed!

Game 110 Wrap-Up: SD 6 NYY 3

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Once upon a time, not too long ago, the Yankees were blessed with one of the nastiest trios of starting pitching prospects in all of baseball.  Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy were supposed to be the boost of young pitching needed to help the aging core of the lineup stay competitive and in World Series contention as that generation of players moved to the ends of their careers.  Instead, all 3 will be remembered mostly un-fondly for their time in pinstripes.  Kennedy was the first to flame out in New York in an unfairly small number of starts, and 4 years later Hughes and Joba have followed him down and likely out of town at season's end.  Kennedy-Hughes was the starting matchup and Joba made an appearance, so all parties from that failed venture got to contribute today in a bad loss for the Yankees.  None more than Hughes.

Game Notes:

- Hughes got into trouble in the 2nd by not locating his fastball and failing to put guys away with 2 strikes.  He could have got out of it with just 1 run allowed, but he gave up a big 2-out, 2-run hit to Everth Cabrera that made it 3-0.

- With 2 on and 1 out in the bottom of the 3rd, Joe elected to intentionally load the bases, a questionable move given Hughes' fastball struggles.  After a sac fly and another 2-out hit allowed, San Diego had 2 more on the board and Hughes' day was done.

- The Yankees put a runner on base every inning from the 2nd through the 5th.  They could never string any hits together against Kennedy to break through and he made some big pitches to get 2 inning-ending double plays.

- Kennedy helped his own cause in the 4th, singling to start the inning and coming around to score on a Chase Headley single.  It was 6-0 and things were looking bleak.

- The lineup finally managed to break through in the 6th, and surprisingly enough they did it with 2 outs.  2 straight walks to Cano and Soriano and a pair of RBI singles for Curtis Granderson and Lyle Overbay made it 6-2 and abruptly ended Kennedy's day.

- An Austin Romine solo HR in the 7th made things interesting again, but the Yankee offense couldn't complete the comeback and 5.1 innings of very good relief work was wasted.  Another series, another series loss.

Who's Ready For Some More Setbacks? (Updated)

It wouldn't be a week in Yankeeland without a few guys suffering injury setbacks, right?  Thankfully they remembered to come through on that commitment yesterday and were nice enough to hit us with a double dose of bad news.

Derek Jeter was held out of last night's game and will be held out of tonight's game with some lingering soreness in his quad and also now his calf.  Jeter has been mandated by the team to only jog out of the batter's box on contact, something that hasn't sat well with him.  Being handled with such kid gloves and still coming up with injuries, it's clear at this point that Jeter is nowhere near 100% physically and never was.  The team is hoping the few days off will be enough to avoid the DL and have him ready to go on Monday in Chicago.

David Phelps was scheduled to make his next rehab appearance yesterday and was a late scratch with what the Double-A Trenton manager called a sore right elbow.  Phelps has been working back from a forearm strain he suffered about a month ago and there hadn't been any issues since he started throwing again up until last night.  He's going to be reevaluated and everything is up in the air until the team gets a diagnosis.  The Yankees could use help in the pitching staff and they were counting on Phelps to provide that help.  Anytime there are elbow problems there is concern.  Hopefully this doesn't turn into anything serious.

** UPDATE 1:12 PM- Via Bryan Hoch, Michael Pineda left his start after just 2 innings last night due to shoulder stiffness.  He's being sent to NY to be checked out.  Great.

Also via Hoch, Derek Jeter had an MRI on his calf today.  They're awaiting the results right now.  Awesome. **

Game 109 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 SD 0

(Up top.  Courtesy of the AP)

The team's supposed best pitcher can't get through 5 innings without taking a beating these days.  Their supposed 5th starter has been the best pitcher not named Kuroda on the staff since late June.  Yesterday that 5th starter, Ivan Nova, was back out on the hill trying to get his team back in the win column.  He, and the rest of the Yankees, were without Derek Jeter, who was held out due to lingering soreness in his quad and some apparent new soreness in his calf.  Whether there's another DL trip on the horizon for him remains to be seen.  What mattered yesterday was that Nova was dealing and with a little help from C-Grand he led the Yankees to victory.

