Around The Horn

Whenever a Yankee pitcher records a punch out, Jorge Posada throws the baseball around the horn where it reaches some pretty legendary hands. That baseball hits the leather owned by Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira, otherwise known as possibly the greatest infield in baseball history.

The members of this infield have already accomplished some impressive feats: Jeter and Cano are the first double-play combination to both record 200 hits, Alex Rodriguez recorded his 12th straight season with 30+ HRs and 100+ RBIs, that's a record in itself, and Mark Teixeira is already notching switch-hitting records. Each of these are pretty amazing in themselves, however it's the combination of the three that separates this infield from those of years past.

Sure you could make the case for Murderer's Row, the Big Red Machine or even the 2008 Florida Marlins (who each hit at least 25 HRs), but none come anywhere close to the power that is the 2009 Yankees infield. A-Rod and Captain clutch are both first-ballot Hall of Famers, and Teix and Robbie could theoretically join them. All four have/are putting up incredible numbers in their career and I doubt I need to go into much detail there. If you add in the great defense of all of them (and the World Series ring they could possibly receive this season) it puts them over the top as the greatest of all time.

Personally, I wonder if Jorge, Jose, or even Francisco Cervelli ever thinks about who he's tossing to when he throws around the horn.

How Good Is Jesus Montero?

Earlier today, EJ Fagan wrote a story on just how good Jesus Montero is. I'd like to add to that by showing you the minor league statistics of two catchers:

Player A:

G: 257

PA: 1071

BA: .325

H: 318

2B: 65

HR: 37

RBI: 176

OBP: .379

SLG: .509

OPS: .888

Player B:

G: 285

PA: 1210

BA: .330

H: 350

2B: 62

HR: 9

RBI: 169

OBP: .407

SLG: .426

OPS: .807

Now I know what you're probably thinking: these players are almost equal. Player A seems to hit more for power and player B hits a little more for average, but they're almost the same. Well guess what. Player A is Jesus Montero, and player B is none other than MVP-to-be Joe Mauer. (Keep in mind these are the career minor league stats for both players).

Yes, in fact, Jesus Montero has outhit the great Joe Mauer. Despite playing in 28 less games and notching 141 less plate appearances, Montero has a whopping 28 more HRs than more, he's driven in 8 more runs, hit 1 more double, and his OPS is .081 points higher than Mauers. Now that's pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

The Johan Santana Trade Revisited

On February 2nd, 2008, the Minnesota Twins traded LHP Johan Santana to the New York Mets for four prospects. All seemed right with the world after it: the Mets, a year after they blew a historic lead to the Phillies, acquired one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in Santana and everyone thought they were primed for the post-season.

The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry (both teams considered front-runners for Santana at different times) didn't dramatically shift in one direction since neither team nabbed Johan.

Plus the Twins felt that they got some very good prospects in return for their ace pitcher.

Oh how we were wrong. Let's play this thing out with the winners and losers as they stand today in 2009:

Winners:

New York Mets:

The Mets acquire Johan Santana and then immediately signed him to a 6-year, $137.5mm contract, the largest contract for any pitcher at the time. This would prove to be a great move as Santana went 16-7 with a 2.53 ERA and 206 K's in 234.1 IP. He would finnish 2nd in the NL Cy Young voting to Tim Lincecum of the Giants. This year he's been good as well pitching to the tune of 3.13 ERA, .01 higher than that of his career. However, due to injuries to other players and bad offense surrounding Santana, the Mets failed to reach the postseason in 2008 and it looks as though the same ending will result here in 2009.

New York Yankees:

By not trading for Santana, Yankees' GM Brian Cashman was bashed by the New York media. However, the move not to trade for the ace lefty has to proved to have been possibly the best move of Cashman's career; Due to the prospects he didn't give up at the time.

The Yankees top offer was Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Jeffery Marquez, Ian Kennedy and Jhonny Nunez.

By not making the deal, the Yankees spun those prospects around for great things. Now the Yankees have C.C. Sabathia/Mark Teixiera in place of Johan Santana (they wouldn't of been able to sign all three), Melky Cabrera has been playing a good centerfield and is having a solid bounce-back season, Phil Hughes is finally realizing his potential as a dominate set-up man, and Marquez and Nunez were both traded to the White Sox for Nick Swisher, the Yankees powerful right fielder. All has worked out extremely well for the Yankees.

Boston Red Sox:

While Brian Cashman's move not to deal for Santana was good, Red Sox GM Theo Epstien's may have been even better. The Red Sox top offer looked like this: Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Michael Bowden.

By not trading for Santana, they now have an dominate pitcher in Lester, one of the best base-stealers in the game in Ellsbury, Lowrie's a below-average shortstop, and Bowden has huge potential (despite a terrible performance against the Yankees on Friday.

Losers:

Minnesota Twins:

Yes it's true, the Twins, the team that dealt Santana are our one-and-only losers in this deal. They held out on Santana for too long and wound up taking the worst package on the table. Carlos Gomez, despite playing terrific defense and having amazing speed, never gets a chance to show off that speed because he never gets on base. His OBP his barely over .300 while his BA is constantly in the low to mid .200s.

The Twins recently released Phillip Humber so he's a dud. Mulvey has pitched a little in the majors and hasn't been that bad and Deolis Guerra is ranked as the Twins #12 prospect.

However, what's even worse is what the Twins didn't trade for: both the Red Sox and the Yankees had great offers on the table but the Twins kept asking for more.

With the Yankees, the Twins kept asking for Phil Hughes AND Joba Chamberlain, even though the Yankees stated clearly that Joba was off-limits.

With the Red Sox it was even worse, the Twins were asking for Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, AND Jacoby Ellsbury. The Red Sox were never going to do it. Plus the Twins just should've asked for Lester and Ellsbury, both of whom were much better better than Buchholz.

Bottom line, the Twins messed up and the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox all capitalized...big time!

Yanks Should Sign El Duque

I know I already have proposed this idea before, but I still believe that the Yankees should sign Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. Despite getting released by the Texas Rangers earlier this year because he "didn't show enough velocity or command," I believe he could still pitch in the big leagues. It seems to me that he could benefit from a Bronx return like many players have in the past.

However, the bottom line is this: the Yankees could use another starter, El Duque's a free agent, and he's a proven winner. He pitches extremely well in the postseason which the Yankees could use if he proves effective over the regular season. In his career, El Duque is 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 106.0 innings. The Yankees could use him as their 4th starter and put Joba in the 'pen with Phil Hughes (an idea I've already pitched before). If you do that, you don't have to limit Joba's innings as much in the regular season.

Yankees Outfield Off-Season Plan

After the news came that there was mutual agreement from Johnny Damon and the Yankees for resigning after the season, it made me think what they could do with their outfield after the season. Here's how it ideally works out in my mind:

1. Yankees outfield has openings

After the Yankees let Hideki Matsui walk to Japan after the season and Johnny Damon going to free agency, it will leave their outfield weak offensively (no Yankee fan wants to see a Melky/Gardner, Austin Jackson, Nick Swisher offense). They will probably look to sign a free agent.

2. Rays let Crawford go

With Carl Crawford set to become a free agent and Desmond Jennings waiting in the wings as the heir to the stolen base throne, it appears as though Tampa Bay will not pick up Crawford's $10MM option for 2010. So with Crawford set to become a free agent and the opening in the Yankees outfield, it makes for a perfect storm (just like Joe Mauer in 2011).

3. Yankees sign Damon, Crawford

The Yankees make a big splash in free agency signing Johnny Damon and Carl Crawford. They get Damon for two more years and $18mm and then nab Crawford for a 5-year, $64mm contract. The Yankees also resign Xavier Nady for the bench.

4. Giardi: "Were not ready for Ajax yet"

Joe Girardi tells the media at Crawford's press conference that the Yankees will not call up Austin Jackson. This causes multiple Yankee writers to start complaining about Girardi at which point Cashman reassures them "were sticking with Joe." Hank Stienbrenner (who breaks free from the stranglehold that the Yankees PR has on him) complains that "Ajax will start."

5. Spring Training Starts

Spring Training in Tampa starts with Ajax and Melky duking it out for the starting centerfield job which Ajax wins.

6. Regular Season

The regular season begins and the Yankees roster looks like this (the Yankees have accepted the fact that Damon is now a power hitter and turn him into the 5th place hitter and DH):

Lineup:

1. Carl Crawford LF

2. Derek Jeter SS

3. Mark Teixeira 1B

4. Alex Rodriguez 3B

5. Johnny Damon DH

6. Robinson Cano 2B

7. Jorge Posada C

8. Nick Swisher RF

9. Austin Jackson CF

Bench:

Francisco Cervelli

Xavier Nady

Melky Cabrera

Ramiro Pena

Rotation:

1. CC Sabathia

2. A.J. Burnett

3. Justin Duchscherer (the Yankees will sign him or another pitcher if Pettitte retires)

4. Joba Chamberlain

5. Phil Hughes (or Zach McAllister or Aceves if Hughes stays in the 'pen)

Bullpen:

1. Phil Coke-Lefty Specialist

2. Huston Street-Set-up Man

3. Brian Bruney-Reliever

4. Aceves/Hughes/McAllister/Melancon

5. David "K-Rob" Robertson-Reliever

6. Mariano Rivera-Closer

*A note: The Nady/Marte trade hasn't worked out that well. Both are pretty much out for the season while Jose Tabata is raking and Jeff Kartasens and Ross Oldendorf have both been pitching very well (Ross would've been a nice 5th starter).

Pat Venditte On E:60

Venditte's one-of-a-kind. I really hope he gets to the majors and that the Yankees don't trade him for some mediocre player.

