Last night, we heard that Alex Rodriguez’s meeting with MLB officials will be held tomorrow. However, it appears as though the timing of the meeting is still up in the air, as A-Rod intends to play against the Reds in tomorrow’s exhibition game.
You know, you would think this stuff would be sorted out by now.
UPDATE – According to Mike Schmidt (NY Times), Alex’s meeting with MLB investigators is expected to go on as scheduled (tomorrow).
Fro Bryan Hoch (MLB):
In Chamberlain’s lone inning of work on Saturday, two Minnesota Twins rounded the bases on three hits, hardly a convincing sales job for those still not believing he is best suited for work as a starting pitcher. But Chamberlain shrugged, knowing that he kept some of his best stuff in the holster.
“It’s Spring Training — that’s what it’s here for,” Chamberlain said. “You establish your fastball early. These guys are good enough that if they see you pitch the same guy twice in a row when you get ahead of them, they’re going to know what’s coming.”
Chamberlain threw 22 pitches, and all but three were four-seam fastballs — he dropped in two changeups and snapped off a lonely slider to make up the rest of the inning. The results weren’t pretty, but the Yankees were OK with it.
“All the guys are trying to build arm strength, so we’re trying to stress to throw a lot of fastballs early,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We saw what we wanted to see. It’s just a step to building a starter.”
Chamberlain’s next start will come on Thursday against the Canada entry in the World Baseball Classic, intended to be a two-inning affair that should allow him to open up the repertoire more. But he still plans to live and die with the fastball until camp goes deep into next month.
“It’s just a mentality,” Chamberlain said. “As a power guy, you’ve got to limit your pitches and try to beat them with fastballs — not try to beat them with the other stuff.”
I know a few folks out there may be worried about today’s outing, simply because it’s the wunderkind, Joba Chamberlain. But, remember, it’s also only spring training — this is all part of the process.
While Jorge Posada’s shoulder was a cause for concern, the Yankees also lost today’s game to the Twins (they lost yesterday, too), as the pitching — Joba Chamberlain (1 IP 2 ER) and co. — was knocked around a bit.
The team gave up 7 ER and the final score was 7-3.
Jorge Posada was scratched from today’s exhibition game because of “shoulder discomfort.” He’ll be shut down for a few days and won’t resume throwing until Tuesday (at the earliest). While he and Joe Girardi don’t seem too worried about the issue, you have to wonder about the severity of the soreness. Hopefully he’s alright and it isn’t a serious setback.
UPDATE - Here’s some more info on the situation (NY Times):
Girardi described Posada’s shoulder as “a little, little, little sore.”
“Minuscule weakness,” he added. “He wanted to play. We said: ‘You’re not playing. It’s too early in the process.’ He’s on the watch list. We want to get that little irritation out of there.”
Accounts of the injury differed slightly between the manager and the player. Girardi said Posada woke up Saturday morning with a little soreness. Posada said he hurt it Thursday in the on-deck circle while stretching before his first at-bat in his first exhibition game.
“I wasn’t thinking,” Posada said. “I grabbed a bat and go back all the way, and I wasn’t supposed to do that. I felt it in the shoulder. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do it. I kept playing, and there was nothing wrong.”
Posada demonstrated his stretching motion, with an imaginary bat behind his head. He hit a home run on the first pitch he saw and later doubled. He also played on Friday — both games at designated hitter — and has four hits in five at-bats.
Posada has thrown on the side without pain and said it did not hurt to swing or hit in games. But he said he came to the ballpark on Saturday and reported the problem to the Yankees’ head trainer, Gene Monahan, who brought in Dr. Christopher Ahmad for further examination.
“I said, ‘Geno, my shoulder is sore,’ ” Posada said. “He said, ‘Usually sore?’ and I said, ‘Just a little bit more.’ ”
Posada said he would not have X-rays or a magnetic resonance imaging test. Girardi said Posada was still on schedule to catch for the first time on March 15 here against Minnesota.
