The Offense Shows Up

This was reportedly seen in Bobby Abreu’s locker today (he was 3-for-3).

Game 4: Yanks VS. Rays

The lineups are as follows (via PA):

YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Betemit 1B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Mussina RHP

RAYS
Iwamura 2B
Crawford LF
Pena 1B
Upton CF
Floyd DH
Hinske RF
Aybar 3B
DiFelice C
Bartlett SS
Hammel RHP

Yankees are looking to split the series. Looks like Molina will be Mussina’s personal catcher this year, which should give Jorge plenty of time to rest throughout the season. I expect the bats to wake up against Jason Hammel, who is the very definition of “shellable” (if there was such a thing).

Go time.

UPDATE (7:5 — Derek Jeter is out of the game with a strained quad (it happened while he was running to first). Morgan Ensberg is playing 1B and Wilson Betemit has been moved to SS.

Trading for Nick Johnson

The guys at RAB (with MLBTR) bring up the recent rumor that Nick Johnson could be available and the SF Giants reportedly have an interest in him (when one looks at their inherently anemic offense, it’s easy to understand why). Johnson would be a quality 1B on any team, health permitting, and the Yankees could possibly pursue him if Giambi’s minor groin injury becomes a long-term issue. However, it is also important to note that Dmitri Young, who has been relegated to backup duties since Johnson’s reemergence, had his starting job taken away for a reason, largely because he reported to camp out of shape, allowing his diabetes to become an even greater issue that could effect his on-field performance. He’s also dealt with some more recent back issues to begin the season and, while I would love to see Johnson back in a Yankee uniform, it would certainly be difficult for the Nationals to part with him (he’s also cheap).

This is Joba’s World, We’re All Just Living In It

Here’s the official writeup of the Rays-Yanks game from yesterday, featured on the team’s official website. It’s by Bryan Hoch and I didn’t notice it, but I just realized that, although Chien-Ming Wang pitched 6 great innings for the team, you don’t even see a mention of him until further down in the text. The entire article is essentially about Joba Chamberlain, who pitched just 2 scoreless innings in the game (as opposed to Wang’s 6 innings).

The kid is a media star and it’s absolutely amazing.