Report: CC Returns To The Mound

CC Sabathia threw 25 pitch bullpen yest. (just fb/change up) Will throw another pen tomorrow (all pitches) & reevaluate from there #Yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) June 17, 2014

It's been 2 weeks since CC Sabathia began rehab work on his right knee in the form of low-impact treadmill walking and playing catch.  Via Meredith Marakovits, that rehab schedule took a major step forward when he got back on a mound for the first time yesterday to throw a bullpen session.  Per Marakovits' report, Sabathia said he was encouraged and that his knee felt good.  If that holds through today's off-day and tomorrow's scheduled 'pen sesh, the next steps in the comeback plan can start to come together.

Cash declared CC out "until at least July" back on May 19th.  4 weeks and a day have passed since then and this is the first real significant progress CC has made.  I have to think the team is going to take it extra careful with him from here as they start to work him back into game shape, perhaps even more carefully than they're taking it with Pineda.  With the years and money still owed to him, that would be a wise move.

Upcoming Toronto Series Starts Gut Check Time For The Yanks

The Yankees are fresh off their second 9-game road trip of the season and this past one was the tougher of the 2.  3 games against a red hot Royals club, 3 against an unexpectedly competitive Seattle team, and 3 against the best team in the American League in the A's.  They came through it with a positive 5-4 record, although those results did little to help them gain ground in the AL East race.

That race comes back into full focus for the next month, starting tonight when the Yankees host division-leading Toronto for a 3-game set.  It will be the first of 5 straight series against AL East opponents, including another 3-gamer in Toronto this time next week, and 12 of those 15 games will be played at home.  Tonight marks the first time the Yankees have faced a divisional opponent since the first week of May and the first time they've faced the Blue Jays since the second series of the season when they took 2 of 3 in Toronto.

The Obligatory Giancarlo Stanton Dream Post

(Swoon... Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When he fills out his lineup card for tonight's series opener against Toronto, Joe will have multiple options for right field.  He can play a 40-year-old lefty hitter with a noodle bat and deteriorated defensive skills who can slap some singles here and there but do little else.  He can play a 38-year-old former power hitter who's apparently lost his bat speed and power to the degree that he's nothing more than a platoon bat at the moment.  Or he could roll the dice and throw his 37-year-old projected starting right fielder back out there even though he has a bone spur in his throwing elbow that caused him to miss 3 weeks and has only recently started throwing a ball again in an effort to limit the stress on the elbow.

Appealing options, aren't they?  Safe to say the Yankees' plan to patch together right field for a year or 2 is already all but crumbled and fallen apart.  Both Ichiro Suzuki and Alfonso Soriano are in the final years of their respective contracts, and while one or both of them may try to stick around next year, I highly doubt they'll be doing it as Yankees.  Beltran, with what he's shown when he has been in the outfield and now the elbow problem to consider, could be transitioned to full-time DH duty as soon as this season.  That would leave another void in right, a position the team has struggled to fill with a reliable option since letting Nick Swisher walk.  Enter Giancarlo Stanton.

Cervelli Slated To Be Activated Today (UPDATED)

Nothing official yet.  Won't be until later today.  But all signs point towards Francisco Cervelli being activated off the DL today to rejoin the team at home for the series opener against Toronto.  When that happens, the most likely candidate to give up his roster spot for Cervelli is the current backup catcher John Ryan Murphy.

Murphy has performed admirably in his role as backup to the backup.  He hit .286/.308/.365 in 65 plate appearances, handled his defensive duties well, meshed with his pitchers, and generally seemed to take positively to his second stint in the Majors.  In my eyes, and in the eyes of many others, he did enough to warrant keeping that job for the present and the future.  That said, it couldn't hurt to get him back down to Triple-A for some regular ABs.  If the team does fancy him a bigger part of their future than Cervelli, they need to get Cervelli back into games to build up some trade value for him.  In that sense, this move works for all parties involved and is a positive side effect of having the kind of catching depth the Yanks do.

So welcome back, Frankie.  Try not to sprain, strain, tear, or break anything on your way around the clubhouse today.

