Yankees Deal For Curtis Granderson

Well, that didn't take long. The reported 3-team blockbuster deal that's been swirling around the rumor mill all day is apparently a done deal. The deal as it's being reported is as follows:

From Yankees to Detroit: Phil Coke and Austin Jackson
From Yankees to Arizona: Ian Kennedy
From Detroit to Arizona: Edwin Jackson
From Arizona to Detroit: Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth
From Detroit to Yankees: Curtis Granderson

I think I have the moving part right. From a Yankees standpoint, the deal breaks down to be Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke for Curtis Granderson. The Boogie Down gives the deal a thumbs-up.

I wrote in mid-November that if the Yankees had the chance to make a deal for Granderson they should go after it. I wrote that I wouldn't give up Hughes/Joba and Austin Jackson. Kennedy and Jackson is definitely a downgrade over that tandem. Phil Coke is garbage so throwing him in to get it done works for me. But, I also wrote in November that I didn't want them to give up Jackson at all. Apparently, I re-thought that stance this morning when I saw the proposed deal.

As I wrote this morning, I'm ok with dealing unproven prospects for proven players. You never know what is going to become of a highly touted prospect. A lot of them flame out and never amount to anything. That possibility exists with A-Jax. He could be a HOFer. He could be nothing more than a AAAA OF. Who know? Time will tell on that. With Granderson, we know what to expect. He has speed, has a good bat with some pop, struggles against LHPs, and plays a great CF. He has a few shortcomings, but I like what he brings to the table and I think the pluses out weight the minuses.

So it looks like the OF right now is Swisher in RF, Granderson in CF, and Melky in LF. The question now becomes what to do with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. I'd have to think that the Granderson deal means Matsui is as good as gone. I think if the Yankees wanted to still bring back one of them, Damon makes more sense. I think there's still a good chance that the Yankees will bring back Damon. Personally, I would prefer to see Damon in LF, Melky in RF, and Swisher can DH. Damon brings flexibility to the team because he can play the field and can DH. I also think the Yankees need him at the top of the lineup. Granderson whiffs too much and has too low an OBP to hit 2nd. I think the Yankees are still in on Johnny Damon.

I think this deal also probably closes the door on dealing for Roy Halladay and rules out signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. There's a chance they could still be in play for Halladay but I think without A-Jax and IPK to deal, it means that Hughes or Joba AND Jesus Montero would have to go. They'll have to get creative though. I'd like to see them hold onto Montero and Hughes. i'm more than OK with them dealing Joba. We'll see. Ideally, Doc stays in Toronto and the Yanks nab him as a FA next year. Fingers crossed.

So what do you guys think? Thumbs up or thumbs down on the Granderson deal? Any other thoughts about how things are shaping up? Still 2-plus days left until Winter Meetings wrap up. I'm sure there's still a lot to come.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Involved In A Potential Big Trade

I went to bed last night around 10:15 and woke up today around 6:30. Within 5 minutes from waking up, I was on MLBTradeRumors, checking to see if any late-night action went down at the Winter Meetings. Apparently, the Yankees were involved in a potential 3-team "blockbuster" that would have landed the Yankees Curtis Granderson. It's being reported today that the deal is unlikely and it mentions that the Yankees felt the price was too high. I'm all for bringing in Curtis Granderson, but the reported "blockbuster" was a little too costly in my opinion.

If you break down the "rumored" deal, the Yankees were getting Granderson from Detroit and some unnamed prospects from Arizona in exchange for Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke and Mike Dunn. It's a little costly for the Yankees. Not much, but a little. I'm a little on the fence but my initial reaction was that the price is too high. I'm all for dealing prospects for proven talent. With Granderson you know what you're going to get. Despite his shortcomings against lefties, CG is a really good, and proven, player. Coke and Dunn are expendable middle relievers. Kennedy has the stuff but hasn't been able to put it together on the big league level. Austin Jackson is probably the best prospect the Yankees have but again, he's just a prospect. He could easily prove to be a big bust.

So it'd be Curtis Granderson ( a good and proven player) for 4 guys that may or may not ever really contribute at the big league level. If the deal happened, I'd be fine with it. But if you ask me, the Yankees should be able to get a lot more for that package than Curtis Granderson and some prospects. I'm sure if you pulled out Kennedy and added in Joba, you might have something decent in terms of a Halladay offer. I doubt Coke and Dunn are of interest to the Jays but the foundation of a deal (Joba and Jackson) is there. Who knows? I think the Yanks could get a little more for those guys if they're truly willing to part with them.

If the Yanks happen to bring in Granderson, it's a safe bet that Damon and/or Matsui won't be back. Maybe one will to DH (I prefer Damon), but there would be no chance that both would return. With Granderson, the OF would be Swisher in RF, Granderson in CF, and Melky in LF, with Gardner likely being the 4th OF. Trading for Granderson also likely means no Matt Holiday or Jason Bay. But who knows? Last year we all thought there was no chance they'd sign Mark Teixeira after signing A.J. and CC, but they did.

Buster Olney is on XM radio right now. He didn't call the trade talks dead, but refereed to them as "dormant." I wouldn't be surprised if this deal picks up some steam. It's not a horrible deal. Perhaps they'll rework it. Stay tuned.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Pitching Staff Comes Through In 3-2 Win Over Angels

I got a text alert from the Yankees an hour or so before the game started. It said that Girardi was keeping A-Rod, Damon, and Swisher out of the lineup. When I read that my first thought was, "Well I hope A.J. is on because it'll be a weak lineup." The offense hasn't exactly shown up when they play in Anaheim. At first I was puzzled as to why Girardi would sit those guys in what I thought was a big game. It wasn't a must win, but it was still important nonetheless, in my opinion anyway. Besides getting one step closer to winning the AL East, the Yankees could get one step closer to wrapping up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I didn't quite get the move, especially with tomorrow being an off day. Then I read how poorly A-Rod, Damon, and Swisher have performed against Scott Kazmir. The move then made more sense. I still didn't like their chances. With 1/3 of the regular lineup riding the pine, the pitching had to be there. As you all should know by now, it was.

I had my doubts with the wildly inconsistent A.J. Burnett getting the start but he got the job done. He allowed a few too many baserunners for my taste but his 11 Ks neutralized any real threats. A.J. pitched pretty well. 3 of his last 4 starts have been pretty good with one being really bad. Throw out the bad start and we're looking at: 18.2 IP, 18 hits, 9 walks, 17 Ks, and 4 ER (1.93 ERA). Not bad but he needs to bring that WHIP (1.45) down a little bit. Allowing so many baserunners will eventually catch up with you. I'm really hoping Burnett has his stuff together. He's going to be a big part of the team in October. The Yanks need him if they want to go deep into the playoffs.

Big up to the bullpen for pitching 3+ scoreless innings. Marte picked up 2 huge outs. He got Yankee killer Chone Figgins to fly out with 2 on to end the 6th. He then got himself out of a little jam by getting Bobby Abreu to ground into a 4-6-3 DP. Phil Coke bailed out Albaladejo. That was big. Ian Kennedy even got in on the action. IPK was a little shaky. Scratch that. IPK was a lot shaky. That was scary. Kennedy seems to forget how to have control whenever he pitches at the big league level. 2 walks and a hit-batter. 15 of 28 pitches for strikes. He's got to be better than that. But he didn't allow any runs, so I can't speak to ill about his outing. But like with A.J., allowing too many baserunners will eventually catch up with you. So watch yourself IPK. And what would a 3-2 win be without Mariano Rivera picking up the save? He's the GOAT. 'Nuff said.

