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Last night the Yankees re-acquired Sergio Mitre from the Milwaukee Brewers.  Mitre had been designated for assignment earlier this week, and the Yankees made the move to re-sign Mitre again.  This is now the second time that he has been released and re-signed by the Yankees.  It seems the Yankees really like Mitre as their long man who can make spot starts.  Although Mitre's numbers aren't terribly impressive, he is able to pitch out of the bullpen as the long man, but can also give some of the starters much needed rest come August & September as the team gears up for the postseason.  This worked back in 2009 and the Yankees are looking to duplicate those results.

Mitre had good numbers for the Brewers this season in the National League, as he was 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 22 appearances.  When Mitre's sinker is working, he can be very problematic for a batter.  Alhtough Mitre's numbers were good, the Brewers needed rooom on their roster to recall Mat Gamel and Zack Braddock.  Gamel is an infielder who had been getting hot in Triple-A, and Bradock is a lefty pitcher who was coming back from a stint on the DL for a sleep disorder.  Both guys are young prospects for the Brewers looking to solidify a spot on the team.  Ultimately, Mitre became the odd man out and was released, again.

In case you don't remember Mitre was traded by the Yankees during spring training for outfielder CHRIS DICKERSON.  You can see the breakdown of that trade RIGHT HERE, and the reason for the trade at the time, despite the good numbers by Mitre.  Prior to being traded by the Yanks, Mitre had appeared in 39 games from 2009-2010 with 12 starts.  He was 3-6 with a 5.03 ERA during that period.  Since he will most likely be used as the long man, that places Hector Noesi in a precarious situation as he was handling the long man role for the Yankees.  It should be interesting to see whether they send Noesi back down to Triple-A to become a starter again or whether they designate him for assignment.

To make room on the roster, the Yankees released Buddy Carlyle.  Carlyle had an 0-1 record with a 4.70 ERA over 8 appearances with the Yankees.  You can read about Carlyle RIGHT HERE.

Hughes Makes His Third Rehab Appearance With Great Results !

Phil Hughes pitched again for the Trenton Thunder this afternoon with impressive results.  No different than his first two outings, his velocity was in the low to mid 90’s all afternoon.  Especially impressive today was his command, which kept his pitch count low and the batters swinging.  Ultimately Hughes pitched 6 1/3 innings allowing only 3 hits while striking out 8 batters.

Today’s outing for Hughes was a giant step in the right direction following his lackluster performance against New Haven on Friday.  In his previous start he didn’t have the control or accuracy with his fastball, which caused the results to suffer. On Friday Hughes was only able to pitch into the third inning with mediocre results.  Mediocre is not what the Yankees hope to see when Hughes is pitching to Double-A batters. 

Today was much different though.  Hughes dominated the first 6 innings of the game striking out 8 in those 6 frames.  Of the 88 pitches he threw for the day – 61 were strikes, indicating his command was spot on.  Just as important was his economical pitch count which through 6 innings was 67 pitches.  Hughes’ velocity was typically around 91-93 mph but he did top out at 94 mph a few times through the afternoon.  Even when he was out in the 7^th inning, he was still hitting 92 mph. 

Hughes came out for the 7^th inning but seemed tired and was ultimately pulled after giving up a single and a walk. All in all, things are on the right track for Phil Hughes.  The Yankees have said he will pitch at least one game in Triple-A which should come this weekend.  From there it’s anybody’s guess as today was an impressive outing.

My guess is that he will pitch two games at the Triple-A level before getting called back to the majors.  Since Bartolo Colon is likely back with the yanks this weekend, the team will have 5 quality starters.  With Hughes on the roster he would be the 6^th starter, and the Yankees have already said that Hughes will not be in the bullpen this season.  So that leaves the Yankees with a 6 man rotation.  It seems likely the Yankees will try to buy some time before bringing Hughes back in order to give him one start right before the All-Star break.  It also wouldn’t hurt to get Hughes’ pitch count higher.  He will likely pitch 100 pitches in his next start and from there he should be stretched out to 110 or more depending on the situation.  If he continues this progress, I think we will see a great second half for Hughes.

You Can Read About Hughes' First Rehab Start HERE

You Can Read About Hughes Second Rehab Start HERE

UPDATE - June 30:  Cashman spoke yesterday about Hughes' progress and stated that Hughes is ready for the big leagues.  He indicated that Hughes may not even need another start down in the minors, but the Yankees will have to make a decision whether they want to stretch him out further before calling him back up. 

A New Trend For Boone Logan ??

I am not certain we can call it a turnaround for Boone Logan yet, but his improvement against lefties is  definitely a trend worth keeping an eye on.  It began last week in Cincinatti, following his terrible performance in the first game of the series when Logan hit Joey Votto in the back with his first pitch.  Logan came back in Wednesday night’s game to redeem himself.  In the 7^th inning of the Wednesday game, Logan was called in to face Votto again, and Jay Bruce who were the #3 & #4 lefty hitters in the Reds lineup.  He forced Votto to ground out, and then struck out Jay Bruce swinging to end the inning with a man on third.  Not only was the performance impressive, it helped keep the Yankees in the game as they were trailing 4-2.  Although the Yankees weren’t able to get the win, they were able to make an attempt for some offensive production in the bottom half of that inning against Johnny Cueto.  Unfortunately, Cueto was able to retire the side after loading the bases with only one out, but Logan kept the game tight for at least another inning.  As a side note, Noesi came in for the eighth and let the game get totally out of hand, and the Yanks were never back in the game again.

Following the performance in Cincinatti, Logan pitched again Friday night and again the Yankees were trailing in the 7^th inning to the Rockies.  One runner was on third base with no outs and Logan was called in to pitch to Jason Giambi and Todd Helton.  Logan put both lefties down, and the run didn’t score keeping the game within reach for the Yankees.   It was an impressive performance again by Logan but the Yankees ultimately lost 4-2.  Either way, Logan put down two hard hitting lefties.

