Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

Game 80: Yanks vs. Jays - Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T11:15:00.007-04:00

***UPDATE 2:46 p.m.: Wang leaves game in sixth with injury - more info as it comes.

Regular Season Game 80

Yankees vs. Blue Jays
New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (46-33)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera RF
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06 ERA)

BLUE JAYS (42-39)
Marco Scutaro SS
Aaron Hill 2B
Adam Lind DH
Scott Rolen 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Vernon Wells CF
Alex Rios RF
David Dellucci LF
Rod Barajas C

Pitching: RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56 ERA)

Yanks vs. Halladay

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
J. Damon	84	29	5	1	1	2	9	13	.345	.409	.464	.873
D. Jeter	79	19	4	0	0	4	7	21	.241	.302	.291	.593
A. Rodriguez	63	18	5	0	1	12	4	12	.286	.338	.413	.751
H. Matsui	47	11	1	0	2	7	3	3	.234	.280	.383	.663
J. Posada	42	12	2	0	1	2	9	10	.286	.423	.405	.828
R. Cano	34	7	2	0	2	5	1	3	.206	.229	.441	.670
M. Cabrera	29	7	0	0	1	1	0	5	.241	.241	.345	.586
E. Hinske	24	6	0	0	1	6	0	8	.250	.240	.375	.615
M. Teixeira	22	4	0	0	1	3	1	4	.182	.217	.318	.536
J. Molina	14	1	1	0	0	0	1	4	.071	.133	.143	.276
N. Swisher	14	2	2	0	0	0	1	7	.143	.200	.286	.486
X. Nady	13	4	1	0	0	0	0	1	.308	.308	.385	.692
B. Gardner	11	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	.273	.333	.364	.697
K. Cash	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
F. Cervelli	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
R. Pena	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.667	1.000
C. Ransom	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.333	.000	.333
Totals	487	124	25	1	10	42	37	93	.255	.311	.372	.682

Jays vs. Wang

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
A. Rios	20	4	1	0	0	1	2	4	.200	.273	.250	.523
K. Millar	19	9	2	1	0	4	1	5	.474	.500	.684	1.184
V. Wells	19	6	2	0	0	3	1	2	.316	.350	.421	.771
A. Hill	17	10	4	1	0	3	1	2	.588	.611	.941	1.552
L. Overbay	14	6	2	0	0	5	0	1	.429	.429	.571	1.000
J. McDonald	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Scutaro	6	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	.167	.286	.167	.452
D. Dellucci	5	2	0	0	0	1	1	0	.400	.500	.400	.900
R. Chavez	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
A. Lind	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
M. Barrett	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.333	.000	.333
S. Rolen	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.667	.000	.667
R. Barajas	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.500	.000	.500
J. Inglett	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000
Totals	121	41	11	2	0	18	11	18	.339	.398	.463	.861

News & Notes

- Happy 79th birthday to Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III.

- Happy 233rd birthday to the United States of America.

- Chien-Ming Wang has made 9 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 4-2, with a 4.63 ERA. His last start against Toronto came on June 5th of last year, a game that saw the Jays beat up Wang for 7 runs (6 earned) on five hits and four walks in just 4.1 innings pitched.

- In 33 games (31 starts) Roy Halladay is 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA against the Yanks. In the Bronx he's 7-4 with a 2.97 ERA. And in the only time he's faced them this year, struck out five and held them to just one run in a complete game five-hitter.

- Robinson Cano is 0 for his last 15 with runners in scoring position, and on the year he's batting .208 with RISP.

- Derek Jeter has a nine-game hitting streak.

- Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has a 20-game hitting streak, the longest current streak in the AL. Hopefully The Wanger can put an end to that.

Stick around and discuss the game
as it happens in the comments section

July 4, 1939 - Remembering Lou

2009-07-04T09:30:00.003-04:00

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift — that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body — it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that's the finest I know.

"So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."

— Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium

Burnett Sharp Again in Yanks 4-2 Win

2009-07-03T23:37:00.003-04:00

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
TOR	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	7	0
NYY	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	X	4	8	0

Winning pitcher - A.J. Burnett (7-4)
Losing pitcher - Brian Tallet (5-6)
SV - Mariano Rivera (21)

A.J. Burnett had another great start as he led the Yanks to a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays today in the Bronx. His once again has his A+ stuff today, spotting his 95-97 mph fastball, and curveball had excellent movement and he was throwing it for strikes. In seven innings Burnett allowed two runs on six hits, walked two, struck out seven, and threw 68 of his 112 pitches for strikes. Burnett really only made on mistake, an 0-2 fastball to Vernon Wells in the sixth that ended up in the leftfield bleachers. The first run came in the fourth when Lyle Overbay doubled and then scored on an Alex Rios RBI single.

Through his first nine starts he was a very unimpressive 2-2, with a 5.28 ERA. Since then he's 5-2 with a 1.47 ERA, and that includes that rough 2.2 inning outing in Fenway on June 9th. That night in Fenway he said this to the media:“I’m not very consistent right now. I’m not a negative guy, so I’m not going to beat myself up over it. But when I do get on that run, it’s going to be impressive. I promise you that.” Since that game he's 3-1 with an 0.99 ERA.

Robinson Cano got the Yanks scoring strated when he blasted a solo homer in second off Jays' starter Brian Tallet to put the Yanks on top 1-0. Cano has been red hot lately, hitting .357 over his last seven games, but he's driven in just one run because he's o for his last 15 with runners in scoring position. How is it possible to be on that kind of roll and still be unable to hit with runners on? Should we start getting concerned?

With the score tied at one in the fifth the Yanks loaded the bases with nobody out for Mark Teixeira. Tallet then walked him on four pitches to force in a run, his third walk of the inning. The Yanks then added another run on a wild pitch and led 3-1. They didn't do as much damage as they should have, but it turned out to be enough for today.

In the eighth Alex Rodriguez gave the Yankees some insurance when he launched a solo homer off reliever Jeremy Accardo to extend the Yanks lead to 4-2. A-Rod has five home runs and 14 RBI over the last nine games, in those games the Yanks are 8-1.

The Yankees bullpen was very good again. Phil Coke and Phil Hughes combined to pitch a scoreless eighth, then, after A-Rod's insurance Mariano Rivera shut the door with for his 21st save of the year.

With Chien-Ming Wang going up against Roy Halladay, tomorrow's pitching matchup does look too promising if you're a Yankees fan. Hopefully Wang has his best game of the year and the Yanks figured out a way to put a couple runs on the board against Halladay.

RBI

LOB

AVG

Jeter, SS

.310

Damon, LF

.287

Teixeira, 1B

.275

Rodriguez, A, 3B

.237

Cano, 2B

.306

Swisher, RF

.236

Cabrera, Me, RF

.282

Matsui, H, DH

.255

Cervelli, C

.257

Gardner, CF

.286

Totals

BATTING
HR: Cano (13, 2nd inning off Tallet, 0 on, 0 out), Rodriguez, A (14, 8th inning off Accardo, 0 on, 0 out).
TB: Jeter 2; Damon; Teixeira; Rodriguez, A 4; Cano 4; Matsui, H; Cervelli.
RBI: Cano (43), Teixeira (61), Rodriguez, A (42).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Gardner; Cano; Swisher.
Team RISP: 1-for-6.
Team LOB: 7.

BASERUNNING
CS: Cervelli (2, 2nd base by Tallet/Chavez, R).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Burnett, A (W, 7-4)	7.0	6	2	2	2	7	1	3.83
Coke (H, 7)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.15
Hughes, P (H, 3)	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0	4.28
Rivera, Ma (S, 21)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2.67

BLUE JAYS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: A.J. Burnett (W, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K)

HONORABLE MENTION: Mariano Rivera (S, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K - plus he's been lights-out lately)

Tomorrow's Game

Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Game Time: 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS

RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06) vs. RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56)

7/3 Minor League Report - Another Big Night For Jesus

2009-07-03T21:54:00.003-04:00

================

(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (45-33) beat Pawtucket (42-37) 6-1: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Scranton/WB	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	4	0	6	7	0
Pawtucket	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0

W: Towers (3-5, 4.45); L: Johnson, K (3-8, 5.86)
HR: SWB: Curtis (2). PAW: Denker, T (3).

