Cleveland Rocks

Hughes was back on the mound last night for the Yankees, taking a loss against Cleveland.  It was his first time pitching in the majors since April 14^th and although he labored through the start, he kept the Yankees within reach.  All in all, it wasn’t a bad night for Phil Hughes but he can certainly do better.

Hughes pitched 5 full innings last night and used 87 pitches in the process.  I am sure he could have gone out and started the 6^th, but the yanks were being cautious with the young pitcher as it was only his first night back.  Hughes had a tough time in the first inning giving up 2 runs and throwing over 30 pitches.  From the 2^nd inning through the 5^th he settled in and kept his pitch count down but had some issues putting batters away.  It seems that from the 2^nd through 5^th inning, Hughes had favorable counts like 0-2, but was unable to throw an “out” pitch.  This could have been due to his control which seemed to be a problem the whole night for Hughes, especially with his fastball which was up in the zone.  There were points during the game where Hughes looked like AJ Burnett.  He was having problems with location but battling through it, yet never able to dominate a batter after getting ahead in the count.  Either way, I think the Yankees know that Hughes will just build off this start.

Hughes was not having any of the issues which sent him to the DL in April.  His velocity was around 92 mph all night.  Sometimes he hit 93 and sometimes was around 91, but even in the fifth inning he still had significant velocity and never looked like he ran out of gas.  Ultimately, he pitched 5 innings and allowed only 2 runs (both in the tough 1^st inning) and gave up six singles.  When men were on base after the 1^st inning, Hughes was able to make some good pitches and got himself out of jams.  It was like he was walking a tightrope all night.  He threw mostly fastballs & cutters but he even through a few changeups during the night which were very impressive.  When he left the game, the Yanks were trailing 2-0 against a tough pitcher, Justin Masterson.  Hughes kept them in the game and never let it get out of hand, but ultimately the bullpen faltered which kept the yanks from making a 9^th inning comeback.

Logan who has been doing pretty well lately, especially against lefty batters, gave up a home run to a rookie lefty.  Although he gave up the homer, he did get a few big outs.  My real issue came with Sergio Mitre in the bottom of the 8^th.  At that point, the Yankees were trailing 3-0 and all he had to do was pitch one strong inning so the Yanks could try to make a 9^th inning comeback as Masterson was being pulled from the game.  Masterson dominated the Yankees all night and only allowed three hits, but he wasn’t going to pitch the ninth and the Yankees could have capitalized on the Indians pulling their Ace.  Unfortunately, Mitre gave up two runs after loading up the bases by allowing 2 walks and a hit.  Then he walks in a run, and following that he allows a sac fly.  Before the Yankees come to bat for the final time, the score is 5-0 and any chance for a comeback was virtually lost.  It’s much easier to make a 3 run comeback than a 5 run comeback and the Yankees actually managed to put up 3 runs in the top of the ninth but it was not enough and they took the loss.  Mitre’s two runs changed this game and caused the loss. 

I am not sure why Mitre is on the team as I originally was under the impression that he was going to be a long man out of the bullpen who might make a few spot starts should the Yankees have an issue with their rotation.  But last night, Mitre was used for 1.1 innings rather than as a long man.  If Noesi is the Yankees long man and has done pretty well, then what do they need a second long man for?  Especially Mitre, who has repeatedly shown that he is inconsistent.  Last night didn’t help Mitre’s case much either as he can’t be trusted in close games.  The Yankees have a pretty good bullpen that seems to be going through some injuries right now, but Mitre isn’t the solution.  As a fan I would rather see the Yankees try using younger guys within the system for this role rather than trying out the recycled Mitre who has been released by the A’s and the Brewers and traded by the Yankees as they considered him expendable. 

Side Note:  Jeter got another big double last night.  Similar to his double on Tuesday, Jeter had a solid hit deep in the outfield off Masterson.  Masterson only gave up three hits on the entire night and Jeter had one of them.  He is now only 3 hits away from 3000!

Your 4th & 5th Starters.... Part II

Freddy Garcia was name the 5^th starter out of spring training after he beat out Colon for the job, and Mitre was traded to the Brewers.  At the time it made sense as Colon who had looked sharp in spring training had a innings with the amount of innings he can pitch this season.  Garcia didn’t actually get an opportunity to pitch a game as a starter until April 16, but since then has started 6 games.

In those 6 games he started he is 2-3 with a 3.22 ERA.  Not too shabby for a 5^th starter.  So far he has thrown 36 innings and struck out 30 batters.  Unfortunately he has allowed nearly as many hits as innings pitched, with 34.  He still manages to have a 1.31 WHIP though, and has a 7.4k/9ip ratio.  His last start against the Red Sox looked like he was throwing batting practice and he allowed 5 runs over 5 innings.  Prior to his last start, Garcia’s ERA was an above average 2.40.