Yankees Sign 3 Draft Picks

The Yankees have signed their 1st, 2nd and 5th round draft picks today according to Jim Callis and Keith Law.

1st Round Pick: Slade Heathcott

The Yankees signed their 27th pick overall for $2.2MM, that's about $1.9MM over the recommended amount. Heathcott will play as an outfielder in proball and is a legitimate 5-tool player.

2nd Round Pick: JR Murphy

Murphy joins in a long line of Yankees catching prospects (J. Montero, F. Cervelli, G. Sanchez, A. Romine) after signing for probably 7 figures. Murhpy was an outfielder but converted to catcher due to athleticism.

5th Round Pick: Caleb Cotham

The Yankees signed the righty out of Vanderbilt for $675,000. That's just $5,000 short of the most in the 5th round and 4 times the recommended amount. Cotham was bothered by a sore knee in the Spring, but didn't allow an earned run in the Cape Cod league and threw 91-94 with his fastball.

What More Could You Ask For?

What more could you ask for from this series so far. On Thursday, the Yankees and Red Sox slugged it out in a 13-6 Yankee win. The two teams combined 19 runs, 26 hits, and 6 home runs.

However, the story was much different on Friday as fans (that watched all 15 innings) witnessed quite possibly the greatest pitched game in Red Sox-Yankees history as the two teams held each other scoreless until the bottom of the 15th. At that point, the only pitcher left in the Boston bullpen was rookie pitcher Junichi Tazawa who had never before pitched in the majors. So that, combined with the fact that Alex Rodriguez was overdue for a home run (he hadn't it one in a career-high 70+ ABs) set the stage for a 2-run walk-off home run by A-Rod who had been booed early in that game.

So what's next? What could they possibly do to build on these first two games. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking no-hitter? They've certainly come close: remember August 29th and 30th 2007? Plus it's not out of the question with CC on the mound.

Papi Was A No-Brainer

For years Yankee fans were tormented by those of the Sox for all the pinstriped players using PEDs. But no longer must we just look back at them blank-slated, for now we have a comeback. His name: David Ortiz.

When the Minnesota Twins released Ortiz after the 2002 season, they did so knowing that they were giving up an average player. However, he was no where near the level that he was at when he arrived in Boston. "Big Papi" hit 58 homers combined with the Twins over 6 seasons. That's only 4 more home runs than he hit in the 2006 season alone. Ortiz never drove in more than 75 runs in the Twin Cities, but has accomplished that feat in every single season in Boston and had driven in more than 100 runs in everyone until last year when he "only" knocked in 89. His SLG%, which always hovered below .500, rose up to the mid .600s on the BoSox.

It really was no secret that something happened when he changed cities and it definitely wasn't the stadium. Before joining the Red Sox, Papi was a terrible 1-for-23 at Fenway with only 2 RBIs and no home runs since 2001.

At this point, it was pretty apparent that Ortiz was probably taking PEDs, but the way he talked about them, he made some people think otherwise. David was one the biggest voices against steroids in baseball that you would've never thought he would have been taking them himself. However, that has now turned him into one of the largest hypocrites to ever play baseball (unless Wade Boggs turns up on a list as well).

The only thing that remains is for Papi to admit it, something he has yet to do. And if he doesn't, that'll mean just another thing that A-Rod has surpassed him in.

Yanks Primed For The Postseason

Now while the challenge remains of actually getting to the postseason, the look ahead to it looks extremely promising.

The Yankees will only need 3 or 4 pitchers. They could go with a rotation of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. That's a team that would strike fear into the hearts of any opposing manager. Plus, if they were to acquire an arm today or tomorrow like Jarrod Washburn (no news on him at the moment), they could slide him in there as well.

Now what this also does, it allows the Yankees to put Joba back in the bullpen where you would have Hughes, Joba, and Rivera to end the game. That's quite possibly the most dominant bullpen the Yankees have ever had in the postseason. Think what it would mean. The starters would only have to go six innings, at which point you could bring in Hughes, then Joba, and finish it off with the greatest closer in postseason history. Plus, with the starters only having to go six, it gives them rest for when they'll have to pitch more.

You combine that with one of the best offenses in the majors, you got yourself a World Series champion.

Gardner Breaks Thumb; Heads To DL

After sliding hard into second base yesterday, Brett Gardner came up looking fine. However, he wasn't, but he even hit a triple and made two great catches. However, after the game he told Girardi it was bothering him so after some x-rays, they discovered that he had a broken thumb.

Gardner was hitting for average and led all rookies in stolen bases. The Yankees will call up Jonathan Albaladejo to take his place, but the Yankees will need to call-up another outfielder later. However, that outfielder will not be top prospect Austin Jackson as Joe Girardi pointed out.

Yanks Looking Down

As the title says the Yankees are looking Down (at Scott Downs and the Red Sox). With a growing 2 1/2 game lead in the AL East, the Yankees have been scouting Toronto's LHP Scott Downs.

According to numerous sources, the Yankees have had scouts in Toronto monitoring Downs, not Roy Halladay like most teams.

Downs is one of the most under-appreciated relievers in all of baseball and is posting a 2.08 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 30.1 IP.

A Look Ahead: Catchers

In part three of "A Look Ahead" we look at catchers. In case you missed them, heres part one where we looked at pitchers and here's part two where the focus was on infielders.

Catchers:

The possible need(s): Back-up catcher

The options: Francisco Cervelli, Jose Molina, Ramon Castro, Gregg Zaun, Bengie Molina (unlikely)

The Yankees are going to need a back-up catcher next year. With Jorge Posada getting older, they're going to need that catcher even more.

The two most likely candidates are Jose Molina and Francisco Cervelli. The way Cervelli played this year, I think he'll get the nod over the aging Molina. While Molina still is one of the better defensive catchers in the league, Cervelli is exceptional behind the dish and brings more to the table hitting-wise. Plus, he's bubbling with energy and all the Yankees pitchers seem to love him, especially CC Sabathia (and you know the Yanks want to keep him happy).

However, if they don't want to pursue one of those options, they could turn to a veteren such as Gregg Zaun or Ramon Castro. Castro is the better hitting of the two, but Zaun could help bring up the young pitchers (something that Jorge Posada hasn't done that great a job at).

However, in the end I think the Yanks will just give the job to Cervelli, after all, the front office loves him.

A Look Ahead: Infielders

Part 2 of "A Look Ahead." Today we look at infielders:

The possible need(s): Utility Man

The options: Eric Hinske, Cody Ransom, Ramiro Pena, Mark DeRosa, Felipe Lopez, Bobby Crosby, Marco Scutaro, John McDonald.

As proven by recent teams that reached the World Series (Boston in '07, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia in '08), a good bench is a key to success. The Yankees have already improved their bench dramatically this year with the acquisition of Eric Hinske and could make it even better this offseason.

They could retain the services of Hinske and Ransom (they don't have to worry about Pena) and then have the three of them duke it out in Spring Training with probably two of them making it to the big league club.

Another option would be to sign a free agent. The best looking name out there is that of Mark DeRosa. DeRosa is the definition of a utility man. He can play all four infield spots as well as the outfield. You combine that with a .300 BA and 20 HRs, you have yourself the best benchwarmer in the league. However, there are a couple of things going against DeRosa landing in the Bronx. In the past, he has expressed an interest in starting, something he was able to do in Cleveland. However, he would not be able to start in the Bronx (unless an outfield spot opened up. More about that later). A lot of other teams will be interested as well so the Yankees would have to out bid about 15 other teams, which they've managed to do plenty of times in the past.

They could also go after one of the other names out there. Lopez and Scutaro are certainly very attractive options. Or they could look at Bobby Crosby (remember his name was floated out there in trade rumors when A-Rod went down). Bottom line, Yanks have plenty of nice options when it comes to a utility man (or too).

A Look Ahead: Pitchers

With the season passed the halfway point now, the needs of teams become apparent. Now most contenders look to the MLB Trade Deadline on July 31st to solve there needs, but I'd like to give you a look ahead to the off-season. Please note that these forecasts could change depending on trades made by the Yankees or other clubs.

Starting Pitching:

The options: Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer, Rich Harden, John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Jason Marquis, Brett Myers, Brad Penny, Andy Pettitte, Joel Pineiro, Jarrod Washburn, Roy Halladay.

All of the pitchers above are viable options for the Yankees. The club will have 1 or (barring a Chien-Ming Wang comeback) 2 open spots in their rotation. Andy Pettitte sort of holds one of those spots as he would probably receive a contract offer if he doesn't retire at the end of the year. If Chien-Ming Wang (or a Yankee prospect like Zach McAllister) can pitch effectively, they could also receive a spot. However, I would expect there to be at least one open spot for the Yankees to bring in another starter.

The most likely candidates would seem to be Duchscherer, Marquis, or Washburn, but don't rule out the others. The Yankees are already scouting the A's as they look at Duchscherer and Matt Holliday (more about him later) for a possible trade. He seems a good candidate as he's young and can keep the ball down and in the park. The deciding factor will be if he can remain healthy or not.

I think Marquis would be a good pickup, however, I'm not sure the Yankees will pull the trigger. He's more of a fly ball pitcher, which doesn't go well in the new stadium. Plus something tells me they're more likely to go after some of the bigger names.

Next up is Washburn. At 35, Washburn might be a bit old, but he's also putting up some terrific numbers in Seattle. His 2.87 ERA is no joke, and if the M's don't trade him this summer, he could wind up in the Bronx.

Some of the other big names on the list the Yankees could avoid for other reasons. Josh Beckett could be a free agent, but the Red Sox will most likely lock him up. Same goes for John Lackey and the Halos. It's a little different with Rich Harden and Erik Bedard, both of which you would never feel comfortable giving a large contract do to their poor health histories. Cliff Lee's Cy Young season is probably well behind him and I don't think Brad Penny or Brett Myers's personalities would fit in the Bronx.

