Didn't See That One Coming

Sidney Ponson pitched great and kept the Yankees in the game. Eventually, their lack luster offense managed to put another run across and win a very exciting game.

Hows this for a stat...

They Yankees are 17-11 in 1 run games. That's second best in the AL only in the to Texas, who is 18-10.

Last year at this time, the Yankees were 7-14 in 1 run games. The worst in the AL at that time.

The Sinking Ship That is Darrell Rasner

He helped keep the Yankees a float and pitched great when the offense was struggling, but teams have now figured him out.

It's not rare for this to happen really. Teams get video and send out advanced scouts, and they find something about a pitcher. After that it's up to the pitcher to adjust and figure out a new way to get hitters out. Rasner hasn't done that, and he's getting the tar knocked out of him.

Rasner is 1-4 in his last 5 starts, with a 7.00 ERA. In 27 innings he's given up 39 hits. Opposing teams are also hitting .313 off of him with men on base.

Rasner was spectacular for a few weeks but his time in the majors might be up. Ian Kennedy has started rehabbing and could be back in a few weeks. Jeff Karstens seemed to have a leg up on Rasner during spring training before he was hurt and just won pitcher of the week honors in AAA so he's another option.

It'll be interesting to see if he makes his next start or not.

Swing and a...

Well, Giambi crushed a HR and gave the Yankees a great dramatic win.


Meanwhile, the Yankees drafted Garrit Cole...

Who was number #7 on Rivals top 100

It's pretty incredible that he fell to 28. Some scouts believe he has one of the most explosive fastballs of any pitchers in the draft.

They also drafted LHP Jeremy Bleich out of Stanford. He might not be somebody that the experts are excited about, but he sounds like a fairly solid LHP who could contribute in the majors soon.

He also patterns his game off of Andy Pettitte.

This was a good first day for the Yankees. I was wrong about Tanner Scheppers, who was taken in the second round with the 48th pick by the Pirates.

Update 7:46PM:
The Yankees have also taken Joseph Bittle in the second round and David Adams in the third.

Check out River Ave. for some great draft coverage.

I Don't Understand the Bullpen

Or to be more specific, I don't understand bullpen management.

I don't get how different managers get attached to certain pitchers.

Torre was attached to Proctor, and it seems Giradri is attached to Farnsworth.

I don't understand why he has so much faith in the guy. Over the last 6 games, he has a 5.68 ERA. Overall he has a 4.44 ERA and has given up 8 HRs in just 26.1 innings. That hardly screams '8th inning set up man'.

Meanwhile there are better pitchers, like Edwar and Chris Britton, just sitting there watching Farnsworth's pitches fly over the walls.

I don't think Giradri managed last nights game well at all. He needs to rethink his strategy, and quickly.

Turning Point.

Yesterday could end up being a day that Yankee fans point to later in the season as the day things turned around.

Up until yesterday, the Yankees seemed almost bored to be playing. Yesterdays win was a good one. The whole team looked alive, and I hope they hold onto that feeling.

It was also announced, that Joba Chamberlain is beginning his switch to the starting rotation. He threw 35 pitches last night, which is more than he has thrown all year.

There's no word on how long it'll take to get him there, but this is an exciting change.

Don't count the Yankees out yet. They are still capable of stringing some wins together and getting back into race.

Andy?

I love Andy Pettitte. His demeanor, his glare under the bill of his cap, and of course his many great games in a Yankee uniform.

But somethings not right with him currently. Andy's last 3 starts have been terrible:

16.1 IP, 20 hits, 12 ER, 3 HRs, for a 6.61 ERA.

And, all season long, he's been getting pummeled in pressure situations. This year, with men on base, opponents are hitting .371 against Andy, including hitting .293 with runners in scoring position.

Andy is also getting beat up as the game goes on. In a hitters first at bat against Andy, they're hitting .242. But the second time around batters are hitting .311, and after that they're hitting .328...

Is he not adjusting? Is he getting fatigued? I'm not sure, but the Yankees need more from him if they're going to survive.

What to do...

Well the great debate this morning is what is to be done with 21 year old Phil Hughes.

Hughes has been flat out terrible so far in 6 starts, as we all know. Everyone knows the kid has talent and can compete at this level, but it's not clicking yet. So whats wrong?

