Goodbye Andy Pettitte, Hello Officially Crappy Offseason

Ladies and gentleman, the dookie has hit the fan. I didn't think this day was coming but it has and I am totally bummed out. Andy Pettitte, aka one of the greatest Yankee pitchers ever, aka one of the greatest Yankees ever, aka one of the Core Four, aka one of if not the best big game pitchers EVER, is hanging up his spikes and calling it a career. And now a moment of silence.....





As I tweeted earlier today this sucks balls. I thought for sure Andy was coming back for one more tour of duty. When I heard he was working out I was further convinced. When the news broke today I felt I got punched in the head, slugged in the stomach and kicked in the balls all at the same time. It was not a good feeling and it hurts on many different levels.

For starters, it pretty much makes this a terrible offseason. I had blogged after Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies that it wasn't a big deal that the Yankees didn't land him. I stated that the real key to the offseason was the return of Andy Pettitte. Had Andy returned the Yankees would have pretty much had the same team as last year. A team that won 95 games and made it to the ALCS. They would have gone into 2011 with the same squad and same chance for success in my opinion. Pettitte's retirement coupled with the offseason moves by the Yankees, or better yet lack of offseason moves, might make for a pretty rocky 2011. The starting rotation right now is the biggest weakness. After Sabathia and Hughes there are a lot of question marks. Which A.J. Burnett will show up? Who will fill out the back end of the rotation and will they be serviceable? Right now none of the candidates (Sergio Mitre, Ivan Nova, Mark Prior, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and possibly Joba Chamberlain) instill a lot of confidence. I saw a tweet today that read, "CC and Hughes and then we lose." Confidence levels aren't high on starters 3-5 that's for sure.

I think the Yankees will still be competitive. Their offense is stacked. The bullpen is rock solid. They will win their fair share of games. Hopefully they'll win enough. Hopefully Brian Cashman has a trick or two up his sleeve and can bring in a starter via trade before the season starts. The Yankees do have a highly thought-of farm system that can certainly be used to land a top-flight starter. Fingers are crossed because I'm not liking what they've got after Burnett. I don't though think it will be as bad as "CC, Hughes and then we lose." Burnett will bounce back in my opinion. I don't think it's all doom and gloom. At least I hope it's not.

I'm really going to miss watching Andy Pettitte pitch. I was fortunate enough to see him pitch several times in person in Toronto. It was always a treat, whether it was in-person or on TV. I have a lot of fond memories.

I'll always remember his trademark stare to the plate. I'll always remember 2009, when he pitched the clinchers. I'll always remember the home opener in 1996 against the Royals when Andy took the mound while it was snowing. I'll never forget the several times I got his autograph in Toronto. He was always so nice. I'll never forget how crappy I felt when he left in 2004 and how great I felt when he came back in 2007. I'll never forget when he beat John Smoltz in game 5 of the 1996 World Series. I'll never forget the 19 postseason wins and the 5 World Series titles he helped win. I'll never forget how he would say the word "y'all." I'll always remember Andy Pettitte.

There is a press conference scheduled tomorrow for 10:30am, which I believe is going to be broadcast on both the YES Network and the MLB Network. I have the DVR set up to tape both channels. I would love nothing more to have Pettitte pull a fast one on everybody and say something like, "I'm here to announce that I'm retiring from baseball........after this season. Let me sign the contract." Doubt it will happen but I'm holding out hope. I also wouldn't mind if he at some point pulls a Brett Favre and unretires. There's no doubt in my mind he could still pitch at a high level.

I'll miss you Andy Pettitte. Hopefully I'll see you (thought I doubt I will) see you in Cooperstown. Take care and best of luck to you. Thanks for everything.

Peace, love and thank you Andy,

J-Boogie

Yankees Reportedly Sign Rafael Soriano, Call Me A Fan Of That

Greetings and salutations everyone. As usual, it's been awhile since my last post. It's been a pretty quiet offseason so I've been spending it with the fam. There are some things I could have blogged about but I don't want my blog to be a news source. There are enough of those sites around and I don't need to be one of those that just blogs what someone else reported on. If I have opinions and whatnot about the news, you can count on me to pop in and blog about it. Blogs, specifically fan blogs, in my opinion, should be much more than reporting news. Leave that to the pros. Having said that....

SI's Jon Heyman is reporting that the Yankees and Rafael Soriano have agreed to a 3 year deal with a reported $35 million. Based on my Twitter timeline (follow me here if you'd like) the signing comes with mixed feelings from Yankee fans. Some like the signing and some don't. I'm not overly crazy about it but I have no complaints.

Soriano gives the Yankees arguably the best back of the bullpen in baseball. Last year, Soriano and Mariano, or the "Iano Brothers" as someone, I forget who, dubbed them on Twitter, combined for 78 saves and a 1.77 ERA. Their combined line was 122.1 IP, 75 hits, 25 BB, 102 K, 0.82 WHIP and an opponents batting average around .170. Add that up and it equals lights out. If the Yankees take a lead into the late 7th/early 8th inning the game is over. It's kind of reminiscent of the Rivera/Wetteland tandem from back in the day.

They were each pretty darn good in 2009 also: 71 saves on 142 IP, 101 hits, 39 walks, 0.99 whip, OBA around .195, and an ERA of 2.41. The Yankees basically have two top of the line closers, one being the greatest of all-time, closing out their games. How could anyone dislike that?

As of now the Yankees need their bullpen to be a huge strength. Their starting rotation is in shambles and will be in shambles if Sergio Mitre is penciled in as the 4th starter. The Yanks are going to need all the help they can get in closing out games and strengthening the pen was the right move.

One of the biggest gripes I saw was about the money and the loss of the Yankees 1st round draft pick, which would have been pick #31. I have no idea why any Yankee fan would ever complain about the team spending money. It's been their M.O. for quite some time now. How can you complain about your team doing everything they can to win, including losing money year after year? And it's not like the team is broke or strapped for cash. According to a tweet from Heyman they still have about $20 million or so left in the budget. That's quite a bit to have left to spend this late in the game. Did they Yankees overpay for Soriano? Probably. But for the reasons stated above, no big deal to me.

As for the draft pick, I see the value in having it, but let's be real, a lot of first round draft picks are complete busts. Soriano is a proven talent. The undrafted prospect at #31 is just that, a prospect. It could turn out to be some bum that never sees the majors. It's been known to happen. I'll always go with the proven talent over the picks.

The most perplexing thing about this deal is the comments Brian Cashman made earlier this month about not losing the draft pick. That comment basically meant the team wasn't interested in Soriano. So the question is what happened and why did the story change? Was it a ruse by Cashman as to not tip his hand? Was he pressured into making the deal happen by Hal Steinbrenner or another high ranking official? Did Cashman finally awake from a long winter's nap and realize it was time to make a move? I'm not sure we'll ever now but I'm sure someone in the media is going to ask that question. Perhaps will know more about that in the coming days.

Another back-and-forth going on in the Twitterverse as a result of this signing is what to do with Joba Chamberlain? Some are advocating a return to the rotation. Others want him left where he is as a middle reliever. Some want him traded. I kind of fall across all 3 of those. If you read my blog frequently, and why would you when I post something once every 4-5 weeks, you know I'm not a Joba fan at all. But I'll take him over Sergio Mitre. I'm all for them swapping roles if that's the only option. If Mitre somehow gets squeezed out of the rotation by someone else (please Andy, come back) I'm all for leaving him as a middle RP or dealing him for someone with a better track record. If I had to pick one of the options I'd try and trade him. I'm just not a fan.

