Here’s the lineup (via LoHud):
YANKEES (45-33)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Matsui DH
Cervelli C
Gardner CFPitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (6-4, 3.93).
Jorge Posada is out with a sore thumb. I have to drive to Massachusetts today, so I’ll be back with updates later.
Last night, CC gave up 6 ER and while the Yankees scored 4 off of starter Jason Vargas—thanks, primarily, to Hideki Matsui—the team wasn’t able to break out against the Mariner bullpen. So, the winning streak comes to an end and the Yankees have to reboot against the Jays. Sure, it’s a tough loss because you had CC on the mound, however, sometimes even the best guys just don’t have it and on Thursday, that was the case for CC who could not seem to locate his pitches (his slider, in particular). It happens and they’ll try again tomorrow.
Anyway, I was at the game and experienced the new Yankee Stadium for the first time ever. Here’s my general evaluation—the place is nice and it looks good. With that said, it also seems somewhat devoid of personality. Maybe it’ll take a while for that to develop, but, it feels emotionally hollow to me. Also, the food was pretty terrible yet was remarkably expensive. For example, I took my younger brother and we got to the ballpark at around 5:30. At that point, we got individual orders of cheese fries (2 cups), plus a water and a beer. That cost about $35 dollars and the cheese fries weren’t very good. A similar experience occured later on when we got some more food (expensive and not very tasty).
Still, our tickets were on the field level by the RF foul pole—altogether they cost about $200—so the experience itself was pretty cool, as we got to watch a bit of batting practice. At the end of the day it’s definitely a nice place, it just needs that human element (it feels like a random concrete structure with Yankee emblems plastered all over it).
On the season, Melky Cabrera is hitting .286/.346/.454 with 8 homers, which ties his career high (set in 2007 and 2008). Melky’s power is much more pronounced this season as he’s on track to hit nearly 20 homers. Howevever, when you take a closer look at his numbers, you can’t help but to notice that 7 of his 8 jacks were hit at the new Yankee Stadium (surprise!). On the road, Melky has a meager .372 SLG yet at home his SLG skyrockets to .517 and he hits like Carlos Lee.
So, while I’m at the game tonight, I ask, what should the Yankees do with the Melk-Man? If a team is willing to part with a solid reliever in exchange for Melky, should the Yankees consider it given the home-away splits or should they just ride out Melky’s homer-hitting ways when in the Bronx? What do you think?
According to Ed Price of Fanhouse, the Pirates—who have become perpetual sellers—are considering trading both John Grabow and closer Matt Capps (as well as other pieces of their team). While Phil Hughes seems to be establishing himself as a possible bridge to Mariano, the Yankees could still look to bolster their bullpen with another late-inning reliever and a guy like Capps could be an option if he’s actually available (he’s a great pitcher). Also, as Ken Davidoff noted yesterday, the Yankees like having an extra lefty in the bullpen which is why he speculated about Ron Villone, however, John Grabow, a lefty, has interested the team before and he could become another guy the Yankees look at from Pittsburgh.
From the AP (via Yahoo!):
DAVIE, Fla. (AP)—Former major leaguer Jim Leyritz was arrested Thursday in South Florida on charges of domestic battery against his ex-wife, just two months before his trial on a DUI manslaughter charge was set to begin.
Leyritz, 45, was arrested at his home in Davie, a Fort Lauderdale suburb, a police report said. He was being held in the Broward County Jail.
Leyritz’s ex-wife, Karrie, gave conflicting reports of what happened, according to a police officer who responded to a domestic disturbance at the house. She first told police they were arguing over child support when he struck her twice in the face and pushed her to the ground for writing a check without his permission. She later said her ex-husband dragged her out of bed and pushed her against the wall.
Good grief.
Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus informs us that the Yankees have signed Gary Sanchez today (close to $3 million) and that the team is also expected to ink Damian Arredondo ($800-900,ooo) and Chris Cabrera ($400,000) to contracts, as well. Gary Sanchez is a 16-year old catcher from the Dominican Republic that can hit, while Arredondo, another DR native, is a SS with great speed. Cabrera is a right-handed pitcher with reportedly good stuff. In the end, the Yankees spent a little over $4 million on their signings.
(props to MLBTR)
From Peter Botte (Daily News):
Ramiro Pena proved capable – if not a revelation – in small samples at multiple infield positions this season.
Now, the Yankees will ask the defensively adept rookie to try on another glove to enhance his versatility and his long-term value to the organization.
Pena, as expected, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton before Wednesday night’s game against Seattle to accommodate trade pickup Eric Hinske’s addition to the 25-man roster. The 23-year-old Pena will start some games as an outfielder, Joe Girardi said, making him that much more attractive as a late-season call-up and potential super-sub if injuries arise at the major-league level.
“We’re not saying he’s not an everyday player, but we want him to be versatile, too,” said Girardi, who noted that having such bench players will enable the Yanks to continue carrying 12 or more pitchers on the active roster. “I think it’s real important.
“Any time you have a guy that can do that, they’re extremely valuable. Ramiro Pena is a guy I wouldn’t hesitate to put anywhere in the infield; I would even put him at first base, even though he’s never done it. Being able to play the outfield just makes him that much more valuable.”
Originally, I thought the Yankees were shipping Pena back to the minors so that he could get as many AB’s as possible while continuing to develop as a SS (perhaps their SS of the future). However, it seems as though the Yankees have gauged Pena’s ceiling and believe that he is nothing more than a versatile utility player. Why else would they want him to work on playing the OF? If they truly believed that he could be their future SS—which never seemed like an actual possibility yet folks were enamored with the guy after a strong spring—I don’t think they would have him bouncing around the field.
From Jared Diamond (MLB):
Yankees manager Joe Girardi knows he eventually needs to rest Alex Rodriguez. He has seen firsthand what happens when Rodriguez plays too often while recovering from right hip surgery — he slumps at the plate and loses some mobility at third base.But Girardi has also come to realize exactly what a few days off can do for Rodriguez. Since Girardi sat Rodriguez for back-to-back games against the Marlins in Miami, the slugging third baseman has come alive both at the plate and in the field. Rodriguez launched his second home run in as many days — and his fourth in six games — on Wednesday night, once again giving the Yankees a lead in the late innings. On Wednesday, the lead held, setting up a 4-2 win over the Mariners.
It begs a difficult question for any manager — when is the right time to bench a player when he’s hitting so well? Though Girardi would rather not have to face it, Rodriguez will eventually have to sit. Until then, the Yankees just hope he keeps hitting.
“It’s not easy, I can tell you that, but it is important,” Girardi said of finding time to sit Rodriguez. “It is hard not having his bat in the lineup, but we have enough capable hitters that we should be able to pick him up.”
In his past seven games, Rodriguez is 10-for-23 (.435) with four home runs and 13 RBIs. This surge comes after a dreadful three-week skid in which he hit just .176 with two homers and nine RBIs, prompting Girardi to give his star third baseman two days off.
The plan then was to rest Rodriguez one game each week until the All-Star break. Those specific plans appear to have been abandoned, but Girardi has stressed throughout this week that he’ll make sure to give Rodriguez the time he needs, hoping to avoid another long slump.
There is no doubt the rest has benefited Rodriguez. As he struggled at the plate, Rodriguez was visibly having trouble with his surgically repaired hip. He did not run well and had increasingly limited mobility at third. Immediately after his days off, Rodriguez seemed as lively and strong as he had all season thus far.
Girardi will have a few more options with the lineup now that Hinske is on board (as long as they’re willing to play him at third). The team can also offer A-Rod a day at DH each week, like they did last night, so that they can keep his bat in the lineup while resting his legs a bit. Additionally, Girardi can be creative and sit Alex on days that feature CC on the mound against a bad team. At least that way, on those particular days where CC can be trusted to dominate the opposition, A-Rod’s powerful bat won’t be as much of a necessity (we can only hope). The bottom line is that Girardi can definitely find specific days and certain ways to rest A-Rod while minimizing the loss of his offensive production, however, it’s just a matter of buckling down and actually doing it—even when he’s hitting anything and everything like he is now.