Game Notes:

- It was a bit bumpy for Nova early.  He gave up 2 singles in the bottom of the 1st before striking Jedd Gyorko to end the inning, and he had to work around a leadoff double in the 2nd.

- The sailing was much smoother for San Diego starter Tyson Ross.  He retired the first 13 batters he faced in order, including a stretch of 5 strikeouts in a row and 6 out of 7 into the 5th.

- Nova settled down after the 2nd and really started to dial in his command.  He was working almost exclusively fastball-curveball and he was hitting his spots down with the heater to set up the curve nicely as the out pitch.  From the 3rd-6th, he sat down the Padres in order to keep the game scoreless.

- The offense finally showed up in the top of the 7th against a tiring Ross.  Alfonso Soriano singled to start the inning and Curtis Granderson showed his hand is feeling good by smacking a 2-run homer to right to give New York the lead.  Got a fastball in an obvious fastball count and didn't waste it.

- Nova gave up a double and a walk in the 7th but kept runs off the board again.  Joe must have seen something in that inning that he didn't like though, because Nova was out after 85 pitches and the game was in the 'pen's hands.  When those hands belong to D-Rob and Mo, that's a smart decision.

- C-Grand helped tack on an insurance run in the 9th on a leadoff single, stolen base, and a GB single by Jayson Nix to plate him.

A-Rod Goes On The Offensive

(If that isn't the biggest "you can all go fuck yourselves" smile I've ever seen, I don't know what is.  Courtesy of the AP)

Does this sound like a guy who's ready to make a deal with MLB to you?

"There is more than one party that benefits from me not being on the field. It’s not my teammates and not the Yankees fans.”

In the end he's probably going down big time, come hell or high water, but good for A-Rod for not just laying there and taking it.  And good for him for having the balls to come out and say what any reasonable and rational fan has already thought and what every MSM writer is afraid to report on.  The Yankees have to be ecstatic about how this is going to go down.  If Bud gets his way, they aren't only off the hook for Alex's salary next year and in a much better position to make Operation 189 work, they could be off the hook for every last cent for every last year of that miserable contract that they themselves created and offered to Rodriguez back in 2007.  I don't think it's fair to suggest that the Yankees are helping MLB make their case against Alex, but they certainly aren't and haven't been doing anything to help him.

This is really all A-Rod has left and he knows it's basically him against the world.  Can't hate on a guy for taking that opposition head on.

Not An Ace

Whether you're somebody who's been singing the "CC isn't an ace" song for a while now or just a recent convert to the idea, we can all agree that these numbers from CC Sabathia's last 4 starts are just too ugly for words.

19.2 IP, 37 H, 27 R (22 ER), 10 BB, 20 K, 4 HR

That's a 10.07 ERA and a 2.39 WHIP.  Pathetic is the only way to describe it and it's nowhere near ace-quality work from the guy the Yankees still call their ace.  CC flat out isn't getting it done, he's not even competitive out there on the mound, and something needs to be done about it.  Whatever he's doing between starts to try to fix things isn't working and it's time for Joe and the rest of the coaching staff to stop pretending it's not happening, stop waiting for things to correct themselves, and get to work on helping CC fix it.  He's the worst pitcher on the entire staff right now, and diminished fastball or not that's not something any of us ever expected to see.

Game 108 Wrap-Up: SD 7 NYY 2

(This is becoming a way too familiar sight.  Courtesy of the AP)

Late game, long night, late wake up, short recap.  Not that you really need to know all the fine details looking at the final score.

Game Notes:

- It was another bad start for CC Sabathia.  He gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st on a pair of singles and a pair of walks.  Can't even remember the last time the big guy walked in a run.

- The Yanks got their 2 in the top of the 2nd after an Ichiro leadoff single.  He stole second and scored on Eduardo Nunez's double, and Nunez came around to score on a couple of groundouts.

- 3 more hits and 2 more runs allowed for CC in the 4th.  He was getting hit hard and putting guys on in every inning.  He failed to get out of the 6th inning and left with the loss on his hands.