I'm really hoping that Andy Pettitte doesn't retire. My gut tells me he's not going to. If Heyman is right, and the Yankees really do have $20 million left to spend, who better to give it to the Andy? Come on Andy. It's yours for the taking. Please reach out and grab it. The team needs you.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Cliff Lee Went To Philly, B.F.D.

Greetings everyone. Long time, no talk. I have no good reason to explain my absence. I've just been super-busy with work, life, and all that jazz. I've been meaning to blog an entry here and there but it's been hard to find the time. I told myself I would when the whole Cliff Lee drama resolved itself. So here I am.

I can sum up my feelings about Cliff Lee signing with the Phillies in 2 simple words: don't care. Would it have been nice if Cliff Lee signed with the Yankees? Abso-freaking-loutely. But is it the end of the world that he didn't? Not even close. Adding Lee to the Yankees rotation would have been a huge improvement to the team. No doubt about that. But they're still fine without him, as long as one thing happens, and that is Andy Pettitte returning to the Yankees.

Had Lee signed with the Yankees it would have made losing Pettitte not such a big deal. Lee would have been like a super-awesome insurance policy. The fact of the matter is that last year's Yankee rotation, which included a horrible A.J. Burnett and a revolving door of 5th SPs, won 95 games and made the playoffs. If Pettitte resigns, the rotation, is for all intents and purposes, the same as it was last year. Sure the 5th spot is open but let's face it, anybody could step into that spot and do as well as Vazquez, Moseley, Mitre & Nova. A rotation of Sabathia, Hughes, Pettitte, Burnett and Lee would have been awesome. A rotation of Sabathia, Hughes, Pettitte, Burnett, and ?? would still be pretty damn good. Again, that tandem won 95 games last year. They'd be formidable enough to win that many again. Right now, Pettitte is the key to that happening. If he retires, then we have a problem.

It seems pretty clear to me that Lee never wanted to be a Yankee. If anybody out there is blaming Brian Cashman for messing things up, and there are people saying he did, they need to stop. Silly irrational fans. There isn't anything he could have done, except for mortgaging the entire future of the franchise, to sign Lee. He was never coming here. I can understand why he went to Philly. I think it gives him the best chance to win. The NL East pales in comparison to the AL East. The Phillies should pretty much roll over that division with ease. Their rotation is pretty sick and is arguably the best in MLB. I'd give that nod to the Giants. They did after all beat Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels and Lee in last year's playoffs. If Lee comes out and says he chose Philly because it gives him the best chance to win, I can kind of respect that. But, it's kind of a wuss move. The AL East is without question the toughest division in baseball. Maybe Cliff was afraid of a little tough competition? Everybody knows NL pitchers have better numbers. I can't blame him for not wanting to face the teams in the AL East 19 times each per season. That's my slightly-irrational view on that. I can admit it.

I also get that Lee loves the city of Philly. I know he has a child with cancer and the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, aka the CHOP, is one of, if not the, best cancer center for children in the country. Makes sense that he'd want to be close to that. Signing with Philly was a good move for Lee. Even at what could be $40-50 million less in guaranteed money.

And those are my thoughts on Lee. Again, not a big deal to me. Assuming of course that Andy Pettitte comes back. I'm inclined to think he will but who knows. The Yankees have been down this road with him before. He'll be back. I hope.

Tomorrow, I'll have up a post about the Red Sox and their fans' misguided confidence about next season. I'm going to write it now and have it come up about this time tomorrow. I also hope to blog more regularly but I make no promises.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Announce ALDS Roster & Rotation, No Real Surprises

A little behind on this as the update came down earlier this morning, but better late than never, right. I really wish I could post things right after they happen. Sucks to have real things to do. The Yankees really should rule all things in the universe.

No major shocks to me on the ALDS roster. A little surprised Javy Vazquez got left off and by little I mean very little. But really, what role would he fill. I'm also a little surprised Dustin Moseley made the roster over Ivan Nova but I can see that going either way. Not at all surprised and I'm rather thankful that Chad Gaudin isn't on the roster. I'd be happy if he didn't throw in another game this year. Sergio Mitre on the roster. Like Gaudin, I hope he doesn't pitch either. You could make a case for keeping Nova on the roster over Mitre and I'd think prefer that but whatever.

Offensively, no big shocks. I probably would have kept Eduardo Nunez over Greg Golson but again, I could go either way on that. Outside of that, I'm cool.

The only real area where I would consider making a change is with the rotation. And like with the roster, I can live with and understand behind doing it how they're doing it. The only thing I'd do differently, and I've mentioned this in my last few blogs, is I'd flip-flop Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte. As I wrote the other day Phil's #s are much better on the road then they are at home. I think it's also better to pitch the 2 LHPs in back-to-back games in Yankee Stadium. But on the flip-side, we are talking about Andy Pettitte, one of the best postseason pitchers there is. I'd prefer Andy on the mound in a game 5 (if necessary) than Phil Hughes. I thought yesterday that the game 2 SP would be starting game 5 on short rest but I was wrong. I have a problem counting to 5 I guess. I'm also skeptical on Andy being 100%. All things considered I'd like to see Hughes in games 2 and 5 but again, no problem with the decision to go with Andy.

It also appears the Yankees are going with a 3-man rotation for the ALDS. I'm a big fan of that. The only SP that could possibly go on short rest is CC (games 1 and 4) and let's face it, if there is any guy that can go on short rest, it's CC Sabathia. That makes A.J. Burnett the odd man out. I think Yankee fans everywhere are rejoicing over that one. I only saw them using A.J. in game 4 if they had a 2 games to 1 lead. As I think more about it, what would be the point when CC is the horse that he is. I like A.J. being in the pen rather than being left off the roster altogether. He does have some value, albeit it's not a lot.

To sum up all that drivel, I have no major problems with how the Yankees are going after the Twins. I might have done a thing or two differently, but I can totally see why the roster and rotation are the way they are. To me, it's all good.

Less than 24 hours til first pitch. Excitement is building!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Fall Back To 2nd Place After Losing To Rays

Well that just sucked. I thought for sure as soon as Granderson went yard to put the Yankees up 3-2 that the game was in the bag. It was as if the Baseball Gods were smiling down upon them after allowing Jeter to reach base on a phantom HBP. Note to Red Sox fans: don't even try to talk trash about that. Victor Martinez did the same thing a few weeks back. It's part of the game. You do what you do to win. So shut up and don't even go there.

Anyway, I was so disappointed when Phil Hughes gave the lead right back on Johnson's 2-run HR. Sure Girardi have pulled him at the start if the inning? Maybe. I have no problem leaving PH in. I can see it both ways. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Outside of the 2 mistakes Phil pitched a pretty good ballgame. Unfortunately it only takes one mistake to do a pitcher in and that's exactly what happened. Sorry Phil. No Hughes call tonight. We're still stuck on 16.

