Game 77: Yanks VS. Pirates

Here’s the lineup courtesy of PA:

YANKEES
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Christian LF
Rasner RHP

Yikes, Melky hitting lead? This year, when batting first in the order, Melky has a .250 BA and a .654 OPS. Damon has been our spark at the top of the order so it’ll be up to Melky to get the team going. Darrell Rasner will be on the mound and he’ll face off against a fantasy baseball favorite from last year, Tom Gorzelanny.

Christian Gets The Call

Justin Christian has been called up to help the Yanks, as he’ll start in LF for the first game against the Pirates. Christian’s got speed and has been hitting well in Triple-A so he’ll be a nice weapon for the week as Billy Traber was sent down to make room for him. Christian (a random choice) is primarily up because Johnny Damon has a sore foot and Hideki Matsui’s knee won’t allow him to play the field. I’m somewhat surprised  that Gardner didn’t get the call, but I guess the Yanks like Christian’s AAA run (hitting .309 in 55 games) and the club probably wants Gardner to keep getting regular AB’s in the minors.

A Melktastic Package

Steven Goldman of the NY Sun believes that Melky Cabrera should be packaged together with a few other prospects and shipped off to another team for a quality pitcher. Right now probably wouldn’t be the best time to trade the Melk-Man since he’s mired in a deep slump (he does have a 3-game hitting streak), but, as the season has progressed, I would have to agree with Goldman. Although I love Melky and his style of play no matter how unorthodox it may be at times, the Yankees have a quality CF in AAA and Brett Gardner would give them some speed and patience at the bottom of the order where Melky and Robinson Cano have been butchering those concepts.

However, I would only agree with a Melky trade if the trade was for a top pitcher (he has potential and we’ve seen flashes), but who are you going to get that’s actually worth it? If the Yankees made a trade for Erik Bedard, that could possibly help the Mariners because they need an actual CF with Ichiro back in RF. That seems like the best fit although the Reds could use a CF as well (move Bruce to RF) and Aaron Harang (not Arroyo) could be worth it. Again, I enjoy Melky and his style of play and I know many readers do as well, but if you have the opportunity to better the club for the playoffs with a dominant pitcher, then that’s an opportunity you can’t pass up (especially with a viable backup plan in AAA).

Who Knew?

From the Hartford Courant:

“If you get back-to-back games where your starting pitcher has to come out early, that really taxes your bullpen, and you feel the sting of that for a while,” Cashman told The Courant as he headed home from his office on Monday. “We had guys step up and give us solid performances, give us a chance to win.”

Who knew that by the end of June our rotation would feature Andy Pettitte, Darrell Rasner, Joba Chamberlain, Mike Mussina (an AS candidate?!?), and Dan Giese? It really is amazing in retrospect. What’s been even more surprising is that the rotation is pitching exceptionally well, even without Wang. For years, it seems as though the Yankees haven’t had a stable rotation as it has always been in flux, so I know we’re all looking forward to seeing what the team can do with some very capable starters and for an extended period of time.

Kennedy Strikes Out 7 In Rehab Start

Ian Kennedy struck out 7 batters in 3 IP in his first rehab start today. He was facing the GCL Yankees, but it’s still a good sign. He’ll probably end up making a few starts in Triple-A before heading up to the big club. He’s really going to have to prove that he can sustain his minor league numbers in the majors.

Tuesday’s Bits: Jeter’s Line, Pavano’s Return, Arroyo Trade?

We’ve got an interesting set of bits to start the day:

1) First, let’s talk about Derek Jeter a bit, as the AS bound SS is seemingly having a down year. As Mark Feinsand notes, Jeter has struggled throughout the season but is currently hitting well, producing hits in 11 straight games. Yankee hitting coach, Kevin Long, finally gives us a legitimate reason as to why Jeter had been scuffling earlier in the year:

“I can tell you that he probably lost 30-35 points in his average due to his hand injury, but he’d never admit that,” Long said. “His swing wasn’t the same, he was favoring it and he got into some problems when it came to staying behind the baseball, which has always been his strength. He still contributed and helped us in other ways, but his hitting suffered.”

The injury happened on May 20, when Jeter was drilled in his left hand by a Daniel Cabrera fastball. Jeter missed the rest of that game, but he was back in the lineup the next night.

When Jeter was hit, his average was .312 and his on-base .351. Over the next 10 games, Jeter went 4-for-40 with only one extra-base hit, dropping his average down to .269.

So, while the captain hasn’t provided any excuses, at least we can attribute his lack of production to the hand incident and not to his age or overall level of play (it was pretty clear that the hand was bothering him after that game). He seems to have gotten his swing back on track and, as I have said before, Yankee fans should not worry about Derek Jeter. He’s a sure thing and he looks to be turning his season around.

2) Next, some news on Carl Pavano. Apparently, according to Brian Cashman, Pavano could return to the club in August, although I’m sure no one is expecting him to actually show up at all in 2008 (ala Mike Hampton). George King III reports that Pavano is throwing breaking balls off of a mound (wow!) and could possibly return before Phil Hughes does. At this point, anything the team can get from Pavano would be gravy, especially down the stretch (tempered expectations are a must).

3) Finally, the Daily News reports thats ever since Chien-Ming Wang injured himself in Houston, Bronson Arroyo has been bombarded with messages from his friends and family as they wonder about a possible NY move (e.g. a trade). Now, I’d be open to such a trade, although Arroyo has been pretty miserable this year (his K’s are still solid). I would consider him a last resort if Giese or Rasner totally fail (or if Hughes/IPK can’t help upon their return). He does offer some kind words for George Steinbrenner and I’m sure Arroyo wouldn’t mind getting a chance to pitch against Boston after they burned him a few years ago. Either way, if I were Brian Cashman, I would forget Bronson Arroyo and focus in on Arroyo’s fellow Red, Aaron Harang. Now that guys is a great pitcher (he’s having a poor year, but he’s as solid as they come).

Then again, our rotation has been pretty solid without Wang and we still have some depth in our farm system. Brian Cashman could always turn to Alfredo Aceves and seems ready to do so if Aceves shows the team something in AAA ball.