In his postgame interview, today’s winner, AJ Burnett said, “I didn’t feel real good all day. My fastball was kind of flat. I guess I kept them down as best I could.” He also added, “I will be better.” It certainly wasn’t his best outing of the season but the AJ Burnett of last year probably would have fared much worse in this game. This year’s incarnation picked up his fourth win of the season and the Yankees held on for a 5-4 victory.

Those five runs are the most the Yankees have scored this year without hitting a home run. The offense was able to chase Toronto starter Kyle Drabek out of the game in the third inning – they scored three times in the second inning and twice in the third.

AJ Burnett pitched six innings, Joba Chamberlain came in and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Rafael Soriano picked up his seventh hold of the season and Mariano Rivera got his ninth save. The bullpen was strong allowing only two hits in three innings.

Eric Chavez filled in nicely for A Rod who just had a day off – no injury concerns – making some nifty plays in the field and breaking up a double play in the bottom of the second which helped lead to three runs. Derek Jeter also contributed to the scoring effort that inning by hitting a sacrifice fly which scored Jorge Posada from third. Brett Gardner and Chavez also drove in runs in the bottom of the third.

The series finale is tomorrow afternoon at 1:05pm. The scheduled starters are Ivan Nova (1-2, 5.82 ERA) for the Yankees vs. Jesse Litch (2-1, 3.86 ERA) for the Blue Jays.

Some notes from Yahoo Sports:

• Yankees RHP Carlos Silva threw three scoreless innings in his first extended spring start Saturday.
• RHP Luis Ayala (strained back muscle) pitched 1 1-3 innings in the same game.

Is there anything more to say? The Yankees had their chances to score and couldn’t capitalize on them. Freddy Garcia wasn’t sharp and was out by the sixth inning but even so, he held the Blue Jays to three runs. I’d take three runs from Freddy Garcia any day. So would a lot of people. The Blue Jays had many opportunities to break the game open and Garcia found a way to get out of his jams.

The bullpen – minus David Robertson’s inning and his errant throw into the outfield – did what they needed to do to keep the Yankees in the game but the Yankees’ biggest problem tonight was the offense. They stranded eight runners in the final five innings and were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Alex Rodriguez, alone, left seven men on base. SEVEN. Robinson Cano is the only one exempt from my criticism tonight. He walked twice and hit two solo home runs.

Tomorrow’s matchup is AJ Burnett vs Kyle Drabeck. It’s a 4:05pm start but thankfully it is not a Fox game.

Tonight’s game begins at 7:05 and can be seen on YES Network.

YANKEES

Jeter, SS
Swisher, RF
Teixeira, 1B
Rodriguez, 3B
Cano, 2B
Jones, DH
Granderson,CF
Martin, C
Gardner, LF
Garcia RHP (1-0, 0.69)

TORONTO

Davis, CF
Escobar, SS
Bautista, RF
Lind, 1B
Rivera, LF
Encarnacion, 3B
Cooper, DH
Arencibia, C
McDonald, 2B
Romero LHP (1-3, 3.00)

This is a statement from the New York Yankees.

The New York Yankees announced today that they have donated $500,000 to support relief efforts following the tragic tornados that struck across the southern United States this week. Of the total, $250,000 will be given to the Salvation Army and $250,000 to the Red Cross, both of which are already working in the affected areas.

“On behalf of the entire New York Yankees organization, we would like to express our deepest condolences to all those affected by the devastating storms in Alabama and throughout the South,” said New York Yankees General Partner and Vice Chairperson Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal. “During the most difficult of times, the resiliency of the American spirit brings people together. We are eager to join so many others in helping to rebuild these proud and vibrant southern communities. In the days, weeks and months ahead, we will continue to keep everyone in our hearts and prayers.”

Our nightmare is over. Yankee fans can rejoice. The light eyed, light hitting, fist pumping savior is back with the team! Francisco Cervelli was activated by the Yankees today. Cervelli broke his foot on March 2nd and was given a 4-8 timetable for a return. In order to make room for Cervelli, Gustavo Molina will be taken optioned to Triple A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

When Cervelli’s injury occurred the Yankees weren’t sure how Russell Martin would do. It’s safe to say he has exceeded expectations. Having Cervelli back will allow Martin to rest a little more – probably only one more day a week, if needed.

