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At this point, Cliff Lee can just write his own Yankees' contract. Between the news about his wife not liking how she was treated and the story that CC Sabathia needs a "minor" procedure done on his knee, Lee is becoming more valuable by the minute.

Clearly, the Yankees have a need for Lee, but the news about Sabathia should temper their desire. The fact is, pitchers break down. Now everyone is going to say that Sabathia needs his knee procedure because he is just too damn heavy. I can't disagree with that and I hope his doctors convince him to shed some lbs this offseason. But keep in mind that Sabathia is two years younger than Lee and that while Lee is very svelte, he also had back problems this year.

If you give Lee a five-year deal, you are signing him through age 37. That's a pretty big risk to take and the Yankees already have Sabathia signed through age 35 and AJ signed through age 36. Let's say they give Lee the $25 million everyone seems to expect them to give him. That would mean the Yankees will be spending $64 million on three 30-something pitchers. Throw in Andy Pettitte and you might have $80 million on four.

Don't get me wrong, adding Lee would be a wonderful move in 2011. I would love to have him, but for no more than a four-year deal. If absolutely pressed, I might go five years, but that's it. Fastballs don't pick up speed in your 30's. Those creaks you felt in your late 20's begin to become more serious, it's a fact of life. Tying your team to too many 30+ contracts is a risky move to make. The Yankees need to tred very carefully when they sit down to negotiate with Mr. Lee.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In the Fall of 2007, the Yankees resigned Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. Those two deals worked out remarkably well considering the risks the Yankees took. In inking their then 38-year old closer to a three-year deal and their then 36-year old catcher to a four-year deal, the Yankees gambled on their health and performance staying at a high level. Posada hasn't been as healthy as you would like, but he did hit .248/.357/.454 this year. Rivera, well he just kept being Rivera.

The problem is some worrying signs developed in the 2010 version of Mo. His strikeouts are way down and his number of innings fell to only 60. The reduction in innings may be because Joe Girardi was extra careful with his closer, but it is a telling number. If Girardi only felt comfortable letting Mo pitch 60 innings at 40 years of age, what will the number be at 41 and beyond? And if his strikeout drop was not an anomaly, what will it mean if he surrenders a BABIP next season in line with his career average of .263 and not the .222 he posted this season?

Those are things to worry about, but the fact is that the Yankees don't have an in house candidate ready to replace Mo. Joba Chamberlain did not develop as planned in 2010 and David Robertson was up and down. The Yankees do have an option on Kerry Wood, but for all the praise being heaped on Wood, it's worth noting how lucky he was as a Yankee. Yes, he posted a 0.69ERA, but he did that while walking 18 hitters in 26 innings. Normally, that would get you killed, but Wood had the good fortune of having a BABIP of only .236. Turn some of those outs into hits and that ERA jumps dramatically.

So, Rivera is needed in 2011, just as he has been needed in the past. The thing is, the Yankees really can't commit to him beyond 2011, because at his age you just don't know what will happen. So, the solution in my mind is to offer him arbitration. If he accepts, he earns a raise and the Yankees get a one-year commitment. If he declines, offer him one year with an option for a second year triggered by a certain number of saves and innings pitched. Anything beyond that is insanity and the Yankees have a very good fallback argument in Andy Pettitte. Pettitte is a year-to-year guy right now and while he hasn't meant the same thing to the Yankees that Mo has, he is certainly in the ballpark. (And obviously, the Yankees should welcome Pettitte back in 2011 if he wants to pitch.)

Having dispensed with Girardi, Jeter and Mo, we will turn our attention to the 40-man roster tomorrow.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The facts are simple. Derek Jeter and the Yankees need each other in 2011. The Yankees need Jeter because despite all the knocks against him, he still was offensively above-average at short in 2010 compared to the rest of the league. That, coupled with the fact that the Yankees do not have an obvious in house replacement (Nunez put up a line of .289/.340/.381 at Scranton which won't get it done) and that the free agent market is pretty barren makes Jeter a must-have for 2011.

