New York Yankees Week In Review

The first full week of Spring Training – full as in the whole team was in camp – is nearly over and what have we learned?

Well, for one thing, we learned that the Yankees are open to switching the defensive alignment of the outfield by placing Curtis Granderson in left field and allowing Brett Gardner to patrol center field. This is all in the beginning stages and it may not even come to fruition but the fact that the Yankees are open to this idea makes me happy. I believe the stronger outfield would have Gardner in center.

baseballredstitchesAnother thing we learned is that Ichiro Suzuki is pretty funny. From him showing up on the first day of training camp in a glittery Yankee cap – at least according to the beat writers who couldn’t take pictures in the clubhouse so there actually isn’t any proof that this hat exists. I guess we’ll have to take their word for it – to his quote in which he subtly made fun of the New York sports media for focusing on Derek Jeter’s weight which, surprise surprise, turned into a non issue to him tipping his cap or, in this case, helmet after he blasted a batting practice home run off fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda. I like Ichiro. He can stay.

Next up, we have Mariano Rivera who seems to be healthy and ready to pitch in 2013. He threw his first live batting practice and said he felt good. He said that he was more worried about how his knee would respond to fielding practice than he was about pitching. You and me both, Mo. Let’s hope everything stays copacetic.

Jorge Posada returned to Tampa as a guest instructor this week. He already shot down the comeback idea. According to Posada there will be no repeat of what happened with Andy Pettitte last season although some Yankee fans wouldn’t mind it considering the team doesn’t actually have a starting catcher as of this moment.

Phil Hughes hurt his back earlier in the week and was diagnosed with a bulging disc. The Yankees conservatively estimated he’d be out two weeks. Hughes started getting ready for the season two weeks earlier than usual so these next weeks off, according to him, will put him right on schedule. Or something.  Frankly, I’m concerned because this is the third season in a row that Hughes has had a back issue. His 2012 ended when he left Game Three of the American League Championship Series with a back problem.

What else happened in Tampa?

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Quick Hit: Guess who’s back, back again, Andy’s back, tell a friend.

Andy Pettitte and the Yankees have agreed to a one-year $12M deal plus award bonuses for 2013.

Pettitte came back to pitch in 2012 after retiring prior to the 2011 season. Pettitte posted a 5-4 with a 2.87 in an abbreviated season which was interrupted by a broken ankle suffered at the end of June. He was able to return to the rotation in September and pitch in the playoffs.

HOORAY!!

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Your Game Two Starter: Andrew Eugene Pettitte

Andy Pettitte, who didn’t pitch at all in 2011, is your Game Two starter in the ALDS. Just in case you just returned from a voyage to deep space and have missed the last 17 years, here’s what you need to know.

