Game 90. Toronto beats Yanks 7-1.

Yanks interested in Hiroki Kuroda? That’s a topic on Twitter. Kuroda is 36, and the RHP has a nice 3.06 ERA for the Dodgers, even if his record is 6-10. He’s been a hard luck pitcher throughout his MLB career with the Dodgers, going 34-40, 3.50, ERA+ 111. He really deserves a better record. Remember that being a Dodger, he worked with Martin.

An interesting note on Lohud (the Lower Hudson Journal Blog). Martin thinks maybe the Jays were stealing signs last night and tipping pitches?

Yanks 53-36, 1 1/2 back in AL East, 2nd place. 3 games worse than the Pythagorean record. OPS+111 ERA+ 117.

Jeter SS .270-3-24  8 sb/ 11 att.  OPS+ 85    3005 hits, two behind Kaline. 
Granderson CF .271-25-65  15/22   149
Teixeira 1B  .243-25-66  2/3  131
Cano 2B .300-15-57  6/7  131
Swisher RF .248-10-49  2/4  110
Posada DH .229-9-29  0/2  92
Martin C .220-10-36  7/8  90
Gardner LF .272-4-18  23/33  104
Nunez 3B .270-3-14  10/14  95   (OPS+/ERA+ of 100-average)

Garcia (7-6, 3.13) ERA+ 131

The Yanks get two on, no one out in the first (E-3, walk) and don’t score. The Jays get a run on a one-out double then a single. 1-0 Toronto.

The Yanks come back to tie it in the 2nd. Once again,  two on, no one out when Posada singles and Martin walks. After a forceout, Nunez singles in a run to tie the game. After the single, nothing. 1-1.

Our friends at BBD report that the Yanks are also looking at Ubaldo Jiminez of the Rockies. He is 5-8, 4.08 for Colorado right now, ERA+ 111, a bit disappointing after a 19-8, 2.88, ERA+ 164 of last year (3rd CYA, 23rd MVP, AS). He’s 27.  He’s 55-44, 3.60, ERA+ 131 despite pitching in that light air of Colorado.

After three, it’s still 1-1. Back to back doubles by the Jays along with an RBI single by old friend Jose Molina makes it 3-1 Jays after four.

It gets ugly in the fifth. A double and two walks load the bases for Toronto with no outs. A force out brings in a run to make it 4-1. A SF makes it 5-1. There is an intentional walk, then a double steal and an error on Martin make it 6-1. 6-1 Toronto after five, and the Yanks have just two hits.

The error by Martin is troubling, especially since if his D goes, … He is 7 for 8 in SB, and has 10 HR, but his batting average is down to .219 as I type this. After a strong April, he’s sinking like a stone on a pond. With Cervelli at .214, why don’t the Yanks go to Montero or Romine?

That makes five errors so far for the Yanks in the two games since the break. Sloppy.

That’s it for Garcia. 5 IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 7 H, 4 walks, 5 K. ERA to 3.43.

So far the two wonder vets of the pre-break, Colon and Garcia, have disappointed in their first outings after the break. It’s something to watch as we go forward. Will they now fade?

Wade in for Garcia. Two scoreless for Wade. 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 walk and 4 K. Wade has a ERA of 1.54. Nice pickup. He and Ayala under 2.00.

Then in the 8th, it’s oh, no, not him again time. The Meat Tray. The Yanks bats are still dead, still 6-1 Toronto. The Yanks have four hits, two by Nunez.

Sure enough, Mitre gives up a run. 7-1 Toronto. 1 IP, 2 H, 0 walks and K. ERA as a Yankee? 13.50.    11.81 (two runs unearned). 9 R, 7 ER in 5 1/3 IP.  

There must be good Molson, Labatts or Moosehead in the Rogers Centre tonight. There have been a couple of jerks running on the field tonight. Pathetic.

Yanks lose, 7-1.

Garcia falls to 7-7, 3.43.

CC has to be a “stopper” tomorrow.

Game 89. Colon bombed in 1st, Yanks routed 16-7.

Yanks 53-35, 1 gb of Boston in AL East.
Three games worse than Pythagorean record. OPS+111. ERA+119

Jeter SS  .270-3-24  8 sb/11 att OPS+ 86   3004 hits.
Granderson CF .269-25-63  15/22  149
Teixeira 1B .244-25-65  2/3  133
Cano 2B .296-15-57  6/7  130
Swisher RF .249-10-49  2/4  112
Martin C .220-10-36  7/8  91
Jones DH .195-4-12  0/0  71
Nunez 3B .279-3-14  10/14  102
Gardner LF .265-4-18  23/33  101

Colon (6-4, 3.20)  ERA+128

Baseball news today. J.C. Romero did sign a AAA deal with the Yanks, we’ll see if he has anything left to be a LOOGY.