** UPDATE 3:19 PM- It's official, according to Mark Feinsand.  Frankie up, John Ryan down. **

The Best Of Prospect Times, The Worst Of Prospect Times

(Aaron Judge, certified stud.  Courtesy of MiLB.com)

It's Minor League All-Star Game season, which signifies the start to prospect promotion season.  The Yankees have already moved some guys up and down, but once we get through the midpoint of all the MiL seasons, you'll really start to see things pick up.  With that in mind, here are a few updates on some of the top names in the system and the wide disparity in where their seasons are heading at the midpoint.  All things considered, especially some of the more recent negative news, I think you have to say this has been another disappointing campaign for the Yankee system as a whole.  But check out the major "Bests" and "Worsts" after the jump and judge for yourself.

Should Vidal Nuno Even Be In The Rotation Anymore?

("Try to keep this one in the park, guy."  Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

On Saturday morning, it was like things were finally starting to come together.  The Yankees had won 4 games in a row and looked pretty good doing it in all aspects of the game.  By last night, things were right back to normal.  Shoddy infield defense, inconsistent performances from the lower-level middle relievers, the inability to string hits together and drive guys in, and VERY uneven starting pitching.

Actually, uneven might be understating it a touch.  It was horrible.  After David Phelps' brilliant work on Friday night, the last 2 Yankee starters combined to give up 12 ER in just 7.2 IP on Saturday and Sunday.  The bulk of that (in the smaller amount of innings) came from the left hand of Vidal Nuno.  He gave up 6 ER to the first 10 batters he faced yesterday, and 8 overall in 3 innings.  Dom alluded to it earlier this morning and Katie hinted at it a few weeks ago, so now I'm just going to come right out and ask the question that needs asking.  Should Vidal Nuno still have a spot in the rotation?

Monday Morning Food For Thought: Solarte Really Slowing Down

I knew this was going to happen eventually.  We all did.  I was hoping it wouldn't happen right after I suggested he be moved up into the 2-spot, but a month later that seems to be the case.  Yangervis Solarte is coming back to reality as a hitter.  After coming back from his late-May slump with 9 hits in his next 6 games, he has really fallen off in June and created another hole in the batting order.

Solarte went 0-3 with a walk and  R scored last night.  The run was his first in a week, but the 0-fer made him 0-18 in his last 5 games.  That dropped him down to a .178/.260/.244 slash line in June and a .274/.347/.420 line for the season.  Solarte has been trending downward every month since Opening Day, from .an 865 OPS in April to an .809 in May.  The acceleration of that downtrend so far this month has been a dramatic one though, and it's creating more lineup and roster juggling confusion for Joe.  He already doesn't know what he's going to get or who he's going to be without day to day in his infield.  Now he can't even rely on the one constant he's had for the first 2 months.

So what's the diagnosis now?  Is this just another rough patch for Solarte or is this the sign of natural statistical regression to the mean settling in and his true Major League talent level coming to surface?

Game 68 Wrap-Up: OAK 10 NYY 5

(Kind surprised Nuno didn't give up a home run there.  Courtesy of the AP)

Well I hope everyone's Fathers Day was better than Vidal Nuno's.  What started as a winnable series to secure a very good road trip on Friday night quickly turned into more of what's become the new norm for this Yankee team over the last 2 days, and at no time was the gap between them and the true AL elite wider than today.  The A's bats woke up in a big way, not an uncommon happening against a junk baller like Nuno, and his streak of solid road starts came to an ugly and early ending.

Game Notes:

- A pair of leadoff singles put the A's in business in the bottom of the 1st.  A 3-run Derek Norris home run following a strikeout cashed in that business and put them on top 3-0.

- They cashed in on that single-single-home run formula again in the 2nd, this time after Nuno struck out Brandon Moss to start the inning.  Ahead in the count, he threw a bad slider and Coco Crisp crushed it to make it 6-0.

- 2 more baserunners to start the 4th and that was it for Nuno.  Jose Ramirez was called on to clean up the mess and instead he made things worse, giving up a walk, a hit batter, and 3 singles to the next 4 hitters.  When the dust settled, it was a 10-0 nothing game.

- The Yankee lineup decided to wake up after the game was already out of reach.  Mark Teixeira doubled a run home in the 6th, the only one they would get off Oakland starter Jesse Chavez, Carlos Beltran hit a solo HR to start the 7th, and Brett Gardner made things a little more respectable with a 2-run shot in the 9th.

- The bullpen regulars got a day of rest for the most part.  Shawn Kelley worked a scoreless 5th, Adam Warren tossed 2 scoreless, and Matt Thornton managed to complete a whole inning without turning it into batting practice.