The one other name on the list is Cardinals pitcher Joel Pineiro. After a tough start to the season, Pineiro has really rebounded nicely. He's a sinker-ball pitcher, which could bode well in the Bronx Bomb-Zone and I think the Yanks could make a run for him.

Finally Roy Halladay. I'm kind of tired of rumors about him but basically, I don't think the Jays will be trading him to the Bronx any time soon.

Relief Pitching:

The options: Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Fernando Rodney, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde, Billy Wagner, Chad Qualls, Huston Street, Dannys Baez.

The Yanks would love to have any of these pitchers on their roster. If they were able to sign one of them, they could send them to the 8th inning and move Phil Hughes back into the starting role.

They could sign a LHP like Wagner or Gonzalez to replace the unfortunate Damaso Marte. Or they could acquire someone like Chad Qualls or Huston Street through a trade. If young guys like Hughes, Robertson, and Melancon step up then they could stick with them.

The Yankees really have a lot of options when it comes to the bullpen this offseason.

Shelley Second in Triple-A Derby

Shelley Duncan came in second in today's Triple-A Home Run Derby:

Shelley came in second to Chad Huffman of the hometown Portland Beavers......Kevin Tracy, a local high school student, actually made it to the semi-finals after blasting 8 home runs in the first round.....Shelley got robbed by the umpire in the final round when he called a home run foul. The catcher, pitcher, fans, and of course Shelley all thought the ball was fair......I also learned the hard way that he doesn't like to sign autographs and is very intense during the game.

Could the Yankees Make a Call to the Doc?

Today, Ken Rosenthal reported that Blue Jays G.M. J.P. Richardi will listen to offers for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. If Halladay reaches the market, he would definitely be the best pitcher available. Rosenthal also noted that the Yankees could make a bid for him using a package of young players, one that could include Phil Hughes, a minor-league catcher like Austin Romine, and a 3rd prospect.

I think this deal would be a great move for the Yankees. If you dealt Hughes, you could move Joba into the 8th inning and once again have a bridge to Mo Rivera (so much for the Bruney plan). This would free up a spot in the rotation where you could plug in Halladay. Imagine what the Yankees pitching would look like: You have two Cy Young winners in Roy Halladay and CC Sabathia. Then you have the nastiest pitcher in the majors in A.J. Burnett. If Wang can return to his former self than you have the best 4th in the majors (if not, you could move a Zach McCallister into the rotation in his place and deal him for prospects). And Andy Pettitte can still pitch as evidence by his team-leading 8 wins.

The bullpen would also benefit with that move. By putting Joba back in, you end teams hopes when losing after seven. Plus, if Bruney can regain his form you can end the game after the 6th inning. Imagine how many wins that would save for pitchers that get taken out early.

Now losing a guy like Romine (they should definitely deal him over Jesus) would be a blow to the organization, but it wouldn't leave them empty-handed as they already have an abundance of catchers in Montero, Cervelli, and newly-drafted J.R. Murphy.

I don't know who the Blue Jays would ask as a third prospect, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be Jesus Montero or Zach McCallister. Maybe they'll take a lower down guy such as Melky Mesa. Or maybe they'll pick a guy to fill a hole like Ramiro Pena or Ed Nunez (they're losing Marco Scutaro soon).

The last scenario is probably the one the Yankees hope for: what if the Blue Jays wanted Chien-Ming Wang? Then the Yanks could deal him, Romine, and I'd say Melky Mesa. Then they could keep Hughes in the bullpen or switch him with Joba. We'll see how the Yankees play this one.

But no matter what they do, they really should try to get the Doc.

Should-Be All-Stars

With the 2009 All-Star teams set to be announced on Sunday, here's a look at who I feel deserves to start the contest:

American League:

First Base:

1. Justin Morneau MIN

2. Mark Teixeira NYY

3. Carlos Pena TB

Second Base:

1. Ian Kinsler TEX

2. Dustin Pedroia BOS

3. Robinson Cano NYY

Third Base:

1. Evan Longoria TB

2. Scott Rolen TOR

3. Alex Rodriguez NYY

Shortstop:

1. Derek Jeter NYY

2. Jason Bartlett TB

3. Elvis Andrus TEX

Outfield:

1. Jason Bay BOS

2. Torii Hunter LAA

3. Ichiro Suzuki SEA

(NOT Josh Hamilton)

Pitcher:

1. Zach Grienke KC

2. Roy Halladay TOR

3. Edwin Jackson DET

National League:

First Base:

1. Albert Pujols STL

2. Adrian Gonzalez SD

3. Prince Fielder MIL

Second Base:

1. Chase Utley PHI

2. Orlando Hudson LAD

3. Dan Uggla FLA

Third Base:

1. David Wright NYM

2. Chipper Jones ATL

3. Ryan Zimmerman WSH

Shortstop:

1. Hanley Ramirez FLA

2. J.J. Hardy MIL

3. Jack Wilson PIT

Outfield:

1. Ryan Braun MIL

2. Raul Ibanez PHI

3. Justin Upton ARI

Pitcher:

1. Tim Lincecum SF

2. Dan Haren ARI

3. Matt Cain SF

FSN Nick Swisher's a Reliever Now?

I didn't know the Yankees dealt him...and that he became a pitcher.

Yanks Acquire Hinske

Some news out of NY, the Yankees have acquired infielder/outfielder/Mark DeRosa-like player Eric Hinske from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash and to minor league players.

Hinske, hit .255 with 18 runs, 9 doubles, 1 HR and 11 RBIs in 54 games (13 in right, 6 at first, 3 at third, and 29 pinch-hit appearances. He also played on the 2008 AL Champion Rays, the 2006 and (World Series-winning) 2007 Red Sox, and the 2002-2006 Blue Jays.

He will report to Yankee Stadium which means a roster move will be made for his return. I would think that either Ramiro Pena or Brett Tomko will be sent down or designated for assignment to clear up room.

The Yankees sent over RHP Casey Erickson and OF/C Eric Fryer to the Pirates along with cash for Hinske. The Yankees traded LHP Chase Wright for Fryer earlier this year.

Yanks Win Bidding For Dominican Catcher

According to George A. King III of the New York Post, the Yankees have agreed to terms with Dominican catching prospect Gary Sanchez. Sanchez, 16, isn't able to sign with a major league team until the international signing period begins on July 2nd. Until then, no deal can be made final. That being said, Sanchez expressed a lot of interest of joining the Yanks and has agreed to a deal which includes a $2.5MM signing bonus. 

Sanchez is not expected to hit as well as, fellow international-signing catcher, Jesus Montero, however he is more adapt defensively. 

The other international prospect the Yanks are viewing is infielder Miguel Angel Sano who has drawn interest from multiple teams. He will be tougher to sign due to the inflation of competition, but it all depends on how much desire the Yankees have for the young shortstop. After all, they have still not found a decent replacement for when the captain hangs up his pinstripes. 

Other Notes:

Despite having sent a scout to watch him, the Yankees show no interest in signing, former Red Sox and Met pitcher, Pedro Martinez. Martinez has been working out for scouts in the dominican republic, but, according to his agent, seeks a deal worth at least $2MM. The Yankees would only be interested if he would be willing to accept a minor-league deal......Yanks' first round pick in this years draft, Slade Heathcott, was with the team the during the Nationals series and took BP while wearing a full uniform. He has yet to sign.....Possible 2010 draft No. 1 pick and S.I. coverboy, Bryce Harper will play for the Yankees this summer against the Red Sox (no not like that). Harper, 16, was one of many players picked for the Yankees to play a Red Sox high school team. Both clubs will choose various high school prospects, put them in uniform, and pin them against each other in Fenway. Harper has expressed a lot of interest in joining the Yankees in the future, listing "Playing in pinstripes" as one of his goals in Sports Illustrated.

Bruney Activated; Yanks DFA Veras

Before the news, a quick little update: I apologize for having not posted in a while. I had a lot on my plate. 

But now onto the real news:

You never really want to claim that one player could determine the fate of your club's season, but that's pretty much what Brian Bruney is to the Yankees. If he stays healthy, the bridge from Startersville to Motown (and I don't mean Detroit) could be renamed from its previous name of "Verascokeandeveryfifthdaysabathia Bridge" to "Brian Bruney." That would go a long way towards pushing the Yankees to a very strong run deep into the postseason. 

Today, the first step was taken as Bruney was activated from the disabled list. However, I praise the Yankees for the second part of that move more than the first. For in order to clear up roster space, the Yankees had to DFA RP Jose Veras, a move that was the entire 2009 season in the making.

Veras struggled with his command all season long so it seemed like he was the obvious choice for the boot. The other possible candidates were RHPs David Robertson and Brett Tomko. 

Robertson has put up very nice numbers this season and has been probably the most reliable reliever for Joe Girardi. Tomko had good numbers, although his last outing quickly inflated those, and gives the Yanks a lot of versatility in the pen.

In the end, I'm sure that Veras will get picked up by a club in desperate search of relief pitching (like the Nationals who the Yankees kick off a series with in a little over half an hour from now, wouldn't that be interesting if Veras pitched against the Yanks in this series). He's a flamethrower who's still only 28 and could be very attractive to said teams. However, the Yankees got rid of another Kyle Farnsworth-type pitcher in favor of a dominant setup man so it's still a win for them.