On Sunday, Logan came in once again for the 7^th inning with Iannetta on third, but got the win this time.  The game was tied when Logan came in and he held the Rockies for a scoreless 7^th inning.  In the process he retired the side in order- Carlos Gonzalez, Jose Herrera and Todd Helton.  (Gonzalez and Helton are lefties while Herrera is a switch hitter).  All three of those outs came from Logan throwing his slider.

Since last Monday’s game against Cincinatti, Logan had a talk with Arod about going to the mound with a game-plan.  Although this conversation should have taken place long ago with Larry Rothschild, the point remains the same – A relief pitcher can’t just go to the mound without a plan for each batter he will face.  Pitchers, especially relievers, need to have an idea of which pitches will work for each batter as well as the location.  You can’t just get out there and throw whatever you want.

Just as important as Arod’s pep talk were Logan’s mechanics that changed slightly.  Logan has dropped his arm angle while throwing breaking pitches.  This causes his slider to have more breaking action and he can use it as his “out” pitch.  Logan throws a 94 mph fastball, which is somewhat rare for a lefty relief pitcher to have in his arsenal.  More importantly, that fastball becomes devastating to a batter when the slider is working well.  If the batter is behind in the count, he doesn’t know whether he will see some heat or whether he should wait on the slider.  Either way, it favors the pitcher.  That is what worked well for Logan in the past and he needs to continue to develop the combo.

Like I said, this is only a recent trend for Logan and for all I know, he could have a terrible outing tonight against a group of lefties.  But, if this season is anything like last season, he might just be starting to heat up.  Last year opponents batted .300 against him in April, .313 against him in May and .250 against him in June.  It was not until July that he became a dominant lefty. 

Starting in July opponents had problems hitting Logan.  In July opponents averaged a .167, followed by an August of .167 averages and September of .200 averages.  His WHIPS during those final three months were .60, .87 and 1.38 respectively.  The month of August was so strong for Logan that he had a 0.00 ERA over 13 games.  Needless to say, his first half was crap compared to his second half.  If we are seeing a trend that is similar to last year, the Yankees are in good shape – Although they could really use a second lefty in the pen if they expect to beat the Lefty Heavy Red Sox lineup.

UPDATE JUNE 30:  Logan came in to face one lefty batter this afternoon - Prince Fielder.  Fielder is possibly the most dangerous batter in the National League, but struck out swinging to end the 8th inning.  Great job by Logan!

Another Phil Hughes Update

Phil Hughes pitched this past Friday night for the Double-A Trenton Thunder in his second minor league rehab start.  Friday's start wasn't as good as his first start last weekend for the Staten Island Yankees, but it was still an improvement compared to his first three starts with the Yanks in 2011.  Although it doesn't take much effort to improve from his Yankee starts, the rehab starts have shown improved velocity which is important for Hughes. 

If you don't remember his first three starts with the Yankees, Hughes' fastball was typically under 90mph, and according to fangraphs, averaged 89.7 over those first three games.  This past Friday, Hughes' velocity was averaging somewhere between 91-92 mph, and he even hit as high as 93-94 mph at times.  Unfortunately, the velocity wasn't his issue on Friday.  Instead, Hughes couldn't coordinate the control of his fastball.  Of the 72 pitches he threw, Hughes only threw 42 strikes.  For a pitcher who is trying to rehab himself against Double-A opponents, it was not an encouraging performance.  It was anything but dominant.  On the bright side, Hughes' cutter was working well and hitting between 91-93 mph on the gun.

So it seems that Hughes continues to be a work in progress, but his velocity has dramatically improved.  He pitched again yesterday in a side session for Larry Rothschild and his velocity continued to improve.  Now it's time for Hughes to make some strides and put it all together - his velocity and control.  He will pitch again this week for Double-A and make at least one Triple-A start before he returns to the Yankees.  His next outing should bring him up to about an 85 pitch count, and the following start could be a 100 pitch limit.  (That is all assuming he continues his progress)

Since this timeline would put him back with the Yankees right before the All-Star Game, I have a feeling that Hughes will make at least two starts with Triple-A before he returns to the team.  This would continue to allow the Yankees to keep him on regular 5 days rest when he eventually makes his return to the big leagues again.  As much as I would like to see Hughes return, it would make more sense to keep him rehabbing as the Yankees have been playing the best baseball in MLB over the last month or so and Hughes' return isn't absolutely necessary.  Then hopefully, Hughes can put this all behind him and dominate the second half of 2011 to push the Yankees into the postseason

Which Ubaldo Will We See Friday?

The Yankees will face off against Ubaldo Jimenez Friday night at Yankee stadium.  This will be the Yanks first chance to face Jimenez as he pitches in the NL, so right off the bat it causes an issue as the Yankees can’t hit young pitchers they haven’t seen before.  He features quite a few pitches as well, but his fastball has some heat and he uses it often!  His fastball which nearly hits 100mph, when thrown effectively is dangerous.  Not only does he have the fastball, but he throws a sinker, slider, curveball and changeup.  He is not afraid to use any of these pitches as his “out” pitch.  In fact, his slider has some great late breaking action which deceives batter due to the late break, and his curve ball has a 12-6 drop to it making batters look silly.  His changeup sits around 78 mph, and can look similar to the curve which is thrown at a similar speed of 79-80 mph.  With five pitches in Jimenez’ arsenal, he will likely keep the Yankees busy all night long. Hopefully they will look for the first pitch fastball, as he throws it quite frequently as the first pitch.  It’s not certain whether the Yanks will face the Jimenez of 2011 or the Jimenez of 2010, as he can’t seem to find the consistency of last year; but if he finds it – The Yankees are in trouble!