By no means is Garcia an Ace but he is battling through his starts.  Even if he can’t throw over 90 MPH any longer, he is still a viable pitcher who was stretched out to 157 innings last year and should be able to throw for the full season this year.  Garcia will keep the Yankees in the game for most of his starts and as long as the Yankees offense can get out of this funk, they have a solid 5^th starter.

If the Yankees 4^th and 5^th starters have a 3.16 and 3.22 ERA’s respectively, I think we should be happy.  The league ERA average is 3.82.  Both the 4^th and 5^th starters have better than average ERA, and that is more than enough to keep this team going through the season.

Who Is Chris Dickerson

You may have seen a new right fielder this past week as the Yankees played down in Tampa against the Orioles.  Chris Dickerson was called up by the Yankees from Triple-A when Rafael Soriano was placed on the DL with elbow soreness.

Besides being the guy who was hit in the face by Mike Gonzalez on Wednesday night and is now suffering from a mild concussion, Dickerson was the guy who we traded for Sergio Mitre during spring training.  You can read my post about that trade HERE.   On a side note, After watching that pitch hit Dickerson the other night, he should be very thankful that he only received a mild concussion.  While watching that game, it looked like he could have died!

Prior to this season, Dickerson has been bouncing around in the National League since 2008 with Cincinnati & Milwaukee.  He wasn’t going to make the Brewers major league team out of spring training and rather than being sent back down to the minors, they traded him.  During the spring he had some decent numbers, hitting .278.  Those numbers were good enough to make an impression and he started this year in Triple-A Scranton.

Before getting called up by the Yanks, Dickerson was playing the outfield in Triple-A and batting only .248.  Although that seems like a low batting average to get a major league call-up, he does have a .370 on base percentage.  It’s not great by any means, but it still is better than Swisher who is batting a mere .163.  He also provides some versatility in the outfield as he plays both the corners and center.

Dickerson also has some pretty good numbers against righties over his career.  He has a career .273 batting average against righties with a .363 on base percentage and .420 slugging percentage.  Logic tells us that Dickerson will be used against righties and Andruw Jones will be used against lefties.   That is assuming this concussion is as “mild” as they claim.

So far Dickerson has been limited to two games for the Yankees and has gone 2 for 5 with 1 RBI and 2 strikeouts.  Hopefully he can battle this concussion and get back on the field while Swisher tries to figure out how to swing a bat!

Lots of News From Sunny Florida

We arrived yesterday in Tampa and as soon as we got here, the Yankees started making some moves.  Sergio Mitre was traded to the Brewers for Chris Dickerson early in the day and Kevin Millwood was signed to a minor league deal before lunchtime.  Say what you want about Cashman but both these moves make a lot of sense.

Mitre has been struggling this spring and has never really found a definitive spot on this team.  He has been used as a long man and a spot starter, but overall has never really become a go-to pitcher.  Since the Yankees had signed Bartolo Colon, and he has pitched incredible well this spring, it is logical to make him the long man.  Colon has not pitched 100 innings since 2005, and has only pitched a total of 64 innings over the previous two season.  The Yankees considered him as a starter, but realized Colon wouldn't make it though the full season.  Since his numbers were so strong this spring, it would be a shame to cut him, so Colon has been named the long man, ultimately leaving Mitre the odd man out.  Its also noteworthy that Colon's pitch speed decreases inning by inning, so leaving him as a reliever makes it a no-brainer.

Now Granderson looks like he may be injured and could possibly start the season on the DL, so the Yankees needed an extra outfielder.  It seems like Golson and Curtis didn't impress the team, so the Yankees looked outside the organization, finding Dickerson.  That is why Mitre was traded for Dickerson. Dickerson has some major league experience and Mitre had no place on the team. Simple as that.

Last night or this morning, Ivan Nova was named the 4th starter and Garcia the 5th starter.  We watched Nova pitch last night and he looked good, even without his great stuff.  Last week when he pitched the no hitter against the Orioles he looked really sharp and his fastball had great movement down in the zone.  Last night, he was good, but definitely not "sharp."  Notwithstanding, he still managed to pitch 6 solid innings allowing only 2 earned runs.  He had a few strikeouts and a walk, which led to one of those runs.  Nova has come into camp to prove his worth as the #4 starter, and he is the obvious choice.  If he doesn't work out, the Yankees still have insurance with Colon and possibly Millwood.

Millwood was given a low risk contract where he could make 1.5 mil if he makes the major league roster with incentives for ever 10, 15, 20 and 25 games he pitches.  If he doesn't make the team by May 1st, he can opt out.  The Millwood decision is very low risk and is nothing more than an insurance policy.