  • He has pitched 263 innings in the postseason
  • He has given up 271 hits
  • He has given up 112 earned runs
  • He has struck out 173 batters
  • He has walked 72 batters
  • He has given up 31 home runs
  • He has a 3.63 ERA
  • The Yankees are 26-16 in his playoff starts
Rk Series Date Tm Opp Rslt
1 1995 ALDS g2 Oct 4 NYY SEA W,7-5
1996 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
2 1996 ALDS g2 Oct 2 NYY TEX W,5-4
3 1996 ALCS g1 Oct 9 NYY BAL W,5-4
4 1996 ALCS g5 Oct 13 NYY @ BAL W,6-4
5 1996 WS g1 Oct 20 NYY ATL L,1-12
6 1996 WS g5 Oct 24 NYY @ ATL W,1-0
1997 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
7 1997 ALDS g2 Oct 2 NYY CLE L,5-7
8 1997 ALDS g5 Oct 6 NYY @ CLE L,3-4
1998 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
9 1998 ALDS g2 Sep 30 NYY TEX W,3-1
10 1998 ALCS g3 Oct 9 NYY @ CLE L,1-6
11 1998 WS g4 Oct 21 NYY @ SDP W,3-0
1999 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
12 1999 ALDS g2 Oct 7 NYY TEX W,3-1
13 1999 ALCS g4 Oct 17 NYY @ BOS W,9-2
14 1999 WS g3 Oct 26 NYY ATL W,6-5
2000 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
15 2000 ALDS g2 Oct 4 NYY @ OAK W,4-0
16 2000 ALDS g5 Oct 8 NYY @ OAK W,7-5
17 2000 ALCS g3 Oct 13 NYY @ SEA W,8-2
18 2000 WS g1 Oct 21 NYY NYM W,4-3
19 2000 WS g5 Oct 26 NYY @ NYM W,4-2
2001 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
20 2001 ALDS g2 Oct 11 NYY OAK L,0-2
21 2001 ALCS g1 Oct 17 NYY @ SEA W,4-2
22 2001 ALCS g5 Oct 22 NYY SEA W,12-3
23 2001 WS g2 Oct 28 NYY @ ARI L,0-4
24 2001 WS g6 Nov 3 NYY @ ARI L,2-15
2002 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
25 2002 ALDS g2 Oct 2 NYY ANA L,6-8
2003 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
26 2003 ALDS g2 Oct 2 NYY MIN W,4-1
27 2003 ALCS g2 Oct 9 NYY BOS W,6-2
28 2003 ALCS g6 Oct 15 NYY BOS L,6-9
29 2003 WS g2 Oct 19 NYY FLA W,6-1
30 2003 WS g6 Oct 25 NYY FLA L,0-2
2005 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
31 2005 NLDS g1 Oct 5 HOU @ ATL W,10-5
32 2005 NLCS g1 Oct 12 HOU @ STL L,3-5
33 2005 NLCS g5 Oct 17 HOU STL L,4-5
34 2005 WS g2 Oct 23 HOU @ CHW L,6-7
2007 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
35 2007 ALDS g2 Oct 5 NYY @ CLE L,1-2
2009 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
36 2009 ALDS g3 Oct 11 NYY @ MIN W,4-1
37 2009 ALCS g3 Oct 19 NYY @ LAA L,4-5
38 2009 ALCS g6 Oct 25 NYY LAA W,5-2
39 2009 WS g3 Oct 31 NYY @ PHI W,8-5
40 2009 WS g6 Nov 4 NYY PHI W,7-3
2010 Postseason Series Tm Opp Rslt
41 2010 ALDS g2 Oct 7 NYY @ MIN W,5-2
42 2010 ALCS g3 Oct 18 NYY TEX L,0-8
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/8/2012.

And here are some links for you to read about tonight’s starter:

  • Yankees turn to veteran Andy Pettitte, past playoff hero, to give them two-game lead in ALDS – NY Daily News
  • Game Two: Andy Pettitte Starts For The Yankees – Star Ledger
  • Yankees’ Pettitte Back To The Mound In The Playoffs – SI.com
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Quick Hit: The Pitching Rotation Is Set

The pitching rotation for the ALDS vs Baltimore has been set:

CC Sabathia – Game 1
Andy Pettitte – Game 2
Hiroki Kuroda – Game 3
Phil Hughes – Game 4

This is the rotation I was expecting. Actually, I think everyone was expecting this rotation.

Some people may be surprised by Pettitte being the #2 but it makes sense when you take into account what’s transpired in baseball, oh I don’t know, the last 16 years. Plus, Kuroda has been great at home this season.

The announcement of the rotation means we are one step closer to the series beginning. The next 24 hours are going to go by so slowly, I can feel it.

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How Grand! How Delightfully Grand! Yankees 6 Twins 3

Curtis was just one of a few heroes for the Yanks in this one, but I can never turn down an opportunity to make an allusion to Arrested Development. I love the Twin Cities, I do, but I just don’t get nervous when the Yankees play the Twins. I’m not being cavalier or overly confident. It’s just that the Yankees seem to have had the Twinkies’ number since the early aughts. The Yankees are Ron Gardenhire’s daddy, I guess.

The Yankees dominated this one from the outset, holding the Twins at bay until 3 “garbage time” runs in the 8th and 9th. Let’s have a look.

Watch out Orel Hershiser

All that Andy Pettitte has done since coming off the DL is toss 11 scoreless innings over 2 starts. NBD. The really wild part? He hasn’t even looked that good yet.

