State of the Yankees

After completing a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon, the New York Yankees now find themselves tied atop the American League East division standings, along with (who else?) the archrival Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees are headed to the West Coast for one last series before the All Star break, where they will take on the always difficult Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (of California of the United States of North America of the former Pangea of Earth of the Universe). Meanwhile, the Red Sox will continue their four-game set versus the Kansas City Royals.

Should be an interesting weekend! What a shame the Yankees can't play the Twins every game.

American League All-Star Selections: Did the Fans Get It Right?

It’s hard to believe, but the Midsummer Classic is less than a week away. All Star selections are in (with the exception of the Final Vote) and I thought it would be interesting to take a look and determine if the deserving players made it.

POSITION PLAYERS

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
(Reserve: Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians)

Mauer and Martinez have comparable offensive statistics. But considering Mauer missed the start of the season and boasts an unbelievable .384 batting average, he deservedly will be behind the plate for the first pitch of the 2009 All Star Game in St. Louis.

Verdict: Good call by the fans


First Base: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
(Reserves: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins; Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox)

Teixeira and Youkilis battled for starting honors until the very end of the voting race. Ironically, though, Justin Morneau is probably the most deserving All Star, as he leads the trio in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera definitely qualifies as a snub, considering his .324 batting average. In fact, one could argue that Cabrera deserves a spot on the team more than Youkilis (and that isn't just because I can’t stand the man).

Take a look:

Miguel Cabrera: .324, 17 HR, 48 RBI
Kevin Youkilis: .291, 14 HR, 47 RBI

Verdict: Wrong. Sorry, Tex, but Minnesota’s M & M Boys deserve to be starting behind the plate and at first base on July 14th.


Second Base: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
(Reserve: Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays)

Reserve Aaron Hill has more hits, more home runs, more runs batted in, and a higher batting average than Pedroia (and so does Robinson Cano, for that matter). Dustin has the superior numbers when it comes to OBP, doubles, and runs scored.

Verdict: Not blatant oversight, but I believe Hill should be the starting second baseman, with Pedroia as the reserve. Considering Pedroia plays for the team with the best record in the American League, though, I really don't have much of a problem with it.


Third Base: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
(Reserve: Michael Young, Texas Rangers)

Brandon Inge’s home run numbers and Scott Rolen’s high batting average notwithstanding, Young and Longoria are the best All Star choices for third base.

Verdict: Tough call. But considering Young has a higher average (.313 vs. .285), more hits, runs, doubles, stolen bases and a slightly higher OBP, I think Young deserves the starting nod over Longoria.



Shortstop: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
(Reserve: Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays)

Jason Bartlett certainly has the edge over Jeter when it comes to batting average (.354 compared to Jeter’s .313). Bartlett also has 2 more RBI. The Yankees captain, however, has more hits, home runs, and runs scored. Both shortstops have 17 stolen bases and are within one double of one another.

Verdict: It’s a toss-up. The vote could have gone either way and I think people would agree the fans were right.


Outfield: Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox; Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
(Reserves: Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays; Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers; Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays)


Josh Hamilton being selected as a starter is a joke; Melky Cabrera deserves a spot on the All Star team more than he does. Besides that error in judgment, I agree with the other two starters. Jason Bay leads all outfielders in home runs and RBI and Ichiro is batting .358 with 119 hits. Carl Crawford has stolen 41 bases and the rest of the reserves have put up some equally impressive numbers, with one exception. Ben Zobrist? I would take Jermaine Dye, Jacoby Ellsbury, Johnny Damon, Juan Rivera and a handful of other outfielders before I would even think of Zobrist.

Verdict: The fans were 2/3 right, and the coaching staff 4/5 correct. Not a bad percentage.


STARTING PITCHERS

Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics; Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox; Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox; Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals; Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays; Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners; Edwin Jackson, Detroit Tigers; Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins; Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox; Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees; Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers; Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox

It’s difficult to sort through the statistics of so many different pitchers. It’s hard to argue with a bullpen consisting of Fuentes, Nathan, Papelbon and Rivera. Zach Greinke (10-4, 2.00 ERA, 120 K) deserves to start for the A.L. squad. Beyond that, I can’t really find any one pitcher who is not worthy of a trip to the Midsummer Classic.

Verdict: The fans don’t have a say when it comes to pitchers!

What are your thoughts?

