The minors tonight.

AAA: 1-0 loss. A tough loss for Adam Warren. 7 IP, 1 R, 4 h, 3 walks, 6 K, a HR given up, and guess who hit the HR? Juan Miranda. This was the first game for Eduardo Nunez after his demotion.

AA: Trenton off. 18-16.

A+: Lost 7-3. 3B Rob Segedin (.300) 2 hits.

A-: 6-2 loss in 10. Mason Williams solo HR (.305-3-13).

S.T. Game #15. Hughes shaky, Yanks lose 6-2.

The Yanks have a split-squad today. For the sake of clarity, this game the one at home vs. the Braves, with Phil Hughes starting, will be S.T. Game #15.

With both games afternoon games and running concurrently, updates will be slow. I’ll try to update each as I can but please be patient.   

One thing that’s interesting. After losing out on Lee, many wanted the Yanks to rush into a free agent signing or a deal. Now, some pitchers were already off the board when Lee made up his mind. I’m trying to recall if Jon Garland was one of them or not. Anyway, it’s interesting to see that Garland is now hurt. Out 4-6 weeks. This after Zach Greinke (who many wanted the Yanks to trade for, social anxiety disorder & ability to cope with NY be damned) broke a rib two weeks ago. Just goes to show… then you think about what could have been. Beltran is hurt (and yes, I advocated the Yanks get Beltran; the alternative at the time was Randy Johnson. Beltran would have helped short term better than the Big Unit did, but long-term, neither would have turned out well, would they?) and look at Santana, for whom Yankee fans were willing to give up some kind of package involving Hughes, Cano or Joba.

Checking out Twitter. Here’s the morning tweets:

Buster Olney: Some rival evaluators have red-flagged D. Matsuzaka, clocked at 87-90 today. They wonder if he’s just slowly building arm strength. Or not.

Another from Olney: The perception of Francisco Liriano’s spring problems this year, from one club official: “He just can’t seem to get the ball down right now.”

Jon Heyman tweets that Juan Miranda (yes, THAT Juan Miranda) appears to be winning Arizona’s 1B job.

Jeter SS
Jones LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Posada DH
Nunez 2B
Romine C
Maxwell RF
Krum CF

Hughes RHP

Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Addison Maruszak, 2B Corban Joseph, SS Carmen Angelini, 3B Bradley Suttle, LF Ray Kruml, CF none, RF none, DH Brett Gardner

In the bullpen: Rafael Soriano, Steve Garrison, Joba Chamberlain, Pedro Feliciano, Eric Wordekemper, Andrew Brackman, Hector Noesi and Luis Ayala. My guess is that everyone listed after Feliciano is a backup today.

Hughes goes 4, not terrible, not great, in & out of trouble. 4 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 1 walk, 2 K, gives up HR. He gave up hits to each of the first three batters he faced (double, bunt single, single). Eduardo Nunez made an interference error. Soriano replaced Hughes in the 5th. 1-2-3 with 2 K. Jorge Posada with a Solo HR. After 4 1/2, Braves up 2-1.

One thing to remember about Hughes. It seems as if he’s been around forever, and maybe expectations are very high, but it worth it to remember that he hasn’t turned 25 yet (and won’t until late June).    

Joba a scoreless 6th, gave up 2 Hits, got one K. A-Rod had an RBI forceout. Tied after 6.Joba a scoreless 6th, gave up 2 Hits, got one K. A-Rod had an RBI forceout. Tied after 6.\

Steve Garrison gave up 4 runs in the 7th. 1 IP, 4R, 5 H, 0 walks, 1 K. Eric Wordekemper and Luis Ayala had scoreless innings but the Yanks lost 6-2. 

Cuts should be coming this weekend. Once cuts are made, and the regulars get more time (heck, Mo hasn’t pitched yet! He’ll get his first action on Sunday) then I’ll get more concerned about wins and losses. Right now, I’m more concerned with individual performance. 

This drops the Yanks to 6-7-2 and they are losing the other game. See next post. 

Yanks trade Miranda.

From the Lower Hudson Journal:

The New York Yankees today acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Scott Allen from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for first baseman Juan Miranda.

Allen, 19, went 4-4 with a 4.73 ERA in 16 starts with Single-A South Bend in 2010, striking out 79 batters in 78.0 innings pitched with just 22 walks. He made his professional debut with short-season Single-A Missoula in 2009, going 1-0 with a 0.51 ERA in 12 relief appearances (17.2IP, 1ER). Allen was originally selected by the Diamondbacks in the 11th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft from Lyman High School (Fla.).

