Stat Line Of The Day

At 9:15pm EST:
Doug Mientkiewicz: 3 HRs in 58 ABs, 1 every 19.33 at-bats
Manjaya Ramirez: 4 HRs in 100 ABs, 1 every 25 at-bats
J

Jose Vizcay-crappo

Am I the only one who's a little irked that Jose Vizcaino got credit for the win? Guy comes in and gives up a game-tying dinger and then lucks out when the Yankees pick up the go-ahead run in their half of the next inning. How many games does this bullpen need to blow for Andy Pettitte? This was Pettitte's 6th start and it was the 4th time the bullpen blew the lead after he left. Andy seems to be this year's John Smoltz. There was one point late last season where the Braves bullpen had blown saves in 6 of Smoltz's games. Pettitte is already up to 3. 4 if you count his first start where he left before going the 5 innings necessary to get a win.
And of all batters to give up the HR to. Jerry Hariston Jr. 30 career home runs. 1 every 80 at-bats.
Memo to Joe Torre: Don't let Vizcaino pitch with a lead.
J

Get Out Of My Head

On a whim, I decided to click on MLB Trade Rumors to see what was up. And what do I see? How Soon Before Yankees/Phillies Rumors Surface? Nothing is in the works, but it basically brings up what I brought up very early Wednesday morning, though it's from a Phillies perspective. The writer of the post, Tom Goyne, author of Balls, Sticks and Stuff, "a Phillies-centric site," thinks the Phillies won't move a starter "unless the deal is decidingly in their favor." With the recent rash of injuries to Yankees starters as well as Pavano's setback, they might just get that deal, assuming of course that Cashman is looking to bring in an arm from the outside.
If a deal with the Phils ever comes to fruition, remember where you heard it proposed first. If it doesn't happen, those posts will conveniently disappear. Kind of like the Yankees chances to make it to the postseason if things don't improve.
Game was rained out. Doubleheader tomorrow.
J

Here's A Shocker

I just got home from softball "practice." Yup, it's that time of year again. It wasn't really a practice as there were only 6 of us. It was more or less I'll pitch, you hit, and somebody shags flies. Pretty boring stuff. Who needs to practice for co-ed bar league softball anyway?
So after I showered and then devoured a double stacked Subway Club sub (hey practice was tough, get off my back),I hopped on over to Pete Abraham's blog (man, I wish I were a beat writer) to see if there was anything new. And there is, and this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
"Carl Pavano felt something in his right arm during his bullpen and shut it down after a few minutes."
No way. I don't buy it. Carl Pavano hurt? Impossible. I'll assume you all picked up on the sarcasm. What's wrong with this guy? I can totally see Carl parlaying this into being out for the season and then blaming it on the recently fired strength coach. And I'll bet the vast majority of Yankees fans feel the same way. There is absolutely no trust there. I saw we cut our losses while we can. Do you think it's possible that on the flight back to the Bronx CP goes missing and ends up in say Tupelo (now that was random)? Kind of like lost luggage, except in this case, no one would come to claim him. Dare to dream.
If they need to shut CP down, which is probably the case, this only makes matters worse for an already horrible situation. The rotation is basically Wang, Mussina, Pettitte, and Igawa. I haven't heard or seen anything about who is filling in. I'm not excited about any internal prospects. I think Tyler Clippard could handle it, but do we really want to see another 22 year old rushed to the bigs? Not with the way things are going. No chance.
I think Cashman needs to start looking outside of the organization for a durable starter, unless of course the Yankees want to mail this season in, because as it stands now, this rotation isn't going to get us to October. I've already made my suggestion about looking at Jon Lieber. I like him because he's already shown he can handle the Bronx and he's a horse. We need a guy that can throw deep into games, and that's Lieber. He's the first guy that comes to mind.
I'm hoping they get this game in tonight. I really don't want to have to miss game 1 of a doubleheader if it's tomorrow afternoon. Rain rain go away. And take Carl with you.
J

Finally, Somebody Gets Fired

According to Tyler Kepner of the NY Times, the Yankees fired Marty Miller, the team's strength coach. It's pretty evident that whatever this guy was doing, wasn't working. The injuries have happened to way too many people for it to be a coincidence. The interesting point in the story is that Miller was "unpopular with some players and several opted out of his program." I think red flags should have gone up as soon as the first guy opted out. Doesn't that send a message? Nobody knows the player's bodies better than the players.
Hopefully this changes things because the Yankees can ill-afford to lose anyone else. This is the best news I've gotten all day.
J