Andy got off to an inauspicious start against the Twins tonight, allowing back to back singles to Denard Span and Ben Revere after his teammates staked him to a 3-0 lead in the Top of the 1st. After getting Joe Mauer to line out, Pettitte walked the dangerous Josh Willingham to load the bases. “Oh boy,” I thought, “here we go. It’s cold and Andy is old and this is going to be a reality check.” Reality check indeed. Pettitte responded to the walk (and my lack of faith) by striking out Justin Morneau looking and getting Ryan Doumit to ground out to short to end the inning. It wasn’t pretty, but he found a way. That, to me, is some vintage Andy Pettitte.

Over his 6 innings of work, Andy struggled more often than not, only retiring the side in order in the 2nd and the 6th. You know what though? Didn’t matter all that much, because Pettitte made the exact pitch he needed to make every time he seemed to be on the brink of giving in. With 1st and 3rd and 1 out in the Bottom of the 3rd, Pettitte got Willingham to bounce into a 6-4-3 inning ending double play. Similarly, in the 5th inning, Pettitte was able to induce a grounder to double up the speedy duo of Denard Span and Ben Revere. Twin killings for everyone! (Sorry, sorry)

Andy Pettitte also got some help from his defense in the 4th inning, in the form of a great play by both Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin. With 1 out in the frame, Ryan Doumit doubled to deep right. After retiring Trevor Plouffe on a shallow fly ball to Ichiro in RF, Pettitte was unable to snag a grounder up the middle from Jamey Carroll. Granderson charged as Doumit came chugging around 3rd and threw a one-hop strike to Martin who deftly swung around to apply the tag and nail the runner to end the inning. I’m a sucker for plays at the plate, especially if we can avoid a collision. There’s no prettier play in baseball than the bang-bang sweep tag at home on a throw from the outfield. What a treat!

Final line for Immortal Andy: 6 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 88 pitches. If he’s going to keep getting sharper, fantastic. If not, then just more of this, please.

This park can’t hold me!

“Too many home runs! Yankee Stadium is a band box! Jet streams! It’ll never fly on the road!” And so on, and so on. Well, maybe the Yankees brought the jet streams out to the Midwest with them because man, were they mashing tonight. Isn’t Target Field supposed to play large? Isn’t the ball supposed to stop carrying in the Twin Cities once the temperature drops? Tell that to Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Raul Ibanez, and Eric Chavez.

The Yankees wasted no time making themselves at home in this one. In the 1st inning after a walk to Jeter, newly minted AL Player of the (Last) Week Ichiro Suzuki got things going with a 2B that was smoked high off the wall in right field. A-Rod was retired on a fly ball to right field, but Robbie Cano was able to drive in the first run of the game on a grounder to SS. Enter Nick Swisher. Exit baseball. With two outs, Swisher crushed the Liam Hendriks offering off the facing of the upper deck in RF for a 2-run shot to put the Yankees up 3-0. Seemingly an effective way to get to the young Australian righty, the rest of the lineup got to work.

Hendriks actually flashed some pretty good stuff at times after the 1st inning, settling in nicely until the 4th. After striking out Swisher looking to begin the inning, Hendriks showed Granderson a pair of curveballs before trying to surprise him with a fastball on the inner half. Curtis Status: Not surprised. Granderson one-upped Swisher with his blast, a solo shot that traveled approximately 437ft. into the upper deck in right field. It was Curtis’ 40th HR of the year, and put the Yankees ahead 4-0.

Credit to Henriks again for settling down after giving up a mammoth blast, as he made it into the 7th inning without allowing any further damage. That is, however, where the run of success would end. Raul Ibanez led off the inning with the Yankees’ third monster home run of the game, a solo shot down the RF line to increase the lead to 5-0. Two batters later, Eric Chavez joined the party with an opposite field solo shot that barely cleared the fence and only cleared Willingham’s glove by a pork chop on a stick’s length. 6-0 Yankees, and the end of the night for Hendriks.

Other than the excitement of the long ball, it was good to see the offense roll along pretty effortlessly. Ibanez built on Saturday’s special day and turned in a 2-for-4, living up to his reputation as a feast or famine streak guy, and Eric Chavez went 3-for-4 in his attempt to get off the snide.