Offense:
Kevin Russo: 1-for-4, BB
Ramiro Pena: 1-for-4, BB, R
Austin Jackson: 0-for-4, RBI, and a strikeout
Shelley Duncan: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, R
Juan Miranda: 0-for-3, BB, R
Jose Molina: 1-for-2, 2B, BB
Chris Stewart: 0-for-0, R
Colin Curtis: 1-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, R
Yurendell de Caster: 1-for-4
Eric Duncan: 1-for-4, 2B, R

Pitching:
Josh Towers (W, 3-5): 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 86 pitches/54 strikes (4.45 ERA)
Anthony Claggett: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 27 pitches/19 strikes (2.55 ERA)

(Double-A) Trenton (39-40) beat Erie (43-37) 10-1: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Trenton	0	3	0	0	2	0	4	1	0	10	15	0
Erie	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1

W: Texeira, K (6-4, 3.25); L: Weber (1-1, 6.43)
HR: TRN: Vazquez, J (12), Anson (2). ERI: Boesch (17).

Offense:
Austin Krum: 1-for-5, RBI
Reegie Corona: 1-for-4, BB, R
Eduardo Nunez: 1-for-5, R
Jorge Vazquez: 2-for-5, 2B, HR, RBI, R
Jesus Montero: 3-for-4, RBI, B, 2 R - now hitting .346 in Double-A
Chris Malec: 2-for-3, 2 BB, 3 R
Edwar Gonzalez: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, R
Kyle Anson: 2-for-5, HR, 5 RBI, R
Justin Snyder: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB

Pitching:
Wilkin De La Rosa: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (4.13 ERA)
Jason Stephens: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (3.86 ERA)
Kanekoa Texeira (W, 6-4): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (3.25 ERA)
Josh Schmidt: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (1.40 ERA)

(High-A) Tampa (Overall 36-38, Second Half 6-1) beat Lakeland (Overall 31-42, Second Half 2-6) 1-0 : Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Lakeland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
Tampa	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	X	1	5	0

W: Pendleton (8-4, 2.71); L: Hess (3-6, 3.13); SV: Hovis (12)
HR: TAM: Laird (6).

Offense:
Daniel Brewer: 0-for-3, BB
Brandon Laird: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R
Damon Sublett: 1-for-3, BB
Jose Gil: 1-for-3, 2B
Kevin Smith: 1-for-3
Mitch Hilligoss: 0-for-2, BB, SB (3)

Pitching:
Lance Pendleton (W, 8-4): 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (2.71 ERA)
Pat Venditte: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K (0.00 ERA)
Jonathan Hovis (S, 12): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (1.93 ERA)

(Low-A) Charleston (Overall 43-35, second half 4-4) beat Greenville (Overall 42-33, second half 3-4) 3-0: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Greenville	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
Charleston	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	X	4	7	0

W: Phelps (9-2, 2.84); L: Clay (3-4, 3.19); SV: Nolte (1)
HR: CSC: Weems (1).

Offense:
Melky Mesa: 1-for-4
Corban Joseph: 0-for-3, BB
Abraham Almonte: 0-for-4, R
Taylor Grote: 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R
Garrison Lassiter: 4-for-4, 2B, RBI
Tommy Baldridge: 0-for-3, RBI, BB
Chase Weems: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R

Pitching:
David Phelps (W, 9-2): 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K (2.84 ERA)
Charles Nolte (S, 1): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (4.85 ERA)

(Single-A Short-Season) Staten Island (6-8) lost to Lowell (8-6) 4-2: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Staten Island	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	3	3
Lowell	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	X	4	5	0

W: Pressly (2-0, 1.20); L: Lare (1-1, 1.84); SV: Perez, P (1)
HR: SI: Almonte, Z (1).

Offense:
Jimmy Paredes: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (8)
Zolio Almonte: 1-for-4, HR, RBI, R
Deangelo Mack: 0-for-2, BB, SB (1)
Luke Murton: 1-for-3, R

Pitching:
Trenton Lare (L, 1-1): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (1.84 ERA)
Michael Solbach: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (2.38 ERA)
Griffin Bailey: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (3.86 ERA)

(Rookie) GCL Yanks (6-1) lost to the GCL Braves (4-2) 5-2: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
GCL Braves	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	12	1
GCL Yankees	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	X	5	6	1

W: Turley (1-0, 0.90); L: Niekro (1-1, 2.57); SV: Tatis (1)
HR: None.

Offense:
Ramon Flores: 1-for-4
Jose Toussen: 0-for-4, R, SB (2)
Kevin Mahoney: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 R
Eduardo Sosa: 2-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (1)
Jose Mojica: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
Justin Milo: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, BB

Pitching:
Nik Turley (W, 1-0): 5 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (0.90 ERA)
Dan Miller: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (0.00 ERA)
Daniel Gil: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (2.45 ERA)
Gabriel Tatis (S, 1): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (1.59 ERA)

Yanks Interested in Top Cuban Pitcher

2009-07-03T18:00:00.004-04:00

While recently playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Cuba's top pitching prospect, Aroldis Chapman defected from the Cuban national team. Apparently, the Yanks are interested. Here's more from SI.com:

Aroldis Chapman, whose age was reported to be 21 years old, walked out of his hotel room in Rotterdam and did not return, a spokesman for the Dutch baseball team said Friday. Chapman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.

Chapman, whose fastball reportedly exceeds 100 mph, is widely considered the No. 1 pitching prospect in Cuba. The New York Times reported the Yankees, who have been at the forefront of signing international pitchers, will have discussions about whether they should pursue the left-handed Chapman.

Chapman pitched for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic in March, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Reports during that tournament listed Chapman's age as 26.

In an interview with the Times, Yale University professor Roberto González Echevarría, the author of The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, called Chapman "the most promising young pitcher" to leave Cuba since Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

"He throws at a 100 miles per hour, he is more polished than most young pitchers at his age," González Echevarría told the Times. "He is a really hot property, and it will be interesting to see how much teams pay to sign him."

Here's some more from ESPN's Buster Olney:

ESPN is also reporting that could receive a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. And that "Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman."

So, do you think the Yanks should go for it and sign the 21 or 26-year-old? I do. "A left-handed Steven Strausburg" who has three pitches? Why the heck not?

I don't know about you, but I have no problem with the Yankees taking financial risks on international free agents. They have all the money in the world, so a bust here or there isn't going to hurt them.

Letters From The Iron Horse

2009-07-03T16:30:00.002-04:00

"...today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

Tomorrow is the 70th anniversary of baseball's Gettysburg Address. Lou Gehrig made that inspiring, and sad speech back on July 4, 1939, in front of a packed house at Yankee Stadium.

The anniversary will be celebrated around Major League Baseball, as MLB looks to raise money for ALS research to help fight the illness that now bears Gehrig's name.

Throughout baseball, players will wear “4ALS” patches on their uniforms, all first bases used will be auctioned off, and during the seventh inning stretch of every game Gehrig’s speech will be read to the crowd.

ESPN's Outside The Lines has uncovered personal letters from Gehrig's final days and months. Here's the video they posted about the letters and the site where you can read the letters yourself.

While his death was terribly sad, his career was one of the most impressive the game of baseball has ever seen. If it wasn't for Babe Ruth and that stupid disease, we might look at Gehrig as the greatest slugger who ever lived. If you don't believe me, just look at the stats.

He was a lifetime .340/.447/.632 hitter. That's a lifetime OPS of 1.080, which is third all-time behind Ruth and Ted Williams. In 17 seasons he racked up 493 homers, 2721 hits, 1995 RBI, and 1888 runs. Had he stayed healthy the Iron Horse those numbers probably would have increased to 500+ homers, 3000+ hits, and over 2000 RBI and runs scored. The man won two MVPs, and was the Yankees captain from 1935 until his death in 1941. Also, from what I've read, he was a hell of defensive first baseman.And I say all that without mentioning his famous consecutive games streak.

Sadly, I don't think most people realize how great a baseball player this man truly was. Hopefully this anniversary will get people talking about him and open some eyes. Think of Gehrig this weekend, and remember how great he was, because a lot of that Yankee Pride everyone talks about actually came from him.