It's Just a Flesh Wound

According to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com, lovable and reliable ex-Yankee Kyle Farnsworth had a bit of an accident this morning after he was bitten on the hand by one of his two American bulldogs, either Rambo or Strike.

"I think it was Rambo," said Farnsworth. "I don't know. I reached in there and started grabbing dogs and throwing dogs. And one of them got me. One of those things that happens. It's never pretty. I've had to do it a few times and it's ugly."

I'd be more likely to put my money on Strike, as Farnsworth and strikes are often at odds with one another.

Luckily for Kyle, he was bitten on his left hand and the hard-throwing righty shouldn't miss any playing time.

"It hurts a little bit, but no big deal. Just a flesh wound," he said.

Birthday Wishes

I apologize once again for my lack of updates. Expect a lot more posts after this weekend. My summer class ends tomorrow and I will be working with Joe Buck and HBO for the first installment of Joe Buck Live (Monday, June 15th at 9:00 p.m.). After that, I'm all yours!

As for now, on my birthday, there is nothing I would like more than a Yankees victory.

Evaluations

The New York Yankees find themselves all alone in first place through the first 50 games of the season. That is quite astonishing considering the fact that a plague of injuries threatened to derail the team early on.

The Yankees began the season with a three-time MVP on the disabled list as Alex Rodriguez recovered from hip surgery. Xavier Nady, the starting right fielder, was shelved less than a week into the schedule, former ace Chien-Ming Wang was absolutely horrific and landed on the DL himself after three starts, and both set-up men, Bruney and Marte, have spent more time inactive than pitching. And until this past weekend, the Yankees were getting by with their third and fourth-string catchers.

Yet the New York Yankees find themselves atop the division on June 1st, and are in the middle of a streak of well-played ball games, the likes of which we haven’t seen consistently in a few years.

Most Pleasant Surprises

Defense: Following Sunday afternoon’s game, the Yankees tied a M.L. record (’06 Red Sox) with their 17th consecutive errorless game. The infield has combined for only five errors in 863 chances, boasting a .994 fielding percentage.

Chemistry: Whether it’s the postgame pies from Burnett, the Tiger Woods figurine battle for supremacy between Bruney and Gardner, or CC’s NBA playoff suite treat, these 2009 Yankees are a new breed. Add a dash of Swisher nuttiness and a gold-plated WWE belt, and the characters on this team are almost unrecognizable.

Managerial Adjustment: Perhaps Joe Girardi’s Spring Training pool tournament set the tone for the looser clubhouse. Regardless of whether it did or not, Girardi deserves credit for lightening up, being less ornery with the media, and doing a much better job of disclosing the true nature of injuries. My own favorite player in the late 90’s (along with Tino Martinez), I nonetheless was quite unhappy with the job Girardi did last season. He still makes some baffling decisions (especially with the bullpen), but I must give credit where credit is due.


Evaluating the Position Players

Catcher- Jorge Posada:
Jorge spent several weeks on the disabled list, but was very productive before and has picked up where he left off after being activated in Cleveland over the weekend. Jorge looks locked in at the plate.





First Base- Mark Teixeira:
If I were rating the players with a letter grade, April Teixeira would get a D, while Mark in May undoubtedly deserves an A. The insertion of A-Rod behind him in the lineup has done wonders for Tex. Teixeira has also been the biggest difference-maker defensively, having yet to make an error and showing off the kind of range Jason Giambi could only dream of.


Second Base- Robinson Cano:
Cano has gotten off to a great start following a disappointing ’08, both at the plate and in the field. Robbie can once again be considered a premier player, proving last year was just an aberration.





Third Base- Alex Rodriguez:
A-Rod took the first pitch he saw upon being activated from the DL deep off of Jeremy Guthrie. He struggled a bit after that, but has hit quite a few meaningful home runs already (No, really!) and lengthened the lineup considerably. Even more encouraging is the fact that Alex has kept his mouth shut and seems to be genuinely trying his hardest to avoid stirring up more controversy. Let’s just hope that the new and improved A-Rod is here to stay.

Shortstop- Derek Jeter:
Jeter is heating up of late after a relatively slow start. He seems to have rediscovered his power stroke and has also been stealing more and playing a very decent shortstop. Derek has undeniably lost a step as he approaches his 35th birthday, but you’d still be hard-pressed to find a better shortstop in the league, even at this stage of his career.