The problem is that after 2011, the Yankees might not need Jeter. It's reasonable to assume that Jeter will regress further with the bat in 2011, putting him closer to, or below, the league average. It is also pretty safe to assume that he will collect his 3,000 hit in 2011, eliminating a milestone that the Yankees want to occur in pinstripes. Add in the fact that Eduardo Nunez will have another year of seasoning and Jose Reyes will be a free agent, and the Yankees could have very viable alternatives to Jeter in 2012.

That's what makes this negotiation so difficult. The Yankees really have no reason to give Derek Jeter the player anymore than a two-year deal. Derek Jeter can point to a career of huge accomplishments and the fact that A-Rod got a 10-year deal as reasons for more years than that. Neither side is wrong, but how do they bridge the gap?

To me it comes down to money. The Yankees have plenty of it and they can afford to be a lot more generous with Jeter than any other team would be. I can't imagine another team in the league would offer Jeter more than a two-year/$20 million deal right now. The Yankees can afford to be much more generous. How about starting with a two-year/$30 million deal? The Yankees can go up from there, but they should do everything in their power to keep the number of years of this deal down to 2. If they absolutely had to, they could add an option for the third year, maybe triggered if Jeter reaches 320 hits over 2011+12.

But that's only part of the conversation the Yankees need to have with Derek. They need to make him aware of the chance that he will not be hitting first or second in the lineup next year and that he can expect to play more DH in the upcoming years than he has in the past. There is no reason to move Jeter to leftfield when Brett Gardner plays it at a gold glove level and had a better year with the bat than Jeter. The Yankees absolutely have to upgrade their bench this offseason and find someone who can play the leftside of the infield and hit at a level higher than Ramiro Pena. At this point the Yankees need to plan for Jeter to only be available for 140-150 games.

If Jeter wants four years or a guarantee that he will still leadoff, the Yankees need to walk away. It won't be easy and they will be killed in the press, but it is the right baseball move to make.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

LoHud is reporting that the Yankees are parting ways with Dave Eiland.

I am somewhat stunned by that move for a number of reasons. Start with the fact that it seemed like Eiland and Girardi got along and worked well together. Is this a Steinbrenneresque shot across the manager's bow?

And, Eiland is widely spoke of as the only person who can communicate with AJ Burnett. Granted, it didn't work very well, but the Yankees still owe the guy $50 million and they are removing one of his big security blankets.

But, there are certainly some reasons not to bring him back. Joba Chamberlain has regressed under his watch. Phil Hughes started strong, but faded in 2010. Javier Vazquez completely imploded- though I am not sure we can blame that on Eiland. And, as I mentioned above, Eiland hasn't handled AJ very well.

So the Yankees now get to add pitching coach to their "to do" list.

One last thing. There are a lot of ugly rumors out there about Eiland and where he was when he took his leave of absence in June. Brian Cashman didn't do Eiland any favors by saying that the reason for the dismissal isn't for performance but for "private" reasons. That will only stoke the rumor mill. I hope people remember that it is a private matter and let Eiland just focus on himself now.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Yankees first move this offseason should be too retain their manager. Yes, Girardi drives me nuts with his binder of small sample sizes, but the fact remains that overall he has done a good job. He is very good at developing arms in the bullpen and he usually seems to have the right touch with his players. If you disagree think about this, where would David Robertson be right now under Joe Torre? Probably having arm surgery. Where would Curtis Granderson be under Joe Torre? Probably not someone who looks like he can hit 40 homers next season.

Yes, Joe goes to the binder too often and his insistence on changing his number to 28 still bugs me. But he won 89 games in 2008, when the team absolutely fell apart due to injury and he won a world championship in 2009. I firmly believe he mismanaged this team in September, but that is a mistake that didn't prove fatal in the first round, so it is something we should all agree to forget. And apart from a miserable managerial performance in Game 4, you can't blame him for the ALCS. The Yankees hit .201 in the series and had an ERA over 6. It's really a miracle they won two games with those stats.

So I say bring him back, burn the binder and tell him 28 is his number for life no matter what happens. With the Cubs having filled their manager position, the Yankees don't have to overpay or overextend themselves. The Yankees should put Joe's salary in the three-million range and give him another three-year deal.

