YankeesRedSox.com

It's tough to remember as you go through the season, but I bet 16 games ago, you would be happy to have the Yankees where they are now. 9-7 though the tough 20-game stretch. This allows them to finish the stretch 2-2 and still come out over .500.

(Now, to be honest, 2-2 would leave me wanting more. I want a win tomorrow and a win in the Red Sox series, nothing less than that.)

The other thing to remember is that Seattle is going to start facing some very tough competition. Three@ LA, One@Cleveland, 3@Toronto and then the big one, 3@ the Stadium. And, when they finish that stretch they still have 11 games left with Cleveland, LA and Detroit.

So, despite the tough losses, bad play and general malaise I feel tonight, things are ok. Tomorrow morning we will wake up and the Yankees will either be 2 or 3 games out of the wild card. Not wonderful, but considering the whole picture, not terrible.

********

One last note, I am off on a family trip for the next week, but hopefully I will be able to check in with some updates along the way.

Don't forget the "second" trading deadline is Friday, if Moose gets bombed, I would bet a veteran starter shows up courtesy of Brian Cashman.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

The papers are full of speculation that Mike Mussina will be replaced in the starting rotation after Monday if he gets shelled again. Now, I am not going to attempt to defend Mussina's pitching recently, he has stunk, and if you look at some splits things get a little more frightening. Consider the top and bottom halves of the league in terms of runs scored. Against the teams in the top half, Mussina has a 6.39 ERA against the bottom half it is 4.42.

The fact that he pitches worse against the best teams is not a shock, but the fact that he is only league-average against the lower half is a cause for concern. It is obvious to anyone that watches him, that Mussina has lost his fastball, but the stats suggest that he isn't really fooling anyone. So, the Yankees are right to think about replacing him in the rotation, the problem is, who do you put in his place?

Right off the top, cross Joba off your list. His inning cap of 130 makes it impossible (more on that later) and since putting him back in the rotation would bump the risk of an injury, the Yankees would never do it.

And that's the big problem, there really isn't a candidate in the system you can get excited about. Matt DeSalvo didn't exactly dazzle in his time in the Bronx, so would you want him back? Likewise with Kei Igawa and Jeff Karstens. Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright are currently in AA ball. Ian Kennedy also has an innings cap and while I don't know exactly what the figure is, he has thrown 140 innings already this year.

So, that leaves you with probably one candidate, Steven White. White has pitched reasonably well at AAA (3.50 ERA in 79 innings) and he is following his pattern of reaching a level, struggling and then doing well there the following year. He only has 46K's which is a cause for concern, but those numbers have improved lately. But, despite that, do you really want to insert him into a pennant race over Mike Mussina? After Monday they may not have a choice, but for now it is a hard question to answer.

********

Last night's game was typical Pettitte, he has always been the "stopper" for this staff. It is one of the reasons everyone was glad to see him back and an ingredient this staff has lacked since he left. I would bet almost anything right now that Joe Torre starts him in Game Two of the playoffs if they make it.

Despite the win, I have to admit I was upset with seeing Joba in the eighth. Yes, I enjoyed the theatre of the Guerrerro-Chamberlain at bat (if you missed that you missed a great showdown and the sight of Guerrero almost crushing an 100-mph fastball, but fouling it back. As Ted Williams used to say, I bet he smelled the wood burning on that one) and I understand there are no "refunds" on the Joba plan. If he doesn't pitch Wednesday, it doesn't mean he can pitch back-to-back games Friday and Saturday. But, the Yankees have said they want him to only pitch 130 innings this year. Last night's game brings him to 96. That means he has 34 left over the final 35 games which following the Joba Rules should work, but why are they using him and Mo in that game? I can see one, but not both and isn't that the perfect situation for a Farnsworth appearance?

Anyway, that is about all I can grumble about and that is a good thing. Now the Yankees need to get back on track against a slumping Tigers team without Gary Sheffield.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

You have to love the way the Yankees responded to losing three-straight and dropping the first game of the Tigers series. They rediscovered their bats and their starting pitching, while not spectacular, got the job done. Even better, the bullpen and the bench are becoming big strengths.

Don't underestimate the pitching performances this weekend. Yes, Clemens and Wang struggled, but Detroit is a great offensive team. Six innings and three runs or less is something you will take every time when facing that offense. And, the bullpen was simply awesome. Mo looked great, same with (cough...cough) Farnsworth and Joba and Edwar are simply electric.

Add it all up and the first half of the 20-game crunch shows the Yankees have gone 7-3. Since 11 wins was the initial goal, things look good, but the degree fo dificulty is ramping up a lot. Three in Anaheim and then four in Detroit before three against Boston. So, a lot of potholes remain in the road, but this team looks ready for them.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees just gave a guy with less than 100 innings of college ball and an arm in need of surgery $4.5 million and a major league contract. Have they gone insane?