Furthermore, while a few off-days will certainly help Alex, he has apparently benefited from cutting down his pre-game routine a considerable amount, as well. Hopefully, by limiting his pre-game regimen and by providing him with ample resting opportunities, A-Rod will remain healthy for the rest of the young season. The Yankees cannot afford to lose him for a prolonged period of time as it would be a catastrophic blow (dramatic, I know). For that reason, caution is key.
The Yankees recorded another victory last night—their seventh straight—thanks primarily to Andy Pettitte, who bounced back after a couple of rough outings. Pettitte went 7 strong innings, allowing only 2 ER on 6 hits while striking out 5 (1 BB). Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera rounded out the victory, tossing two scoreless innings to lock up the W. Jarrod Washburn pitched well, too, giving up 4 ER over 7 innings, however, Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon all homered and helped spark the offense for the night, which led to the 4-2 win. Basically, the team is playing well right now and with CC Sabathia on the mound tomorrow, look for another series sweep (Boston also won last night so another win would be excellent).
Here are a few quick tidbits to wrap up the night:
Mike Silva points us to Maury Brown’s—of Biz of Baseball fame—twitter page and in it Brown notes that the MLB is planning an “on-field ceremony to commemorate Gehrig’s Yankee Stadium farewell speech on July 4th” that every team will participate in. Gehrig died of ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (i.e., Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and the event is being billed as the culmination of the MLB’s 4♦ALS Awareness program, which has been ongoing since earlier in the year.
After a quick Google search, here’s some more info on the commemoration (via the MLB).
In honor of Gehrig’s memory, Major League Baseball has teamed with four major non-profit organizations to find a cure for the illness that destroys the nerve cells controlling muscles, causes complete paralysis and ultimately leads to death an average of 3-5 years after diagnosis.
The campaign, called “4♦ALS Awareness,” will culminate with Gehrig’s words being read at all Major League ballparks where games are played this coming July 4, during the seventh-inning stretch.
“We are honored and pleased to have the opportunity to join these four important organizations in an attempt to make progress in the fight against ALS, a disease that is associated with one of the greatest players in baseball history,” Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. “Lou Gehrig displayed tremendous courage and strength in the face of a debilitating illness, and his speech 70 years ago still stands as one of the defining moments in baseball history.”
The four participating organizations are The ALS Association, ALS TDI, Augie’s Quest (the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS research initiative), and Project A.L.S. MLB.com will also conduct an online auction to raise funds for the initiative.
“Major League Baseball is making a huge difference in the fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease through this July 4 effort,” said Augie Nieto, founder and chief inspiration officer for MDA’s Augie’s Quest. “Both in terms of public awareness and fundraising, the MLB contribution is significant and has a profound impact on the lives of people living with this devastating disease.”
—snip—
As part of the 70th anniversary commemoration of Gehrig’s famous speech, MLB will ask all players to wear a “4♦ALS” patch on their chest.
Pretty awesome stuff and a good job by the MLB to engage in such a program.
Here’s Ken Davidoff (Newsday) on the Yankees’ needs as they approach the trade deadline:
Bullpen continues to be their greatest concern, yet Phil Hughes, Phi l Coke and Alfredo Aceves have tempered those concerns. The bet here is that they’ll pick up Villone from Washington, to give themselves a second left-handed option.
That’s right—Davidoff is referring to former Yankee Ron Villone, who he cites as someone that “won’t be phazed by a pennant race.” Villone has a nice ERA in Washington (2.78), but it’s based on a scoreless May. When you consider that he’s been terrible in June, posting a 6.52 ERA this month while walking 8 in just 9 2/3 IP, he doesn’t seem like he’ll be a very attractive pickup (he has actually been worse against lefties this year). It’s not like he was a good reliever last year either, as he was awful with the Cardinals.
