Seriously, Kevin Millwood? Eh, the Yankees won two out of three. That’s the important thing. Just keep winning series.

I’m sorry but Kevin Millwood? He’s usually awful and the Yankees were baffled by him today. It was so frustrating. No, I’m going to be positive.

KEVN MILLWOOD????

Okay, enough of about him. Let’s talk about the other pitcher, number 46, Andy Pettitte. Yes, I know, he lost, I was there but let me tell you, it was very exciting to see him pitching again. The result may not have been positive but I think when he gets more innings under his belt, he should be fine and can help the starting rotation.

He looked sharp for the first three plus innings and then ran into trouble the third time through the lineup. Of course it also didn’t help that the ump called ball four on Jesus Montero which could have been called a strike and ended the top of the fourth instead, Montero was on base when Justin Smoak – that pain in the ass – hit a home run to left.

Here’s his first pitch. (It’s a phone shot so I apologize for how blurry it is):

The ovation he got before the game was great. They showed Pettitte in the bullpen warming up on the big screen in centerfield and the crowd roared. I was clapping excitedly like a seal. I’m being serious, it’s how I clap when I’m that excited about something.

The fans weren’t the only ones excited. So was Nick Swisher:

”I thought it was so awesome. I was so excited. I know we lost today and that’s what a lot of people are going to focus on – I could really care less about that,” Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher said. ”We got our boy back.”

All I have to say is look at this…

Phil Hughes: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB and 4 K

Oh and this…

Raul Ibanez: 2-3, 1 HR and 2 RBI

And one more thing…

Jesus Montero: 0-3 with 2 K

Yep.

Most people are relieved that the Yankees decided to send Eduardo Nunez down to the minors today. And so am I, in a way. Now that he’s not with the big club I don’t have to be subjected to the onslaught of tweets bitching and moaning after every single move he makes. Even after positive ones!

It was getting too much for me. Yes we get it, Eduardo Nunez is terrible in the field. Enough already.

Thankfully, we all get a reprieve. Nunez gets to go down to the Minors, play everyday and maybe somehow will miraculously become a better player defensively. And I get to tweet in peace.

Hallelujah!

Oh wait, what am I talking about? Jesus Montero makes his return to the Stadium tonight. He’s catching and batting clean up.

I used to dread A.J. Burnett starts for many reasons last season, one of them being the ridiculousness on Twitter. I have a feeling that tonight’s game will be much of the same. Especially if Jesus Montero goes 3-4 with a home run and four RBI.

Eric Chavez is back – he was activated in conjunction with Nunez’s demotion – and is batting eighth and DHing tonight against Felix Hernandez.

Jeter SS
Granderson CF
Cano 2B
Rodriguez 3B
Teixeira 1B
Swisher RF
Ibanez LF
Chavez DH
Martin C

According to about 1,036,754 tweets I saw earlier, Felix Hernandez is 3-0 and has an ERA of 0.38 in three games at the New Yankee Stadium. People are predicting he’s going to throw a no-no. I predicted the Yankees would win tonight’s game. I hope I’m right.

While I was sitting here thinking of something to write, I realized that I am going to be seeing Andy Pettitte pitching on Sunday. If someone had asked me in February if I thought I’d be seeing Pettitte starting a game for the Yankees in May I would have laughed and told them that they were crazy. I just hope he pitches well enough to win. I’m 2-0 so far this season and I don’t want a blemish on my perfect record – yes, I do realize it’s a small sample size. I also don’t want to hear the big mouths saying “I told you so!!!” if Pettitte doesn’t have a good outing.

Yankee fans have had enough issues to deal with so far this season in regards to the pitching staff. Some good news will be nice for everyone.

Hi guys (and James),

It’s Stace. I know today’s news on Michael Pineda, his labrum tear and impending surgery is not good, at all, but I really think some of you should calm down. (You too James.)

Was Pineda’s decreased velocity a cause for concern? Possibly but even without his 97 m.p.h. fastball, he was still getting batters out in his Spring Training outings. Did this tear happen before he was traded to the Yankees? Absolutely not.

Brian Cashman did not trade for an injured pitcher. The Yankees believe that Pineda’s tear occurred in his extended rehab start. So let’s get rid of that thought, okay? Seattle did not give the Yankees damaged goods.

“In no way do I believe, or do the New York Yankees believe, that the Seattle Mariners had any knowledge of any issues here with Michael Pineda prior to the trade or anything of that nature. He was a fully healthy player we acquired. We had full access to his medicals, which were clean.

“We had the opportunity to do a full physical exam, which we did, which came out clean. Michael has never had a shoulder issue nor has he complained of one with the Mariners, nor has he ever had any tests on the shoulder with the Mariners. This is just an unfortunate circumstance that can happen. It happened.”

Another thing people need to realize is the trade that the Yankees made on January 13 of this year which sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to Seattle for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos was not going to be won in 2012 no matter what happened – even if Jesus Montero ends up hitting 50 home runs this season. The trade is more about the long term.