It is certainly easy to say they have, after all, that is a lot of money, but on second glance, this is all part of the plan that Brian Cashman has been developing with good results so far. Basically, the Yankees are going to use their considerable financial advantages to get high-ceiling players in the draft. Player who some of the other teams will avoid because of the costs involved with signing them. So, the Yankees drafted Brackman, a 6'10" flamethrower that scouts loved because they could afford him. In fact, they spent somewhere around 10$ million when all is said and done on their first fifteen picks in the draft.

That's a lot of money, but it is still just one season of Carl Pavano (Actually, when you factor luxury tax in, it is less than a season of Carl) and that is how we have to look at these things now. Developing young pitchers has become the mantra of the organization and by aiming for the high-risk/high reward type of player you sometimes hit the lottery. (Remember, last season Joba Chamberlain scared away a lot of teams because of cost and arm problems.)

I am not sure what will happen with Brackman. If he indeed has surgery, which seems likely, we won't see him in the Bronx until 2010 at the earliest in my mind. But, besides Brackman there are a lot of interesting names out there, a couple of catchers, Ryan Pope who has thrown 19 innings at Staten Island already and Damon Sublett who has five home runs there in 175 AB's. What seems fair to say is that some of the 2007 draft picks will work out and because the Yankees went for talent regardless of cost, some of those picks should work out quite well.

I think it will take another year or two, but a Yankees' minor league system teeming with prospects seems to be attainable. If the team is indeed ready to look inside first before signing the big free agent, the rest of baseball better watch out.

*******
Tonight's lineup
Damon- LF
Jeter- SS
Abreu-RF
A-Rod-3B
Matsui-DH
Posada-C
Giambi-1B
Cano-2B
Cabrera-CF

I love Torre putting Giambi at first against the very tought Verlander and I imagine it is also a way of playing him before facing the lefty tomorrow night.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

That game certainly took you from the lows to the highs to the lows. The utter futility of the Yankees' offense for eight innings, punctuated by a great home run and then Mo looking lost. As Mitchell said in a comment on a previous post "ugh".

But, there were some very positive signs. Duncan has to be considered in the first base mix anytime a lefty is pitching and Ramirez showed that wicked changeup very well in 2+ innings. I know it is hard to lose a series to Baltimore, but since the All-Star break they are 18-13, definitely a team on the rise.

Now comes a huge test, four against the Tigers. Detroit has a great offense and we will learn a lot about the Yankees' pitching staff the next four days.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sean Henn and Edwar Ramirez have been recalled from Columbus with Karstens sent down and Brower DFA'ed.

After last night's debacle, it was clear that Karstens wasn't ready to pitch in the bigs again and Brower was still lousy. Getting rid of them is a plus. Henn probably becomes the longman in the pen right now and that leaves the question of what role does Ramriez fill?

Based on his 40 innings of work in Scranton where he struck out 69 with a 0.90 ERA, he should be in the mix for the late innings. But, in his first stint with the Yankees he pitched twice in three days and then was left to rot for two weeks. When he finally got into a game, he was destroyed by Tampa. Why Joe didn't use him more is hard to understand, but that is going to have to change now.

With the "Joba Rules" stating that Chamberlain never pitches on consecutive days (Joe said yesterday that is "set in stone") there are a lot of bullpen innings that need to be filled. On days when the Yankees need someone to pitch in the seventh and Chamberlain isn't available, it will have to be Ramirez unless the team suddenly decides to trust Farnsworth (not recommending that) Vizcaino can pitch the 8th and Rivera the 9th in that scenario.

The real key to this bullpen remains the same, getting rid of Farnsworth. The New York Post reported that he went got through waivers (no surprise there) so he can be traded at any point. Yes, the Yankees might have to eat some money, but unlike the Igawa situation (BTW- the Yankees pulled him back yesterday) Farnsworth is hurting the team while Igawa is stashed in the minors. Cashman needs to hold his nose, admit his mistake and make the best deal he can. Then, get Chris Britton or Russ Ohlendorf up to the Bronx to fill his spot. Then you have Henn and Villone as your long guys, Vizcanio and Joba for the 8th and Ramirez and Britton or Ohlendorf for the 7th and 8th as needed. The Yankees need more flexibility in the bullpen and getting rid of Farnsworth would provide them with that.

Of course, Ramirez has to prove he can pitch here as well. That is still an unknown, but we will never find out unless Joe starts using him.

Back after the game.