Left Field- Johnny Damon:
While he has cooled off the past week or so (and happens to be banged-up), Damon has gotten off to an excellent start, capped-off by his walk-off home run against Minnesota last month at the Stadium. Johnny is making a strong case for a return to New York when he becomes a free agent after this season.




Center Field- Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera:
As the everyday starting CF, Gardner was unable to provide enough offense. Up stepped Melky Cabrera, who took the job and ran with it. Melky has been phenomenal to this point. Gardner, as a complimentary player, has done a nice job lately as well. A little center field competition is a good thing.


Right Field- Nick Swisher:
Nick Swisher’s month of April was outstanding; he quite literally carried the offense. His May, however, proved why Girardi chose Xavier Nady as his starting right fielder. Swisher is a career .243 hitter with a propensity for striking out. He is a good enough hitter that he deserves to be more than a bench player, but he’s not quite good enough to play every day. Nady’s injury and Swisher’s increased playing time has exposed his weakness as a ballplayer. With Nady rehabbing in Tampa and not far off, Swisher can return to the role that suits him best.

Designated Hitter- Hideki Matsui:
Matsui is hard to evaluate. He’s been red-hot for a few stretches this season, and he has also looked totally lost at the plate at times. His bad knees have confined him solely to the role of DH, which puts Girardi in a bind. For now, the Yankees ought to ride him while he’s hot and bench him when he’s not, simple as that.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

... Introducing your first place New York Yankees.

Catching Up and Walking Off

Since my last update, the Yankees have been red-hot, winning 10 of their last 11 games, sweeping a four-game set against Minnesota and adding a more conventional three-game sweep of the Orioles at home.

During that streak, the Bombers managed three consecutive walk-off victories from May 15-17th, all against the Twins. Melky Cabrera was the hero Friday night against Joe Nathan. Alex Rodriguez provided the dramatics with a two-run, walk-off homer on Saturday. And Johnny Damon deposited a game-winning home run into the right field seats in the 10th inning on Sunday afternoon. It was the first time the Yankees accomplished three consecutive walk-off victories since 1972. New York got the scoring done early in the final game of the Twins series, scoring 6 runs in the first inning and coming away with a 7-6 victory.


The Orioles came into town Tuesday night and were shut down by CC Sabathia. A pitchers' duel for most of the game, the Yankees scored seven in the seventh to win 9-1. Phil Hughes won his second game of the season the following night, thanks in large part to back-to-back-to-back home runs from Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera. And I was on-hand for the series finale, where the Yankees put up six quick runs and hung on for a 7-4 victory despite losing Joba Chamberlain in the first inning after he was hit in the leg by a line drive off the bat of Adam Jones.


The winning streak finally came to an end at 9 games. Interleague play began Friday against the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies and A.J. Burnett allowed 5 runs en route to a 7-3 loss. Chien-Ming Wang was activated from the disabled list before the game and pitched three innings of relief, allowing a monstrous home run to Raul Ibanez but mostly settling down afterwards and displaying an improved sinker and greater velocity.


Saturday afternoon, the Yankees were back to their winning ways. Having trailed the entire game, they mounted a ninth inning comeback against closer Brad Lidge. Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run, game-tying home run and Melky Cabrera, King of the Walk-Offs, delivered the final blow (and received his second whipped cream pie to the face of the homestand).


The Yankees are playing loose and playing well, and getting contributions up and down the lineup. Mark Teixeira, in particular, has really benefitted from A-Rod's return.

Tomorrow, Cole Hamels and CC Sabathia go for their respective teams, looking to secure a series victory and wrap-up the weekend series with a win.

Center Fielders Steal the Show

Who would have thought that the ejection of hot-hitting Johnny Damon in the 3rd inning of Friday night's game would be exactly what the Yankees needed to stage an improbable comeback against Minnesota?

Brett Gardner was tasked with replacing the red hot Damon and came up big almost instantaneously with an inside-the-park home run to put the Yankees on the board in the 5th. It was the first inside-the-park home run for a Yankee since Ricky Ledee legged one out in 1999.


Phil Hughes departed after 5 laborious (but gutty) innings trailing 3-1. The Yankees were down 4-1 when Derek Jeter delivered a solo shot in the 7th to cut the lead in half.

Cue the 9th inning dramatics.