Bruney Activated

Despite the results of a YES Network Quiz (bottom right of the page), Brian Bruney is probably the most important person for the Yankees to get back. There starting rotation can live without Chien-Ming Wang (although he'll be back shortly according to RAB's Chad Jennings) and the Yanks have proven that they're offense is strong enough to absorb the loss of Jorge Posada (who will also be returning soon as he got some running in today). They're bullpen however, has struggled mightily without Brian Bruney. The only really reliable arm out there this year has been that of Phil Coke. The rest have been extremely inconsistent. It'll be nice to get a strong arm to bridge Mariano Rivera. 

The Yankees sent down RHP Edwar Ramirez to clear up roster space for Bruney. Ramirez, 28, has a 5.19 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 17.1 IP. He has been criticized mostly for his poor command. Already this season, he's dealt 15 free passes and 6 home runs.

3 Games; 3 Walk-Offs

You could not ask for a more exciting weekend. The Yankees have played three games of this four game series against the Twins and have had walk-off wins in each of them.

Friday: MIN 4-5 NYY

Hero(es): Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner

Things were looking bleak for the Yankees when Johnny Damon was tossed by HP Umpire Wally Bell. The strike zone was very frustrating for Yankees hitters and it reached its climax when in Johnny Damon's 2 at-bats, he struck out twice looking, both on questionable calls. You could say that Minnesota's loss was all Johnny Damon's fault as his ejection gave way to Brett Gardner. Gardner, who earlier this year lost the starting CF job to Melky Cabrera (stay tuned), went on to go 3-for-3 in that game with his biggest hit being an inside-the-park-home run. Gardner blooped Twins' starter Francisco Liriano's pitch down the LF line and once Denard Span overran it, you knew Gardner would be racing around the bases. 

Well that made the score 4-2 Twins, but it would be Gardner again who sparked the Yankees rally as he led off the 9th inning with a triple and then was driven in quickly by Mark Teixiera to make it a one run game. Well after the Twins got 2 more outs and the Yanks added a baserunner, Joe Nathan intentionally walked Robinson Cano to load the bases up for Melky Cabrera. Well the Melk-Man delivered and on the first pitch he saw, blooped a 2-run, walk-off single to end the game.

Saturday: MIN 4-6 NYY

Hero(es): Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera

Everywhere around baseball, writers are saying that the person who would benefit most from A-Rod returning to the Yankee lineup would be Mark Teixeira. Well that became very obvious on Saturday as Teixiera went 4-for-4, drove in the Yankees first 4 runs, and ended up a triple shy of the cycle. He raised his batting average over 30 points. In the end however, it would be the higher-paid star that would end the game. In the bottom of the 11th inning, after Mark Teixeira drew a lead-off walk, Alex Rodriguez belted a 2-run, walk-off home run to win the game for the Yankees. It was just A-Rod's second game at the New Yankee Stadium.

Sunday: MIN 2-3 NYY

Hero(es): Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira

What started out as a pitchers dual, this game saw some great defense throughout. After A.J. Burnett loaded the bases with nobody out, the Yankees brought in RHP Jonathan Albaladejo to try to work out of the jam. Well facing Denard Span, he threw a fastball down and in and Span hit a sharp grounder to first. However, Mark Teixeira showcased his defensive abilities as he made a great diving stop, but then (as he was pretty much lying down) made a good through to catcher Kevin Cash to record the second out. The Yankees would get out of the jam and then would also get out of a similar one the following inning. 

That meant that in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning when Nick Swisher lined a base hit, the Yankees would pinch-run Brett Gardner. After a Melky Cabrera sac-bunt (the 3rd one of the game after the Yanks had just 8 the rest of the season) Francisco Cervelli hit one back up the middle. But this is when the Twins' great defense struck. The ball hit off of the Twins' lefty as Gardner was approaching third. Well Mijares threw home to Joe Mauer who started running to first and faked a throw. Well that fake was a good one as it caused Gardner to start running home where Mauer made a great diving stop to get him.

That play kept the game tied until the bottom of the 10th when Johnny Damon could wait no longer. After he worked the count full against Jesse Crain (the same pitcher who served up A-Rod's shot a day earlier) Damon got a pitch down and in and he didn't miss it. Johnny cranked it into the second deck (tagged the Johnny zone by a Yankees' broadcaster) to give the Yankees the 3-2 win. It was Damon's second walk-off hit as a member of the Yankees.

Yanks Scouting Darvish

According NPB Tracker, the Yankees had several scouts watching Yu Darvish earlier this week. The scouts witnessed Darvish hurl his shortest outing of the year: 7 innings. He shut down Orix in Nippon Ham's 10-1 win. 

Dispite Darvish not carrying his best stuff with him, he still threw 7 innings of 1 run, 4 hit ball. His fastball topped out at 91 MPH.

The Yankees sent Gene Michael to Japan last year in order to watch Darvish pitch. This story just proves further the Yank's interest in the Japanese righty. Although Yu won't be a free agent until 2014 due to Japan's rules and the fact that he's denied wanting to play in the MLB, many teams still have significant interest in acquiring him down the road.

A-Rod Update

First AB: On the very first pitch the A-Rod saw this season, he crushed to left field. Welcome back! 

Second AB: Unfortunately he struck out in his second AB. It looks like he hasn't seen a Major League curveball in a while. He looked fooled facing Jeremy Guthrie's hook.

Third AB: Once again a K on A-Rod's box. The only difference this time is that it's a backwards one (Also the pitch actually looked a little high and tight).

Fourth AB: Alex got jammed and just hit a weak grounder to short so he's 1-4 but than 1 was big.

Vote Swisher

With the 2009 All-Star Game balloting already underway (wayyyyyyyyy too early there MLB) I realized that they have the opening day lineups only. This means that Nick Swisher is not on the ballot. Well I noticed this as I was voting and I actually started wondering "will some fan create a site to elect swisher sort of how the how "Support the Stash" thing worked last year with Giambi. Well sure enough, someone did and here they are. You gotta check em out!

A-Rod's Comin' Back

We just need to hold until then. Friday. When the Yankees will travel to Baltimore and Alex Rodriguez will rejoin the Yankees lineup, and boy it couldn't come at a better time. Losing their fourth-consecutive game on Wednesday, the Yankees have proven three things to their fans: Number 1: (The only good one) Joba Chamberlain can dominate as a starter and should probably remain their for a while. Number 2: The Yankees' bullpen is a definite weakness. They're bullpen ERA is worst in the majors and Joe Girardi has shown that he only really trusts two members of it: Mariano Rivera and Phil Coke. Well this year, Mo has become mortal and Coke just gave up a game-winning home run. 

One of Girardi's strong points last year was not going to the same relievers day in and day out (something that Joe Torre did a lot of and was criticized for). However, that has faded this year as it appears he really likes to go to Edwar Ramirez, Phil Coke, Jose Veras, and Jonathan Albaladejo. All of which have been very hittable and wild so far this season. I think that Girardi should look more to the likes of Mark Melancon and David Robertson. Even though he had a rough last outing, I still believe the pieces are their for Melancon to succeed. Same goes for Robertson. However, the main thing is that the Yankees just need to find somebody in the bullpen who can get hitters out.

Finally number 3: the Yankees can't successfully hit with runners in scoring position. They only had 6 hits out of 25+ tries during their 4-game losing streak. Mark Teixiera was greatly applauded for his clutch, 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th, however, that over-shadowed his failure in the 10th. With the Yankees down 4-3 with 1 out and runner on third, Teixeira got a 2-0 fastball right down the middle but he hit it too shallow for the runner to score. After him, Matsui got out to end the game. 

It's those kinds of scenarios where the Yankees really need A-Rod back. Hopefully, he can become clutch-Rod like he was in '07.

Update From New York: Joba Dominating

Joba Chamberlain is absolutely DOMINATING! After a rough first inning in which he gave up 4 runs, 4 hits, and didn't record any K's, he has given up only 1 hit, no runs, and has had 12 strikeouts since then. Oh and by the way, the 12 strikeouts (9 looking), career high! He has all his pitches working for him, including the change-up, which he's possibly thrown more tonight than he has in his entire career. 

If this doesn't silence all you Joba-back-to-the-bullpen fans, than this stat might: since his first start back in 2008, Joba has a 2.85 ERA. Now since that same time, only 5 pitchers in the MLB have better ERAs. Among those are such pitchers as Johan Santana, Dan Haren, Derek Lowe, and Roy Halladay. That's pretty good company. He also had a K/9 ratio of 10.58 last season. That's 3rd for all MLB starters last year (top 2 are Rich Harden and Mark Mulder, both of whom missed significant time due to injuries). 

An update on Chamberlain, he left with 2 outs in the 6th after recording the last 8 outs with punch-outs. When Girardi took him out, he was booed like crazy! But Joba was given a great hand when he exited. Now lets just hope the bullpen can keep this game close for the Yankees offense. Joba won't be getting a win in this one (although he certainly deserves one). If not for the 4 runs, it was the best start of Joba Chamberlain's career.

Other Game Notes:

Earlier today, Jorge Posada was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained hamstring. However, Joe Girardi said that those 15 days would be the only ones that he missed. The Yankees called up C Francisco Cervelli from Double-A Trenton to replace Jorge on the roster.....Alex Rodriguez played another extended Spring Training game today. He went 3-6 with 2 HRs and also played the field for all 7 innings. However, he only got two chances at third, but he fielded both of them perfectly. Although the Yankees are still saying May 15th, there are whispers that he will be back this weekend and possibly Friday for the series against Baltimore (where he ironically injured his quad last season)......Ramiro Pena is in the lineup again today, the Yankees seem very fond of him and he is certainly opening a lot of eyes for the future.

