A-Report on A-Rod

A-Rod’s quad strain has been diagnosed as “mild” and he’ll join the Yankees in Chicago on Tuesday. There’s no word on whether or not he’ll play that day, but he will be evaluated at that time and if his quad is okay, then I’m sure we’ll see him in the lineup. The Yankees are not going to rush A-Rod back until he’s ready and, if he’s not in the lineup, Morgan Ensberg will be a very solid replacement.

Let’s Talk it Out

From PA’s LoHud Blog:

After seeing the comments in the New York Times today, Brian Cashman spoke with Hank Steinbrenner.

“We’re on the same page, 110 percent,” Cashman told The Journal News a few minutes ago. “He understands the situation.”

Cashman said Joba Chamberlain would remain in the bullpen for now. At some point (Page 1 of the Secret Plan), he will make the transition to the bullpen.

How Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy or Mike Mussina pitches has nothing to do with it. The Yankees are primarily concerned with Joba’s development and health.

“If we need a pitcher or somebody gets hurt, we’ll go down below and get somebody,” Cashman said. “You can’t just suddenly put Joba in the rotation.”

There is no question in Cashman’s mind - none whatsoever - that Joba’s future is as a starter. He was drafted as a starter, paid a signing bonus as a starter and developed as a starter. His pitching in the bullpen has been a function of innings limits.

As for Hank’s comments that it was a mistake for Joba to pitch in relief last season, Cashman said he explained to the co-chairperson that Joba was about to reach his innings limit when that move was made.

“Hank wasn’t involved last season and he didn’t understand what we were doing at that time,” Cashman said. “I explained it to him and he had no problems with it.”

Whether or not Joba pitched in relief last season, Cashman said, had no effect on his availability as a starter this season.

Eh, this Hank versus Cashman concept is getting old. I’m sure Cashman felt as though he was being undermined, but, sadly enough, he’s used to it (the guy is a pro). He’s dealt with this before and he’ll continue to deal with it in the future (unless he chooses to leave next year, which I don’t think will happen). Honestly, I wonder how Joba feels about all of this right now.

The Sleeping Giant

About a week ago, the Yankees unearthed a David Ortiz jersey in the new Yankee Stadium. We all know the backstory about a disgruntled Sox fan with superstitious beliefs and “evil” intentions, who had buried the jersey there in an attempt to “curse” the Yankees and their successful ballclub. Crazy, right? Well, allow me to continue this journey into the surreal. When one looks at the current stats for the slugging David Ortiz, one has to wonder exactly who was cursed by burying that jersey?

The jersey was uncovered on the 13th, and, up until that point, David Ortiz had the following line: .070/.231/.140. That was, at the time, one of the worst lines (if not the worst) for anyone with at least 75 AB’s. As soon as the jersey was dug up, David Ortiz started hitting again. Since the 14th (he didn’t play on the 13th), he’s hit around .305 and collected 12 RBI (that includes his 2-for-4 performance today). He’s basically been mashing (like he normally does) ever since that point.

In order to explain Ortiz’s initial struggles, we can definitely talk about his batting stance, his health (knees), the cold weather, the Japan trip, and so on and so forth. However, maybe, just maybe, that buried Ortiz jersey was actually helping us out. You never know, right?

Cashman Speaks on Hank and Joba

From Newsday:

“Joba’s staying in the bullpen right now,” The Yankee GM told Newsday in a telephone conversation this morning. “That’s where we’re at. [Putting him in the rotation is] not something that’s going to happen here early on, and [Hank] knows that. We’ve talked about it. I don’t know what set him off.”

That line of thinking isn’t necessarily very different from what Hank was saying. Hank sounded overly excited, but Cashman knows that Joba will be in the rotation, later on, not now.

David Ortiz’s Music Career

David Ortiz plans to drop out of baseball within a year or so and pursue a career in the music industry. Here’s a sample of his latest work that I think you’ll all enjoy.

Injury Report

Jorge Posada’s shoulder injury was more serious than the Yankees let on (they continue to be rather open-ended when describing the situation). He’s been out for a while now but he’s expected to return next week and resume his catching duties. Hopefully, he’ll be totally healthy and we won’t have to worry about him for the rest of the season.

Also, Alex Rodriguez injured his quad yesterday and the injury is forcing him to change his schedule for the week. A-Rod was hoping to travel to Miami last night and spend the off day in Florida, because his wife Cynthia is about to give birth at any moment. Instead, he’ll figure out what he’s doing today after testing that quad a bit. It doesn’t sound like it’s anything too serious.

Monday Morning Bits: Rotation Happenings, Hank Speaks

Here are a couple of news items that will hopefully combat the boredom of an off-day (the team will play again tomorrow):

1) Andy Pettitte showed the youngsters how it’s done yesterday, producing a much-needed performance that saved the bullpen and allowed the stagnant Yankee offense to get some runs on the board. In fact, Girardi is taking full advantage of Andy Pettitte’s reliable nature, choosing to alter the rotation (slightly) and sandwhich Andy between Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. This move has been brewing for a little while now (it’s easy to administer now with the off-day), and it will ultimately help the club’s bullpen from having to work itself to death if Hughes and Kennedy falter on back-to-back days.

2) Speaking of altering the rotation, Hank Steinbrenner has his own set of changes that he would like to see implemented sooner rather than later. Hank says that he’s would like to see Joba in the rotation now and that putting him in the bullpen last year was a mistake brought on by desperation. Hank could possibly get his wish if Mike Mussina fails (Hank speaks on him too). I, like many of you, agree that Joba should be in the rotation, but it’s really not a feasible idea at this point in time. 

Hank also had the following to say:

“The starting rotation is not what I would have chosen at the beginning of the year, but that is not a big news flash to anyone.”

Notice the dismay in this comment. Hank’s obviously excited and disappointed with the rotation’s performance, thus far (notably, Hughes and Kennedy). If it was up to him, those 2 guys would have been pitching for Minnesota while a changeup wielding ace pitched for New York.

More to come later.