- There would be no late comeback this time.  The offense only put 1 guy on base in the final 4 innings, and Joba Chamberlain and Adam Warren each gave up a solo HR for good measure.

- If you're wondering, Curtis Granderson went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts in his first game back.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 8/2/13

My buddy from work is hosting an all-day pig roast at his friend's bar in Milwaukee tomorrow.  $10 all you can eat.  Not conducive at all to having to write West Coast game recaps.  Consider that my pre-explanation for why there won't be one on Sunday.  Now onto the links!

- On Tuesday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog mused on Bud Selig's history of pursuing baseball's best interests and how that has all led up to his unfair singling out of Alex Rodriguez in the Biogenesis case.

- Mike Axisa of RAB discussed the Yankees putting themselves into the "no man's land" position I touched on earlier in the week thanks to their questionable roster construction/payroll management plan.

- Dan Dechenaux of Yanks Go Yard paid tribute to Hideki Matsui on his retirement day.

- On Wednesday, Rebecca Glass of This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes looked back on one of A-Rod's greatest Yankee moments, one she'll never forget regardless of how his Biogenesis punishment comes out.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud weighed the options the Yankees had with Phil Hughes at the deadline.  We know now that they chose to hold him.

- Vizzini of NoMaas made an impassioned and very practical argument for why the Yankees should have traded Robinson Cano before the deadline.

- SG of RLYW used updated postseason projections to argue against the Yankees taking a buyer's position at the deadline.

- On Thursday, Michael Brown of Pinstriped Bible discussed the role timing played in the Yankees' inactive deadline, and how they might be better off because of it.

- Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA pointed out the biggest weakness Cash displayed in handling the roster this season, both before and at the deadline.

- Steve Lombardi of Was Watching reviewed David Robertson's previous closing experiences to question whether he was the right fit for Mo's successor.

- On Friday, el duque of It Is High... took a very interesting stance on the whole A-Rod/Yankees/MLB situation and how it should or shouldn't affect our fandom.

- Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes riffed on the "Cash or Steinbrenners" decision debate and argued that not much has really changed when it comes to ownership gets the final say.

- Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits talked up Ivan Nova's big turnaround in performance since returning to the rotation.

This week's jam is more new stuff, this time from Pearl Jam.  I finally caught "Mind Your Manners" on the radio the other day.  Didn't even realize it was out and as usual it's some pretty good rock and roll.  PJ might be the most consistent rock band of the last 25 years.  Even if they didn't knock it out of the park, you could always count on their stuff to be good.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

AB4AR "Best Of The Month" Awards: July 2013

July 2013 was basically a tale of 2 mini-seasons separated by the All Star break.  The Yankees went 9-5 pre-ASB in a stretch that started off with 6 straight wins, and then just 5-7 after the break in a key stretch of games that left them doing little more than treading water in the playoff race.  Still, 14-12 overall is a better month than June and they aren't completely buried yet.  A trade deadline addition and the return of a few key veterans has the lineup looking better as we move into August.  Here's a look back at the highlights of the last month.

C-Grand Brings Respectability Back To The Lineup

(Courtesy of MiLB.com)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Barring any really unforeseen setbacks in the next few hours, all expectations are that Curtis Granderson will rejoin the Yankees and return to the lineup this weekend.  He wasn't in the Double-A Trenton lineup yesterday and Josh Norris reported that he was off to rejoin the team in Cali.  There was no formal confirmation or announcement by the team - they were basically on media blackout yesterday with the A-Rod stuff still hanging out there - but I can't imagine they would give up a day of rehab ABs for C-Grand if they and he were confident he was ready.  Personally, and I don't think I'm alone here, I'm hoping to see him back tonight.

Whether it's tonight or tomorrow, the return of Granderson to an already upgraded lineup should bring that lineup up out of the "upgraded" category and back to a level more befitting of a competitive Major League team.  While "good" would still be a bit of a stretch, these boys should now be at least respectable against both righty and lefty pitchers.

Last Time On "As The Quads Strain"...