Tidbits and Other Fun

  • Derek Jeter went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. He came into this game hitting .339 in the second half. Yeah.
  • Curtis Granderson’s 40th HR put him in pretty elite company as a Yankee. With 41 dingers last year, Curtis joins Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and, um, Jason Giambi as the only Yankees to hit 40+ HR in back-to-back seasons. If Curtis wear a lucky golden thong, let’s hope he sticks with it for the next month or so.
  • The 2B that Andy Pettitte allowed to Ryan Doumit in the Bottom of the 4th was his first XBH allowed since coming off the DL. Doumit was the 36th batter he faced.
  • Nick Swisher is playing an impressive 1B in Teixeira’s absence. Stretches, picks, you name it. What an asset to have that depth.
  • Joba Chamberlain celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday and continued the party by pitching a 1-2-3 7th.
  • Cory Wade may have thrown his last inning as a Yankee tonight and unsurprisingly allowed a home run. Wade may be a roster casualty when Gardner returns or David Aardsma is activated.
  • Josh Willingham was removed from the game after his leaping attempt on Eric Chavez’s HR in the 7th inning and it was announced that he suffered a shoulder injury. Makes the Yanks’ lives a lot easier if he needs to sit out the rest of the series.

With this win and Baltimore’s loss to Toronto in the nightcap of their double header, the Yankees now hold a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL East. This is the first time the Yankees have been separated from the Orioles by more than 1 game since September 2. For those who count the Sudden Death Golden Goal All the Beans Wild Card Duel as the playoffs, the Yankees magic number is 4. Still a long haul for the division crown though.

Tomorrow’s matchup pits Phil Hughes (16-12, 4.05 ERA) against Esmerling Vazquez (0-2, 6.75 ERA). It would be ideal to see Phil bounce back from a lackadaisical outing against the Blue Jays last time out, as we’re starting to run out of time for working out the kinks here. In other news, Esmerling is a phenomenal name, but I hope that the home run barrage carries over. Enjoy folks.

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Double FICHIRO: Yanks Take Matinee and Nightcap from Jays

GAME 1: Yankees 4 Blue Jays 2

The Return of Le Pettitte Prince

It had been nearly three months since the last time we saw Andy Pettitte take the mound for the Yankees and boy, did I miss the guy. When Andy took that Casey Kotchman comebacker off his leg in late June, I remember thinking that the Yankees would be fine while he was on the DL – after all, the lead in the division was solid, the rest of the team was healthy, and the pitching seemed to be on the up and up. We all know that my thinking was far too optimistic, if not mortally flawed. Maybe Andy’s absence was not a direct cause of the Yankees sub-standard play in the second half, but it certainly didn’t help.

To be perfectly honest, even though he was supposedly feeling fantastic, I did not expect this line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. While Pettitte didn’t bring his A-game (his command was suspect at times) he reminded us why having been around the block really matters this time of year. Pettitte flashed the grit we know and love, working out of jams in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings. At 68 pitches through 4, it seemed like we would have to settle for only a glimpse at our old friend (he was on a 70-75 pitch limit) but Andy clearly made a case for a 5th inning return. 75 pitch limit? No problem. Pettitte retired the side on 7 pitches, leaving to the warm applause of the *light* crowd in attendance – good enough for his 4th win on the year.

But, but, we had him

The first inning was more or less all the Yanks could ask for on both sides of the ball. Andy Pettitte worked around a walk to Colby Rasmus en route to a quiet inning, and then the bats pounced all over Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez in the bottom of the frame. Ichiro, Swish, and Cano went 1B, 1B, RBI 2B to start the game, and it looked like it was going to be a short afternoon for the Blue Jays youngster. After Robbie’s long 2B, however, things settled down in a hurry. Two more runs were plated in the inning on an A-Rod groundout and a Granderson sac fly, but that was all the Yanks were going to get out of Alvarez.