Cashman gets a lot of heat, but he made some smart low-risk moves this offseason.  These moves so far have been high reward and hopefully will continue to pay off as the season progresses

Friday's Game in Dunedin

The Yankees are on the road this afternoon in Dunedin to play the Blue Jays.  Burnett is the starting pitcher and the Yankees left the regular infielders back in Tampa.  Dunedin is one of my favorite spring training fields.  It is a minor league ballpark in the middle of a residential neighborhood and everyone who works at the field is from the town, from the elderly people ripping ticket stubs to the old men tossing brauts on the grill.  It's probably the only stadium you can get Labatt's on tap too. (The park has a canadian theme to it)  It really is the exact opposite of Steinbrenner Field which has a very corporate and city atmosphere and a great place to visit if you are in Tampa. 

Here is today's lineup:
 
Brett Gardner LF
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Eric Chavez 1B
Eduardo Nunez 2B
Ronnie Belliard 3B
Ramiro Pena SS

Chavez is getting the start at First base and Nunez is starting at second.  I think Girardi has made up his mind at this point that both Chavez and Nunez will make the team as backup/utility infielders.  Both are worth keeping an eye on over the next two weeks.  Especially with Nunez trying to beat out Ramiro Pena for that last spot.

Burnett is coming off a great start against the Nationals last weekend where he threw 4 innings and only allowed 2 hits and 0 Runs.  He has improved his mechanics and is striving for consistency as well as a solid changeup.  This will be his final start before Girardi announces who is the #2 starting pitcher this season.  That announcement is set to come this weekend.

Also making an appearance today will be Sergio Mitre who has been sidelined recently due to a minor oblique injury.  He pitched a bullpen on Wednesday and Girardi says he's feeling good again.  Mitre is set to pitch 3 or 4 innings today.

Andrew Brackman who was actually cut from the Major League Roster earlier this week, will be making the trip as well.  It seems as the "Cuts" have only been made, on paper, and have no substantive effect on the spring training roster yet.  Brackman will have another opportunity to face some major league batters which should help him develop as a potential call-up later this season.  Hopefully he will have an opportunity to face Bautista on the Jay's and prove his worth!

A Simulated Day

Not much to report from Yankees camp yesterday as the Yankees had an off-day. Only Sabathia and Colon were the only players doing any work yesterday when they pitched against one another in a simulated game. Both pitched a scoreless 12 simulated innings to a small group of minor league prospects.

The only thing noteworthy about this game was Russell Martin behind the plate. This was an opportunity for Martin to get behind the plate and do a little training with CC. Martin seems to be getting along well with all the pitchers in camp and really trying to understand their personalities, so when it’s crunch time, he can work with the pitchers rather than just agitating them. Not only is it important to have the personal connection with them, but yesterday they worked on the little things that happen during a game. Martin got a feel for Sabathia’s pitches and what types of pitches CC likes to use in different counts.

I am still uncertain whether Colon is a serious candidate for the 5th spot in the rotation, but the Yankees seem to like him.  He has some great numbers this spring and has been pitching well, but as we have seen over the past fiver years, he can't stay healthy.  Coming into camp at 275 pounds doesn't give me much faith that he will be healthy for more than half a season either.  I suppose in the next two weeks we will find out whether the Yankees are ready to cut Mitre or send Nova to AAA to make room for Colon..... or we will find out today that Joba is more injured that previously though and nobody will have to be cut or send down.

Crossroads for Joba

From the weight issues to the trade rumors, Joba has been a hot topic of discussion this spring training.  He came into camp noticeably heavier but claimed it had to do with his offseason workouts.  He said he built a gym in his house and was working out more, so he gained somewhere between 20 - 25 pounds.  I find this to be somewhat unlikely, especially since he still looks like a fat guy, and refuses to discuss it further with the media.  Cashman has been conspicously tight lipped about this as well, most likely because there is a chance Joba can be worked into a trade deal.  

It seems like Joba may be at the crossroads of his career.  Reports from Tampa indicated during Monday's game, numerous scouts were keeping a close eye on Joba.  (More than usual for a spring training game)  Now that Joba has been replaced as the 8th inning set-up man for Mo, there is a good chance the Yankees bullpen may be strong enough without him.  They will have Mitre as the long man and Robertson made a great debut these last two seasons.  With Feliciano and Logan as the lefties, the bullpen looks solid.  Joba can make great trade bait, but the Yankees can't just give him up for nothing.  Bottom line is the Yankees need a strong starter for the #4 or #5 spot.... or even #3 if AJ has a season that looks like last year.

 

Joba's performance this spring has been OK.  He had a perfect inning this yesterday and this past Monday.  His fastball is in the 92-94 mph range right now, which is higher than where it's been during past spring trainings.  He changed his mechanics slightly by starting his hands at his waist, which makes it look as though he is starting from the stretch.  Working out of the stretch was a problem for him last year, but his new routine is being credited for improving his fastball.  If he has a good fastball, the rest of the pitches will improve as a result.  