Miranda, 27, batted .219 (14-for-64) with three home runs and 10 RBI in 33 games with the Yankees in 2010. In 46 career Major League games over three seasons with the Yankees (2008-10), he has a .253 (21-for-83) batting average with four home runs and 14 RBI. Miranda is one of 15 Cuban-born players to appear in a game for the Yankees. He was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on December 22, 2006.

As I just wrote in the comments yesterday on another post, there was no place for Miranda. He is out of options and if he did not make the Yanks out of spring training next year, the Yanks would have to let him go. With Teixeira at 1B, there isn’t any place for Miranda. Same at DH with Posada. It’s for Miranda’s best. In the past couple days (or in the last week or so) I advocated getting rid of him because there was nothing in NY for him. Get something for him. Nothing personal. Maybe now he’ll get a shot. In NY, he was stuck behind Teixeira and would never get anywhere.

Best to get a body for him instead of nothing.

I wish him well.    

Yankees happenings, 11/16/10

LoHud reports some interesting stuff.

• The starter-or-reliever questions are official finished for Joba Chamberlain. “Joba to the pen,” Cashman said. “We made that decision after spring training. We’re not looking to put it back. We told him in the spring, you’re a reliever now. That’s it.”
•  Alfredo Aceves is healthy enough that he’s expected to pitch in Mexico this winter. “His rehab resolved,” Cashman said. “He was throwing bullpens (and) felt fine. We’re probably going to be talking about winter ball here at some point. He was trying to make it. He would have been a potential guy, believe it or not, to our surprise, if we got to the World Series.”

• Aceves never had surgery.

• Cashman is moving forward with the assumption that Damaso Marte will not pitch at all next season. “Whether (a lefty reliever) is available in this particular marketplace is what I don’t know,” Cashman said. “It’s certainly an area that I would like to have two lefties in the bullpen. I just don’t know if I’ll be successful or not.”

• That said, Cashman has no plans to dump Marte from the 40-man roster. He doesn’t think he’ll need that spot to protect anyone from the Rule 5. “You don’t just release a guy,” he said. “With our Rule 5 protection, I don’t feel like I have a roster crunch.”

• Cashman said he only way he could imagine a roster crunch would be if the Yankees made a trade in which they acquired multiple players, but he doesn’t expect that sort of trade to happen.

• Cashman said he has “zero” indication whether Andy Pettitte will be back next year. Pettitte told Cashman the same thing he’s said publicly: That if he had to make a decision right now, it would probably be retirement, but he’s not planning to make a decision right now.

• The Yankees consider Ivan Nova a legitimate rotation candidate for next year.

• Last year was the final year of Juan Miranda’s four-year contract, but he doesn’t have enough service time to become a free agent, so he’s still under the Yankees control. They don’t have to offer him arbitration, he will simply come into spring training as a 40-man player who’s out of options.

• Cashman listed Miranda, Ramiro Pena, Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Laird as players who could play a bench role next season.

My thoughts? Watch out for Laird, who could grab a backup OF role (Gardner, Granderson and Swisher all could play CF, Swish less so, but if Laird proves capable of handling the corners, the righty who had 25 HR and 102 RBI AA/AAA this year could steal a spot).

I think the Yanks should just let Miranda go or deal him now. There is no room for him. Nova will get a shot, especially if Pettitte retires and/or no Cliff Lee. If Andy comes back and Lee is signed, Nova in AAA as a fallback in case of injury is surely possible.

The Marte news may make getting a Feliciano more of a necessity.

Good to see Joba has a set role. Now he needs to master it. No more messing around with him.

The Marlins have been busy, haven’t they? Traded Maybin to SD. Traded Uggla to Atlanta for Infante and Mike Dunn. Signing John Buck.

 

 

 

   

Game 156. Mo and Papelbon blow it. Extras. Yanks win in 10, 4-3 on bases loaded walk.

I was so pissed off I don’t know where to begin.

The Yanks decision to go to Hughes was the right one. Hughes was fabulous. 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 4 W and 4 K. ERA 4.21.

The Yanks didn’t do anything offensively until the 7th, when A-Rod hit a 2-run HR, # 29, #612 for his career.

But I was pissed because in the 6th, with only 2 hits and down 1-0, Granderson and Gardner lead off the inning. With all that speed, NEITHER ONE TRIED TO DRAG BUNT THEIR WAY ON.    

Robertson got out of a 2nd and 3rd, one out jam in the 7th. 3.77.