UPDATE: Brower has been optioned back to Scranton because he agreed to an option when he signed with the Yankees. I guess he is insurance in Scranton, but I hope Britton is the next guy called up if they need someone.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Phil Rizzuto died today at 89. While I was much too young to ever have seen him play, Scooter was the voice of the Yankees when I was growing up. Whether it was talking about cannolis, or complaining about traffic on the GW, Rizzuto always was entertaining. From Seinfeld to Meat Loaf, his famous "Holy Cow" became know to millions outside of New York. I only hope they got a chance to hear the real thing, it was a treat.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Six games into the critical stretch of the season and the Yankees are 5-1. They are now 15 games above .500 and tied for the wild card. Oh yes, they are only four games in back of the Red Sox, but it is still silly to talk about that because the math while better is still ugly. (Red Sox play at current clip of .600 Yankees have to go 31-14 to tie. My advice, focus on the wild card).

As positive as things look right now, in some ways a stricter test is coming up Monday. Cleveland ran out two bad pitchers against the New York lineup, Baltimore won't do that. Jermey Guthrie and Erik Bedard have ERA's of 3.22 and 3.11. Daniel Cabrera, while sporting a 5.14 ERA for the year, still has managed 122 K's and has electric, if erratic stuff.

This will be very interesting to watch and while many would look at the schedule and expect an easy series, I wouldn't do that. Things are good right now and it will be interesting to see if the incredible offense continues against two very good pitchers.

*******
The news that Kei Igawa has been claimed by San Diego and could be traded to them has prompted a lot of cheers in the Bronx. After all, with all the young pitching, why do we need Igawa?

Count me in among the crowd that doesn't want to see Igawa pitching in a Yankees' uniform anytime soon, but you simply can't give him away. The Yankees spent $46 million on him and $26 of that is a sunk cost. No team is going to eat that big a chunk of money without something to show for it. Whatever team gets Igawa will have the next 4+ years to try and fix him and only have to pay $4-million in the process. As much as I want him gone, I would rather let him try and get things back together in AAA instead of giving him away for a song.

*******

One thing that the Yankees have to do is resolve the Farnsworth situation. Yesterday, Joe Torre had the following options for the 8th inning: Vizcaino, Rivera, Farnsworth and Villone. Chamberlain was out because he had pitched two innings Friday. (The Joba rules state that he gets the same number of days off as innings pitched, so two innings of use=two days off) Brower was with his wife who just gave birth. Karstens is being saved to start tomorrow, which means four guys were left and Joe trusts two of them. Protecting Chamberlain is vital, but it would be easier to do if the Yankees had someone else to pitch the seventh or eighth. Obviously, Kyle is never going to be that guy again in Joe's eyes, so get someone who could possibly fill that role.

********

Last but no least, as good as the offense has been, Andy Phillips is not pulling his weight in the lineup, if they won't let Giambi or Damon play first, how about unchaining Shelley Duncan from the bench? The guy has five home runs in 35 AB's, shouldn't we see some more of him?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Would a sweep have been nice? Absolutely, it would have, but let's not get too upset by the drubbing the Yankees took last night. Yes, losing that badly is never fun and when Kyle Farnsworth is the night's most effective pitcher, you have really stunk it up, but the fact remains the Yankees won the series. That's really all you can ask for.

As an added bonus, Cleveland and Detroit lost. Yes, Seattle won, but the Mariners are playing over the head (expected winning percentage right now is 56-55) and I don't see them in the mix at the end of the year. No, I think this race boils down to the Yankees, Tigers and Cleveland fighting it out for two playoff spots. (Note, despite any worries in Boston, I just don't see the Red Sox losing seven more games than the Yankees over the final 48. Not to say it can't happen, but I wouldn't put any money on it)

If you want to handicap the race, I think you have to give a slight edge to Detroit. Of the three squads, they have the most home games, (28 out of 49) and play the easiest schedule (opponenets have a .503 winning percentage). The Indians will be on the road a lot (27 of their remaining 48 games) and also have opponents with a .503 winning percentage. As for the Yankees, they have 25 of their last 48 on the road and face a .511 winning percentage. The big thing in the Yankees' favor is that Detroit and Cleveland faceoff eight more times. Ideally, you want one of the teams to take six of those eight.

But, as Tim pointed out in the comments section, this is the key stretch for New York. From now until the end of August the Yankees play @Cleveland three times, Baltimore three, Detroit four, @Anaheim three, @Detroit four and then host Boston for three. 20 games over 21 days that will most likely determine the fate of the season. If the Yankees can get through this stretch at .500 or above, they should be in great position to feast on a September schedule that is much easier.

Phil Hughes starts it off tomorrow night in Cleveland.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Tonight's lineup is as follows:

Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Posada C
Matsui LF
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Betemit 3B
Phillips 1B

Should be interesting to see the pitching duel between Wang and Halliday.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)