As expected with that lineup, there wasn't a lot of scoring. It all came at once with the big knock coming off the bat of Robbie Cano. Robbie may not come through a lot with RISP but his hit today was clutch. He seems to be doing that more and more lately, though still not nearly at the level he needs to. Robbie's buddy Melky came up with the other big hit and I hope that snaps him out of his slump. Melk was in a God-awful 1 for 21 slump before that base knock. He then followed that double with a single in his next AB. Slump over? I hope so.

The win today has to be a huge confidence booster for the Yanks. They finally won a series in Anaheim. I don't remember the last time they did that. The Yanks could very well find themselves playing the Angels in the ALCS. These 2 wins hopefully got that monkey off their back. The win also puts the Yanks one step closer to clinching the division (magic # is 5) and one step closer to clinching HFA throughout the playoffs. Their magic # to clinch HFA over the Angels is 4. They very well could wrap both up this weekend against the Red Sox. The magic # to clinch the East could be as low as 3 by the time the Yanks take the field again. All I can say about that is, go Royals!

Off day tomorrow as the team flies back home. Enjoy it while you can because the real fun is about to start.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Prediction For Opening Day Roster

In the comments of my last post, regular reader Dino offered up a sort-of prediction of who he expected/wanted in the Yankee bullpen. That got me to thinking about who'd comprise the Opening Day roster and I figured why not give a crack at predicting who will make the squad. So here's what I think/prefer, assuming of course that they all remain healthy.

The offensive givens: Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher

The pitching givens: CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte

For those too lazy to count the names, it's 18 and that leaves 7 spots. One of those is the CF position, which is a battle between Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner. I honestly don't have a preference to one over the other. I think both are 4th OFs at best. Since it looks like one is definitely making the team, barring a trade, I'm going with Gardner as the winner. I don't think the Yankees are high on Melky anymore. His time has come and gone. Even though his OBP was horrible last season, I think the Yankees like what Gardner brings to the table, namely he's quick. His upside is also probably a little higher than Melky's. I think he has more potential to help the team. So I'm pegging Gardner to be our Opening Day center fielder.

One of the spots is going to a back-up infielder. There aren't many guys to choose from. I think it's a 3-horse race between Cody Ransom, Juan Miranda, and Angel Berroa. Berroa is a chump and lets face it, he ain't making the team. I think Miranda is one-dimensional, being best suited as a first-baseman. Ransom is versatile and can play pretty much anywhere in the infield. He logged time at each position last year. It helps to have a guy that can fill in anywhere. Cody Ransom will make the Opening Day Roster.

So that leaves 5 open spots, all of which are going to relief pitchers. One of those guys is going to be a swing-man, someone who can start or relieve. The options for that role as I see it are Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, Brett Tomko, Ian Kennedy, Humberto Sanchez, Kei Igawa and Dan Giese. in my opinion, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Alfredo Aceves, need to start and that won't be happening in the majors. They're ticketed for Scranton. Sanchez is still a year or so away and is coming off an injury. I don't even know why Igawa is on the list as he blows. He's an option and not a good one. See you in Scranton. That leaves Tomko and Giese. Tomko was horrible last season and I don't see him performing well enough to earn that spot. Dan Giese had a pretty solid campaign in 2008 (3.53 ERA in 43.1 IPs, 1.22 WHIP, .232 average against) and I think he's the best man for the job. He can start (3 starts in 2008) and can relieve (17 relief appearances). And of all the names above, he's the last one I would think needs to get in a healthy amount of innings. Giese is my pick for the swing man. It's his job to lose.

And then their were 4. 4 spots for by my estimation 6 guys: Phil Coke, Edwar Ramirez, David Robertson, Jose Veras, Mark Melancon, and Jonathan Albaladejo. This is probably the most difficult of all the choices because all of them are more than capable of pitching at the major league level. There's only room at the inn for 4 so 2 have to go. A lot of this could come down to who shines this spring and who falters. I think Coke and Edwar are locks as they pitched well enough last year to earn the spots. Coke so far has been the man. He's in for sure. Edwar at times can be inconsistent, but for the most part, he gets the job done. Like Giese, it's their jobs to lose. Veras probably pitched well enough to earn a spot, which leaves one opening for Robertson, Melancon, and Albaladejo. I think Albaladejo goes to AAA. Like Humberto Sanchez, he's coming off an injury and he's probably best suited to start the season in Scranton. I think Robertson probably had the job heading into the spring but I don't think he's going to have a better spring than Melancon. It's a toss up and I can go either way. I think Melancon is going to have a better spring so he's my call for the last spot.

So after all of that, I realized that that would be 12 hitters and 13 pitchers which probably isn't the right balance. I don't see the Yanks carrying 13 pitchers. It's possible since they'll have a lot of versatility on the bench. Swisher can play 1B/OF/DH. Matsui can play OF/DH. Ransom can play anywhere in the infield. I can see the team wanting to maybe carry another middle infielder. I don't see anybody really filling that role except for Angel Berroa or a dark horse candidate that comes out of nowhere. For lack of a better option, I'm going with Berroa. Unfortunately, that means I'm sending Mark Melancon back to the minors. He has to absolutely blow everyone else away to pick up one of the spots, and that's certainly possible.

The offense: Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, Cody Ransom, Angel Berroa

The pitching: CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Dan Giese, Jose Veras, Phil Coke, Edwar Ramirez.

So there you have it. That's who I think will comprise the Yankees Opening Day roster, based on everyone making it through the spring without ending up on the DL. So what do you guys think? What do you disagree with and why? There are definitely some question marks and I'm curious what everyone else thinks.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Back To The Daily Grind

Greetings my fellow Yankee fans and readers of the blog. Welcome to 2009. I hope you all had a great holiday season. I know I sure did. I took a rather long and well-deserved vacation from work. I'd been off since December 23rd. Today was my first day back to the grind. And I pretty much hated it. I know a lot of people would be bored out of their minds if they stayed home and did nothing all day. Not this guy. I love just sitting around and doing nothing. Well, I shouldn't say that. I love sitting around and not having to work. If only I could retire. I spent most of my downtime playing Rock Band 2. I don't have the full band game otherwise my wife would probably go crazy from the drumming. Strumming along on the fake guitar, that's OK. Wailing away on the fake drums into the wee hours of the morning? That wouldn't go over quite well. It's still a lot of fun.

I pretty much removed myself from baseball for the last week and a half. I figured there was no better time. Most of baseball shuts down for the last 2 weeks of the year anyway. I checked in online everyday to see what was happening and not much went down. I was excited for the launch of the 24-7 MLB Network. I could probably watch that station all day and all night once baseball season starts. Right now though there seems to be way too much Red Sox programming on. If I have to see the 2004 World Series film one more time I'll probably puke. All in all though, big fan. Two thumbs up.

