Needed: DH. Cheap?

Reports are that the Yanks only have $1-$2 million for a DH(?) If so, forget Carlos Pena/Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui (yes, Godzilla is available, too).

Yanks avoid arbitration with Hughes. $3.2 mil + performances bonuses.

Phils sign Joel Piniero to a minor league deal. They have the big 3 (Halladay, Lee, Hamels) but the back end has some question marks. Piniero was 7-7, 5.13 for the Angels in 2011, Joe Blanton 1-2, 5.01 (both are coming off injuries). You have to wonder if Vance Worley, 24, can repeat his superb 11-3, 3.01 season or suffer the sophomore jinx. The Phils will be counting on Worley big-time after seeing Oswalt leave. Kyle Kendrick (8-6, 3.22) is still in the mix there.

Boston signs Vincente Padilla to a minor league deal. The 34-year-old missed most of 2011.

Selig: Commissioner for life?

Bud Selig, 77, has been given a two-year extension as baseball’s commissioner. Hmm… is it time to call him Kenesaw? Commish for life? Heck, he’s been in that position LONGER than Landis was.

You wonder if baseball does have a successor in mind.

I read reports of Boston possibly bringing the (Vincente) Padilla Flotilla to Fenway. Padilla, 34, pitched just 8 2/3 innings for the Dodgers in 2011. (0-0, 4.15). He was 6-5, 4.07 in 16 starts (ERA+ 95) for the Dodgers in 2010. For his career, 104-90, 4.31, ERA+ 100. It looks like one of those “take a flyer” deals that worked for the Yanks (with Colon) for most of last year.

Dodgers even NLCS at one game apiece, 2-1

A great pitching duel between Pedro Martinez and Vincente Padilla came down to Phillie mistakes in the 8th.

Nursing a 1-0 lead provided by a Ryan Howard HR, the Phils’ Chase Utley threw away a DP ball while making the pivot, thus enabling the tying run to score. After the Dodgers subsequently loaded the bases, J. A. Happ walked Andre Ethier to make it 2-1. Broxton saved it and the series goes to Philadelphia deadlocked at one game apiece. 

Game 121. Yanks @ A’s. Lineup and Preview.

From Pete Abraham, tonight’s lineup. With the off-day tomorrow, Posada gets extra rest before the Boston series.

YANKEES (75-45, +7, magic #37, +6 on Pythagorean)
OPS+116. ERA+ 104

Very short notes from me.

Jeter SS .330; can you believe a CATCHER is at .383? 
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B  30 hr
Rodriguez 3B Only 2 hr since 7-19; ONE MONTH AGO. Save a bunch for Fenway, Alex.
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B .315; .200 with RISP, Unreal.
Cabrera CF Down to .268. Gardner’s return probably after Labor Day.
Molina C

Pitching: RHP Chad Gaudin (1-0, 5.13).

Lately Melky has been melting like well, you know… 

Riddle me this…what do the Yanks get from Gaudin tonight?

Pete points out that Hughes has only 5 2/3 IP under his belt this month. Um, with an off-day tomorrow, tonight may be a good night to let him go two? Every one is rested, more or less. AJ went all the way in his loss (8 IP), while CC (8) and Robertson (1) went last night. You figure if Gaudin can go into the sixth, that Girardi can piece the rest together tonight.

The Jeter watch is on. Just 27 hits from tying Lou Gehrig for most hits by a Yankee.   

Smoltz latches on with St. Louis.  Padilla Dodgers.

Ball of Confusion

Brett Favre…channelling the Temptations.

Hmmm….aren’t QBs supposed to be strong decision-makers? Making decisions on the fly? Sticking with a game plan? Tell that to Brett Favre. According to FOX Sports, he is coming back…with the Vikings. When will the soap opera end? When he gets seriously injured or proves once and for all that he is done?

Hmm…CC apparently doesn’t have a good record in Oakland. Hopefully that changes. Gaudin tomorrow. Like Forrest Gump’s chocolates, we don’t know what we will get then.

Gardner should be back in 2 weeks or so. That’d be good. Melky is having a Melk-down.

Russ Ortiz is no longer with SWB. He exercised his option and became a free agent. If you don’t like the Meat Tray (Mitre) serving up the Meat Balls, what options are there? There is Smoltz, who looked done (2-5, 8.32) for Boston. Vincente Padilla is now available, but you have to wonder when a team in the playoff hunt (Texas) let’s go a guy who is 31 and at 8-6, 4.92 (ERA+ 92) isn’t all THAT bad. Below par, yes. The guy is basically an average pitcher. 94-85, 4.36 in his career. ERA+ 99. Averages 13-11 a year. I don’t know if the Yanks would be interested, he has had just one start this month, three in July. The red flags are up. It’s just funny that the guy with the third-most IP on a playoff contender just gets dumped.