The Yankees offense came up short tonight. Only 2-9 with RISP. Not good. I think Girardi made a big mistake by pinch-hitting Marcus Thames for Lance Berkman. The smarter move in my opinion would have been to save Thames for Kearns or Curtis. Girardi messed that one up. Not a good couple of games for Girardi these last few days. He can't make the right decision to save his life. I think the same thing happened for a stretch last year. I don't think though it came at such a crucial point of the season. Hopefully his string of bad moves will change.

Still not in panic mode. Despite the slump the Yankees are playing pretty decent baseball. Six of their last seven games have been decided by 1 run and a lot could have gone either way. The lead in the wild card race is still a comfortable 6 games. A playoff berth is by no means a guarantee but there's no way this team continues to falter like they're currently doing. Their not exactly throwing out their A-team right now. Swisher, Pettitte, Gardner, and Teixeira are all hurt. A-Rod and Jeter are both less than 100%. You won't see guys like Mitre, Gaudin, and to a lesser extent Vazquez and Moseley put into close games in the postseason. The current make-up of this ball club is not what we'll see come October. The trick is weathering the storm and getting to October. Swisher and Gardner should be back Friday. Pettitte should be back soon. This team won't continue to lose. Knock on wood.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

A Couple Of Questions After A Yankees Loss

Great game between the Yankees and Rays tonight. Unfortunately for us it didn't go the Yankees way. Lots of people on the hook for this one. Girardi, Mitre, the Yankees offense. Pick one. The one person not on the hook is CC Sabathia. What a performance. He deserved better.

1) Where oh where has the Yankees offense gone? Oh where oh where can it be? It's been a terrible last 2 games for the offense. Granted, they faced David Price and Cliff Lee but still: 1 run on 6 hits in 2 games. They're better than that.

2)Not sure who made this call but why in the world did Brett Gardner attempt to steal 3rd when he was already in scoring position and needs a base hit to score either way? If Joe Girardi and crew made that call then somebody needs to get canned because that was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. If Gardner did it on his own than he needs a serious time-out (sorry, got 3 kids). Gardner is one of the fastest runners in the league. He likely scores from 2nd on a base hit. Stupid move.

3)What is up with using Chad Gaudin in these close situations? I couldn't believe that Giradri went to him again in a tie game when he had several other (and better) RPs available. Props to Gaudin for getting out of it by the skin of his teeth.

4)Sergio Mitre. See question 3. What's up with not using other RPs? Albaladejo? Robertson? Joba? Hughes? Four fairly decent choices and Girardi opts for his 2 worst choices in Gaudin and Mitre. WTF?

Is it time to panic? Not yet, but it's getting close. They didn't exactly roll out their top flight SPs in the Texas series. No Pettitte. No Hughes. No CC. You think Dustin Moseley or Javy Vazquez will be making postseason starts? Nope. Same goes for the bullpen. They've been pretty damn good of late. No way Gaudin or Mitre pitches in this game if it were the playoffs. CC was off the freaking hook tonight. The offense failed him. But again, David Price, like CC and Cliff Lee, is no joke.

The Yankees have now lost 4 in a row and are 1-7 over their last 8. They're lucky they have such a big lead for the wild card. What I thought would be an impossible collapse is starting to happen. Lucky for them both the Red Sox and White Sox aren't hot right now. If the Red Sox hold on and win tonight they'll be 7 back in the loss column with 18 to play. It's still a pretty comfortable lead. But as we all know, you can't predict baseball. The magic # to clinch a playoff spot sits at 12. Until it gets to zero you never know what will happen. Right, Mets fans?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Finish Off The Indians With 11-4 Win, Bring On The Rays

I'd like to thank the Yankees for waiting until I turned the game on tonight to score all of their runs. Last night I missed it all. Tonight I saw it all. Scratch that. I did miss seeing them score their first run. But I did hear that on the radio while I was driving between houses. The 7th inning was a lot of fun to watch. I dig the longball but I like a hit parade a lot better.

Game ball goes to Dustin Moseley. He looked pretty good tonight. I'm nowhere near ready to anoint him the new 5th starter but it was definitely an outing that will earn him some consideration. I will say after seeing this one start I will take Moseley over Sergio Mitre any day of the week. I liked what I saw from him. More please.

Lots of offense tonight. The Yankees sent 12 different hitters to the plate and 10 of them picked up hits. The 2 that didn't were Mark Teixeira and Marcus Thames. I'll give Teixeira a pass because he walked 3 times. The team could have been a little more efficient though. You should score more than 12 runs when you have 12 hits and 12 walks. On the surface the #s with RISP tonight look pretty good. They were 7 for 21. But they started 0-9, maybe 0-10. Not a bad finish.

Nick Swisher should be embarrassed. Striking out against Andy Marte is inexcusable. It was also pretty funny. Marte looked pretty good. Gotta give him credit. Maybe the Yankees should swing a deadline deal for him. Kidding of course.

The A-Rod 600 watch will go on for at least another game. I couldn't help but crack up after every A-Rod AB. I loved when YES would cut to all of the fans pouring out of the left field landing after his AB. Not sure why I found that so funny but I did. I'd like to see Alex hit the HR just to get it over with. If not hitting the HR means 3 RBI, I'd much prefer that.

How ugly/funny was the end of the game? I was all set to write a blurb how the Yankees allowed 7 runs in the 4 game series. Then Joe Girardi and his managing got in the way. I don't really have a problem with the moves Girardi made. They did after all have a 10-run lead entering the 9th. If Joe learns anything from tonight's game I hope it's this: don't let Chan Ho Park pitch unless the Yankees have at least a 10-run lead. Dude is awful. You're up by 10 runs. Throw strikes! Second lesson to learn: don't ever let Marcus Thames play 3rd base again. Something tells me he never will. MT made a pretty sweet stop but totally butchered the throw. Funny stuff.

These last 2 games are a nice way to head to Tampa for a set with the Rays. The team is playing some good baseball. This series with Tampa Bay has the potential to be huge. Here's a chance to put a little distance between them in the standings. A sweep would be nice but is improbable. but hey, you never know. They've got all of the tools to do it. Hughes, Sabathia and Burnett will each get a turn and I like that trio. Hughes gets the ball in the opener and I'm looking for him to be the pace-setter. Again, not expecting a sweep, but 2 of 3 would be nice.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Win And Lose All At The Same Time

I joined today's Yankees/Ray game already in progress. I turned the game on when the score was tied at 3 and it was the top of the 5th. Not bad I'm thinking and then I hear Michael Kay say that Chan Ho Park is the game and Pettitte left with a groin injury. Ooh, that ain't good. I watched a little bit, nodded off, woke up, nodded off, woke up, and so on. The wife later woke me up and the game was headed to the top of the 9th with the Yanks up 9-4. 3 outs and 1 run later, ball game over. Yankees win. Thuhhh Yankees win.

But in the end they lost. Andy Pettitte was diagnosed with a grade 1 strain of the groin and will be out for 4-5 weeks. Andy was well on his way to having his best season ever as a Yankee. He was sitting on an 11-2 record and a 2.70 ERA. It's a huge loss to lose a guy like Andy Pettitte for 4-5 weeks, especially this late in the season in such a tight division race. He's not going to be easy to replace. But they're going to try with Sergio Mitre. Yeah, I don't like how that sounds. I have a feeling this is going to turn into what seems like a yearly thing when a carousel of subpar guys taking turns as the team's 5th SP. Sidney Ponson anyone?