Well first, hes not consistent at all. He can't throw a few good pitches in a row. Hitters are being more patient and know if they wait a pitch or two, he'll make a mistake.

He also is getting rattled very quickly. You can see it on his face. He gets flustered and can't calm himself down enough to focus on the next hitter.

In my opinion this is pretty understandable. In his minor league career, Hughes was a beast. He dominated and hardly ever ran into trouble or tough situations. Hughes never got knocked around. He has never experienced this kind of adversity.

So what do the Yankees do? They can either leave him in the rotation and hope that a 21 year old kid can develop the mental focus a pitcher needs to succeed, or they can send him down to work the kinks out and bring up someone like Darrell Rasner.

Rasner is pitching like a man possessed in AAA. He's currently 4-0 with a 0.87era.

That might be best for the team, but what does it mean for Hughes? Does he develop any further in AAA? Can you teach a kid to deal with pressure situations in the minors?

It's a tough call, and I'm glad I'm not Yankee management today.

Hanging in There...

At 14-13, the Yankees don't look that impressive. However considering what they've been through so far this season, and the trouble the offense has been having, 14 wins is a pretty solid achievement.

Moose looked pretty good tonight, earning his 253rd career win. I wish he could have gone more than 5 innings, but the bullpen did a great job of shutting the door. Even Krazy Kyle looked good.

So, the Yankees sit at 14-13 and are just 1 game behind the first place Rays(!!), Orioles(!!?), and Red Sox.

The pitching of late has been fairly solid, but the bats have yet to come around. Even during last nights 4 run rally in the 6th, the Yankees managed to only get one ball out of the infield. The lineup hasn't truly gotten going just yet.

Solid Outing for Moose

This was an important start for Moose... There were very few people still on his side, and even those people had been quietly backing away from defending him and his pitching ability.

Moose though, answered the call and pitched great.

The biggest difference in this outing was the amount of pitches he threw inside to the Chicago hitters. It's something he's been hesitant to do his entire career, but it worked out tonight. He even broke a few bats.

A pitcher that has been doing this for a few seasons now is Greg Maddux. His fastball is comparable with Moose at this point in their careers, but Maddux has been able to find more success late in his career because he's been pitching inside...

Let's hope Moose sticks to this plan and continues to pitch inside. It'll keep guys guessing and stop hitters from just waiting for that 86 MPH fastball on the outside...

Tonight, all eyes are on the winless Hughes... People are being more patient with him because of his age, but eventually he needs to put together a quality start. Lets hope that's tonight.

Yankees Bash Their Way to a Win

Well.. That wasn't pretty from a pitching standpoint, but the Yankees won..

The starting pitching was terrible for both sides, but the Yankees bullpen looked better than the Red Sox.

Ross Ohlendorf got knocked around a bit, but overall he looked pretty good. He was throwing hard and his slider was really moving. Bruney was topping out at 97 MPH, and the ball was moving. Thats tough to hit.

I was also happy to see Billy Traber get Ortiz out with one pitch.. He should expect to be facing Ortiz quite regularaly this season.

The Yankees are now tied for first, which is exciting to say, considering where they were last year in April.

Game two tonight.. Moose needs to show up big and the Yankees need to try and get to Beckett early.

A Test for the Yankees..

With the offense struggling and the starting pitching being fairly suspect, the last thing the Yankees need is more bad news..

But right now this is a Yankee team that seems to have a lot working against.

First, they are in the middle of a brutal schedule, which has them traveling all over the country, without a day off in between. They are professional athletes, but traveling so much can take a lot out of anybody.

Second, the injury bug has come into the Yankee club house and begun tossing around a plethora of annoying little injuries. Jeter is scheduled to start tonight, but is he 100%? Posada's shoulder still hurts and Molina has gone down with a hamstring injury. Who knows how long he'll be out. And recently the Yankees announced that Wilson Betemit will have to hit the DL with a bad case of Pink Eye. That explains a lot...

A-Rod and his wive are due to have a child any day now, which would cause the Yankees to lose his bat for at least a few games. Thats the last thing this struggling offense needs. But, somethings are more important.