I forget who came up with it first, NoMaas.org? 
Mike F.? But I love the nickname Meat Tray for Mitre.
After all, with an ERA of 6.04, Meatballs …

… Mitre’s fastballs?

have been served.   

Ball of Confusion…that’s what the (sports) world is today.      

Update: Pudge Rodriguez goes back to Texas

 

Game 119. “Revenge is Mine,” Sayeth Brett Tomko. Yanks get shut out 3-0.

A few weeks ago, the Yanks DFA’d Brett Tomko.

He came back to bite them in the butt last night, pitching five scoreless innings and getting the win as the A’s shut out the Yanks 3-0.

The Yanks managed little offensively in the game. Jeter had 3 of the team’s 7 hits (.327). In their best shot, A-Rod ended an inning by tapping into a 1-2-3 DP with the bases loaded.

Burnett had one bad inning, giving up all 3 runs, one on a balk. He went the eight and took the loss. Sometimes Burnett frustrates you. Either the many wild pitches…or the walks…and last night a balk. He’s good, but stomach-churning as well.

Time for CC to be a stopper.

In other baseball news, Smoltz is now available to any team who doesn’t think he is done. Vincente Padilla is now available also, but teams have to wonder why a team i playoff contention (Texas) would want to get rid of Padilla. A booby-trap? Lastly, the Tigers got Aubrey Huff from the O’s for a minor leaguer.

Between David Wright and that line drive that hit Kuroda….it was a scary weekend.  

Strasburg and the Nats came to terms at the last minute.       

Game 53. Texas 4, Yankees 2.

Almost at the 1/3 point. Next game.

YANKEES (31-21, 1st by 1 game)

The Yanks are 2 games better than their Pythagorean record, OPS+ 119, ERA+ 94.

BA-HR-RBI-SB/total att./OPS+

Jeter SS .319*-7-25-10*/11-127 (Jete’s been hot)
Damon LF .301-10-32-5/5-135
Teixeira 1B .279-16*-44*-0/0-153* (as has Teix)
Rodriguez 3B .250-7-20-0/0-148
Cano 2B .310-9-32-2/4-118
Posada C .313-7-25-1/1-159 (amazing for a catcher. .338 in 2007, .313 now at age 37.)
Matsui DH .268-8-22-0/0-122
Swisher RF .236-10-31-0/0-128
Gardner CF .270-2-9-10*/12*-94

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (5-1, 4.10).  ERA+ 111

Andy is 2-0 at home this year, but the ERA is 5.57. On the road, 3-1, 2.59.

Amazing, other blogs. Girardi has them in first and people are still ripping him. I have issues with the guy sometimes, but give credit where credit is due. Torre is in LA. Yes, LA is doing fine. Let it go.

I wonder if the same people who bitched about no Swisher, why Gardner are saying no Melky, why Gardner today? Meanwhile all the Yanks have done is win 16 of their last 20.

I swear, some people on some blogs.

Rain could be an issue tonight.

Randy Johnson goes for #300 tonight.

Update: Pete Abe is reporting that Wang is starting tomorrow. CC on Friday. Hughes to bullpen for now (temporary (italics mine) bullpen fix).

With Hughes (for now) and Aceves, there is a little flexibility in the bullpen now. We’ll see how it works out.

More later.

Update: New lineup. Apparently Teix bruised an ankle on the takeout slide last night. He’s day to day. Interesting lineup (if they play…rain). Swisher’s patience and walks at #2, Damon drops to 3.

New lineup
Jeter SS
Swisher 1B
Damon LF
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Cabrera RF .314-5-20-4/6-117
Gardner CF

I heard conflicting reports on the original lineup, of whether Melky or Gardner was in CF. Whatever. Both are in now.

Apparently it was supposed to be Melky.

Andy starts badly, giving up 3 in the first and another in the 2nd. A-Rod singled in a run in the 1st scoring Swisher who had doubled. Pettitte had trouble in the third but K’d the side after putting the first two guys on.

I wonder if Pettitte’s back is ok after the trouble down in Texas last week. Maybe it’s bothering him.

If you haven’t heard, the Rangers are looking to dump Padilla. Meanwhile the Braves have released 305 game winner Tom Glavine and made a trade with the Pirates to acquire Nate McLouth.

Bases loaded, one out in the third. A-Rod up. Great shot to do something here. Nope. GIDP.  

It stays 4-1 into the 7th. Posada hits his 8th hr. #229 ties Eric Chavez on the all-time list. 4-2 Texas.    

That’s all she wrote though. Andy went 5, took the loss. Tomko (3) and Robertson (1) held it at 4-2 but the bats weren’t there.