YankeesRedSox.com

Now I think that the Earth must be flat ... Molina has a sac bunt and a slam - in the same inning. Jose Molina. Would sure be nice if this inning marked a turning point for us.

Oh, by the way, Hughes looks like he deserves to be in this rotation. 99 pitches through 6 with 6 Ks, 2BBs and 2 hits. ERA of 0.00. Stay healthy Phil, stay with us.

Melancon absolutely has to close this game out with no drama - has to. BTW, the kid sounds like a timid CPA in his interviews. Then he comes out on a cold night throwing in the low 90s with a late break. I suspect his velocity will creep up as either he or the weather warms up.

Mitchell

Between Molina and that Berroa catch, I am stocking up on canned goods!

Looking forward?

Have A-Rod back at third with the occ'l DHing while Pena plays the bag should be a huge improvement. Problem is Pena prob needs to play regularly, so he can also give Jeter a rest every once in a while. Same thing with Cano geting a breather.

Melkie seems like a different guy than he was for the first few years. I think he's an upgrade from Gardner - prob being that he's a completely different kind of player. I know that you - Peter - think you know what Melkie is about, but maybe he's grown into something better than that.

Getting tired of Damon always kvetching about his aches and pains - sit him down and let him rest it out. His feet hurt him, his legs hurt him, his shoulder hurts where he ran into the monster. Enuf ! Have a seat dude, take a rest.

Now my favorite dilemma. What happens when Wang gets stronger and is ready to return? Does Joba move to the pen - oh NO I said it again - does Phil become the long reliever - nah, that's not logical but Wang won't move to the pen as he's not a strikeout pitcher. Going to be pretty crowded with starters.

Word has it that IPK is pitching well also at Scranton - assuming that his finger numbness is nothing major.

I think I see where it's going, but then again, maybe somebody gets traded for a stellar OFer or catcher.

Choices and Decisions.

Mitchell- I agree that Melky could have grown, but I am not sure how likely it is. The odd thing about his start this year is the home/away splits, he is killing the ball at Yankee Stadium. Is that a function of the place or him? I have no clue, but I think Gardner should get a bit more of an audition.

The Wang question will be a nice problem to have. I think we need to see more of Joba as a starter before he goes to the pen. I can't see Hughes as a long guy, he needs to pitch and if he pitches like he did last night, he needs to stay in the big league rotation.

I love Pena's glove, but we just don't know about his bat. Best thing for him would be a season at AAA, best thing for 2009 Yankees is his glove being available as needed. Wish the Yankees had another choice besides Berroa.

Peter - I've noticed the same thing about Melky but what's really got me convinced that he's changed is is that he seems to have stopped chasing garbage pitches at the plate - he's actually willing to get a BB. That's SMART ball, and not something I can recall seeing from him till now. Same thing, by the way, with his best bud, Cano - willing to take a walk if its handed to him. With both guys that means that opposing pitchers have to respect them more, have to actually throw strikes, which means something that can be reached with a bat. Melky also seems like a kid who could hit for power, and just waiting to see if that develops. He's a big kid ...

Gardner looks like a slapper to me, which is fine if he did it more often with more success. He's got legs but he can only use them when he's on base.

What concerns me about Joba, esp after that last start is that he's got too many baserunners around him. Eventually, he's going to get lit up ... can't always induce the double play to escape the jam. His biggest problem is that we KNOW he can be a very effective reliever if he knows he's only got to last for an inning or two.

Pena? Yep, his bat is the big question - but if he's playing SS late in a game, he's got the range to plug that side of the infield pretty well. I love Jeter, but he's got the range of a walrus at times - that line is not original to me BTW.

Wang? Agreed! Beautful "problem" to have if he recovers and is ready to go.

Mitchell

Good pickup, he is averaging 3.93 pitches per plate appearance. The last three years he was 3.65, 3.67 and 3.66. I had noticed an uptick for Cano, but hadn't seen it for Melky. I would love to be wrong about him, believe me.