Kerry Wood in the 8th. 2/3 of an inning. ERA 3.00. Mo the last out in the 8th.

But Mo blows it in the 9th. Mostly because he can’t hold runners on. Ridiculous. After an out, Mo gives up a hit, then TWO stolen bases. Man on 3rd, one out. Infield up. A sharp one at A-Rod which he should have got. The runner wouldn’t have scored. Instead, it gets past him. Tie game.

Then, two MORE stolen bases off Rivera. Ridiculous. It leads to a SF by Mike Lowell to give the Red Sox the lead.

4 stolen bases. Lead gone. Just ridiculous. I love Mo, but you CANNOT DO THAT.

Mo’s ERA jumps to 1.85. It was at 1.03 not long ago. He’s blown a few this month. I’m concerned. 1 1/3, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0K. The 4 stolen bases off him.  That 10th year of a sub-2.00 ERA? Now in jeopardy.

With one out in the 9th, Swisher and Teix single. PR Nunez steals 3rd.  Pena PR for Teix. Alex walks. Bases loaded. One out.

Cano up. Time to be an MVP? He does tie it with a single, but Posada whiffs.

Berkman. Time for him to become a Yankee? Nope. Under it. Flies to RF.

Extras. Joba in. Golson in RF, Miranda at 1B because of the PRs.

Joba goes 2/3. 4.46. Logan in to face Big Fatty. BTW, Papelbon’s blown save makes his ERA 4.02. For a closer? Not good. Logan gets Big Fanny. (Logan 2-0, 2.82).

Granderson singles. FINALLY, A BUNT! Gardner puts one down and the throw hits him. 1st and 3rd. Jeter is intentionally walked. Bases loaded, no one out.

Golson up. Nope. Thames PH for Golson. I don’t know if I agree with it. Thames has the power for a SF and is a better hitter, but Golson has the speed. Thames is more likely to whiff. Smallball. All you need is one.

Thames hits into a force at home.

Miranda up.

HE WALKS! Game over, 4-3.

Yanks magic # to make the playoffs?

ONE.

Not only that, but the win puts the Yanks just 1/2 game behind Tampa for the AL East.

Game 142. Mo Blows it, Yanks lead down to 1/2 game.

A rare blown save for Mariano Rivera, and if not for Swisher’s walk-off HR the other day, the Yanks would be staring at a six-game losing streak.

The bats just keep on leaving runners on base. It appears as if they just want to slug in the runs. I don’t see or hear any hit-and-runs, or bunting the runners over.

As I’ve mentioned many times, it appears as if the squeeze isn’t part of the Yanks’ playbook.

…and what you would give for the timely sacrifice fly.

Burnett started & gave up one in the first. It didn’t help that he walked the leadoff man.   The Yanks came back with two in the 2nd, but Swisher struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning. AJ gave up another run in the 3rd, helped by … you guessed it, a walk.

He got out of trouble in the 4th. Once again, a walk, and a wild pitch. AJ gives up too many of both.

He went 4, and was pulled after a rain delay. 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 3 walks, 6 K and a WP. 5.13.

Gaudin pitched a scoreless fifth but gave up two in the sixth. 5.43. The Yanks left the bases loaded in the sixth when Swisher flied out. They did get a run in the seventh on a WP, but Posada GIDP with the bases loaded. Missed opportunities.

Texas made it 5-3 in the 7th. Logan 1/3 of an inning in the 6th. 2.31. Robertson 1 1/3 in the sixth and seventh. 1 R given up, 3.76. Albaladejo finished the 7th. 2.08 after 1/3 IP. Wood the 8th. 3.49 overall but superb as a Yankee.

In the 8th, A-Rod hit a bases-loaded double to put the Yanks up 6-5. In the 9th, the Yanks had Nunez on 3rd with one out. They couldn’t get him in. Granted Thames probably can’t bunt. But instead of Thames batting there, why not PH Jeter, and squeeze home the insurance run? Heck, Golson went in for defense for Thames. Why not just have Golson squeeze?

Mo in the 9th. Leadoff walk, single, double. Game tied. Intentional walk to load the bases. Popup. But then a HBP to force in the winning run.

Mo drops to 3-3, 1.36.

The Yanks lead is down to 1/2 a game with Moseley starting today.

Then the Yanks head to Tampa.      

In the last two games, the Yanks have stranded 32.

No surprise to me with a Frosh QB starting as PSU loses to Alabama, 24-3.        

