Wang Injured During Finale

Chien-Ming Wang injured himself rounding 3rd and running home in the top of the 6th inning against the Houston Astros. As he neared home, he immediately began to limp and when he touched homeplate he was apparently favoring his right knee, although he also seemed to point to his shin area when the trainers ran out. Wang had to be helped off the field and while that sounds really bad, remember, he also just ran in from 3rd while injured (albeit slowly), so it’s not as if he couldn’t put any pressure on the leg at all. Eh, this is a tough break for Wang and the Yanks (he was pitching a gem). Hopefully he won’t miss more than a start or 2 (let’s hope that his knee is okay).

More on Wang’s injury later…

UPDATE – PA is reporting that the injury is to Wang’s foot. PA is also going worst case scenario, saying that Wang will likely be out for a long time. Honestly, I saw Albert Pujols run out of the batter’s box the other day and grab his leg. Then he hit the ground and had to be carried off the field. His injury was scary but was found out to be a strained calf. He’ll be out for about 3 weeks, which isn’t season-ending by any means (especially with the AS break coming up). I’m just trying to put things in perspective for Yankee fans before I jump to the worst possibly outcome (3 weeks isn’t that much time).

UPDATE – I’m not watching YES (MLB.TV doesn’t allow it), but I’m hearing that after the game, reports are that Wang has a “sprained foot” or that he sprained the “top of his foot”, which is obviously, very ambiguous. Hopefully, we’ll hear more definitive news by the end of the day. A sprain would be lovely though, given the alternatives that are being tossed around.

UPDATE – So the injury is currently being called a sprain and there was no damage to Wang’s achilles tendon or ankle. That eliminates some time consuming injuries but a bone fracture wasn’t ruled out. We’ll hear more tomorrow after the Yanks conduct some more tests on Wang. He’s currently in a soft cast and moving around albeit on crutches.

Long Speaks On Cano

PA from the LoHud Blog was able to speak with Kevin Long about Robinson Cano’s down year and Long provided some interesting information. There have been a variety of theories as to why Cano is struggling, some of which are mental but Long seems to emphasize the mechanical aspect of Cano’s game (stance). To me, this is actually a silver lining. If Cano had been worrying about justifying his new contract or playing in the AS Game (rumors we’ve heard before), then I would seriously be worried about his chances to rebound since those worries would be built upon a tremendously immature mindset. If Long and Cano can work on rectifying Cano’s swing, then maybe, just maybe Cano can begin to rebuild his 2008 numbers.

Yanks Interested in Garcia?

From the NY Times:

The Yankees are among the teams watching the progress of Freddy García, the former All-Star right-hander who had surgery last August to repair tears in his labrum and rotator cuff.

García has been throwing off a mound and will audition for interested teams early next month in Miami. He has a big fan in the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, his teammate with the Seattle Mariners in 1999 and 2000. García averaged 14 ½ victories per season for Seattle and the White Sox until slumping with the Phillies when his shoulder hurt last year.

Garcia, if healthy, could be an effective mid-season acquisition for any team (stats). If he’s not asking for much, I’m sure Cashman wouldn’t hesitate to give him a look if the Darrell Rasner experiment fails (or if Hughes and IPK show that they need more seasoning in the minors after their injuries). It could be a low-risk, high-reward type of move.

Earning 10

The 2008 season has brought baseball fans a flurry of surprises. Whether we’re discussing Josh Hamilton or Edinson Volquez (who were basically traded for each other), the way the 2008 season has played out would have been hard for any analyst or fan to predict. Need proof? Well, why not head over to the MLB’s website and check out the league leader’s board for Wins (pitchers). At the top of that list, you’ll see some unlikely names. Brandon Webb leads baseball with 11 wins, but he is followed by a few peculiar figures, such as Cliff Lee (10), Mike Mussina (10), Aaron Cook (9), Joe Saunders (9), Edinson Volquez (9) and Ryan Dempster (9).

Weird, isn’t it? For Yankee fans, Mike Mussina has been one of the year’s greatest surprises. However, his resurgence hasn’t just intrigued the Yanks as the rest of the baseball world is starting to take noticel (he’s even garnering All-Star considerations). Houston certainly took notice today, when he pitched another solid ballgame, allowing 3 ER over 6 IP (4 K’s). Mussina is one of the main reasons the Yanks have been able to climb over their .500 hump, as Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, and an assortment of kids in the back end of the rotation have been wildly inconsistent. Who knew this would be the case at the beginning of the season? I never counted Mussina out after last year, but I wasn’t necessarily betting that he would lead the AL in wins come mid-June either (and he’s tied with… Cliff Lee–that’s simply unpredictable).

Here’s A-Rod as he tries to explain Moose’s 2008 success:

“He’s actually moving the ball away from lefties and into righties, and that’s been a big difference,” Rodriguez said. “He’s throwing a two-seamer that, at times, moves a foot. His breaking ball has always been the same and very effective, but he’s using his fastball as more of a strikeout tool.”

Not walking anyone also helps (of course). You hear that Ian Kennedy? If Mike Mussina keeps this up, he may pitch himself into a new contract with the Yankees (don’t yell at me). I know that sounds terribly premature, but with the inconsistencies the Yanks have seen in their younger arms, having a solid backup plan come 2009 would be extremely beneficial. By then he could possibly lose another few MPH from his fastball, but hell, judging from the way Mike Mussina earned his 10th win in Houston (and the 9 other wins), I’d have to say that he can continue to surprise baseball fans for a few more years.