Posada went on to say that it doesn’t “hurt” when he throws or swings a bat and that he could continue to play through the soreness. However, the Yankees are obviously and appropriately being very cautious and he’ll remain idle until the soreness dissipates.
From Bryan Hoch (MLB):
MLB intends to speak with Rodriguez about security issues and his links to a trainer, Angel Presinal, who has been barred from Major League clubhouses. Also up for possible discussion is Rodriguez’s relationship with his cousin, Yuri Sucart.
The meeting will be held in Tampa.
Here are a few quick reads on the day:
1. The economy has shifted the Yankees’ relationship with long-time sponsor, Bank of America.
2. Rocco Baldelli’s medical file is over 3,000 pages in length.
3. Joba Chamberlain is taking a Nebraska student to Disney World.
Here are the lineups (via PA):
YANKEES (2-0)
Gardner CF
Ransom 2B
Swisher 1B
Posada DH
Nady RF
Cabrera LF
Berroa SS
Leone 3B
Cervelli CTWINS (2-0)
Gomez CF
Casilia 2B
Crede DH
Morneau 1B
Cuddyer RF
Young LF
Redmond C
Harris 3B
Punto SS
Right now it’s 3-1 Yanks.
Brett Gardner has a double, a single and a SB, meanwhile, Melky searches for his first hit. Also, IPK pitched 2 strong innings (0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K). Here’s the live boxscore.
Here’s Mark Feinsand (Daily News) on Ian Kennedy (08/10/08) :
Kennedy will make his next start for Triple-A Scranton on Wednesday, but his primary focus won’t be shutting the other team down. Instead, he’ll work on his sinker, curveball and slider, trying to refine the three pitches regardless of the results.
“It’s still making quality pitches, but it’s working on location, working on his breaking ball when he’s behind in the count, not being afraid to throw it over,” Joe Girardi said. “Just trying to develop him as a starter.” “Not focus on results, but rather the results of what I’m working on,” Kennedy said. “Here, you can’t work on it, because we’re in a pennant race.”
Last season, Ian Kennedy fell in love with his fastball.
Actually, it was sort of like a grade school crush, in that it was both regretful and embarrassing. Obviously, IPK is not known for his overpowering fastball, however, in 39.2 IP, he managed to throw it 68.1% of the time in 2008. Mind you, this is a fastball that actually averaged 89 mph. If you look at the rest of the ‘08 rotation, comparatively, IPK — in a limited stint — went with his fastball significantly more than the veteran Andy Pettitte did, and Andy’s fastball clocked in at 88.5 mph, on average. In fact, in terms of starters, IPK threw the highest percentage of fastballs on the team outside of sinker specialist, Chien-Ming Wang (77%) and the walking crap shoot that is Sidney Ponson (72.3%).
Here’s Kennedy describing his affinity for the fastball in ‘06 :
What does this mean, exactly? Well, based on Kennedy’s “production” last season, it’s a notable issue.
IPK simply cannot throw that many fastballs and expect to have an effective career in the majors — not at the big league level. 89 mph (on average) isn’t terrible, nor is it anything to sneeze at, but, when your better pitches are your breaking pitches — the curveball, slider, changeup — then it’s time to set the “heater” on the shelf and reconsider your pitch selection. Because of ‘08 Kennedy’s desire to throw the fastball at such a high percentage, his secondary pitches were practically nonexistent. He ended up throwing the curve 9.3% of the time, while going with the changeup — his best pitch — 16.2% of the time. Meanwhile, the slider, which was thrown 15.2% of the time in a successful albeit limited 2007 in the Bronx, was pushed into the recesses of IPK’s repertoire, appearing only 6.4% of the time in 2008. Essentially, IPK cannot afford to continue relying upon this particular pitching pattern if he intends to stick around (…with the Yankees).