Tomorrow, or today depending on when you read this, is the Mark Teixeira press conference. I'm still overjoyed that the Yankees pulled that off. I feel more confident about the Yankees chances to win their 27th World Championship this year than I have in quite some time. Everything fell right into place this offseason. The only real question that remains is what will happen with Andy Pettitte. There hasn't been anything substantial reported on Andy lately. Depending on who you read, you get a differing of opinions. Some say Andy's return is inevitable. Some say his return is unlikley. Personally, I like Andy and all, but the time has come to part ways. His glory days are behind him and I think the Yanks are best suited by giving the ball to Phil Hughes and/or Alfredo Aceves. The Yanks should be able to survive with that tandem filling the 5th spot in the rotation. Then again, most people said that last year about Hughes and Ian Kennedy and look where that got us. Though it's unlikely in my book, I suppose it's possible that Andy could have a bounce back season a la my man Mike Mussina. Again, that's unlikely. I think the Yanks should just hold onto their money, thank Andy for the years of service, and tell him they'll see him at Old Timer's Day. I think the roster is pretty good just the way it is right now.

Actually, now that I think about it. There's another question that remains: Which OF is on the outs? Nady, Matsui, Damon, Melky/Gardner, Swisher. 4 guys for 2 spots if you count the DH. I have to think someone will be gone by Opening Day. I'm not sure who I'd deal. Nady's salary is pretty low. Same with Swisher. Damon is in the final year of his deal but is coming off a pretty good season and is our best option for a leadoff hitter. Matsui swings a good stick and hits from the left side and provides good balance to the lineup. Eeenie meenie mynie moe, I choose.....I don't know. If you put me on the spot and demanded an answer, I'd say Swisher or Matsui. So much for making a decision, right? In my eyes, Swisher isn't yet a Yankee, if that makes sense? And I think Matsui's best days are behind him. We'll have to see. Maybe Cashman will stand pat and keep the lot of them. Your guess is as good as mine.

6 weeks until pitchers and catchers report. Baseball will be back before we know it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E! Be Agressive. Be-e Agressive

It's being reported by Jerry Crasnick at ESPN that the Yankees have offered A.J. Burnett a guaranteed 5 year deal. What the dilly? The Yankees are not messing around in their relentless pursuit of the top starting pitchers the free agent market has to offer. First, they sign CC Sabathia to a record breaking contract. They reportedly offer Derek Lowe a 4 year deal. Ben Sheets and Andy Pettitte might have offers. And now oft-injured pitcher A.J. Burnett gets a guaranteed 5 year deal. That's right. Guaranteed. The only other team right now that appears to be a major player for A.J. Burnett is Atlanta, and they desperately need him. I'm not sure though that they're willing to go to the lengths that the Yankees are.

I'm a little confused by the aggressive approach. I know that the rotation is in need of a serious upgrade, but I'm looking ahead at the future and I'm wondering what the plans are for Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Let's assume for argument's sake, that this is the Yankees rotation come the start of 2009:

1. CC Sabathia
2. Chien-Ming Wang
3. Joba Chamberlain
4. A.J. Burnett
5. Derek Lowe

I'm not exactly sure how long the Wanger and Joba are under the Yankees' control, but I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon. And if CC, Burnett, and Lowe are locked up for 7, 5, and 4 years respectively, that doesn't leave any room in the rotation for some years to come. I'm really curious what the plans are for Phil and Ian. I'm wondering if Cashman has something up his sleeve. I really like Hughes but it's starting to look like he's not in the Yankees' plans.

Anybody else out there wondering the same thing?

J-Boogie

Another Robbie Cano Rumor

I was getting ready to turn in for the evening. I decided before calling it a day to give Pete Abraham's blog one last look. To my surprise there's a new post up that mentions a Yankees/Mets trade rumor. I never put much stock in trade rumors as they always seem to end up being nothing more than idle chatter. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean they're not fun to talk about. This one I found particular interesting. The rumor has the Yankees getting Carlos Beltran in exchnage for Robinson Cano, Ian Kennedy, Bruney or Veras, a prospect, and cash. Hmm. Off the bat I'm not sure how I feel about this deal. I can live without Bruney or Veras. I can live without Ian Kennedy. I can live without a prospect who will probably never don the Pinstripes anyway. And it's not money. The real question is, can I live without Robinson Cano? I'm not sure I can.

A lot have people have soured on Robbie after one down year. I'm not one of them. Consider this if you will, and thanks to Ben at River Ave Blues for putting this together:

For all of his perceived struggles in 2008, Cano’s numbers break down nicely, in a way. On May 3, Cano bottomed out at .150/.213/.230. Over the rest of this season, his numbers were nearly in line with his 2007 level. From May 4 until the end of the year, Cano came to bat 512 times and hit .300/.327/.452 with 12 home runs, 32 doubles, three triples and 65 RBI.

If you want to read more on Cano's 2008, Ben did a great job breaking it down. I personally think it's way too early to give up on Robbie. His #s over those last 512 ABs are pretty much in line with his career numbers, which aren't anything to scoff at. Cano has a lot of upside and discounting his value based on his 2008 would be extremely short-sighted. Cano is going to help the Yankees win many titles. Beltran would help them win one or two over a short period of time.

That being said, I do like Beltran. I think they made a big mistake in not signing him years ago. He would be perfect for the Yankees. I don't think though that either side would be on board with this deal and I be surprised if it ever became anything more than a rumor. If there were ever to be serious discussions about a deal like this, I'm not sure what I'd do if I were Brian Cashman. The Yanks are going to need some OFs in 2010 and Carlos Beltran would be a nice one to have. But great second basemen don't come along that often. I think I'd be inclined to keeping Cano. His name is going to get tossed around a lot this offseason. As mentioned in a lot of various outlets, a lot of people in MLB are diminishing Cano's value and I think it's pretty stupid to do that. I really hope that Cashman and the crew don't give up on him just yet. It doesn't sound like they are from what I've read. We'll find out over the course of the next few months. Ah, the hot stove. I love it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Pitching Bad, Really Really Bad

I said before last night's game that it was important for Ian Kennedy to pitch well and get off on the right foot. Well it couldn't have gone any worse for IPK. It was his shortest outing of the year if you can believe that. I was shocked too when I looked. But it's been that kind of year for Ian. He just can't get it done at this level. I thought yesterday he was a victim of some bad beats. The fly ball to the wall in the 1st that scored too was a catchable ball. It reminded me of when Bubba Crosby and Gary Sheffield ran into each other out there in the ALDs a few years back. Better communication between Johnny and Melky and I'm sure 1 of them hauls it in. And there were a few hits in the 3rd inning that we're pretty weak bloopers made on decent pitches. But even still 9 hits in 2 innings is a bad outing, regardless if they're rockets or bloops and bleeders. Kennedy has to pitch better. No 2 ways about it.

Robbie Cano had another multi-hit game, his 2nd of the month. Typically when he has 2 or more hits the Yanks win. With the loss, they're now 24-8 in games where Cano picks up 2 or more hits. He's swinging a good bat. I'd like to see him reach .300 by the end of the year but that might be a stretch. His buddy Melky will be lucky to finish the year at .250. Another oh-fer. Melky is oh-fer August, going hitless in his 17 August ABs. Surpisiningly, he did manage to get wood on the ball and score Cano in the 6th. He's not even having good at-bats. 3 groundouts and a pop out. He's just brutal and Girardi needs to stop playing him. Girardi needs to wake up and realize that Melky Cabrera isn't all that good. Everybody else sees it. I'm really starting to dislike Girardi. He's making some really poor decisions in my opinion. i still can't get past him using Pudge as a pinch-runner and Melky as a pinch-hitter. That could be one of the worst moves of all-time.

