The Yankees ended June on a high note. They swept the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers. They won their sixth series in a row, won their 5th game in a row and ended the month with an 18-8 record.

I think it’s safe to say, the Yankees have been playing their best baseball of the season. They’ve gotten good starting pitching, timely hitting, and strong performances out of the bullpen.

Speaking of good starting pitching…

CC Sabathia has received a tremendous amount of run support this season – six starts with 10 or more runs – but even if the Yankees had only scored one run today, CC still would have gotten the victory. That’s how good he was. He struck out thirteen – tying a career high – and the Brewers weren’t able to get anything going against him. He threw 118 pitches, pitched into the eighth inning and picked up his 11th win of the year.

Amazing stat of the day: All of CC’s strike outs were swinging. Wow.

No A-Rod or Granderson, No Problem

Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson were given the day off and it didn’t matter. Thanks to clean up hitter Robinson Cano the scoring started early. He hit an RBI double in the first inning off Brewers’ starter Randy Wolf. Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher scored giving CC an early 2-0 lead.

Mark Teixeira’s home run in the bottom of the third gave him the Major League lead, again, over Toronto’s Jose Bautista – at least until tonight when the Jays play the Pirates and it was the 300th home run of his career. The last Yankee player to hit #300 at home was the last man to regularly play first base, Jason Giambi who actually hit both his 299th and 300th home runs on July 31, 2005 against the Angels.

CC’s battery mate Francicso Cervelli joined the RBI party with a couple of his own, one in the third and one in the eighth. After the game Cervelli was told by YES’s Kim Jones that Sabathia gave him some of the credit for his gem. Cervelli shook his head and responded by saying, “I just put the glove and he throws.” He also added, “He’s the king out there.” Indeed.

Some Fun Stats

• So far in Interleague Play: 11-4 record, averaging 5.4 runs, .254 batting average, 19 home runs, 3.11 ERA
• Yankees are 23-4 in the daytime.
• This was the Yankees’ third shutout of the season – before today they were tied with the Chicago Cubs with the least in the Majors.

The Yankees’ June Stats

• Hitters: .270/.358/.452 and averaging 5.8 runs a game
• Pitchers: 3.42 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7.0 K/9
• Record: 18-8

Up next for the Yankees, that team in Queens. The Subway Series – Part Two starts tomorrow night at Citi Field.

Music for gametime: Stuck between stations, The Hold Steady.

This post was written while the game was in progress.

• The Yankees southpaw notches his fifth strikeout today, against Ricky Weeks.

Let’s take a look at CC’s numbers with the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he played last in 2008 as a member of the National League Central team.

In 2008, the Brewers finished second in the NL Central, with a 90-72 record.

• With the bases loaded and two outs, his highness Prince Fielder steps up to bat. With three breaking balls, CC gets him swinging.

That year in the NLDS, they lost in four games to the Phillies, who went on to compete — sigh, and win — the World Series.

CC is listed as a top player in 2008 with a WAR of 3.8, and he spent time with two teams — oh wow guess who the Cleveland Indians, then Milwaukee.

• That’s a one-two-three inning for CC as we head into the bottom of the fourth.

With the Brewers, CC started 17 games, posting an 11-2 record with a 1.65 ERA and a 1.003 WHIP. Ridiculous numbers, putting him in fifth to win the Cy Young Award — which he did the year before anyway, so no biggie.

Let’s fastforward, though, to his time with New York.

• Through five innings, Sabathia has walked two and STRUCK OUT NINE, allowing just three hits. No runs.

The lefty joined New York in 2009, finishing 19-8 — the next year he’d record a career-high 21 wins, in 34 starts — striking out 197 to 67 walks.

Also that year, he made his way to the World Series, though he once again dropped a game to the Phillies.

In the NLDS, the Phillies won Game 2, 5-2, chasing Sabathia after just 3.2 innings. In 2009, Philadelphia took the first game of the series, 6-1, an outing in which Sabathia went seven innings, recording two runs on four hits with six strikeouts. He got the loss, although the bullpen (a Hughes-Marte-Robertson-Bruney-Coke combination) began its implosion thereabouts.