It should be interesting to see what progresses over the next few weeks. I wonder if Cashman is going to roll with Mitre or look on the trade market for somebody. Ah, if only they landed Cliff Lee. If I had to put money on it, I'd say Cashman will stand pat with what the team has. There are bigger issues if you ask me and the biggest is the bullpen. But that's for another post.

Considering Pettitte's injury, it turns out that A.J. Burnett is pretty damn lucky he didn't seriously hurt himself yesterday. Imagine losing Pettitte and Burnett in back-to-back games. Even with A.J. regularly stinking up the place that would have been hard to bounce back from. I wasn't surprised that the Yankees didn't say much about A.J.'s injury and attempted cover up. It's a private team matter and I kind of knew it wouldn't leave the clubhouse. I'm half-expecting Joel Sherman to drop an anonymous quote on us at some point b/c he's a d-bag like that. Anyway, A.J. is lucky his stupidity didn't turn out to be worse.

As for the game today, again slept through most of it. I caught bits and pieces but not enough to make mention of. The Pettitte injury withstanding, I absolutely love the outcome. It's nice when you beat the team that's 2 games behind you. It's nice when you beat one of the best pitchers in the game. It's nice when the Red Sox also lose.

I'll have to rub that in my kids nose.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Lose To Sox But Sox Are The Real Losers

OK, I've got a few minutes to write this blog and hopefully catch up a little bit on the last few days. Yanks took 2 of 3 from Boston in Boston. That feels good to say, err, I mean write. Anytime the Yanks take 2 of 3 in Fenway is a good time. That now makes it 4 of 6 from the Bo-tards on their home turf. Rock on. Quite simply, Boston is not very good. Now, that's not to say they won't be. They did after all own the Yanks at the start of last season and look how that finished. Hopefully what we see now is what we continue to see. Boston in 4th place = awesome!

I didn't get too see much of Saturday's rain-delayed game. I had to pick up a U-Haul and then load it and unload it at 3:30. By the time that was all said and done, I was able to catch a few innings and by then the rout was on. It's a shame the rain came when it did as it would have been nice for CC to pick up the W. I got to see Teixeira's 3rd HR of the game. He crushed that pitch. It's good to see Tex starting to hit with regularity.

I joined last night's game in the 2nd and turned it off after Swisher and A-Rod HR'd to make it 6-2. A.J. Burnett didn't fare so well and it was definitely his worst start of the season. I'm not concerned as it's been only 1 bad start. Those are going to happen. Big props to Nick Swisher who has been hitting the ball well lately. His 7th HR added another $37 to the Swish's Wishes and the total contributed is now up to $299.

I wish I had more to write but I don't. I'm really hating how my life is operating right now in terms of watching the Yanks play. I'm definitely not enjoying it. Now that we're out of the house and an all-week training at work is over, I'm hoping it will get a little better but it probably won't. Positive thinking only goes so far. Along those lines, I'm trying to talk up Sergio Mitre to myself since he gets the start tonight. Let's see how that goes.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Phil Hughes Vs. Joba Chamberlain: Round 4

Sorry I'm a few days late on this but better late than never. The battle for the 5th spot in the rotation continued on Monday when both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain pitched. Hughes faced the Phillies while Joba pitched in an intra-squad game. I didn't get to see any of the action, so I'm going off the box scores and the observations of those in the know.

On the surface, Joba picked this round up. Hughes got sacked with the loss against the Phillies, allowing 4 earned runs in 4.1 IP. He gave up 3 HRs, one being a walkoff. Joba had a much better line, throwing 5 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits. The best part of Joba's line was that 64% of his pitches went for strikes. That's a pretty good strike-to-ball ratio. He allowed only 1 walk so his control seemed to be there.

Now if you dig a little deeper into Hughes' outing, you'll find that it wasn't as bad as it reads in the box score. According to Chad Jennings at the Lohud Yankees blog, the wind was blowing out at the ballpark. Chad's thoughts were that 2 of the HRs, one of which was the game winner, were probably aided by the wind. Scratch those 2 hits from the box score and Phil's final line improves dramatically: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K. Not too shabby. The K total on its own is pretty impressive. Phil's always had a pretty good K/9 #. Last year he whiffed 96 in 86 IP, which is more than 1 per inning. The swing-and-a-miss for strike 3 is going to get him out of some jams I'd imagine.

Chad's blog entry also features quotes from both Hughes and Girardi. Both were extremely pleased with Phil's outing. Girardi thought it was Hughes' best outing of the spring. Phil "felt really good with all of his pitches" and he also felt that his changeups were "the best changeups" he's ever thrown. Their thoughts on his outing certainly make it out to be a positive one. There's definitely more to the story that what was in the box score.

Joba's outing was another step in the right direction. After 2 awful outings, JC has kicked up his game and strung together 2 straight solid outings. From reading Chad's blow-by-blow of the game, I would definitely call it Joba's best outing of the spring. As I mentioned above, 64% of his pitches went for strikes. For me, anything above 60% is a solid strike-to-ball ratio. One of the things I look at in the spring from pitchers is their control. Joba's getting better with it. He's progressing which is what I want to see start over start.

Despite the thoughts by Phil and Girardi, I have to give round 4 to Joba. He's getting better with each outing and this one was his best so far. That's got to count for something. I now have Hughes with a slight edge on my scorecard. I though Phil clearly won rounds 1 and 2. I thought round 3 could have gone either way. I called it a draw. I could have given it to Joba based on his improvement. I could have given it to Hughes because at the time he had the better spring. If I add round 4 to the mix, I still give Hughes the slight overall edge. I do think Hughes is the better choice for the 5th spot. I think they should both start but if it has to come down to one over the other, I'm going with Phil. I've always maintained that in my estimation he's the better pitcher. I see no reason to change that opinion. I also think that if one has to be at the back end of the bullpen, Joba is better suited for that. He has more of the "closer mindset" and I think while both would do well in that role, Joba will do better.

The battle for the 5th spot in the rotation did pick up a casualty this week. The Yankees possibly released Chad Gaudin, who was "in the mix" for the 5th starter spot. If true, then there were 4. In addition to the previously discussed Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, there's Alfredo Aceves and Sergio Mitre. Aceves and Mitre have had decent springs but there's no way that either is seriously in the mix for the 5 spot. I'd be shocked if either were named the 5th starter. There are only 11 days left until the season starts so a decision on who the 5th man will be should be coming soon, possibly as early as tomorrow, or so some people think. I think the Yankees know who they're going with. I personally hope it's Phil Hughes.

Who do you think they'll go with?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Phil Hughes Vs. Joba Chamberlain: Round 3

The Yankees Opening Day lineup appears to be set. The biggest question left to answer before ST ends is who will be the Yankees 5th starter. The top 2 contenders are Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. Alfredo Aceves is the dark horse. Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre are the also-rans. The smart money is on either Hughes or Chamberlain. I've been breaking down the matchup after each of their first 2 ST outings. On my unoffical scorecard, I've got Hughes up 2-0 after the 1st 2 rounds. If you're interested in checking out the 2 round recaps, click here and here. Hughes' 3rd outing of the spring was on Tuesday. Joba's 3rd was yesterday. Before breaking it down, I must say that I didn't see either of their outings. ST and TV haven't been very kind to me. I'm going off of the box score, which I don't like to do, and other people's accounts of the games. Having said that let's take a look at round 3.