Today should be another interesting game. Dan Giese vs. John Lackey. The boys hit Lackey last week so I'm confident he won't shut them down. Giese's performance is the question mark. Enjoy the game.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Split Series, Moose Again Awesome

Say it with me Yankee fans: Mooooooooooooooose! In keeping with the tradition I've started here, there's one O for every Moose victory. The win total has now reached 15. 15 wins. 15 Os. 5 more Os and I'll be a happy camper. Well, I'm already a happy camper. Moose has won 15 and nobody expected him to do that. 5 more wins and I'll be happier than a pig in, well, you know. Moose is having an awesome season. I'll go as far as saying he's worthy of some heavy Cy Young consideration. That's not to say he should win, but he definitely deserves some serious consideration. Moose could win out though and I don't think he'd win. Cliff Lee has it wrapped up. But what Moose is doing is unreal. Nobody could have predicted this. 15-7 with an ERA of 3.27. Leading the league in wins. Yeah baby. I was most impressed with Moose shutting down the most potent offense in the league, and getting 11 ground ball outs, with only 3 coming on the fly ball. The OF thanks you for giving them the night off. Ground balls equal double plays. Double plays equal getting out of trouble. Moose induced 3 DPs. Those definitely were a key to his success tonight. So the Yankees have 47 games left. Assuming Mike stays healthy that's a minimum of 9 more starts. He'll squeeze out 10 if they keep on his regular rest, with his final start coming on the last day of the season against the Red Sox. 5 wins in 9/10 starts? I don't want to get ahead of myself but that's very doable. This could make for 1 fun fan club dinner. Oh, if there are any Moose fans out there, check this out. Nice interview with Moose posted on Yahoo today. Give it a look.

The bullpen was again rock solid. I wasn't a fan of pulling Bruney for Marte but it worked out. Mo again remained perfect in save situations. 28 for 28. He somehow needs to convince himself that every game is a save situation. His dominance in those games is amazing. Vintage Mo. He's definitely having one of, of not the best seasons of his career.

I wasn't overly impressed with the offense. 11 hits, 3 walks, a HBP and all they muster are 3 runs. This team needs to be more efficient at the plate. The DPs are killing them. As a fan it's extremely frustrating to watch them hit into so many rally killers. They've hit into 8 DPs in their last 3 games. Frustrating. Very frustrating. The pitching is definitely carrying this ball club. Robbie Cano had a solid night at the plate. It was his 8th multi-hit game in 19 games since the break. The Yankees are 8-0 in those games. Cano now has 31 multi-hit games this year. The Yankees in games when Robbie has 2 or more hits: 24-7 (.774). Considering Robbie has increased the # of multi-hit games each month, we might be in for a nice run the rest of the way if he stays hot and that winning percentage holds up. For the statheads out there, here are Robbie's multi-hit games by month and the Yankees record in those games:

• April = 2 (1-1)
• May = 6 (5-1)
• June = 9 (6-3)
• July = 13 (11-2)
• August = 1 (1-0)

Cano has been a better hitter in the 2nd half of the season statistically speaking. Take my word for it. I'm not looking those up. Robbie is swinging a good bat. Unlike his buddy Melky. I'm glad Girardi has decided that the kid needs to sit. There are a lot of better options than than Cabrera. I like him as the late inning defensive replacement. I have the sinking suspicion that Girardi won't be sitting him for long. I won't be a fan of that move.

Tomorrow marks the return of Ian Kennedy. We should all be a little nervous. I think IPK's success is going to be based a lot on his confidence level. I hope he's built that up during his stint in the minors because we need Ian to be a lot better than he was earlier this year. In 9 minor league starts this year, Kennedy was 5-2 with an ERA of 1.99, with a WHIP of 0.88. I don't know about you but that would build up my confidence level. Tomorrow is going to be an important start for IPK. Getting off on the right foot is a must. And that goes for the Yanks too. No more of this losing the 1st two games of the series and winning the last 2 BS. Let's kick it off with a win and build on the momentum that has come from the last 2 games.

And one more time for good measure: Mooooooooooooooose!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

Yanks Win Crazy Game Thanks To Shoddy Angels D

The Yankees got a gift today from the Angels. In fact, they got 4 of them. 4 huge costly errors led to 9 or 10 unearned runs and ultimately a Yankee victory and a series split. But that's baseball. It a win and the standings and I'll take it. They never gave up. They battled back from a 5-run deficit and this has to be a huge confidence boost to a team that's heading out on a road trip and has been mired in a mini-slump. Big win today boys and girls. Big win.

It certainly didn't start out well. Darrell Rasner was absolutely brutal. Prediction: it won't be long before Rasner makes his final start of the season. He was awful today, and he's been awful more than he's been good. It's to the point where starting him is becoming a huge liability. Including today's game, D-Raz has won 2 of his last 12 starts. Houston, we have a problem. Luckily, it's a problem that's not hard to fix. The Yankees have many options they can go with to start in place of Rasner, and they're names we're all familiar with. Ian Kennedy can easily be called up to take the spot. He's allowed 14 hits and 4 runs in his last 4 outings for Scranton. Since being demoted to the minors, IPK has an ERA of 1.99 in 54.1 IPs. Opposing hitters are hitting .179 off Ian. Phil Hughes is on the med and is currently rehabbing in Charleston. He's had only 2 outings but has been outstanding: 6.2 IPs, 3 H, 0 ER. And then there's our favorite sorry excuse for a Yankee, Carl Pavano. He's pretty much on the same rehab schedule as Hughes, and has done alright in his 2 outings: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER. He could throw 5 consecutive no-nos and I wouldn't care. I hope he never dons the Pinstripes this year. He's been a colossal waste of time and money. Bringing him back to the Bronx would definitely disrupt the clubhouse. It's no secret nobody wants him there. I hope Cashman has the smarts to keep him down. I'd like to think eh does. Getting back to Hughes and Kennedy, I'd much prefer to see them get another chance to pitch than to look outside of the organization. Jarrod Washburn is a bum and they shouldn't even bother. At least give the youngsters another shot. They can't do any worse than Rasner that's for sure.

The offense got a nice kick-start today from one of their newest acquisitions. The X-Man, Xavier Nady, coming through in a big way with 4 hits and 6 RBI. Nady is now batting .385 as a Yankee, with 3 HR and 10 RBI in 8 games. Ken Singleton was right when he remarked that Nady was probably the best offensive acquisition any team acquired at the trade deadline. I like Mark Teixeira and all but he hasn't quite performed to Nady's level this year. That Brian Cashman is one smart cookie.

Bobby Abreu on the other hand? What was he thinking trying to run to 3rd on a routine fly ball to left? That has to be one of the biggest boneheaded moves I've seen in a long, long time. Why would you even attempt that when there are 2 outs? The rule of thumb is never make the 1st or 3rd out at 3rd base. No idea what was going through his mind as it wasn't even a close play. It makes no sense to even try to tag from 2nd to 3rd in that situation. What's worse is he ended up costing the Yankees what could have been an all important run. Stupid. Just stupid. He at least atoned for his mistake by going 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored. Bobby's been on a tear lately, hitting .387 (24 for 62) and raising his average 15 points since the All-Star break. He's scored 20 runs and knocked in 17 in those 16 games. Bobby's been awesome lately, so I'll let that horrendous baserunning mistake slide.