Finally, Joba's dad isn't doing well, or so it sounds. Everyone remembers Harlen Chamberlain watching his son pitch for the first time in a Yankees uniform. He was so proud of his son, that was easy to see. From listening to Joba talk about his family and his upbringing, it's clear that his father means a great deal to him. I know we're all certainly hoping and praying he pulls through this.

It's easy to forget sometimes that Joba is just a 22 year old kid.

Jeter's Injury Opens the Door...

A good game last night by the Yankees was marred only by Jeter leaving the game in the early innings. Moose and the pen combined for a 3 hit, 1 run effort, which is just stellar.

We'll hear more about just how serious the injury is, but the feeling seems to be that Jeter could miss up to a week, although they do want to keep him off the DL.

So, of course everyone wants to know who plays shortstop?

Jeff Passan has an article here, where he suggests that we might see A-Rod take over at short.

Really what other choice do the Yankee have?

If Jeter doesn't hit the DL, then they can't really call someone up to play short. So Girardi would have to pick from whats on the bench, or use A-Rod.

Betemit is technically their utility infielder, but hes a big guy who doesn't have the greatest range. He is much better suited at first or third base. Ensburg could maybe do it, since hes a bit more agile and has played third his whole career so he would be use to throwing across the field. Of course he has played a grand total of 2 innings at shortstop and hasn't really been knocking the cover off the ball. That leaves Shelley and Molina... Right, moving on...

I think A-rod would make the most sense, but I think at least for a few games, we'll see Betemit field the position. Girardi won't make to drastic of a change if Jeter is only going to miss a couple games.

Yankees Have Options for the Pen

If there is such a thing as having to many options when it comes to the bullpen, then it's safe to say the Yankees currently have that problem.. The bullpen is such a vital part of a team. The Yankees will probably have some tough choices to make once Spring Training ends.

By all accounts, the bullpen has 3 spots that are up for the taking. Girardi has said he won't necessarily put a left handed specialist in the pen, unless someone really stands out to him.

Today, the Yankees play an intrasquad game. There are 13 pitchers due to pitch today, and 12 of them are fighting for those 3 bullpen spots.

But that's only part of the list of players fighting for a spot. There is also Chase Wright, Kei Igawa, Brian Bruney, Chris Britton, Jose Veras and Jeffrey Marquez (Though he is real a long-shot).
All of them are sure to get work in the next few days as the Yankees try and make a choice on who to take with them when they had north to New York.

If I had to guess, I'd say the Yankees would first look to take one long-relief man. That would have to be either Rasner, Igawa or Karstens.. I'll just guess it's Karstens because he has the experience and pitched pretty well over the winter for Team USA

I also think the Yankees will give Edwar Ramirez a shot early on in the season. He has a bit of MLB experience and offers a change of pace from all the hard stuff the rest of the bullpen throws. He got knocked around pretty hard in the majors, but its hard to ignore his numbers in the minor leagues

I also think that Giradri will decide to take at least one left hander. Again, I think Igawa has a chance at this spot. The Yankees will give him every chance to succeed. I think the wild card here will be Billy Traber. He has had a spotty career, but has always handled left handed hitters fairly well. That said, there has been word that Sean Henn has been pitching well in the early going, so it wouldn't surprise me if he made the team too. He's also out of options, so he could be gone if they don't add him to the MLB roster.

Who do you think should fill in the last 3 bullpen spots?

Don't Trade for a Third Baseman

Ok, heres my stance. The Yankees should not trade anybody for a third baseman.

They shouldn't trade for Crede, Atkins or Miguel Cabrera.

Furthermore, they shouldn't sign Mike Lowell.

Crede is a medicore player, coming off major back surgery. Plus, he'd likely cost the Yankees Johnny Damon. This would be a bad deal for the Yankees.

Go ahead and take a second to look at Garret Atkins home/away spilts.
He has hit .349 in Colorado, and .254 everywhere else..

Cabrera is a great player, no doubt. But hes going to cost the Yankees WAY to much. You don't trade stud pitching.

Mike Lowell is a great player at Fenway, but he would not be suited for the Yankees. Take a look at this article and this spray chart by River Ave Blues He would also more than likely be looking for a 4 year deal. Thats just to long.

The Yankees #1 concern this offseason, after Posada and Rivera, should be the BULLPEN.

Focus on building a dominent bullpen.