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Tomorrow night at midnight postseason rosters are sort of set.  I say sort of because there is a convenient loophole that teams always exploit. 

The rule is basically that anyone on your active roster plus your DL is eligible for the postseason.  So for the Yankees it is the 25 guys currently in the majors plus Gardner, Wang and Nady.  Now, we all know that no matter what, Wang and Nady won't be healthy for the postseason and that is the loophole.  The Yankees can replace Nady and Wang with anyone in the organization as long as they play the same position.  So, Nady could be replaced by Austin Jackson for example.  

So, with 13 pitchers and 12 hitters, the Yankees can keep the roster as is tomorrow and then use Nady and Gardner's injuries to subtract two pitchers and add two oufielders (with Gardner obviously being one of them)  But, why not give yourself maximum flexibility tomorrow and bring Ramiro Pena back and demote a pitcher?  That would give the Yankees 13 bats and 12 pitchers on the playoff roster, but remember the injuries to Wang, Nady and Gardner mean they could change the roster to contain anywhere from 10-13 pitchers or 12-15 batters- basically a very flexibile situation. 

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Joba pitched an inning more than I thought he would today, but that may have been a function of economy (only 35 pitches) more than anything else.  Unfortunately, the results were not great, but let's see a couple of more "short" turns before we evaluate it.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees have amended the "Joba Rules" in a very smart way.  Joba will get the ball every fifth day, but he will be limited in the innings he throws.  His last start will be around six innings so he would be ready to go at full strength if the Yankees make the playoffs. 

I think this is a much better plan that the "your next start will be revealed to you later" plan.  Joba is trying to establish himself in this league and he doesn't need the distraction of wondering when he is getting the ball next.  Now he knows and I think that will help him.

The interesting thing to watch will be how the Yankees limit Joba over the next month.  He has pitched 130 innings so far and if they want to keep him at 160 for the season we can take a pretty good guess and it looks something like this:

August 30th- 2 Innings

September 4th- 2 Innings

September 9th- 2 Innings

September 15th- 2 Innings

September 21st- 3 Innings

September 27th- 3 Innings

October 3rd- 6 Innings 

You would have to assume as things stand that means Chad Gaudin gets the ball after Joba but that could change too.  Now the only question that remains is how will Joba perform under the new rules?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Sadly, Brad Penny really would be an upgrade for the Yankees.  Yes, his numbers are bad.  A 5.61 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP while striking out 6.1 per nine is nothing to write home about.

But then you have to remember that the current fifth starter is Sergio Mitre.  Mitre has a 6.82 ERA, a 1.879 WHIP and has only struck out 5.3 per nine innings.  

Admittedly, when that is your baseline, it is very easy to surpass it.  Penny isn't much, but he is definitely an upgrade over what the Yankees have in the fifth spot of the rotation.  If he clears waivers on Monday you can sign him Tuesday when rosters expand and have another arm at your disposal.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

From the department of why wouldn't you do this, the Yankees have claimed the player the Red Sox were trying to trade to the Mets for Billy Wagner.  As a result, Buster Olney speculates that they have made life harder for Boston. 

Again, why wouldn't you do this?  Squeeze your closest divisional rival and tweak your crosstown one at the same time.  Isn't that win-win? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

You want my thoughts?  Fine.  Brad Penny is gone and I am very happy.  He did not pitch well for the Red Sox and, in fact, really hurt them (lost 7, won 6).

Good luck to all the teams rumored to have interested in Penny.  Here's a quick scouting report:  He throws 90% fastballs and 10% miscellaneous (curves, wild pitches, balks, time outs, hit batters, more fastballs).  His fastball is fast, but very straight, just ask the Yankees who were quoted as being elated he threw straight, fastballs.

Now that I have breathed out the bad and am now breathing in the good, we can move on.

Tim Wakefield looked great Wednesday night and it was nice to see David Ortiz look like the Ortiz of old (Yankees fans, please start your comments now).

Welcome Billy Wagner.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Fact: A.J. Burnett blew up in his last start throwing to Jorge Posada

Fiction: Posada and Burnett can't work together.

Fact: Before that start, Burnett and Posada had compiled a 4-3 record and an ERA of 3.00 over their past ten starts together.

Fact: Joe Girardi didn't exactly make this better by starting Posada last night making it necessary to start Molina today.

I think what you have are two "opinionated" players in Jorge and A.J. and that means sometimes they wil disagree.  That doesn't mean they cannot work together (see Fact #2) but they might need someone to help them get on the same page.  I don't know if they have found that person yet.  I think the guy who needs to play that role is Girardi, but he seems better at creating controversy (see Fact #3) than stopping it.  He certainly caused more column inches to be wasted on this today by his choice of catchers.  Which leads me to my final fact.

Fact: No matter what you think, Posada would catch AJ in the playoffs.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a last second change of heart, Billy Wagner decided he did want to come to Boston and waived his no-trade clause.

Piecing together various reports:

 - Red Sox will assume the rest of his 2009 salary (approx $2mm)

 - The Red Sox agreed not to exercise his 2010 option

 - The Red Sox did retain the right to offer him salary arbitration (he is a Type A as of this post meaning the Red Sox would get a first round pick and a sandwich pick in the 2010 draft if he signs elsewhere).

 - The Mets will get two AA level pitchers as compensation

 - A fight has been scheduled, underneath the bleachers, at midnight, between Wagner and Jonathan Papelbon.

I like this addition.  There are risks as Wagner is 38 and is coming off Tommy John surgery, but with Enrique Gonzalez on the 25-man and Brad Penny without a rotational spot (seriously, Gonzalez is better than Penny right now), there are 2 main candidates to be cut.

Adding a power lefty to the pen is always a good thing, but what worries me most is what we've seen in recent years with the Red Sox.  They go out and get a decent National League arm only to have that arm fizzle, loudly.  Examples include Eric Gagne, John Smoltz and Brad Penny.  Of course Takashi Saito has seemingly made the adjustment and obviously it can be done.

But the AL East is a tough place to learn the American League.

No word if we can expect to see Wagner tonight.  The Mets are playing in Florida tonight and given the deadline on this deal, I have to assume the Mets charter had already landed in FLA or was well on its way.  I think John Henry might shuttle Wagner back up North in his private plane, no?