It was also nice to see our other deadline acquisition Ivan Rodriguez break out today with 2 hits and a HR. That bat is going to come in handy down the stretch. Unlike Melky Cabrera, who managed to find a way to go oh-for-5, he writes while shaking his head in disgust. Paul O'Neill made a comment during the broadcast that Melky needs to stop trying to murder the ball and concentrate on raising his average. Great observation Mr. O'Neill. Great observation. Melky is playing his way right out of the lineup. Enter Justin Christian. He deserves a chance to start I'd say. He's provided quite the spark to the offense with his blazing speed. Said speed pretty much winning the game today. I loved seeing him take 3rd and scoring on the poor throw. That was heads up right there. I'm inclined to think he has the green light to run whenever he wants to. If it's not the case, it better be. Memo to Joe Girardi: sit Melky, play Justin, win-win. Make it happen. Better yet, let me have a few swings. I can go of-for-5 too.

Dan Giese was today's unsung hero. His 3 scoreless innings were huge. It gave the Yankees offense the opportunity to claw their was back into the game. That was pretty invaluable right there. He was awesome today. It's too bad he didn't get the win. He deserved it. Thanks Edwar. He picked up the win but definitely didn't deserve it. I'll let it slide though because Edwar has been lights out. It's the 1st game since July 2nd he's allowed a hit. 11.1 hitless/scoreless innings in a 10 game span. I'll forgive this bad outing. But only because the Yanks won. While I'm talking about the bullpen, not sure why Mariano wasn't warming up to pitch the 9th inning? I didn't get to see the post game show so I'm not sure if anything was mentioned about an injury. Hope not. Fingers crossed.

And none of this would have been possible if not for the extremely shoddy Angels' defense. Wow. Talk about a bad game. A dropped fly ball in center....4 runs score in the inning. 2 fielding errors and 1 throwing error....6 runs score in the inning. That's bad baseball right there. They always talk about how the Angels play great fundamental baseball. That certainly wasn't the case today. So we here at the Boogie Down, which is just me (why do I refer to myself as we?), say thanks Angels' defense.

The worst part about today is that both the Sox and Rays won their games so this great win gained us nothing in the standings. I thought for sure we'd pick up a game on the Rays but Kyle Farnsworth apparently had other plans. Even when he's not a Yankee he finds ways to hurt us. He pitched an inning today for the Tigers, blowing the save, giving up 3 earned with 2 longballs. Kyle for Pudge? If you had any doubt before about who won that deal, that doubt should be gone. If his outing wasn't bad enough, the Tigers ended up taking the lead in extras only to blow it again. Thanks for the help. Appreciate it.

So now the boys are off on a 10 game roadie. 4 in Texas, 3 in Anaheim, and 3 in Minnesota. These are going to be some big games that could very well define the rest of the season. The Yanks will no doubt be up to the task. They are after all one of 2 AL teams with winning records away from home. The other of course being the Angels. The win today has to be a huge confidence boost. They came from behind and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the best baseball had to offer. And hitting John Lackey is no easy task. Just ask the Red Sox. I can't think of a better way to start this roadie. Take it to 'em fellas.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

This Just In: Angels Are Scary Good.

Well that was fun. Not. Man the Halos are good. Far and away the best team in baseball. The Yanks didn't really stand a chance tonight, and this was the game they needed to win. They now need to hope that Darrell Rasner or Sidney Ponson can squeak one out. Me don't like their chances.

Andy Pettitte was not sharp tonight. He got better as the game went on, which isn't saying much, considering he got knocked around for 9 runs on 11 hits. I'm not putting much stock in his poor performance. He and Pudge had obvious communication problems and I'm sure that had a little to do with it. I'm not sure what kind of prep time the Yankee pitching staff had with Pudge, but I imagine it wasn't much. Now I have absolutely no idea what kind of effect throwing to a new catcher has on a pitcher, but it did appear to me that the two weren't connecting. But they did get better as the game went on. But Andy is better than that. He melted down in the 3rd. That was bad. Hopefully, the staff can get with Pudge so that they're all on the same page. Most of these guys are vets, including Pudge, so it shouldn't take long for them to get acclimated to each other and get a rhythm going.

Pudge's debut left a lot to be desired. They're talking now on the post game show that he probably got less than 3 hours of sleep yesterday with everything that goes along with being traded. Perhaps playing him today was not the best move. Jose Molina is a pretty good catcher. I'd rather see a rested Molina behind the dish than Pudge on 3 hours of sleep. Give him a day to collect himself. It's not like catching is the easiest position to play. A day off wouldn't have been a bad thing. He'll be fine.

Robbie's bat has cooled greatly, going 3 for 22 in his last 5 games. It's not like I thought he'd continue having multi-hit games every day. But I didn't foresee him slumping like this again. In their 8 straight wins, Robbie goes 18 for 35. In their last 5 games, as mentioned above, 3 for 22. The Yanks are 1-4 in those 5 games. Robbie needs to hit consistently if this team is going to win. The proof is in the pudding. On a whole, the offense did alright tonight. Scoring 6 runs on 12 hits normally wins games.

Tomorrow should be another fun one. Sidney "1.88 WHIP" Ponson is on the hill. If he gets rocked, and I'm thinking he will, he's done. There's no way he's the best option. I'd prefer to see Ian Kennedy pitch over Ponson. Hopefully, he's better than he's been tomorrow. And hopefully the Yankees give him the same type of run support he's gotten all year. The Yanks has scored 43 runs in his 5 starts. 43 divided by 5, carry the 1, umm, stupid long division. Seriously, I'll take 8 runs tomorrow. That should get it done. Assuming of course Sidney doesn't give up more than that, and quite honestly, I'm afraid he will.

With the loss tonight, we're now 1.5 back of Boston, which if you ask me, is a deficit that can be made up rather easily now that Manny is on a plane headed for LA. Man the Sox got hosed in that deal. Jason Bay is no slouch, but he's no Manny Ramirez. They essentially traded Manny, $7 million duckets, and 2 guys for Jason Bay?? If I made that trade in any fantasy league that trade would get vetoed with the quickness. But this is real life, and the trade stands. The Red Sox just got treated like an inmate in Oz. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. I understand everything that's gone on with Manny, but how does that deal possibly make any sense? Sox ownership must have really wanted to rid themselves of Manny. I was talking to my father-in law tonight about the deal. He was listening to the utter garbage that is Buffalo local sports radio. Sox fans were calling in trying to justify that this was a good deal for the Sox. No matter how you try to spin it Sox fans, it's not a good deal. Not even close. You guys are done he says while shaking his head, grinning and smiling from ear to ear.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Bullpen Implodes, Joba Unimpressive In Start

Another really frustrating Yankee game. It's becoming more of the norm. The bullpen for the most part was absolutely atrocious. I could barely stand watching them implode in the 7th inning. The magical season of Edwar Ramirez has come to an end. He was awful tonight. I don't think it's cause for alarm. His lack of control did him in tonight and he's had pretty good stuff all year. If he can throw strikes, he'll be fine. Jose Veras on the other hand. I don't know what the Yanks see in him. I just don't get it. I've never really seen the attraction. On the plus side, Latroy Hawkins didn't give up any runs. Figures. The one time it really doesn't matter how he does he pitches alright. And good for Chris Britton. Keep doing your thing.