Game 79: Yankees vs. Blue Jays

2009-07-03T12:30:00.003-04:00

Regular Season Game 79

Yankees vs. Blue Jays
New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (45-33)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Hideki Matsui DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (6-4, 3.93 ERA)

BLUE JAYS (42-38)
Marco Scutaro SS
Aaron Hill 2B
Adam Lind DH
Scott Rolen 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Vernon Wells CF
Alex Rios RF
David Dellucci LF
Raul Chavez C

Pitching: LHP Brian Tallet (5-5, 4.47 ERA)

Yanks vs. Tallet

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
J. Damon	16	5	2	0	0	0	2	3	.313	.421	.438	.859
R. Cano	15	4	2	0	0	1	0	4	.267	.313	.400	.713
A. Rodriguez	12	1	0	0	1	1	1	3	.083	.154	.333	.487
D. Jeter	11	3	0	0	0	2	1	3	.273	.333	.273	.606
H. Matsui	11	6	2	1	1	4	1	0	.545	.583	1.182	1.765
M. Cabrera	11	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	.091	.231	.091	.322
J. Posada	8	1	1	0	0	0	2	2	.125	.300	.250	.550
M. Teixeira	5	3	0	0	1	2	3	0	.600	.750	1.200	1.950
N. Swisher	5	2	1	0	0	1	2	1	.400	.571	.600	1.171
X. Nady	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.250	.250	.250	.500
E. Hinske	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Molina	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	.333	.333	.333	.667
B. Gardner	3	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.333	.500	.333	.833
F. Cervelli	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
K. Cash	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	112	30	8	1	3	13	15	22	.268	.364	.438	.802

Jays vs. Burnett

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
M. Barrett	25	7	4	0	1	6	2	4	.280	.333	.560	.893
S. Rolen	22	3	1	0	0	3	2	4	.136	.208	.182	.390
K. Millar	21	4	0	0	1	2	3	5	.190	.292	.333	.625
L. Overbay	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Scutaro	12	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.250	.308	.250	.558
R. Barajas	7	2	1	0	1	3	1	1	.286	.333	.857	1.190
A. Hill	4	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	.500	.500	1.250	1.750
V. Wells	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.250	.000	.250
A. Rios	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	.333	.500	.667	1.167
T. Snider	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.333	.333	.333	.667
J. McDonald	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Inglett	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.500	.667	.500	1.167
A. Lind	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000	.500	.000	.500
Totals	118	24	7	0	4	15	14	22	.203	.286	.364	.650

News & Notes

- The Yanks head into play today three games behind Boston in the division and two games ahead of Tampa in the Wild Card race.

- A.J. Burnett has faced the Blue Jays twice in his career, once in 2001, and then again this season. He's 1-1, with a 3.24 ERA. He pitched a complete game to beat them as a Marlin back in '01, but lost in his only start against them this year, allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks in 7.2 innings pitched.

- Brian Tallet has made 21 appearances against the Yanks in his career, but just one start. The start came on May 14th of this season and he went 6 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walked five and struck out two on his was to a no decision. Overall against the Yanks he's 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA. In the Bronx he has an ERA of 3.38 in 11 relief appearances.

- Jorge Posada is still nursing a swollen left thumb. He's listed as day-to-day.

Stick around and discuss the game
as it happens in the comments section

Yankees vs. Blue Jays Series Preview

2009-07-03T09:45:00.002-04:00

Yankees vs. Blue Jays

@ New Yankee Stadium
(four games)

After taking two of three (should have swept) from the Mariners, and winning seven of their last eight the Yankees host the Blue Jays in a four-game series at the new stadium. Currently the Yankees are 45-33 and just three games behind the first place Red Sox. They're also two games ahead of Tampa in the Wild Card race.

Besides yesterday's disappointing performance from CC Sabathia, a lot has gone right for the Yanks lately. Hopefully they can keep it up. There are less than two weeks until the all-star break and the Yankees need to play great baseball from hear on out. I know games in July are never must-wins, but it's very important that the Yankees go into the break on a high note.

At 42-38 the Blue Jays are still in the mix. They trail the Red Sox by seven games in the division and the Yanks by four in the Wild Card. They've stumbled a bit lately and head into this series losers of five of their last seven.

The good news for the Jays is they recently got Roy Halladay back from the DL and they have several more quality arms on their starting staff including Ricky Romero and Scott Richmond. Sadly for the Yanks, they have to face all three this series.

Usually when you think of the Jays offense you think of Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, but this year they're being led by a different cast of characters. Scott Rolen leads the team with a .333 batting average, Aaron Hill leads the teams in hits (104), homers (19), and RBI (56), and Adam Lind is also having a great year hitting .315/.389/.556 with 16 HR and 53 RBI.

The Yanks and Jays faced each other earlier in the season in Toronto, and the Yanks took two of three.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Today @ 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett (6-4, 3.93) vs. LHP Brian Tallet (5-5, 4.47)

Game 2: Tomorrow @ 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06) vs. RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56)

Game 3: Sunday @ 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.89) vs. RHP Scott Richmond (6-5, 3.69)

Game 4: Monday @ 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
LHP Andy Pettitte (8-3, 4.25) vs. LHP Ricky Romero (6-3, 2.85)

Players to Watch

YANKEES: Mark Teixeira - While Alex Rodriguez has been carrying the team, the Yanks number three hitter has been slumping. In his last 16 games he is 15-for-67 (.224) with no homers and 6 RBI. Still, for the season Tex has done a very good job, hitting .274/.381/.559 with 20 homers and 60 RBI.

But the Yanks are going to need Tex to start hitting. Hopefully seeing the Jays will help him get off the schneid. In his career against Toronto, Tex is hitting .309/.409/.704 with 17 homers and 48 RBi in 44 games, but in three games this season he's hitting just .250/.286/.333 with no homers and two RBI.

Teixeira vs. Tallet: .600/.750/1.200 (3-for-5) with a homer and 2 RBI.
Teixeira vs. Halladay: .182/.217/.318 (4-for-22) with a homer and 3 RBI.
Teixeira vs. Richmond: 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Teixeira vs. Romero: He's never faced Romero.

BLUE JAYS: Aaron Hill - The Jays second baseman is having one hell of a season. As of today he's hitting .301/.341/.504 with a team-leading 19 homers and 56 RBI. He also leads the team in hits with 104.

In 52 games against the Yanks Hill is hitting .299/.351/.418 with 2 homers and 20 RBI. In 26 games in the Bronx those numbers improve to .304/.347/.424. This year he has not had much success against the Yanks, hitting .200/.200/.500 with a homer and an RBI in three games.

Hill vs. Burnett: 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI.
Hill vs. Wang: .588/.611/.941 (10-for-17), 4 doubles, a triple, and 3 RBI.
Hill vs. Chamberlain: 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
Hill vs. Pettitte: .214/.214/.214 (3-for-14).

Injury Report

YANKEES:
- Xavier Nady, RF: Done for year, will have season-ending Tommy John surgery next week. It will take 10-12 month to recover.
- Jose Molina, C: On the 15-day DL with a strained left quad. He's begun playing rehab games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and the Yanks expect him back sometime next week.
- Damaso Marte, RP: 15-day DL with a sore shoulder. He's played a lot of catch, but is still nowhere close to returning. Will we ever see him again?

BLUE JAYS:
- Rod Barajas, C: Day-to-day with a hamstring injury.
- Scott Downs, RP: 15-day DL with a sprained left big toe.
- Casey Janssen, SP: 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation.
- Robert Ray, SP: 15-day DL with right shoulder soreness.
- Michael Barrett, C: 15-day DL with a muscle tear in his right shoulder.
- Jesse Litsch, SP: 15-day DL with a right forearm strain.
- Dustin McGowan, SP: 15-day DL as he recovers from right shoulder surgery.
- Shaun Marcum, SP/RP: 15-day DL as he recovers from right elbow surgery.

CC Has a Rare Bad Start, Yanks Streak Ends At 7

2009-07-02T23:15:00.004-04:00

(REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SEA	1	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	2	8	12	1
NYY	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	7	1

Winning pitcher - Miguel Batista (5-2)
Losing pitcher - CC Sabathia (7-5)

With their ace on the mound I really thought the sweep was in the bag. CC Sabathia had been rolling and the Mariners can't hit. Well, I guess that's why they play the games. CC has his worst start in over two months, and his shortest outing since Opening Day at Yankee Stadium all the way back on April 16th. In 5.2 innings the big left-hander allowed six runs on a season-high ten hits, walked three, struck out eight, and threw 70 of his 107 pitches for strikes. After the game CC said that everything he threw stayed up in the zone and that was the cause of his problems. From watching the game I would agree with that analysis.

One of the biggest game-changing hits of the game off CC came in top of the fourth, a two run double off the bat of Ichiro Suzuki to extend a 4-2 game to 6-2.

The Yankees offense fought back several times, cutting a 3-0 M's lead to 3-2 with a couple sac-flies in the bottom of the second. Then, after Seattle scored three in the top of the fifth, Hideki Matsui hit a two-run homer in the bottom half to cut a 6-2 lead to 6-4. Matsui had a very good game, going 2-for-3, with a double, a homer, a sac fly, and drove in three.

After cutting the lead to two in the fourth, both offenses stayed silent while the two team's bullpens did their work four the next four innings. But in the top of the ninth the Mariners broke through with two runs off Alfredo Aceves to put the game away. Ace pitched very well for the first two innings, but then after Ichiro Suzuki reached on Mark Teixeira's first error in 106 games, Russell Branyan mashed a pitch off the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar in center to put the M's up 8-4. It was the first ball that has been hit off that ugly eyesore in center.