He (or Molina or Posada) needs to keep his fastball love in check, limit its use, and vary what is else thrown. Instead of an excessive percentage of fastballs (even if it’s a sinker), the slider, the curve, the change, they all need to be featured prominently or at least incorporated into his bag of tricks a bit more. For example and for comparison purposes (again), Kennedy’s stuff and style has always reminded me of Andy Sonnanstine of the TB Rays. Sonnanstine threw his 87 mph fastball 38% of the time in 2008, opting to throw a lot more breaking stuff — he also won 13 games and had a 3.91FIP. This could have been a reaction to 2007, when Sonnanstine threw his fastball 51.4% and amassed a 6-10 record (4.26 FIP ). It appears as though he tweaked his approach after a tough campaign, reining in the fastball in his second big league season (30% of Sonnanstine’s ‘08 pitches were also cutters, a variation of the fastball, although not a straight fastball, so the approach still changed when compared to 2007, where 6.3% of his pitches were cutters).
When asked about Sonnanstine’s skill set, Joe Maddon, manager of the Rays, responded with the following :
“Some guys that have these tremendous arms and throw for high velocities don’t have nearly the conviction per pitch that he does,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I think therein lies the difference with his success: Before the ball is thrown, he believes it’s going to be successful for him. Some other guys just don’t know. And that’s why I think this guy’s good.”
“I don’t want this to come out wrong,” Sonnanstine said, “but it’s like you have to know you are better than the best player out there, even if you aren’t. So what I’m going to be throwing to one of the best hitters in the game, I have to know I’m going to get him out.”
If I were Ian Kennedy, I’d keep the fastballs in check, listen to Joe Maddon and learn from Andy Sonnanstine. Next time he feels the need to “throw the heat,” I hope that he throws the slider or the curveball, instead (and with conviction). From everything I’ve read, he’s a very smart pitcher and made some adjustments while pitching effectively in Puerto Rico. Hopefully that includes incorporating all of his pitches.
From George King III (NY Post):
The Yankees are contemplating skipping Joba Chamberlain during the first trip through the rotation for two reasons:One, with a 150-innings limit on his electric right arm it would be a way of attaining that goal.
Two, it would allow the Yankees to open the new Yankee Stadium with CC Sabathia, their $161 million ace.
“It’s in the mix,” manager Joe Girardi said yesterday when asked if skipping Chamberlain was an option.
Sabathia will open the season in Baltimore on April 6. Because the Yankees don’t play on April 7, Sabathia could return April 10 in Kansas City. Five days later he would be ready to hurl against the Indians, his original team, in the home opener.
A fifth starter isn’t needed until April 12 in Kansas City and that could be Chamberlain’s debut.
If that’s the case, Chamberlain could fall in between Sabathia and Wang in the rotation.
Hmm, I wonder if Girardi was referring, specifically, to skipping Joba during the first rotation run through or if he was simply stating that skipping starts was a general possibility. Either way, while it would be a lot of fun to see Joba start the home opener, I’d actually love to see CC get the ball, as well. After hearing the raucous crowd, I’m sure he’ll wonder why he ever even thought about staying on the west coast.
Jorge Posada hit a homer and a double in yesterday’s 5-1 win over the Rays. Both hits were big for the Yankees, not in terms of a win, really, but because they demonstrate that Posada’s shoulder is healing well after the severe shoulder injury which sapped him of his power in 2008.
Here’s Posada’s take on last season’s difficulties.
“I don’t want to say it was a lazy swing, but there was no extension,” Posada said. “I wasn’t able to drive the ball righty or lefty, because the shoulder was weak. It was just a really messed-up swing.”
Although Girardi tried to keep Posada around to DH after his season-ending injury, not only did that idea fail (and I’m not blaming Girardi for that), but it also cost the Yankees now, as Jorge’s rehab is coming down to the wire. If he had received treatment (surgery) earlier, rather than trying to play through the issue, he could have been further along in the recovery process.
From Bryan Hoch (MLB):
“I feel like if I can stay healthy and pitch well wherever I’m at, I’ll do pretty well,” Hughes said. “I’m just trying to get ready, and if I do go to Triple-A, I’ll just be working there to get back up.”