• And that’s 79 pitches for CC heading into the sixth, 49 for strikes.

—–

Additional reading:

“CC Sabathia is still fond of his wild ride with Brewers,” Marc Carig, Star Ledger

CC’s official website

PitCCh In foundation – “PitCCh In Foundation Inc. is dedicated to enriching the lives of inner city youth by working to raise their individual self-esteem through educational and athletic activities.”

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the runs! I really appreciate it. You’re the best!

Your Buddy,
AJ

Earlier tonight, I posted an imaginary letter written to the Yankee offense from AJ Burnett. He asked them nicely, to score some runs for him. Well, wouldn’t you know it? The letter worked!

Burnett pitched into the eighth inning, limited the Milwaukee Brewers to two runs and he won his eighth game of the season. Burnett gave up seven hits, surrendered only two walks and struck out four. He also induced timely double plays and Milwaukee couldn’t get anything going against him.

His battery mate Russell Martin provided most of the offense and hit what ended up being the go ahead three run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. It was Martin’s first home run in 69 at bats and his 10th on the year.

Jorge Posada added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. It bounced off the top of the right field wall, into a fan and then back onto the field. At first, Posada was called out but Joe Girardi ran out, conferred with the umpires, they reviewed it and ruled it a home run. Posada hit the Yankees’ first ever reviewed home run in 2009. I remember, because I was at that game and guess who the starter was that day? Yep, AJ Burnett.

David Robertson came in and did what he does best, he pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Mariano Rivera followed Robertson. He collected his 21st save of the season.

It was the Yankees’ fourth win in a row, it insures their sixth series victory in a row and it puts them 2.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the standings.

The Yankees are now 10-4 in interleague play in 2011. They will go for the sweep tomorrow with CC Sabathia (10-4, 3.25 ERA) on the mound and will be facing the Brewers’ Randy Wolf (6-4, 3.20 ERA).

So, how many runs will he offense score for Sabathia tomorrow? Eight? Ten? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow afternoon starting at 1:05pm on YES.

Hey guys,

I know you’re probably wondering why I’m writing this to you but just hear me out.

I love being a Yankee. I enjoy playing in New York and for the greatest fans in the world. I love being your teammate. I love doing the pie thing for you when we walk off and I think we have lots of fun together on the bench. So if it isn’t too much to ask, could you guys score some runs for me? You do it for the big man, so if you could do it for me too, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks!
AJ

Tonight’s matchup is Burnett (7-6, 4.15 ERA) vs. Shaun Marcum (7-2, 2.95 ERA). The Yankees have had success against Marcum in the past. Marcum is 0-4 with a 6.62 ERA in his last eight appearances against the Yankees – those numbers are from when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tonight’s Yankee Lineup
Gardner LF
Granderson CF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Posada DH
Martin C
Nunez SS

Some quick notes

• Bartolo Colon was spotted at the Stadium
• Phil Hughes’ rehab start went great and his last pitch was clocked 92 mph – he was consistently in the 90′s all day
• Derek Jeter increased both his hitting and running today – there’s still no definite timetable for his return

It’s a 7:05pm start and the game is on YES.

Phil Hughes had his third rehab start in Trenton this afternoon. He’s looked strong so far. Thanks to Jessica Quiroli and Mike Ashmore for the updates.

“	via scout here at game: Phil Hughes is topping out at 94 mph, hitting mid 90′s consistently, 93 several times. His cutter 91-93. #Yankees
	heelsonthefield June 29, 2011

“	Video of all 39 Hughes pitches now available at http://bit.ly/9TerUn — in case you somehow missed me promoting it 20,000 times
	mashmore98 June 29, 2011

“	Another K to end the inning for Hughes. That’s 5 through four innings.
	mashmore98 June 29, 2011

“	7 pitches/6 strikes again in the fourth for Hughes. 39 pitches/32 strikes total. Filthy. Phil-thy?
	mashmore98 June 29, 2011