The Yanks got the first two men on in the bottom of the ninth but that's where the rally would end as M's closer David Aardsma retired the next three men he faced to shut the door on the game and the Yanks seven-game winning streak.

As I've said before, the most important game of a winning streak is the game after the streak ends, that game will be tomorrow afternoon in the Bronx as Toronto comes in for a four-game series. A.J. Burnett will start for the Yanks with southpaw Brian Tallet going for the Jays. It's very important that the Yanks win tomorrow, because the pitching matchup for Saturday is Chien-Ming Wang vs. Roy Halladay, and I can't say I'm too confident about that.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jeter, SS	4	0	1	0	0	1	1	.307
Damon, LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	.288
Teixeira, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.274
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	1	0	0	1	1	0	.235
Cano, 2B	3	2	3	0	1	0	0	.307
Swisher, RF	3	0	1	1	0	1	2	.240
Matsui, H, DH	3	1	2	3	0	0	2	.254
Cabrera, Me, CF	4	0	0	0	0	1	4	.282
Cervelli, C	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	.257
a-Posada, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.267
Totals	32	4	7	4	2	5	14
a-Struck out for Cervelli in the 9th.
BATTING 2B: Cano (19, Vargas, J), Matsui, H (14, Lowe, M). HR: Matsui, H (11, 4th inning off Vargas, J, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Jeter; Cano 4; Swisher; Matsui, H 6. RBI: Swisher (40), Matsui, H 3 (31). 2-out RBI: Matsui, H 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Jeter; Posada. SF: Swisher; Matsui, H. Team RISP: 0-for-6. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING CS: Jeter (2, 2nd base by Vargas, J/Johjima). FIELDING E: Teixeira (1, throw). Outfield assists: Damon (Woodward at 2nd base).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Sabathia (L, 7-5)	5.2	10	6	6	3	8	1	3.85
Aceves, A	2.1	2	2	1	0	1	1	2.25
Robertson, D	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.45

MARINERS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Franklin Gutierrez (3-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R)

HONORABLE MENTION: Ichiro Suzuki (2-for-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB)

GOAT OF THE GAME: CC Sabathia (6 runs on 10 hits in 5.2 IP - worst start in a long time)

Tomorrow's Game

Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Game Time: 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett (6-4, 3.93 ERA) vs. LHP Brian Tallet (5-5, 4.47 ERA)

7/2 Minor League Report - Montero Homers Again

2009-07-02T22:11:00.008-04:00

================

We are lucky enough to have a SWB report from BigGuy tonight.
He won't be doing these all the time by when he does I will
post them. Thanks BG for the great contributions.

(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (44-33) lost to Pawtucket (42-36) 4-3: Box Score - Recap

PITCHING: Sergio Mitre got the start for the Yankees. Pawtucket broke out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st on a solo homer by Paul McAnulty. Mitre was perfect in the 2nd and 3rd. In the 4th, an unearned run scored on a double, single, and error to cut the SWB lead to 3-2. In the 5th, Mitre stranded a runner at 2nd after a single and stolen base. In the 6th, a HBP, walk, and RBI double scored the tying run and knocked Mitre out of the game. Mitre took the loss (2-1). Mitre's line: 5.1 IP 4 Runs (3 earned), 6 hits, 3 K's--1 BB, 1 HBP, 79 pitches---44 strikes, 9 ground outs--3 fly outs.

Mark Melancon relieved Mitre in the 6th. He got 2 groundouts to get out of the inning, but the go ahead run scored to give Pawtucket a 4-3 lead. Melancon threw perfect 7th and 8th innings. He picked up 1 strikeout with all his other outs coming on groundouts.
2.2 IP, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 K-0 BB, 39 pitches--26 strikes.

OFFENSE: Clay Buchholz got the start for the PawSox. Buchholz retired the first 10 Yankees he faced. In the 4th, 1 out singles by Ramiro Pena, Austin Jackson, and Shelley Duncan scored the 1st Yankee run. Juan Miranda doubled to score Jackson. Jose Molina scored Duncan on an RBI ground out to give the Yanks a 3-1 lead. In the 6th, SWB threatened when Jackson singled and stole 2nd (14), but was stranded. Jackson is 14 for 14 in stolen base attempts. Buchholz was relieved after 7 innings, 3 runs, 5 hits, 7 K-1 walk. The Yanks had the tying run at 2nd in the 8th when Kevin Russo walked and Pena singled, but were stranded. In the 9th, Miranda walked. Chris Stewart had a sac bunt to move Miranda to 2nd with Colin Curtis getting a walk, at 1st. Yurendall de Caster hit a sac fly to move pinch runner Richie Robnett to 3rd, but the threat died along with the game. Pawtucket wins 4-3, with Bucholz getting the win (6-1).

Jose Molina made his 1st rehab start for SWB. Molina was 0-2 with an RBI on a groundout. He was replaced by Chris Stewart in the 6th inning.

NOTES: Shelly Duncan and Austin Jackson were voted to the All Star Team. Chris Stewart was also named to the team. ... Kevin Russo extended his reaching base streak to 26 games with a walk in the 8th.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Scranton/WB	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	1
Pawtucket	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	X	4	6	0

W: Buchholz, C (6-1, 2.05); L: Mitre (2-1, 3.26); SV: Cabrera, F (17)
HR: PAW: McAnulty (10).

Offense:
Kevin Russo: 0-for-3, BB
Ramiro Pena: 2-for-4, R
Austin Jackson: 2-for-4, R, SB (14), and a strikeout
Shelley Duncan: 1-for-4, RBI, R
Juan Miranda: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB
Jose Molina: 0-for-2, RBI, caught five innings
Colin Curtis: 0-for-2, 2 BB
Yuredell de Caster: 0-for-4 in his first game with the SWB Yanks

Pitching:
Sergio Mitre (L, 2-1): 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 79 pitches/44 strikes (3.26 ERA)
Mark Melancon: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 39 pitches/26 strikes (2.70 ERA)

(Double-A) Trenton (38-40) lost to Erie (43-36) 9-6: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Trenton	0	2	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	6	14	0
Erie	0	2	1	5	0	0	0	1	X	9	12	0

W: Nickerson (5-6, 5.28); L: Johnson, Ja (0-2, 14.54); SV: Satterwhite (9)
HR: TRN: Vazquez, J (11), Malec (5), Montero (5). ERI: Boesch (16), Strieby (15).

Offense:
Austin Krum: 1-for-4, BB
Reegie Corona: 2-for-5, 2B, R
Eduardo Nunez: 1-for-5, R
Jorge Vazquez: 4-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Jesus Montero: 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, R
Chris Malec: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R
Edwar Gonzalez: 1-for-4
Marcos Vechionacci: 1-for-4

Pitching:
Jason Johnson (L, 0-2): 3.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (14.54 ERA)
Wilkins Arias: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (4.05 ERA)
Eric Wordekemper: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (1.93 ERA)
Jose Valdez: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (3.68 ERA)

(High-A) Tampa (Overall 34-38, Second Half 4-1) beat Sarasota (Overall 30-44, Second Half 2-4) 8-3 in game one of tonight's doubleheader: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tampa	3	1	1	0	0	2	1			8	9	0
Sarasota	2	0	0	1	0	0	0			3	6	1

W: Noesi (1-0, 5.40); L: Carroll (1-2, 4.43)
HR: TAM: Romine, Au (11), Sublett (3).

Offense:
Daniel Brewer 1-for-4, RBI
Austin Romine: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R, SB (6)
Damon Sublett: 1-for-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB
Brandon Laird: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R
Seth Fortenberry: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
David Adams: 1-for-3, R
Kevin Smith: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 R, BB

Pitching:
Hector Noesi (W, 1-0): 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (5.40 ERA) - First game since being called up to Tampa from Low-A Charleston.
Tim Norton: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (1.59 ERA)

Tampa (Overall 35-38, Second Half 5-1) beat Sarasota (Overall 30-45, Second Half 2-5) 5-2 in game two of tonight's doubleheader: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tampa	0	0	4	0	1	0	0			5	8	2
Sarasota	0	0	0	0	0	2	0			2	4	1

W: Heyer (3-2, 3.52); L: Montano (5-8, 5.31); SV: Hovis (11)
HR: TAM: Laird (5). SAR: Gualdron (1).