Last year was Jimenez’s big year, at least the first half.  During the first two months of the season in 2010, Jimenez had an ERA of .88 and a WHIP of .95.   He won 14 of his first 16 starts for the season and finished off the year with a 19-8 record & 2.88 ERA. He totally dominated the National League last year and was easily voted into the All Star Game.  This is not necessarily the same pitcher the Yankees will face on Friday though as Jimenez seems to have lost his groove.

Although his numbers look great in 2010, his second half of the season following the All-Star break was not nearly as good as the first half.  In the second half his ERA jumped more than a point and a half, from a 2.20 to a 3.80.  Opponents batting averages jumped as well, from .198 to .223 and opponents on base percentages leaped more than 40 points higher.  Ultimately, he finished the second half of the season going 4-7 with a 3.80 ERA.  These trends have continued into 2011, but at a higher pace.

So far this season he has a 4.68 ERA.  It was not until June 1^st that Jimenez actually got his first win of the season.  He started the season going 0-5, and had a 5.00 ERA before the month of June where his numbers actually improved a bit.  His month of May was better than April, but it still wasn’t like last year.  In May, he had 3 good starts and 2 bad starts.  In his 3 good starts he pitched a total of 21 innings and struck out 18 batters, while only allowing 12 hits.  In his 2 bad starts he completely unraveled and only pitched 10 innings allowing 15 hits and 11 runs.  His consistency is a major problem this season, and has been attributed to his mechanics.

Most people think it’s Jimenez’s velocity which is the problem, but that’s only part of the problem.  The root of his velocity issues actually stems from his mechanics.  In 2010 the average velocity from his fastball was 96 mph, but this year he is averaging 92.7.  This is a huge drop in velocity.  It was not until June that his fastball has begun to improve and he actually hit 99mph on the radar gun against the Dodgers on June 1.  His fastball is not the only pitch that is lacking in velocity though as his slider has suffered as well.  Last year his slider was averaging 86 mph, but this season it’s down to 82mph.

Jimenez has tried to work out these issues with mixed success this season.  Over the last month and a half, he has some good outings including a 9 inning shutout over the Dodgers.  His fastball was up around 96 mph in the 9^th inning of that game, and he didn’t have any walks.  His control was perfect and he only allowed 4 baserunners on the night, all of which were singles.  This was an encouraging step for Jimenez, and following that game he pitched another strong game against the Padres allowing only 2 runs over 7 innings, with only 6 hits.  But then, when facing the Dodgers again the following week, Jimenez lacked his prior consistency and got lit up.  He allowed 11 hits over 5 innings to take the loss.  He pitched again last week against the Tigers and although left the game early with a calf injury, he pitched 5 innings, but gave up 8 hits and 3 runs.  It’s uncertain who the Yankees will see tomorrow, the guy who pitched the 9 inning shutout of the Dodgers or the pitcher who get shelled by them two weeks later.

Ubaldo’s problem comes down to his control which is caused by his mechanics.  Jimenez is a big guy at 6’ 4’’ and 210 pounds and generates much of his power from his size. He has somewhat of an unusual delivery though which causes problems with his mechanics.  Specifically, his release point has not been consistent at all this season.  This is where the Yankees fate lays. If Jimenez doesn’t have a consistent delivery, the Yankees will work a lot of walks, and make him throw fastballs in the zone.  If he has consistent delivery, then the Yankees aren’t going to hit him. 

His unorthodox delivery comes from his arm extending down too far, before whipping the ball forward. This is partly due to his large size.  It’s almost like his body and arm are out of synch with each other.  If his arm comes down before his body generates the energy, the ball is thrown from a different release point without the energy his lower half generates.  This causes not only control issues, but also the velocity issues.  It is the reason his strikeout rate has dropped from 8.7/9IP in 2010 to 7.8/9IP this season.  This has also caused his hit ratio to double from .4/9IP to .8/9IP, over the past two seasons.

It seems like he knows this is his problem and has tried to correct it, but can’t consistently repeat the same mechanics.  That is why he had such a stellar outing against the Dodgers, but wasn’t able to continue repeating it for more than one game.  If he can find his release point – he will win the game.  If he can’t find the release point- then control will be an issue all night and he will be forced to rely on his other pitches while getting behind in counts. 

What this really comes down to is – Which Ubaldo will show up on Friday?  If he’s not on his A-Game, the Yankees need to make him work and they can be successful.  Either way, it has the making to be a good game if AJ can keep his consistency together and work around Tulowitzki.  It’s not too often we get to see Jimenez pitch, and I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on him tomorrow!

Yankees & Rockies Series Preview

THE STATE OF THE YANKEES

The Yankees just finished their Midwest road trip going 4-2 in Interleague play.  They took 2 out of 3 from both the Cubs and the Reds, and are now coming home for their final stretch of interleague play against the Rockies and Brewers before they head cross town for the final three games of the Subway Series.  Overall the Yankees are on a roll since being swept by the Red Sox in the first week of June.  Since that series the Yankees are 10-3 and have won every series since, including a sweep over the Rangers.  Things should only be getting better for the Yankees beginning this week as their injured players will be coming back to the team slowly. 

Jeter is due back this coming Wednesday and Phil Hughes isn’t terribly far behind.  Hughes could be back with the team by early July if his progress continues – He hit 95mph on the radar gun last weekend and was averaging 93mph in that game.  Eric Chavez is slowly recovering as well and we could likely see him back with the team in Mid July, which can help bolster the bench.  Even Bartolo Colon shouldn’t be out terribly long and could rejoin the team in Mid July as well.  Colon was put on the 15 day DL, but it seems he may need a bit longer.  Let Colon take his rest now rather than pushing him back into the rotation which could cause an injury to worsen for an older player, plus Colon was going to need rest throughout the season for stamina purposes since he hasn’t pitched much since 2005.  Even just getting back these four players (forget about Marte, Feliciano & Soriano) will take the pressure of the rest of the team.