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Joel Sherman wrote an amuisng piece in the Post today about how Yankees' fans are having to dig for things to complain about.  While I agree to most of it, I think he forgot one issue that will be a problem in thr future if it isn't corrected and that is Phil Hughes and his lack of innings. Today is August 25th and so far Hughes has thrown 8 innings in the month.  For the season he has thrown about 90 innings between the majors and minors.

This isn't a problem right now, it is a problem for 2010.  We know the first three rotation spots are going to C.C., A.J. and Joba and I would put it at 60-40 that the Yankees bring Pettitte back.  That leaves one rotation spot and that spot belongs to Hughes.  The problem is Hughes isn't throwing a lot of innings this year and that will impair his ability to throw a lot next year.  

The Yankees need to figure out a way to get more innings from Hughes.  Whether it is spot starting him after rosters expand or bringing him into pitch the 7th and 8th innings of games, they need to get creative.  Otherwise, we will spend all next summer playing the innings limit game again. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, do you look at things and say the Yankees have lost nine-of-fifteen to the Red Sox?  Or do you say they have won six-of-seven?  Aren't stats great?

Here's what I am willing to say on August 24th. The Yankees have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Red Sox right now.  In fact, they have a significantly better chance because even if they blow the division they could make it as the wild card, but beyond that who knows.  If these two teams meet in the ALCS I would flip a coin. 

That's a topic for another day.  For now the Yankees passed another test and leave Boston with a 7-1/2 game lead.  38 games to go. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Further Evidence that Jonathan Papelbon is a doofus. Basically Papelbon doesn't think Billy Wagner would help the club and was entirely disrespectful, in my mind, when talking about the idea.

Jim Rice was "misquoted"?  That's what we are supposed to believe? 

I wish Rice has just stepped up to the microphone and said something like "I hate the Yankees.  Always have always will, after all I am a Red Sox.  So yeah, I took a shot at Jeter.  I played in the 70's and 80's when we weren't best friends with each other.  The sight of Jeter and Pedroia talking amicably on the field makes me sick."

I would have respected something along those lines.  I would have respected if he has simply said "I apologize to Derek for mentioning him in that quote."  This approach is pretty lame. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday was a day I knew I wasn't going to see much baseball ahead of time.  With a bunch of things going on, I couldn't carve out that window between 4pm and 7pm to watch the game.  In fact, I wasn't even able to listen to the game.  So, my first and only encounter with Saturday's game was when I turned on the TV at one point and saw it was 12-0.  Off went the TV and I quickly returned to my labours. 

All I can say is let's hope AJ Burnett doesn't have to pitch in Fenway in the playoffs.  Not sure what his problem is, but he doesn't seem as comfortable there as he was in other uniforms.  Tonight will be an interesting game with both teams pitching their aces and a national TV game.  

Back late today.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Forgot to mention this, but Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox have claimed Billy Wagner. For the same reasons Peter wrote about a day or so ago, the Red Sox would be wise to acquire Wagner.

The money in this case is not astronomical and he could potentially provide an adrenaline lift to the team. Even if he no longer throws 100 mph, he would be a decent risk in my book.

The teams have until 1pm Tuesday to hammer out a deal.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I kid, I kid, there are still two games to play.  But, in reality the Yankees did what they needed to on Friday with a win.  Now it's a question of will they take the chance they have to really bury Boston these next two days?

Some notes from the game (some which I twittered so apologies if you have seen them)

Pettitte needed to do more, but the Yankees got lucky.

Bruney to Marte was a scary swap, but Marte really did show something there.

It is time to get rid of Mitre.  Especially when you consider that with Damon out early and Pena back in the minors, the Yankees had very little on the bench tonight.  13 pitchers is pointless and they have Gaudin, get rid of Mitre.

The Yankees have another favorable pitching matchup tomorrow, we will see what they do with it. 

Lastly, I think Jim Rice better take a mulligan on these comments.   It is grossly unfair to lump Jeter into a trio of A-Rod and Manny.  I would love to hear his reasoning. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I think Friday night's game puts an exclamation point on just how bad Brad Penny has been for Boston this year. First off, does he really only have 2 pitches? A fast, yet wild, fastball and a hard curve he never uses on a consistent basis.

Is that really all he has? I don't think I've seen anything else. Sure, his fastball is so wild that it is "unpredictable" as to just where it will go, but that isn't a good thing unless your wildness is limited to the strikezone.

I really hope we have seen the last of Penny. With Tim Wakefield throwing a 5.2 inning, 2 hit, 1 walk, 1 earned run, 4 strikeout game tonight in Pawtucket tonight, the Red Sox really need to designate or trade Penny (I know, who would want him in a trade). Of course Penny isn't the only one to blame in Friday night's game, but he got things off to a terrible start. He put the Red Sox in an 8-1 hole which was just about enough to put the game out of reach.

Penny now has a 5.61 ERA. That's the kind of ERA teams let a former superstar put up if he is just back from an injury or somehow is a sympathetic figure. Penny is neither of those and needs to go away.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

After a day of rest the Yankees get ready to resume their rivalry with the Red Sox in Boston.  And, the teams are exactly in the same places they were 10 games ago with the Red Sox 6-1/2 games behind the Yankees.  That 6-1/2 games gives the Yankees a very simple goal for the weekend: don't get swept. It really just boils down to that because even if they lose two-of-three they leave Boston ahead by 5-1/2 games.

But, the Yankees will certainly try and do more than that.  For what it's worth, I think the Yankees have the matchup advantage in the first two games with Pettitte facing Penny and Burnett facing Tazawa.  Boston starts Beckett on Sunday, but the Yankees have C.C. so that should be a great game.  

The Red Sox will be primed to return the favor from two weekends ago and they really need to sweep to get back into the AL East race.  It should be a fun weekend and expect a lot of blogging and tweeting.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Let's face it, you are not going to "love" every guy who wears your teams uniform.  Some of them are hard to root for and while you enjoy the success of the team, you would prefer other people made more of a contribution.

The reason I mention this is I just saw this story.   I am not sure who I liked less Sheffield or Randy Johnson, but both of them bothered me to no end.  I love the fact that Sheffield is getting paid $14 million this season by Detroit and he never even recorded an AB for them.  Now he thinks the Mets owe him a new contract. 