From Hardball Talk:

Cervelli will probably see more action behind the plate than fill-in backup Gustavo Molina did, but it likely won’t be more than one or two starts per week as long as Martin keeps playing so well. Martin started 20 of the first 22 games, with Molina drawing his only starts on April 16 and April 26.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Some miner ... minor league notes.

TWO OF the Yankees’ prospects at AAA, Jorge Vazquez and Justin Maxwell, are leaders in the International League for RBIs — Vazquez with 25 and Maxwell with 19. According to Donnie Collins of The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.), not many SWB players have been leaders in offense. Usually, it’s the pitching that gets recognized.

But generally, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre teams have been pitcher-dominated. I don’t know if the huge home park has a lot to do with that, though I suspect it does. I also believe the philosophies of the two organizations that have been here — the Phillies and the Yankees — are to develop pitchers first and foremost. So, it all makes sense.

Vazquez is batting .345 with eight homers, just one in his past 10 games, and Maxwell just snapped a three-game home-run hitting streak on Thursday. Against the Charlotte Knights, he went 4 for 13 with four homers and seven RBIs.

IN HIS last start with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, rehabbing catch Francisco Cervelli went 0 for 4 with a walk.

THE OTHER big news out of SWB is Kevin Millwood’s rough outing and what Sunday brings for the pitcher. In the Yankees 6-3 loss to the Knights, Millwood was pulled after two innings, in which he allowed all six runs to Charlotte.

Collins addresses three important questions about Millwood: Is he a better choice than Nova in the starting rotation? Could he pitch out of the bullpen? Can the Yankees afford to turn a veteran arm away?

It’s not going to be an easy call. Someone is going to have to come off the 40-man roster to bring Millwood up. Which means, the Yankees are going to lose someone they may like better down the road. But while I don’t pretend to know which way this will go, I still have a tough time picturing the Yankees cutting ties here. This is an organization that likes veteran options, and Millwood is a veteran option that has pitched well. I’m not saying there’s a lot to like about what he brings to the table. But there may be enough.

Double-A Trenton

TWO NAMES keep cropping up when you look up Trenton, and they’re both Austins.

Catcher Austin Romine and center fielder Austin Krum lead the team in every offensive category. Romine has three homers and 14 RBIs with a .484 slugging percentage. Krum, who is 23 for 76 in 20 games this season, leads the team in averge (.303) and OBP (.404).

This is Romine’s second year at Double-A, and, writes Mike Ashmore of the Hunterdon County Democrat (NY),

Of the knocks on Romine, and there are admittedly some, the bat had until recently been one of them.  But a recent four-game stretch in which he 8-for-17 with three home runs and ten RBI silenced those particular critics, albeit only temporarily.  Both Franklin and Romine are aware that more consistency is needed in the batter’s box, but neither seem too concerned about it.

Trenton (8-12) is fifth in the Eastern League standings, five games behind first-place Reading (Phillies).

Staten Island Yankees

LEADING THE Yankees in New York — specifically, one of the five boroughs of New York — in pitching is Mike O’Brien, a righty with a 2.08 ERA in four games with one loss. He’s allowed five earned runs in 21 innings, and walked four with 26 strikeouts.

Not a bad line, although the SI Yanks are down in last place in the NY Penn League, 16.5 games behind the first-place Brooklyn Cyclones.

“Something Sort of Grandish,” Finian’s Rainbow

On Thursday, Curtis Granderson donated 300 Louisville Slugger bats to the Public Schools Athletic League’s recession-torn baseball and softball teams.

I'm sure the 300 weren't as big as THE Louisville Slugger bat.

He said that one of the main reasons kids don’t get to play sports, especially softball and baseball, is that the sports themselves require equipment that can get to be expensive.

He also hopes the gesture will encourage student-athletes to stay in school and work on their academics.

“It’s great to get a chance to see how much of an impact you can make on kids,” Granderson said. “It’s amazing that I’m very similar to all the teachers and the social workers and the principals here, but the attention that the kids will give once they see, ‘Hey, this is a famous person coming in’ … They always just kind of perk up and listen a little more, so given that opportunity, I try to take advantage of it as best I can.”

After splitting the series against Chicago, 2-2, at home, the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game set starting tonight at 7:05.