“	Phil Hughes at 38 pitches after 3rd. #Yankees
	heelsonthefield June 29, 2011

“	Phil is straight-up dominating so far.
	richardiurilli June 29, 2011

“	Hughes through two: 25 pitches/20 strikes. Sitting 92, touching 94 with the fastball
	mashmore98 June 29, 2011

“	RT @MazzESPN: another reading: hughes threw eight fastballs between 91-94 in the second … two of those eight touched 94 #yankees #vlo
	SherriPizza June 29, 2011

“	Phil Hughes needed 7 pitches/6 strikes to get through the third. Ended the frame with a K. Perfect through three. 32 pitches so far.
	mashmore98 June 29, 2011

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So far, so good for Hughes in Trenton. One more great stat from today’s start courtesy of Mike Ashmore: “Through five, 87.8% of Hughes pitches have been between 91-94 MPH.”

Fantastic.

Good morning Yankees fans. Here’s your Daily Rundown for Wednesday, June 29, 2011.

Can you believe it’s almost July? Can you believe the Yankees are sitting atop the AL East Standings by 1 1/2 games over the Boston Red Sox? It’s true. The Red Sox were shutout by Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies last night in a World Series Preview* at Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Meanwhile, the Yankees had no problems against Milwaukee Brewers starter Zack Greinke last night. He only lasted two innings and gave up seven runs. He took the blame saying, “I couldn’t pitch any worse than I did. It’s nobody’s fault but mine.” Mark Feinsand from the New York Daily News writes about how the Yankee bats went wild on Greinke who GM Brian Cashman met with at the Winter Meetings after the Yanks failed to get Cliff Lee.

As good as Greinke is with a ball in his hand, Cashman didn’t believe the pitcher was a good fit for the Bronx. With his history of social anxiety and his general uneasiness with the media, Greinke didn’t fit the mold of what Cashman was looking for – especially given the package of minor-league prospects the Royals were asking for in return.

Howie Rumberg of the Associated Press writes about how the Brewers didn’t look comfortable all night. Their uneasiness started in the first inning with Nyger Morgan’s miscue that turned a routine fly ball into a triple for Curtis Granderson.

The NL Central’s first-place team made two baserunning blunders to end innings and were 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Milwaukee fell to 15-25 away from home, the worst record among winning teams in the majors.

Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson may be bashing home runs nearly every night – or so it seems – but neither player wants to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby. Matt Ehalt of ESPN New York writes that the Bronx Bombers are going to be leaving the lumber at home. Mark Teixeira said about his chances at the derby,

“I’ll hit a few out in batting practice just to let a few go, but I guess my power comes in games a little bit easier.”

Teixeira participated in the derby in 2005 but only hit two and didn’t advance to the second round. Granderson agreed and said,

“The pitcher throws harder during a game,” Granderson said about his lack of power in batting practice compared to his power during games. “You got a guy throwing 90 mph versus a guy throwing 60 mph. It adds to the distance of the ball and how far it’s going to travel.”

Glimpsing at the Minors

The big news today is Phil Hughes who is making his third rehab start – second for the Double A Trenton Thunder. The game is scheduled for 12:05pm in Trenton at Waterfront Park. The Thunder are looking for a sweep against the New Hampshire Fishercats who they defeated last night 3-1.

The Triple A Scranton Yankees were beaten by the Norfolk Tide 9-2 in Norfolk. Starter Greg Smith gave up six runs in six innings and dropped his decision of the season.

The short season A Staten Island Yankees won a slugfest against the Hudson Valley Renegades 11-9 last night. The score was 5-3 by the time the second inning ended and going into the bottom of the ninth SI was up 11-6, when the Renegades scored three more runs to keep the game alive, SI called on Brandon PInder to stop the bleeding and close it out.

The Low A Charleston Riverdogs game was postponed last night due to inclement weather. They will play a double header today against the Augusta Green Jackets.

The GCL Yankees beat the GCL Tigers 3-2 last night.

*It’s never too early for sarcasm, is it?