Offense:
Mitch Hilligoss: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R
Austin Romine: 0-for-1, 2 BB, R
Damon Sublett: 1-for-3, RBI, R
Brandon Laird: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R
David Adams: 2-for-3
Walter Ibarra: 1-for-3

Pitching:
Humberto Sanchez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (4.15 ERA)
Craig Heyer (W, 3-2): 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (3.52 ERA)
Jonathan Hovis (S, 11): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (1.98 ERA)

(Low-A) Charleston (Overall 43-35, second half 4-4) beat Greenville (Overall 42-33, second half 3-4) 3-0: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Greenville	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Charleston	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	3	3	1

W: Arbiso (2-5, 2.87); L: Hagadone (0-2, 5.73); SV: Ortiz, J (2)
HR: None.

Offense:
Jose Pirela: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI,
Raymond Kruml: 0-for-3, BB, R, SB (17)
Melky Mesa: 0-for-4, RBI
Corban Joseph: 0-for-3, BB, SB (4)
Abraham Almonte: 0-for-3, BB
Mitch Abeita: 1-for-4, 2B
Neall French 0-for-2, BB, R
Mike Lyon: 0-for-2, BB, R
Addison Maruszak: 1-for-3

Pitching:
Cory Arbiso (W, 2-5): 5.1 IP, 2, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (2.87 ERA)
Brad Rulon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (1.31 ERA)
Jonathan Ortiz (S, 2): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (2.70 ERA)

(Single-A Short-Season) Staten Island (6-7) lost to Lowell (7-6) 6-5: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Staten Island	0	0	0	2	1	2	0	0	0	5	8	2
Lowell	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	2	6	8	2

W: Neuman (1-0, 5.68); L: Marte, R (2-1, 3.38)
HR: SI: Medchill (2).

Offense:
Kelvin Castro: 1-for-4, R
Kyle Higashioka: 2-for-4, R
Neil Medchill: 2-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R
Robert Lyerly: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, R
Deangelo Mack: 1-for-4, RBI
Luke Murton: 1-for-4, 2B

Pitching:
Francisco Rondon: 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K (1.88 ERA)
Gavin Brooks: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (0.00 ERA)
Bemjamin Watkins: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (2.25 ERA)
Ryan Flannery: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (1.93 ERA)
Ronny Marte (BS, 1)(L, 2-1): 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (3.38 ERA)

(Rookie) GCL Yanks (5-1) lost to the GCL Braves (4-1) 9-2: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
GCL Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	6	1
GCL Braves	0	4	0	1	0	2	2	0	X	9	8	0

W: Northcraft, A (1-0, 0.00); L: Smith, B (0-1, 18.00)
HR: YAN: Mahoney, K (1). BRA: Odreman (5), Bethancourt (1), Hiller (1), Rose (1).

Offense:
Ramon Flores: 1-for-3, BB, R
Jose Toussen: 2-for-4
Kevin Mahoney: 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, R
Kelvin De Leon: 1-for-3
Isaiah Brown: 0-for-0, BB
Eduardo Sosa: 0-for-2, BB
Jose Mojica: 1-for-4

Pitching:
Brett Smith (L, 0-1): 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (18.00 ERA)
Jose A. Ramirez: 5 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (4.09 ERA)
Shane Greene: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (0.00 ERA)

Game 78: Yanks vs. Mariners

2009-07-02T17:33:00.005-04:00

Regular Season Game 78

Yankees vs. Mariners
New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (45-32)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera CF
Francisco Cervelli C

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55 ERA)

MARINERS (39-38)
Suzuki RF
Branyan 1B
Lopez 2B
Sweeney DH
Gutierrez CF
Johjima C
Langerhans LF
Woodward 3B
Cedeno SS

Pitching: LHP Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.79 ERA)

Yanks vs. Vargas

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
X. Nady	9	3	0	0	0	1	0	2	.333	.333	.333	.667
Totals	9	3	0	0	0	1	0	2	.333	.333	.333	.667

Mariners vs. Sabathia

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
M. Sweeney	69	20	1	0	2	12	8	13	.290	.363	.391	.754
I. Suzuki	38	15	2	1	3	4	0	4	.395	.395	.737	1.132
K. Griffey Jr.	17	4	1	0	0	3	1	6	.235	.316	.294	.610
R. Cedeno	11	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	.091	.091	.091	.182
A. Beltre	10	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	.000	.091	.000	.091
C. Woodward	9	2	0	0	0	2	0	1	.222	.222	.222	.444
J. Lopez	8	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	.250	.250	.250	.500
Y. Betancourt	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Wilson	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.167	.167	.167	.333
K. Johjima	5	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	.600	.600	.800	1.400
R. Langerhans	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	1.000	.000	1.000
Totals	181	48	5	1	5	23	11	31	.265	.311	.387	.698

News & Notes

- CC Sabathia is 4-3, with a 2.95 ERA in 11 starts against the Mariners in his career.

- The Yanks have won seven in a row.

Stick around and discuss the game
as it happens in the comments section

Yanks Sign Three as International FA Signings Begins

2009-07-02T12:00:00.005-04:00

Today is July 2nd, which begins the international free agent signing period. This is when teams can sign international players that weren’t eligible for the draft, usually players from Latin America. And players must be at least 16-years-old to sign.

According to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus, the Yanks made their signing of Dominican catcher Gary Sanchez official. He signed for close to $3 million, which, as Ben Badler points out, is thehighest bonus the Yanks have ever given to a hitter. I posted a little of BP's scouting report on him here.

They have also reportedly signed SS Damian Arredondo for $850,000, and Domincan RHP Chris Cabrera for $400,000.

Bruney: It Doesn't Matter if I Pitch the 8th

2009-07-02T11:25:00.004-04:00

From Mike Puma:

Brian Bruney isn't launching a campaign to keep his eighth-inning job.

The inconsistent Yankee reliever yesterday stopped short of saying he'd welcome a new role, but also made it known he wouldn't lose sleep if manager Joe Girardi were to make Phil Hughes the team's primary eighth-inning option.

"Hughes is throwing extremely well," Bruney told The Post before the Yankees defeated Seattle, 4-2, at the Stadium. "But the rest of our bullpen is [also] throwing extremely well. If they want to throw anybody in the eighth inning, it's fine. I don't care. I'm not here to be the eighth-inning guy and worry about that."

"I can sit here and be 100-percent honest and say I don't care what inning I pitch," Bruney said. "It does not matter to me.

"[Rivera] is throwing the ninth inning -- we know that. Anything else does not concern me."

I don't know if it's Girardi or just the culture of being a Yankee nowadays, but these guys sure really are embracing the team concept.

As for Bruney, I always though he was a little cocky, but in a way a reliever should be, and based on that I didn't think he would handle this situation too well. I remember how much he didn't like Joe Torre because he felt that Torre didn't trust him. Anyway, I'm glad he proved me wrong. And while I'm sure deep down he wants that role, he wouldn't be human if he didn't, but at least he's saying all the right things. That alone makes it easier for Girardi to make whatever decision he thinks is best for the team.

Pena Understands Demotion

2009-07-02T10:00:00.001-04:00

From Peter Botte:

Ramiro Pena proved capable - if not a revelation - in small samples at multiple infield positions this season.

Now, the Yankees will ask the defensively adept rookie to try on another glove to enhance his versatility and his long-term value to the organization.

Pena, as expected, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton before Wednesday night's game against Seattle to accommodate trade pickup Eric Hinske's addition to the 25-man roster. The 23-year-old Pena will start some games as an outfielder, Joe Girardi said, making him that much more attractive as a late-season call-up and potential super-sub if injuries arise at the major-league level.

"They told me I have a chance to be here for a long time. (Girardi) told me just keep playing hard and I will be back," said Pena, an undrafted free-agent signing who surprisingly made the roster out of spring training after Alex Rodriguez underwent hip surgery. "I was happy to be here and proud to be here. They gave me a chance. I never thought I was going to play as much as I played. But I'm going to be even more confident when I come back.
"We have a lot of good players here and I'm the youngest one. And I know I need to play a little more."
Added Girardi: "He did more than we expected. He was great. We want him to go down and play some different positions, but we loved having him here and he's got a bright future."

Great to see the kid handling this situation the right way. After all, he has no reason to be down on himself. He was great while he was here and as long as he stay's healthy I suspect he'll be back sooner than most of us expect.

It's Official, Nady To Have Tommy John Surgery

2009-07-02T09:00:00.003-04:00

As we all expected, Nady will have season-ending Tommy John surgery next Wednesday. The surgery will require 10-12 months to recover.

Here's more from Anthony DiComo:

"I'm extremely disappointed for him because we thought we were going to get him back this week," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You feel bad for a guy that really tried, and tried to be a team guy."
...
As the Yankees expected, Yocum recommended that Nady undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. Nady, who played only seven games in what would have been his first full season with the Yankees, will require roughly 10-12 months to recover.
"He'll be back," Girardi said. "I don't have any question about that. He'll be back and he'll be a good player again, but your heart goes out to him."