Pitching probables

Tonight, 7:05: Yankees RHP Freddy Garcia (1-0, 0.69) vs. Toronto LHP Ricky Romero (1-3, 3.00)

Saturday, 4:05 p.m.: Yankees RHP A.J. Burnett (3-1, 3.52) vs. Toronto RHP Kyle Drabek (2-0, 3.30)

Sunday, 1:05 p.m.: Yankees RHP Ivan Nova (1-2, 5.82) vs. Toronto RHP Jesse Litsch (2-1, 3.86)

Last time out

The Yankees traveled to Toronto for a two-game set April 19-20. The first game was Mariano’s first blown save this year, and Nova yieleded a single to Travis Snider to plate the game-winner in a 6-5 loss.

But the next night, Bartolo Colon made his first start since 2009 in place of Phil Hughes, and at one point, retired 12 straight batters. Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson homered and added an RBI triple. The Yankees scored four of their runs int he 6-2 win on outs.

Freddy Garcia

Great story here, firstly, about Garcia’s acclimation to New York.

Poor guy, when he went to start the first two times, the weather would have none of it.

However, now that he finally got rolling, Garcia is providing Cashman with the evidence the general manager dropped $1.5 million on the guy.

In two games this season, he is 1-0, allowing just one run on five hits over 13 innings with four walks and nine strikeouts.

Expect the same out of Garcia tonight.

Key this series

The Yankees have gone through some changes since last these two teams met. Garnder is no longer the leadoff man, and while he’s batting just .169, he has three home runs.

More than Nick Swisher (1), who had 29 in his previous two seasons.

Granderson can be comfortable in that No. 1 spot, and Mark Teixeira has been sore and Phil Hughes’ arm is pushing up the daisies.

Rafael Soriano can’t get a hold of how to be comfortable in New York, and Bartolo Colon is surprising everyone as he “Phils” Hughes’ spot in the rotation.

I swear, that wasn’t my pun.

Lance Pendleton is up — he pitched two scoreless innings Thursday night — Hector Noesi is down, Buddy Carlyle is up, and Jose Ortegano is gone.

CC Sabathia seems to be the only stationary force in terms of pitching, including Thursday night, when he became the fifth straight Yankees starter to allow one earned run or fewer.

In order to pick up wins this time, much like I said last time, it’s just a matter of everything coming together and clicking.

Toronto’s Keys to Victory

With love from Aerys Sports senior Blue Jays writer Amy Swenson.

» Continue reading “Pitching matchups and outlook vs. Toronto”

Okay, if you’re old like me, you’ll remember the show “Love Connection.” You’ll also remember that Chuck Woolery, in his cool ass 1980s suits and giant watches usually went into commercial break saying, “Be back in two and two.” Yeah, Stacey get on with it, what’s with the twos?

Well, the Yankees have won two in a row – after dropping the first two games of the series in disappointing fashion – and CC Sabathia now has two wins on the season. See? There is a method to my madness – okay sometimes. Sabathia pitched seven strong innings giving up three runs, seven hits and striking out seven.

Hey wait! Another two! Nick Swisher batted second and his bat came alive – finally – to the tune of three hits and four RBI. The biggest for Swisher being his home run in the bottom of the seventh inning which was his first of the year.

Brett Gardner started the bottom of the fifth inning with a home run and 32 minutes later, ended it with a strike out. In between his two at bats, the Yankees scored six times. Eduardo Nunez – who played for Derek Jeter – was the only Yankee starter without an RBI in the game.

Eric Chavez started for an injured Mark Teixeira who was out because of his sore right shoulder. He’s day to say. Aren’t we all?

The Yankees still have not lost a series at home. They will try to keep that streak alive when the Toronto Blue Jays visit for a three game set starting tomorrow night. Hopefully I didn’t pull a Michael Kay and jinx them. Kidding.

YANKEES

Granderson, CF
Swisher, RF
Cano, 2B
Rodriguez, 3B
Chavez, 1B
Martin, C
Posada, DH
Gardner, LF
Nunez, SS
Sabathia LHP (1-1, 2.73)

CHICAGO

Lillibridge, SS
Ramirez, SS
Quentin, RF
Konerko, 1B
Dunn, DH
Rios, CF
Castro, C
Beckham, 2B
Morel, 3B
Jackson RHP (2-2, 4.88)

Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter out of the lineup for New York, which, I’m hearing, got most of the remnants of the monster thunderstorm we got in Northeast Pennsylvania.

I suppose Curtis Granderson DID lead off a couple-two-tree times in his days with Detroit, but still, interesting to see how this pans out. Eduardo Nunez is in for Jeter at shortstop, batting ninth.