He also pitched last Saturday and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits over 1 inning.  He was not as sharp as his previous appearance the previous week against the Astros when he had 2 scoreless innings which included a double play to end one inning, after allowing 2 singles.  Maybe it was from experience, or from the mechanics, or it just could be spring training numbers which mean nothing, but I personally think the double play was a good sign that indicates even when he gets into a little jam, he can pitch through it.  His numbers this spring are very limited and not indicative of his performance, but he has a 3.60 ERA, with 6 Hits, 2 Walks, and 2 strikeouts in 6 total innings.

Many rumors have been swirling about the Yankees looking to trade Joba for Liriano.  I don't think the team is planning on trading him anytime soon.  In fact, I think they really want to see how he begins the season and how the team begins the season before they make a move.  Spring training numbers are good, but ultimately they are not very indicative of results over the full season.  The Yankees also want to keep an eye on how Liriano develops this spring since he complained of shoulder tightness a week or two ago.  Reports from the Twins indicated Liriano didn't do the strength training exercises during the offseason, which most likely led to the shoulder tightness once he began throwing again.  If that is not a sign to hold off, I dont know what is. 

If the Twins were willing to deal Liriano, I would assume the Twins would want something more than Joba in this trade (likely one of the Killer B’s), so it would be a good deal for them.  Joba is getting paid nearly nothing (1.4 Mil), will be arbitration eligible again next season, and the Twins could benefit with having Joba as the set up man for Nathan.  Losing Liriano would hurt them, but they do have a good starting core:  Pavano (I know, I know), Baker, Duensing, Blackburn, & Slowey.  Adding somebody like Joba to take care of middle relief for them could really benefit them and they may actually be able to win a game against the Yankees in the playoffs.

To make this trade more enticing to the Twins, Joba needs to stay healthy.  By “Staying Healthy” I mean, losing some weight and not looking like such a sweaty drunk while on the hill.  Having David Wells in Yankees camp to help train some of the pitchers is a huge mistake since it seems like Joba is facing some of the same negative issues Wells faced…. Like being a drunk and off field distractions.  Although Wells goes down in Yankees lore as part of those legendary teams, realistically he caused many problems in the clubhouse and was not always loved the way he is now.   

Hopefully we will see more of the Joba we saw in 2007-2008, and even possibly losing a few pounds.  If other teams see improvement, we may have an opportunity to land a legitimate 4 or 5 starter.  One way or another, he must get a new photo of himself to use on the big screen  ----->

 

 
 

 

 


 

The Battle Begins

Since the Yanks were unable to land Cliff Lee and Andy Pettite retired, there seems to be two vacancies in the starting rotation.  The battle for the fourth and fifth spots is pretty wide open at this point in spring training.  Every candidate really must prove to the Yankees they deserve the spot. 

There are four names who really stand out as potential candidates:  Freddy Garcia, Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre & Bartolo Colon.  Betances, Brackman, & Baneulos are starting the season in Double – A, and may make some appearances later this summer, but none are considered a starting pitcher option at this point.  It seems like the favorites are Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova. 

I think Mitre will play a big role with the Yankees since he is versatile and can be used as a middle reliever or long man, or even starter if they need him.  Mitre ‘s ability to adapt to the role he is needed throughout the last two seasons, has been very impressive.  The Yankees will likely have him start a game sometime throughout the next week too.  But, ultimately I think the Yankees want to continue working with Nova and Garcia to get the last two spots and keep Mitre in the bullpen.

After slowly recovering from shoulder surgery a few years back, Freddy Garcia is coming off a strong year with the White Sox in 2010.  This was his first full season back since 2007 and he went 12-6 with a 4.64 ERA.  He pitched yesterday against the Rays and looked good with his fastball getting into the 89-90 mph range.

Ivan Nova had a decent debut with the Yankees last season.  He went 1-2 in 7 starts with an ERA of .450.  His major problem was getting through the fourth and fifth innings.  He was lights-out in the majority of his starts within the first three or four innings, then would fall apart.  The Yankees were impressed with him as there seems to be some real potential if he can get over the fifth-inning hump.  The team is aware of this issue and will be spending time teaching him to pace himself and get through longer outings.  He was the first starter who was stretched out to pitch 3 innings yesterday and he looked dominant.

I think it’s highly doubtful that Bartolo Colon will actually make this team.  He is totally out of shape and came into camp at 275 lbs.  It was a joke last year when the Red Sox picked him up and it’s a bigger joke this year that the Yankees gave him a try.  He had a good outing in tonight’s game against the Red Sox, but I wouldn’t take that to mean anything, since they didn’t bring their good lineup. 

There is always a chance that AJ is terrible again this season and we could be talking about looking for a #3, 4 & 5 starter, but let’s just pray that’s not the case!