Seemingly on the ropes after only three batters and down 3-0 after 1, Alvarez rebounded by retiring 17 of the next 19 hitters he faced and setting a career high with 7 K. In my series preview, I noted that Alvarez doesn’t generally have swing and miss stuff, but he sure missed a lot of bats this afternoon.

Who broke D-Rob?

David Robertson sometimes picks around the strike zone. We know this. D-Rob also occasionally loses faith in his curveball when he doesn’t bring his A-game. We know this as well. The problem is that we’ve become so accustomed to watching Robertson get into, and then wriggle out of, even the worst of jams. A regression was expected after last year’s frequent “Houdini on the high wire” acts, but it’s still a tough pill for me to swallow. Robertson lacked the ability to put anyone away this afternoon, giving up two 2-strike hits on his way to an overall line of 0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2K. He was able to freeze two rookies on called third strikes, but everyone else he faced lumped him up. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Rafael Soriano came on to bail D-Rob out. After a walk to Anthony Gose, Soriano got Rajai Davis to hit a sinking liner to left field that was snagged on a slide by Ichiro, narrowly averting a Stage IV Bullpen Meltdown.

After the Yankees added an insurance run on two out hits from Ichiro (ground rule double) and Nick Swisher (RBI 1B), Soriano pitched a dominant 9th for his 41st save. Everybody untuck.

Ichiro Suzuki: True Yankee

I like to throw this term around sarcastically because non-Yankee fans do (I’m reclaiming it) but today, Ichiro was definitely my favorite Yankee. Well, that is, after Andy Pettitte came out of the game anyway. Ichiro, hitting leadoff for the resting Derek Jeter, went 3-for-4 with 2 R and a game saving catch in LF to end the 8th. We can’t expect these types of games from twilight Ichiro all of the time (more to come later), but they are so enjoyable when they happen. Do you think Raul and Andruw gave each other “oh man thank goodness that wasn’t one of us out there in left” hugs of relief after the 8th inning catch? I like to think that they did.

GAME 2: Yankees 2 Blue Jays 1

Ichiro Suzuki: True Yankee (closer to serious this time)

Okay for real, Ichiro went 4-for-4 with a SB in the nightcap and drove in the eventual game winning run in the 8th. I wouldn’t lie to you! Are we cool? Do you believe me? Great. Ready for more? Of those 4 hits, 2 of them were doubles…off a lefty. ::head explodes:: It’s okay. I ran through the same gamut of emotions as I was watching the game. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Ichiro accounted for 7 of the Yankees’ 15 hits on the day. He had a direct role in both wins and frankly I don’t see how we sweep without him. As I said above, this isn’t going to happen every game, but it happened twice today – a rejuvenated Ichiro came to play and the Yanks earned 2 much (much) needed wins with his help. No offense to D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar, but if you had told me the tale of September 19, 2012 on July 23, 2012, I’d have packed their bags myself.

David Phelps showed us something

He isn’t flashy. He doesn’t throw smoke. The pitching motion is simple and compact. No facial expressions. A haircut you can set your watch to. The previous statements all describe David Phelps but yet, I’m intrigued. One week ago, Phelps gave the Yankees 5.2 IP of 1 run ball in a critical victory against the Red Sox. That was supposed to be his last start. Three days later, Phelps got 2 big outs in relief in a game the Yankees won against the Rays. Three days after that would bring you to tonight – a game that Phelps was only asked to start because ::dun dun dun:: WEATHER happened! We all feared the WEATHER yesterday, and rightfully so – doubleheader? What will it mean for the rotation? It’s so hard to sweep a DH! Grrrrrrrfffrustration.

You know who didn’t look frustrated? David Phelps. Sure, he did not have great stuff tonight. He was pick, pick, picking and had poor command. But look at the the week he had, detailed above. His relief appearance happened on his throwing day, of course, but that can still go a long way toward mucking up a guy’s routine. When Phelps was at 40 pitches through 2 IP, I thought we were on the fast track to watching Derek Lowe pour sweat all over the mound from the 4th through 7th, effective or not. Phelps was able to reign it in, however, and turned in a gutsy performance with an end line that looks much better than he made it look: 6.2 IP (ties career high), 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He also pumped out a career high 110 pitches (previous high: 98) on a night that Joe Girardi needed some length from his starter.

