Monthly Archives: August 2008

Yanks got a bad case of the blues this morning.  Nothing to do but hope for the best while we wait to hear word on Joba Chamberlain’s shoulder.  And iffin it gets real dark fuh ya, make like Jimmie and bust a yodel.

A lot happened in last night’s game between the Yankees and Rangers in Arlington, but the most significant came in the fifth inning. Joba Chamberlain entered the fifth with a 4-2 lead having thrown 67 pitches, struck out four, and walked just one. The two runs he allowed came in the previous inning, when David Murphy homered on a hanging slider following a walk to Marlon Byrd. The home run was one of six in the game, all of which went to right field or right-center on a hot Texas night on which the wind was blowing in over left field and out over right. Murphy’s home run was also the first Chamberlain had allowed in four starts, and just the second he’d allowed in ten turns.

Rangers third baseman Ramon Vazquez singled on Chamberlain’s first pitch of the fifth inning. Ian Kinsler then worked the count full. Chamberlain’s 3-2 pitch was a slider low and away. Kinsler checked his swing and drilled the pitch straight down into the dirt in front of home plate. The ball bounced once, then rolled forward just enough to enter fair territory. Ivan Rodriguez pounced on the ball and fired it to second base, where Robinson Cano turned an apparent double play.

Kinsler didn’t run the ball out, but he had a good reason. On it’s once bounce, the ball had hit him in the left thigh while he still had part of his left foot in the batters box. Thus, instead of a double play, the ball was ruled foul. Chamberlain’s next pitch was a fastball in the dirt that walked Kinsler and, after Gerald Laird lined out into the wind in left, Michael Young hit a three-run homer to right give the Rangers a 5-4 lead and make them the first major league team ever to score more than three runs off Joba Chamberlain in a single game, and the first team ever to hit multiple home runs off Chamberlain in his major league career.

That wasn’t the most significant event of the fifth inning, however. Rather, after a subsequent strikeout of Josh Hamilton and a single by Marlon Byrd, Chamberlain was removed from the game with what has thus far only been identified as a stiff right shoulder.

The sight of the Yankees’ young ace rubbing his shoulder during a mound conference with his manager and team trainer Steve Donahue likely sent many Yankee fans into a panic. Thus far all we know is what Chamberlain and Girardi said after the game.

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Coming out of the All-Star break, it wasn’t really clear where the Yankees stood in the American League’s big picture. After they reeled off eight-straight wins, passing the A’s and Twins and closing in on Boston in the Wild Card standings, it became clear; the Yankees were in the playoff hunt, something confirmed by Brian Cashman’s acquisition of reinforcements for the outfield, bullpen, and catcher positions.

That winning streak was snapped in the final game of the Yankees’ series in Boston and was followed by a 1-2 series loss at home against the Orioles, a let down that one could see coming a mile away. However, when the Yankees’ record on that homestand fell to 1-4 after they dropped their next two games to the Angels, one began to wonder just how much fight this team had in it after all. The answer was a lot.

Given the fact that the Angels have the best record in baseball and are much better on the road than they are at home, the fact that the Yankees were able to pull out a split against them says a lot. Even more encouraging is the fact that they achieved that split with the help of a late-game comeback in the series finale that was keyed by one of Cashman’s reinforcements, Xavier Nady, who hit a two-RBI double in the sixth with the Yanks trailing 5-1 and a three run homer in the seventh with the Yanks trailing 5-4. Nady has since been named AL co-player of the week (with Kansas City’s Mike Aviles).

Tossing out that let-down series against the O’s, the Yankees are 10-2 since the All-Star break against two division leaders (the Angels and Twins) the Wild Card leader (Boston), and a fourth team that was ahead of them in the standings entering their series (Oakland).

Now things get hard. Tonight in Texas, where temperatures are in the triple-digits, the Yankees begin a ten-game road trip against those same two division leaders and the Rangers, who trail the Yankees by four games in the Wild Card standings. The length of this series in Texas? Four games.

At the end of June, the Rangers arrived in the Bronx with the majors’ best offense and worst pitching and won the first two games of a three-game set by a total score of 5-3. We’re unlikely to see those sorts of low-scoring affairs this week. The Rangers, who still have the best offense and worst pitching in the majors, score more than a run per game more at home than on the road and allow more than a half a run more in the Texas heat than elsewhere. The average score of a game at the Ballpark In Arlington this year has been 6.25-6.23 Rangers.

This should be an interesting test for tonight’s starter Joba Chamberlain, who has never allowed more than three runs in any of his 50 major league appearances as a starter or reliever. Joba’s worst start since shedding his artificial pitch limits came against the Rangers on July 1 at the Stadium. In that game, Joba lasted just four innings, threw 91 pitches, and walked four (though he also struck out six and only allowed two runs).