Bits 'n' Pieces: Marte, Fossum, Melky

Marte Injured:

Well this explains a lot. Yankees' LHP Damaso Marte has been placed on the DL because of a sore elbow. He came out of the WBC with his left elbow sore but pushed through it. However, it has now caused him to land on the DL. Marte, the second-highest paid player in the Yankees bullpen (Rivera's no. 1), holds an 0-1 record and a crazy-high 15.19 ERA. Anthony Clagget (should be better than his terrible MLB debut) has been called up to take his roster spot. 

Yanks Sign Casey Fossum; Sharp in Triple-A Debut:

The Yanks signed LHP Casey Fossum to a minor-league deal after he was released by the New York Mets. Since he cleared waivers before he was released and the Yankees signed him as a free agent, Fossum does not have to be added to the 40-man roster. He was mainly signed as a fill-in in Scranton's rotation as he takes the spot of Phil Hughes (who goes today against Joe Saunders).

 Casey made his Scranton Wilkes-Barre debut yesterday and it was sharp. Even with a pitch-limit, he went 3 2/3 innings, only allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks, and K'd 4.

Melky Takes Over Center:

Melky Cabrera's hot start, combined with Brett Gardner's slow one, has led to the 24-year old Cabrera overtaking Gardner for the Yankees' starting center fielder. He has taken over the same position that lost just a couple weeks ago. 

So far this season, Cabrera is hitting .321 with 4 HRs (including one walk-off one) and 10 RBIs. In that same time Gardner, is only hitting .222 with no homers (although you can't expect them), only 4 RBIs and 5 stolen bases (he should have a lot more than Derek Jeter who's currently tied with him). Will see how long this move lasts

Update: Players Hopping the Shuttle

Some call-up news; The Yankees have decided to call-up David Robertson and Angel Berroa. They are most likely replacing Chien-Ming Wang and Cody Ransom. 

But an even more exciting call-up: apparently Mark Melancon is being sent to Fenway as well as he will either be replacing (hopefully) Steven Jackson or Brian Bruney. 

You also have to count in who will be getting sent down when Phil Hughes gets called up. 

I agree with RAB that Eric Duncan (who's hitting .362 so far) should be called up instead of Berroa, who has played a total of .1 innings at third and didn't touch the ball on that play.

Yankee Injury Updates:

A lot of news on the Yankees injured players:

Chien-Ming Wang:

After three terrible starts, a bad start in an extended Spring Training game, and a bad diagnosis, Chien-Ming Wang is hitting the DL. The Yankees think that Wang's "weak abductor muscles in his hips" were the primary cause of his lack of success this year. David Robertson will be called up to replace him but will most likely be sent down before Wang's next start. Phil Hughes will probably then be called up to take the ball against the Tigers. 

Cody Ransom:

Ransom has also been placed on the DL as he injured his hip while sliding into second base on Friday. Ransom, who has been diagnosed with an injury to his right quadriceps, was supposed to hold the fort down until A-Rod came back from his injury. However, the Yankees now will have to replace him with an infielder at Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Angel Berroa would probably be the most likely candidate.

Brian Bruney:

Now this one just sucks. Wang and Ransom weren't doing so well, but Bruney was on fire before he complained in some soreness in his elbow. He is now back in New York getting it examined. Yankee fans, lets hold our breath on this one.

Hideki Matsui:

After getting his knee drained on April 16th, Matsui has come back better than ever. Since that time, he's 7-17 (.411) and he feels that "little by little, (the knee) is getting better."

New Yankee Stadium Tribute

A tribute of the first series at the New Yankee Stadium:

Bits 'n' Pieces: New Yankee Stadium

"Real" Firsts:

Despite having already recorded all the firsts at the New Yankee Stadium when the Yanks played the Chicago Cubs in two exhibition games, people were still anxious for the firsts that actually counted. Well here they are:

First Pitch: 

CC Sabathia (ball outside)

First Hit: 

Johnny Damon (Line-drive to left-field)

First Run: 

Kelly Shoppach drove in Ben Fransisco with an RBI-double

First

First HR:

Jorge Posada (Solo-Shot to centerfield)

First Strikeout:

CC Sabathia (K'd Victor Martinez)

Series Wrap: NYY 2-2 CLE

Although the first four games at the New Yankee Stadium didn't go exactly as the Yankees planned, the ceremonies were still considered a success. That aside, the series gave way to some highs and lows. In the first game of the series (and at the New Stadium), the game was tied 1-1 in the top of the seventh. But the Yankees bullpen gave up a 9 spot in the inning, ending the Yankees' hopes for a good start to the new ballpark.

The 2nd game showed better results from the Yankees as they won 6-5 with 5 of their runs coming on solo-home runs. Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Melky Cabrera, and Robinson Cano all hit home runs, but it was Captain Clutch (Derek Jeter) who hit the big one. With two outs in the bottom of the 8th, Jeter belted one over the right field wall to give the Yankees a 1-run lead, one that they wouldn't give up.

The 3rd game was unthinkable. It was one of the worst losses in Yankees' history as they fell to the Indians 22-4. Chien-Ming Wang tossed his third-consecutive terrible start as he only lasted 1 1/3 innings and gave up 8 runs. Recently recalled Anthony Clagget didn't over much support as he and Wang combined to serve up 14 runs to Cleveland in the 2nd inning. That ties the Yankees' club record for most runs given up in a single inning and breaks the record for most runs ever in the 2nd inning by any team in the MLB, a record I'm sure the Yankees wished to steer-clear of. The only bright spots in the game were Mark Teixeira and Melky Cabrera who both belted 2-run home runs.

Today's game resulted in a much better outcome. The Yankees won 7-3 in a very well played game by both sides. The Yanks fell behind early 3-0 as Shin-Soo Choo and Kelly Shoppach both belted home runs off Yankee starter, A.J. Burnett. But the Yanks rallied, Mark Teixeira drove in a run with an RBI-single to make it 3-1, but it seemed as though the game was lost in the 7th inning when the Indians loaded the bases with one out. But Jonathan Albaladejo worked out of it with a little help from Cody Ransom. Ransom later proved to be the

hero of the game as, after Jorge Posada belted a pinch-hit, 2-run homer that required the first

use of instant replay at the new Stadium, cleared the bases with a 3-run double. He also added

some nice defense to the game as he came up with a great bare-hand play and a diving stop in

the same game.

Quick Preview of the A's Series:

Here's a quick preview of the Yankees' next series with the Oakland A's: It will be a home- coming

of sorts for A's DH, Jason Giambi who will return to the Bronx after spending 7 seasons in

pinstripes. However, I predict it won't be a very good one as I'm thinking the Yanks may have

their way with Oakland. We've all seen the New Stadium is a great, great hitters park (20 HRs

in the first 4 games breaks MLB record) and with the Yankees great offense combined with the

A's lack of one, there could be some pretty lopsided games. On top of that, the Yankees will have

two LHPs going in the series in Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia so Oakland lefties won't be

getting as good as a chance as they had hoped and cranking a few long ones.

Wang Off To Another Bad Start

It's only one out into the bottom of the first inning, but Chien-Ming Wang has already proven to the Yankees that his sinker isn't what it was a year ago. It has been up this whole year (Spring included) and he has been hit because of it. 

The Rays are beating up Wang, scoring 3 runs off of back-to-back doubles by Carlos Pena and Pat Burrell. Wang walked B.J. Upton to start the game, then hit Carl Crawford and struck out Evan Longoria. After a double-steal, Pena blasted a double to right-center field and Burrell followed up with one of his one to left. Dioner Nivarro followed up with a grounder up the middle but reached on a wide throw by Robinson Cano.

The only out Wang has recorded was his K of Evan Longoria, who actually had 2 really good pitches to hit but wiffed them both.

No Joe. Just No.

Despite it being only a week into the season, Yankees' skipper Joe Girardi has already made two questionable moves. The first came before the season started when he announced that Xavier Nady would start right field instead of Nick Swisher (a move that Swisher is making him regret). The second one came today in the 8th inning of the Yankees 6-4 loss to the Royals. With two outs and one on, the Royals called on a pinch hitter, Brian Pena. Girardi decided to remove RHP Jose Veras from the game for LHP Phil Coke, forcing Pena to turn around and bat righty. 

Lets stop right there. Before even considering what happened after that move, think about this: Mariano Rivera was available. He's pitched plenty of 4-out saves in his career, what's one more to him. And even if Pena batted from the left side against him, Mo actually is better against lefties due to his nasty cutter. There really is no reason why Coke, the Yankees long-reliever, should've been in the game at all.

Well as soon as Girardi made the move, the Royals made him regret it. Coke came in with two outs, but promptly allowed 3 runs to score on 3 extra-base hits. That marked his second outing this year where he's given up at least 3 runs. Not only did Girardi's decision cost Joba Chamberlain his first "w" of the year, it cost the Yankees the game. Joe Girardi's seat just got a little warmer.

CC Comes up Clutch

In his first regular season start as Yankee, CC Sabathia made a lot of people nervous as he gave up 6 runs in less than 5 innings. Sportswriters bashed him for his poor performance. 

However, those same writers that criticized him last week, will be praising him tonight as CC  pitched 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball. He looked dominant, setting the tone early by striking out 3 of the first 4 batters and went on to notch 7 punch-outs on the night. 

Sabathia will make his next start April 16th as he will open up the new Yankee Stadium as he starts against the Cleveland Indians at 1:05 PM Eastern Time.

Late Rally Too Late

Down 7-2 in the ninth inning with 2-outs, the Yankees staged a 3-run rally and even brought the tying run to the plate. However, the rally came too late as Hideki Matsui popped out to end the game. Nick Swisher drew a one-out walk but then was erased when Brett Gardner grounded into a force out. However, Jeter then followed up with a two-run blast to the opposite field making it 7-4. After Johnny Damon reached base via the base-on-balls, Mark Teixiera came threw in the clutch with his first hit as a Yankee: an RBI-double off of Oriole closer, George Sherril. However, Hideki Matsui popped out to Melvin Mora on a 2-1 pitch to end the game. It was an exciting finnish to a terrible game.