Greg Golson brought up from AAA to take A-Rod’s roster space. He was .296-5-25 at SWB.

From Lohud:

Mark Prior is back pitching after missing almost
three months because of a strained groin. He allowed an unearned run and one hit over two innings for the Gulf Coast League Yankees against Atlanta minor leaguers.

Yankees reliever Rafael Soriano threw 25 pitches during his second batting
practice session since going on the disabled list May 17 because of right elbow
inflammation.

Left-hander Pedro Feliciano, hoping to avoid surgery for a left shoulder
tear, has resumed a light throwing program.

Reliever Damaso Marte, coming back
from left shoulder surgery, is continuing to throw off a bullpen mound.

An awful outing for Colon, his second in a row after being so good this year. And when I say awful, I mean COYOTE UGLY.

Colon lasted just 2/3 of an inning. 8 R, just 3 ER (error by Nunez at 3B. His D really needs improvement), 6 hits, 2 walks, 0 K. ERA from 3.20 to 3.47, but it probably should have been worse. Ayala finished the first and pitched the second. 1 1/3, 1 R, 2 H, 0 walks and K. ERA 1.59. It didn’t help matters that when Ayala relieved Colon in the first, that he balked home a run.

The Yanks got four back in the third. Jones HR’d (5, 412 career). After an out, Gardner singled, Jeter walked, Granderson tripled in two and Teix got an RBI groundout. 9-4.

Noesi in for Ayala for the 3rd.

Bautista left the game with an injured ankle. In the 6th, Andruw Jones finally does something (outside of one 2-hr game he had earlier this year). He hits a 3-run HR (6, 413 career) to have another 2-HR game this year and bring the Yanks to 9-7 down. They were down 9-0 after two innings.

From Buster Olney: Looks like Colon not completely healed with his hammy;wincing when covering first base. If Yankees stay to form, he’s probably headed to DL.         Return of Nova?

After Jones’ HR, Gardner and Jeter singled (3005 for Derek) but were left stranded. After 5 1/2, 9-7 Toronto.

…and that’s as close as they got. 16-7 loss.

Noesi, their best pitcher of the night, went 3 1/3, 2 R, 4 H, 1 walk and 4 K. Toronto got two in the sixth to make it 11-7. Noesi’s ERA went to 3.45.

Logan got the last two outs in the sixth, none in the seventh. 2/3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 walks, 0 K.  ERA to 3.63.

Then, the white flag of surrender. Mitre. Once again, the Meat Tray served meat balls. 2 IP, 4 R, 3 ER (the Yanks made 3 errors tonight, Nunez, Martin and Jeter), 5 H, 0 walks, 1 K. Overall ERA? 4.58. ERA since back with the Yankees? A whopping 14.54.  

Toronto got two in the seventh, 13-7, then three in the eighth for the final of 16-7.

Colon goes to 6-5, 3.47.

Jeter and Posada have now played in more games together than any other pair of Yankees’ teammates.

Game 85. Hughes ok, but Yanks lose 5-3. Jeter gets #2997.

The discussions last night and this morning led all to believe that Derek Jeter would not be in the lineup tonight.

I am heading up with a friend on Friday. The thought was that Derek would be off tonight, and that the odds of him getting four hits in one game tomorrow were slim. Now, instead of hoping he doesn’t get four hits in a game, I’m hoping that he doesn’t get four in two games (three, would be just fine! I hope to go to Friday’s game with him at 2999 and just needing one!). I have a friend going on Saturday, and the LVYFC has a bus heading up on Sunday.

So the eyes of Yankees fans will be on Jeter tonight, and also on Phil Hughes’ return.

Yankees 51-33, 1st in AL East by 1 1/2 over Boston. Best record in AL.
2nd best record in baseball. OPS+ 113, ERA+118
Three games worse than their Pythagorean record.
Normal lineup. Game on ESPN.

Jeter SS .257-2-22  7sb/9att  OPS+ 75   2996 and counting
Granderson CF .278-25-62  15/22  157
Teixeira 1B .246-25-65  2/3  135
Rodriguez 3B .296-13-52  4/5  131   no HR since 6/11
Cano 2B .296-14-55  6/7  130
Swisher RF .252-10-48  2/4  114     Finally over .250!  OPS+ over 100! 
Posada DH .241-9-28  0/2  102       Finally over .240! OPS+ over 100!
Martin C .219-10-34  7/8  92    Slumping badly
Gardner LF  .271-4-18  22/32  106

Hughes P    0-1, 13.94  ERA+ 30    4th start of the year. A new beginning?  