Even the guys who had previously started the season poorly have been heating up.  Jorge Posada, who was previously hitting only .183, has brought his average up to .225 and had a game winning home run against the Reds on Wednesday.  Although .225 isn’t a great average, his numbers for June are impressive : .391/.431/.543 with one home run.  I’m not sure what he is doing different, but it could be just as simple as getting acquainted to the DH role.

Brett Gardner had a terrible month of April, but has become the player he was in 2010 again.  In the month of April he hit a mere .188 and didn’t look sharp.  In fact, Girardi started platooning him due to his poor performance.  Gardner then worked with Kevin Long on his swing and received immediate results.  In the month of May his average climbed to .301 with a .379 on base percentage, and so far in June his average is up to .377 on the month with a .441 on base percentage and an extremely impressive .999 OPS.

Nick Swisher has been gaining some momentum as well but it took a little longer for him.  Swish had two bad months in April and May batting .226 and .200 respectively.  June has treated Swisher better and his average is up to .292 on the month with a .435 on base percentage.  His OPS is even higher than Gardner’s for the month of June with a 1.035!  In the last two weeks alone his average is .310 and between Gardner and Swish sharing the leadoff spot, they share a combined .316 average.  Although both Swisher and Gardner are thriving as the #1 batter, once Jeter gets healthy again he will continue to bat leadoff.

Nova had become a pitcher that only a few weeks ago that many critics were claiming he was fighting for a job to stay in the starting rotation, but since his start in Seattle he has been impressive.  He pitched on Monday against the Reds and had a dominant outing, proving to everyone that he needs to stay in the rotation.  Nova also picked up his seventh win on the season which is the second most only to CC with 9.  You can read all about Nova’s performance RIGHT HERE. 

Even Boone Logan had a good outing in Cincinatti.  Logan can’t get a lefty out if they were swinging with one hand, but he was called in against the Reds on Wednesday night following Gordon’s mediocre performance and struck out NL MVP Joey Votto and cleanup hitter Jay Bruce.  It doesn’t’ change the fact that lefties are still hitting .286 against the left handed specialist, but it could be a step in the right direction for Logan.  Last year he had a tough May and June, but came back an ended the season strong.  In July and August he pitched a total of 13 innings and only allowed 1 run, 8 hits and struck out 13. 

The Yankees will welcome Jason Giambi back to the stadium this weekend as the Rockies come to town.  (I still will never forget his Grand Slam against the Twins in extra innings)  The yanks will luck out and not face the Rockies ace this season, Chacin who is 8-4 on the year.  In his last three games alone, he has pitched 22 innings allowing only 10 hits and 2 runs.  The Rockies will have Ubaldo Jimenez pitching the first game which doesn’t fair well for the Yankees, but Jimenez has not been the pitcher he was in the first part of 2010 when his ERA was a miniscule .88 on June 1 with a .95 WHIP.

The Rockies had a great start to the season going 11-3 to kick off April, but have since dropped into third place in the NL West with a .500 record.  May was not a good month for the Rockies as they lost 20 of the 28 games they played.  They have been doing better in June going 12-8 so far and interleague play has worked out well for them lately as they took 2 out of 3 from both the Tigers and the Indians.  The Rockies aren’t a great team but they do boast some big bats in their lineup like their #3 ,4 & 5 hitters, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton.  Their team ranks in the top 6 in average, on base percentage and slugging percentage for all teams in the NL but are in the bottom 6 for ERA and WHIP.  As long as the Yankee pitchers can keep their bats in check, they should be able to score some runs and win the series.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Ubaldo Jimenez (2-7, 4.68 ERA) vs. AJ Burnett (7-5, 4.05 ERA)

-Jimenez is coming off a win against the Tigers last week, but was pulled freom the game in the 6^th inning due to a calf injury he suffered while running the bases.  He is certainly not the same pitcher he was in early 2010.  He is 1-2 over his last three starts with a 3.63 ERA, so he has been improving this season, but who knows whether he has gotten through his control issue yet.

-For more information on Ubaldo, read about him RIGHT HERE

-In 25 at bats against Jimenez, Russell Martin is hitting .320

-AJ is having a much better June than he did last season when he went 0-5 with a 11.35 ERA.  This June he is 2-2 with a 4.21 ERA.  He got the win last weekend against the Cubs but only pitched 5 1/3 innings and used 104 pitches before getting pulled.  He hasn’t been the model of consistency, but seems to be persevering through tough outings with the help of Russell Martin.  In his last three starts he has 19 strikeouts.

Aaron Cook (0-2, 4.67 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (9-4, 3.39 ERA)

-Cook only recently came off the 60 day DL on June 8, and has not done much.  He has lost both his starts since coming back.  In his last start against the Tigers he pitched 6 innings and gave up four runs to take the loss.

-CC is going for his 10^th win of the season, and attempting to be the first pitcher to get 10 wins this season.  He didn’t have a great start last weekend against the Cubs as he ran into some control issues, but was able to get the win, as the Yankees gave him some run support.  This season he has averaged 8.68 runs per game to support his winning record.

Juan Nicasio (2-1, 4.71 ERA) vs Ivan Nova (7-4, 4.13 ERA)

-Nicasio is a rookie right hander for the Rockies this season. He is coming off a tough no decision to the Indians this week when he gave up 6 runs.  He is 1-0 with a 6.89 ERA over his past three starts, but has struck out 19 in the process.

-Nova is coming off his best start of the season where he pitched 8 strong innings against the Reds.  You can read all about Nova’s improved season right HERE.

Who Says Interleague Play Isn’t Exciting?