Teix Tacks On Another Health Concern

Mark Teixeira was a late scratch for last night's game.  Apparently he was feeling some tightness in his left shoulder/upper back area and couldn't work it out in BP, so Joe played it safe and sat him to see if a day off helped.  Teix told reporters he wasn't that concerned about it and Joe said there was a good possibility he would be able to play this afternoon, but this latest dent in Teix's physical armor has to add concern about how he's going to hold up over the next 3 and a half months.  Since April 4th, here's the list of ailments he's racked up:

• Hamstring strain (14 games missed)
• Groin stiffness/leg fatigue (0 games missed; got 1 half-day off)
• Wrist soreness/cortisone injection (5 games missed)
• Shoulder/back stiffness (1 game missed and counting)

That's a lot of pain and stiffness in a lot of different parts of the body, a 34-year-old body that hasn't been completely healthy for a long time now.  Teix did a great job coming back strong from the hammy strain with 5 HR in his first 11 games back and has remained the only consistent power presence in the middle of the order even as he's battled the wrist problems.  But his inability to go more than a few weeks without something acting up is not a good omen when you look back at the last few years.  Sooner or later, all these little "nothing" injuries are going to add up to something and I don't expect that something to be good.

Game 67 Wrap-Up: OAK 5 NYY 1

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees had halted their skid, kept their heads about .500 water, and put together a nice little 4-game winning streak heading into last night's middle game in Oakland.  It looked like things were starting to get back to normal with a rotation that was collectively pitching well, a strong, deep bullpen, and a lineup fully comprised of its regular expected starters.  Last night everything reverted back to the ways of May, including Mark Teixeira being scratched with an injury, and the winning streak was ended.

Games Notes:

- Hiroki Kuroda was on the mound and in the bottom of the 2nd all his season-long problems manifested.  With 1 out he walked a batter, with 2 outs he gave up a single, and after loading the bases with another walk he gave up a 2-run single to Eric Sogard on a poorly-placed sinker.

- The  Yanks turned a 2-out rally of their own into a run in the top of the 3rd, albeit with some defensive assistance.  Kelly Johnson walked, Brett Gardner singled, and Johnson came around to score on an Oakland throwing error to make it 2-1 A's.

- Hirok got through the next 2 innings without issue, but hit a wall in the 5th after a leadoff walk to Sogard.  A single, an RBI groundout, and 2 passed balls by John Ryan Murphy made it 4-1 Oakland, and Joe elected to lift Kuroda with 2 outs and not allow him to face Yoenis Cespedes.

- Shawn Kelley took care of that with a strikeout and Joe handed the ball over to David Huff for the remainder of the game.  Huff pitched 3 innings and gave up a run in the 6th for the final Oakland run.

- Joe must have known his offense wasn't going to wake up against Scott Kazmir.  They stranded runners at second against him in the 5th and 6th and went down 1-2-3 in each of the final 3 innings against the bullpen.

Can Heath Bell Be Of Any Value?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The shuffling and re-shuffling of the middle relief deck has been a constant for the Yankees this year.  Early injuries to the rotation, some DL stints at the front end of the 'pen, and a lot of really poor performances have combined to a rotation of mostly mediocre characters through the last 2 spots and the Yanks are very much still in search of a couple of reliable options.  They've got rookie Jose Ramirez in 1 spot for the moment, and the recently-acquired David Huff in the other.  You'll remember him from his tandem starter duties with Phil Hughes last season.

Another move Cash made to add some organizational depth was signing Heath Bell to a MiL deal on Friday.  Bell was released by the Rays earlier in the season after putting up a 7.27 ERA in 17.1 IP and most recently he had been pitching some OK ball for the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A affiliate (4.22/3.24 in 10.2 IP).  He's been on an accelerated downtrend for the last few seasons, so is there any reason to think he might have something offer the Yankee bullpen?

Draft Signing Updates: Lindgren, DeCarr And Foley

The Yankees signed a group of lower round draft picks earlier this week.  Yesterday they locked up 3 of their higher picks when 2nd rounder Jacob Lindgren, 3rd rounder Austin DeCarr, and 5th round Jordan Foley all agreed to deals.