Back when he injured himself in Tampa Nady Mark Feinsand had this quote from him after the game:

"It's tough. I enjoy taking the field with this group of guys and I feel like we have a good team," Nady said, fighting back tears. "I told Girardi I feel bad because they went out and made a trade for me last year, so I feel like I'm letting them down."

I think that's all you need to hear to feel sorry for the guy. Not only has he lost all of this year, but now he heads into free agency recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Hope he can work his way back and be on the field for some team at this time next year.

Pettitte, A-Rod Help Yanks Make It Seven Straight

2009-07-01T22:32:00.005-04:00

(REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SEA	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	6	0
NYY	0	0	1	0	1	2	0	0	X	4	9	0

Winning pitcher - Andy Pettitte (8-3)
Losing pitcher - Jarrod Washburn (4-6)
SV - Mariano Rivera (20)
Andy Pettitte pitched his best game at his new home tonight, throwing seven strong innings. He allowed just two runs on six hits, walked just one, struck out five, and picked up his team-leading eighth win. He said after the game that he didn't use his cutter that much, but besides that he pretty much good command of all his pitches. On the night he threw 98 pitches, 63 of which found the zone.

Mariners' starter Jarrod Washburn also pitched a good game, but he was hurt by the long ball. The first coming off the bat of Johnny Damon who got the Yanks on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the third. It was his 15th homer of the season.

Seattle came right back to tie the game with a run off Pettitte in the fourth. With runners on the corners and one out Wladimir Balentien hit what should have been an inning-ending double play, but Mark Teixeira bobbled the ball and they were only able to get the force. Pettitte then got out of the inning without allowing any more damage.

The Yanks regained the lead with another solo homer, this time off the bat of Melky Cabrera in the fifth. It was his eighth homer of the year, tying his total for the entire 2008 season.

Once again the Mariners matched the Yanks with a run of their own when Pettitte served up a meatball to Ken Griffey Jr. He may not be what anything close to what he once was, but he can still knock a pitch out of the yard if you give him a chance, and that's just what he did. I knew he'd hit at least one this series.

The game would not remain tied for long. Teixeira led off the bottom half of the inning with a single and Alex Rodriguez following with a long two-run homer into monument cave to put the Yankees up for good. A-Rod now has 4 homers and 13 RBI during the Yankees seven-game winning streak. You have to love it when this guy hits like this, it's really a lot of fun to watch.

Pettitte was gone after seven and that's when the pen took over, and once again did a great job. Alfredo Aceves retired the only batter he faced. Phil Coke then came in and retired the only batters he faced, Ichiro Suzuki and Russell Branyan - both lefties. And Mariano Rivera came in for his 502nd save of his Hall of Fame career, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Yanks will go for the sweep tomorrow night with their ace CC Sabathia on the mound. He will be looking for win number eight to tie Pettitte for the team-lead. Jason Vargas will make the start for Seattle.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jeter, SS	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.307
Damon, LF	3	1	1	1	1	1	2	.292
Teixeira, 1B	4	1	2	0	0	1	0	.278
Rodriguez, A, DH	4	1	2	2	0	0	2	.239
Posada, C	4	0	0	0	0	2	1	.268
Cano, 2B	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.300
Swisher, RF	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.238
Gardner, CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.289
Cabrera, Me, CF-RF	3	1	1	1	0	0	2	.287
Ransom, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.190
Totals	30	4	9	4	1	6	7
BATTING HR: Damon (15, 3rd inning off Washburn, 0 on, 2 out), Cabrera, Me (8, 5th inning off Washburn, 0 on, 1 out), Rodriguez, A (13, 6th inning off Washburn, 1 on, 0 out). TB: Jeter; Damon 4; Teixeira 2; Rodriguez, A 5; Cano; Swisher; Cabrera, Me 4. RBI: Damon (47), Cabrera, Me (32), Rodriguez, A 2 (41). 2-out RBI: Damon. GIDP: Rodriguez, A; Cabrera, Me; Posada. Team RISP: 0-for-2. Team LOB: 4. FIELDING Pickoffs: Pettitte (Balentien at 1st base).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pettitte (W, 8-3)	7.0	6	2	2	1	5	1	4.25
Aceves, A (H, 3)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.14
Coke (H, 6)	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3.18
Rivera, Ma (S, 20)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.76

MARINERS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Andy Pettitte (W, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K)

HONORABLE MENTION: Alex Rodriguez (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R)

Tomorrow's Game

Yankees vs. Mariners
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
LHP CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.79)

7/1 Minor League Report - Guess what? More Rain

2009-07-01T21:35:00.005-04:00

================

(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (43-32) had a scheduled off day.

(Double-A) Trenton (38-39) lost to Erie (42-36) 5-3: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Trenton	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	6	0
Erie	0	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	X	5	8	1

W: Kibler (4-5, 3.77); L: Dunn, M (2-3, 4.24); SV: Simons (2)
HR: TRN: Nunez, E (5), Montero (4). ERI: Avila (7), Iorg (7), Bourquin (2).

Offense:
Reegie Corona: 0-for-4, R
Chris Malec: 0-for-2, 2 BB
Eduardo Nunez: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R
Jorge Vazquez: 1-for-4, RBI
Jesus Montero: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, R
Jack Rye: 1-for-4, 2B

Pitching:
Zach McAllister: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K (1.79 ERA)
Michael Dunn (L, 2-3): 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (4.24 ERA)
Josh Schmidt: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (1.47 ERA)
Amaury Sanit: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (3.10 ERA)

Notes: The Eastern League all-star game rosters were announced today, and five members of the Thunder made the Northern Division team. Those five are INF Reegie Corona, SS Eduardo Nunez, 1B Jorge Vazquez, RHP Zach McAllister and RHP Josh Schmidt. The game will be played on July 15th.

(High-A) Tampa (Overall 33-38, Second Half 3-1) and Sarasota (Overall 30-43, Second Half 2-3) had their doubleheader rained out.

(Low-A) Charleston (Overall 42-35, second half 3-4) lost to Greenville (Overall 42-32, second half 3-3) 10-5: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Greenville	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	4	0	10	5	1
Charleston	0	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	5	11	1

W: Pimentel, S (7-3, 2.77); L: Brackman (1-7, 5.35)
HR: GVL: Middlebrooks (3). CSC: Joseph (3).

Offense:
Jose Pirela: 2-for-5, RBI
Raymond Kruml: 2-for-5, 2B, R, 2 SB (16)
Corban Joseph: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Abraham Almonte: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R, BB
Mitch Abeita: 1-for-1, R
Chase Weems: 1-for-3
Garrison Lassiter: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

Pitching:
Andrew Brackman (L, 1-7): 3.2 IP, 0 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 8 BB, 4 K (5.35 ERA) - Interesting line, huh?
Daniel Kapala: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (2.40 ERA)
Brandon Braboy: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (3.63 ERA)
Edwin Walker: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (0.00 ERA) - first appearance since the Yanks signed him out of the independent leagues this weekend.

(Single-A Short-Season) Staten Island (5-7) lost to Lowell (6-6) 11-0: Box Score - Recap

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Staten Island	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2
Lowell	2	1	3	1	4	0	0	0	X	11	9	1

W: Alvarez, J (1-0, 0.50); L: Warren (0-1, 13.50)
HR: None.

Offense:
Jimmy Paredes: 1-for-2
Hector Rabago: 2-for-4
Robert Lyerly: 1-for-2
Deangelo Mack: 0-for-2, BB

Pitching:
Adam Warren (L, 0-1): 2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (13.50 ERA)
Michael Solbach: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (2.79 ERA)
Sam Elam: 1 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 0 K (23.63 ERA) - another interesting line.
Griffin Bailey: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (4.91 ERA)
Gavin Brooks: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (0.00 ERA)

(Rookie) GCL Yanks (5-0) and the GCL Blue Jays (3-2) had their doubleheader rained out.

Game 77: Yankees vs. Mariners

2009-07-01T16:58:00.006-04:00

Regular Season Game 77

Yankees vs. Mariners
New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (44-32)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF
Cody Ransom 3B

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.38 ERA)

MARINERS (39-37)
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Russell Branyan 1B
Jose Lopez 2B
Ken Griffey Jr. DH
Franklin Gutiuerrez CF
Wladimir Balentien LF
Chris Woodward 3B
Rob Johnson C
Ronny Cedeno SS

Pitching: LHP Jarrod Washburn (4-5, 3.22 ERA)

Yanks vs. Washburn

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
M. Teixeira	49	14	1	0	2	8	6	6	.286	.364	.429	.792
A. Rodriguez	47	15	0	0	6	10	6	6	.319	.396	.702	1.098
D. Jeter	37	12	4	0	0	4	4	7	.324	.390	.432	.823
J. Damon	37	9	1	0	1	4	4	3	.243	.310	.351	.661
N. Swisher	24	5	1	1	1	6	3	2	.208	.321	.458	.780
J. Posada	22	6	1	0	0	0	1	4	.273	.333	.318	.652
H. Matsui	14	2	1	0	1	2	0	4	.143	.143	.429	.571
R. Cano	14	2	1	0	0	0	1	1	.143	.200	.214	.414
M. Cabrera	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Molina	9	4	1	0	1	1	0	1	.444	.444	.889	1.333
E. Hinske	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	269	69	11	1	12	35	25	39	.257	.323	.439	.762

Mariners vs. Pettitte

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
K. Griffey Jr.	53	18	3	0	2	7	7	8	.340	.417	.509	.926
M. Sweeney	31	9	1	0	0	1	4	4	.290	.371	.323	.694
I. Suzuki	30	12	1	0	0	5	0	6	.400	.400	.433	.833
C. Woodward	13	4	1	1	1	2	2	4	.308	.400	.769	1.169
A. Beltre	8	3	1	0	0	1	1	3	.375	.444	.500	.944
Y. Betancourt	8	2	0	0	0	2	0	1	.250	.222	.250	.472
F. Gutierrez	8	2	0	0	1	1	1	4	.250	.333	.625	.958
J. Wilson	8	4	2	0	0	3	0	0	.500	.500	.750	1.250
J. Lopez	7	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	.143	.222	.143	.365
R. Cedeno	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.167	.167	.167	.333
W. Balentien	6	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	.500	.500	.500	1.000
E. Chavez	5	3	0	0	1	2	0	0	.600	.600	1.200	1.800
K. Johjima	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
M. Tuiasosopo	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.667	1.000
Totals	189	64	10	1	5	26	16	37	.339	.386	.481	.868

News & Notes

- In 20 games vs. the Mariners Andy Pettitte is 9-11 with a 4.68 ERA. Last year he was 1-1 with 3.46 ERA.

- Jarrod Washburn has had a lot of success against the Yanks in his career. In 12 starts he's 5-5, but he has a 2.56 ERA. In six games in the Bronx he's 1-4 with a 2.82 ERA. As you can see he's pitched great, but just hasn't gotten any run support.

- The Yanks have won six in a row. Boston won today so they're three games out of first for the moment.

- Good job moving Robinson Cano out of the five hole by Girardi.

- Ramiro Pena was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room on the roster for Eric Hinske. According to Peter Abraham the Yanks will give Pena some time in center to increase his versatility.

Stick around and discuss the game
as it happens in the comments section

Week 13 Power Rankings

2009-07-01T15:38:00.002-04:00

Here is my weekly look at MLB Power Rankings from around the interwebs. This is just the top ten, you can view the entire rankings by clicking on the links. The Yanks had a good week and everyone but CBS Sportsline gave them a bump up to third, which is exactly where I'd put them.

	ESPN	Fox Sports	CBS Sportsline	Sporting News
1.	Dodgers (1)	Dodgers (1)	Red Sox (2)	Dodgers (1)
2.	Red Sox (2)	Red Sox (2)	Dodgers (1)	Red Sox (2)
3.	Yankees (4)	Yankees (5)	Rays (3)	Yankees (6)
4.	Rays (8)	Angels (6)	Tigers (5)	Rays (11)
5.	Tigers (5)	Tigers (4)	Rockies (4)	Tigers (4)
6.	Angels (7)	Rays(10)	Yankees (9)	Angels (5)
7.	Cardinals (3)	Giants (7)	Giants (7)	Giants (7)
8.	Brewers (10)	Rockies (8)	Angels (12)	Rockies (8)
9.	Giants (11)	Brewers (14)	Jays (14)	Cardinals (3)
10.	Rangers (6)	Rangers (13)	Phillies (8)	Brewers (14)

(Last week’s rankings are in parentheses.)

Guest Post: More on Boston's Blown Lead

2009-07-01T13:00:00.001-04:00

Crossfire is one of this blog's loyal readers. Today he posted this in one of the comments sections and I figured it deserved a full post. So here goes...

Here is a little laughable red sux trivia.

After their embarrassing loss last night, the announcer said it was tied for the second biggest comeback against them in their history.

I was amazed that it was only their second biggest so I decided to look up the biggest. Fortunately boston.com did the work for me today.

The biggest comeback against them was on June 4, 1989 when they were leading Toronto 10-0 after 6 innings at home.

They ended up losing 13-11 in 12.

The 9 run comeback last night was tied with three other games for the second biggest comeback against them.

Two of those games were against the Yankees.

As I have stated before, I was lucky enough to see the Yanks comeback from 9-0 after 2 1/2 at the Stadium with Clemens on the mound for the sux. The date was June 26, 1987. Best part was that I sat with a sux fan and after he busted my balls at the beginning of the game, I got the last laugh.

But the other time the Yanks came back from down 9 to the red sux is even better. Unfortunately I wasn't there because I wasn't born yet.

Get this...

Opening Day

Fenway Park

April 18, 1950.

The red sux go up 9-0 against their nemesis, the NY Yankees. red sox fans must be delighted.

Then the sky fell down on them.

(the following is from soxsuck.com)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New York scored four in the sixth inning.

The Red Sox used five pitchers in the nine-run eighth (Mel Parnell, Walt Masterson, Earl Johnson, Al Papai, and Charley Schanz).

Billy Martin, playing in his first major league game, got two hits (a single and a double) in that inning. Tommy Henrich had two triples in the game, and the Yankees overcame the nine-run deficit to win 15-10.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course the Yanks went on to sweep the World Series that year over the Phillies.

(The other game that the sux lost after leading by 9 was on 8/2/36. They were leading the White Sox 10-1 after 4 1/2 and lost 12-11 in 12.)

Hughes Getting Very Comfortable in the Pen

2009-07-01T11:20:00.006-04:00

Here's a quote from Hughes about his new role, via Peter Abraham:

"I feel like I have more control, my stuff plays up a little bit," Hughes said. "It feels like a good fit for me. Who's to say what the future will be? Maybe this is what I do for the rest of my career."

Still, Hughes sees the big picture. He's only 23, he's still building up innings to the point where he can be a full-time starter, and he is happy to in the majors, regardless of the role:

"I feel the same way they do, I'm still a starter," he said. "But I'm only 23, I still have time. I wouldn't feel that way if I was 26, but I'm not. If I throw 100 innings this year and go into the rotation next season, we'll go from there. I think this is working out pretty well."
Hughes pointed out, quite correctly, that he has proven himself in the minors. He feels he is learning more pitching out of the bullpen in the majors than he would pitching every five days for Scranton.
"It's absolutely good for me. If I stayed in Triple-A, another year goes by without getting that confidence that I can get major-league hitters out," he said. "It's a completely different thing. Not to say they're pushovers there, but I know I can go there and have success and not be challenged as much. Being in those late-inning situations is tough."

And while the Yankees obviously want him back in the rotation at some point down the road, as M.A. Mehta reports they are in no hurry to make that happen.

"We do look at him as a starter," manager Joe Girardi said. "Right now, he's filling a void for us."

Hughes certainly has been impressive in his new role, allowing just two runs in 13 innings of relief (1.38 ERA) with 16 strikeouts and just two walks.

"He's a full-fledged reliever now," Girardi said with a laugh. "(We) won't hesitate to bring him in in any situation at this point."

The truth, of course, is that Hughes' future lies as a starter. The club has balanced their long-term desire to get Hughes' allotted innings with the immediate need to provide bullpen stability.

"It's hard," general manager Brian Cashman said. "The short-term goal is you got to win as many games as you possibly can so you can get into the postseason. The long-term case is that we need Phil to get stretched out and get some innings. So there's a collision there that we're having to deal with."

But don't expect Cashman, who admitted there isn't a sense of "desperation" when it comes to plugging holes in the bullpen now, to take Hughes out of his relief role anytime soon.

"I can't look Mariano Rivera in the face and say we're going to weaken your bullpen right now for the future," Cashman said. "It's a balancing act. It's a tough one. It's not easy. You just got to make the best choices every day. And you revisit it every day."

...

"If I ever decide to pull him (from the bullpen), I got to feel that I have someone ready that can go in that I feel comfortable enough with so I can stretch (Hughes) back out," Cashman said. "And I'm not right there yet."

For the time being, Hughes doesn't have any restrictions on how he'll be used out of the bullpen.