Brett Gardner got things going once again with a triple to lead off the 9th. It is a testament to Gardner's speed that he was able to make it to 3rd given the fact that he wiped out rounding 1st and still managed to make it with relative ease. Mark Teixeira then stroked a single through the right side of the infield and drove in Gardner, making it 4-3 Minnesota.

Despite home plate umpire Wally Bell's best efforts to ring him up, Alex Rodriguez worked a walk. Twins' closer Joe Nathan proceeded to strike out Hideki Matsui and Justin Morneau (who hit two home runs on his 28th birthday) robbed Nick Swisher of a hit. Ramiro Pena came in to run for A-Rod and the Yankees had runners on second and third with two outs. With first base open, Nathan opted to take his chances with the on-deck batter and intentionally walked Robinson Cano to work to Melky Cabrera. Melky swung at the first pitch and lined a two-run single into left-center field, providing his team with an exciting walk-off victory (the second walk-off hit Melky's delivered already this season).


The Yankees find themselves back over the .500 mark at 18-17 and kept pace with Toronto, remaining 4.5 back in the division. Joba Chamberlain and Nick Blackburn will square off for Saturday's afternoon affair at the Stadium.

***************************

And for those of you interested, there is a really nice story behind Gardner's (unconventional) home run.

Read about it here. (Courtesy of Sean Brennan of the New York Daily News)

I worked an autograph signing with Brett Gardner back in October and can certainly attest to the fact that he is a good guy and easy to root for. I've made no secret of my feelings about Gardner as an everyday player, but that doesn't mean I'm not pulling for the guy!

Successful Road Trip

The Yankees just wrapped a three game series against the surprising Toronto Blue Jays who currently sit atop the American League East standings.

After losing the first game of the series 5-1 to a dominant Roy Halladay (7-1), New York won the next two games to take the series and move to within 4.5 games of first place in the division.

Injuries continue to plague the Yanks, as Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, and Phil Coke all missed significant playing time in the Toronto series.

On Wednesday night, that didn't matter much. Rookies like Brett Gardner, Ramiro Pena, and Francisco Cervelli propelled Andy Pettitte (3-1) and the Yanks to an 8-2 victory. Gardner also picked up his first major league home run in the game, a 2-run shot off Scott Richmond.


Jeter and Matsui were back in the lineup for the series finale, and both contributed to a well-pitched 3-2 Yankees win. CC Sabathia (3-3) threw 8 solid innings and the Yankees staged a late comeback with an RBI single from Jeter to tie the game and a go-ahead solo home run from Matsui in the 8th. Mariano Rivera came in and worked a 1-2-3 inning for his 7th save. Johnny Damon also continued his hot hitting, tying a Yankee record with 10 consecutive games with an extra-base hit (Paul O'Neill and Don Mattingly each managed 10 games, as well).


The Yankees finished up their road trip 4-2 and are back to the .500 mark heading into the next homestand. Alex Rodriguez will play his first game at the New Yankee Stadium Friday night against the Minnesota Twins.

Bad News All Around

The Yankees lost Tuesday's ballgame to the Red Sox.

They are 0-5 versus Boston this season.

They are 13-13, back to the .500 mark.

Jorge Posada was placed on the 15-day DL and is expected to miss at least three weeks.

As of right now, the Yankees disabled list reads like an All Star roster (+ Cody Ransom).

Alex Rodriguez. Xavier Nady. Damaso Marte.











Jorge Posada. Brian Bruney. Chien-Ming Wang.








Mark Teixeira is batting .198.

Injured set-up man Brian Bruney has as many wins (2) as starters CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain COMBINED.

Of the six Yankee relievers used in Tuesday night's ballgame, only one had an ERA under 4.00 (Phil Coke).

The good news for the Yanks?

Umm...

No swine flu outbreak?

Washed Away

After a two hour rain delay, the Yankees dropped the first game of their two-game set against the rival Red Sox.

Phil Hughes labored through four innings, allowing 3 earned runs, including a long homerun by Yankee-killer, Mike Lowell.


The Yankees fought back against Jon Lester, cutting the lead to 4-3 thanks to a two-run shot by Johnny Damon and a solo shot from Teixeira.


Alfredo Aceves, just called up, relieved Hughes and pitched very effectively. Unfortunately, he made one mistake, and it ended up being the Red Sox margin of victory. Jason Bay clanked a two-run shot off the left field foul pole in the 7th inning and the Red Sox took a 6-3 lead.