Russo and Miranda called up as SWB dropped its playoff, 3 games to 1. Trenton and Tampa have advanced and are playing for titles. Tampa is up 2 games to none and is one win away from defending their FSL title.

 

Game 96. KC @ Yanks.

Good blurb in the NY Post today. When Miranda and Curtis each HR’d in the same inning this week, it marked the first time two Yankees rookies HR’d in the same inning since 1929.

Gardner with an acid reflux problem. Misses today. Shouldn’t be serious. OF of Curtis, Curtis (Granderson) and Thames. Sounds like a law firm.

Reports are that the Yanks would have done a prospects-only deal for Haren (Nova? McAllister?) but balked when asked for Joba.

It is scorching hot today in the East.

Today’s lineup. Yanks are 4 up on Tampa. 61-34. OPS+ 117, ERA+ 103;
2 games better than the Pytagorean record.  

Derek Jeter DH  .271-9-45-10/13; 97; with this heat, a rest for the 36 year old captain. Day game after night game. I’d expect A-Rod to get a DH day soon, too Alex turns 35 on Tuesday.  
Curtis Ganderson CF .239-7-24-7/7; 89   Could a day at 2 wake his bat up?
Mark Teixeira 1B .260-18-66-0/1; 130
Alex Rodriguez 3B .278-16-78-2/4; 130    Could #600 come today off the same pitcher who gave up #500?
Robinson Cano 2B .334-18-66-2/4; 158  Continuing an MVP-type year.  
Jorge Posada C .273-11-37-0/0; 138   RBI #1000 (and 1001) came last night.
Marcus Thames RF .28-3-14-0/0; 126   90 AB
Colin Curtis LF .290-1-7-0/0; 121   9 for 31.
Ramiro Pena SS .193-0-10-3/3; 22   83 AB.

Sergio Mitre RHP 0-1, 2.88  ERA+ 142   3rd start of season. Filling in for Andy. Mitre’s 13th game this year. He has only pitched 25 innings. Pitch count today limited to about 90. Just off DL.   

Albaladejo was sent down for Mitre.

Jesus Montero is hot. He was struggling around .230 not long ago, but the AAA C is now at .274-10-43. He is still 20.

 

 

Game 93. Curtis’ strange PH HR caps Yanks 10-6 win.

Colin Curtis hit his first MLB HR today, and it capped a 10-6 Yankees win. Curtis’ HR was anything but ordinary.

To the beginning. In the first, Jeter singled, Teixeira doubled and Alex drove in Derek with a groundout.

The Yanks got four in the third. Jeter singled again (maybe he read where I suggested taking him out of the leadoff spot?), Swish doubled, Teix singled in two (finally getting hot) and Cano hit #18, a 2-run HR.

In the fourth, Jeter, Swish and Teixeira were at it again. Jeter and Swisher singled. RBI double by Teixeira. 6-0 Yanks after four.

Easy win, right? After all, Javy cruised through four.

Not so fast.

The first three batters in the 5th for the Angels? Double, single and HR. The HR came from Bobby Wilson, the young catcher injured when Teix bowled over him earlier in the year.

Javy then gave up a single but got help. A groundout moved Aybar to 2nd, but then Aybar tried to steal third. Gunned down by Cervelli. Then a K. 6-3 in the fifth.

The now-struggling Vazquez gave up a HR to Matsui in the sixth. A 2-run shot. Now 6-5.

Matsui homered in both games of
this Yankees/Angels series.

Out went Vazquez. 5 IP, 5 R, 9 H, 0 walks and 1 K. 8-7, 4.68.

Robertson came in and got 2 K’s but the bases became loaded. He got out of it. 1 inning, 0 R, 2 H, 1 walk and 2 k. ERA 4.86.

Logan in for the 7th. Still 6-5. He gets two outs, one via the K but gives up a hit. (3.92). In comes Joba. SB, walk, single. Bases loaded and it looks like we got BAD Joba today. Uh-oh.

Joba gets out of it. The Angels left the bases juiced in both the sixth and seventh. It would bite them.

In the bottom of the 7th, the Yanks broke the game open. Miranda got a HR, #3. Then things got interesting.

Granderson and Cervelli singled. The count went to 0-2 on Gardner when Gardner was tossed for arguing a call. The same ump who tossed out Girardi last night.

Up steps Colin Curtis. With the count 0-2 against him. He gets three straight balls and the count is full.

He then hits his first MLB HR. 10-5 Yanks. To PH, come up with the count 0-2 and wind up hitting your first MLB HR. Wow.