Alex returned to the field yesterday, in a simulated game somewhere near the team's Tampa complex.  Shielded from the media, he got 6 at-bats in and also played the field and ran the bases.  The team announced plans for his next rehab assignment, which he is scheduled to start today in Double-A.

Meanwhile, things off the field were getting just as hot (and even heavier) than the action on the field.  After early reports came out that A-Rod and his team of lawyers were working with MLB on a plea deal, Joel Sherman reported last night that those talks were off and his team was back on the plan to appeal any suspension handed down.  T.J. Quinn of ESPN reported later last night that the settlement talks had stalled between A-Rod and MLB based on the amount of games he was willing to accept and his desire to recoup at least some of his remaining contract.  Obvious sticking points for both sides, so it doesn't sound like there's a deal to be made there.

Is A-Rod making a deal?  Is he not?  Will the suspension be announced today?  Will he appeal?  Will we ever see him in a Yankee uniform again?  And how much champagne is ownership putting on ice for the celebration of not having to pay him next year?  Find out next time on "As The Quads Strain."

Robertson Sitting Out Last Night- Problem?

After declaring him not an injury risk and talking down concern when a heavy short-term workload left him unavailable for a night early last month, it was more than a tad disconcerting to read that David Robertson was not available last night due to arm fatigue.  That makes his 9-pitch, 1-and-done appearance on Tuesday night more understandable and should be looked at as somewhat of a concern based on Joe saying that D-Rob came to him to tell him he wasn't feeling it.

D-Rob was lights out in July, allowing 0 runs in 13 appearances and striking out 18 batters to just 1 walk.  In fact, he hasn't given up a run since June 16th.  He also had his heaviest workload of the season in July, 13.0 IP in all.  That's a pretty decent toll considering a few off-days and the ASB are included.  Robertson had pitched in 3 of the last 4 nights before last night, but only 3 times in the preceding 2 weeks because of the break.  It's not like Joe has been riding him into the ground lately, so why the arm fatigue now?

Chances are it was just a one-time thing and D-Rob will be good to go.  He'll have a second straight day off tomorrow and it wouldn't shock me to see Joe hold him out a third day tomorrow if the lead or deficit is big enough.  As long as we see Robertson back out on the mound fanning guys this weekend, I think he's fine.

Granderson To Return Vs. Padres

Even though they got nothing at the deadline, the Yankees could still be getting an upgrade to their lineup as soon as tomorrow.  Via Josh Norris, Curtis Granderson was not listed on the Double-A Trenton roster today and is traveling to California to meet up with the Yankees for their weekend series against the San Diego Padres.  Norris did not specify which day, and there has been no follow-up on the report by anybody else, but as someone who covers Trenton intimately, Norris would have a better idea of what's going on than anybody at ESPN NY.

For C-Grand, this will mark the second return to the lineup for him this season.  Hopefully this one is more than 8 games.  In 6 MiL rehab games, Granderson was 4-19 with 4 BB, 5 K, and 3 R scored.  He's not the right-handed power bat the Yankees need, but he is another power bat and he's a better everyday lineup option than Wells and Ichiro.  For the Yankees, this is a greatly needed lengthening of the middle of the batting order and through association a deepening of the bench.

Slurping Hiroki Kuroda

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The title of the post tells you the whole story.  No underlying storylines here, no projections or predictions, or trying to figure out what it may mean for the future.  This is just some straight up, good old-fashioned appreciation of what Hiroki Kuroda has done this season and recognition of how badass he is.

Kuroda has been the unquestioned best starting pitcher on the staff this year.  After last night, he now leads all Yankee starters (with 10 starts or more) in ERA (2.38), FIP (3.38), BB rate (4.9%), K/BB (3.67), WHIP (1.03), strand rate (83.7%), wins (10), and fWAR (3.0).  He's second in IP (139.2) and strikeouts (99) and the innings count is really only because Joe doesn't seem to have it in him to take CC out early when he's pitching like crap.  Kuroda has officially become the ace of this staff.