I am so glad he is the Mets' problem right now.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Jayson Stark at ESPN is reporting that the Mets have put Billy Wagner on waivers.  Wagner is earning $10.5 million this year and would receive a buyout from a claiming team of $1 million.  So, claiming him means a financial commitment of around 1/4 of his current salary ($2.75 million) and the buyout ($1 million) or around $3.75 million.

That's a big number, but you get a lefty who earned over 100 saves from 2006-2008 and has 12 K's in 8 minor league innings this year.  The Yankees have the highest revenues in the game and this is a guy they should use those on.  Wagner is hitting 93 on the gun again and he knows how to close.  Sure, you could risk letting him pass through waivers, but why not claim him?  It's only money and it would improve the Yankees chances at a pennant this season.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

When gunpowder was first used as a weapon, people were awed by its power.  But, attackers and defenders soon learned the downside to gunpowder.  It could blow up your opponent, but it could also blow you up.  Many a battle turned when one side had its gunpowder magazine blow up and change the fortunes of war.

I think of gunpowder when I look at David Robertson.  He is an incredible weapon out of the pen.  This season he has stuck out 13.2 hitters per nine innings and allowed only 27 hits in 35 innings.  Those are absolutely dominant numbers.  But, he has also walked 5.3 hitters per nine innings and as anyone who watched last night knows, he can lose the strikezone completely.

So, what could be an absolutely dominant setup guy is essentially a weapon you have to be very, very careful with.  You can't trust Robertson when the game is tight because he might give you a strikeout or he might walk someone.  I don't know how the Yankees fix that, or even if they can.  All I know is unless they do Robertson remains nothing more than an interesting pitcher to watch in a mopup role.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Probably the toughest call the Yankees will have to make this offseaosn is what to do about Johnny Damon.  This article talks about his desire to stay in New York and the apparent willingness of the Yankees to let him stay. 

Austin Jackson is hitting .300 in the minors, but when you translate his stats to the bigs his line would be .265/.331/.391 that would be slightly below the average AL centerfielder who clocks in at .263/.329/.408.  The problem is, if you put Jackson in center, you then move Melky .266/.327/.420 or Gardner .275/.354/.400 to left where the average AL leftfielder is hitting .267/.339/.436.  That would essentially mean you have two positions with average or below-average production.  

And that is where Damon's .281/.361/.517 line looks appealing.  However, there are two problems with bringing Damon back.  First, Damon's numbers are vastly increased by the new stadium.  On the road he is hitting only .262/.330/.443, or pretty much average for a AL leftfielder.  Second, Damon's defense has taken a step back this year, now it is slighly below league average and considering his age, it will probably continue to decline.

So, do the Yankees bring back a player who is going to cost you runs in left and also would clog up the DH spot?  It really depends on the alternatives and what his demands are.  If he is willing to do a short deal (two years max) at less money than he earns now, I think you bring him back.  It also wouldn't be the worst idea to just offer him arbitration and if he accepts (a strong possibility because he would get a raise) you bring him back for one more year.  It's still too early to answer this question, but it is going to be a big one once November rolls around.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Jim Callis is reporting the Yankees have signed their first and second round picks.  He also reported earlier this morning that they had signed their fifth round pick as well.

Who really knows if any of these guys will work out, but after last year's draft disaster it's nice to see the Yankees actually get the guys into the system.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saturday night's Red Sox/Rangers game featured far too many players I know nothing about.  And I'm talking about Red Sox players.

First off, why is Brian Anderson on the team?  Why is Fernando Cabrera on the team?  Why did the Red Sox trade for Alex Gonzalez?

What is happening around here?  Does this team value on base percentage?  Doesn't this team follow trends?  Isn't a guy with a 1.494 career whip someone to stay away from?  Doesn't a guy with a career .288 OBP belong in the Independent Leagues?

I realize injuries are hitting the "ludicrous speed" level on the Red Sox roster right now, but aren't there better options?  Let's talk about Brian Anderson, the player they traded Mark Kotsay for (I'm dangling prepositions baby!!!).  Anderson is a very bad hitter.  He has moderate power, unfortunately he couples that with nothing good.  20 home runs in 782 at bats.  Did I mention he has struck out 203 times and only walked 62 times while hitting .225?

The good news with Anderson is he WILL get DFAed as soon as tomorrow when Rocco Baldelli is activated.

As for Cabrera, clearly the front office thinks they can harness this kid (does 27 years old still qualify as a kid?).  Isn't that the epitome of arrogance, believing you can help a pitcher that no one else has?  He walks too many but lures you into believing he can be better by striking out more than 1 per inning (189 k's in 170 IP in the majors).

Fine, perhaps the Red Sox can harness this kid's ability, but let's try doing that in the Arizona Fall League, or the Dominican Winter League, not mid-August in a playoff hunt.

Lastly, back to Gonzalez, he is a fine fielder, if you look at his career work, but he isn't good anymore.  The Boston Globe's Adam Kilgore was able to look through the nonsense I heard on Sports Radio on Friday and basically spelled out why Gonzalez isn't what you think he is (coach Dennis Green, are you listening?).

Gonzalez is no longer getting to that many balls and while he does handle the ones he does get to, he isn't a "plus" shortstop anymore.  In fact, Kilgore's research suggest Nick Green would be the better option, not only because he is a superior defender, but because he is hitting much better than is Gonzalez.  Not to beat a dead horse, but Gonzalez is terrible at the plate.  Terrible.

So Saturday night featured Jason Varitek - .754 OPS in 2009, Gonzalez - .554 OPS in 2009, and Brian Anderson .641 OPS in 2009.

That's not going to get it done.  If an inning started with any of these 3, you might as well have turned the channel.  This is not the bottom 3 of a playoff team.  Come on!  I can't say it more clearly than that.  This is a terrible disappointment.

The depth on this team is scary bad right now, but also confusing.  When you look at the injuries and/or surprisingly ineffective players in 2009, there have been some bad breaks, but I'm not sure why the Red Sox management has chosen to replace injured/ineffective players with the ones they have.

Things have to change.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

In Friday night's game, NESN showed a replay of Victor Martinez returning to the dugout in the top of the 9th after scoring the Red Sox 6th run. Manager Terry Francona is seen enthusiastically congratulating Martinez.