That was the game that Ian Kinsler won in the ninth inning by leading off that frame with a double off Mariano Rivera with the score tied 2-2, stealing third, and scoring on a subsequent single. The return of injured catcher Gerald Laird (.314/.367/.467) and the emergence of first baseman Chris Davis (.295/.333/.656 with 11 homers in 33 games) have made the Rangers’ offense more dangerous since then, but a recent quad strain has put Milton Bradley on the bench and could force him to the DL for the first time this season, thus undermining those gains.

The Rangers’ pitching staff is only dangerous to the Rangers. Sidney Ponson still has the best ERA of any pitcher to make nine or more starts for the Rangers this year, even with his Yankee stats included. Of the 13 pitchers to start for the Rangers this year, six are currently on the DL, and that doesn’t include Brandon McCarthy or John Rheinecker, both of whom started for the team last year but haven’t thrown a regular season pitch in 2008. Given all of that, it’s the faintest of praise to call Vicente Padilla, who opposes Chamberlain tonight, the Rangers’ ace, but that’s what he’s been this year. His one DL stint (for a sore neck) coincided with the All-Star break. He leads the team in starts, innings, strikeouts, wins, starters ERA (non-Ponson division), and is the only Rangers starter to have thrown a shutout this year. Still, he has a below-average 4.52 ERA and an ugly 1.44 WHIP to go with a similarly unattractive 1.71 K/BB and 1.34 HR/9. Padilla pitched a good game against the Yankees the last time he faced them, but that was back in May 2006.

Robinson Cano, who has been nursing a sore left hand, returns to the lineup tonight, though there’s been no definitive word on the availability of Mariano Rivera, who experienced some back spasms up around his shoulder blades. Yesterday’s hero, Nady, switches spots in the lineup with Cano. Justin Christian, who also had a big impact in yesterday’s comeback win, starts in center over Melky Cabrera (.250/.273/.313 since the break and .201/.255/.274 since June 8); Christian is 6 for 20 (.300) with a pair of doubles and a pair of walks in his six previous major league starts. Also, Jason Giambi, having hit .182/.329/.273 since July 3, has shaved off his mustache. Given the temperature in Arlington, I’d say that’s good timing.

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At the end of June the Mets acquired Trot Nixon. (Not primarily because, as Michael Kay would have you believe, they needed Nixon’s “tough” and “gritty” presence in the locker room, but because Moises Alou is as old as God and much more easily injured). I noted this transaction with a “huh, makes sense” – the signing cost them nothing, couldn’t hurt – and then I was immediately surprised by my own calm. Because, man… did I ever used to hate Trot Nixon.

I mean I hated him. Back when he was on the Red Sox, just about every time he came to the plate I’d feel compelled to point out to a roommate or friend just how much I disliked the man. He was one of a whole bunch of similarly squat, goateed white guys on the Sox back then – Varitek, Mueller, Millar – and I loathed all of them.

The thing is, watching Trot Nixon’s first game with the Mets, I couldn’t for the life of me remember why, specifically, I’d reserved such vitriol for the guy. What the hell did Trot Nixon ever do to piss me off so much? I know I used to have reasons — I would happily expound on them at the drop of a hat — but now I can’t remember even a single one. Probably he said something catty about A-Rod once.

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Once again, it wasn’t pretty, but it worked.

Hard to imagine the Angels booting their way out of a victory, but there you go. Justin Christian played a key role for the Yanks and so did Xavier Nady with his six RBI. Pudge Rodriguez homered and had another big base hit as well. Bobby Abreu made glaring mistake on the bases but made up for it at the plate. Man, hard to figure Edwar Ramirez getting the win when all he did was give up a grand slam.

Hey…We’ll take it.

14-9.  Thrills and spills in the Bronx as the Yanks out-Angel the Angels.

Meanwhile…FARMADOOOKE!

John Lackey is a hump. Just a tough guy to deal with. On the field that is. Dude is as competitive as he is ugly too. He goes against the Yankees today as New York strives to split the four-game series against the Angels. A split would be a wonderful way to end the weekend. But Lackey is a hump, man. Darrell Rasner, who pitched well in his last outing, goes for the Yanks.

It’s a beautiful, sunny day in the Bronx.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees.

It poured this morning at 10:30.  It stopped but an hour later it came down again, harder this time.  But it stopped again and the old timer’s got to play for a couple of minutes before the Fox Game of the Week began.  It was an impressive Old Timer’s Day with seventy-two former players on hand, including first time guys like Rock Raines, Rickey Henderson, Don Baylor and Boomer Wells.  Joe Pepitone was in the piece.  Moose Skowron and Oscar Gambler were there.  Even Willie showed-up.  The only one who was missing was Bernie (when are they going to patch things up already?).  

I covered the event for SI.com.  Here is the story.   