Another Early Exit

As with Monday's game, another Yankee starter got knocked out early as Chien-Ming Wang left after just 3 2/3 innings. Wang was pulled out of the game after surrendering a Nick Markakis 2-run HR to cap off the Orioles 5-run inning. Wang's line:

IP: 3.2, H: 9, ER: 7, BB: 3, SO: 0

It marked the second straight game in which the Yankees starter gave up 6+ runs, lasted less than 5 innings, and didn't record a strikeout (although he's not as well known for K's as CC). A bad start for the Yankees' hyped rotation.

Some other notes from todays game:

Jeter's continued his good start to the season as he's been on base twice now...Teixeira has still not recorded as he's 0-for-3 today after going 0-for-4 yesterday. He has had a runner on base every time he's batted

Two (Very) Rich Men, Two (Very) Sub-Par Debuts

When the Yankees signed CC Sabathia ($161mm) and Mark Teixiera ($180mm) to mega-deals this off-season, they marked one date on their calenders: April 6th. Well that day finally came today, but it wasn't the Opening Day game they were expecting. Sabathia and Teixeira's lines say it all: 

Sabathia: IP: 4.1, H: 8, ER: 6, BB: 5, K: 0

Teixeira: AB: 4, H: 0, R: 0, RBI: 0, LOB: 5

Two very bad lines for two men with very fat wallets. Even though people expected a lot more out of the players than what the above, they had to have seen this coming. I mean think about it: each guy is really (maybe even overly) hyped. They both signed monster deals this off-season. They both have historically gotten off to bad starts. And they both said they would handle the New York media just fine; something that both of them will now have to do. It was a perfect storm. 

That being said however, I would like to remind all of you that this is just Opening Day, it's just one game out of 161 other ones. The only two reasons we care so much about these terrible performances are that Opening Day is way, way to focused upon; it's just one game. The other reason is just because of how much coverage the two players are receiving and how bad their performances were. But the bottom line is this; one game isn't going to kill you.

Bits and Pieces:

One of the things that made Teixeira's performance stand out so much was the fact that Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon went a combined 5-8 in front of him and all he did was get one little walk; that's a lot of runners being left on base...Nick Swisher pinch-hit in the 8th and lined a lead-off double right down the left field line in his first Yankee at-bat. Gardner (more about him later) bunted him over but then Jeter and, who else, Mark Teixeira failed to drive him in.....The Yankees escaped a huge fifth inning when Gardner turned a double-play when he caught the ball than threw the runner out at home to end the inning.....A-Rod should be back before Spring's end.

Joba Sharp In Final Spring Start

In his final Spring Training start, Yankees' fifth starter, Joba Chamberlain, hurled 5 1/3 innings, striking out 5. The most impressive part about his start however, was the 16 straight batters he retired after giving up two hits and a walk to start the game. 

     "It took me just a little bit to get going," Joba said. "I wanted to work on fastball command and my changeup, and I think I did a great job with those two. I think it was one of my most productive days as far as consistency. It was good."

     Since Chamberlain's turn in the rotation was going to be skipped, the Yankees had him fly to Florida to pitch for Double-A Trenton in a game against Triple-A Scranton/Wiles-Barre. His first regular-season start is slated for next Sunday at Kansas City. 

     "I'm excited to get going," he said.

2009 Season Predictions

Well it may not make much sense to some writers, but I'm going to give my predictions for the 2009 MLB season. For fun. It doesn't actually serve a purpose but it's just a fun thing to do. So here we go:

American League:

East:

1. New York Yankees

2. Boston Red Sox*

3. Tampa Bay Rays

4. Toronto Blue Jays

5. Baltimore Orioles

Central:

1. Chicago White Sox

2. Detroit Tigers

3. Minnesota Twins

4. Kansas City Royals

5. Cleveland Indians

West:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 

2. Oakland A's

3. Texas Rangers

4. Seattle Mariners

MVP: Mark Teixeira-With A-Rod sitting out the first month, a short porch in right, and with his numbers on the rise, Teixeira is in a perfect position to nab the MVP trophy and bring it back to the Bronx.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Matt Holliday

Cy Young: CC Sabathia-While I'm not really comfortable selecting two teammates to win these great awards, I feel as though I must make it that way. This is because the only other pitcher besides Sabathia that I could see winning the Cy Young is, Toronto's Roy Halladay. However, I don't think that Canadian offense will be able to give him enough run support to reach very many wins. Sabathia on the other hand, will have the great Yankee lineup to work with and, not to mention, one of the greatest (if not the best) closers of all time closing out his games in Mariano Rivera. 

Honorable Mention: Roy Halladay, Jon Lester, and Justin Verlander

Rookie of the Year: Travis Snider-With the other two major candidates for this award (Matt Wieters and David Price) starting the year in the minor leagues, Snider should produce good enough numbers that the others just won't be able to catch up. Look for him to bop about 30 HRs and drive in over 85 runs.

Honorable Mention: Matt Wieters, David Price, and Elvis Andrus

National League:

East:

1. New York Mets

2. Philadelphia Phillies*

3. Florida Marlins

4. Atlanta Braves

5. Washington Nationals

Central:

1. Chicago Cubs

2. St. Louis Cardinals

3. Milwaukee Brewers

4. Cincinnati Reds

5. Houston Astros

6. Pittsburgh Pirates

West:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2. Arizona Diamondbacks

3. San Francisco Giants

4. Colorado Rockies

5. San Diego Padres

MVP: David Wright-Wright's numbers have been on the slow incline over his career and it seems as though he's ready to take the crown as the National League's best hitter. After he set career highs in HRs and RBIs last year, it seems as though he's ready to top those numbers as well as add to his .300+ batting average. If you combine that with him hitting in the middle of the Mets order along with Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, look for this guy to catch fire next season.

Honorable Mention: Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Ryan Braun

Cy Young: Tim Lincecum-The reigning Cy Young Award-winner will win it once more as Lincecum was flat out nasty last year and I think he could be even better this year. His biggest competition is the Mets Johan Santana who also pitched incredibly well last year. However, Santana is having elbow troubles, making Lincecum the obvious favorite. 

Honorable Mention: Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, and Roy Oswalt

Rookie of the Year: Cameron Maybin-Maybin was a part of the blockbuster trade between the Tigers and the Marlins last off-season as he was sent over to Florida, along with some other players, for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. Maybin is a 5-tool player who will show off his great talents next year for the Marlins. Expect him to run down a lot of fly balls in the giant center field in Dolphin Stadium as he will be there for the majority of the 2009 season.

Honorable Mention: Jordan Zimmerman, Colby Rasmus, and Jason Motte

Playoffs:

American League:

ALDS:

Yankees over White Sox

Red Sox over Angels

ALCS:

Yankees over Red Sox

National League:

NLDS:

Cubs over Dodgers

Phillies over Mets

NLCS:

Phillies over Cubs

World Series:

Yankees over Phillies

Series: 4-2

MVP: Alex Rodriguez (that's right I said A-Rod would do well in the playoffs)

*=wild card winner

Bits and Pieces: First Games, Stadium Firsts, Final Roster

Reggie Jackson threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the new Yankee Stadium before the Yankees' game against the Cubs on Friday.

First Games at The 'Ol Ballpark:

Change that to *new ballpark and it would fit Friday and Saturday's games perfectly. The Yankees opened up their new (palace) stadium with two exhibition games against the Chicago Cubs, winning them both. The Yanks beat out the Cubs in the first game on the strength of three home runs, one of which was off the bat of Robinson Cano and was the very first ball to clear the fence at the new ballpark. The other two consisted of home runs by Hideki Matsui (2-Run) and Cody Ransom (3-Run) and both of them banged off the foul poles with Matsui's hitting the RF foul pole and Ransom's hitting the LF one. The homers, along with solid pitching, gave way to the Yankees 7-4 victory.

     The Yanks brought out the long ball even more in the second game, blasting four of them on route to a 10-1 win. Mark Teixeira highlighted the home runs as he blasted two: one was hit deep into the right-center field bleachers and the other went into the second deck down the left field line. Derek Jeter also hit a three-run shot and Shelley Duncan added a homer also in the later innings. However, in a game filled with offense, the Yankees also were helped by great pitching by the likes of Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett who limited the Cubs to just one run (Alfonso Soriano solo-HR) on 8 hits to insure the win.

Stadium Firsts:

With the opening of the new Yankee Stadium, fans were on a sharp look-out for all of the "firsts" that would happen in the first couple games at the park. The first "first" was obviously the first pitch" a sinker-strike thrown by Chien-Ming Wang to Aaron Miles. Moments after that however, Miles rocketed the first base hit through the hole between Jeter and Ransom. After Miles scored the first run, Robinson Cano belted the first home run in the following inning. Other "firsts" consisted of: First hit by a Yankee: Derek Jeter, double in the bottom of the first inning. First strikeout: Ted Lilly K'd Mark Teixiera in the bottom of the first inning. First save: Jonathan Albaladejo closed out Friday's game for the save.

Pena Beats Out Berroa With Glove:

The last competition of Spring Training was the one for the utility infielder. It was between, former rookie of the year, Angel Berroa who had a very good spring after not having productive seasons the last couple years. The other candidate was Ramiro Pena, a double-A shortstop who had always been amazing with the glove, but didn't do so well with his bat. However, after he stepped up his numbers in 2008 and after a pretty good Spring, Pena, who played in the Futures game at Yankee Stadium during the 2008 All-Star break, will be returning to the Bronx sooner than he thought as he has beaten out Berroa for the final spot on the Yankees' 25-man roster.