Lindgren, via his dad's Twitter, signed for exactly slot value of $1,078,700.  Not much of a surprise considering the pick and his profile as a college pitcher.  Foley also signed for exactly slot value at $317,500, according to Chris Cotillo.  DeCarr signed for an even million bucks, not quite double the slot value of his pick (585.1k), but a good enough chunk of change to get him to pass on his commitment to Clemson.

DeCarr was the biggest and only real no-sign risk from the Yankees' picks in the first 10 rounds, so the rest of the signings should just be a formality now.  No word yet on where DeCarr will be heading, although my guess would be SS Staten Island.  Both Lindgren and Foley are ticketed for Low-A Charleston to start their pro careers.  Have to think there's a very good chance that neither stick there long.

Pineda To Be Out Until August

The news on the field has been all good in the last 4 games.  There was a bit of off-field news before last night's game that's not so good.  When speaking the media before the game, Joe said that Michael Pineda will be out of action until August as he works his way back from his back/should muscle setback.

According to Joe, Pineda has yet to resume playing catch after being shut down a few weeks ago in an ExST start.  Joe expects him to resume playing catch "fairly shortly" and from there the Yanks are going to take it slow with him and build him back up to a regular workload through bullpens, BP sessions, and some MiL rehab games.  They anticipate that process taking a month and a half, so it'll almost be like another Spring Training for Pineda.

Joe was quick to state that Pineda had not suffered another setback.  The team just wants to be careful with him and make sure they don't rush him and give him enough time to heal.  While it's good to know that there have been no further setbacks, the return of the kid gloves mentality with Pineda is not a good sign at all.  The injury is already in the vicinity of his shoulder injury and when all is said and done it's going to keep him on the shelf for 3+ months.  With all the health problems he's had, it's looking more and more like he's never going to be the pitcher the team expected him to be when they traded for him.

Game 66 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 OAK 0

(Next time on "Foul Territory", Mark learns how to high five properly.  Courtesy of the AP)

Check it out, people.  A real, actual winning streak.  Isn't it amazing??  The Yankees have played some brutal baseball since mid-May, but they've started to turn things around across all facets of the game over their last 4 games.  Their starting pitching has been much better, their relief work has been consistent and solid, they haven't been booting and throwing the ball all over the field defensively, and they've scored 4 or more runs 3 times in a row.  Last night's latest victory featured the up-and-down David Phelps outdueling Oakland's Sonny Gray in this weekend series opener.

Game Notes:

- Once again, the Yanks got off to a fast start.  3 straight singles by Gardner, Jeter, Ellsbury and a Mark Teixeira sac fly plated 2 runs in the 1st and another Gardner single scored Brian Roberts in the 2nd.

- Phelps was very sharp from the get go, and retired the first 10 batters he faced into the 4th inning.  He was locating his fastball down and on the corners for strikes and generating weak contact for his defense.

- The Yankee bats went a bit cold after the 2nd and allowed Gray to stick around through 6.  He gave way to the bullpen in the 7th and in the 8th against Jeff Francis was when the offense struck again.  With 2 outs and runners on first and second, the bottom of the order rattled off 3 straight singles to score 4 more runs.  Brian Roberts' base knock and the missed catch on the play at the plate was the big blow.

- The only thing Phelps wasn't was efficient with his pitches, and he exited with 2 outs in the 7th after giving up a double to Jed Lowrie.  Dellin Betances came in and did the fireman thing to get through the 8th.

- The 4 late runs put the game safely out of reach and gave Joe the chance to rest his regulars, so he went with Jose Ramirez in the bottom of the 9th and watched Ramirez retire the 3 best Oakland hitters in order.  This is why they kept  him up and not Daley.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 6/13/14

I can't explain why, but I'm feeling very good about the Rangers' chances tonight.  I'm almost irrationally confident in them and it's a little scary.  Most people felt that if they played a whole 60 minutes like the played the opening periods of Games 1 and 2, they would have won.  It's now Game 5 and they've still yet to accomplish that feat.  The 3rd period the other night was hide-your-eyes scary to watch, so maybe tonight is the night that they put 3 whole periods together and bring the series back to The Garden for a final time in the 2013-2014 season.  Win tonight and they have a real chance again.  1 shift at a time, 1 period at a time, 1 game at a game.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Mike Axisa offered up some simple lineup change suggestions to help ignite the unproductive lineup.  So far, the Yankees haven't implemented any of them.