Once that's done, the real work begins.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The Yankees have a lot of decisions to make about the makeup of their 2011 club and it starts at the top. First on the list is the manager. Should Joe Girardi come back in 2011 and beyond?

Right at 1A and 1B are the decisions about the offers to be made to Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

Right below that is finding out what Andy Pettitte wants to do and deciding how the Yankees want to respond to that.

Beyond that, there are arbitration decisions, free agent decisions and trading decisions that have to be made.

As crucial as the 2008-09 offseason was to the franchise, this one could potentially be even bigger. The wrong choices with some of the older players could leave the Yankees in a bad position for a while to come.

I plan to tackle all of these issues and I am going to start tomorrow with the manager decision facing the Yankees.

2011 starts today

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When I was 18, my parents announced that we would be moving to Dallas, Texas. I went away to college and jobs from there, but for 15 years or so, "going home" meant going to Dallas. During that time in Texas, I developed an appreciation of the Texas Rangers. This was a time before widespread internet use and DirecTV packages that gave you baseball games from all over the country. Basically, I had one option if I wanted baseball on a summer night when I was home and that was the Rangers. I was incredibly lucky on this front for two reasons. First, the Rangers had Nolan Ryan and he was a lot of fun to watch. I tried to make as many of his starts as I could each summer and I still remember that unique "pop" I heard when the ball hit the catcher's glove. Second, being in Texas placed me at the Ballpark in Arlington on the night of July 28th, 1994, when Kenny Rogers pitched a perfect game. Seeing one in person is sort of the equivalent of winning the baseball lottery.

I have been trying to draw on that "appreciation" of the Rangers for the last two hours to give me comfort. While I am happy for the various Texans I know who are happy right now, I am really disgusted by the Yankees' performance in this series. Phil Hughes was atrocious in his two starts. A-Rod was invisible in the entire playoffs. When you think about it, what Yankees other than Cano and Granderson played well? Most of the team came up small and I don't know if that should be attributed to the Rangers excellence or the Yankees mediocrity.

What seems clear in retrospect is that this team peaked too early. On September 4th they were 36 games over .500. They finished the year 9-17. They rebounded from that to sweep the Twins, but they didn't execute the same way in the ALCS. Now they are headed home and they have a lot of questions facing them. Once again, they must get younger and once again that will be a challenge. Have we seen the last of some iconic Yankees in pinstripes? Stay tuned to what should be the most interesting offseason we have had in these parts in years.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Those three runs in the second inning were an alarm bell to the crowd yesterday. Yankee Stadium was a pretty quiet place and even after the Yankees started scoring there was an uneasiness in the crowd. A couple of fans near me talked about how the Yankees could win Game 5 and Game 6, but they would still lose the series because of Cliff Lee waiting in Game 7.

It's a popular topic on the internet today, but it is a ridiculous one. It's ridiculous because it doesn't matter until the Yankees win Game 6. Cliff Lee would be something to worry about if the Yankees beat the Rangers Friday. Until then, there isn't much point in even discussing it. I will make one comment though. If the Yankees were to beat Texas tomorrow night they would be in about as good a place mentally as possible to face Lee. That could matter a little, it could matter a lot, we won't know until we get there.

And getting there is going to be tough. Obviously, it starts with Phil Hughes pitching a lot better than he did on Saturday. Assuming that happens, the Yankees will then have to hit Colby Lewis. Lewis wasn't great last Saturday and I wonder how he would have done if the Rangers didn't give him a 5-0 lead? In his three career starts before the ALCS against the Yankees he was 0-2 with a 6.89 ERA.

It really comes down to Hughes. Can he be the pitcher we saw in the first half? If so, the Yankees have an excellent chance of forcing a Game 7 and having to deal with the problem of Cliff Lee.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Leaving soon for Game 5, hopefully this time I can bring a win. Before I depart, a few notes about last night's game.

Joe Girardi needs to add a page to his infamous binder. A page with the unofficial rules of baseball listed. You know things like never make the third out at third base. He should then highlight the rule about never putting the go-ahead run on base. I didn't like sticking with AJ in the sixth inning, but I can understand Girardi's reasoning. However, once he decided that David Murphy was a bad matchup for AJ, he needed to reach for another pitcher.