The Yanks go down 1-2-3 in the first, Jeter striking out. Hughes doesn’t look good, but like the Hughes that was struggling earlier. Walk, single, single for one run, a K, but a WP on the K and in trying to get the runner at third, Martin throws it into left. 2-0. After a flyout (which Gardner made a nice catch on at the warning track, saving an RBI double), Hughes gives up a single. 1st and 3rd, two out, and he gets a groundout to get out of it.  His curveball seems to be ok, but the fastball, even though 93, was getting hit. If that fastball isn’t moving but is straight, velocity won’t matter much. He has to have some movement on it.

The Yanks get 1st and 2nd in the 2nd with no out (hit and error), but Swish grounds out, Posada whiffs and Martin grounds out. Hughes gives up a leadoff hit, then a sac bunt, good play by Teix. Popup, groundout.

To the 3rd and the Yanks’ bats haven’t showed up. 1-2-3, Jeter flies out. Hughes gives up a leadoff single, then gets three outs as his fastball is working better. In the 4th, the Yanks go down 1-2-3 all on K’s. Hughes gives up a one-out single, but nothing in the 4th, as he has settled in a bit. Not dominant, and I’m still worried about that fastball (too straight, too many good swings on it) but he is keeping the team in the game and settling in after what looked like a rocky start.

Swisher gets robbed of a double in the 5th. Martin gets a two-out hit, but Gardner grounds out. A HBP to start the 5th from Hughes, K, walk, flyout. Another HBP loads the bases. It may be time to get Hughes out of there soon if he’s losing his control and getting wild. The pitch count is in the 80s. Hughes gets out of it with a flyout. He is at 87 pitches, and I’d pull him here.

Jeter walks in the 6th, but the Yanks get nothing after that. They have just two hits. It’s still 2-0 Indians.

… and Girardi is thinking like I am. Hughes is out. Ayala in.

Hughes 5 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 2 walks, 2 K, 2 HBP. ERA drops to 10.57. I don’t know if Nova would have done the same, better, worse…. Hughes wasn’t bad, he wasn’t great. He was Ok and obviously better than he was earlier in the year, but he still has a ways to go. Only 5 IP. Was OK, not dominant. Something to build on. Better than before? Yes. Still a ways to go? Yes.

Ayala gets a groundout, then gives up two singles. He gets a flyout, then Logan comes in and hits a batter. A-Rod saves a run, maybe two with a great stop and throws the runner out at first to keep it at 2-0.

Ayala 2/3, 0 R, 2 H, 0 walks and 0 K. ERA to 1.33.

With one out in the 7th, Swish walks and Posada gives it a ride, but it’s caught at the warning track. Still just two hits for the Bombers. Still 2-0. Not for long. With two out in the 7th, Logan gives up a gopher ball. 3-0 and in comes the Meat Tray. Worse yet, Logan gives up the gopher ball to … a lefty hitter.

Logan 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 0 K, 1 HBP. ERA to 3.43. Mitre gets the last out in the 7th.

With one out in the 8th, Jeter gets #2997,  a double. Good. I’m heading up Friday and that made Friday’s odds better. But Asdrubal Cabrera robs Granderson and Teixeira of singles and Jeter can’t score. Still 3-0.

AARRRGGGHHH. A reason I don’t like the Meat Tray. He gives up two in the 8th and lets the game really get away. And its on walks.

Mitre 1 1/3, 2 R, 1 H, 3 walks and 1 K. ERA 4.08 overall, but 15.43 (!) since the Yanks got him back. 5-0 Indians after 8.

…and you wonder why I call him Meat Tray….it’s because he serves meat balls.

…and it is costly, those two runs that Mitre gave up. For in the 9th, A-Rod and Cano single, Swish doubles one in and groundouts by Posada and Martin plate another two. Too little, too late as the Yanks lose 5-3.

Hughes falls to 0-2, the Yankees to 51-34. The lead is cut to 1/2 a game.

Game 81. Nunez stays hot as Yanks reach halfway mark with 50 wins. Beat Mets 5-2

After today’s game, the halfway point of the season will be reached with the Yanks at 49 or 50 wins. You couldn’t have asked for much more than that. With all the uncertainty about the rotation, the losses of Soriano and Joba, no Feliciano, getting nothing from Hughes, the struggles of Swisher and Posada early on, now Jeter…heck, even now, despite 25 HR and 65 rbi, Teixeira is hitting just .244.

But the Yanks are in first by 2 1/2 with a 49-31 record. The players, Cashman, Girardi, and his staff are to be applauded for a good job….so far.

49-31, 1st in AL East by 2 1/2, 2nd best record in baseball.
OPS+ 113, ERA+ 118; three games worse than their Pythagorean record.