Ivan Nova had his best appearance of the season Monday night against the Cincinatti Reds and showed significant signs of progress.  It’s almost funny how just a few weeks ago, the media was declaring that following Nova’s poor start in Seattle his next start was a test as to whether he can stay in the rotation. Although he had his share of growing pains, Nova has consistently improved throughout the season.  Once known for his problems facing a lineup the second and third time through – last night he was stronger each time through the lineup.  He became so dominant throughout the game that he retired 24 of the final 26 batters he faced.  What really impresses me is the Reds are an offensive powerhouse (most runs in NL), and Nova shut them down in the Great American Ballpark, which is known as a hitters park.

Nova pitched 8 solid innings against the Reds for a total of 105 pitches.  I don’t think anybody would dispute that he could have pitched the 9^th inning, but not for Girardi over managing the game.  Through 8 innings, Nova only allowed 4 hits and issued no walks.  Even more impressive was his 7 strikeouts, which was his season high.  Although the numbers are impressive, what I found to be more important was his actual performance.

Normally Nova relies upon two pitches – his fastball and his curveball.  In fact, this is what gets him into trouble on many nights.  When his curve isn’t working or his fastball isn’t sinking, he continues to use those two pitches almost exclusively and ends up with too many walks for the game or elevates his fastball causing monster hits.  Last night was different though.  Nova did throw his fastball and his curve, but he also used his changeup and his slider. The changeup which definitely lacked his fastball velocity was his “out” pitch last night (along with the sharp slider) but this wasn’t your typical changeup.  Something was a little funny about this changeup that during the post game show, many reporters were asking Russell Martin whether the pitch was actually a changeup or a variation on a breaking ball. 

The changeup had some movement to it which caused batters to get on top of it and forced ground outs to the infield.  During last night’s game, Nova forced 16 in-play ground balls. In the first inning when reigning NL MVP, Joey Votto was at bat with runners on the corners, Nova threw him a changeup.  Votto did get the run in, but grounded into a double play in the process.  Following Votto’s at bat, Nova retired 22 of the next 24 batters.  Nova forced so many ground balls and had great command over his slider that 22 of the 24 outs during his 8 innings were either ground outs or strikeouts.  At the end of the night, both Votto and Jay Bruce (#3 & #4) didn’t record any of those 4 hits.  Nova discussed this after the game and said he wouldn’t throw either of those guys a fastball because of their power.  Instead he used the changeup and the slider. 

Besides the great changeup, Nova threw a dynamic slider.  The slider had some serious movement on it and Nova was able to locate the pitch extremely well.  By throwing the curve, changeup and the slider batters were always caught on their heels.  This caused the hitters problems with the fastball, especially since the fastball had velocity and was thrown in the bottom half of the strike zone.  No batter could get the barrel of their bat on the ball in time, because they had seen too many breaking pitches.  All in all, it was a terrific performance from a young pitcher.  Hopefully this start, puts all the negative press to an end as Nova proved he can dominate any team…. And hopefully Girardi will let him finish the game next time rather than calling in the relief… if you can even call it relief!

The Frank McCourt & LA Dodgers Saga

If you missed the big news yesterday which was not Pujols related, you would have heard that Bud Selig rejected Frank McCourt and the Dodgers proposed deal with the Fox Network for Broadcast rights.  Here is a quick read of Selig's statement:

“Given the magnitude of the transaction, such a diversion of assets would have the effect of mortgaging the future of the franchise to the long-term detriment of the club and its fans,” Selig said in a statement. “We owe it to the legion of loyal Dodger fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future. This transaction would not accomplish these goals.”

As I tried to understand the magnitude of what was going on in La La Land (and a way the Yankees could possibly steal Andre Ethier in the process), I cam across a few great sites.  One of them had an incredible breakdown of the entire Dodgers situation from McCourt's purchase to this latest deal with Fox.  If you have 15 minutes, take the time and read the article HERE.

The Andruw Jones Predicament

Only the New York Yankees could continuously bench a guy with a .294 batting average on the season.  Go figure!  For some reason, Girardi continues to have Andruw Jones platoon in left field with Brett Gardner despite Gardner’s impressive numbers lately.  Maybe Girardi is stuck in 2005 or maybe he just wants to get Jones some more at bats, but it’s time to put an end to this silliness.  I like stats as much as anybody (maybe not as much as Girardi), but I know that when a guy is hot – play him everyday!

Gardner had a tough month of April and only hit .188 for the month with a .273 on base percentage.  By no stretch of the imagination was Gardner swinging the bat well.  Even if you forget Gardner’s numbers from last year, he had a very poor April compared to his career numbers.  That all changed though in the month of May.  During May, Gardner dramatically improved his numbers in all offensive categories as he hit .301, with a .379 on base percentage.  The month of June has treated Gardner even better than May as he is hitting .404 with a .481 on base percentage and an uncharacteristic .553 slugging percentage on the month.  Yet, Girardi still keeps him on the bench most days the Yanks face a lefty pitcher.  Even after his game winning at bat on Thursday, Girardi sat him the next afternoon against the Cubs since they were facing a lefty.

I understand that the Yankees specifically gave Andruw Jones a 1 year deal for 2 million so he could face lefty pitchers, but at some point they need to cut him loose.  He isn’t helping the team at all, and in fact is more of a problem in the lineup and the field.  Right now, Jones is hitting a mere .208 with a .288 on base percentage.  More importantly, since Jones is a power hitter his OPS should be respectable, but instead he only has a .690 OPS.  Meanwhile, in the month of June, Gardner has 1.03 OPS, and has never been considered a power hitter by any means!  Moreover, while Jones is supposed to be the go-to-guy when facing a lefty, his numbers against lefties aren’t much better.  Jones boasts a .236 average and a nominal .311 on base percentage against lefties. 



When was the last time you saw Jones make a play like this?



It doesn’t help Jones’ case that he is older and slower these days.  It used to be fun watching Jones chase down balls in the outfield and make catches that were always on sportscenter the next morning.  Nowadays, he is not making those plays and instead allowing doubles out in left field.  Although he doesn’t have any errors on the season, he just isn’t getting to the ball quick enough, especially when compared to the speedy Gardner.  Furthermore, Jones isn’t a threat on the bases and poses a bigger risk for the Yankees hitting into a double play (which they sure seem to like this year).