If someone had told you during Spring Training that on June 28 Freddy Garcia would beat Zach Greinke, you probably would have laughed at them. Well, that’s exactly what happened tonight at Yankee Stadium. In the battle of two first place teams, the team that was 8-2 in their last ten at home bested the team who was 15-24 on the road coming into tonight’s game.

Greinke only lasted two innings for the Milwaukee Brewers. He gave up seven earned runs, five hits and didn’t strike anyone out – it was the first time he’s ever left a game without having recorded a strikeout. In the bottom of the second alone Greinke gave up five runs on three hits, surrendered two walks and faced eight batters.

Garcia pitched six innings, gave up two runs, eight hits, didn’t walk anyone and the Brewers were 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position against him. He came out of the game after the Yankees had a long bottom of the sixth inning – they scored four runs and the Brewers made a pitching change.

Hector Noesi relieved Garcia and pitched two innings, gave up two hits, struck out three and didn’t give up a run. Cory Wade followed Noesi, closing the game and only giving up a hit in one inning.

The Yankee offense was powered by Mark Teixeira, who hit 24th home run of the season – he is now tied with Toronto’s Jose Bautista again for the league lead – and Nick Swisher who hit one of his own, along with a double. Both had four RBI apiece. The offense had ten hits, four of them for extra bases and the aforementioned two home runs. The only starter without a hit was Brett Gardner.

Some Fun Stats

• The Yankees’ Interleague Record: 9-4
• They’ve hit 16 home runs in interleague play
• The Yankees are now a season high 15 games over .500
• They are 13-4 since being swept at home by the Red Sox
• They have Yankees have now won 9 of their last 11 at home averaging and are 7.2 runs a game over that stretch

Tomorrow’s matchup will be AJ Burnett (7-6, 4.15 ERA) who goes up against Shaun Marcum (7-2, 2.95 ERA). The game is on YES at 7:05pm.

Rock ‘n’ roll ‘n’ brew / they don’t mean a thing when I compare ‘em next to you

Big picture

Three games this week pit the first-place-by-a-half-game-in-the-AL-East New York Yankees against the NL Central’s three-games-in-first-place Milwaukee Brewers.

With a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee has won five of its last nine, dropping two games apiece to Boston and Tampa Bay on its interleague trip.

I suppose it’s comforting to know that even other first-place teams can’t beat Boston.

This will be the first time the Brewers visit the Bronx since moving to the National League in 1998.

See also, “Brewers, Yankees renew once-intense rivalry” on MLB.com.

Pitching matchups

» Continue reading “Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ Brewers: Yankees (45-31) vs. Milwaukee (44-35)”

Boston Red Sox Captain Jason Varitek on whether he would congratulate Derek Jeter on hit #3000

“I’d trip him crossing home plate then I would congratulate him.”

This quote is funny for a couple of reasons.

1. Would Varitek even be playing behind the plate?
2. Is he implying that Jeter’s 3000th hit will be a home run?

In all honesty, forget the silly quote, I really hope Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit happens way before the Yankees meet the Red Sox again in early August…

Sergio Mitre was designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday so could that mean a return to the Yankees? Mitre wasn’t bad for the Brewers, if fact he had a 3.27 ERA through 22 appearances. In 2010 with the Yankees Mitre posted a 3.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and opponents only batted .223 against him. He wasn’t as terrible as everyone thinks or maybe they’re thinking of 2009 when his ERA was north of 6.

Mitre was likely headed for the bullpen to be the long man in Spring Training and then Bartolo Colon swooped in, pitched his butt off and the Yankees ended up trading Mitre to the Brewers.

Another possible option could be JC Romero who was released by the Philadelphia Phillies. Although if this were last Tuesday, the Yankees would be more inclined to sign him. Sometime between then and now Boone Logan remembered how to get lefties out – our LOOGY has finally become a LOOGY.

Should be interesting to see what the Yankees do – if anything. Oh who am I kidding? Of course the Yankees will do something. The kids they keep calling up to pitch out of the bullpen aren’t cutting it.