Game 107 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 LAD 0

(Courtesy of the AP)

I half-joked on the Facebook page Tuesday that if I set the betting line at 5 total runs scored in this series, would you take the over or the under?  Most people were taking the under and it was hard to blame them with who the Dodgers were putting out on the mound.  Zack Greinke did the job on Wednesday night against the still sputtering Yankee offense and big lefty and once pipe dream future Yankee Clayton Kershaw looked primed to best that last night.  If we're being honest, he actually did, but he was bested by the best the Yankees have on their staff in Hiroki Kuroda and the Bombers left LA with a much needed split.

Game Notes:

- Kershaw surrendered just 3 hits through 6 innings, 2 of them groundball singles that found holes.  He was on his game and working efficiently to mow down the Yankee batting order.

- Across the diamond, Kuroda was doing the exact same thing to the Dodger lineup.  He allowed just a single walk the first time through the order, and completely torched the 1-4 spots in the lineup between the 3rd and 4th innings with a K, groundout, K, K sequence.

- Hirok could have gotten himself into trouble in the bottom of the 7th, when he gave up 3 base hits in a 4-batter span.  Luckily Adrian Gonzalez got greedy trying to stretch his leadoff hit and got thrown out at second by Vernon Wells.

- Boone Logan replaced Kuroda after Melky Mesa pinch hit for him in the top of the 8th and navigated his way around a leadoff single and an intentional walk of Yasiel Puig to get the Yankees to their last chance in a 0-0 9th.

- Kershaw hit for himself in the bottom of the 8th, but for some reason was removed for the top of the 9th.  Derek Jeter worked a leadoff walk off Ronald Bellisario, who also walked Ichiro after 2 groundouts.  Pinch hitter Lyle Overbay faced lefty Paco Rodriguez, and after getting a VERY generous check swing call with 2 strikes, came through with an RBI single to center to put New York on the board.

- The Yanks would plate 2 more in the next at-bat when Mark Ellis and Puig failed to communicate on a pop up and let it drop in off the bat of Jayson Nix.  Mo went 1-2-3 in the 9th and that was all she wrote.

Market Heating Up For Hughes (Updated)

It's been deathly silent on the Phil Hughes market for at least a week now, but things are finally heating up in the final hours before the deadline.

Bob Nightengale first reported that the Yankees had started receiving offers for Hughes a little while ago.  Chris Cotillo has followed up on that by reporting that 2 offers are in already and the Yankees are working to make a move.  There's only a few hours left before the deadline, so if something happens it'll have to come together very quickly.  More on this story as it develops.

** UPDATE 2:43 PM- Joel Sherman reporting that the Braves talked to the Yankees about Hughes but a deal is unlikely in these final minutes. **

** UPDATE 3:17 PM- That's it.  Nothing.  No moves for Hughes or Michael Young, who was also a hot rumored name in the final few hours.  Yankees will stand pat with Soriano and their returning players.  Cash scheduled to address the media in a few minutes.  **

All Quiet On The Trade Front

We're now just a handful of hours away from the non-waiver trade deadline, and as of the time I started writing this post the Yankees remain largely inactive.  They were loosely connected to most of the top available hitters yesterday but really nothing more than checking in on availability.  Since the Alfonso Soriano trade last week they've been incredibly quiet, both as potential sellers and buyers, which brings up the question of what exactly are they trying to do?

Per the ownership-implemented 2014 payroll plan and the questionable way in which they've gone about making moves to plan for it, the Yankees have straddled the line of contender and rebuild candidate all season long.  They're 8 games out in the loss column in the AL east and 3 out in the Wild Card race with a -9 run differential, and as presently constructed don't look all that capable of making a postseason run this year or next year.  One way or another, more activity at the deadline rather than less would have been a good way to push the team into some direction for the future.

And here they are, approaching the deadline with almost nothing going on.  After selling the fanbase on their commitment to a championship-caliber team, the front office appears content to just stand pat, wait for guys like C-Grand and maybe A-Rod to return, and hold their present course for better or worse.  With the markets for Hughes and Joba drying up, it's hard to hammer them for doing so, but the lack of activity now paired with the earlier addition of 2014 payroll for guys like Soriano, Ichiro, and Vernon Wells puts the club in the same "no man's land" position next year that they're in now.  It's all very confusing and it's adding up to a 2014 season that'll be even more frustrating than this one.

