Gm 21. 3 HRs lead Yanks’ comeback, 5-3.

It didn’t look good early on, as Hiroki Kuroda gave up a 2-run HR in the first and a solo HR in the 2nd. Down 3-0 after 1 1/2.

Then the Yanks came back with 3 HR of their own to win 5-3.

Down 3-0 in the 2nd, Wells hit a solo HR (6) to put the Yanks on the board. Cano (7) hit a 3-run HR in the third, and Cervelli (3) hit a solo HR in the fourth.

I’m shocked that the Cisco Kid has 3 HR already. I’d have predicted that for the whole year.

Give Kuroda credit. After that shaky start, he settled down and gave up no more runs. 6 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 1 W, 3 K when it looked like he’d be knocked out early. He’s now 3-1, 2.79.

Once Kuroda gave 6, Girardi went formula. Joba 7th (4.91), D-Rob 8th (2.35) and Mo the 9th (2.25). Three scoreless innings. Save #7 for Mo this year is #615 of his career.

Derek Jeter met the media today and ascertained he’d be back this year.

On the down side, Francisco is now 3 for 29. Ugh.

Gm. 15. “Newbies” help Pettitte to career win #248, 9-4.

The replacements aren’t doing badly. Skewer Brian Cashman all you want, but the guy does do a decent job in “dumpster diving.” He picked up Freddy Garcia off the scrap heap and got something out of him for a while.

Now it’s Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and Travis Hafner.

The three of them each hit HRs tonight to lead the Yanks to a 9-4 win over Toronto. Andy Pettitte (what, he retired?) is now 3-0, 2.01. It’s like he never left and is pitching as well as ever—-better, even.

It’s career win #248 for Andy, who gave up 3 R in 7 1/3.

Cano got 3 hits, Hafner’s HR was #5, Overbay’s #2 & Wells #4. Even Francisco Cervelli (2 hits) is at .324 right now.

I won’t post stats for a while. It’s still too early. But the Yanks are 9-6 after a 1-4 start. Pettitte, CC and Kuroda are a combined 8-2. Now for Hughes and Nova to get it going. Hughes pitched well yesterday, hopefully it continues.

Meanwhile, the “replacements” are filling in nicely.

I do wonder about Jeter though, and if this could be the beginning of the end.

Gm. 14. Hughes good, Phelps not as Yanks lose 6-2 in 12.

The Yanks lost in 12 to Arizona tonight, 6-2 to snap their three game winning streak.

After two poor outings, Phil Hughes had a good one, giving up 2 R (2 solo HR, natch) in 7 IP. Hughes is a fly ball pitcher in Yankee Stadium, which is a problem. He’ll give up the HR. But two solo ones tonight…. if only the bats were working. We can only hope that Hughes gives this kind of outing every time out from here on in.

Robbie Cano got a HR in the 6th (5) to cut it to 2-1, but the Yanks missed their chance to win the game in the bottom of the 8th. Down 2-1, they had the bases loaded with one out. Cano and Youk both struck out.

The Yanks lineup against lefty pitching, to me, seems weak. They didn’t get any help today from the news that Derek Jeter has a small crack (fracture) in that ankle of his and won’t be back until after the All-Star break… meaning after he turns 39. I really wonder… can he ever play SS again (look at the age and injury again), or when he does come back (and I think it is safe to wonder if ever) will he strictly be a DH?

Anyway, they blew a golden opportunity in the 8th, only to see Cervelli tie it in the bottom of the 9th with his 2nd HR. But Cervelli got called for catcher’s interference not once, but TWICE in this ballgame.

Boone Logan (2/3) and Joba (1 1/3) kept Arizona at two, and David Robertson (1) pitched a scoreless inning. David Phelps got out of big trouble in the 11th, but blew it in the 12th, giving up 4 R, 3 ER. Ex-Yank Eric Chavez sealed the deal with a 3-run double.

S.T. Game 32. Yanks beat O’s 11-8

The Yanks beat Baltimore 11-8 tonight to run their S.T. record to 13-18-1.

Mason “Classical Gas” Williams was 1 for 2 with 2 RBI. Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 3 with an RBI. New 1B Lyle Overbay was 2 for 5. Brennan Boesch had a 2-run HR. He and Francisco went back to back. Addison Maruszak and Bobby Wilson each had 2 rbi.

Dave Phelps went 5 1/3, 3 R, 4 H, 2 walks and 9 K. He was great until the 5th.

1 R in 2/3 for Spence, 4 R in 2/3 for Pinder.

Cedeno 1/3 scoreless. Goody and Claiborne each with a scoreless inning.

Hughes will miss his first start of the season, DL. Jeter will not play in  another spring game— even if Minor league — until next week.