- SJK of NoMaas had a few roster shakeup ideas of his own.

- On Tuesday, William Juliano of The Captain's showed how the Yankees' good luck has been hiding the truth of their weak performance over the first 62 games.

- On Wednesday, Katie Sharp of IIATMS/TYA identified all the unseen value coming from Brian McCann this season thanks to his elite-level defensive metrics.  Guy has been an absolute stud behind the plate.

- El duque of It Is High... noticed a somewhat unsettling trend in the Yankee organization.  W-L record isn't a huge deal in the Minors, but that top-to-bottom breakdown can't make you feel good, can it?

- On Thursday, Michael Brown of Pinstripe Alley examined the Yankees' offensive performance in the clutch.  Whether you believe in the idea or not, we can all agree that ranking in the lower half of MLB in that category is not good.

- Delia Enriquez of Bronx Basebally Daily commented on Masahiro Tanaka's competitiveness and desire for perfection and how it makes him a better pitcher.

- On Friday, Chad Jennings of LoHud got some collective thoughts on Chase Whitley's start to his Major League starting career, from guys like Joe, Jeter, and Whitley himself.

- Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits used the newest scouting report on Ian Clarkin to search for accurate pitcher comparisons.

It's been all rock so far this year, so let's change it up with a little hip-hop this week and an underrated classic from Blackstar, "Redefinition".  Most people know and prefer "Definition", but this song is just as tight and deserves some recognition.  Too bad Mos Def went all religious psycho and got on the outs with the US government.  A Blackstar reunion would be sweet.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Whitley Mixes It Up Against Lefties

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When I was giving props to Chase Whitley earlier in the week, I made reference to the 2 approaches he's featured against right and left-handed hitters.  His changeup had been his biggest weapon against lefties and he was setting it up well with his 4-seam fastball.  Seattle stacked their lineup with lefty hitters for last night's series finale, putting them in the top 4 spots in the batting order as well as 6th, 7th, and 9th.  In response, Whitley mixed up his routine a little to counter them and keep them at bay.

D-Rob Striking Out Everybody And Their Mothers

David Robertson gave up 5 ER in 0.2 innings on June 1st, blowing a save against the Twins in spectacular fashion.  Everybody threw up their hands, cried to the heavens, and called for him to be ousted as closer so that Dellin Betances, the new Mariano Rivera, could be ushered into his rightful spot on the throne.

Funny thing, D-Rob has picked up right where he left off before that bad outing.  You know, when he was dominating the American League with his curveball and striking out anything with a pulse and a bat in its hand.  He's made 5 appearances since the last blown save, converted 4 straight save opportunities, and has given up no runs, 2 hits, and 2 walks in 4.2 IP over that stretch while striking out 9 of the 18 batters he's faced.

That gives D-Rob 41 Ks in 22.2 IP for the season, a cool 43.6% K rate that's nipping at the heels of the almighty Betances.  Since the start of May, he's struck out 36 of the 72 total batters he's faced, a perfectly even 50.0% K rate.  The lesson, as always, is don't worry about D-Rob.

Game 65 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 SEA 3

(Courtesy of the AP)

Well how do you like them apples?  I wasn't expecting more than 1 win in this series, if I'm being honest.  The Yankees have been absolutely brutal to watch for the last 2-3 weeks and the Mariners were playing pretty good ball.  But behind another outstanding start from Chase Whitley and another encouraging offensive performance, they pulled off the road sweep.

Game Notes:

- Didn't want long to score again last night.  Derek Jeter singled to right in the top of the 1st and 4 pitches later the scorching hot Jacoby Ellsbury laced a 2-run homer into the right field seats to put the Yanks up early.

- Whitley gave 1 back in the bottom of the 2nd when he hung a first-pitch slider to Logan Morrison.  There's his first MLB home run allowed, exactly as I predicted.

- His offense got him that run back and then some in the 3rd on an Alfonso Soriano 2-run double, then tacked another on in the 4th on a leadoff walk, a base hit, a sac bunt, and an RBI single by Jeter.  Where did this offensive flexibility come from?

- Whitley did give up 1 more run, but set a new career best by working into the 8th and leaving with 2 outs so Matt Thornton could face Robinson Cano.  Of course Thornton walked him, but he recovered to get Kyle Seager out.

