Tiny Bits: Igawa’s Return, Molina’s Value

Over at the Yankee Website, Kit Stier writes about Jose Molina’s value while Jorge Posada has been on the DL. Molina has been tremendous defensively and although his offense is severely lacking in comparison to Jorge’s, we’ll take the very good with the pretty bad. Whatever Molina doesn’t bring with his bat, he certainly makes up for it when he calls games.

Also, Stier has a read on Kei Igawa, who will be starting tomorrow against the Detroit Tigers (scary, huh?). Igawa started his Triple-A season with a few quality outings, collecting a 2-2 record with a 2.49 ERA. However, his last few starts haven’t been nearly as good, with 11 ER in 18 IP (yikes). If he can provide a decide start tomorrow (6 IP, 4 ER?), the Yankees will take it, especially since they’ll be facing Kenny Rogers, who has been pretty terrible all year.

Donald Trump: A-Rod Isn’t Clutch

Donald Trump, for some reason, discussed Alex Rodriguez at the Economics Arkansas Luncheon in Arkansas today (how random is that shit), saying that, “he always plays bad under pressure.” Well, in the past that could be considered true, but doesn’t last year say something about A-Rod’s ability to deliver in big spots?

With 2 outs and RISP in 2007, A-Rod hit .318 and a had a 1.224 OPS. He drove in 46 RBI and mashed 12 homers in such situations. Also, in tied games, A-Rod hit 13 homers, all of which were game changing and tremendously important for the Yankees. Now, so far in 2008, he hasn’t done anything like that, hitting .100 with RISP and 2 outs with zero homers in tied games (although he has driven in 3 RBI), but he also hasn’t had many opportunities to do so since his injury.

Yankee fans, including Donald Trump (as well as animals like the deceased ferrite that calls his head a home), should respect A-Rod’s body of work from last year before making snap judgments. We should at least wait a few more weeks (more AB’s) before we bury him like we normally do.

Fun Interview With DJ

David Brown with Yahoo Sports recently had a very entertaining interview with Derek Jeter. Jeter talks about everything including wax statues, Ruben Sierra, Donald Trump and, um, Lance Bass.

Game 3: Yanks VS. Indians

The game has already started (it’s pretty early for those on the west coast) and here’s a live box score if you’re working (like I am). So far, Paul Byrd and Mike Mussina, two old soft tossers, are throwing pretty well.

A-Rod’s Rehab Pushed Back a Bit

The Yankees aren’t taking any chances with Alex Rodriguez. They don’t want to insert him into the lineup unless he’s totally healthy, so they’ll push back his reported rehab program by a day or two, allowing him to get an MRI on Monday instead of playing in a minor league game. This way the team will have tangible documentation of A-Rod’s progress (or lack thereof), before letting him continue his rehab assignment.

No need to panic here. This is actually a smart, precautionary move. A-Rod is still expected to be back in the lineup by the end of the next week. Also, speaking of rehab assignments, after last night’s game, Joe Girardi told reporters that Jorge Posada could start taking batting practice by Friday.

Is it just me or does it sound like they’re rushing Jorge back already? He’s only been on the DL since April 27th (officially). Why not rest him a bit more before he grabs a hold of a bat? I know he has to maintain his timing and stay up with his hitting, but before you know it, one bad swing could further aggravate his shoulder problem. Maybe the Yankees just can’t stand to see Jose Molina hitting under .230 (at least he’s calling some solid ballgames).