Gardner Swipes Center Field

Yankee manager Joe Girardi has officially announced that Brett Gardner will be the first man to play in center field at the new Yankee Stadium (and a little bit more than that as well) as he has beaten out Melky Cabrera for the Yankees CF job. Girardi said that he informed both players of his decision this afternoon after the team's 9-8 win over the Pirates. "Both of them played great," said Girardi. "Melky had a tough year last year, but he played very well in camp. Gardy finnished up strong and had a great camp. We're just going to go with Gardy." The move means that Gardner will most likely be batting ninth in the Yankees order and patrolling CF come opening day on April 6th in Baltimore.

Note to Girardi: Don't Screw This One Up Too

Those may seem like harsh words to a man who will probably never read them, but Joe Giradi really needs to hear them. After making the wrong decision on the starting right fielder in choosing Xavier Nady over Nick Swisher, it appears that Giradi may make another bad call when it comes to center. Brett Gardner (left) has seemed to be the front-runner this Spring, hitting over .450, belting 3 home runs and stealing 5 bags. However, with Melky finishing up strong, Girardi seems like he's leaning towards him to start in center. 

     Well before he does that, I'd just like to remind him of something. I'd just like to remind him of how poorly Cabrera did last season. So bad, that the Yankees actually sent him down to Triple-A in order to show him that his job was not safe. And as he was sent down after hitting under .250, Brett Gardner took his place and hit .357 in 14 games down the stretch. If you combine that with a good OBP and stealing bases almost every time he reaches base, you have yourself one good center fielder. 

So my message to Joe Girardi: Put. Gardner. In. Center.

Bits and Pieces: Jackson 'n' Jackson, Swish/Nady, Melky

Austin Jackson (Right) high-fives Hall of Famer, Reggie Jackson (Left) after hitting a grand slam on Tuesday.

Jackson 'n' Jackson:

As Yankees' top prospect, Austin Jackson, was rounding the bases on Tuesday, Reggie Jackson was feeling like a proud-papa. Reggie has taken it to himself to help and support Jackson throughout his minor-league career, attending to numerous games at each level that he has reached. "Its a good thing," Austin said after the game. "He comes back and works with me in the cage and gets me back to where I need to be when I'm struggling a little bit. It's good to have a Hall of Famer working with you." Jackson was reassigned to minor league camp after the game, making his grand slam a bittersweet-victory.

Girardi: Nady is starting RF:

Joe Girardi announced this week that "if we were to break (camp) today, Nady would be my right fielder." This comes as disappointing news to Nick Swisher, who has had a very odd off-season. He was dealt to the Yankees in the beginning of the year as part of a 4-player trade and was informed that he would be the club's starting first basemen. Once the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira however, it became apparent that Swisher would instead battle Xavier Nady for the right field spot. After now losing that job to Nady, Girardi will have to work hard to find at-bats for Swisher. 

     However, I strongly believe that Swisher should be the right fielder, not Nady. He is better in basically every category. Nady will hit about 25 HRs and drive in over 100 runs. Swisher will hit 25-30 HRs but will probably not reach the 100-RBI plateau for he is willing to take a walk in a RBI situation. However, that too is another one of his strengths: his eye. Swisher has one of the best eyes in the game (see the book "Moneyball") and works deep into counts, a trait of recent successful Yankee teams. Scouts also say he is the better baserunner and fielder. This basically means that the Yankees are choosing the worse hitter, fielder, baserunner, eye, and power-hitter to play right field for them.....wait what??

Yanks Looking to Get Melky-Dealty:

Earlier this off-season, the Yankees attempted to trade Melky Cabrera for Mike Cameron of the Milwaukee Brewers and after it seemed like a deal was imminent (so close that I even added Mike Cameron to the Yankees roster in MLB '08 The Show) the talks were broken off. A couple months later, they were renewed again. However, they too were broken off. Well now Melky is still out there and the Yanks are looking to deal him (just not for Cameron). The most likely suitor at the moment are the Chicago White Sox who would most likely use Cabrera as their starting CF.

Alex Rodriguez Steroids Tribute

Due to legal issues with Youtube that involved the content of this video, it could not be posted on Youtube.com and thus will be uploaded here.

THE U.S. WINS IT!

With 1 out and the bases-loaded, down 5-3 in the ninth, the U.S. were very close to being eliminated. But after Kevin Youkilis' walk brought in a run, David Wright of the New York Mets lined a 2-run, walk-off single to (where else) but right field to win the game, propelling the U.S. to the semi-finals!

Yankee Fans Get a Look Into the Future

In the top of the sixth inning at McKechnie field, one man strode to the plate. He had heard all the hype. He had heard scouts rave about his "five-tools." They knew he had the talent to succeed, he just had to harness it. They said he could "hit for average, hit for power, field, throw, and run." They said he couldn't do any of them really well, but could do them all okay. They knew that sometime during the 2009 season he could be manning center field. But it wasn't just the scouts that knew all of this; Austin Jackson did as well. 

Jackson (right) is the Yankees' number one prospect. He was drafted in the 8th round of the 2005 draft due to the fact that he was a multi-sport athlete and many were doubtful that he'd choose baseball over basketball. Well the Yankees took a chance and it sure paid off. Since 2005, he has risen through the Yankees system (despite a slow start). He currently is playing a triple-A Scranton as the team's starting center fielder, a role the Yanks hope he will take in the near future. 

     Before this season, the Yankees invited Jackson to big-league camp in Tampa, FL for the second-consecutive season. Since then, he has notched a fare amount of at-bats, but barely any hits. He's just 4-for-18. Today however, he stepped it up a notch. After notching a hit early in the game, Jackson was hungry for another. So with one man on and two outs in the top of the sixth, Austin let-loose; belting a drive over the center field fence for a two-run big fly! It gave the Yankees organization and the Yankee fans a chance to glimpse a little bit of what the future may hold in the Bronx. 

     Jackson's home run sparked something for the Yankees, who had been held down for the whole game until it. The next inning, the Yanks hit the ground running, scoring three runs and then loading the bases for their second-best prospect. His name; Jesus Montero.

     The Yankees signed Montero (left) out of Venezuela to a 1.6MM contract back in 2006. Since then he has been called the best 2006 international signee by any team. Because of his great power and ability to hit for average, Jesus has also been referred to as "the best hitter that the Yankees have had in their system since Derek Jeter!" That's saying something. Last year at class-A Charleston, Montero hit a whopping .326 with 17 HRs and 87 RBIs! That was enough to earn him the  2008 Yankees Offensive Player of the Year Award and a spot of the international team's roster at the 2008 Futures Game at (where else) Yankee Stadium.

     The main reason that Montero isn't the Yankees no. 1 prospect however, is due to the fact that he's a defensive liability behind the plate. He's a giant behind the plate, standing at 6-4 and weighing 224 lbs. (but let's not forget that Joe Mauer is an inch taller). However, Montero has been working hard with Yankee coaches this Spring in hopes of becoming a better catcher and possibly, replacing Jorge Posada one day as the Yankees' backstop. 

     Unlike Jackson, Montero has had quite a successful Spring, notching five hits in his eight at-bats (5-for-8). However, he too was hungry for something more and with the bases-loaded in the seventh inning, he got his chance and didn't waste any time taking it. Jesus blasted a pitch from the Pirate-pitcher over the center field wall for a grand slam! A moment that neither he, nor the Yankees, will ever forget. 

     These opportunities that young players, such as Jackson and Montero, get are part of what makes Spring Training something special. Sure the games don't mean anything, but it allows organizations and their fans to get a glimpse of players that could possibly play for them in the future; something that all great baseball fans love to experience.

Update From Tampa

Here's an update from Tampa where the Astros are visiting the Yankees. The Yankees are winning 1-0 thanks to a laser-beam home run by Johnny Damon in the first. As for pitching, A.J. Burnett is DEALING! He's pitched four perfect innings and has looked like he's in mid-season form!  He's hitting his spots perfectly and has showed great command of his pitch count and keeping it low (he's thrown less then 40 pitches in four innings). Hideki Matsui has just hit pitcher Alberto Arias with a line drive in his pitching hand. Arias had to be taken out of the game.

Update From Tampa

Here's a quick update from Tampa where the Yankees are battling the Reds:

Joba Chamberlain pitched 3 very strong innings, K'ing 4 and only giving up one run. That run was scored on a deep fly-ball that was misplayed by Brett Gardner. The Yanks are winning 3-1 with RBI's by Cody Ransom, Brett Gardner, and Juan Miranda. Ransom drove in Hideki Matsui with an RBI-single, Gardner also got an RBI base-knock and Miranda blasted a towering homerun to put the Yankees up by two.

A-Rod To Have Surgery; Out For Two Months

Yankees' third basemen Alex Rodriguez has opted for surgery. According to numerous sources, A-Rod will have a "hybrid" surgery which will only cause him to miss two months instead of four. To do this, the surgery will be "limited" and will not completely heal him. A-Rod will have the procedure done tomorrow (Monday) morning by Dr. Marc Philippon, one of the best hip-surgeons in North America.
If the Yankees were to let A-Rod play with the torn labrum, he would've done more long-term damage to himself. The Yankees were stuck in-between the decision to have the surgery or not, for they are a much weaker team without their slugging-third basemen. But for now, they'll have to make due with Cody Ransom or whoever takes over at third. But even with that, this seems like the smart move for the Yankees.

On another note, I am sorry for the lack of videos posted on our Youtube account, there have been some technical errors. But, the first video will be posted some time this week.

