Game 1: Yanks VS. Chicago

Posada is back behind the plate in today’s game:

YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Giambi 1B
Ensberg 3B
Cabrera CF
Wang RHP

Chien-MIng Wang has a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings against the White Sox.

No A-Rod Tonight

The AP is reporting that Alex Rodriguez will not be in the lineup for tonight’s game. The Yankees are obviously allowing A-Rod to heal at his own pace and they will not start him unless he’s fully ready. Morgan Ensberg will start in his place.

In a totally unrelated note, some folks have asked me about Frank Thomas. Thomas is of no use to the Yankees, but, for anyone who’s interested, the Oakland A’s are reportedly close to signing him.

UPDATE – Apparently, A-Rod isn’t even with the team in Chicago. He’s in Miami and his wife, Cynthia, has given birth to his second daughter. A-Rod is expected to rejoin the team on Thursday.

Jorge’s Return

PA reports that Jorge Posada is at U.S. Cellular Field, working on his throws to second. Jorge could possibly make his return tonight as catcher and this would be a good matchup for him. The White Sox don’t exactly have the speediest players (their leadoff hitter is Nick Swisher), but they do have a stolen base threat with Orlando Cabrera (remember him?). Besides him, I don’t expect to see Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Joe Crede, or Jim Thome testing Posada’s throwing arm tonight.

Jeter and Yogi Named Spokesmen

Derek Jeter and Yogi Berra have been named the official spokesmen of DHL’s All-Star FanFest. The event takes place during All-Star Week (July 11-15) at the Jacob Javitz Center (in NY). Click here to read more about what looks to be a fun-filled couple of days for fans.

C.C. Sabathia Update v.X

From Bryan Hoch’s mailbag (Yankees Website):

I am hearing all this talk about C.C. Sabathia wearing Yankees pinstripes when he becomes a free agent. Is there any truth to this? How aggressive will the Yankees be since it won’t cost prospects?
– Pajji B., North Bergen, N.J.

Stay tuned; something tells me this could be Hot Stove 2008-09. Hank Steinbrenner said that the Yankees would have pushed harder for Santana if it was only money involved, but the player cost was too high. Since Sabathia hypothetically would only be a dollar figure, let’s just say the door seems open. A lot of cash could come off the books over the winter with Giambi, Farnsworth, Mike Mussina and others.

Okay, I’ve given up on remembering what number I’m on while chronicling the saga that is C.C. Sabathia’s impending free agency. Now seems like a perfect time to comment on the situation, especially with Sabathia struggling mightily to start the 2008 season.

Everything that Hoch says is true. C.C. will DEFINITELY be pursued by the Yankees come the end of the season. That is of course, unless he continues to have a down year (he’s been awful his past few starts). If the year he is currently having scares him into thinking that no other team will give him a huge deal, that would open the door for Cleveland to produce a new contract that is cost effective for them and one that’ll keep him wearing that happy Indian on the top of his head for many years to come.

However, unless Sabathia is injured (you never know), you can’t really expect him to be terrible, all season long. The guy will likely bounce back and dominate like he did last year. I think, no matter what happens, he’ll still end up being a free agent. He knows that he’s good and he knows that he’s capable of winning 20 games or more. Plus, he’s a big, strong, and more importantly, young and accomplished lefty with outstanding control. No matter what happens, someone will be willing to give him a huge deal and that someone will likely be the New York Yankees.

Billy Wagner’s Take on Joba

From John Harper:

“The Joba thing, to me, there’s no question about where he should be,” Wagner said. “He’s in the pen and that’s where he should stay. He’s dominating out there, so you want him comfortable, just doing what he’s doing.

“You don’t want him thinking, ‘Well, if I’m going to be starting (at some point), do I need to work on my other pitches to keep that stuff sharp?’ You don’t want to give him anything that might have him wondering, ‘What do I do?’ You don’t want to put anything in his head except getting those three outs in the eighth inning.”

Wagner’s obviously a little biased since he himself is a closer who was once a starter. He does have a point though regarding Joba’s frame of mind. Joba should know the plan for his conversion from reliever to starter and he probably does know it (we’re the ones who don’t know the specifics). Joba has been throwing fastballs, curves, sliders and changeups this year, so he’s probably incorporating all of those pitches because he knows he’ll make the transition at some point down the road.

A-Rod to the DL?

George King III reports that, depending on A-Rod’s ability to bounce back from his quad injury, a trip to the DL is still a possibility. I don’t think the Yankees will place him on the DL, I mean, if Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter weren’t put on the list, I doubt A-Rod’s mild quad strain will send him there. Of course, it’s always a possibility, however, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.