I wasn't expecting much from Joba tonight. Not many of these guys do well in their first start. It didn't help either that the Jays' game plan was to sit and watch all his pitches. Lucky for the Jays he didn't have good control. Had he, joba might have lasted more than 2.1 IPs. But he pitched alright I guess. If the Jays didn't know the Yankees game plan perhaps it would be a different story. You could totally tell they wanted his pitch count to climb and to get him out of the game ASAP. His next start will be a better indicator of how things will go. I would still prefer to see the Yankees have him do this in the minors. Call up a guy with the arm strength to maybe throw 5 IP and save the bullpen. Dan Geise filled in admirably in what will probably be his 1 and done outing. It definitely doesn't make any sense to start Joba ahead of Moose. We're back to the problem we had with Phil and Ian. Back-to-back short outings will kill the bullpen. I hope Moose brings it tomorrow.

The offense didn't really do much tonight. But it's Roy Halladay. What can you really do? The Jays have the best pitching staff in baseball. Scoring runs against them hasn't been easy for anyone. Johnny Damon continued to swing a hot bat. His 3 hits have him hitting above .300. And Jeter's slump appears to be over. Jeet is now 6-12 in his last 3 games. The Yanks had their chances but again came up empty when they needed it most. After watching yesterday's game, I was resigned to the fact that the Yankees were again going to fail at scoring with a runner on 3rd with less than 1 out. In this case there were no outs which would have made it worse. But Matsui was having none of it. Godzilla has been the go to guy all year. He better get voted into the All Star Game.

So here we are again. 2 games under .500. The struggle to get over the hump continues. Now it will take at least 2 more games. It's not going to be easy to do against the Jays. The Yanks almost need to play perfect baseball. Something tells me that's not going to happen. It's all on Moose's shoulders. A win tomorrow and he'll still be the league leader in wins. I couldn't be happier that Moose is pitching effectively. I'm a big Moose guy. But he's got an uphill battle tomorrow. He needs to pitch deep into the game. The Yankees need at least 6 from him and then they'll turn it over to.....uh oh. We might be in trouble. Moose needs to pitch at least 7.2. That's all there is to it. Moose for 8. Mo for 1. Sounds like a plan. No go execute.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Lose 10-9 in 11, I Lose 2 Hours Of Sleep Due To Rain And Shoddy Baseball

I'm starting this post during the rain delay. No need in staying up any later than I have to.

For starters, this delay should have started before Hideki Matsui even stepped into the box. I'd have to think the crew chief knew that he was going to halt the game in between innings. It makes no sense to me to allow the Yankees to bat in a potentially huge situation at such a huge disadvantage. Go ahead run on 3rd with 2 outs? Do the right thing and call the game there. Joe Girardi was absolutely in the right coming out and asking them to stop play. He knew the game was going to be stopped after the inning. Heck, my 9-month old son who is upstairs sleeping knew the game would be stopped. Like i said the right and fair thing to do was to stop the game and give the Yankees their fair shot.

Tonight was all about the longball. The 2 teams have combined for 9 dingers so far. Ross Ohlendorf tried real hard to imitate Chase Wright. Not the guy you want to mimic Ross.

Ian Kennedy and Ross Ohlendorf did an absolute horrible job tonight. The offense spotted each a 4 run lead and each gave it right back. You can't be doing that. Kennedy is apparently injured. It kind of reminds me of the kid in high school that claimed he was injured whenever he made an error. You know the guy. Nowadays he goes by the name "Softball Guy" or "Gym Class Hero." I prefer to call him Danny Mac. Just kidding bro. Making sure you're reading and paying attention. Ohlendorf hasn't exactly excelled in his role this year as the "longman." Ohlie has given up 9 ER in his last 3 outings -- 6 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 4 HR. That's scary.

On the contrary, Edwar Ramirez and Kyle Farnsworth came in and closed the flood gates. Edwar has definitely stepped it up this year. He's still yet to give up an earned run in his 14 innings this year. If you factor in his numbers with Scranton, his line is 23 IP, 12 hits, 7 BB, and 28 K. That's pretty darn good. Looks like the advice he got from Mariano and Pedro Martinez is paying off. For those of you unfamiliar with the advice it was to establish the fastball before you bust out the change. Pete Abraham had a good little write-up about Edwar on his blog today. Had Edwar given up a run today, I guarantee Pete would have been flooded with e-mails about putting the whammy on him, Good thing that didn't happen. We can thank Bobby Abreu for that. Farnsworth has been pretty inconsistent this year. He's either pitched well or he's been absolutely terrible. He flirted with being terrible tonight. If not for a great throw by Bobby Abreu to nail the ever-so speedy Kevin Millar at the plate, K-Farns would have given up the go-ahead run and knocked Edwar with his 1st earned run of the season. The game in all likelihood would be over right now and I'd probably be sleeping, grumbling about another Yankees' loss.

The offense, for the most part, had a pretty good game tonight. The aforementioned longballs from Giambi, Damon, Abreu and A-Rod were the big highlights. Giambi has been an absolute madman at the plate since growing his luscious 'stache. Gold thongs. Mustaches. Hey whatever works, right? Johnny Damon was quite the spark plug tonight. As of now JD is 4 for 5 with 2 2B, 1 HR and 3 RBI. I've always said the team succeeds when Johnny is hot. If only our Captain could lay down a bunt. Jeter has been struggling lately. Counting his 4 ABs tonight, he's 2 for his last 25 with 1 failed bunt attempt and a key pickoff at 2nd base. Getting picked off with runners on 1st and 2nd and A-Rod at the plate? Not the thing you want to do. You know better than that Derek. Hideki Matsui is the goat of the night going 0-5. He hit the ball pretty hard to end the Yankees 9th. Who knows? If it weren't pouring cats and dogs maybe the outcome of that play is different. Maybe he'll get another shot at it if this game goes extras.

As I type this, it's now 10 minutes to 11 and it's still a rain delay. It's been about 40 minutes. The rest of this blog will be a "live blog."

It's 11:10, the tarp is off the field and the legendary Mariano Rivera is on the field taking his warmups. I get the feeling Joe Girardi does not want to lose this game. Blowing two 4 run leads and dropping back to 2 games below .500 would be a big blow to the confidence of the team. It won't by any means be a nail in the coffin but this is a game the Yankees shouldn't lose.

It's 11:13 and we're off. I get the sinking feeling that this game ends real soon. Mo is great but it's been that kind of night. To quote the legendary Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, "blame it on the rain." Yeah, I just went there.

11:16-Mo just whiffed Markakis. Have a seat bub.

11:18-Mo just whiffed Aubrey Huff looking. Have a seat next to your buddy Nick.

11:20-Mo got a pop out for the 3rd out. It turns out that sinking feeling was just gas. Microwave popcorn doused in black pepper and garlic powder will do that to you. Try it. It's yummy yummy. Mo is awesome.

11:22- The mustachioed Giambino just grounded out to short. Curse you evil shift.

11:24- Perennial Gold Glove winner Wilson Betemit just hit a 1-out single. Let's go Robbie Cano.