I’m a huge Phil Hughes fan, however, I’m also one of those guys who believes he is an injury-prone pitcher. Yes, none of the injuries have been of the arm variety — that’s true — though I would argue that the injuries he has succumbed to (rib, hamstring), have been caused by poor mechanics. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him spend time on the DL again in 2009. Obviously, I’m hoping that doesn’t happen, but it’s not outside of the realm of possibility.
From the AP (via Yahoo!):
Alex Rodriguez has been told by the New York Yankees to keep his cousin away from ballparks.
The message was given to the star third baseman on Thursday, said a person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team did not make an announcement. The message applied both to spring training and the regular season, the person said.
Speaking at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., general manager Brian Cashman said only that matter of Rodriguez being picked up from his spring training opener Wednesday by his cousin “has been handled.”
A day earlier in Dunedin, Rodriguez homered and walked twice, then got into a SUV driven by Yuri Sucart. He’s been identified as the cousin who provided Rodriguez with performance-enhancing drugs obtained in the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez admitted using them while playing for Texas from 2001-3.
Rodriguez acknowledged to the Yankees that having the cousin meet him at the ballpark in Dunedin was a mistake, the person who told The Associated Press about the situation said.
Alex should have thought about this beforehand.
The Yankees beat the rays, 5-1, in today’s game.
OFFENSE
Jorge Posada homered in the third and hit an RBI double in the fifth to plate Xavier Nady. Later, in the seventh, Shelley Duncan showed that he was alive still has some power, hitting a 3-run homer to cap off the win.
PITCHING
Phil Hughes and Phil Coke pitched 2 scoreless innings a piece — you can see more detailed info, here. Yankee pitching was strong today, giving up only 1 ER (surrendered by J.B. Cox).
The game is at Steinbrenner Field.
Here are the lineups provided by PA:
YANKEES (1-0)
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Posada DH
Molina C
Cabrera CFRAYS (0-1)
Kennedy 2B
Crawford LF
Aybar DH
Ensberg 3B
Zobrist SS
Kapler CF
Richard 1B
Riggans C
Ruggiano RF
Phil Hughes will face off against Wade Davis. Also, Phil Coke, Jonathan Albaladejo, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte and Mark Melancon are all expected to compete for the setup-man role pitch today. You can catch the game on YES (it started at 1:15 p.m.), or, if you’re like me — stuck in an office all day — here’s a live boxscore.
UPDATE -
Wade Davis — 2 IP 0 H 0 BB 3 K
Phil Hughes — 2 IP 0 H 1 BB 2 K
Phil Coke pitched one clean inning and Jorge Posada homered off of Chad Orvella in the bottom of the third, which is a good sign when you consider that last year’s shoulder injury really ruined his power. 1-0 Yanks.
From Bryan Hoch (MLB):
“‘You deliver this message,’ [Steinbrenner] said sternly to me. ‘You tell him to hit the damn ball and hit it when it counts,’” Jackson said. “Yes, that’s really the most important thing Alex can do at this stage. All the other conversations, they don’t matter. The more you talk, the more you have an opportunity to make a mistake or say something stupid or something you can go trace.”My dad used to say you can control the story as long as you still get a chance to hit. Take the bat away and you start running your mouth, you’re going to get in trouble. Edit your own story with the bat, and as long as Alex does that, he’s got a chance to change things.”
That’s great advice from Reggie.
All A-Rod can do from hereon in is play baseball. Play good baseball and all will not be forgotten, but the situation’s severity will certainly dwindle down. Of course, if A-Rod plays bad baseball going forward, people will wonder about him for the rest of his career.
Here’s what Yankee COO Lonn Trost had to say, yesterday, when asked about the partial-view bleacher seats in the new Yankee Stadium:
Is it true there are seats in the bleachers from which you can’t see parts of the field? “Yes, but we will have TVs in the walls there.”