By all accounts, both Hughes and Joba had their best outings of the spring the 3rd time out. For Joba, that wasn't hard to do. He entered the game having been shelled twice. His first 2 starts were far from pretty. His 3rd go 'round sounded much better. JC allowed 1 earned run over 3 official innings (4 if you count the extra inning he threw). This was a huge step in the right direction considering he allowed 11 earned runs in his first 2 starts. When asked for his thoughts on Joba's outing, Joe Girardi said, "Outstanding. Worked quickly. Attacked the zone. He’s got to go out and throw more, and that’s what you want to see. Quality.” Joe later added, "I thought he worked quicker today. I thought his mechanics were sound today. And he attacked. He was ahead in the count most of the day. He had fastball command today." Or as Chad Jennings @ the Lohud Yankees Blog put it, he had "better pace, better mechanics, better command." Joba's outing was a step in the right direction.

Calling Hughes' 3rd outing his best is a little harder to call than Joba's but it sounds like to all observers it was his best outing. Phil pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits and a walk. Chad Jennings noted in his blog, "What’s more important — and impressive — is that Hughes got those results while still working on his changeup. He threw a first-pitch changeup for probably the first time in his life, and he threw a 2-1 changeup with runners on base, inducing a groundball." Talk about an astute observation. Hughes added, "I threw some in counts where normally I would never, ever do it. And I got good results with it.” It is pretty impressive that PH did so well when working on his secondary pitches. If he can finely tune them, who knows what he;ll be capable of? Sky's the limit in my book.

I've maintained all along that I'm a Phil Hughes guy. If there's one open spot in the rotation and it's between Phil and Joba, put me on Team Hughes. I'd love to see both start, but if there can be only one, I hope it's Hughes. I think he better pitches and has more of a starter's mentality. Joba has good stuff also, but I think his mindset is more like that of a back-of-the-bullpen RP. But he definitely has the tools to do well as a starter. I just don't think he's there yet.

I'm going to call round 3 a draw but I could probably give the slight edge to Joba based on the improvement. But I could also give the slight edge to Hughes because he's been far-and-away the better of the two so far this spring. If anyone wants to share some insight that could possibly tip the scales in either direction, please do. As of now, my unofficial scorecard has Hughes up 2-0 with a split in the 3rd.

It was also mentioned over at the Lohud Yankees Blog that Girardi said each of guys up for the 5th spot (Hughes, Joba, Aceves, Mitre and Gaudin) will get at least at least one more outing before the Yankees start eliminating people from the competition. My money says that it'll be a 3-horse race after they all pitch, with Mitre and Gaudin getting dropped. I still think is's Phil's spot to lose. Joba has some work to do if he wants it. If Alfredo Aceves keeps pitching the way he has been, he could take the spot, and it would be deserved.

There's just less than 3 weeks until Opening Day which isn't a lot of time considering they each pitch every 5 days. They don't have much time to waste. Meanwhile, don't waste your time and enjoy of the best online poker room playing with Littlewoods Poker.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Phil Hughes Vs. Joba Chamberlain: Round 1

It's about 20 minutes until midnight and I'm finally getting a chance to watch today's Yankees/Rays game. I'm not really interested in the game itself. I'm more interested to see how Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain do in their first outings of the spring. Hughes and Joba are the front-runners for the 5th spot in the Yankees rotation. They're not the only contenders (Mitre, Aceves and Gaudin) but the popular opinion is that it's going to come down to one of the two.

I'm on Team Hughes myself. Phil is the better pitcher in my opinion. I think he's got a better repertoire of pitches. I think he's stronger mentally. And he's a pitcher, where Joba, in my opinion is more of a thrower. Joba is better suited for the bullpen, again, in my opinion. I think the Yankees will be better suited with Phil starting and I think when the dust settles it's going to be Phil at the back end of the rotation.

As I've written before, I don't put my stock into spring stats, especially those from the first game. Pitchers definitely don't pitch as they'd pitch in the regular season. Spring training for pitchers is more about working on pitchers and fine tuning one's mechanics. When it comes to pitchers in ST, I usually look at a few things, mainly focusing in their velocity and their control. The first outing is usually a little rough. I want to see guys build on each start and get a little better each time out. If they can do that, I consider it a successful spring.

For some reason my DVR started recording the game with 1 out and a full count in the top of the first. The first pitch I saw from Hughes is a 90 mph fastball that barely cleared the CF wall for a HR. The ball was by no means crushed. I think the wind definitely helped it travel. On a regular day it's a long fly out. I think Curtis Granderson should have made a play on it and probably would have if not for the wind. Outside of the HR, I think Phil looked pretty good. His fastball was hitting between 88-90, which isn't bad for a first start. He topped out at 91 on his final pitch of the 1st inning. He'll build on that. It looked like Phil was working on his changeup. They commented on the YES broadcast that the Yankees told Phil he needed to work on the pitch. His change looked alright. He threw 3 straight at one point. He opened that AB with back-to-back fastballs, both hitting 90 on the gun. He followed those 2 pitches with 3 straight change-ups, each hitting 82mph. He threw a few in the 2nd inning that were around 80. The 8-10 mph differential between the fastball and change-up will work. If anything, that differential should get a little bigger as Phil's arm strengthens and his fastball picks up a few mph. Expect to see a lot of changes from Phil this spring. Overall not a bad first outing for Phil. His final line: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, and 1 BB. 33 pitches, 18 for strikes. A few too many balls, but it's nothing to be concerned about.

Joba had a rough day. In a word, it was sloppy. His control was horrible. He was all over the place and missed most of his spots. He finished with 33 pitches, 14 for strikes. Yikes. Like Hughes, his fastball was consistently hitting between 88-90, topping out at 92. The difference is that Joba's pitches got hammered. He allowed 5 earned runs on 3 hits (back-to-back triples and a double) and 3 walks. To be fair to Joba, he was a few days removed from having some kind of flu/bug. He definitely wasn't at 100%. I'm not overly concerned by his poor debut. I will be concerned if his 2nd outing is equally as bad, or worse.

I stopped watching the replay after they pulled Joba with 1 out in the 4th. I'm very tired and my laptop is about to die. I definitely have to give Hughes round 1 on my unofficial scorecard. He definitely had the better outing of the two. But again, it's only their first start of the spring. This one doesn't carry as much weight as the next one, or the one after that, and so on. There's still time for Joba to recover and have a great spring. I think he'll improve, but I don't think he'll fare as well as Phil. I'm really interested to see how it all shakes out. Will it be a 2 horse race or will one of the 3 longshots finish the race as the upset winner. As long as it's not Sergio Mitre, I'll be happy.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Picking Up Where They Left Off, Yankees Win On A Walkoff

It's a little after 8:30pm and I'm finally getting the chance to watch today's spring training opener. I was able to hear two 1/2 innings of the game on the radio. Oddly enough, the 2 parts I heard were the two innings in which the Yankees scored their runs.