Now you might ask, 'so what, he does that with everone.' Well, that probably is true, but Terry Francona made a very confusing and potentially disasterous move in the 9th. With no one out, Jacoby Ellsbury on first, Jason Varitek on second and Dustin Pedroia at bat, Francona pulled Varitek in favor of...Clay Buchholz. Clay Buchholz?!?

Now I'm sure Buchholz is faster than is Varitek, but he is a pitcher...and this is the American League. Well, wouldn't you know it, Pedroia hit a ball to the left field fence that ricocheted off the wall presumably scoring Buchholz, except that Buchholz misread the play (the lighted scoreboard embedded in the left field wall didn't help) and ultimately got thrown out at home, by a wide margin, and he went in head-first, a serious no-no for a pitcher.

I just don't get it, I think Francona was desperate and was completely irresponsible with that move. Buchholz could have blown out any part of his arm/shoulder area and, more importantly, he has no clue what to do on the basepaths. Fortunately, Victor Martinez put the Red Sox ahead with his 2-run double and ultimately scored. The look we saw on Francona's face as he congratulated Martinez was relief, relief that his silly move didn't cost the Red Sox A.) the game and B.) the season for a young, talented pitcher.

I guess every manager is entitled to a few dodged bullets in a season and this definitely qualifies. I generally don't engage in second-guess Francona as he has proved himself a competent manager, but I couldn't let this one slide.

The Red Sox poured it on in the 9th and came away with a very important road win against their closest wild-card competition. Good start to the road trip.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Update:  I was wrong about Gonzalez's salary for this year, he is on the books for $5.4mm.  Reports are out that the Reds are sending $1.1mm to Boston to offset part of his salary and the Red Sox are sending them A - shortstop Kris Negron.

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The Red Sox acquired shortstop Alex Gonzalez today from the Reds.  Gonzalez cleared waivers and was traded to Boston.  Boston.com isn't clear on what the Red Sox are sending in return.

He makes $4.5mm this year and there is a team option of $6mm for 2010.

Gonzalez is hitting very poorly this year with a .210 average, a .258 OBP and a .296 SLG (which means he makes it just over a quarter of the way to first base in each at bat) for a scrawny OPS of .554.  Wow is that bad.

His defense is average at best this year it would seem.  He makes the plays he gets too, but it seems he isn't getting to as many balls as he did in the past as he has posted below league average range factors on a per 9 inning basis and a per game basis.

So Gonzalez is seen as an upgrade over recently acquired Chris Woodward, but really, it isn't that big an improvement.  What do you expect for this time of year?

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The New York Post is having trouble with its website or I would link to a story that isn't "clickable" right now. In fact you can only read the first paragraph, but here that is:

SEATTLE -- Joe Girardi didn't make it official before last night's game, but it appears Joba Chamberlain will start Sunday against the Mariners and not Wednesday in Oakland 

Totally agree with that decision because Mitre and Gaudin back-to-back is asking for trouble, but my head hurts from how this decision has whipsawed from one place to another.  I wish the Yankees high command would just come out and be honest with everyone about what the goal is with Joba and when they plan to pitch him.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

So here we are in the Top of the 10th and that's Chad Gaudin on the mound.  Not that I have a problem with using him, but isn't he Sunday's starter? 

It will be interesting to see if that changes if he has to pitch a lot today.  You would have to think it would.   

UPDATE: Two innings from Gaudin, not sure if that will affect the Yankees' plans.  You could have had a very interesting situation if they had not won that game when they did.  With A-Rod drilled in the elbow and only Molina on the bench, you were probably looking at Teixeira going to third if A-Rod couldn't keep it going. 

Anyway, on to Seattle.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

MLB announced today that Kevin Youkilis will be suspended for 5 games for his part in last night's brawl.

Ouch.  I think that ought to make any other Red Sox player think long and hard before charging the mound again (as long and hard as one can given the circumstances).  Rick Porcello also got 5 games.  Basically he'll miss one start while Youkilis misses 5 games.  Make it pretty clear who MLB thought was the main culprit here.

Boston.com says both have appealed meaning they can play in the meantime.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Didn't Kevin Youkilis look like a linebacker last night?  His pursuit of Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello made me think of pre-season football what with Youkilis looking slightly hunched over, keeping his center of gravity low and not falling for any head-fakes.  He came right in and made the tackle.  From what I could see, not a punch was thrown.  For a bench clearing brawl, it was over very quickly and there was no spill over or simultaneous fights.

I'm not sure last night's game was a tipping point, but certainly some frustrations were released.  A night after Brad Penny hit Miguel Cabrera and Detroit's Edwin Jackson hit Youkilis, Red Sox rookie Junichi hit Cabrera again in the first to load the bases.  Porcello then threw at Victor Martinez, and missed, but did hit Youkilis in the bottom of the 2nd thus setting off the fireworks.

Oddly enough, the ejection of Youkilis forced Mike Lowell into the game only have Lowell become the night's offensive hero hitting 2 home runs.

Youkilis is sure to get suspended as while chasing down Porcello, he also threw his helmet at him.  At least Youkilis made Terry Francona's job of fitting in too many players into too few spots a bit easier for the next few games.

Tazawa pitched very well after a bumpy first inning and got his first major league win.  I hope he can lay claim to a rotation spot, even after Tim Wakefield returns.  Wakefield, by the way, is set to return next week, but the video of him shown on NESN last night made me think his year is done.  He was running from the mound to first and had an enormous limp.  No way he can be that close to coming back.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

In World War 2 the allies contructed huge armies of inflatable tanks and plywood artillery to convince the Germans they were going to invade Europe at a location other than Normandy.  Codenamed "Operation Fortitude" it worked and the much more famous "Operation Overlord" (D-Day) came off successfully.

I have been thinking about that today as I read the papers and listen to the chatter about the "Joba Plan" which is quickly crossing into the absurd. Here's what we know right now.

1. Joba doesn't know when he is going to make his next start. Joe Girardi informs him after every start when the next one will be.
2. There is some sort of innings limit on Joba, but nobody will say what it is.
3. Joba will not go back into the pen, instead his starts will be spaced out or shortened to keep him below his innings number.

Sometimes the Yankees just get too clever for their own good.  All of this is just one big distraction and the New York press is going to keep all over this until they get some answers.  Plus, this can not be easy on Joba.  The guy should only need to focus on pitching and not all of this other crap.  Posada had an interesting quote in the paper that I think nails it:

“It’s tough what he’s been going through. He doesn’t know when he’s going to pitch. It’s tough to mentally put it all together. I think he’s doing everything he can to stay focused, but it’s tough.” 

