Move Matsui?

Remember during the offseason when the Yanks were actually shopping Hideki Matsui to the SF Giants? There were talks about moving Matsui for Jonathan Sanchez, who has pitched very well for the Giants this year. There were also talks about moving Matsui for Noah Lowry or Kevin Correia. Well, Lowry may not pitch at all this season after having surgery while Correia is on the 15-day DL with a strained oblique.

Matsui is currently sporting .317 BA with a .889 OPS and has been the most consistent hitter in the entire Yankee lineup. Imagine what the Yankees would look like right now if he had been moved, especially with Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano struggling (and A-Rod and Jorge on the DL). When you think back on it, how did the Yankees even consider that to be option? Did they actually trust Jason Giambi? They even thought about leaving Matsui on the bench so that others like Damon or Giambi could play more often.

I’m looking forward to another consistent season from Hideki Matsui. His power numbers may come down slightly (20-25 homers, maybe), but he’s not a one-dimensional hitter. Essentially, he’s not Jason Giambi. He’s adjusting and spraying the ball all over the field and he has become the perfect #5 hitter.

Saturday Bits: Mussina, Hughes, Kennedy

A couple of news items for the day:

• Mike Mussina pitched well today, going 6 strong (striking out 5) to win his 3rd game in a row. Mussina has been effective this year, although he did struggle against Manny Ramirez Boston
• The Yankees are going to hold off on sending Ian Kennedy down to the minors. A lot of people have been clamoring for it, but with Hughes on the DL and Rasner coming up, the Yankees are expecting a few more innings out of Rasner so they’ll let Kennedy work himself out while he’s with the club. The Yanks will be flexible with their #5 starter this month, giving Kennedy plenty of time to reflect on his issues and work with Dave Eiland between starts.
• Phil Hughes will probably be fitted for glasses (or contacts, maybe?). He has “perfect” eyesight but he has experienced some blurry spells when pitching under the lights at certain stadiums (including Yankee Stadium, which could be a problem). This actually explains the mix-ups had between Hughes and Chris Stewart (who will probably be DFA’d).

Back with more later.

Hank’s Words of Wisdom

From USA Today:

“We just can’t win one out of five games, every time Wang pitches,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s not going to work. It’s not a good win percentage. Starting pitching is where it’s at, especially in the postseason. At this point, we’ll see if we even make the postseason.”

That Hank Steinbrenner is great. We can always count on him to point out the obvious and do so in an incredibly eloquent manner.