I'm not a huge Michael Kay fan but I'll admit that it was nice to hear him utter 2 certain phrases, "The YES Network presents New York Yankees baseball," and, "Lineups, first pitch, baseball, next on YES." And with that, the 2010 season is officially upon us. The march to #28 has begun.

Am I the only one who thinks Joe Girardi changing his uniform number to 28 is a little silly? Am I also the only one who has a little trouble taking him seriously when he gives an interview and you can see his braces? Look at me go. I haven't even seen the first pitch of the season yet and I've already cracked on Girardi. It should be a fun year. I do like Girardi for the most part. I do think he makes some stupid moves and when he does it's really aggravating because they're beyond dumb. But for the most part, I have his back. There's one thing I'm hoping to see from Girardi this year. I'm hoping he stops using his little book to aid him in making decisions. Go with your gut more Joe.

First pitch strike from Chad Gaudin. Nice start. The rest of the game, however, was pretty boring. I fast-forwarded through most of it. The pitchers pretty much dominated the hitters. The Pirates got a hit to leadoff the first and then were shut down for 6 full innings. Nice outings from Gaudin, Mitre, and Aceves. I don't put much stock in spring training stats, especially for pitchers, as they don't always pitch as they would in games. But it was definitely nice to see 6 innings of shutout ball from those 3. Jonathan Albaladejo on the other hand? Yikes. Not a good start for him. Have fun in Scranton.

Nice stroke by Nick Johnson on his RBI double in the 6th. I'm glad he didn't get hurt.

What? No pie? Either way, a walkoff is still a walkoff, with or without the pie. I'll take it.

And there we have it folks. The 1st game is in the books. Baseball is officially back. Next stop: Opening Day. A little less than 32 days to go. April 4th can't get here fast enough.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

1 Week And Counting

I can't believe that the start of Spring Training is a mere 7 days away. It seems like just yesterday I was watching the Yankees finish off the Phillies for the organization's 27th World Championship. Good times.

As a whole I thought the offseason was pretty boring. Maybe I was spoiled by the big signings (CC, A.J., and Tex) from last year. Outside of the Granderson deal, not much went down. Oh wait, forgot about bringing back Javier Vazquez. I'm more disappointed with what didn't happen (Damon, Matsui, and Wang) then what did happen. The offseason move that bothered me the most was the Nick Johnson signing. I still don't get why they went with Johnson when they could have kept Matsui around for pretty much the same amount of money. I have a feeling that is going to come back to haunt the Yankees.

The biggest question for me going into Spring Training is who will be the Yankees' 5th starter? I prefer the team to go with Phil Hughes. I think he is, and I think he'll always be, a more complete pitcher than Joba Chamberlain. Hughes is a pitcher. Chamberlain is more of a thrower. I don't like "throwers" as starters. Call it personal preference but I prefer them in the pen. I also think Joba's mentality is better suited at the back of the bullpen but that's just me. I'll be incredibly miffed if that 5th spot goes to Gaudin, or God forbid, Sergio Mitre. Ugh.

I'm hoping to do a lot more blogging as Spring Training gets rolling. I definitely didn't get to do as much blogging as I wanted to this offseason. It pretty much got away from me. I've been pretty slammed lately. The job is stressing me out. We're trying to buy/sell our house. I've got 2 kids 2 and under and another one on the way. Yes, ladies and gents, we're having another "Boogie Down Baby." ETA = mid-August. 3 kids 3 and under. What was I thinking?

T-minus 7 days until the march to 28 starts. Excitement is building.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Sign Sergio Mitre

The Yanks signed Sergio Mitre today. To quote Adam Sandler from the movie Billy Madison (I think it was Billy Madison--maybe it was from Remote Control), whoopity-do!

I'm not a Mitre fan. He shouldn't be pitching at the major league level. I'm really going to be disappointed if Mitre is on the roster and Chien-Ming Wang signs elsewhere. Especially if the difference between what the Yankees want to pay Wang and what Wang signs for is equal to or less than the amount of Mitre's salary. The time is going to come, like it does every season, where the Yankees truck out some piss-poor SP to start some games (see Sidney Ponson). It happens every year. I'd rather see those starts go to Wang than to Mitre.

Sadly though, Wang's days with the Yanks are likely over. Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Vazquez, Hughes/Chamberlain equals no room at the inn. I don't see CMW signing a minor-league deal. So unless a spot opens up (trade Joba), I think we've seen the last of CMW in pinstripes.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Wrapping Up The Week That Was In The Yankees Universe

I think when I last left off the Yankees had just resigned Andy Pettitte. I can't believe that I haven't blogged since Wednesday. I think the horrible weather we had up here in Buffalo (24 inches of snow in about 36 hours--I spent 4 hours shoveling) and the weekend took me out of it. So please, allow me to catch up:

The rest of the Winter Meetings were pretty uneventful. The Yankees got to pick 1st in the Rule 5 draft (pick acquired from Washington in Bruney trade) and they selected Jamie Hoffman, an OF I've never heard of from the Dodgers. From what I've gathered, Hoffman is projected to someday be an everyday player but right now he's targeted for the bench. I wish I had more to say on him but something tells me he's not going to hang around the Yanks and I wouldn't be surprised if he's not with the team when they head north.

Chien-Ming Wang was officially non-tendered by the Yankees, while Melky Cabrera, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre were issued contracts. I understand why the Yankees didn't offer CMW a deal. The uncertainty over the health of his arm coupled with the salary CMW would get didn't make it a smart business move. I'm a little disappointed that CMW, for the time being, is no longer a Yankee. I'm not a fan of just letting him go. CMW has pitched exceptionally well in the past and there's no reason to think he can't replicate that success if he's truly healthy. His poor performance can directly be tied to his injuries. I hope there is a way that the two sides can come together. You can never have enough pitching and I'd prefer CMW to Gaudin, Mitre or any Yankee farmhand. The Yanks always seem to find these horrifically bad reclamation projects (Sidney Ponson comes to mind) that just don't work out. So why not Wang? It's all about the benjamins. I totally get not paying him close to what he earned last year. I hope they get creative (incentive-laden contract) and figure out a way to bring him back as I think he'd do really well, if he's healthy. I'd really hate to see him go.

Am I missing something? Not much comes to mind to discuss other than the run-of-the-mill rumors that surround every free agent. That's for a different entry. Overall though last week was pretty good for the Yankees. I think they definitely came out of the Winter Meetings as the biggest winner. I don't think that can be disputed. If you'd like to try, let me know.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

To Wang Or Not To Wang

Joel Sherman, has an interesting blurb about Chien-Ming Wang in his Hardball blog today:

But I am getting a strong vibe from Yankee officials that the intention is to non-tender Wang and, perhaps, not even offer him a small base with incentives to return.

I am not sure how many of you guys out there like Joel Sherman. Personally, I'm not a fan. I take everything he says with a grain of salt. I think a lot of the time he "says" stuff just to say stuff. I'm not necessarily buying this but I don't doubt for a second that the Yankees have soured on Wang. But I can't see them not trying to bring him back. I think it's a huge leap to think the Yankees don't think he can get it done anymore. In 2.5 seasons, from 2006-2008, Wang was 46-15 with a 3.74 ERA. He had a horrible 2009 but how much of that can be attributed to the injuries to his foot and to his shoulder? I don't think 42 injury-riddled IP over 12 appearances is enough to go on.