Who's on First, What's on Second, Bobby Crosby at Third Base?

With A-Rod (possibly) out, it comes time to ask the question: "who will play third instead." It's pretty interesting because there aren't very many good options. In fact, most of them consist of run-down or league average players such as Mark Grudzielanek or Aaron Boone. The only in-house options for the Yankees are Cody Ransom (hasn't even logged 200 MLB at-bats), Angel Berroa (mmm...no), and Eric Duncan (a former top-prospect, Duncan was rushed through the minor leagues and has been there since 2003). Now there might be some decent or far-fetched ideas out there (like a Phil Hughes-Alex Gordon trade, which I would be totally behind by the way), but I've already made up my mind of who I want to see donning the pinstripes: Bobby Crosby. Despite a career BA of .239 and having never hit over .276 in his career, Crosby seems like a good candidate. He's cheap, has been asking for a trade, and would probably do well in a temporary role with the Yankees. His teammates have come out and said that with Crosby's work this off-season, he's primed for a good 2009. Now a lot of you people out there may point to his bad statistics and say "no way!" but I think you should give him a shot. Give him a few starts or so and if he's not performing well, deal him, there's plenty of teams that could use a good back-up infielder. Or, keep him and do just that. There's really no reason not to make this deal. The Yanks would only have to give up a medium level prospect to get him and the deal could prove to have a lot of upside!

Update From Sarasota

A live update from Sarasota where the Yankees are battling the Reds:

Top 9th: NYY 11-13 CIN

To close out the game, the Reds brought in pitcher Jordan Smith who struck out Kevin Russo to begin the inning. Shelley Duncan popped out for the second one and Todd Linden grounded out to end the game. Final score, Yankees 11, Reds 13.

Bot 8th: NYY 11-13 CIN

Possible heir to the Rivera-throne, Mark Melancon takes over for the Yankees and struck out Stubbs to start off the inning. After a foul pop was barely missed, Chris Valaika hit a triple on a missed played ball by the right fielder and the next batter drew a walk, setting up a possible double-play. The Reds scored another run on a passed ball by catcher Jesus Montero, who was taken out with a possible groin injury. T.J. Pilittere took over for Montero behind the plate.The next batter reached base on an error by Kevin Barker. Then the next batter flew out for the second out and Juan Francisco struck out to send the game to the ninth.

Top 8th: NYY 11-12 CIN

James Avery became the new pitcher for the Reds, as Eduardo Nunez popped out to the second basemen for the first out and Juan Miranda struck out for the second one. Justin Leone almost broke the 1-2-3 inning but was robbed by a nice play by the third basemen to rob him of a hit.

Bot 7th: NYY 11-12

Christian Garcia takes over for the Yankees and got Kevin Barker to groundout for the first out. Luis Boulevare then got a single up the middle followed by Wilkin Castillo who reached on an error by Kevin Russo, Boulevare went to 3rd on the play. The Reds loaded the bases on a Juan Francisco single and Craig Tatum promptly unloaded them with a grand slam, the 8th HR of the game. Luckily Nix struck out and got the next batter to ground out to end the inning.

Top 7th: NYY 11-8 CIN

Shelley Duncan lead off the inning with a walk against new Red's pitcher, Ben Jukich. Todd Linden flew out and then Doug Bernier popped out in the infield, 2 outs. In his first at-bat, Jesus Montero hit a single through the left side and Austin Jackson struck out to end the inning.

Bot 6th: NYY 11-8 CIN

Brian Bruney took over on the mound for the Yanks and Yankees 2nd best prospect, Jesus Montero takes over behind the plate. Lance Nix greeted Bruney rudely with yet another home run, the 7th of the day. Robinson Cano made a nice catch, roaming into CF to catch a pop up for the first out. Drew Stubbs struck out for the second one and Bruney got a groundout to end the inning.

Top 6th: NYY 11-7 CIN

Some changes for the Reds, Francisco Cordero takes over on the mound and there's too many others to count. Cody Ransom picks up a bloop single to start off the inning and moved to third on a double to left field by Kevin Cash. Yankees top prospect, Austin Jackson took over for Brett Gardner, and brought home Ransom on an RBI-groundout. Kevin Cash moved to third on the play. Edwardo Nunez pinch-hit for Derek Jeter (who is now going to the WBC), and got a lucky bounce base hit that barely cleared the head of the drawn in third basemen, driving in Cash. On the first pitch to Juan Miranda, Edwardo Nunez promptly stole second base, but Juan Miranda struck out for the 2nd out. Justin Leone followed up the hit parade with an RBI-single driving in Eduardo Nunez and then stole 2nd base uncontestedly on the first pitch to Kevin Russo. But Russo struck out to end the inning.

Bot 5th: NYY 8-7 CIN

A couple of changes for the Yankees: Damaso Marte takes over on the mound, Kevin Russo stays in the game and plays second, Miranda stays at first, Leone plays third, and Shelley Duncan takes over in right. Joey Votto lead off the inning with a long home run, the 5th of this game. Phillips grounded out to Jeter for the first out and Chris Dickerson blasted out his second homer of the game. Marte struck out Keppinger for the second out and Craig Tatum, taking over for Alonso, also K'ed.

Top 5th: NYY 8-5 CIN

Arthur Rhodes took over for the Reds, facing the top of the order in Brett Gardner who reached base on an infield pop-up that was taken by the wind. However, Gardner got greedy and tried to take another base but was tagged out. Jeter followed up with yet another base hit up the middle, he's now 3-for-3. Tex also notched a single, but was removed for the pinch-runner, Juan Miranda. Then, A-Rod notched his second RBI-double of the day, scoring Derek Jeter and moving Juan Miranda to 3rd. Alex was taken out for pinch-runner Justin Leone, signalling an end to his Spring with the Yankees as he's leaving for the WBC. Robinson Cano recorded the Yankees 5th straight hit with an RBI-double that scored Jeter and Leone. Cano, like A-Rod, finished with the Yankees when he was taken out for Kevin Russo. Nady moved Russo over to 3rd with a groundout and John Rodriguez flew out to left field to end the 3-run inning.

Bot 4th: NYY 5-5 CIN

Norris Hopper started off the inning with a lead-off walk, moving to second on a Ryan Hanigan groundout to pitcher, J.B. Cox. Hopper then scored on a base hit by Darnell McDonald, who was caught while taking too much of a lead off second. Cox ended the inning with a punch out of Adam Rosales.

Top 4th: NYY 5-4 CIN

David Weathers, taking over for Harang, was quickly greeted by a Robinson Cano home run to right center field. The blast was Cano's first of the spring and bounced off the scoreboard on a 2-2 pitch for a home run. Weathers retired Xavier Nady on a punch-out but non-roster invitee, John Rodriguez somehow hit a home run to dead center field. I say somehow because he hit the ball on the label, Weathers was actually smiling after the ball cleared the fence. Cody Ransom was then retired on an easy groundout but Kevin Cash kept the inning going with a base hit up the middle but was caught stealing second to end the inning.

Bot 3rd: NYY 3-4 CIN

Adam Rosales grounded out to start the inning, but then Joey Votto notched a single and stole second base while Brandon Phillips drew the walk. However, when the Reds attempted a double-steal, Votto was hung out to dry as Kevin Cash got him easily. Chris Dickerson drove in Brandon Phillips with a base hit and picked up his 3rd RBI of the day. Jeff Keppinger then struck Jonathan Ablaladejo with a line drive, removing him from the ball game. J.B. Cox took over for Ablaladejo, getting Yonder Alonso to ground out to Robinson Cano to end the inning.

Top 3rd: NYY 3-3 CIN

What just happened??? Brett Gardner hit yet another home run! He called his first HR this Spring "possibly the only one he'll hit this year." Well he did it again today as he pulled a low curve down the right field line, over the wall for a home run. Jeter followed it up with another base hit but was then erased when Mark Teixiera grounded into a double play. Alex Rodriguez, followed by another mix of cheers and boos, flew out to right field to end the inning.

Bot 2nd: NYY 2-3 CIN

After replacing starter Alfredo Aceves, Jonathan Ablaladejo came in and gave up a leadoff double to Yonder Alonso. However, he then stranded him at second by picking up a groundout, strikeout, and another groundout.

Top 2nd: NYY 2-3 CIN

The bottom of the Yankees order (John Rodriguez, Cody Ransom, Kevin Cash) went 1-2-3.

Bot 1st: NYY 2-3 CIN

Adam Rosales drew a 1-out walk, then promptly stole second and moved to third on a Joey Votto groundout. Then Brandon Phillips blasted an RBI double which was followed up by a towering HR off the bat of Chris Dickerson.

Top 1st: NYY 2-0 CIN

After a 1-out single by Derek Jeter, Mark Teixiera moved him to third with a base hit up the middle. Then, on a Alex Rodriguez double, Jeter scored and Teixeira went to third. The Yankees then went up 2-0 when Robinson Cano notched an RBI single and Mark Teixiera scored. However, the inning ended when Xavier Nady bounced into a 6-4-3 double play.

Today's Starting Lineups:

Yankees:

1. Brett Gardner CF

2. Derek Jeter SS

3. Mark Teixiera 1B

4. Alex Rodriguez 3B

5. Robinson Cano 2B

6. Xavier Nady RF

7. John Rodriguez LF

8. Cody Ransom DH

9. Kevin Cash C

P: Alfredo Aceves RHP

Reds:

1. Darnell McDonald CF

2. Adam Rosales SS

3. Joey Votto 1B

4. Brandon Phillips 2B

5. Chris Dickerson RF

6. Jeff Keppinger 3B

7. Yonder Alonso DH

8. Norris Hopper LF

9. Ryan Hanigan C