Like many of you, I’ll be at a picnic/party today, so the recap will be later. Here’s today’s lineup (Fox game at 4):

Gardner LF .272-4-18  19 sb/29 att  OPS+ 107;
slumping a bit 4 for last 31 
Granderson CF .275-21-56  14/21   150
Teixeira 1B .244-25-65  2/3   139   tied for MLB HR lead
Rodriguez 3B .301-13-52  4/5 138
Still stunned last night’s shot wasn’t a HR?
Cano 2B .292-14-52  6/1  126
Swisher RF .250-10-43  2/4  115
Martin C .226-10-34  7/8  97
Nunez SS .261-2-13  10/14  85
Colon RHP 5-3, 3.10  ERA+ 131

Colon is just a .118 career hitter, 10 for 85, 0 HR, 5 RBI. All hits are singles, and as you can guess…. no SB          OPS+ (-36).

Jeter is scheduled to make a rehab start for Trenton today and tomorrow.

Gordon was optioned to AAA to make room for Colon. So Noesi stays with the team for now. Gordon will start at SWB.

Recap: Bartolo Colon pitched as if he was never injured. Six scoreless innings in the Yanks 5-2 win makes his record now 6-3, 2.88. A 2.88 ERA! If he isn’t in the hunt for Comeback Player of the Year, who is?

Eduardo Nunez continued his hot hitting. After going 4 for 4 last night, he doubled his first two times up today. After the first double (3rd inning), Colon sacrificed him to third. He was thrown out trying to score on Gardner’s grounder. Gardner stole second but was left stranded.

In the fifth, with one out, Colon gave up three consecutive singles. Bases loaded, one out in a scoreless game. Trouble. Except the next hitter was opposing pitcher Dillon Gee, who GIDP to kill the threat.

The Yanks came right back in the sixth. With one out, Granderson HR’d (22) to break the scoreless tie. After singles by Teix and A-Rod, Cano hit a 2-run triple and Swisher got a SF to put the Yanks up 4-0.

Nunez made it 5-0 with his 3rd HR in the 9th.

Colon 6 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 0 walks, 6 K. 6-3, 2.88 and as if he never left.

Wade came in, 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 walks and 0 K. ERA stays at 0.00.

In the 9th, the Meat Tray served some Meat Balls. Yup, Mitre. 1 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 1 walk, 0 K. ERA 3.71 overall, 18.00 as a Yankee.

The 5-2 win means the Yanks have won 7 in a row, and close the first half of the season 50-31.

Update: The Yanks released Carlos Silva. Silva was last with AAA SWB and was having some shoulder issues.

Game 78. Martin’s 3-run HR keys Yanks’ 5-2 win. Yanks get Mitre back, DFA Carlyle.

The Yanks are 46-31, 1 1/2 up on Boston, 2 1/2 up on the Rays.
1st place in AL East. They have the 2nd best winning pct. in baseball.
OPS+ 113; ERA+ 115
3 games worse than the Pythagorean record.

Tonight’s lineup, no surprises:

Gardner LF .278-4-18  17 sb/27 att  OPS+ 110
Granderson CF .277-21-56  13/20   151  MLB leader in R, AL in triples 
Teixeira 1B .246-24-62  2/3  140    tied with Bautista for MLB HR lead
Rodriguez 3B .304-13-51  4/5  141  626*hr; only Yank reg. at .300 
Cano 2B .290-14-49  6/7  123
Swisher RF .249-10-42  1/3  117    Hot as a firecracker
Posada DH .234-8-26  0/2   97
Martin C  .229-9-31  7/8  97   Cold as ice 
Nunez SS .250-2-12  10/14  81

Burnett P  7-6  4.15   ERA+ 98

A walk, SB and a single give the Brewers a run in the 1st. Walk and SB#14 for Granderson in the first, but nothing for the Yanks. 1-0 Brewers after one.

In the second, Granderson makes a great catch and turns it into a DP. Nothing for the Yanks, just a Swisher walk. Martin is called out on strikes. I can’t figure out why Martin leads in the All-Star C voting over Avila. Martin is under .230 now and in a free fall with that batting average. That and Cervelli’s .197 are why I am wondering about Montero.

1-2-3 for AJ in the 3rd; With one out, Gardner doubles and Granderson walks, but Teix grounds out and Alex whiffs. Still 1-0 Brewers after three.