Pop Goes The Hammy

Phil Hughes. Wow. The kid was on his game tonight. I can see why they call him "Phil Franchise." If tonight was a glimpse of what we can expect from Phil throughout his career then this kid has "Hall Of Fame" written all over him. OK, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but the kid was awesome tonight. It's a shame that hammy popped and he couldn't finish the game on his terms. A no-hitter into the 7th inning and the hammy goes. Why Baseball Gods? Why? I think the Yankees need to take a closer look at their Strength & Conditioning Coach because the number of injuries that has plagued the Yankees defies explanation. It's unreal. Wang. Mussina. Pettitte. Hughes. Pavano. Karstens. Damon. Matsui. I again ask the question, why Baseball Gods? Why? And from what I gathered from the post-game show, Hughes is definitely going to miss some time.
You have to love Phil's performance. He was attacking the strike zone. He was mixing his pitches. He was getting first pitch strikes and staying ahead of most batters. The end result, no-hit ball. Yankees fans have every right to be excited about what the future holds for this kid. I was all set to order a "Phil Hughes" Yankees shirt tonight. I think I'm still going to, but we'll see. Barring any massive weight game, I'm sure I'll get plenty of wear out of it.
Abreu still looked like ****. I wonder if he is having eye trouble. He's swinging at pitches out of the zone. He's hitting weak grounders. He's misjudging and dropping fly balls. Maybe Bobby has just gotten lucky when he makes solid contact. The only hole in my theory is that he's able to track a fly ball. So maybe his eye sight isn't bad? Maybe it's just failing? Maybe he needs some specs or contacts? Somebody call Lou Brown and get this guy an eye exam.
Did anybody catch A-Rod's little hand signal after his double in the 5th. He was twirling his finger as if to say "let's keep the line moving." At least that's what I took from it. It was quickly followed by doubles from Matsui and Posada. Situational hitting. It works.
The offense was clicking. A-Rod: 3 for 4. Posada: 3 for 4. Cano: 4 for 5. Jeter extended his hit streak and he's now hit safely in 57 of his last 59 games. I was talking to my friend Don during the game and he was telling me about some stat that Jayson Stark dropped, though eh couldn't remember the exact quote, so if anybody has heard this, let me know. It went something like: if Jeter can hit safely in his next 2 games (tonight and tomorrow), he will become the 3rd player in history to hit safely in 58 of 60 games. Joey D. and some guy from the 19th century are the other 2. I couldn't find anything online or in the press notes that referenced that. Maybe we'll see or hear something about it tomorrow if it's true. And if it is, it's quite the accomplishment.
I am really starting to wonder why Mike Myers is considered a lefty specialist. He blows the no-hitter by giving up a hit to a LH batter. Carl Crawford jacked him for a go-ahead Grand Slam. And he never seems to get David Ortiz out. I was so ticked when he blew the no-no.
Despite the injury to Hughes, May is off to a good start. The Yankees won and did so convincingly, on both sides of the field. The Red Sox lost and Papelbon blew the save. The Jays lost. The O's lost. The Devil Rays lost. The Yankees are still in last place. But, we're moving in the right direction.
I'll take it.
J

Trade Melky Part 2

Man, I'm a posting fool tonight. Make sure you scroll down to see my other posts. I tried to turn in for the evening but this injury to Hughes has me restless. The Yankees pitching staff is in shambles and I don't think we have many options to consider to make it better.
The Yankee rotation right now shapes up like this: Pettitte, Igawa, Wang, Mussina and ??? Wang just got back from an injury and has a split nail. Moose is just coming back from an injury and isn't at full strength. Igawa is inconsistent. Pettitte didn't start the season healthy. Who knows when Pavano is coming back? Hughes is going to be out for 6-8 weeks. Karstens has a broken leg. Chase Wright isn't ready for the majors. And quite frankly, neither is Darrell Rasner. This is not good. Pickings are slim.
I think it's a pretty safe bet the Yankees are going to back the Brinks truck up to Roger Clemens' front door and deliver him a blank check. But even if he wants to come to the Bronx, that's at least a month away and by then the Yanks may be so far out of contention in his estimation that he passes by the Bronx for Fenway.
I think Cashman needs to explore the possibility of trading Melky Cabrera. His value has obviously declined so he wouldn't command much on a straight up deal, but Cashman can get creative with the Boss's money or possibly mix in some lower-level prospects. The Yankees need a guy that can get them 6 innings consistently and hold teams to 5 runs or less. Preferably a #3 starter but anyone that can keep them in the game will do. Right now, the only team that immediately comes to mind with options is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies right now have 6 SPs. Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jon Lieber, and Adam Eaton. Hamels is too young for them to part with. They just brought in Garcia, Moyer and Eaton. I'm looking at Brett Myers and Jon Lieber. Myers is currently pitching out of the pen and Lieber, besides being 37, is in the last year of his contract. So here's what I'm thinking:

• Trade Melky and some low level prospect for Lieber
• Brink back Bernie Williams or promote Kevin Thompson to be the 4th OF

I can't imagine the asking price for Lieber would be too high, and quite frankly, I think he could get the job done.
Who's with me, or who has other suggestions? Time for us to play GM for a day.
J

Mike Myers

I thought Mike Myers was supposed to be a lefty specilaist?

&@#*!

You have got to be kidding me??? That did not just happen. A no-hitter and there goes the hammy. I'm sitting here shaking my head. Phil Hughes was awesome tonight. It's a shame he couldn't finish this on his terms. Come on bullpen! Let's finish this for the kid.
What else can go wrong, right?
J

Welcome Backy Bobby

It's good to see Bobby Murcer back in the YES broadcast booth. He looks good. Maybe he'll be the good luck charm this team so desperately needs.
Interesting game note: Bobby Abreu is batting leadoff. Well, at least he won't ground into a DP in his first AB. How's that for a vote of confidence?
My pregnant wife just wet her pants while sitting on the floor. I don't have a pet for that exact reason. Go figure.
J