Mark Teixeira delivered a second solo homerun in the 8th, prompting Terry Francona to go to his closer for a rare 5-out save. Jonathan Papelbon came in and made things interesting, loading the bases in the bottom of the 9th before striking out Robinson Cano and securing the 6-4 Boston victory.

The Yankees are 0-4 against the Red Sox thus far. What is even more alarming is that Jorge Posada left the game with a tight hamstring. Last season provided the Yankees with their first bitter taste of life without Posada; let's hope this is just a minor setback and that Jorge will be back behind the plate within a few days.



Josh Beckett and Joba Chamberlain finish up the series tonight at the Stadium.

Quick Hits

Sorry for the lack of updates lately- Final exams have kept me busy recently.

Since my last update:

- The Yankees were swept by the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

- Chien-Ming Wang, Brian Bruney, Cody Ransom, AND Damaso Marte were all placed on the disabled list.

- Mark Melancon made his highly-anticipated M.L. debut.

- The Yankees reduced ticket prices at the new Stadium.

- The Bronx Bombers played a three game series in Detroit, winning 2 out of 3.

- Phil Hughes was called-up from the minors and pitched beautifully, tossing six scoreless innings and notching his first big league victory since the 2007 postseason.


- Melky Cabrera officially (for the time being, at least) regained the starting center field role, pushing Brett Gardner to the bench. Melky has come up huge recently. As of today, Cabrera is batting .321 to Gardner's .222. He's got 4 homeruns (0 for Gardner), 10 RBI (versus Brett's 4), and Melky has even managed 2 stolen bases.

- Who's hot? Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher
- Who's not? Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez

- The Yankees finished-up a rain-shortened series against the pesky Angels, taking 2 of 3 at the Stadium. I was at the series opener and am happy to say that the new place finally sounded like Yankee Stadium ought to. That might have something to do with my location; it was my first game in the grandstand seats with the real fans. May rolled around and with it came an exciting walk-off victory. Behind by 5 runs in the 8th, the Yankees rallied and won the game with a walk-off, two-run single courtesy of Jorge Posada. The Yanks lost the final game of the series.


- The bullpen remains a serious concern.

- Xavier Nady hopes to be back by the end of the month thanks to an innovative procedure, detailed here by Peter Abraham of The Journal News.

- Alex Rodriguez is progressing with his rehab and could be back with the team by the end of the week. Of course, no A-Rod update is complete without some controversy. Selena Roberts' "A-Rod" expose is hitting bookshelves today after a number of excerpts were leaked. I, for one, am sick of this story already, and it's only just begun.

- And as if all that weren't enough, the Red Sox are in town for their first taste of the New Yankee Stadium. Let's just hope the weather holds up and the Yankees have a sweep of their own in them!

Just My Imagination

As far as I'm concerned, the first Yankees/Red Sox series of the season never happened.

That is all.

Big Papi = Big Hypocrite

Joba Chamberlain is not a popular man in Massachusetts. And there is no love lost between the young Yankee hurler and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.





Yesterday, David Ortiz decided to weigh-in on the topic.

In response to the Joba vs. Youkilis feud, Ortiz said:

"None of that, man — just play the game the way it's supposed to be, and that's about it."

"This is a guy, as good as he is, the next step for him will be to earn respect from everybody in the league. He's not a bad guy, but when things like that happen, people get the wrong idea."

Now, I actually quite like David Ortiz as a person. But this is ridiculous. Hello, Ortiz, do you recall a longtime teammate of yours by the name of Pedro Martinez? No? Well, let me refresh your memory.

Once upon a time, Pedro Martinez pitched for the Boston Red Sox and was regarded as one of the most notorious headhunters of his era. Pedro enjoyed mango trees, long walks on the beach, and sending Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano to the hospital.

Ancient history, you say? Fair point.

Well, then, let me take you back to just two weeks ago. Josh Beckett- you know him, right?- was suspended 6 games for throwing at the head of (ex-Yankee) Bobby Abreu.

Remember that?

OK, David, just one more thing. Since you joined the Red Sox in 2003, more Yankee batters have been hit by Red Sox pitchers, your own teammates, than the other way around. That is an inarguable fact.

So, if you'd be so kind,

Shut your hypocritical mouth, Big Papi.