Sure, Davidoff is just speculating here so there’s no need to worry about the Yankees dipping into the Nationals’ firesale, right? Well, the thing is, Girardi likes having two lefties in his bullpen and without Damaso Marte—there’s no word on when he’ll be back—I can see the Yankees acquiring another lefty (it may not be Villone, of course) before the deadline. However, I don’t think it’s at all necessary, though, especially since all of the team’s relievers outside of Phil Hughes have been dominant against lefties this year.
Okay, one more time—Mark Teixeira needs more votes in order to be the starting first baseman for the AL in this year’s All-Star Game. Click here to vote (you can do so up to 25 times).
Voting ends tomorrow so make sure to support Tex!
From KTIV:
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The mother of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain has pleaded not guilty in a Nebraska court to a felony drug charge.
Forty-4-year-old Jackie Standley was arrested in May on suspicion of selling methamphetamine to an undercover officer earlier this year at her south Lincoln apartment.
Standley appeared in Lancaster County District Court on Wednesday, wearing a dog-tag chain around her neck. It had a photo of her son on one side in his Yankees uniform, fist-pumping during a game, and “In Joba We Trust” on the other.
She declined to comment following her arraignment.
If convicted, she faces up to 50 years in prison.
I apologize for posting this non-baseball item, but people read it, so it goes up. Sad stuff for Joba.
If you’re a regular fantasy nut like I am—16 teams this year—then you’re probably well aware of insider secrets that help a fantasy owner. One timeless technique that often works in constructing a fantasy team is a crafty use of your starting pitcher slots. In most head-to-head leagues, you’re afforded 3-5 starting pitcher slots. You can draft guys like CC, Greinke, and others to fill-in these lineup slots. However, for many of us—the smart ones—hitting is key, so why waste good draft picks on pitchers when hitting is much more difficult to find in the later rounds?
That’s where guys like Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves come in.
Hughes and Aceves both have SP eligibility (in Yahoo! leagues) because they’re both starters, yet the two have been moved to the Yankee bullpen (in real life). While that may seem like a problem for fantasy owners eager to enjoy Hughes’ talents, it’s actually a welcomed development for the savy owner. Hughes and Aceves have been lights out in their bullpen roles and are giving the Yankees a handful of scoreless relief innings a week. If you don’t have the best pitching rotation in your respective league, having both of them in your starting pitcher slots while your regular starters aren’t actually starting will help your fantasy staff in the form of ratio improvements (both Hughes and Aceves are striking out a good amount of batters while walking a few), wins (Aceves already has 5) and, of course, lowered ERA and WHIP. In addition, maybe you have a 7 inning pitching minimum per week—the norm in most leagues—which can be met by employing Hughes, Aceves and a mixture of closers as this almost ensures that you’ll win pitching ratios (K/BB, K/9, etc.). Such a method would allow you to trade all of your starting pitching for hitters while still featuring a very competitive staff. Whatever the case may be, it’s a smart technique and one that is very effective for fantasy owners.
What’s especially interesting about these two SP-relievers—Hughes and Aceves—is that they’ll probably pitch a lot of innings for the Yankees this year since they’re true starters, which can only help your team’s weekly line. Other SP-eligible relievers you can look for that will provide similar value are Dan Meyer (who is actually saving games for Florida, albeit temporarily) and Chris Sampson (not many K’s but a solid pickup nonetheless and he’s often used in Houston).
Acquiring Eric Hinske from the Pirates made sense for the Yankees for one particular reason—he’s versatile, meaning he can play 3B, 1B, RF and LF. Playing 3B is especially important, though, as the Yankees intend to give A-Rod a few off-days, here and there, so that he can remain healthy throughout the season. When asked why the Yankees didn’t promote Shelley Duncan when Xavier Nady went down, rather than bring in Hinske, Brian Cashman noted that Hinske could play 3B while Duncan could not—so, for those wondering why Shelley didn’t get the nod, now you know. It’s all about 3B and A-Rod. Ultimately, Hinske looks to be A-Rod’s regular backup with Cody Ransom, who is hitting .200 and is not a good defender, slowly fading out of the 3B picture (he’ll likely fill-in at SS and 2B).