Game 106 Wrap-Up: LAD 3 NYY 2

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees were back at it on the West Coast last night, taking on the Dodgers in another 2-game series that was unfortunately timed so that they'd get to face both Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw.  Chances were good we'd get to see another example of how weak this lineup still is with Andy Pettitte hitting at the bottom of the order, and if he was still without command of his cutter it could have been an ugly night for him on the mound against a dangerous lineup.  Pettitte had himself a nice little start, but it was another offensive blackout that led to the eventual walk-off loss.

Game Notes:

- The Yankees got a great look at the kind of young talent their lineup is missing immediately in the bottom of the 1st when Yasiel Puig doubled to deep center off Pettitte and came around to score on a Hanley Ramirez ribbie single.

- Lyle Overbay was responsible for the first 2 Yankee runs, in 2 completely different ways.  He led off the top of the 2nd with a solo home run, then plated Alfonso Soriano with a groundout in the 4th.

- Pettitte gave up another run on a Juan Uribe HR in the 2nd and didn't look particularly sharp in the first 3 innings.  It took a nice play by Ichiro to nail Ramirez at the plate for Andy to escape the 3rd inning without giving up another run.

- After that 3rd inning, it was like things clicked for Pettitte.  He found his fastball command and the rest of his pitches followed suit, as Andy retired 9 of the next 10 batters he faced through 6 and gave up no more runs through 7.

- Right on cue, the offense went into hibernation as Greinke found his game.  They put just 1 baserunner on in the final 5 frames, an Ichiro double in the 7th that was stranded.  The last 8 Yankees to come to the plate made an out, and only 1 of them got the ball out of the infield.

- Armed with firsthand knowledge of the offense's nothingness, Joe decided to play for extra innings in the 9th.  He went with Shawn Kelley instead of Mo or a second inning of D-Rob and it backfired when Andre Ethier singled, stole second, and scored on a Mark Ellis bloop single to center to win it for the Dodgers.  I thought you were supposed to play for the win on the road?

Rotation Not Exactly Pulling Its Weight Right Now

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Just a day and change away from the trade deadline, adding a bat is still the Yankees' top priority.  Adding multiple bats would be an even better priority.  The Yankee lineup is still terribly weak after the Alfonso Soriano trade, not nearly good enough to be competitive night in and night out.  With time running out for the internal help to come back and make a real impact, and a bench full of MiL spare parts, the Yankees need to be aggressive in pursuing options to seriously improve their offense.  As unrealistic as it seems given the way they've played the last 2 months, a 2.5 game Wild Card deficit is not insurmountable.  With little developing on the market for Hughes and Joba, the Steinbrenners have no choice but to buy just to keep up appearances that they're trying to contend.

If the Yankees are going to have any chance of fighting for a Wild Card spot, they need a better offense.  No question about that.  But they could also use a turnaround from the starting rotation.  Over the last 4 weeks, it has slowly devolved into the lineup's co-weakness and become just as big a hindrance to winning games as the lineup's inability to score runs.

Middle Of The Order Has Been (Somewhat) Silent Killer This Season

(Courtesy of the AP)

The "the offense sucks" narrative is no longer the big news it was when the turn started in late May.  It's no surprise anymore that the Yankees can't score runs, don't hit for power, and generally boast some of the weakest 7-9 spots in the batting order in all of baseball, NL included.  But if you're looking for a better explanation as to why they've failed to score a run or 2 when they really need it time and time again this year, look no further than the former heart of the order.

Does Travis Hafner's DL Trip Matter?

(Courtesy of the AP)

It got swept under the rug by the related story of Derek Jeter returning, but Travis Hafner hit the DL on Sunday with a right rotator cuff strain.  He had problems with the same shoulder earlier in the year, and it finally got bad enough where the decision was made to DL him, removing a powerful lefty bat from the lineup.  Well, in theory that's what it did.  In actuality, it cleared some dead weight from the middle of the lineup and actually gave Joe a chance to insert a potentially more productive bat.