Maybe it is because I didn’t expect much when he was called up, but David Phelps, I’m intrigued.

Until tonight, he was Ricky RomeROFL

It wasn’t pretty, but Ricky Romero held the Yankees to 1 ER in 6 IP despite walking 5 and allowing 7 hits. A WHIP of 2.00 over 6 innings is the pitching equivalent of playing with fire, but Romero was able to excape trouble several times by relying on a fastball-changeup combo that had Yankee hitters off balance, expecially A-Rod. Rodriguez ended a potential threat in the 1st by grounding into a double play, and then struck out with men on base in the 3rd and 5th innings. Rodriguez was also K’d by Steve Delabar in the 7th to cap a day he’d soon like to forget: 0-for-7, 5 K, GIDP.

Romero was the beneficiary of a lucky bounce in the bottom of the 2nd when Chris Stewart laced a 2B to left field that skipped up the wall and into the seats, scoring McGehee from 2nd but preventing Ichiro from scoring from 1st. Romero also got some help from his defense, as Colby Rasmus made a strong throw from CF on Ichiro’s 1B to nail Jayson Nix at the plate. As has been the case with Romero for the better part of 2012, it felt as though the wheels were going to come off at any moment, but the Yankees just couldn’t capitalize.

What did I miss?

  • Derek Jeter led off the evening game with a single, his 200th hit of the season. This marks the 8th time in his career he has reached the 200 hit plateau. He’s also playing on a bum foot. It’s old hat to say it, but he is pretty amazing.
  • Omar Vizquel passed Babe Ruth (yes, that one) on the all time hits list in the afternoon game. His RBI 2B in the 8th inning off David Robertson was the 2, 872nd hit of his career.
  • Rafael Soriano saved both ends of this doubleheader for his 41st and 42nd saves on the season. This means that fans who stayed for both games were treated to “El Rey de Monticulo” multiple times today. That is Soriano’s answer to “Enter Sandman” and the title translates to “King of the Mound.” Hard to argue in 2012.

The Yankees go for the 3 game sweep of the Jays at Yankee Stadium Thursday evening at 7:05pm. CC Sabathia (13-6, 3.96 ERA) will oppose Aaron Laffey (3-5, 4.55 ERA) in a matchup of lefties. As I write this, the Yankees sit 1 full game in first place, pending the outcome of the Orioles-Mariners game, which looks like it may go as long as last night’s. Oh boy.

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What We’re Reading: Off Day Links 9/17/12

Good afternoon Yankee fans,

The Yankees are no doubt, enjoying their last off day of the regular season – the weather here in the New York metro area is gorgeous. So while the boys in pinstripes may be off spending time with their families, the blogosphere is busy.

Here are some links for you to peruse on this lovely Monday afternoon:

Michael Eder of The Yankee Analysts writes about the Yankees strength of schedule over the next few weeks.

Tyler Kepner write an excellent profile of Rafael Soriano for the New York Times. I am one of those people who loves Soriano. I love that he walks to the beat of a different dummer so to speak.

Doug of High Heat Stats writes about pitchers and unearned runs, specifically CC Sabathia and other elite starters.

Oh hey, look who is returning to the rotation tomorrow! The one and only Andy Pettitte.

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Yankees 6 Rays 4: KKKKKKKKKKuroda

(Apologies for the late recap. I was actually at the game and then watched some football when I got home.)

I had a good feeling heading into the Bronx today. I was riding a two-game personal losing streak and I was sure Hiroki Kuroda would put a stop to it.

After he recorded six strike outs for his first six outs of the game, my good feeling remained.

Thanks to timely – and in Russell Martin’s case – explosive hitting, the Yankees jumped out to a 5-0 in the third inning against Rays starter Matt Moore.

When the Rays answered with one run of their own in the top of the fourth, thanks to a solo shot by Ben Zobrist – his 17th of the year, the Yankees came right back and scored another run. This time it was aided by an error by Moore who overthrew the first bag allowed Eduardo Nunez to reach. With Derek Jeter at the plate, Nunez stole both second and third. After Jeter worked a walk and Nick Swisher popped out, Rodriguez hit a ball to the right field wall. Sam Fuld made a nice grab but Nunez was able to score on the sac fly putting the Yankees up 6-1.