Checking Twitter. Melvin Mora and Ryan Franklin released. More interesting is what SI’s Jon Heyman says:

A-rod told me earlier this year hed like phil coke back in pen for yanks. Maybe he gets wish. Coke miscast as starter

Coke will be 29 soon, and is 1-7, 4.32, ERA+ 87 this year for the Tigers as they have been using him as a starter. Coke has a WS ring from 2009 with the Yanks, when he went 4-3, 4.50, ERA+ 103. Last year he was 7-5, 3.76 for the Tigers, ERA+ 109. Not great. 13-15, 3.94 for his career, ERA+ 106. Ok, he’s not great, but maybe back in the bullpen would be better for him. He has already gone through the NY wars, so that is a plus. Can’t be expensive or demand too much in a trade at the deadline. Yanks could use another lefty in the bullpen. We’ll see what happens. It’s June 29th. July should be interesting.

Big Papi at 1B in Philly. Gonzalez in RF. No DH there.

To the 4th. With two on and one out, AJ gets a DP ball. The Yanks bats come alive. Cano gets a leadoff triple and Swisher ties the game with a single. Posada singles.

Finally, Martin, who has been seriously slumping, gets a hold of one. A 3-run HR to make it 4-1. It’s HR #10 for Russell. From Waldman: 1st Martin HR since 5/24—over a month ago. It’s 4-1 Yanks after four.

A 1-2-3 for AJ in the fifth. He’s pitching well. Yanks go down 1-2-3.

AJ runs into trouble in the sixth. Bases loaded, one out and Fielder up. This could be trouble. It’s an RBI forceout. AJ gets another forceout and limits the damage. 4-2 Yanks. AJ is doing a better job of limiting the damage this year than he did last year. Last year, the inning would have gotten away from AJ. It would have turned into a three, four, or five-run inning. So far this year, AJ has stayed away from that.

Jorge gets the run back with a HR (9) in the bottom of the sixth. It’s #270 of Jorge’s career. 5-2 Yankees after six. Good tweet by Jack Curry of YES. Posada .391 in June. Yes, I was one ready to bury him, and I still wouldn’t re-sign him for 2012 (Posada turns 40 in August). I don’t know how long it will last, and when Jorge pulled his “bad day” tantrum, hitting in the .150s or so at the time, I would have dumped him. At the time, I didn’t expect Jorge to stay at .150 but didn’t know how far (if at all) above the Mendoza line Jorge would bring himself. To his credit, Jorge has picked himself out of the rut and is contributing. I didn’t think we’d see that. How long it lasts, who knows. But if it’s Jorge’s last hurrah, then good for him.

AJ has a scoreless 7th. I don’t know if he’ll come out for the 8th, but I can see Robertson, then Mo.

Nope. AJ stays in but the leadoff hitter reaches on a error. You guessed it, Nunez. He has talent. Decent power, good speed (10 SB) but error #10.

So in comes Robertson to finish the 8th. He gives up a hit, but gets 2 K. He’s been incredible. He now has 52 K in 32 1/3 IP. Check below for the ERA!

AJ 7+, 2 R, 7 H, 2 walks and 4 K. ERA drops to 4.05.
Robertson 1 IP, 0 R, 1 hit, 0 walks and 2 K. ERA to 1.11  !!!!

Nothing for the Yanks in the 8th.

You-know-who is in for the 9th. Mo is looking for save #580.

Rivera is… Rivera. 1-2-3 with a K. Save #21 for 2011 and #580 for his career. 1 IP, 0 R, 0 h, 0 walks, 1 K and Mo’s ERA drops to 1.72.

AJ goes to 8-6.

The Yanks go to 47-31, 2 1/2 up on Boston and 3 1/2 up on the Rays.

Tomorrow is an afternoon game with CC on the mound.

Update: Just in from Twitter via MLBTR:

Guess who is back? Sergio Mitre. The Brewers released him, and of course the Brewers are in NY. Mitre has been re-signed by the Yankees, and the Yankees have DFA’d Buddy Carlyle. Mitre was 0-1, 3.27 for the Brewers this year. In 8 games, Carlyle was 0-1, 4.70 for the Yanks.

Yanks trade Mitre to Brewers for OF Dickerson

The Yanks traded Sergio Mitre today to the Milwaukee Brewers for OF Chris Dickerson, in a move that suggests that if Nova and Garcia are the starters, that Bartolo Colon will stay with the team as the long man/spot starter.

The Yankees have not announced their #4 or #5 starter as of yet.

Dickerson will be 29 on April 10th. He is a lefty hitting OF who can play all three OF positions. From 2008-2010 he has gotten 454 AB for the Reds and Brewers, hitting .267-8-35 with 20 SB and an OPS+ of 101. He had just 97 MLB AB last year for the Reds and Brewers, hitting .206-0-5 with 34 strikeouts.