Girardi would probably counter with the argument that he wanted a lefty in that situation and since he only has Boone Logan in the pen, he wanted to save him for later. That's why the Yankees should have taken Royce Ring and not Sergio MItre. They didn't do that in part because Girardi said he liked the way some of his righty relievers throw the ball against lefties. So where were those guys in the 6th inning then? It doesn't add up.

Things look bleak right now, but teams have certainly come back from 3-1 before. As the cliche goes, one day at a time.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tonight was a strange night for me. I went to the game with a buddy, ran into a relative before the game started and ended up in a section which was 90% Rangers fans. And to make matters worse, Cliff Lee destroyed the Yankees tonight.

I loved the energy in the stadium tonight. Even after Pettitte made his one mistake, the fans were into the game. But, Lee just sucked the life out of the place. It's pathetic how happy everyone was when he finally walked a batter, spoiling the perfect game. The guy has clearly set himself up for a huge payday this offseason. I only hope the Yankees don't give him more than 4 years.

Anyway, despite the groans I heard about AJ Burnett taking the mound tomorrow, and they are understandable, Game 4 is really about the Yankees' offense. Tommy Hunter is not a strikeout pitcher and he has a 6.75 ERA in 2 career starts against the Yankees. If the bats can't get it done tomorrow, they are not worthy of winning this series. And, if the Yankees win Game 4, CC takes the ball on Wednesday with the chance to pitch the Yankees to a 3-2 lead.

More tomorrow (actually, later today)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Headed up to the Bronx shortly to attend Game 3 and see if I can channel enough karmic energy to defeat Cliff Lee. Obviously, this game will be a tough one, but what a psychological lift if the Yankees pulled it out! The key will be Andy Pettitte keeping the Yankees in the game, something their starters haven't done so far.

Back with more sometime tonight/tomorrow.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Coming back one night from 5-0 is lucky enough. Expecting it to happen twice is really greedy. Obviously, something has happened to the Yankees' pitchers between the Minnesota series and now. Maybe that's too simplistic and the Texas hitters deserve the bulk of the credit, but the Yankees should explore this further. One theory I have is that they have had way too much rest. I could be wrong, but If I am Joe Girardi, I am whispering to CC Sabathia that he may get the ball in Game 4.

Anyway, the Yankees actually accomplished what they needed to in Texas. If the Rangers didn't have Cliff Lee going in Game 3, I think everyone would be in a pretty good mood right now. Lee's going to be a bear, but the Yankees can beat him. They just need their starter to keep them in the game for more than an inning.

Back tomorrow.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

On a rare night when we had free babysitting, my wife asked me to consider going out to a movie since we see about one a year. Thinking about the game and my wife, I figured the perfect solution was to DVR the game and come home later and watch it. Unfortunately, I never factored in text messages into the equation. They started early with predictable panic and moved onto euphoria later in the evening. Throughout them all, I never looked at a score, arriving home in the 9th inning and watching that live before rewinding the remainder of the game. Lesson learned, in the 21st century you can't avoid hearing about the game in some fashion. Also, "The Social Network" was excellent.

As for the game, what else do you need to say besides "wow". The Yankees pulled it out of the fire tonight. But, Joe Torre always said that momentum was the next day's starting pitcher. If the Yankees can leave Texas with a 2-0 lead they would really have a handle on the series. If not, they have done what they absolutely had to in Game 1.

Back tomorrow.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Fact- Cliff Lee is one of the best pitchers in baseball

Fiction- The Yankees can't beat him.

It seems like the Yankees should not bother showing up if the ALCS goes 7 games. As I understand it, Lee is destined to win both Game 3 and Game 7, so the Yankees not only have to win in 6, but they had better make sure they win both games in Texas. Otherwise, they will return home and lose to Lee in Game 3 and then probably lose Game 4 with AJ on the mound.

Hogwash.