Tim McCarver  (who a lot of us don’t like) is packing it in after this season.

S.T. Game 31. Yanks tie Houston, finalize Wells deal, give Overbay a shot.

The Yanks went against Houston tonight and finished in a 4-4 tie. Their record (after 31 games, and I include [most don't] the game against the D.R. WBC team) is 12-18-1. Maybe this is why Buster Olney and Jayson Stark are predicting the Yanks to finish last in the A.L. East. Of course on Monday they start the season at 0-0.

CC struggled, giving up 3 in the first. He lasted 5, 4 R, 6 H, 3 walks and 4 K. He’s next scheduled to start the opener against Boston at the Stadium next Monday.

Mo went 1, his usual. Scoreless. It’s rare when some team touches up Mo in spring training, 43 or not 43 years old.

Robertson, Joba, Logan and Nuno each pitched a scoreless inning.

Down 4-0, the Yanks got a run in the fifth on a Nunez walk, SB and a triple by Gardner.

The Yanks tied it in the sixth. Cano led off with a single and Youk doubled him home. Hafner singled and Hafner advanced on an error. Vernon Wells groundout plated a run. A few batters later, Stewart singled in a run to tie it while Juan Rivera was gunned down at the plate.

Gardner was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Travis Hafner, who was having a bad spring, went 3 for 4.

The Vernon Wells deal was finalized. The Yanks will pick up about $13MM of the $42MM Wells has left on his deal. In return the Angels get two low level minor leaguers who really didn’t do much or seem to have too much of a future with the Yanks: OF Exicardo Cayones, 21, who was in A- (short season) ball with Staten Island last year (.228-1-15 in 47 games) and LHP Kramer Sneed, 24, who was 0-7, 5.37 at High-A Tampa last year.

The Yanks also “dumpster dived” for 1B Lyle Overbay and will see what he has left. The lefty hitting 1B is 36 and was just released by Boston. The lefty hitter averaged 145 g., .270-16-68, OPS+ 110 from 2004-2011 for MIL/Tor/Pit/Az. For his career, a .270 hitter, OPS+ 108. Pop, but not a lot of it. .259-2-10 in 116 AB last year.

As Olney and Stark mentioned, some of these moves smack of desperation and patchwork. It doesn’t seem like the Yankees doing this. Which is why each predicted the Yanks to finish last in the A.L. East. It smacks of 1965 or 1966. Aging and/or injured greats (think of Mantle, Howard, Ford, Maris and compare them to Jeter/A-Rod/Teix/Granderson) with no farm system coming up. Ugh.

Once promising, the Yanks released IF Dave Adams. They signed RHP reliever Dan Otero (0-0, 5.84 in 12 g. w/SF last year).

Jeter finally admits that he won’t make Opening Day.

 

 

Jeter likely to start season on DL, Mo has migraines.

It’s looking more likely that Derek Jeter will be starting the season on the DL, according to Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman.

As for today, one day after going 0 for 4 (4 groundouts) in a minor league S.T. game, Jeter’s ankle, just shot up with cortisone this week, is sore and he won’t play for the next 2 days. It’s looking more like April 6th for a target date and not the April 1st Opening Day. Reports are that he isn’t running well, and that’s a problem for a SS. He may be Dh-ing for a while once he is ready to play.

Buster Olney of ESPN states that in his opinion, it’d be a surprise if Jeter plays before May 1. With a Yankees’ lineup already decimated by the losses of A-Rod, Teixeira and Granderson to injury and Swisher, Ibanez, Chavez and Martin to  free agency, this is further bad news. This Opening Day lineup could be the weakest in 20 or more years.

Consider that only two players can reasonably be considered good shots (if healthy) to hit 20 HR this year: Cano and Youkilis. Cervelli? No. Juan Rivera, No. Francisco? No. Gardner, Suzuki, Nunez? No, no and no. Right on down the line.

Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera is complaining of headaches and is being checked out for migraines.

One thing after another. This hasn’t been a good offseason or spring training at all for the Yanks. Not at all.

D-Replacement for Jeter?

Over the last few years, it has been mentioned often about Jeter’s diminishing range and that he is one of the worst defenders at his position in baseball.

This isn’t meant to disparage one of baseball’s greats, but with Jeter turning 39 in June & coming off of a broken ankle, I have to ask…

if the Yanks had a defensive whiz as a backup to Jeter at SS (and not Eduardo Nunez), would you consider replacing Jeter for defensive purposes late in tight ballgames? Would the Yanks be better off if you did?

As for the answer for question #1, the Yanks won’t do it and Jeter probably would be offended.

As for question #2, the answer may be yes, the Yanks might be better off if Jeter WAS replaced by a better fielding SS at the end of close ballgames.