The big question has to do with the health of Chien-Ming's wing. How healthy is it and will he be able to bounce back from the surgery? According to Sherman, Wang got a "very encouraging report" from Dr. James Andrews. The Yankees docs still need to give it a look. If they end up sharing the same opinion as Dr. Andrews, I'm not sure how they pass up on CMW.

You can never have enough starting pitching. I find it difficult to believe that they'd bail on CMW with the current makeup of the starting rotation. Let's face it, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain can't be relied on to pitch well as a starter. Keeping Wang around can definitely make sure there are enough bullets in the chamber. Of course, it only makes sense at the right price.

The Yankees love the low-risk, high reward contracts. I can't see them offering deals to Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre and not to the Wanger. I'd be surprised if the Yankees don't try to offer him a deal, even if it's for a low guarantee with incentives. I don't know how they could pass on him at the right price.

I like CMW. I've been a big Wang supporter over the years. Personally, I hope the Yankees work something out with him. But I trust Brian Cashman. If he decides not to offer Wang a deal, I'm sure it would be for a pretty good reason. I don't know what that would be though. Every year the Yankees seem to pull these below average pitchers out of the woodwork to fill in for several starts. Sidney Ponson, Mitre, and Gaudin quickly come to mind. I'll take Wang over those guys any day.

I'm filing this blurb from Sherman in the trash. I'm predicting Wang will be back. Thoughts? Anyone?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Jays Beat Yanks 10-4 In A Throw Away Game

I would just like to again thanks the local TV stations here in Buffalo for not carrying the My9 games. I absolutely hate when the games aren't on here. Nothing beats watching Yankee baseball. According to the schedule there are 2 more My9 games. Of course they're 2 big games. One is with the Angels, the other the Red Sox. Yay Buffalo TV!

I blogged earlier that this would probably be a good game to miss because the Halladay/Mitre matchup was such a mismatch. Based on the score and their pitching lines, I'd say I was right. I would have been terribly frustrated as it looks like the Yankees had ample opportunity to score. If you asked me before the game to predict the Yankees run total on 15 hits and 3 walks, I'd probably guess around. They managed 4. What gives? They were 5 for 16 with RISP which isn't terrible so I'm assuming that they didn't get the hits when they really needed them. Regardless, they gave up 10 runs so it probably wouldn't have been enough anyway. I'm not too concerned about the runs they gave up as the chance that any of those pitchers (Mitre, Dunn, Melancon, and Ramirez) see action in the postseason is slim and none.

I got a text alert that I missed a bench clearing brawl between Posada and Jesse Carlson. I would have loved to have seen that. I was hoping to see some highlights of it but the MLB Network was showing the Giants/Rockies game so I didn't even check. I'm curious to see what that was all about.

The Red Sox won so the Yanks didn't get any closer to clinching the AL East. The Rangers are down 5 in the 8th and if that lead holds up the magic # to clinch a playoff spot drops to 6. Today was a throwaway game if you ask me. The loss is nothing to be concerned about. I am a little concerned about Andy Pettitte and his fatigued shoulder. The Yanks are going to skip his start and push him back to Monday. I'd feel a little better about this if we weren't so close to the finish line. The Yankee brain trust seems to think he'll be fine and I'm hoping they're right. Chad Gaudin will start in his place and will face Brian Tallet. It's a winnable game, even with Gaudin on the hill. He's probably going to need some run support. Fingers crossed they give it to him.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Wrapping Up The Toronto Series

I'm back from Toronto. I was up the middle 2 games of the 4 game series. I saw the Yankees lose to Halladay on Friday, and win on Saturday. I was back home for Sunday's game. I'm going to wrap these 3 games up in one long post, so buckle in. I'll post about the autograph seeking a little later on. So stay tuned for that.

I kind of expected the Yankees to lose to Halladay. I didn't expect them to be held to 1 hit. Halladay looked great. Joba, on the other hand, not so much. I was talking to a couple of my Toronto buddies after the game and some felt it was an embarrassing loss for the Yankees. I have to disagree with that. Sure getting held to 1-hit is pretty bad, but it is Roy Halladay, who is arguably the best pitcher in the game. I'm also not overly concerned about the pitching. With the exception of Joba, none of the relievers (Melancon, Ramirez, Albaladejo, and Dunn) the Yankees used in that game are going to see the light of day once the postseason starts. So it's not like the team the Yankees used on Friday was a fair representation of the Yankees. Even the offense was a little light. If you need proof of that, just like at their 2-hitter. It was Eric Hinske. Ramiro Pena also got the start. Even had the lineup been at full strength it wouldn't have mattered. They weren't going to hit Halladay. I thought that early on. I started pulling for the perfect game/no-hitter around the 5th inning. I thought he had a real shot at it. Doc looked that good. It's hard to believe that Ramiro Pena broke it up. I didn't see that coming. So I saw a 1-hitter. Pretty cool. I once saw Randy Johnson pitch a 2-hitter when he played for the Diamondbacks. He gave up 2 solo shots and lost to the Pirates 2-0. The game took an hour and a half. Talk about quick. One of the things I hope I see before all is said and done is a perfect game or a no-hitter. My buddy Don had the good fortune of being at David Cone's perfect game. Lucky jerk.

Saturday was a much better day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. The Rogers Centre is an absolutely beautiful place to be when the sun is shining and the dome is open. Then again, what ballpark isn't, right? I'm glad I was up there for this game. I wanted to see Andy Pettitte pitch one last time in person. Who knows? This could be his final go-round in Pinstripes. AP didn't disappoint. I blogged the other day that I thought the Yankees were going to run into a bump or two with the starters they were using in Toronto. Chad Gaudin, Joba, and Sergio Mitre aren't exactly guys that will go much past the 5th inning, if that. I knew Andy was going to be out there, good or bad, for at least 6. Andy didn't throw a bad game, but it wasn't one of his best. He had some control issues, which I could see from my vantage point. All things considered, not a bad day for AP. He picked up win #13. Andy has surprised me this year. I didn't expect him to be 13-6 with a 4.10 ERA at this point in the season. He's definitely been a bright spot.

Speaking of bright spots, Phil Hughes is freakin' awesome, eh? He was, again, untouchable, striking out 3 of the 4 hitters he faced. I love watching Phil pitch, especially in person. I really hope people are starting to take to Hughes like they took to Joba. I still think it's pretty ridiculous how fast Joba's star rose. I mean, they were selling Chamberlain 62" shirts up here in the local Dick's Sporting Goods after his 1st September in the majors. I still can't believe that. I've said it before. I'll say it again. Hughes is, was, and will always be the better pitcher of the two. If you ask me, Hughes is doing better in his stint as the 8th inning guy. Where's the love for Phil? He deserves it. I can't wait for him to get back into the rotation.

Now speaking of low spots, I've officially dubbed Nick Swisher as "The Rally Killer." I was talking to my buddy about that before the game started. I saw him listed in the 2-hole and I was like, oh crap. I hate Swisher batting 2nd. He has the OBP for it, but the average is too low and the Ks are too high. I prefer to see Swish as low in the order as possible. Let him get on base for the top of the order to drive in. Keep him away from the top. So what's Nick do? He goes 1-5 and comes up empty with 8 runners on base. He popped out with 2 out and the bases juiced in the 2nd. He grounded out to 3rd with 2 on and 2 out in the 4th. He grounded out with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th. Like I said, he's a rally killer. Keep him out of the 2-hole.