Maybe the Yankees will realize that Jorge is right and knock this off.  Maybe fans need new t-shirts, how about "Free Joba"? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Mitchell pointed it out in the comments of another post, but it sounds like the Yankees plan on giving Gaudin a start Sunday in place of Joba Chamberlain.  The only problem is, to this point I can't tell what the exact plan is.  Do they plan on skipping Joba entirely or is this just to move him back a day? 

I would assume they are not moving him back by only a day.  If you look at the rotation we should see AJ pitch tomorrow with CC, Pettitte, Mitre and Gaudin pitching against Seattle.   That sets up AJ to pitch again Monday in Oakland and Saturday in Boston and CC to pitch Tuesday in Oakland and Sunday in Boston.  Unless of course they are going to pitch Joba Monday in Oakland which means he could pitch Saturday in Boston, but then CC misses the Red Sox entirely.   Ugh, my head hurts now.

What I hope the Yankees do is skip Joba entirely.  AJ and Sabathia on regular rest in Oakland and then let Joba start Friday at Fenway with AJ and CC following him.  

As for the idea of using Gaudin, I am all for it, but not on the day after a Mitre start.  I think Gaudin will be better than Mitre, but that really isn't saying much.  If Mitre pitches like he has on Saturday and Gaudin delivers a clunker on Sunday, you probably lose both games and burn out the pen.  

But, until we see something else in writing (morning papers?) we don't really know how the Yankees are going to proceed from here.  Stay tuned. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Being from the North Shore of Boston, I think I can legitimately compare the Red Sox past week with the Perfect Storm made famous by, the storm itself (eventually), then the book, then the movie about a crew out of Gloucester (or 'Glawstah' as it is properbly pronounced).

The storm was basically a confluence of circumstances perfectly timed and aligned to create a catastrophic or "perfect" storm.

Leading up to the 2-game set in Tampa Bay, the Red Sox were beset by injury and ineffectiveness.  These kinds of things happen all of the time to good teams and bad, but for the Red Sox, it couldn't have come at a worse moment as they faced their 2 biggest opponents on foreign turf, for 6 straight games.

In addition, John Smoltz, once thought of as a decent enough gamble, was putting the finishing touches on the worst string of starts in his professional (and probably amateur, little league, video game) baseball career.

While I saw only 2 of the games, the bookends, I followed the middle 4 fairly closely on-line.  It just felt like the Red Sox had no chance.  The energy had been sucked out of the team and the fan-base.  I had no expectations of the Red Sox winning a single game in New York.  It just didn't seem possible.  Everything was going wrong.

Regardless, of why or how, the Red Sox returned home yesterday and promptly regained a game on the Yankees.  Jason Bay hit a home run (someone told him he was allowed to hit home runs), the offense got the opponent starter out of the game after 4 innings and 104 pitches and even Brad Penny put up a quality start.

I hope this is the point where Boston can eventually look back and say, 'wow, those 6 games in Tampa and New York sure were tough, but we quickly re-established our footing.'  There's too much talent for this team to just fold up and go away.

As for tonight, Junichi Tazawa makes his starting debut tonight.  He has come up very quickly thus far posting:  2.57 ERA in 98 IP for Portland and 2.38 ERA in 11.1 IP at Pawtucket.  But the Tigers are a good team and after making his debut in the 15th inning Friday night against the Yankees in the New Yankee Stadium, it'll be interesting to see how Tazawa performs.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

Ian Kennedy threw 25 pitches off a real mound today.  He is going to throw again on Friday.

I wrote about Kennedy last week and I still wonder if he could possibly help the Yankees in 2009.  Time is a bit tight, but if he could start making rehab starts at the end of next week (around August 20th) you would have to think it's a possibility. 

We should also hear some news about Brett Gardner today, he is getting an x-ray on his thumb which will determine when he will be back.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

One deadline that is very real comes up next Monday at 11:59pm- the deadline to sign draft picks. 

The Yankees have some work to do.  As of this morning they have not signed their 1st, 2nd, 5th and 10th round picks plus quite a few of the picks from later rounds.  After last year's disaster with Gerrit Cole going to UCLA and some of the other high picks failing to sign, the Yankees need to get their top two guys to ink deals. 

The problem is both picks have committed to major collge programs which means they have leverage.  Slade Heathcott, their #1 pick, can go to LSU.  J.R. Murphy, their second rounder, has committed to Miami.  The Yankees certainly have the money to make it worth their while to skip college, the question is will they?   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Tyler Kepner of the New York Times is reporting that the Blue Jays have wisely let Alex Rios go to the White Sox in a waiver claim.  You have to wonder why Kenny Williams took this gamble. The Rios contract runs through 2014 and Rios has an OPS below the league average. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Sergio MItre is 1-0 with a 7.50 ERA.  He has given up 32 hits in 18 innings, which could be a function of bad luck, his batting average of balls in play is .423, that's ridiculously high.  Of more concern is the fact that he has only pitched 18 innings in four starts, that is a big burden on a bullpen. 

One very strange stat about Mitre is that he gets tougher the more pitches he throws.  Consider this.

Pitches 1-25, he allows opponents to put up a line of .471/.500/.559

Pitches 26-50 that drops to .350/.440/.350

Pitches 51-75 it drops further to .240/.296/.340

It jumps again after pitch 75, but he has only faced 9 hitters so it is an exrtremely small sample.   

His career numbers do not show that pattern and it's occurance makes me wonder if he is warming up effectively?  Maybe he needs to throw more in the bullpen before the game?  He is a sinkerballer, so maybe he is going to the mound too fresh and the ball isn't sinking?

Whatever the reason, the Yankees are probably giving him this start and this start only to fix it.  Gaudin is on the active roster and his lack of control makes him an unlikely candidate for the bullpen.  If Mitre doesn't impress tonight I think he won't be a Yankee much longer.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Somehow I don't think anyone will wake up tomorrow concerned about the fact that the Red Sox hold an 8-4 season series lead over the Yankees. 

You can't ask for much more from a team than what the Yankees showed this weekend.  They delivered a message to their biggest rival and built a 6-1/2 game lead in the division in the process.  If you want to find fault, I can think of two things.

1- Joba was terrible on Thursday.  The Yankees need to figure out why.

2- Girardi didn't use Hughes with a 1-0 lead tonight.  Someone in the press needs to figure that out.

I tweeted this stat earlier, but it is worth repeating.  Since A-Rod came off the DL the Yankees are 56-27.  I am not saying that is all because of A-Rod, but he deserves a lot of credit.  I wrote about this three months ago.  It's too early to write the final chapter, but A-Rod's 2009 is shaping up to be something worth talking about. 

UPDATE: Very interesting excahnge between Girardi and Pete Abe in the press conference.  Pete asked him why Hughes wasn't available and Girardi answered that he pitched the last two nights and he is thinking about his "career" and not "one game".  He went on to say that he hates to use any pitcher three nights in a row.

One of the things you have to give Girardi credit for as manager is the way he has developed bullpen arms.  Hard to argue with him here because Hughes' career is much more important than a 4-1/2 versus 6-1/2 game lead. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

No game this early in a season is a do or die but tonight's game is a big one to be sure.  Jon Lester takes the ball, but the current concern is a complete collapse of the offense.  Clay Buchholz wasn't great Saturday, but he could have pitched a 1 \-run complete came and it wouldn't have mattered.  No one is hitting.

No one is hitting!

Adding to the trouble is the fact that when I checked into yesterday's game via my cell phone, I saw a Red Sox pitcher I'd never heard of pitching.  Honestly, just who the hell is Enrique Gonzalez?  I'm sure he's a nice guy, but where did he come from?  Why is he even on the team?

Oh yeah, and why is Kevin Youkilis playing left field?  Why is Nick Green playing the outfield?  Why are the Red Sox putting claims in on Christian Guzman?

Why?  Because of injuries and because the Red Sox did a terrible job in getting ready for the 2009 season.  I'm not suggesting it was a deliberate ploy or laziness, but whatever it was, they made a series of disasterous decisions.  Hind sight being what it is, I'm not saying I saw any of this coming and in fact endorsed many of the moves, but man, what a craptacular off-season it was.

Examples:  John Smoltz - gone, Brad Penny - 5.20 ERA, Tim Wakefield - hurt, Daisuke Matsuzaka - terrible and hurt, Clay Buchholz - ineffective, Nick Green - to quote coach Green, "he is who we thought he was," Jed Lowrie - hurt in 2008 and in 2009 and remains so, Jason Bay - disappearing act, JD Drew - see coach Green, Mike Lowell - hurt and slow, David Ortiz - bad.

Of course no one could have predicted all of this to happen, but relying on Julio Lugo (bad player) and Jed Lowrie (coming of an injury) to be the ones to man the SS position was a mistake.  Mike Lowell was coming off hip surgery and at no time did the Red Sox do anything to create depth except rely on Kevin Youkilis's versitility. JD is a colossal waste of money and he, along with Lugo, should go down as 2 of the biggest blunders Theo Epstein has made.

Bay's drop-off, Matsuzaka's disaster of a season and Ortiz being this bad have all be surprises to me and the fact that neither Penny nor Smoltz have been even ok, is a surprise too.

So here we are, Sunday evening and the Red Sox looking to avoid a sweep.  Things aren't all that bad, the Red Sox do hold a 1 game lead on the wild-card and eventually things change and teams turn it back on.  But certainly this isn't fun and I'm not sure what kind of toll it will take on this team.

Oh, and I'm back from slow motion world (island off of Maine) and yes blmeanie, the lobster was great.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

If I am Joe Girardi, that is what I ask Andy Pettitte to give me tonight.  Six innings and then let the bullpen take care of things. 

I will be interested to see how Girardi manages tonight's game.  I hope he goes all out and uses everything he has to win it.  Yes, there are still 52 games to be played, but this is a biggie.  If the Yankees win they have a 6-1/2 game lead.  Over Boston's final 52 games, they would have to play .125 better than the Yankees.  So, Yankees go and play .600 baseball the rest of the way and Boston has to play .725 baseball.  A 4-1/2 game lead is still pretty nice (It would require the Red Sox to play .087 better than New York for example .587 to .500) but a 6-1/2 game lead is much, much tougher to overcome.

Neither number is impossible to overcome.  After all, the 1964 Phillies blew a 6-1/2 game lead with 12 games to play, but a win tonight would put the Yankees in a very comfortable position.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Judging from reports, Josh Towers is going to be DFA'ed tomorrow to make room for Chad Gaudin.  Now if you look at the Yankees' roster tonight, you will notice that Towers doesn't have a number assigned to him. Now he had to have a number today, but what was it? 

I bet YankeeNumbers.com figures it out, but just in case does anyone know?

UPDATE: Eric at YankeesNumbers.com got the info, Towers wore #28.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Will it be 4-1/2 or 6-1/2?  That is the question for the Yankees as they head into Sunday's game with the Red Sox. 

Saturday's game was obviously great because the Yankees won, but it was also great because of how they won. Sabathia was brilliant, pitching 7-2/3.  That allowed a tired bullpen to rest and therefore they will enter tomorrow with the backend of the pen rested and ready.

Tomorrow night is going to be tough.  Lester is one of the best pitchers in the AL.  But, the Yankees have shown this weekend that they are not messing around.   Sunday is a chance for the Yankees to really knock the Red Sox on their heels, will they do it? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

As this game progressed to the 8th, 9th, 10th, etc., I felt that despite the fact that 50+ games were left on the schedule this would determine the AL East.

Since my team won this game, I am not sure I stand by that.  I know if the Yankees had lost, I would have felt the Red Sox would win the AL East from here.  That didn't happen and the Yankees have momentum on their side.

Joe Torre had the best line about that: momentum is the next day's starting pitcher.  Well, that's CC Sabathia in this case and he needs to give the Yankees some length tomorrow. (today)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees sent Claggett back to the minors today and brought back Ramiro Pena.  Gaudin won't be here until Sunday at which point another roster move will have to be made (Melancon?)

Since we last saw Pena he has hit .250/.346/.379 in 116 AB's at AAA.  That is not good, but he is a whiz with the glove and is certainly faster than Ransom. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Forgot to mention the Yankees traded for Chad Gaudin last night.  This trade costs them the infamous PTBNL and about $100,000 in salary. 

Gaudin's numbers have been awful this year, but one thing that does intrigue me about Gaudin is his striekout rate.  He has struck out a batter per inning this year.  That's impressive and it does show that there is a talented arm somewhere in there.  If someone can figure out how to teach him to control his pitches, you would really have something.

For $100,000 and a PTBNL, it's certainly worth it for the Yankees to try.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well that wasn't pretty, but who cares?  The Yankees have now beaten the Red Sox in 2009!

(Ok, hold the parade.)

Joba was a mess, he could not find the strikezone.  In his defense, he was pitching for the first time in eight days.

Posada made a bonehead play not sliding into home, but he certainly made up for it later.  

But the biggest key to me is the fact that the Red Sox went 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position.  That's a stunning number and it shows you that the Yankees were lucky to escape with an easy game last night.  Ortiz alone left nine runners on.  That won't keep happening and the Yankees are going to have to pitch a lot better than that if they are going to keep winning games this weekend.  

Round 2 tonight at 7pm.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

We just wanted to tell you that we are helping to hasten the end of the English language by twittering away at http://twitter.com/YankeesRedSox. 

We have played around with it a bit so far, but this weekend we should be tweeting up a storm.  Or I should say I will be tweeting up a storm as Andy is back in 19th century Maine.  

Feel free to follow us.  We were up to six followers last week, but five of them turned out to be porn sites....

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

I know what the standings say and I know that even if the Red Sox swept the Yankees this weekend, they would only be 1-1/2 games out of first, but that isn't the point.  The point is this is a series about more than standings.  This is a series where the Yankees get to send a message that they are prepared to compete with Boston. 

They haven't really done that this year. Yes, there were some close games in there, but 0-8 is 0-8.  As Denny Green famously said, "you are what your record says you are."  That means the Yankees are a first place team that can't beat Boston.  

Now, it is true that beating Boston isn't paramount to winning the pennant, but it would make things a heck of a lot easier.  Consider the 0-8 record and then consider what number you think the Yankees should have won in a normal year.  Take that number and double it and you have the amount of games added to their current lead.  For example, if you think the Yankees "should" have gone 2-6 against Boston, then they would have a 6-1/2 game lead right now.  4-4 makes it 10-1/2 games, etc..  

But, that is water under the bridge.  The Yankees have four games now to make a statement.  I would take 2-2 because when you are in first you can afford to run the clock.  2-2 is like a basektball team with the lead running out the clock.  Nobody scores, but time has elapsed.  Obviously, you prefer to see 3-1.  What you don't want, what is unacceptable at this point is 1-3 or <shudder> 0-4.  Those results would create more than problems in the standings, they would lead to a lot of questions about the psyche of this current group.

The rotation is set the way you would want it.  The lineup is clicking, the bullpen is much better than it was in May.  There are no excuses for anything less than 2-2.  Play ball!

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

I write this while watching the top of the 4th in Tampa Bay and Brad Penny has totally let down his team. A night after using every bullpen pitcher, the Red Sox were desperate for a long outing from Penny. Well don't count on it, Penny has given up 4 runs in 3 inning. He's his usual slow self throwing poorly placed, yet very hard, fastball after fastball.

Penny's performance is a clear example that the Red Sox, while improved after the trade deadline, would have been well served getting a starter. I'm not here to throw around hypothetical deals and acquisitons, but rather to call out for help.

Penny - he's been bad. He has mixed in a handful of quality starts; but his inability to go past 5 innings and his high ERA make him a failure thus far.

John Smoltz - has been nothing short of a disaster. Wise veteran or not, he is just bad right now.

Clay Buchholz - a good 2009 debut has been followed by poor outings. With him scheduled to go in the New Yankee Stadium on Saturday, I'm taking the over, for all the wrong reasons.

Regardless of how Penny finishes up tonight, the Red Sox badly need someone to step up and claim the 4th and 5th spots in he rotation. Given their troubled state, don't be surprised to see the Red Sox make a claim or 2 in the coming weeks prior to the waiver trade deadline ala last season's Paul Byrd deal.

Or maybe Daisuke Matsuzaka can help...

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

I know you are all excited that the Yankees have signed Russ Ortiz (ok, maybe not) but what if there was another option?

I read this story about Ian Kennedy throwing off a "mini-mound" and it got me thinking.   What if Kennedy could pitch for the Yankees in September?

Now before you call me crazy, consider these facts.  Kennedy had the exact problem David Cone had in 1996.  He had the surgery performed almost 13-years to the day that Cone did in 1996 by the exact same surgeon.  In 1996, Cone came back and pitched for the Yankees on September 2nd (what a start that was, he didn't allow a hit through seven)

Of course players are different and heal at different rates, but maybe there's a chance?  History would certainly suggest it could happen.  We shall see.   

(BTW- kudos to the Yankees for having a sense of humor.  Tonight's Text Poll is "Depending on his performance tonight, should Sergio Mitre's rotation spot be in jeopardy?"  I hope they give me the home numbers of anyone who texts "no".  I would like to have a talk with those folks.)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, we all know what we have to look forward to tonight, our fourth Sergio Mitre start.  You have to give the Yankees credit for being smart enough to move Mitre's start to tonight and keeping him away from the Red Sox, but it still may create problems.  The Yankees need Mitre to pitch some innings tonight.  At least five and ideally six.  That would prevent them from draining the bullpen going into tomorrow.

I don't know if Mitre is capable of that, but at this point all we can do is hope.  Hope that Brian Cashman has another starter coming to New York soon that is.  

UPDATE 2:30 Pete Abe reporting that Claggett is on his way to Toronto. (Thanks, Mitchell)  He has made some spot starts recently in Scranton, so he will provide good insurance when if Mitre gets rocked.  The question as he points out is what is the 25-man move to clear room for him?  You could DFA Ransom, which makes sense if you are going to bring Pena back soon. I don't think there is a pitcher you want to send down right now so Ransom probably will go. 

UPDATE 4:05 Pete Abe reporting that Ransom has been DFA'ed.  Makes sense and I imagine we will see Pena up here very, very soon.  Pena has 5 games in center for Scranton and he has played second, third and short in the minors and bigs.