At some point the Yankees will need to cut their losses and release Jones.  Normally, I would try to be patient with a veteran guy like Jones and have him sit the bench to be a late inning pinch hitter, but Jones poses no threat to an opposing pitcher.  If you are an opposing manager, you wouldn’t change your pitcher from a lefty to a righty because Andruw Jones is coming to the plate hitting .236 off lefties.  It’s silly to have Gardner sit on the bench at all right now, especially while he is having an amazing June, so that Andruw Jones can get some at bats.  He’s not bringing anything to the table. 

I typically like brining in younger guys from Triple-A as replacements (rather than buying a bat) and it wouldn’t hurt the team to bring in a guy like Greg Golson from Scranton.  Golson is an outfielder who is hitting .286 on the season so far, with a .345 on base percentage and .442 slugging percentage.  Golson had a hamstring injury and was on the DL until very early June, but since coming off the DL is 14 for his last 40 at bats.  Why not give a player like this an opportunity rather than using Jones?  I wouldn’t use Golson in place of Gardner often but Golson can give the regular outfielders a day off to keep them sharp and can be used later in games as a pinch runner because of his speed.  Swisher could use a few days off to get his swing in check as well.  I’m not sure how long of a leash Jones has, but the Yankees will be forced to make some important choices with him before the all star break, especially if he doesn’t pick up his numbers against lefties soon.

Yankees & Reds Preview

Following a weekend spent in Chicago, the Yankees are on their way to Cincinnati for a three game series against the 2010 NL Central champs.  The Yankees are only 1.5 game out of first place in the AL East behind Boston and looking to continue their strong performances after getting swept by the Red Sox in Yankee stadium.  Since the Boston series, the Yankees are 8-2 and have looked much better than they played against he Red Sox.  They even managed to sweep the Rangers last week and took 3 of 4 from the 1^st place Indians.  The Yanks are looking for a strong series against the Reds to finish off the road trip on a high note before coming home to take on the Rockies this weekend.

The last time the Reds hosted the Yankees it was 2003 and Clemens was on his quest for 300 wins.  The Reds took 2 of 3 from the Reds during that series.  This year the Reds are in third place in the NL Central, but only 2 games behind the Brewers & Cardinals.  They are playing about .500 ball, 21-17 at home and are 6-4 over the last ten games.

Monday:  Ivan Nova (6-4, 4,46 ERA) vs.  Johnny Cueto (4-2, 1.68 ERA)

-Nova got his second straight win last week against the Rangers giving up four runs over his 5 2/3 innings.  He’s never faced the Reds before.  Over his last three starts he is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 10 strikeouts.

-Wood is coming off a strong start against the Dodgers last week, after giving up only 1 run over 6 innings, allowing only five hits in the process.  This past start was a “redemption” start against the Dodgers as he had previously gotten destroyed by them two starts prior.  Wood is 1-1 with a 5.30 ERA over his past three starts.

Tuesday:  Brian Gordon (0-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (4-2, 1.68 ERA)

 

-Gordon was picked up by the Yankees when Colon went on the DL, and had his first MLB start last week allowing only 2 runs over 5 1/3 innings.  He wasn’t dominant by any means, but did a good job in his first start.  You can read more about Gordon HERE.

Wednesday: Freddy Garcia (5-6, 3.63 ERA) vs. Mike Leake (6-3, 4.04 ERA)

-Garcia’s last start was wasted by the Yankees this past Friday in Chicago. The Yanks offense gave him no run support against young lefty Doug Davis and Garcia allowed only 3 runs over 7 innings, ultimately taking the loss.  Prior to Friday’s start, Garcia had pitched 7 strong innings allowing only 1 run and walked off the mound to a standing ovation at Yankee stadium against Cleveland.  Before that start against the Indians, Garcia had a terrible start against the Red Sox and was pulled during the 2^nd  He seems like he bouncing back from a horrible start, which is about all you can ask from your #4/#5 starter.

 

-Leake is coming off his first loss since early May after he allowed three runs against the Blue Jays this past weekend.  Overall he pitched well but had a bad 7^th inning.  In his last three starts he is 2-1, with a 1.96 ERA.  Russell Martin is the only Yankee to have faced Leake and has a .429 average against him.

The Hughes Report

In case you were wondering where Phil Hughes rehab was headed, Hughes made his first rehab start yesterday pitching for the Staten Island Yankees.  Prior to yesterday’s start, Hughes had pitched a few bullpen sessions in order to build up his arm strength, but yesterday was his first test.

Hughes threw 4 1/3 innings allowing 3 hits and striking out 7 batters.  He was pulled in the fifth inning after he allowed a home run. (only run allowed)  He was limited to 60 pitches as part of the rehab, and actually had to use 24 pitches in the first inning alone. On the bright side, he wound up striking out the side to get through the first inning.

Although the numbers mean very little in the broad scheme of things, it was encouraging to see Hughes pitching well.  He has been on the DL since April 15 for his dead arm, following a few starts where he never hit 90 mph.  While pitching yesterday, he consistently hit 93 mph.  At one point he even reached 95mph with his fastball.  His velocity has grown slowly during this rehab process, as he had only hit 93 mph last Tuesday while pitching down at the Yankees training facility in Tampa.

Assuming he continues to successfully rehab, he will start a game down in Double-A Trenton later this week.  Last week Girardi said Hughes will likely have four or five starts before he joins the Yanks, so it’s likely he could return in early to mid July.  Of course that all depends on how Hughes holds up.  Either way, he’s made some progress and his velocity has grown considerably.

Saturday Morning Videos

This week we only have one video and it's the new trailer for Moneyball - the movie.  Bradd Pitt is playing Billy Beane.  I still don't know how they made a movie about this book, but I'm very interested in checking it out.