The sun was beaming when Jared Weaver struck out the first four men he faced in the real game.  The Yankees botched a double play that led to two quick runs, and it looked like another Halo Beat Down.  But Xavier Nady reached base with a two-out single in the second and Wilson Betemit homered to tie the game.  Yes, that Wilson Betemit.  Weaver gave up three more dingers–solo shots to Bobby Abreu, Jose Molina and Alex Rodriguez.  It was 8-2 Yankees when all was said and done.

Mike Mussina was brilliant allowing just a couple of hits and a couple of walks over seven innings of work.  He retired the last sixteen men he faced.  Good enough for his 14th win of what is fast becoming one of his finest seasons. 

In all, a near perfect day in the Bronx for the Yanks.

Happy Old Timer’s Day everyone.

Coming off a brutal start in Boston, Sidney Ponson didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning of last night’s tilt against the Angels. In fact, the only baserunner he allowed in the first four frames came on a rare walk to Howie Kendrick, who never got past first base.

Garret Anderson got the Halos’ first safety with a leadoff single up the middle to lead off the fifth. After Kendrick flied out to right, Ponson loaded the bases with walks to Juan Rivera and Jeff Mathis, but got out of the inning by getting Chone Figgins to pop out and Maicer Izturis to fly out to Johnny Damon in left. That was the only threat the Angels mounted in Ponson’s seven innings of work. Mark Teixeira led off the sixth with the Angels’ second single of the game, but Ponson got Vlad Guerrero to hit into a double play and retired the next four men in order.

With Ponson at 96 pitches, Joe Girardi decided to count his blessings and call on his bullpen. Though he had only allowed two hits, Ponson had walked four, thrown just half of his pitches for strikes, struck out just one, and been helped considerably by a variety of nice defensive plays, including a leaping stab of a screaming line drive over his head by first baseman Wilson Betemit, a couple of nice jump catches at the wall by Bobby Abreu (yes, really), and a fantastic running catch heading back toward dead center by Melky Cabrera.

No runs on two hits through seven innings is good no matter how one gets there, but as well as Ponson pitched, Angels starter Ervin Santana was better. Allowing just five singles through eight shutout innings (there were no extra base hits in the entire game), Santana struck out eight Yankees and walked just two.

Damaso Marte matched Santana’s eighth inning in relief of Ponson with a dominant frame in which he threw ten of 15 pitches for strikes and struck out two of the three men he faced, all of them hitting right-handed. That passed the game on to Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning.

Much has been made of Rivera’s “struggles” in non-save situations this season, but that’s only in relation to his total dominance in pursuit of saves. Entering last night’s game, Rivera had a 2.70 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP with 24 Ks against 2 walks in 20 innings in non-save situations, which is about as good as you could expect even the Great Rivera to be no matter the situation. That said, Mo couldn’t keep things going last night. Rivera started the ninth by walking Mark Teixeira on five pitches. Vlad Guerrero then went with a pitch low and away, flicking it into right field to move pinch-runner Reggie Willits to third base. Rivera then got ahead of Torii Hunter 1-2, but after ball two, Hunter singled past an attempted kick save by Rivera to plate the first run of the game and give the Angels a 1-0 lead. Without having gotten an out, Rivera had blown the game, and he still had runners on first and second.

Mo then struck out Garret Anderson and got Howie Kendrick to ground into a double play to give the Yankees some hope of getting to Francisco Rodriguez in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t to be. Facing Alex Rodriguez to start the frame, the Angels’ closer got strike one with a wicked slider that Alex swung over. He then came down and in with a couple of fastballs for balls, and Alex spat on another slider for ball three. The 3-1 pitch came right down the pike, drawing a hearty swing from Alex, only to dive into the dirt at the last second, a wicked slider reminiscent of Joba Chamberlain’s best. Then, on 3-2, Frankie threw Alex a changeup. Thinking it was another slider, Alex took it, but the ball didn’t break. Instead it nicked the outside corner for ball three. Alex had no chance. Jason Giambi followed by just getting under Francisco’s worst pitch of the night and skying out to center. Rodriguez then got Robinson Cano to fly out on a 2-1 pitch to end the game, 1-0.

Great baseball game. Awful loss.

Don’t look now, but as a result of last night’s action, the Twins have slipped past the Yankees for second place in the Wild Card chase, and they still haven’t called up rehabbing lefty ace Francisco Liriano, who’s been dominating triple-A for a while now. Having lost four of their last five, the Yankees really need to get back on the ball. Sure, they scored six runs last night, but four of them came after the game was out of reach, and three came in the ninth inning which was pitched by Darrens Oliver and O’Day rather than Francisco Rodriguez.