The funniest part of this narrative is that is completely ignores what happened in the World Series last year. You keep hearing about how Lee beat the Yankees twice in that series. That part is true, but let's remember that there was a big difference in the two games. In Game 1, Lee dominated the Yankees for eight innings and then hit a rough patch in the ninth, allowing the first two runners to reach. The problem was, the Phillies already had a 6-0 lead at that point. In Game 5 he cruised though seven innings until he his another rough patch, this time allowing 3 runs in the 8th. The problem was, the Phillies had an 8-2 lead entering the 8th. Overall, the Yankees scored five runs off of Lee in that game, a total which should be good enough to win in most circumstances.

In both cases, the Yankees got to him once he got over 100 pitches. You can make the argument that Lee didn't win Game 5 of the World Series as much as AJ Burnett lost it by burying the Yankees chances when he surrendered six runs in the first two innings.

No, beating Lee won't be easy and obviously, I would much rather avoid facing him in Game 7, but the Yankees certainly can beat him if they are patient and work the count. It will certainly be an interesting series.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:45 PM | Permalink

The Yankees announced today that they will pitch Phil Hughes in Game 2 and Andy Pettitte in Game 3. They also added that they will most likely keep the roster as is.

That's a mistake because the four players they have ready to go in Tampa (Nunez, Alby, Ring and Nova) could all play a valuable role in the ALCS.

Let's start with Nova, to me the clearest candidate for activation. Joe Girardi has already said that he doesn't view Sergio Mitre as a long reliever. Well if he isn't a long reliever, what value does he have for this team? The Yankees have Robertson, Chamberlain and Wood as righties out of the pen in a close game to set things up before Rivera. They have Moseley to pitch in a blow out. But what happens if they need another long guy? What happens if Pettitte gets lifted early in Game 3 and AJ is AJ in Game 4? They obviously would throw Mitre for as long as he could handle it, but wouldn't it make more sense to just have Nova there and ready to go for five innings? After all, Mitre isn't going to see the mound unless something goes wrong.

Ok, assuming you don't see the need for Nova, then how about Alby? Alby was amazing as a closer in AAA this year and you would think he could be a lot more effective than Mitre if the Yankees needed an inning or two from a reliever.

Failing that, how about Royce Ring? The Yankees are going to start righties in 3 of the possible 7 games. The Rangers really only have one lefty hitter, but he is a killer. Josh Hamilton absolutely killed the ball in 2010, putting up an OPS over 1.000 and a slugging percentage over .600. He did most of his damage against RHP, hitting an insane .401/.447./.716 against them. Against lefties he was reduced to a much more human .271/.331/.458. Boone Logan gets the first shot at him, but wouldn't it make sense to have another lefty ready to go- just in case Hamilton gets up again in a tight spot? With all the righties in the Rangers lineup, you know Logan is a one-batter pitcher in the ALCS.

And finally, how about Eduardo Nunez. If the Yankees need to pinch run, he would be their best option. Wouldn't a speedy guy make more sense on the bench than say Austin Kearns?

The Yankees have until 6pm Friday to change their minds.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

As the Yankees talk about setting their rotation, it seems to me that Game 7 should play a big part of the discussion. We pretty much know the rotation is going to line up like this:

Game 1- CC
Game 2- Pettitte/Hughes
Game 3- Pettitte/Hughes
Game 4- AJ
Gmae 5- CC
Game 6- Pettitte/Hughes
Game 7- Pettitte/Hughes

The Yankees could bite the bullet and try and pitch Sabathia on short rest twice (Games 4+7) but I think we will only see that if they are down 2-1 or 3-0 heading into Game 4. Assuming they are ahead, they will give the ball to AJ.

That means you have a choice of Pettitte or Hughes in Game 7. It's a tough call. Pitching Hughes in Game 2 means both his starts are on the road in this series and he has a career ERA of 0 at the Ballpark in Arlington and has allowed only 3 hits in 15 innings. Pettitte has been awful in Texas, posting an 8.22ERA in 38 innings. But I still think that of the two, Pettitte is the guy I want with the ball in his hands and the season on the line. I say give Hughes the ball in Games 2+6 and let Andy take it in Games 3+7.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Yup, I was the guy who picked the Rangers last in their division this year. It was all part of my epic whiff at the AL playoff teams (apart from the Yankees). I fared better in the NL, picking the Phillies, Braves and Giants to make it and my Yankees-Phillies World Series is still a possibility.