Now before Yankees fans accuse me of heresy, remember that Mantle, with his bad legs, was replaced by Ross Moschitto and others for defensive purposes in the mid-1960s. Babe Ruth was often replaced by Sammy Byrd (Babe Ruth’s legs) in the early 1930s.

It isn’t new for an aging legend to be replaced late in games because that aging legend is now a defensive liability.

Is it such a case with Jeter now?

S.T. Game 27. Yanks get just one hit in 6-1 loss to Twins, Jeter “shut down”

The Yanks lost 6-1 to the Twins today and most disappointingly, managed just one hit (a single by Cano).

This, on top of being 2-hit by the Phils earlier this week.

The offense worries me. This offense looks weak. Puny weak.

Derek Jeter won’t play in any more MLB S.T. games this spring. This is because if the Yanks need to backlog dates for him being on the D.L., they can backlog to 3/22 if he only plays in minor league games from 3/22 but they cannot use that date for MLB spring games. It is still unknown whether Derek can be ready for the 4/1 Opening Day game. I think not.

So on Opening Day we may see this: No Derek, Teix, Granderson and A-Rod (DL) as well as no Chavez, Swish, Martin or Ibanez (Free Agency).

This may be the weakest Opening Day lineup since say, 1989-1992 (the Green/Dent/Merrill/early Buck days, when the lineup included Alvaro Espinoza, Balboni, Sax, Pat Kelly, Barfield, Hall, Nokes, Geren, Brookens, etc.). Ugh.

Dave Phelps appears to have lost the #5 spot to Nova what with his effort today. He had a great spring up to the last two starts. Today: 5 R in 3 2/3. Juan Cedeno a scoreless 1/3. Mo went 1, a hit, then 3 K. Robertson and Aardsma a scoreless IP each. Logan 1 R in 1 IP, Claiborne a scoreless inning.

Meanwhile, our friends at BBD (Bronx Baseball Daily) report that Joba could be dealt for a young bat. I would love to keep Joba, but the lineup needs help.

S.T. Gm 26. Nuno great again as Yanks blank Bosox, but will Derek be ready for Opening Day?

Vidal Nuno continued his sensational S.T. with the Yanks, pitching five scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over Boston today, but the wonder is if Derek Jeter will be ready for Opening Day in less than two weeks.

Jeter, 38 and coming off the broken ankle, had inflammation in the ankle the past few days and had a cortisone shot in the ankle today. He may or may not start the year on the D.L. If he does, Eduardo Nunez becomes the SS.

It may behoove the Yanks, even if Jeter IS ready for Opening Day, to break him in slowly by DH-ing him A LOT.

As for today’s game, Nuno went 5, 0 R, 2 H, 1 walk and 1 K. He has really opened eyes this spring. 0.68 ERA and that doesn’t include four scoreless IP AGAINST the Yanks when they loaned Nuno out to the D.R. WBC team for a game.

Both Joba and David Robertson tossed a scoreless IP, as did Mark Montgomery. Josh Spence (1/3) and Cody Eppley (2/3) split a scoreless inning.

The Yanks scored all their runs in the second inning. Juan Rivera singled and Ben Francisco doubled him to third. Jayson Nix hit a SF. Chris Stewart singled in the second run. Thomas Neal and Melky Mesa singled to load the bases. A WP brought in a run, then Brett Gardner walked to reload the bases. Eduardo Nunez’ SF capped the scoring.

The win improved the Yanks’ S.T. record to 10-16.

But you wonder if Jeter will join A-Rod, Granderson and Teix on the D.L. to start the year.

Ouch.

S.T. Game 25. Yanks get just 2 hits in 4-1 loss to Phils.

Granted Robbie Cano is playing for the D.R. in the WBC title game tonight, but you hope he isn’t ALL of the Yankees offense in 2013.

For the Yanks got just two hits in their 4-1 loss to the Phils today. Those two hits were by two people who each are having an excellent Spring Training: Gardner and Ichiro, who each must set the table if the Yanks are going to be any good in 2013.

Derek Jeter was supposed to play today but was scratched because his ankle got “cranky.”

Adam Warren gave up 2 R in 3 2/3. I have to say, I’m not impressed with Warren, who’ll be AAA-bound. Joba pitched 1/3, scoreless.

Boone Logan pitched a scoreless inning and that was good to see because of his recent troubles.

Shawn Kelley gave up 1 in 2/3 IP, and Josh Spence 1 in 1 IP. David Aardsma pitched a scoreless inning.

The Yanks are now 9-16 in S.T. I like the pitching so far, but the bats are toothpicks with all the deletions from last season (Free agency + DL).