11:27- Oh Robbie. There you go again, swinging at ball four. Show some plate discipline my friend. You're lucky it wasn't an inning-ending DP. At least now if we go to the 11th, Johnny D will leadoff.

11:30- Molina flew out to CF. I didn't see that coming. Where's Wil Nieves when you need him? Oh yeah, he's in Washington hitting .320. I'd still take Jose any day.

11:32- Mo is out for inning #2 and I still have gas.

11:32a- Millar rounds to Jeter on 1 pitch.

11:34- Winning run is on 2nd. The Giambino would have had that ball easy. Horrible defensive positioning by Wilson Betemit. Wilson Betemit = defensive liability.

11:37- Mo picked up his 3rd K of the night. If only Roger Dorn was on the team. He could walk to the mound and give Mo some sound advice. Strike this mofo out!

11:40- Mo just unintentionally intentionally walked Jay Payton on 4 straight pitches. Mo would never unintentionally throw 4 straight out of the zone.

11:41- Sorry that it smells in here. Oooh wee.

11:42- B-Rob just flew out to CF. Yay, more baseball, he says sarcastically.

11:46- Leadoff walk to Johnny D! Leadoff walks usually don't bode well for the defense. Just ask Mo Rivera, Kevin Millar and Dave Roberts.

11:47- Ouch. Bad form Orioles. 1)Mora should have let the ball roll. 2)More should have eaten the throw. I'm glad I'm not an O's fan.

11:48- 4 straight wide ones to Abreu. Bases juiced. No outs. A-Rod. Can you smell what the Rod is cooking?

11:49- Are you kidding me? Did I just saw what I think I saw? I did. I did. I did see a puttytat, I mean a 4-2-5 DP. That's a new way to kill a rally.

11:51- Did I call it or did I call it? I said above that maybe Matsui would get another shot if this game goes extras. Check the transcript. It's there. He came through in the clutch. Yanks lead 9-8. Suck on that rain.

11:53- The Big G whiffed to end the Yankees' half of the 11th. That inning had so much potential. At least they came away with 1 run.

11:54- I get it. Derek Jeter has an Edge. Enough already. I miss Giuseppe Franco.

11:55- LaTroy is on for the save. Yikes. If only Joba were still in the pen. I don't like this plan.

11:59- Leadoff single to Mora. This will be interesting. That sinking feeling is back again. I don't think it's gas this time.

12am- Warning track power there by Markakis. I thought that was the ball game.

12:01- Son of a monkey. Tie game. Winning run is on 3rd. Is anyone really surprised at what's transpired? Again I ask

12:02 & 12:03 - 2 free passes and the bags are full with 1 down.

12:05- Well, it wasn't gas this time. Ball game over. Way to go LaTroy. Nicely done.

Nothing is worse than staying up really late and then losing. I said a few days ago that working Joba into the rotation was not the move to make at this time. Consider this: Joba in all likelihood would have pitched tonight. Assuming he did, we're probably looking at a different ending. Joba probably would have also pitched in yesterday's loss as well. Joba in. Hawkins and Veras out. The Yankees probably don't lose 6-1. I'm not saying the Yankees would have won either game, but it's just something to think about. LaTroy Hawkins = really bad. I'm disgusted. I'm tired. I have to be up in 6.5 hours. It would have been a much nicer sleep if Hawkins did his job. At least he won't pitch tomorrow.

J-Boogie

Offense Still Sputtering But Yanks Walk Off With 2-1 Win

That was quite the 9th inning. Joe Girardi comes up and throws a hissy fit after a questionable foul-tip strikeout of Jason Giambi. Abreu works a pinch-hit walk and Robbie Cano (Don't Ya Know) comes through in the clutch with a game-winning walk off single to left. It's real nice to see these guys finally have an on-the-field post game celebration. We're 2 games into the slingshot. Who would have thought that they would have rode Ian Kennedy's arm to victory?

Ian Kennedy. It's about time. We've been waiting patiently all year for you to throw a decent game and you finally delivered. It only took you 8 starts. The turning point of his outing was definitely the 3rd inning K of Nick Markakis with the bases loaded. That was huge. I thought to myself after that whiff that it would be Kennedy's turning point. That had to be a huge confidence boost for IPK. He wasn't exactly on point with his control but pitched well nonetheless. If only the offense could have scratched across another run. Ike deserved the W.

Ah the offense. Still terrible. Is it me or does every opposing starting pitcher seem to last into the 7th or 8th inning every game? Opposing starters have gone at least 7 innings in 7 of the last 9 games. And in 1 of the 2 they didn't, they went 6 innings. I've said it quite a few times this year. The Yankees aren't playing their game. They're being very aggressive at the plate and the approach isn't working. They've gotten away from working counts. They've gotten away from running up pitch counts. Am I the only one noticing this? Cano saw 6 pitches tonight in his 4 at-bats. Robbie has always been a free swinger but he needs to show some plate discipline. Jeter is another prime example. Jeet has walked on average once every 5 games this year. Last year he picked up a walk once every 2.79 games. His OBP is down 40 points. Bobby Abreu is another example. Walks per game this year 2.81, Last year, 1.89. A-Rod? This year, 1 walk every 4.33 games. Last year, 1.66. They're definitely more aggressive and like I said, it doesn't appear to be working. Patience my friends. Patience.

I'm becoming increasingly agitated with Shelley Duncan. I've never been high on Shelley and watching him swing at a pitch over his head just makes me more down on him. Don't get me wrong, he's exciting to watch at times, but he doesn't belong in the majors. He's the quintessential 4-A player. Too good for AAA, not good enough for the bigs. He doesn't look like he has any balance at the plate. He often ends up in the other batter's box after a swing. not a good approach. Sure he'll run into the occasional home run, but more often that not, he's going to come up empty. Shelley is now hitting .182. I'm not sure what the Yanks see in him. I don't get it.

The bullpen did a stellar job tonight. Veras gave up a single to the first batter he faced. After that it was smooth sailing as the trio of Veras, K-Farns and Mo sent the O's down in order. I'll admit I was a little nervous see Farnsworth pitch in the 8th inning of a tie game. I thought for sure the theme of this post would have to do with the move of Joba to the rotation backfiring right out of the gate. I'll bet the Yankees' brass issued a huge sigh of relief after he mowed them down 1-2-3. I was particularly impressed he sent them down on a mere 7 pitches. Way to go K-Farns. And Mo was of course typical Mo. Ball game over. Yankees win. The Yankees win.

I think it's a safe bet that the ball did glance off Giambi's bat in the 9th inning and he was rightfully called out on strikes. I don't think the ump saw it though. It looked to me like he thought was a ball inside. How else can you explain the long delay between the ball hitting the mitt and the actual strike call. It was a little odd that he made the call after Ramon Hernandez tried to sell it as hitting the bat. Joe Girardi was definitely in the right coming out and going berserk. That was pretty fun to watch. Very reminiscent of Sweet Lou. Man Joe looked ticked. It worked out well. I think it was the perfect opportunity to come out and fire up his team. I'm not sure it had an impact on tonight's win but we might see these guys play with a little more intensity and not appear as flat as they've been playing. Way to go skip.