Tonight, the Yankees will have to do better to compensate for their starting pitcher, Sidney Ponson. The Yankees are 4-1 in Ponson’s starts, but only one of those wins came in a game in which the Bombers scored less than nine runs. Sir Sidney’s ERA since joining the team is 6.08, and he’s walked as many as he’s struck out (12 of each in 26 2/3 innings). A bad outing today could force the Yankees contemplate their alternatives.

Phil Hughes was just activated off the DL and optioned down to low-A Charleston. He’ll pitch his way back up the system without the rehab clock ticking. Alfredo Aceves allowed four runs in five innings in his last start for triple-A Scranton and is still stretching himself out following a groin injury which coincided with his promotion from double-A. That leaves Ian Kennedy, who continues to pitch well for Scranton. In his last three starts, Kennedy has posted this line: 20 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 14 K. Joe Girardi said that Kennedy would have to pitch his way back up after coming off the DL. I’d say he’s done that.

Getting back to tonight’s game, having scored just three runs off the Angels’ fifth starter last night, the Yankees now have to contend with Ervin Santana. Santana emerged as a young starter with a lot of potential in 2005 at the age of 22. He started to deliver on that potential in 2006, but last year was a lost year for him. Sporting a 6.22 ERA and a 5-11 record in July 17, Santana was farmed out for reeducation. After returning, he was much improved (4.50 ERA, 39 K in 40 IP, 3 HR), but still inconsistent. This year, he seemed to be putting it all together at age 25, boasting a 3.01 ERA and an 8-2 Record on June 8, but in eight starts since then he’s been back to his old inconsistent ways: 4.53 ERA and a team record of 4-4 in his games. He’s striking out more than a man an inning, but that’s the only thing that he does reliably.

Santana last faced the Yankees during the lost portion of his 2007 season, and was accordingly lit up (3 IP, 9 R), so there’s no real history to go on here (his two starts against them in 2006 are both ancient history and were middling performances that resulted in wins). One thing’s for sure, the Yankees need a win, and they need to light up the scoreboard for that to happen with Ponson on the hill.

Unfortunately, Xavier Nady is out of the lineup with a sore right quad. That puts Johnny Damon in left, Jason Giambi at DH and, with the groundballing Ponson on the mound and a righty going for the Angels, Wilson Betemit at first base.

Having thrown 3 2/3 innings last night Chris Britton is headed back to Scranton (surprise!) and Brian Bruney, as initially expected, is up to fill the final bullpen spot. In seven rehab appearances for Scranton, Bruney posted a 3.29 ERA. He struck out 15 in 13 2/3 innings and allowed no home runs but also walked 11.

Who would have thought that the Yankees would ever have a catcher named Pudge? For those who remember the rivalry between Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson, that would have been blasphemy. Yet, it almost happened in 1984, when the Yankees worked out a multi-player deal that sent Don Baylor to the White Sox for Fisk. With all of the pieces in place, Baylor invoked his no-trade clause, canceling the deal.

Twenty-four years later, Pudge has finally arrived in the Bronx, but in the form of Ivan Rodriguez. Now that a few hours have passed since Brian Cashman’s trade for I-Rod came to reality, I haven’t changed my mind about it. It’s an absolute steal, with the Yankees acquiring a quality all-around catcher at a time when such a commodity is difficult to find. When I think of Rodriguez, I have flashbacks to the late Thurman Munson. First and foremost, they both were (or are) supreme defensive catchers who move well, block pitches, and throw out baserunners with alacrity (Munson with the quick sidearm release, Pudge with the power overhand delivery). Munson was the better handler of pitchers; Rodriguez, especially during his days in Texas, has tended to call for too many fastballs as an aid in throwing out baserunners. Offensively, they’re very similar players. Rodriguez is a line-drive hitter with a terrific opposite-field stroke; Munson hit with an exceedingly similar style. Neither made a living drawing walks or hitting with considerable power (except for 1999, when I-Rod hit 35 home runs), which is why they tend to be underrated by Sabermetric types. They’re the kinds of players you appreciate the more you see them, putting the ball in play, running the bases well, and controlling the area around the plate defensively.

None of this is meant to indicate that the 36-year-old Rodriguez is in his prime. He isn’t. His home run totals have fallen off every year since he hit 19 in 2004, he no longer has a rocket launcher for an arm (let’s call it a cannon now), and can no longer catch 130-plus games. None of that matters. He’s still Jose Molina’s equal defensively (with superior mobility making up for Molina’s stronger arm) and is light years better than Molina with a bat in hand. His on-base percentage is 60 points better than Molina’s and his slugging number is more than 100 points better. Given that the cost was only Kyle Farnsworth, who never made anyone feel entirely comfortable in the eighth inning, this ranks as another in a continuing series of heists by Cashman…

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Xavier Nady has an interesting face–square jaw and a long, pointy nose.  There’s a call on him, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.  This is best I can come up with so far:

Nady also has an interesting family history.  Dig this 2006 piece from Ben Shpigel in the Times.