Enjoy

Who Is Brian Gordon ??

It seems as the Yankees are making new roster moves every day and today is no different.  Cashman got a little creative while looking for a starting pitcher to replace Bartolo Colon while he is on the DL, and found right hander Brian Gordon.  Gordon was not in the Yankees farm system, but was actually pitching for the Phillies Triple-A Lehigh Valley team and having a great season.  Prior to this announcement yesterday, it seemed like the Yanks were going to look internally for a starting pitcher and David Phelps was a leading candidate, but Gordon’s numbers were significantly better.  You Can Read More About Phelps Here

So far this season Gordon has pitched a total of 12 games, 9 of which were starts.  In those 9 starts he went 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA.  Gordon has pitched a total of 55 1/3 innings in the minors this season, striking out 56 batters and most importantly, only allowing 7 walks.  Over his last two seasons in the minors, Gordon is 25-13 with a 3.09 ERA.  He is somewhat of a journeyman minor leaguer and has been in the minors since 1997.  He made a major league debut with the Rangers back in 2008 pitching in 3 games as a reliever, for a total of 4 innings.  I think it would be fair to say that he is a career minor leaguer, but this year’s numbers were difficult for the Yankees to ignore in the wake of a string of injuries for the pitching staff.

Girardi commented yesterday that Gordon throws strikes.  This is important as he doesn’t have a high velocity on his fastball which sits around 90 – 91 mph and needs to execute his pitches well.  Gordon’s real weapon is his repertoire of pitches.  He throws a total of 6 pitches – 2 seam fastball, 4 seam fastball, cutter, changeup, slider and curveball.  This arsenal of pitches keeps batters guessing as to which pitch will be thrown next, as they are unlikely to see the same pitch twice in an at bat.  The mix of pitches also bodes well for the amount of ground balls he induces, as he is considered a ground ball pitcher.  Gordon’s reputation also includes his ability to hold runners on base.  I couldn’t be happier about that as Cervelli has become quite a liability behind the plate lately.

Sometimes the GM’s have to think outside the box when making roster moves.  In this case, Cashman and the scouts had kept an eye on Gordon throughout the start of this season and knew he had an opt out clause with the Phillies for early June.  Once Colon went on the DL, the Yankees were forced to make some moves and fortunately they acquired Gordon, a leader in Triple-A.  Say what you want about Cashman, but this is the type of creativity I want in my GM as the internal options weren’t nearly as appealing.

You can read the rest of the "Who Is ...? " series here:

Who Is Kevin Whelan ??

Who Is Buddy Carlyle ??

Who Is Hector Noesi ??

Who Is Lance Pendleton ??

Who Is Kevin Whelan

It probably began with Marte getting injured last season, but the Yankees bullpen issues became noticeably problematic this year when Feliciano and Soriano went on the DL.  Now that Joba needs Tommy John surgery, the yanks bullpen has been decimated.  In response, the Yankees were forced to look internally for bullpen options.

Their choice came as no surprise to anybody who had been keeping an eye on the Triple-A Yankees, as the Yankees called up closer, Kevin Whelan.  Whelan had been putting up outstanding numbers in Scranton this year and seemed to overcome his control issues of years past.  Prior to being called up by the Yanks, Whelan had pitched 27 innings, allowing only 5 earned runs (3 of which were home runs), and only allowing 17 hits.  He already had 18 saves this season, with a 1.67 ERA.  Even more impressive was his WHIP at .852.  Whelan was the obvious choice.

Following the 2006 season, the Yankees acquired Bobby Abreu to play the outfield.  This left Gary Sheffield the odd man out and the Yankees traded him to Detroit.  In return, the Tigers sent Humberto Sanchez, Anthony Claggett and Kevin Whelan to the Yankees.  Whelan is the only man left standing.  Sanchez was released in 2009 and is now playing in Taiwan and Claggett was released by the Pirates in 2010.  Even Sheffield was released in 2009 by the Tigers who were forced to eat his 14 million dollar salary. 

Whelan throws a mix of fastballs and splitters.  His 4 seam fastball tops out at 96 mph and his splitter sits around 84-86 mph, with the bottom noticeable dropping out on the pitch.  The splitter is very effective against lefty’s.  He also throws a 2 seam fastball, which has a bit of sink to it, and has a changeup in his arsenal.  The 27 year old righty, has a funky delivery as he is a converted catcher (in college) which helps to deceive batters.  This all makes for a lot of strikeouts.  In Triple-A, Whelan already had 30 strikeouts in the 27 innings pitched!

So far he has only pitched in two games for the Yankees.  The first game was last Friday against the Indians.  This was not a good outing for Whelan as he walked 4 batters, including 3 walks in a row to drive in a run.  His second outing was better, but he still allowed another walk, but no hits or runs.  Prior to being called up by the Yankees, it seemed like Whelan had overcome his control issues of years past.  In Triple A this year, he had only allowed 6 walks, which made for a 2/9IP walks to Innings pitched ratio.  In 2010 his walk ratio was 5.7/9IP and in 2009 it was 9.2/9IP.  Just looking at the numbers you can tell that prior to 2011, Whelan had major control issues. 

Although his control issues had always been a problem, I’m not sure they will persist this year.  Even though he did issue four walks in his first appearance, I will give him the benefit of the doubt as it was his first major league start.  His nerves alone could have caused the problems and by all accounts, the Whelan we saw Friday was not the same closer we saw in Triple-A this year.  Either way, the control issue will be something to keep an eye one, as the Yankees can’t afford to have pitchers walking batters.  They already have Logan!

