Aceves and Marte update

According to Bryan Hoch, Alfredo Aceves’ shoulder felt better today after a 20-pitch bullpen session. He should be ready to pitch tomorrow.

In addition, from PA, we learn that Damaso Marte was throwing 88 mph meatballs last night (he gave up 2 homers). Marte has now given up 3 ER over 4 2/3 IP with Scranton. He usually throws around 92 mph, so maybe it’s just a bit of rust. However, as PA states, I don’t think the Yankees can count on him coming back anytime soon. His latest outing may force them to pursue another lefty via trade.

Aceves hurting

Alfredo Aceves’ ERA in the month of July is 4.72 and, in 3 1/3 IP since the All-Star break, Aceves’ ERA is 8.10. Some may have thought that Aceves was simply regressing after a terrific start to the season, however, now it appears as though a sore shoulder is to blame for his recent woes. From PA, we learn that Aceves’ shoulder has felt “fatigued” and that it has been an ongoing issue for him lately (this could explain why, exactly, the Yankees have chosen to carry another reliever). Aceves doesn’t seem overly concerned about the shoulder, though, and will play catch tomorrow in order to test it out before rejoining his peers in the bullpen. With an already depleted starting rotation, this is tough news for the Yankees given Aceves’ flexibility as a starter/reliever.

With the trade deadline looming, it could be a smart play for the Yankees to acquire another reliever for more depth (or a starting pitcher capable of throwing a good amount of innings). Aceves has been solid in the ‘pen, thus far, but you never know with “sore” shoulders. For instance, Damaso Marte had a sore shoulder months ago and we haven’t seen him since.

Knowing Aceves

Alfredo Aceves wasn’t particularly good in today’s outing against the Twins, however, the Yankees still won the game thanks to an effective performance by the bullpen (for the most part anyway). If you’re looking for some more information on Aceves as to what he’s all about, Tyler Kepner actually wrote a nice piece on him yesterday. It’s a good read so feel free to check it out.

Aceves to get the start on Thursday

According to PA, that’s what he was told. He has definitely earned it, that’s for sure.

Missed Bits: Bruney, Aceves

Here are two quick bits I missed over the V-Day weekend:

1. Brian Bruney and Harold Reynolds got into a little — and I mean little — back and forth over some comments made on the MLB Network. Reynolds basically said that the Yankees had no 8th inning guy and Brian Bruney took that personally. For the Yankees’ sake, I hope Bruney does become that guy, but I’m not too optimistic — at least not yet.

2. Alfredo Aceves will be skipping out the World Baseball Classic. Aceves wanted to pitch for Mexico, however he’s focused on winning a bullpen job (long reliever) and showing the Yankees what he has to offer in the event of an injury (to a starter). With Joba Chamberlain in the rotation, most of these pitchers have to figure that they’ll get a few opportunities to start. I’m sure Aceves took that into account, as well.

Lucky guy

Just a quick bit about Alfredo Aceves. I know a lot of people are fans of his and think that he could contribute in 2009, especially after a successful ‘08 debut. However, although I agree and think that Aceves can be helpful to the team, remember to temper expectations.

Aceves pitched 30 innings in 2008. Most of those innings—28 of them—came in the month of September. While Aceves’ 2.57 ERA that month was stellar, luck seemed to help him tremendously. During September, Aceves BABIP of .241 was the 3rd lowest that month for AL pitchers. Meanwhile, his 5.13 FIP was actually the 4th highest in the AL. Basically, the .241 is unsustainable and the FIP indicates that his ERA should have trended upwards (and significantly upwards).

All in all, nobody is exactly sure what to make of Aceves. As long as you don’t think he’s the second coming or believe he should be awarded the 5th starter gig based on last year’s numbers, then your expectations are tempered and you’re reserving judgement (which is good).

Mo Moves Up

With his save today (against Chi Town), which was his 36th of the season, Mariano Rivera moved into second place on the career saves list (all-time). That Mo, he’s pretty good, huh? Mo has now passed Lee Smith with his 479th save and has Trevor Hoffman in his sights (although he’s still pitching and is farther away, with 552 saves).

Alfredo Aceves also looked pretty good in his second career start. He gave up 5 hits and 2 ER over 6 innings. Aceves has been great and you wonder what could have happened if the Yankees called him up sooner instead of throwing Darrell Rasner out there, over and over again. But, maybe Aceves is benefiting from the MLB’s lack of familiarity with him. A lot of people have been quick to put him in the rotation for next year, but I would caution you in your expectations (we did the same thing last year, so be careful). I think he has a leg up on Hughes and IPK in the experience department (and his ability to throw strikes), but you never know with these September outings.

Notably, Phil Coke also pitched another scoreless inning in today’s game. He has thrown 8 innings, struck out 6, and has allowed no runs. Again, September performances are fuzzy indicators of future performance, but Coke could get a look as a left-handed reliever, next year, if the team and Damaso Marte part ways.

Quick Bits: Aceves, Pudge

A few notes on the club:

1. Alfredo Aceves pitched a great ballgame against the Angels, going 7 strong while giving up only 1 ER (he struck out 2). He’s certainly done what he needs to do in order to keep his rotation spot for the rest of the year. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to the former Mexican leaguer. Of course, we all know not to go nuts over his recent performance, since the memories of IPK and Phil Hughes are still fresh in our heads. Remember, both pitchers were brilliant (well, at times) for the Yankees last year and didn’t do anything for the team this year. However, as of now it seems safe to say that Aceves will provide depth in the minor league system, depth that we weren’t too aware of earlier in the season.

2. Pudge Rodriguez will likely be suspended for the incident with Torii Hunter. Really, with Chad Moeller on the team, this won’t be much of a blow. Pudge hasn’t done anything from an offensive standpoint for this club and without his bat around, hell, maybe the Yankees will start winning again (it feels like that trade was a jinx or something). Pudge now has a case of whiplash (a result of Hunter’s push) and I feel as though that’s enough punishment (seriously, that fight wasn’t all that serious). Either way, he’s not really an everyday player on this team, so who cares, right?

More later (I’ll be pondering a few things)…