More importantly, a trade is not won or lost on April 25 and if you think that, you’re being silly.

Is this development bad? Of course it is. Pineda’s recovery from the surgery is expected to take a year. It’s not optimal but it’s also not the end of the world. (Okay, James?)

And one more thing. I know many of you were disappointed when the Yankees traded away Jesus Montero. I know that he was like a God to some of you but he’s gone. Get over it already. Nothing you say will bring him or reverse the trade. What’s done is done.

So let’s all send positive thoughts and vibes to Michael Pineda, hope that his recovery goes well and that when he comes back – hopefully in 2013 – he will be an important part of the Yankees starting rotation.

Chins up kids. (And James.) Like I said before, it may be bad news but it’s not the end of the world.

Your friend (and sister),
Stacey

The Stadium at Twilight (Courtesy of mbell1975/Flickr)

*Okay, so it’s not exactly ruminating, it’s more like babbling. I can’t help it.*

It’s a late January afternoon and as I sit here listeing to the cars and trucks on the main road just above my house, I am thinking about how much closer we are to baseball season. In fact, we’re just 36 days removed from the Yankees’ first Spring Training game!

This off-season has been a relatively quiet one by Yankee standards. The biggest splash came when the team traded away one of its best known prospects, Jesus Montero for Seattle’s righty phenom Michael Pineda.

They were able to sign free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda and agreed to one-year deals with Brett Gardner, Boone Logan, David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Russell Martin.

» Continue reading “In Which I Ruminate About The Yankees On A Winter Afternoon”

There Will Be Plenty Of Pitching in Yankee Stadium in 2012 (Courtesy of mbell1975/Flickr)

Just as I was settling in for a relaxing Friday night after a busy day at work, all hell broke loose in Yankeeland.

Within a span of an hour and a half the Yankees added two potential starters to their pitching rotation. So much for Brian Cashman not doing anything this winter!

First, the Yanks pulled the trigger on a trade with Seattle that sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for starter Michael Pineda and prospect Jose Campos.

Then, just as the fans who were reeling from the Montero trade were beginning to calm down, reports surfaced saying that the Yankees had signed free agent Hiroki Kuroda to a one year deal worth between 10-11 million.

» Continue reading “What A Week For the Yankees On a Friday Night In The Bronx”

And Twitter crashes with the news…

Jon Heyman just broke the news a few moments ago, Jesus Montero is heading to Seattle in exchange for Michael Pineda.

We’ll have more when we find out the details…

Bye bye Jesus.

Updated: It’s being reported as a four player deal. The Yankees are sending Montero and Hector Noesi to Seattle for Pineda and Jose Campos – a 19 year old pitching prospect.

Here’s some info on Campos:

Notable 2011 Stats: 2.32 ERA, 2.38 FIP, 4 HRA, 13 BB, 85 K, 51% GB% in 81 1/3 IP with Everett (Short-season-A)

According to the Seedlings to Stars piece Campos has a very big upside. So maybe the Yankees are just trying to solidify their future pitching rotation.

Happy Holidays!

This year may not have ended how we (or the Steinbrenners) wanted – with a championship – but 2011 blessed us with quite a few special moments: From Jeter’s 3000th hit to Mo’s 602nd save, from the three Grand Slam game against the A’s to Jesus Montero’s two homer day, Yankee fans had a lot to cheer about in 2011.

We also wanted to thank you for taking the time to visit our site and we hope you’re looking forward to the 2012 season as much as we are.

GO YANKEES!

Looks like Austin Romine will be on his way to the big club and Jesus Montero will be catching for Russell Martin tomorrow.

The x-rays on Martin’s injured thumb – thankfully – were negative.

Romine played the majority of the 2011 season with Double A Trenton and batted .286 with six home runs. He appeared with Triple Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for only four games.

Montero who has been DHing while up with the Yankees will most likely step in for Martin tomorrow but that could change.

Francisco Cervelli is not an option with his concussion symptoms reemerging. Marc Carig of the Star Ledger tweeted that Cervelli will be returning to New York for tests and won’t be back on road trip. And Jorge Posada, who stepped in for Martin tonight and who manager Joe Girardi described as incredible in regards to his performance tonight, will most likely be relegated to bench/DH duty.

Poor Bartolo Colon. He pitched his best game in at least a month and has nothing to show for it. And that’s because Jered Weaver pitched a great game as well.

Both pitchers only gave up one run each and both pitched deep into the game – Colon lasted seven innings and Weaver eight. Unfortunately for Colon, his bullpen – minus David Robertson who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth – couldn’t prevent the Angels from scoring and winning the game in the bottom of the ninth.

So the Yankees have played in four one run games this week and have only won one. Yikes.

One bright spot: Another home run for Jesus Montero. He was responsible for the Yankees’ only run.

(this has been a phone post – please forgive any typos…)