UPDATED JUNE 16:  Whelan's stint in the majors didn't last long, as he was optioned back down to Triple-A Scranton yesterday to make room on the roster for Cory Wade.  Wade was previously with the Ray's Triple-A team and released earlier in June.  He pitched a scoreless 8th inning in last night's game.  From last night's appearance it looks as though Wade has a large repertoire of pitches and no batter saw any pitch twice in the at bat.

Saturday Morning Videos

This is Part 3 of this series of New Era commercials.  Keep em coming!

Here is the highlight video for Dante Bichette Jr.  He was just picked up by the Yankees as their first pick in the 2011 draft on Tuesday.  Skip to the 3 minute mark to start watching him belt some homers.

King Felix To The Yankees?

I think it’s time to put those questions about trading Felix Hernandez to the Yankees to bed, at least for now.  If you look at the standings right now, the Mariners are 31-30, and although they are only one game above .500, they are only 2.5 games out of first place in the AL West.  They just snapped a 6 game winning streak with their two past losses, but still remain within a couple games of the Wild Card spot.  At this point in the season, Seattle is a contender.  Any team in contention wouldn’t want to trade their best starter, at least at this point in the season.  Could you imagine being a fan of the Mariners and them trading your best pitcher while you are still contending?

Hernandez is easily within the top 5 best starters in the American League.  Some may even say he is the best.  I don’t know whether he is the best or not (I prefer Verlander), but I will say between Michael Pineda and King Felix the Mariners have the best 1-2 starting pitching combo in the American League.  Although their wins/losses may be skewed because the Mariners provide no run support, their numbers are impressive.  Hernandez has a 6-5 record with an ERA of 3.29 with 97 strikeouts on the season already!  While Pineda has a 6-3 record with a 2.33 ERA.  Over his last five games he is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA.  It doesn’t look like Pineda is fizzling out like some rookies.  With an amazing 1-2 combo like this, Seattle doesn’t want to trade either of these guys. 

Even the remaining starters for the Mariners are doing pretty well.  Jason Vargas is their #3 and he is 4-3 with a 3.96 ERA. Their #4 is Doug Fister with a 3-6 record and 3.29 ERA and Erik Bedard is their 5^th starter with a 3-4 record and 3.46 ERA.  As I previously said, you can’t really look at their wins/losses because the team doesn’t help them, but every one of their starters has an ERA under 4.00.  They have the 2^nd highest shutouts & complete games pitched this season.  In fact, the Mariners have the 2^nd lowest ERA in the entire American League, averaging 3.35. (A’s are #1 with 3.23). 

The Mariners probably have the best pitching staff in the AL, as they top the charts in most categories.  They have the 2^nd highest strikeouts (thanks to Pineda & Hernandez) with 435 and have the second lowest amount of walks with 170. Not only do they strike out batters, but they don’t allow men on base as they have the 2^nd lowest amount of hits allowed (492), and home runs (40).  This ultimately gives them the least amount of runs allowed in the major leagues with 223.  As the numbers illustrate, the pitching staff gives this team a way to win every night of the week.  The rest is on the offense.

This team shouldn’t be trading away their best pitcher – they should be trading for a bat or two or three!  Eric Wedge seems to be losing his mind with the way the offense is struggling.  In particular their projected leadoff and #2 batters, Ichiro & Figgins are struggling.  Ichiro is batting a career low .260 (.331 career batter), and he’s not on pace to hit his customary 200 hits.  Figgins is doing so bad that he is now batting 8^th in their order.  He only has 3 hits in his last 40 at bats and is hitting a mere .185, with the worst OPS in the league.  (It’s almost funny how the media doesn’t bother Ichiro about his age.  He is older than Jeter and a lower batting average!)

Meanwhile, the mariners have rookie Justin Smoak (traded for Cliff Lee last year) as their 3^rd batter in the lineup being backed up by cleanup man Jack Cust.  Smoak is doing a heck of a job, but probably shouldn’t be carrying the weight of a #3 batter as a rookie.  Smoak is only hitting .245, but does have a .349 on base percentage and an impressive slugging percentage of .535%.  The Mariners should be in the market for a #3 hitter, or a batter with an impressive OPS and some experience.  Smoak is doing a great job, but could really use a lift with a more experienced hitter in this role. 

The emphasis for a big bat is even more necessary as Jack Cust is the cleanup hitter playing DH, but only hitting .225 with a mere .335 slugging percentage.  This is not the type of guy you think of when cleanup hitter is mentioned.  In an effort to gain some more offense, the Mariners just called up their minor league phenom Eric Carp, who has been lighting it up in the Pacific League as their big bat.  So far in the minors, Carp is hitting .433 with 11 Home Runs.  He would most likely replace Cust as the DH or even play the outfield in place of rookie Carlos Paguero.  Carp may have great numbers down in the minors, but the Mariners need more than just another rookie in their lineup as a big bat.  Rookies make mistakes and strike out too much.  They need to get serious and sign a big name or even just a couple veteran type sluggers with high OPS’.

Without spending some money or making a decent trade for themselves they will continue to struggle offensively.  Right now the Mariners have the lowest batting average with .229, lowest on base percentage with .300, lowest slugging percentage at .337% and the lowest OBP at .637.  Each of these categories can be improved by replacing the #3 or #4 batters with a big bat.  They have the pitching which is the tough part, now all they need to do is get some decent hitters in their lineup and they could easily take the AL West or the wild card if Texas stays hot.

The worst move the Mariners could make at this point would be to trade King Felix.  They have the potential in their starting rotation to advance to the post-season, and all they need is one or two moves to fill out their lineup.  If they land a #3 or #4 hitter, they can surround Smoak with dangerous hitters and Smoak will see better pitchers.  Nobody is threatened by Cust batting .224.  At some point, Figgins & Ichiro will put up better numbers and before you know it, the Mariners could have a decent lineup.  At the very least, the Mariners could be a competitive team again.  If they trade Hernandez though…. It’s over!

As much as I would love to see King Felix come to New York, it’s not practical thinking….. YET!