Last year Mitre was 0-3, 3.33 for the Yanks. He was 3-3, 6.79 in 2009 after missing all of 2008. From 2003-2007 he spent time with the Cubs and Marlins. He is 13-29, 5.27 (ERA+ 83) in his MLB career.    

Meanwhile, a concern? Twitter buzzing as scouts monitoring Hughes say that he is relying more on a cutter or slurve in S.T., and instead of the low 90′s, the fastball is 87-89, more at 87.

S.T. Game #26. Bit of a strange lineup, Longshot Mitre lit up. Granderson scratched. Yanks lose 6-2.

Curtis Granderson    Melky Mesa  CF
Nick Swisher DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Andruw Jones RF
Jesus Montero C
Greg Golson LF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Brandon Laird 3B

Sergio Mitre RHP

Yanks @ Orioles S.T. site today. The Yanks are 9-13-3 in S.T. Mitre is a longshot at this point for a rotation spot. You wonder if he’ll stick with the team or be cut (Yanks could go with Nova, Colon or Garcia in long relief, other two at the 4 and 5).  

From LoHud:

Out of the bullpen: Joba Chameberlain, Mark Prior, Luis Ayala, Romulo Sanchez, Ryan Pope, Steve Garrison, George Kontos and Wilkins Arias.

• Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Jose Gil, 2B Ramiro Pena, SS Doug Bernier, 3B Kevin Russo, LF Justin Maxwell, CF Melky Mesa, RF Jordan Parraz

This will be Joba’s first time back on the mound since that oblique strain (same with Mitre), so we’ll see how both do.

As for Prior, he’s done well this spring. Like Colon, surprisingly well. He’ll probably go to SWB for more work (or extended S.T.?) but I wouldn’t mind if he made the team (or gets called up sometime this season). He could help the bullpen.  

Granderson scratched with strained right oblique. No word on his lineup replacement yet or how serious it is. 

Melky Mesa replaces Granderson in CF and leading off. Except for Swish, Teix and Andruw, a lineup of scrubs today.

Mitre gives up a couple of hits in the first & the Orioles play A-B-C baseball for a run. If Granderson misses the first series of the season, Gardner to CF. Can see Golson sticking then, just for his arm.

Yanks tie it in the 3rd on an RBI forceout by Teixeira. Mitre could be cut and his 3rd inning seems to suggest it as he turns into the “Meat Tray” once again, serving up the meatballs. HR, K, walk, single (runner to 3rd), balks in a run, GO, 2-run HR, GO. He’s given up 5 runs in 3 IP. 5-1 O’s after 3.   

Mitre is done. 3 IP, 5 R, 5 H, 1 walk, 2 K and 2 HR given up. Joba in, and he serves up a HR. 6-1 Orioles. Remember, with the oblique strain (a lot of those, all over MLB), Joba hasn’t pitched in a while. Mitre had it himself. 

Joba 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H (HR) 1 walk and 2 K. 6-1 O’s after 4.   

A 1-2-3 5th for Prior. 2 Ks. I’ll tell you, he’s really impressed this spring. People who laughed when the Yanks signed him (mistakenly believing he was coming back as a starter) shouldn’t be laughing now. He’s looked good.

In the 7th, Jordan Parraz throws a runner out at the plate. Gustavo Molina catching. (no relation to the three Molina brothers). Romulo Sanchez 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, no walks, 2 K. Kevin Russo RBI single in the 8th. 6-2 O’s after 7 1/2.  Luis Ayala in, scoreless 8th. 

Yanks lose 6-2.

 

 

 

S.T. Game #22. A.J., Mitre so-so. Get no help from D, baserunning as Yanks lose 6-5.

The Yanks are 8-11-2 in S.T.

Today’s lineup:

Brett Gardner LF
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Eric Chavez 1B
Eduardo Nunez 2B
Ronnie Belliard 3B
Ramiro Pena SS

A.J. Burnett P

Mitre will pitch in relief. On the road vs. Toronto. Mitre is out of options, and reports are that some scouts are convinced he’ll be released. Nova is the only one with options amongst he, Colon, Garcia and Mitre, but after Wednesday night’s performance (six no-hit innings) how does Nova go down? Colon has said that he’d stay on and pitch middle relief. Could it be that that is what happens? Colon in middle relief (and there for a start if necessary) with Nova and Garcia filling out the rotation? We’ll see.

12-4 yesterday in the brackets. Two of my Sweet 16 are gone. We’ll see what today brings.  

Joel Sherman has an article on Montero in the Post. Lots of scouts still dubious about his defense.

Girardi will announce his #2 starter tomorrow. Just a hunch, but I’d guess A.J. Stoke his ego, build the confidence.

From LoHud:

Out of the bullpen: Sergio Mitre, Andrew Brackman, Steve Garrison, Eric Wordekemper, Ryan Pope, Amaury Sanit and Kevin Whelan. Sanit and Whelan are up from minor league.

• Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Jorge Vazquez, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Doug Bernier, 3B Brandon Laird, LF Andruw Jones, CF Justin Maxwell, RF Jordan Parraz, DH Jose Gil

• Melky Mesa, Jesus Montero and minor league infielder Walter Ibarra will also make the trip as backups.

Unless it’s a blowout, I’d expect practically nothing but A.J. (5 or 6) and Mitre (3 or 4) today.  

Gardner gets a leadoff double in the 1st. The Yanks don’t bring him around. Bottom of 1st, A.J. with his old bugaboo. Too many walks, wild pitches, and stolen bases off him. A hit, WP, SB and another hit bring in a run. By giving up a WP and SB, he gave the opposition two bases. After that second hit (RBI) another SB, along with an E-2 on Martin. Four free bases. Single makes it 2-0.  

A.J. really needs to work on holding runners on, but at this point of his career, he’s an old dog that can’t be taught a new trick. But the number of free bases he gives up… that is what needs to be cut down. I’ve said it before (walks, hbp, WP, SB)…  

HR (by our old buddy, Jose Molina) and a HBP in the 2nd. 3-0 Jays. The bad (Mr. Hyde) A.J. is out in full force today. 

Funny tweet by Sweeny Murti of WFAN:

Jose Molina just hit a HR off Burnett on a 3-1 pitch. Its almost like he knows whats coming. #personalcatchersrule

This probably isn’t the Yankees’ day. We knew Juan Rivera was a good OF, and he throws Gardner out at the plate in the 3rd.

This really can’t be their day. With 2 out and a man on 2nd, A.J. gets a K, but catcher Martin throws the ball away and, you guessed it. Run scores from 2nd. Sheesh. Two E-2′s for Martin today in three innings. That’s making Montero look like Johnny Bench. 4-0 Jays, end of 3.

A third error (Nunez) but the runner is out going for two. Shaky Defense not helping a shaky A.J. A.J. has given up 4 runs in 4 IP, but 2 R are unearned. He does have 5 K. As I said about not giving up free bases…
 
That’s it for A.J. Mitre in. A.J.’s line: 4 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 H, no walks, 1 HBP, 5 K. 1 WP, 1 HR given up. Good 5th for Mitre, he hits a batter but gets the other 3, 2 by K.

RBI forceout by Posada in the 6th.

Mitre gives up a 2-run dinger in the 6th. 6-1.

Jorge Vazquez gets another hit today. Single by Maxwell makes it 6-2, an error cuts it to 6-3. Single by Brandon Laird made it 6-4, bases-loaded walk to Kevin Russo made it 6-5 in scrub time. Killer B alert. Brackman in for Mitre.

Mitre: So-So today along with A.J. Mitre 3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 walks, 2 K, 1 HR given up.    

Brackman has a 1-2-3. Flyout and 2 groundouts.

Interesting reads about Soriano, by the way, in the Post. Is he a ticking time bomb?  

Nice piece of news from Sweeny Murti:

Gardner came out after just 2 PA’s because of sore right shin (fouled ball off it last night). that’s why he didn’t score from on single earlier in the game.

In the 9th, Vazquez walks, and Melky Mesa PR. SB, then he gets picked off 2nd. Mesa, going back to minors, has to know you can’t let that happen.   Yanks lose 6-5.

   

 

S.T. Game #11. Night part of split squad. Yanks, O’s finish in scoreless tie.

See the previous post. The Yanks are split up today. Afternoon game @ home vs. Phils. That will be tagged as S.T. Game #10. This’ll be the evening part. On the road vs. the Orioles, S.T. Game #11. Here is the evening lineup. Starts for Mitre and Romine.

Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Andruw Jones DH
Justin Maxwell LF
Greg Golson CF
Melky Mesa RF
Austin Romine C

RHP Sergio Mitre

From LoHud:

  Available out of the bullpen: Adam Warren, D.J. Mitchell, Andy Sisco, Ryan Pope, Dellin Betances, Robert Fish, Eric Wordekemper and Daniel Turpen

• Off the Yankees bench: C Kyle Higashioka, 1B Jose Gil, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Doug Bernier, 3B Addison Maruszak, LF Jack Rye, CF Austin Krum, RF Taylor Grote, DH Damon Sublett

• Catcher J.R. Murphy and utility man Justin Snyder will also make the trip to Sarasota to be available off the bench. Murphy can play multiple positions, but he’s listed as a catcher.

A good outing for Sergio Mitre. 3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 walks and 3K. He was saved a run when Golson nailed a runner out at the plate. … and it was against the Orioles “A” lineup, top to bottom all the starters. No score after 3.

Our friends at Bronx Baseball Daily look at Gardner’s place in the lineup. Check it out.

Colin Curtis will be out a while after jamming his shoulder in yesterday’s game. Hopefully the MRI shows nothing more serious.

Prospect Adam Warren went two scoreless, 1 hit, 1 walk and 2 K. He was followed by Andy Sisco, who pitched a scoreless inning. D. J. Mitchell tossed 2 scoreless innings, 2 hits, no walks and 3K. The scrubs are in and the Yanks have just 4 hits. After 8 1/2, no score.

Ryan Pope pitched a scoreless 9th. No score after 9.

…and that’s it. The Yanks’ second tie of the spring. They are now 4-5-2. 

S.T. Game #5: A.J. starts 2011 off right; Yanks win sloppy game with 5 in 9th, 6-5.

It’s a new year and A.J. Burnett is trying to forget the old one. Yanks/Astros at GMS. Game on YES for those who have it and have the time to watch.

The Yanks hope Burnett pitches more like a #2 or #3 this year and not a #5. The Yanks need him to be more like 2009 (or better!) 13-9, 4.04 ERA+ 114 than last year’s 10-15, 5.26 ERA +81.

LoHud has it right. Perhaps no two innings may be scrutinized as much as these two. It’s that important for the Yanks to straighten A.J. out.  

Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada DH
Andruw Jones LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Colin Curtis RF
Justin Maxwell CF

A.J. Burnett P

Available pitchers: Sergio Mitre, Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan, David Phelps, Hector Noesi, Luis Ayala, D.J. Mitchell, Robert Fish, Daniel Turpen and Adam Warren.

• Off the bench: C Austin Romine, 1B Bradley Suttle, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Eduardo Nunez, 3B Brandon Laird, LF Daniel Brewer, CF Melky Mesa, RF Jordan Parraz, DH Russell Martin

More later. 

Side note. Get well soon, Serena Williams, hospitalized w/a blood clot in her lung.

Update: The good A.J. showed up. (We know that can change in a heartbeat). 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 walks, 1 K. He gave up back to back singles leading off the 2nd, but got a DP grounder and another Groundout.    

Mitre the 3rd. 0 R, 1 H (bunt single), 0 walk, 1 K. Yanks up 1-0 after 3. A-Rod doubled, came home on two groundouts.

Joba the 4th. 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 walks, 0 K. With one out, gave up back to back singles. Got a GIDP to get out of it. 1-0 Yanks after 4. Logan now in.

Logan gives up a run in his one inning could have been worse. Double, bunt single, single to tie game. Go, K, Go. 1 IP, 1 r, 3 H, 0 walks, 1 K. tied at 1 after 5. Prospect Dave Phelps in.

Great job by the prospect, a long-shot for the #5 slot. Phelps GO, K, K. 1 IP, 0 r, 0 h, 0 walks, 2 K. Bottom of 6th, 1-1. Yanks have just 3 hits. Bats silent so far this spring (except for Jorge Vazquez).

Yanks waste scoring chance in 6th. Teix doubles, A-Rod walks, but Martin GIDP and Andruw flies out. Phelps follows good inning with a tough one. First off, errors by RF Jordan Parraz and 3B Brandon Laird. Dunno what Houston is trying to prove. 3rd bunt of the game in a spring training game? SF, then an error on the catch at the plate by C Austin Romine. Poor Phelps. 3 errors behind him. But after getting the 2nd out, Phelps can’t get out of it. Walk, double for 2 runs, single for another before a K. 5-1 Houston.

All 4 runs Phelps gave up in the 7th were unearned. 2 IP, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 walk and 3 K.

Hector Noesi, a long-shot for the #5 slot, pitched the final 2 innings and got the win. Yes, I wrote win. Noesi went 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks and 2 K.

The Yanks scored 5 in the bottom of the 9th to pull out a 6-5 win and up their S.T. record to 2-3. Three of the five runs were unearned. 

Martin reached on a E-5. Dan Brewer singled, Austin Romine singled. Bases loaded, no one out. Jordan Parraz reached on an E-6, 5-2. Everyone safe. WP moves everyone up. 5-3. Melky Mesa singled to tie the game but was CS. Eduardo Nunez singled. Kevin Russo walked. Brad Suttle grounded out, both runners advance. 2nd and 3rd, two out. Brandon Laird walked. Ex-Yankee prospect Lance Pendleton came in to pitch and walked in the winning run. Russell Martin, who started the inning, received the walk.

6-5 Yankees. 

Francisco Cervelli fouled a ball off his foot and left the game early. So far, tests are inconclusive.