It's sad that we get so excited over a 2 game winning streak but I'll take it. They've played like garbage lately and picking up a series win against a divisional opponent is never a bad thing. We might be catching a break here as the lowly Mariners are coming to town, owners of the worst record in the AL. It may not be as easy as it sounds as they're drawing Erik Bedard and King Felix in the 1st 2 games of the series. The Yanks lit up Hernandez in their last meeting. It would be real nice to see them do it again. I'd feel a little better about things if they had hit the ball tonight. We'll see. Games aren't played on paper so anything is possible.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Back In The Win Column, Yanks Win 8-0, Joba's Headed For The Rotation

I was not impressed with anything I saw tonight. Allow me to explain. Tonight was the start of bar league softball. We usually draw the 7:10pm start which means I don't see much Yankees baseball on Wednesday nights. By the time our game ended tonight, the score in the Yankees game was 6-0 and the 5th inning had just ended. My drive home is about 45 minutes and by the time I get home and take a shower, the game is just about over. I caught the tail end of the game. And since i missed all the action, I can't be impressed with what I didn't see.

If you didn't watch the game on YES then you missed some big news after the game. Joe Girardi was the on-the-field post-game interview. Joe mentioned that tonight marked the beginning of getting Joba ready for the rotation. They let him go 2 innings to stretch him out a little bit. I wonder if this directive is being handed down from above. You know Hank can't be happy with the current state of the Yankees. He's made his feelings about Joba becoming a starter known to everyone. It looks like Big Bank Hank is getting his wish a lot earlier than everyone expected. How cool would it be to be in the Yankees inner circle? I picture Hank chewing out Cashman and Girardi like his dad did with Billy Martin when he wanted Reggie Jackson to bat 4th. I think moving Joba to the rotation this early is a panic move. Personally, I'd rather see the Yankees wait until next season. Keep his innings down. We've all heard time and time again that youngsters who throw over a certain amount of innings are more likely to develop issues. If Joba is as good as everyone thinks he is, don't rush it. Assuming he slides into the rotation next month, I guess that leaves Ian Kennedy on the outs? You'd have to assume with Darrell Rasner pitching the way he is that Ike is the odd man out. I'm fine with that. He's not ready yet.

I think it's safe to say D-Raz has earned a spot in the rotation. I wonder if his intent tonight was to send a message to Girardi: I'll show you to skip my spot in the rotation. I caught some of the game on the radio during my drive home and was impressed with what I heard. Who wouldn't be impressed with 7 shutout innings? He picked up his 3rd win, dropped his ERA to 1.89, and most importantly gave the Yankee bullpen a much needed night off. Last night the pen throws 8+. Tonight, Joba goes 2 after a 3 day layoff. No harm done. Way to go D-Raz. Taking care of business.

The offense finally had a good night. 8 runs on 13 hits. I'd love to be able to declare that the offense is back but it's waaaay to early to even think that they have. I think it's safe to say that A-Rod is back. 3-for-4 with another HR, his 2nd in 2 games. I saw the replay of what should have been his 3rd HR. It looked pretty obvious to me on the replay. Not sure how that was missed. MLB and the owners definitely need to look into instant replay. I'm only in favor of IR in the case of reviewing a HR. That's the only time it should be used. It's such a big play int he game how can it not be? We've now seen 2 blown HR calls in 3 games at the Stadium. i hope they take a hard look at it. It was nice to see Cano chime in with a multi-hit game. It was a good time for me to take him out of my fantasy lineup. I'll take one for the team and leave him out for the time being. Abreu and Damon also came through with 2 hits a-piece. This team definitely fares a lot better when Johnny Damon does well at the plate. He's definitely a catalyst. All in all not a bad night offensively. I can't get too excited because this is what they should be doing on a regular basis. We've seen them put up a good game quite a few times, only to put together a string of horrendous performances. I'll get excited if they can score 5 runs or more for 4 straight games and more importantly, winning.

Not a bad post for someone who didn't see much of the action. Ian Kennedy is on the mound tomorrow. That's always an adventure. Not a bad night for Rasner to go 7. If Kennedy pulls off one of his "typical" outings, we'll need fresh arms in the bullpen. A 2 game winning streak would be nice right about now.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

ps- Joe Girardi is saying in his post-game interview that the plan all along was to get Joba ready for the rotation at this time in the season. Yeah, I'm not buying it. It's a panic move. This wouldn't be happening if the Yankees' fortunes were a little better.

Pathetic On So Many Levels

What a horrible series. The Yanks looked absolutely terrible against the Tampa Bay Rays. Today's series finale was no different. The Yankees managed to score 6 runs in the 4 game series. 6 runs? For all intents and purposes the Yankees averaged 6 runs a game last year (5.975 if I did the math right). They are absolutely horrible. To quote Daffy Duck, "It's desssssspicable."

I didn't think Ian Kennedy pitched as bad as he did before, but he still managed to increase his ERA from 8.37 to 8.48. W. T. F? I just don't get it. He had a pretty good balls to strike ratio. He only walked one. I kind of liked what I saw, but it still wasn't good. We need better.

Speaking of needing better, score some freakin' runs guys. I know we currently without some big guns in the lineup but come on, 6 runs in 4 games? Pathetic. What really stings is that the Yankees managed to outhit the Rays today. They're just not stringing it together. Johnny Damon's bat has cooled incredibly. 1-18. That's not what we need from our leadoff hitter. When Johnny's on, the team seems to be on, and they seem to win. It all starts at the top. Pete Abraham has some pretty interesting stats on his blog:

* The Yankees are hitting .229 against lefties.
* They’ve scored six runs in the last 42 innings.
* They were outscored 15-6 in this series.
* Johnny Damon was 1 for 18 in the series.
* They drew 10 walks in four games against Tampa Bay.

Pretty. Frickin'. Horrible. They're have been some bright spots. It's too bad that each game only has 1 or 2 shining stars. We need 5-7 guys cranking, something that they're capable of. Tuesday can't get here soon enough.

The pitching looks pretty good right now. Wang, Moose and Rasner all had great last outings and have been good all year. Pettitte will be Pettitte. The 5th spot in the rotation is ugly. The starters ERA in May is 3.45 (not including today). The bullpen has even been extremely solid as of late, all year really. These stats do not include today's 4 inning no run performance but the Yankee bullpen has a season ERA of 3.30, 4th best in the AL (.01 behind Minnesota). They're solid. Pitching isn't the problem. the offense is what blows. If the offense can get it going consistently, this team will do alright. Despite being in the cellar, I still think things will get better. Alex comes back soon. Thank God. Get Ensberg out of here. I love Jose Molina but his bat is nothing compared to Jorge. The injuries have hurt but that's baseball. The hole they're digging is nothing they can't get out of. I heard Michael Kay say something on his radio show. I'm not a big Kay fan but this made sense. He said that most guys will likely end up performing like their stats on the backs of their baseball cards. If a guy's a .300 hitter, he probably won't hit .200 all year, i.e. Robinson Cano. This team is chock full of solid, consistent above average performers, and you know that there is no way this offensive slump will continue for long. It will balance out in the end. When it starts swinging in an upward direction, watch out.

It's time for interleague play. I'm not a big fan because some teams make out better than others. I understand "rivalry week" and all but it definitely can give a team an unfair advantage in the schedule department. It's good for the game, but has some drawbacks. They have to face Johan Santana tomorrow night. I wouldn't be surprised if he throws a perfect game with the way they're hitting. Truly pathetic.

Come on boys, start hitting the ball!

J-Boogie