Already, though, there is some question as to how good Hinske can be at 3B.
For instance, from Peter Abraham, we have the following:
Both Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman were quick to say yesterday that Eric Hinske can play first base, third base, right field and left field.They are correct in the sense that he has played those positions in the past. But as far as third base goes, he should not.
Hinske has played 68 innings at third base since the start of the 2007 season, making two starts for the Pirates this season and four for the Rays last season. Based on the metrics, it is by far his weakest position. Most of his time at third base came early in his career.
Said one exec to Joel Sherman for his blog:: “If the Yanks think he can play third base one time a week for A-Rod, they are crazy. He stinks there.”
That’s pretty blunt. Probably pretty accurate, too.
To be honest, according to UZR, yes, Hinske isn’t the best at the hot corner, but he did have a particularly bad defensive year in 2003 (-11.9 UZR) at the position which seems to skew his overall numbers (he was better in 2004). I mean, he’s definitely below average there and that was even the case this year with the Pirates, however, with limited time he probably won’t be a terrible third baseman. Also, Cody Ransom, who would have been manning third whenever A-Rod was out, doesn’t figure to be any better there, either (and Ramiro Pena was only slightly above average there, defensively).
In the end, Hinske will be a below average defender at 3B, yet his bat—which is significantly better than Ransom’s (and Pena’s)—will hopefully make up for his defensive shortcomings (Cashman obviously didn’t acquire him for his defense). For that reason alone, he was a worthwhile addition and a smart pickup.
Anyone see the highlights from the Orioles-Red Sox game last night? The Orioles were trailing 10-1 with nine outs to go yet managed to come back and win against Boston, 11-10. In a night where the Yankees won their sixth straight, you couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.
Thanks to A-Rod and Melky Cabrera, last night, facing Brandon Morrow and the Mariners, the Yankees walked away with their sixth consecutive win. Joba pitched fairly well although he continues to struggle with being economical (he threw 95 pitches in 5 1/3 IP). The bullpen picked him up, though—that is with the exception of Brian Bruney who hasn’t been effective since returning from the DL—and the Yankees were able to hold their 8-5 lead. Tonight we’ll see if Andy Pettitte can keep it rolling against Jarrod Washburn.
From PA at LoHud:
YANKEES (43-32)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera CFPitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81).
MARINERS (39-36)
Ichiro RF
Branyan 1B
Lopez 2B
Griffey LF
Sweeney DH
Gutierrez CF
Woodward 3B
Johjima C
Cedeno SSPitching: RHP Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.64).
TIME/TV: 7:05, YES.
Nice seeing the Mariners in town. After spending the last 2 years in Seattle, they were actually a fun group to watch. Let’s see how long Joe Girardi is going to stick with Robinson Cano behind Alex Rodriguez (he has 1 RBI in his last 10 games).
Alright everyone, you know the drill. Mark Teixeira is vying for his second All-Star Game start at 1B and Kevin Youkilis is muscling in on his goal (he surpassed Tex this week). If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to vote for Tex and help him out while we still can. You can vote up to 25 times, too.
MLBTR points out an interesting tidbit in a John Harper article, in which former Yankees GM Gene Michael admitted to almost trading Mariano Rivera to the Detroit Tigers in 1995 for none other than David Wells. However, this isn’t necessarily news since Buster Olney wrote about the scenario years ago in his book, I believe. Basically, Mo’s velocity jumped from 88-90 mph to 95-96 mph and Michael decided to keep him around after checking with a number of scouts, including Jerry Walker of the Tigers who had been following Rivera.
Funny how things tend to work out…
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