- Thornton handed over to Shawn Kelley for the 9th.  In his first appearance since coming off the DL, Kelley gave up back-to-back 1-out doubles for the third Seattle run, forcing Joe to use D-Rob for the save.

Report: Yanks Already Have Agreements In Place With 3 Top International Free Agents

The Yankees' draft strategy was very transparent this year.  They were focused on loading up on college players with high probabilities of at least reaching their production floors who would be easy and cheap to sign.  That focus was with the goal in mind of spending big on the international free agent market, something we've heard about for months.

Well that plan may already be starting to take shape.  According to Andy Martino of The Daily News, the Yankees have agreements in place with 3 big-name international free agents.  Martino's unnamed source stated that the agreements are with shortstop Dermis Garcia for $3.6 million, shortstop Christopher Torres for $2.6 million, and third baseman Nelson Gomez for $2.8 million.  All 3 players are 16-year-olds and from the DR.  Garcia and Gomez have plus raw power according to most scouting reports, and Torres has the tools to stick at short long-term.

If these values are accurate, that's $9 million on 3 players right there.  The original estimate of the Yankees' spending spree was in the $12-15 million range, so we'll see how many more players' names pop up over the next few weeks.  The international signing period doesn't officially start until July 2nd.

Thursday Late Morning Food For Thought: Home Field Blues

It seems clear Yanks don't win at home because they don't hit home runs and other teams do. On the road, their pitching can dictate outcomes
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) June 12, 2014

David Waldstein tweeted that thought out earlier this morning in response to last night's victory, and while it's not 100% accurate, there are shreds of truth in there that can help explain some of the team's offensive struggles.

It's not that the Yankees don't hit home runs at home.  Of their 52 total HR to date, they've hit 35 of them at home in 29 home games and 17 in 35 games on the road.  But the suggestion that the Yankees are not taking full home field advantage at YS3 is a valid one.  They've scored 106 runs in their 29 home games, good for 3.65 runs per game, compared to 150 runs in their 35 road games, good for a 4.29 R/G average.  In 6 more road games, they have 50 more total hits, including more doubles and triples and more stolen bases as a result.  The value of the higher power output at home is not being maximized because there haven't been as many guys on base to drive in.

Game 64 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 SEA 2

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Lineup stayed the same, but the Yankees did make some more roster moves to activate Shawn Kelley off the DL.  He returned, Matt Daley was sent back to Triple-A to clear a 25-man spot, and in a related move the Yanks also jettisoned Wade LeBlanc after re-acquiring lefty David Huff.  They had their best starting pitcher on the mound in Masahiro Tanaka, and he was facing the Seattle Mariner lineup for the first time this season.  For the first time in what seemed like forever, the Yankees gave their starter some real run support.  They didn't score more than 4 runs, but 4 is plenty when, for the second time in his Major League career, Tanaka threw a complete game gem.

Game Notes:

- Junk baller Chris Young got himself in trouble in the top of the 3rd when he gave up a leadoff single to Brian Roberts and walked Brett Gardner.  The red hot Jacoby Ellsbury came up and knocked the first Yankee run in with a single to center.

- In the 5th, it was the power tool that did the work.  Gardner and Ellsbury each singled around a Derek Jeter lineout, and Mark Teixeira smacked a 3-run home run to make it 4-0.

- While all this was going on, Tanaka was putting the Seattle bats in a diaper.  They were swinging early and he was throwing all kinds of different stuff early in the count to keep them off-balance.  He recorded 6 of his first 9 outs on the ground and didn't give up a hit until the 4th inning.

- After giving up 2 hits in that inning, Tanaka went on a run of strikeouts, retiring 5 of the next 6 batters through the 6th via the whiff. 2 on the split, 2 on the slider, 1 on a fastball.

- It was a little surprising to see Joe send Tanaka out for the 9th.  He had given up 2 htis and 3 hard-hit balls in the 8th.  But he did and Tanaka left a sinker up that Robinson Cano crushed for a 2-run HR to make things interesting.  Tanaka recovered nicely to strike out the final 2 batters on perfectly-placed 4-seamers.

2014 Draft: Signing Updates (UPDATED)

With last weekend's draft in the rearview, the focus now shifts to player signings.  The Yankees had a handful of guys make it all but official yesterday and another 1 or 2 strongly indicate that they would be signing in the near future.  Here's the latest:

- All but official: RHP Matt Borens (11th round), 1B Bo Thompson (13th), RHP Sean Carley (14th), RHP Corey Holmes (20th).  Thompson will start at Low-A Charleston, Carley and Holmes with SS Staten Island.