And it may have gotten a little dicey in the sixth when the Rays cut the lead to 6-4, thanks to two walks and two singles, I still felt like the Yankees were going to win. Kuroda was able to get out of the inning by striking out BJ Upton who ended up finishing the day with four strikeouts.

Kuroda pitched six full innings, gave up four runs on four hits, walked two and struck out 10. It was his 14th win of the year – a career high. It was also his third career 10+ strikeout game – two have been with the Yankees.

Boone Logan, David Phelps, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano combined for three innings of scoreless ball with Soriano recording his 40th save of the season. Soriano became the fourth Yankee closer to record 40 saves in a season. He joins Dave Righetti (1986), John Wetteland (1996) & Mariano Rivera – who has done it eight times.

The Yankees will enjoy a day off tomorrow before starting a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Andy Pettitte will be returning to the hill. HOORAY!

Some stats (Thanks to @yestoresearch on Twitter):

  • Alex Rodriguez is now three RBI from tying Stan Musial for 5th all-time.
  • Robinson Cano’s fourth inning double tied Tony Lazzeri for 11th on the franchise doubles list (327).
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You Want Yankees News? I Got Your Yankees News.

Good afternoon Yankee fans!

I know last night’s game was frustrating but there is some good news from Florida. It looks like Joba Chamberlain may be back with the Yankees this month. Yes, this month. As in July 2012. I know, it’s crazy to think about but it’s true.

Via George King of the New York Post:

Chamberlain, whose 30-day rehab assignment expires Aug. 8, made his fourth outing Friday night in Bradenton, Fla.

In two innings for Single-A Tampa, he gave up a run, two hits, fanned one and walked one.

According to Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Chamberlain’s fastball was clocked in the mid-90s.

The plan is for Chamberlain to throw a bullpen session Monday. The next test will have Chamberlain throw in back-to-back games. If he comes through that exercise with no problems, he could come off the disabled list before the end of July.

Chamberlain hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since last June, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. During spring training, he underwent right ankle surgery after a trampoline accident.

Adam Kilgore tweeted that the Yankees may now be interested in Rick Ankiel. With Nick Swisher injuring himself during last night’s 3-2 loss in Oakland, the Yankees may have to look outside of the organization in case the injury is worse than expected.

A scouting report from Mike Axisa of River Avenue Blues:

Ankiel, 33, posted a 76 wRC+ in 171 plate appearances for the Nationals this season. He can still hold his own against righties (95 wRC+ since 2010) but not lefties (44), so he’s a platoon guy only. Ankiel can play the two corner outfield spots fine and fake center on occasion, plus he has that rocket arm. The Yankees would assume the remainder of his $1.25M salary by claiming him off waivers. I’m not much of a fan but the Yankees could do worse if Swisher needs his first DL stint since 2005. · (3) ·

Over at The Yankee Analysts Steve Sciacco wonders if there is a deal for the Yankees to make at the trade deadline.

That guy Andy Pettitte began throwing but is still a long ways off from in game action. The Yankees are still looking at a September 1st return date.

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My Thoughts On Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte will be out at least six weeks

“We’ve got to weather the storm. No one’s going to feel sorry for us. Time to put my pom-poms on and be a cheerleader.”

I honestly didn’t think Andy Pettitte’s injury was that bad when it first happened because I didn’t see it. I saw him fall to the ground but I had no idea why he did. Then someone told me he was hit with the ball and even then I still didn’t think it was bad.

The idea of a fracture didn’t enter my mind so when I saw the first tweets surface that said “fracture” and “out for at least six weeks” I cursed very loudly.

Then I became sick to my stomach and covered my mouth with my hand fearing I’d throw up all over the nice people sitting in the row in front of me.

The rest of the game wasn’t very fun for me. I found it hard to cheer knowing what had happened to Pettitte. And I kept checking Twitter to see if maybe I was imagining things.

» Continue reading “My Thoughts On Andy Pettitte”

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