That’s not the same thing as seeing it live, is it? “We had a choice of selling it to somebody or not. If you come to the stadium you’ll see there are TVs in the walls. [Some views are obstructed] a little bit, but for $12 it’s a choice of taking it or not.”
It appears as though Trost is signing a different tune, today:
The price of watching a fraction of Yankees games dropped to a fraction of its original cost yesterday, with obstructed-view bleacher seats abruptly falling from $12 per game to $5.
Lonn Trost, the team’s chief operating officer, made the announcement during an interview on WFAN. The ticket price applies to about 600 seats on either side of a sports bar that extends to the centerfield wall.
“Those seats are being sold at $5, not $12,” he said. “I think some seats may have gone out improperly invoiced. Those are going to be corrected, but those 600 seats are going to be $5.”
To be honest, I would pay $12 to go to the new stadium and sit in a partial-view seat. It would be an awkward experience, but hey, that’s just me. I can always walk around and watch the game from different areas of the park. I’m sure that security could hinder such an idea, but with the stadium’s new features, there are a lot of ways to watch a ballgame that don’t necessarily include sitting at your seat.
Here’s the rotation with each pitcher’s average FB velocity (2008):
CC Sabathia — 93.7 mph
Chien-Ming Wang — 91.8 mph
A.J. Burnett – 94.3 mph
Andy Pettitte — 88.5 mph
Joba Chamberlain — 95.0 mph
Although Pettitte’s fastball is becoming Mussinaesque, that’s still a very powerful group. At the same time, one can argue that velocity really means nothing, especially when you consider that one of the hardest throwing starters on last year’s team, Sidney Ponson (91.4 mph), was probably the worst, whereas the soft-tossing Mike Mussina (86.4 mph) was definitely the best.
From PA (LoHud):
Joe Girardi just said the rotation would be Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettitte and Chamberlain. The plan is for Joba to make roughly 30 starts.
Excellent. Not only will Joba make “roughly 30 starts,” but Chien-Ming Wang will be our #2. Burnett is a good pitcher, but come on, you can’t deny what Wang has done for the club.
Here’s the rotation for the first week of exhibition games (via PA).
Wednesday at Toronto: Brett Tomko
Thursday vs. Tampa: Phil Hughes
Friday at Minnesota: Ian Kennedy
Saturday vs. Minnesota: Joba Chamberlain
While Tomko will get the start today against the lefty, Brett Cecil — let’s face it — all eyes will be on Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod (along with Jeter and Cano) is expected to see at least some time in today’s game in Dunedin. Of course, although it’s rather early, this will allow him to adequately prepare for his involvement in the WBC.
Today, Tyler Kepner (NY Times) caught up with Hideki Matsui who is continuing to rehab his fragile legs after another off-season accented by a knee operation. If dealing with injuries wasn’t enough, Matsui is also grappling with the harsh realities of his baseball career. Essentially, he’s just too old and brittle to play the field.
“In the past, you accepted that you played every day,” Matsui said. “Now, you sort of flip it around where you may not be playing every day. But you still have to accept it and make the most of it.”
Regardless of injuries and age, Matsui is a tremendously talented hitter who can still be a huge asset to the team if used exclusively as a DH in 2009. While he may fail to reach the 25-homer mark this season (balky knees will do that), I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put together a line similar to that of Conor Jackson in 2008, albeit with more power (but not much more).
You are currently browsing the iYankees blog archives for February, 2009.
Visit Sports Gambling.com, your online sportsbook for live Super Bowl Odds.
| Jorge's at it again.… on What About Wang? | |
 | nobody on The 2010 Yankees… |
 | Amoah oppong Clement on A Double Standard? |
 | Dimitri Cavalli on Catching Up With Mike Sta… |
 | marcys on Understanding Jose over J… |
 | Bruce Siegel on Selena Roberts strikes ag… |
 | Chris H. on An extension for Girardi? |
ESPN- MLB HEADLINES:
|