Joba (5.80) doesn’t alleviate our concerns about him since he gives up a run on two hits in the 8th.

The great one, Rivera, has a 1-2-3 ninth, the last out via the K. His ERA is now 0.98. Wait, isn’t he pitching hurt and had to skip the ASG? 

Nine times in his career has Mariano finished the season with an ERA under 2.00. Now, at the age of 40 (and seven months) he has an ERA UNDER 1.00. Amazing.

Jeter (.272) went 3 for 5 and scored 3 runs. Swisher 2 for 5 (.302). Teixeira was 3 for 5, 3 RBI , .256.   

 

Game 89. Rays @ Yanks. Miranda up, Russo down.

The Yanks look for a little more pop in the DH spot as Juan Miranda is back up and Kevin Russo was sent down.

56-32 +2; 1 game better than Pythagorean. OPS+114, ERA+ 107
 

Jeter SS .274-8-43-9/12; 100; 2847 hits; Lifetime BA .315; mediocre year so far. Previous low BA (full season)? .291 ; next hit ties Brooks Robinson
Swisher RF .298-15-49-1/2; 144
Teixeira 1B .254-17-60-0/1; 124 leads team in HR. Picking it up.
Rodriguez 3B .269-14-70-123; 2/4; 597 HR; 299 SB; career BA .304. When #600? Leads team in RBI
Cano 2B .336-16-58-2/4; 155  leads team in BA, OPS+
Posada C .265-9-29-0/0; 128
Granderson CF .240-7-24-7/7; 95; hoping for better 2nd half 
Miranda DH .217-2-7-0/0; 97; was 10 for 46 earlier this season. 2 doubles, 1 triple and the 2 hr.
Gardner LF .309-5-29-25/31; 123
 
Sabathia LHP 12-3, 3.09 ERA+ 132

Alex and Posada each have 252 HR as a Yankee. (Of course, ALL Posada’s HR came as a Yankee).

Game 67. Subway Series again. Mets @ Yanks

YANKEES (41-25)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Chad Huffman LF
Brett Gardner CF

RHP Javier Vazquez (6-5, 5.43)

Alex at 3B, Posada DH and Cervelli C. Probably the best lineup for now. Granderson gets a day off with the lefty on the mound.  

I think the Yanks need a bat at the trade deadline. The problem is, you want the DH spot rotating between people who need a breather. Meaning Alex, Jeter, Posada…but then when you put those guys in that spot, the replacement on the field (Pena or Russo) is such a dropoff offensively.

Having a 7-8-9 of Gardner, Cervelli and Pena or Russo is not acceptable. You can have Gardner and Cervelli but not all three. Let’s look at the problem.

Gardner is doing well. .313-3-22 with 22 SB. But he is NOT a #7 hitter, and that is where he has been sometimes this year. He needs to be 1, 2, 8 or 9. Him at 7 is not good. Gardner has six major league HR.

Cervelli is doing well. .285-0-29. But he has 1 MLB HR in 236 AB. There have been times when he has batted 7th this year. In the DH league, that isn’t acceptable.

Pena has 174 AB in his MLB career. His bat has been nonexistent this year. .186-0-8 as a backup in 59 AB. He has one MLB HR.

So last night you had eight MLB HR—combined—in the 7-8-9 slots.

Russo is 9 for his first 43 in the major leagues.

Nick Johnson is on the DL and who knows when…or if…he comes back. He was just at .167-2-8 in 24 games when he went down. 24 walks were his saving grace.

Randy Winn was released after going .213-1-8 in 61 at bats.

Miranda was .217-2-7 in 46 at bats.

So the DH position/utility man position hasn’t done much for the Yanks. Then we have the disappointing seasons Teixeira (.224) and Granderson (.234) are putting up right now.

Combine that lack of DH productivity/Johnson on DL, the down years so far of Teix and Gardner, the lack of productivity from backups not named Cervelli or Thames and the diminished power of A-Rod (just 8 HR) and you can see why I want a bat.

Get Lee after the season as a free agent. i am happy with the rotation as it is.

Target a bat now. I’d also like some bullpen help but do realize that the bullpen hopefully gets stabilized when Mitre and Aceves return. I’d still like a bullpen guy.

Bat and bullpen, to me, should be Cashman’s priorities right now.

In 2000, he got the bat. Without David Justice going .305-20-60 for the Yanks in the second half of 2000, the Yanks don’t win the World Series that year.

Hopefully Cashman can find another “Justice” for 2010.

Gardner has been good. He also doesn’t belong in the 7 hole.