UPDATE 8:45 4-1/3 innings 8 hits and 3 runs.  Girardi yanks him after giving up a homer and a single, sandwiched around an out, in the fifth.  The Yankees have to come up with a new idea here.  I say let Aceves go as long as he can tonight and then get him into the rotation next time around.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Some numbers to make Red Sox fans weep:

Jason Bay since June 1st:  .217/.350/.356 in 220 plate appearances with 28 runs, 5 HRs and 25 RBI.  That is really bad and I have to assume his contract situation is wearing on him.  Just sign a 5 year - $15mm deal already...no?  Too cheap?  Slightly team friendly I'll admit, but come on!!!

J.D. Drew since July 1st:  .226/.323/.381 in 96 plate appearances with 16 runs, 2 HRs and 8 RBI.  Much better of late however.

Nick Green since June 1st:  .194/.259/.341 in 145 PAs with 16 runs, 4 HRs and 17 RBI.

Jed Lowrie since his return July 18th:  .188/.250/.344 in 36 PAs.

Now some good news:

David Ortiz clean or otherwise since June 1st:  .270/.345/.569 in 197 PAs with 26 runs, 14 HRs and 43 RBI.

Dustin Pedroia since July 1st:  .342/.383/.550 in 121 PAs with 22 runs, 4 HRs and 11 RBI.

So with that in mind, the Red Sox line-up for tonight's game in Tampa Bay has been posted and Jason Bay is a scratch with a hammy problem, but Drew is back in even though he has also been suffering with a hammy problem.  Bay is making Drew actually look tough.

Here's the whole thing:

Ellsbury - CF

Pedroia - 2b

Martinez - 1b

Youkilis - 3b

Ortiz - DH

Drew - RF

Varitek - C

Reddick - LF

Green - SS

Lester on the mound.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

In my last post, I said that the 2003 test that ultimately generated the list of 104 players was for steroids only.

In reading other articles over the past few days I am now confused as to what exactly the test was...well...testing.  Was it just steroids?  Or was it any drug considered "performance enhancing?"

If anyone can comment and give us a clear, referenced answer, I'd greatly appreciate it.  The main reason I ask is I wonder if a player could argue that his name showed up because he took any number of other non-steroid performance enhancing drugs.

Thanks.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

David “Big Papi” Ortiz has had enough time to gather his thoughts, consult with his agent, his public relations people, his union, his family and those who help him with big decisions.

It’s time for Ortiz to set the record straight.

The best scenario, in my mind, is for Ortiz is to take the approach Andy Pettitte took and face the media in an open forum, explain what happened and what was done.  Granted Pettitte had to alter his story a bit after the fact, but his approach was executed out in the open.  Pettitte apologized, explained his reasoning and since then, his life, compared with other cheaters/deniers, has been mostly manageable.

To be clear, the 2004 MLB test we keep hearing about that yielded 104 “positives” was for 28 different kinds of steroids.  So if a player is on that list, he did steroids, not other PEDs like andro or amphetamines, but steroids.  Here is a nice crib sheet for those keeping track.

No matter what the substance(s) Ortiz took, I just wish he’d come clean and get this issue quickly in the rear-view mirror.  Baseball was and is a great sport, but it has been bogged down with this story.  I can't explain the disappointment I feel over the steroid link to Red Sox players, but it is what it is and I can take some solace in knowing that it was a league-wise problem, not unique to Red Sox players.

I wish the entire list of 104 names gets released just so we can quickly admonish those caught and so the lawyers leaking the names could move onto other destructive actions.  As an aside, isn't it just a matter of time before those attorneys leaking the names get in serious trouble?  If the NYT can publish an article based on information that was illegally released, isn't there some rough water ahead for those lawyers?

Lets hear it David, get it over with and allow us to focus on baseball again...at least until we have a reliable HGH test and we start this whole thing all over again.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

A lot of talk in New York today about which team to root for in the upcoming Rays-Red Sox series.  Some people feel that you root for the Rays to win so the Yankees can stay in first.  Others counter that by saying you root for the Red Sox because you want them to come into New York on a big winning streak (more likely to lose in NYC) and it would bury the Rays.

I am of the opinion that you root for a split.  One game each, but they need to be "special" games.  By special, I mean long, think record-setting games, 30+ innings each.  I want to look in the box scores and see that the winning pitcher one night was Pedroia after going six innings and Longoria got the win the second night after replicating the feat.  That's what I want.

On a more serious note, the Yankees have a tough little series coming up.  You have that pitcher who wasn't traded and is still in Toronto to beat Tuesday and then Sergio Mitre on the mound in a game where it might be easy to look ahead to Thursday on Wednesday.  This is one of those series where I could see the Yankees losing both if they aren't careful.  

Back tomorrow 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

Pete Abe is reporting that Jesus Montero has broken his finger and will be out for the season. 

That one hurts because it puts Montero's 2010 in doubt. Where you might have expected to see him in mid-2010, now I think he might be a September calliup at best. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Today is August 2, 2009, which means it was 30-years ago to the day that Thurman Munson died.  For a young Yankees' fan in New York, it was one the first times he really learned about death and loss.  Thirty years on, the topic is sadly too familiar and the losses sting just as sharply.   

So take a moment today and think of #15.  Think of the orange chest protector, think of the man who was described as "the heart and soul" of the Yankees.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Cody Ransom lives to fight another day as the Yankees have apparently optioned Duncan back to the minors to make room for Hairston. 

This is what drives me nuts about keeping 12 pitchers, you lose a weapon on the bench that could have tremendous value.  A bench of Hairston, Ransom, Duncan, Hinske and Molina would be perfect.  You would have a power bat from the left side and the right side.  A backup catcher, two guys who can play everywhere on the infield and since Hairston has some speed, a decent pinch-runner.  But, the Yankees carry 12 pitchers, so they won't have that power righty bat until September 1st.  I don't really understand why a bullpen with five guys who could throw multiple innings plus Rivera wouldn't be enough, but the Yankees and most of baseball seem to disagree with me. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Isn't it time to give Kei Igawa a shot in the rotation?  Now before you skewer me with insults, I am not saying I prefer to do this, rather I think the Yankees have to do this.

It is clear that Sergio Mitre isn't working.  The Yankees need a fifth starter.  Why not at least try the guy you are paying $4 milion a year to set the career wins record in Scranton.  (I am not kidding, he just did that recently)  Igawa is going to collect $4 million a year from the Yankees through 2011, isn't it time to see if they could get some kind of return for that money?   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)