- Strongly indicated: RHPs Jordan Foley (5th) and Jonathan Holder (6th).  There are reports and tweets from multiple sources that state both are expected to sign this week, including Holder tweeting a picture of himself wearing a Yankee hat.

- Austin DeCarr (3rd) was expected to report to Tampa to sign today, according to the NE Baseball Journal.  Slot money for his pick is $575,000 and the report says he'll sign for twice that amount.

- Jonathan Lindgren (2nd) is also reportedly on his way to Tampa to take his physical and make his signing official, and that will take place on Thursday.  No word on what he'll get.  Slot value is 1.0187 mil.

** UPDATE 4:47 PM- A few more updates that came out today: Jordan Montgomery (4th) has agreed to sign and is heading to Tampa.  He'll be going to SS Staten Island.  Damon Oppenheimer has confirmed that 10th round pick Ty McFarland has been signed.  No word on the amount. **

Kelley's Return To The 'Pen A Very Welcome One

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It's been exactly 5 weeks since Shawn Kelley was put on the disabled list with back stiffness and 5 weeks and a day since he last pitched in a Major League game.  Before he hit the DL, Kelley had been a critical part of what, at the time, was an overachieving bullpen.  He had a 3.52/2.36/3.83 line and 16 strikeouts in 15.1 IP, all of them worked as either the setup man or closer.  The Yankee 'pen has stayed afloat and even flourished in parts without Kelley for the past month, primarily because Dellin Betances and Adam Warren have proven that their strong April starts were no fluke.  They've teamed up to build a very sturdy bridge to D-Rob, but the return of Kelley to the late-inning mix tonight should help reset the workload arrangement for the group and make the Yankee 'pen even deeper and better.

Inside Ellsbury's Hitting Streak

Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-4 last night, the 1 hit being the eventual game-winning one, and in the process extended his current hitting streak to 14 games.  To my knowledge, that's the longest hitting streak of the season for the Yankees and it's been a very reassuring stretch for Ellsbury after a lackluster month of May.  He's racked up 21 hits in 56 at-bats over the last 14 games (.375 BA), boosting his slash line back up to .286/.351/.406 from the season-low level of .258/.330/.379 before the start of the streak.  After looking like he had something wrong with his swing for all of last month, Ellsbury now looks like he's back to where he was at the start of the year and back to being the player the Yanks hoped they were getting.

Game 63 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 SEA 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

Joe was mixing and matching with his lineup on Monday night for the Royals series finale and got rained out before his newest creation could take the field.  He bailed on that plan for the series opener out in Seattle, instead opting to return to the "business as usual" setup.  In one of the least unpredictable outcomes in baseball history, that failed to produce more than 3 runs.  In an outcome that actually was unpredictable and unexpected, Vidal Nuno pitched well enough to overcome that and get a win.

Game Notes:

- The Yanks did most of their damage in the top of the 1st, all of it with 2 outs and both run-scoring hits coming off the bat of slumping guys like Carlos Beltran (RBI double) and Brian McCann (RBI infield single).

- Seattle got 1 back in the bottom half on a 2-out Robinson Cano double (remember those?) and a ribbie single by Cole Gillespie.  It was 2-1 Yanks after 1 and those were the only runs they'd score for a while.

- As usual, the Yankees had their chances.  Jacoby Ellsbury was called out on strikes with 2 on and 2 out in the 5th and they shut themselves down with 2 inning-ending double plays in the 2nd and 6th.

- Nuno dodged a few bullets of his own through 5, and exited after getting Cano out for the 2nd out int he 6th.  I figured Joe would have wanted Betances for Cano, but whatever.  Betances wasn't at his sharpest again, giving up the game-tying run in the 7th on a hit batter, wild pitch, and RBI single.

- The Captain led the charge to pick him up in the top of the 8th, roping a hanging first-pitch slide for a ground-rule double into left to end Hisashi Iwakuma's night.  The M's went to Charlie Furbush and he couldn't get it done, giving up a base hit to Ellsbury to put the Yanks back front.

- Adam Warren and David Robertson made that stand up with solid 8th and 9th innings.  D-Rob struck out the side again with a walk mixed in for fun.