"I think he's very capable of being a two-inning, three-inning reliever for us," Girardi said. "I won't necessarily do that to build up his innings. I'll do it because I believe he can do it. And he'll do it well."

Hughes has been great out of the pen, and his stuff has been what we thought it was going to be when we all heard how great a prospect he was a few years ago. Remember all the talk about Hughes and his 95-96 mph fastball and plus-plus curveball? Well, we're seeing that now. We're also seeing a guy who finally isn't afraid to challenge hitters. That, maybe even more than the velocity, has turned him into a very good reliever.

It kind of reminds me a bit of how Joba pitched out of the pen compared to how he's now pitching as a starter. At times it really looks like he's afraid or can't throw strikes, while that was pretty much all he did coming out of the pen. Wth Joba I also think last year's shoulder tendinitis somehow sapped him of velocity, or maybe just sapped him from trying to throw his hardest. As you can see from this velocity chart from Fangraphs.com his stuff hasn't been the same since that game in Texas last August.

As you can see, his velocity last season as a starter was very good. His fastball averaged 95 mph and topped out at 97-98, even topping out at 100. Then there's the gap - his time on the DL - and he came back with the same kind of stuff as he has now, and that was when he was relieving at the end of the season. I would really love to know what's going through his head and why he can't regain that fastball.

Anyway, sorry for the Joba tangent.... Back to Hughes; I know last night bothered a lot of people, so to those people I ask, should Hughes be moved into the setup man role while Bruney finds himself, or maybe even permanently? If you ask me I say no. I like Hughes in the spot he's in, to me he's more valuable in a role that can change from two-three inning long man to one inning short-reliever.

It Wasn't Pretty, But Yanks Take Opener 8-5

2009-07-01T00:46:00.002-04:00

(REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SEA	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	2	0	5	12	2
NYY	0	2	0	1	0	0	2	3	X	8	11	0

Winning pitcher - Brian Bruney (3-0)
Losing pitcher - Sean White (2-1)
SV - Mariano Rivera (19)

The Yanks made is six in a row tonight with a 8-5 win over the Seattle Mariners in the Bronx. The win improves the Yanks to 44-32, a season-high 12 games over .500.

Joba Chamberlain started for the Yanks and was matched up against another young starter with a lot of potential, Seattle's Brandon Morrow. Joba was pretty unimpressive. Once again he had trouble throwing finding the strike zone and fell into too many deep counts. He needed 96 pitches - only 55 strikes - to get through just 5.1 innings. It wasn't like he got hammered and he did keep the team in the game, but allowing 3 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks to a Seattle team that really can't hit isn't anything to be proud of.

While he missed his spots with his fastball all night the velocity was OK. His fastball averaged 92.02 mph and topped out at 95.3. His slider was OK, but his curveball was nonexistent tonight. He threw just 8 of them and only 3 of those for strikes.

Like Joba, Morrow struggled a bit, and the Yanks made him pay with two early runs. Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada started the second with back-to-back singles. Hideki Matsui then hit a slow tapper towards third, Chris Woodward bare-handed the ball, bobbled it, regained control, and then fired the ball past first base Russell Branyan allowing Cano to score the Yanks first run. Woodward picked up two errors on the play, one for the bobble and another for the throw. The Yanks got their second run on a Melky Cabrera sac fly to deep left-center.

Seattle came back with one of their own in the top of the third when Joba left a fastball up to Ronny Cedeno who sent the ball into the left field seats for his third homer of the year. One of many examples tonight of Joba missing his spots. The pitch to Cedeno was supposed to be a fastball low and on the outside corner but he left it up in the zone and Cedeno smashed it.

A single and two walks loaded the bases for the Yanks in the fourth and then Melky extended the Yanks lead back to two when he drove in a run with a force out. Joba wasn't the only one with command issues as Morrow walked five on the night.

Seattle would then tie the game with two runs off Joba in the fifth. Ichiro reached on what was scored a single, but Joba should have easily made the play. He then stole second, and third, and scored on a single by Branyan. Later in the inning Franklin Gutierrez drove in the M's third run with a two-out RBI single to center.

The Yanks would go to the pen with one out in the sixth, bringing in Phil Coke. He once again did a very good job, retiring both hitters he faced. Phil Hughes then came on for the seventh and needed just nine pitched to breeze through the inning. His stuff continues to be very impressive out of the pen, tonight hitting 96 with his fastball and adding that filthy curveball to go along with it.

Alex Rodriguez then gave the Yanks a lead in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run homer off M's reliever Chris Jakubauskas. Johnny Damon, who led off the inning with a ground-rule double, was on second and even though you never put the lead run on base, with Robinson "double play" Cano on deck I probably would have walked A-Rod. I'm glad they didn't.

Now is where the game got interesting, and I guess, a little controversial. After needing just nine pitches to get through the seventh a lot of people thought Joe Girardi should have kept him in the game. Instead he decided to go with the struggling Brian Bruney, and Bruney continued to struggle.

Gutierrez singled, Woodward singled, and Jojima singled. Just like that the M's had cut the lead to 5-4 and had two on and nobody out. Cedeno then moved the runners over and Bruney intentionally walked Ichiro to load the bases. Branyan tied the game with a sac fly and Bruney then got out of the inning by getting Jose Lopez to ground into a force.

I totally understand why people wanted Hughes in this spot, and I would have had no problem if that was the road Girardi decided to take. Hughes looked great in the seventh and has been lights-out since moving to the pen. But at the same time I also completely understand and agree with Girardi's decision to go with Bruney, after all he is the team's setup man and they need to get him going. I could understand if we were dealing with a really tough lineup, but this is the Mariners, only the Padres have scored less runs. It didn't work out tonight, but I really don't think this was a major mistake on Girardi's part.

In the end it didn't matter because the Yanks came back with three runs to regain the lead. Matsui led off with a double and Nick Swisher reached on a bunt single and the Yanks were set up. Melky then stepped up and drove in his third run of the contest with an RBI double into the right-centerfield gap. At this point I actaully expect Melky to come through in these situations. Derek Jeter then put the game away with a two-run single over the drawn in infield.

Mariano Rivera made it save 501 tonight with a very quick and easy ninth inning. He retired the M's in order and needed just 11 pitches to do so. Besides Bruney it was another very impressive night for the Yankees pen.

It was very cool of the Yankees to have Rivera throw out tonight's ceremonial first pitch in honor of hit 500th save. I can't remember seeing any other active player throw out a first pitch before a game he was set to play in.

By the way, did anyone see what happened in Baltimore tonight? Boston was leading the O's 10-1 in the bottom of the seventh, but then the Baltimore scored five in the seventh and another five in the eighth to take an 11-10 lead. The big hit was a two-run double by Nick Markakis off Jonathan Papelbon to give the O's the lead. George Sherrill then shut the door in the ninth to close out the great comeback. The Yanks are now just 2.5 behind Boston.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jeter, SS	5	0	1	2	0	2	3	.307
Damon, LF	4	1	2	0	1	0	1	.291
Teixeira, 1B	5	0	1	0	0	1	4	.275
Rodriguez, A, 3B	4	1	1	2	1	1	2	.233
Cano, 2B	4	2	2	0	0	1	2	.300
Posada, C	2	1	1	0	2	0	0	.275
Matsui, H, DH	3	0	1	0	1	0	3	.248
1-Gardner, PR-DH	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.289
Swisher, RF	4	1	1	0	0	1	5	.237
Cabrera, Me, CF	3	1	1	3	0	1	2	.286
Totals	34	8	11	7	5	7	22
1-Ran for Matsui, H in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Damon 2 (19, Morrow, Jakubauskas), Matsui, H (13, White), Cabrera, Me (12, White). HR: Rodriguez, A (12, 7th inning off Jakubauskas, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Jeter; Damon 4; Teixeira; Rodriguez, A 4; Cano 2; Posada; Matsui, H 2; Swisher; Cabrera, Me 2. RBI: Cabrera, Me 3 (31), Rodriguez, A 2 (39), Jeter 2 (32). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rodriguez, A 2; Jeter; Matsui, H 2. SF: Cabrera, Me. GIDP: Teixeira. Team RISP: 4-for-16. Team LOB: 8. FIELDING DP: (Rodriguez, A-Teixeira).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Chamberlain	5.1	9	3	3	3	4	1	3.89
Coke	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3.24
Hughes, P	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4.34
Bruney (BS, 1)(W, 3-0)	1.0	3	2	2	1	0	0	3.95
Rivera, Ma (S, 19)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.84

MARINERS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera (1-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R)

HONORABLE MENTION: Alex Rodriguez (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB)

Tomorrow's Game

Yankees vs. Mariners
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
LHP CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.79)