I had an interesting exchange with another of my buddies while I was up there. He wanted the Yankees to deal Phil Hughes, Joba, Robbie Cano, and other stuff for Aaron Hill, Ricky Romero, and Roy Halladay. The Yankees would have been ridiculously stupid to do a deal like that. At least that's what I think. Anyway, the conversation focused around Cano and Aaron Hill. He prefers Hill to Cano. What? I did everything I could to try and convince him that Cano is better. Here's my argument: 1)He's 7 months younger than Hill. 2)He hits for a higher average. 3)His OBP is higher. 4)Despite having fewer HRs, his SLG is higher. 5)Cano is a lefty. Hill is a righty. Lefties will do much better in Yankee Stadium. 6)In 709 games, Cano is a career .306 hitter with an .817 OPS. In 610 career games, Hill is a .284 hitter with a .766 OPS. Pretty convincing argument wouldn't you say? He didn't go for it. I think he's blinded by Hill's 31 HRs. Hill has some pop, no doubt, but it's one season. He'll flatten out. I'll take Cano any day.

Sunday's game was an ugly game. Sergio Mitre remembered he was Sergio Mitre, and got hammered. That was ugly. Like with Friday's loss, nobody at all should put any stock in this loss. Mitre, Melancon, and Towers aren't going to be pitching in a few weeks. Anything they do should be of no real concern to any Yankee fan. It was also an ugly game defensively. Just ugly. Ramiro Pena and Jerry Hairston committed 2 of the errors. They won't be playing much come October. Mark Teixeira and Robbie Cano committed the other two. They both have a shot at winning the Gold Glove award this year. I have no concerns about the sloppy defense from that game. While I'm talking about the Gold Glove Award, Jeter, Cano, and Teixeira could each bring home that award. I wonder if that's ever happened in a season. I'm sure it has but I'm too lazy to look it up. The team was fine offensively yesterday. They scored 8 runs on 13 hits. Most days you do that and you win. I guess when Sergio Mitre pitches, 8 runs isn't good enough. All of the offense love right now deservedly is going to Derek Jeter. The Captain is rocking. His 3 hits yesterday put him 3 behind Lou Gehrig for the most-hits all time by a Yankee. He plays two today and could easily pick up the 3 hits needed to tie, or the 4 needed to break the record. He's no doubt going to break that record on this homestand. I really hope he does it today because tomorrow's game is on My9 and we still don't get those games here in Buffalo. I'm assuming the MLB Network will be doing live break-ins whenever he's up so I'm probably covered. But I really hope that record falls today.

The game's about to start. We've got a double-dip today. Not a bad way to spend a Monday. It sure as hell beats work. CC Sabathia goes in the opener. A.J. Burnett goes in the nightcap. One is hot. One is not. A sweep is possible, but a split is more likely. Lots of reasons to watch today. Enjoy the games.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Cap Off Series Sweep Of White Sox With 8-3 Win

You know things are going well when Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin combine for a 1-hit shutout. I got to see most of the game before we had to leave for my wife's family reunion (thanks son for taking an extra-long nap). I made it through the top half of the 8th before we had to go. The game was well in hand but that didn't stop me from logging onto the Internet with my cell phone (something I had to pay for) about 30 minutes after we left to check the final. I have to say it. I was impressed with both Mitre and Gaudin. I definitely did not see that coming.

Mitre looked pretty solid. It's a shame he got knocked out of the game though. He was cruising and could have gone the distance as he was only at 73 pitches when he left with 1 out in the 7th. It definitely helped Sergio that the Yankees offense staked him to an early lead. Sergio could afford to be more aggressive and let the Yankees defense back him up. I guess you could say the same went for Gaudin. The offense came through in a big way, scoring runs in every even-numbered inning. It was a pretty good game all-around. Well played.

The series finale was close until the offense exploded for 5 in the 7th. After that it was smooth sailing. I'm not a fan of these new "Joba rules." I get wanting to limit his innings to save his arm but it seems like such a waste to have him start and throw 3 innings. Maybe I'm old school but I think pitch counts and inning limits are ridiculous. I also don't get why it's an inning limit and not a pitch count limit that they're concerned with. It's not the # of innings that affects one's arm, it's the # of pitches they throw. Joba threw 35 pitches today. Seems like such a low amount. Typically, he'd throw that in 2 innings. I wonder what their plan was, 35 pitches or 3 innings? I'm not advocating putting him in the bullpen but they might as well if the plan is to use him for so few pitches. But that's just me. I haven't fully processed it yet so maybe I'll change how I feel about it.

Great game from the Yankee pen, except for Phil Coke, in relief of Joba. Joba left with a 3-2 lead and the pen kept it there until the offense broke through. Phil Coke's slide down the ladder continued today. I wanted to smack him when he pointed up on the HR he gave up. I've written that before about Coke. He points up to indicate a pop-up on deep fly balls. You don't do that, especially on HRs. I vaguely remember reading that Coke got "fined" for doing that when the Yankees' Kangaroo Court convened earlier this year. Coke, unless he pitches tomorrow, is going to finish the month with an ERA of 11.17. That's a quick way to get relegated to mop-up duty. With Damaso Marte back and pitching well so far (no hits/runs in 3 appearances), Coke is probably going to be used very sparingly and not in any big spots. At least I hope that's the case. Phil Hughes continues to dominate as a reliever. He made his 30th appearance out of the pen today and had another great outing. It's been one solid performance after another. As a RP, Phil has allowed only 5 ERs in 38 innings. That's a 1.18 ERA. Talk about being the man. 38 innings, 22 hits, 10 walks, and a whopping 48 Ks. Hughes and Rivera are probably the best bullpen combo out there right now. It's pretty much game over.

The offense again had a nice day at the plate. They were 9 for 23 with RISP over the last 2 games. Derek Jeter continues to stay hot picking up another 2 hits and raising his average to .335. His average for the month of August is .381. Talk about being en fuego. Jeter has to be the Player of the Month, right? Mark Teixeira picked up 4 RBI today and had the big 3-run HR that broke the game open in the 7th. The 4 RBI give him 101 for the year, which is best in the AL by 5. Teixeira and Jeter should each get some serious consideration for the MVP award. They're both very deserving.

The Yanks are 6 games up on the Red Sox. The Yanks are off to Baltimore while the Red Sox are headed to Tampa Bay. The Yanks play their next 7 games on the road, 3 with the Orioles and 4 withe the Blue Jays. The Red Sox also play their next 7 on the road, 3 with the Rays and 4 with the White Sox. It's a good time for the Yanks to put a little more of a cushion in between them and the Sox. Even if they just maintain their 6 game lead, they'll be 6 up with 25 to play. Not a bad place to be. Andy Pettitte starts the road trip off tomorrow. He's been pretty darn good this year in the 2nd half and he's done better on the road than at home. His ERA is over a full point lower on the road, 3.58 (away) to 4.65 (home). AP is rocking a 2.84 ERA in August and it's 2.79 since the ASB. That's pretty good. Let's hope he kicks the roadie off right and does what we expect him to do and that's pitch a beauty.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie