Yankees rained out. Team set. Nunez sent down.

The Yanks were  rained out today, and end spring training at 17-12-2.

The team is now set to begin the season. Eduardo Nunez has been sent down to AAA and Yangervis Solarte has made the team.

C-McCann and Cervelli

INF-Teixeira, Roberts, Jeter, Johnson, Anna, Solarte

OF-Gardner, Soriano (mostly DH), Ellsbury, Beltran, Ichiro

SP-CC, Kuroda, Nova, Tanaka, Pineda

RP-Phelps, Warren, Nuno, Betances, Kelley, Thornton, Robertson

Lineup looks like Ellsbury, Jeter, Beltran, McCann, Teixeira, Soriano, Gardner, Roberts and Johnson.

The surprise is Gardner seventh. You think he would be 9th to give the Yanks him and Ellsbury back-to-back speed on the basepaths when the lineup turns over.

But according to Jack Curry of YES:

On Gardner batting 7th, not 9th: He had 51 extra base hits last yr so smart to get him to plate sooner, even if its only few extra at bats.

Also,

Yankeesource ‏@YankeeSource 20m

#SSS Gardner in 110 career PA in the 7th spot in lineup has hit .337/.417/.467

Masahiro Tanaka won the James P. Dawson award as the best rookie in camp.

 

S.T. Game 31. Kuroda and Tanaka dominating in Yanks’ 3-0 win.

Hiroki Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka were dominating Friday night in the Yanks’ 3-0 win.

Kuroda pitched the first three innings, giving up three hits and striking out four. Tanaka went the last six, giving up three hits and striking out ten.

Neither walked a batter.

Not to put a wet blanket over a nice win, but one not so good part about the win was the lack of offense by the Yankees. Miami no-hit the Yanks in Panama a few weeks ago and almost did it again. The Yanks got just three hits in the game, and none until the bottom of the eighth.

Derek Jeter’s S.T. batting average is .137. Mark Teixeira’s is .086. Both missed almost all of last season and both are coming off major injuries. You wonder…. and there isn’t much time to turn it around. The regular season starts Tuesday.

The pitching looks great. The offense has to wake up, and soon.

Meanwhile, except for one position, the team is set. Barring a last-minute trade or injury, here it is. Brendan Ryan will begin the year on the DL.

C-  McCann and Cervelli (Romine and Murphy at AAA, Sanchez at AA).

INF-Teix, Roberts, Jeter, Johnson, Dean Anna (filling in for Ryan). The last position is up for grabs between Nunez (who does have one option left) and Yangervis Solarte. But to make room for Solarte, the Yanks would need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. So it looks like Nunez, but it isn’t official yet.

OF-Gardner, Ellsbury, Beltran, Soriano (who’ll mostly DH) and Ichiro.

SP-CC, Kuroda, Nova, Tanaka and Pineda.

RP-Phelps, Warren, Nuno (all three of whom can give long relief and spot start), Kelley, Betances, Thornton and Robertson.

 

S.T. Game 30. CC’s last tuneup a good one. Yanks win 4-2.

CC Sabathia threw four shutout innings in his final tuneup before he starts Tuesday on Opening Day vs. Houston. The Yanks beat the Pirates, 4-2.

As I predicted yesterday, Preston Claiborne did not make the team. He’s being sent down to AAA.

After CC’s four innings, Dellin Betances, Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno each pitched a scoreless inning. David Phelps gave up 2 R in 2/3 of an inning, and Cesar Cabral pitched 1 1/3 scoreless. It looks as if Nuno and Cabral are the two left for a “second lefty out of the bullpen” job.

Ichiro, who one scout yesterday described as awful this spring training, woke up with 3 hits, scored two runs and drove in another. Eduardo Nunez had three hits and an RBI. Zoilo Almonte was 3 for 3 with an RBI.

Nunez, Anna, and Solarte all started. Two of the three will make the team, what with Brendan Ryan being put on the DL. Manager Girardi wanted to get a good look at all three today. While Nunez got three hits, both Anna and Solarte went 0 for 4.

Mark Teixeira is down to .091 this spring.

 

 

 

S.T. game 29. Yanks lose to Toronto, 10-6.

 

For most of 2013, Preston Claiborne was a revelation. From his MLB debut on May 5th, right through Sept. 3, his ERA was 2.74. 38 games, 0-1, 2.74. Solid.

But in his last six appearances, from Sept. 3rd on, he was 0-1, 18.69. That is as ugly as ugly can be.

Today he got no one out and gave up six runs as the Yanks lost to Toronto 10-6. His S.T. ERA is 14.29. It’s safe to say he won’t be making the team.

You wonder if he is healthy. What a dropoff.

For the second day in a row, Joe Girardi pitched a bunch of scrubs as he lines up his rotation to start the season. Scott LeRoux started and gave up 2 R in 3 IP.

Matt Daley got an out, and Fred Lewis, who had an outside shot at the 2nd lefty in the bullpen role, probably blew it by giving up 2 in 2/3 of an inning.

Then Claiborne could not get any one out and gave up six runs.

Jim Miller, Dellin Betances,  Danny Burawa and Yoshinori Tateyama each pitched a scoreless inning. It would be shocking if Betances, who has had a great spring, does not make it.

Carlos Beltran had two hits and 2 rbi.  Kelly Johnson drove in 2 runs.

With Brendan Ryan hurt, Dean Anna and Yangervis Solarte each have a shot at making the team. Solarte was 1 for 1 today, raising his spring average to .459— but he is NOT on the 40 man roster. Anna was 1 for 2 with an RBI and has hit .297 this spring. He IS on the 40-man. Zelous Wheeler doesn’t play SS like the other two can. He has hit .324 this spring.

One scout states that the 40-year-old Ichiro has looked terrible this spring. The Yanks would like to dump him and would pick up part of his salary. If they do dump Ichiro,  Adonis Garcia has hit .419 this spring, and Zoilo Almonte .361.

 

S.T. Game 28. Yanks offense disappoints in 6-0 loss.

The Yanks lost tonight, 6-0 to the Phils.

Earlier today, it was announced that Michael Pineda won the #5 starter job.

As for the game, it isn’t the 6 that bothers me as much as the zero.

Adam Warren, who will most likely split long relief duties with David Phelps, started, pitched one inning, and gave up no runs. He did walk two.

Phelps pitched an inning and gave up an unearned run, via TWO errors by Kelly Johnson at 3B. This will be a concern. One scout rated the Yanks’ infield defense & their range as the WORST in the majors this year.

Vidal Nuno, who otherwise had a very good spring training, gave up b2b hrs to Howard and Byrd in the third. This, combined with the HR to Bautista he gave up earlier this spring, hurts him. Granted his spring ERA is 3.86, not bad, but the runs are are solo HR (Bautista, Howard and Byrd).

David Robertson and Matt Thornton each pitched a scoreless inning. Shane Greene gave up 2 R in 1 IP. After Shawn Kelley and David Herndon each pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Daley gave up a run in the 9th.

The biggest disappointment tonight was with the Yankees’ bats. Outside of Ellsbury, this was the Yanks’ A-team lineup out there tonight and they did nothing—-and hey, the sub for Ellsbury was Ichiro. No excuses. They scored NADA and against pitchers not exactly A caliber level.

Brett Gardner was 3 f0r 3. After that, nothing. Jeter was  1 for 3 on a blooper but is still at just .128 this spring. Teix (who my buddy, Josh the Yankee Truth is down upon) went 0 for 4, three strikeouts, and is at .100 this spring. Teix was in the cleanup spot tonight. I hope Girardi does not keep him there. He looked awful. Now Teix never has been a good spring player, but he has looked awful.

Cleanup, really ???

 

 

Yanks rotation set, and the value of patience

Although the #5 starter hasn’t been officially named yet (it appears to be Pineda), Joe Girardi announced his rotation for the first four games. It’ll be CC, Kuroda and Nova to begin the season in Houston. Tanaka goes in game 4 at Toronto in his first MLB start.

From Jack Curry of YES:

As @Joelsherman1 noted, w/ Tanaka starting April 4, he’s in line to go April 9, 15, 20, 26, May 2, meaning extra rest 3 times in 1st month.

Meanwhile, I got into a discussion with someone on another blog. I can’t believe someone has this little patience. The person called J.R. (John Ryan) Murphy a third-string catcher who can’t hit. I reminded the person that Murphy has a total of 26 MLB at bats and hasn’t turned 23 yet. Their response was that Trout is a superstar.

Really?

I reminded this person that by their criteria, that

1) they would have given up on Mickey Mantle. After all, the 19 year old Mantle was sent down in the summer of 1951.

2) they would have given up on Sandy Koufax. After all, in spring training of 1961, Sandy was a 25 year old lefty who (1955-1960) had a career record of 36-40.

3) they would have traded Mariano Rivera. For on 11/29/1995, Mo’s 26th b/day, Rivera had an MLB line of 10 starts, 9 relief appearances. 5-3, 5.51.

4) I did not mention this one.  In spring training of 1977, a 26 1/2 year old Ron Guidry had this MLB line:   1 start, 16 relief appearances. 0-1, 4.55.   ‘

I don’t know if J.R. Murphy WILL amount to anything. But this person wants to give up on him after 26 at bats in the majors and before he turns 23?

Really?

Thank God this person isn’t Brian Cashman.

 

S.T. Game 27. Yanks lose 3-1. Should we worry about Jeter/Teix?

Michael Pineda was done in by a couple of errors, one of which was his own, and a WP, but overall pitched decently in the Yanks’ 3-1 loss today. Of more concern may be the continuing lack of hitting by Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira.

Pineda went 6, 3 R, 2 ER, on 6 h, 0 walks (1 hbp) and 2 K. He got a lot of ground ball outs. Scott LeRoux went 1/3 scoreless.

Cesar Cabral faced three batters and got no one out, giving up a hit and two walks. Dellin Betances came into the bases-loaded, one-out jam and got a K and a fly out to get out of it. It looks like Betances has made the team.

Danny Burawa and Jim Miller each pitched a scoreless inning.

So the Yanks’ pitching once again looked good. But…

Derek Jeter is now hitting .114 for the spring, and Mark Teixeira is at .115. Both are coming off major injuries that cost each of them almost all of 2013. Teixeira always starts slow. Are their poor springs an aberration, or cause for concern?

Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran each went two for three.