For now, let's focus on Texas which just saw Cliff Lee dominate Tampa and send them into the ALCS for the first time ever. They are going to be a very dangerous opponent and the way they took apart Tampa tonight is pretty telling.

But, Cliff Lee just threw 120 pitches which convinces me he won't be seen until Game 3 and the Rangers bullpen doesn't equal that of the Rays. But, I keep going back to the night of July 8th. That's when the Yankees came within a hair of acquiring Cliff Lee and I keep wondering if the Yankees will ultimately regret that whiff. At the time I wrote-

I still think that trade would have been a slam dunk, but luckily the rotation is not the Yankees weakness. They didn't need Lee in the way that other teams did. Where Lee could haunt them is in the playoffs and Texas will present a challenge with Lee and CJ Wilson, both lefties at the top of the rotation.

That's a worry for the future, for now the needs are the same they were this morning. Figure out how to solidify the bullpen and find a bat that can offer some positional flexibility.

Obviously, the rotation didn't quite turn out to be the strength it was at the time and the bat never showed up. On the plus side, Kerry Wood did a pretty good job of solidifying the pen. Will it all add up to a win in the ALCS? We will start to find out Friday.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tampa's win in Texas today forces a Game 5 on Tuesday. That means David Price and Cliff Lee will not be available to pitch Game 1 of the ALCS and could only pitch Game 2 if they went on three-days rest. That's a big advantage for the Yankees, but it also means they have to figure out a way to win Game 1 now.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Leave it to Jorge Posada to sum this one up as "the first step of three". While the Yankees don't appear to be going nuts on TV, they deserve a celebration. They swept a very good Twins team with ease. That's a pretty great accomplishment.

There are so many things to feel good about. Pettitte and Hughes were great. The lineup looked really good and delivered a lot of key hits. Nick Swisher seems to be over his postseason blues from 2009. The only dark cloud, if you want to look for one, has to be Kerry Wood. Wood looked bad in Games 1 and 3, not exactly the "lockdown" guy the Yankees hoped for.

But that's a minor complaint. What the Yankees just did isn't easy and the ramifications of it are huge. By sweeping the Twins they get six days of rest heading into the ALCS. Looking ahead at the ALCS schedule, the Yankees could throw CC on three-days rest in games 4 and 7 if they wanted to and I bet they lean that way if they need to.

For now, enjoy the win. Let's hope it rains in Texas for 3 or 4 days and then the Rays win Game 4. Follow that up with a 27-inning Game 5 and things will have really broken our way.

Tomorrow- thoughts on the ALCS roster.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

One of the great things about baseball is all of the superstitions that the players and the fans have. Wade Boggs was famous for his pregame chicken meal. You always see pitchers step over the baselines on the way to and from the dugout. I succumb to them myself. On Wednesday I sent Andy a text to turn on the Phillies game, not daring to explain why.

Well Mayor Bloomberg clearly doesn't believe in them. Yesterday he started talking about planning the Yankees' World Series parade. Bad karma, your Honor.

Then again, this could all be a hideous plot constructed by a closet Red Sox fan. I remember when Mayor Mike first came on the scene and was asked if he was as big of a Yankees' fan as his predecessor. He said that he grew up in Massachusetts and didn't answer the question. He also heavily promoted the Mets when he first came into office. But being a smart politician, he quickly embraced the better ballclub and now you can see him sitting in some very expensive seats during most Yankees' playoff games.

So add a jinx to the list of things the Yankees have to overcome if they want to repeat.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Some of the questions I asked yesterday have been answered.

Andy Pettitte looked really good in his 7 innings tonight, and he finished stronger than he started. You can't make too much of one start, but that was a very good sign for the Yankees' October hopes. Mariano Rivera looks like Mariano Rivera again. All those broken bats last night and Mauer's hit tonight was basically a blooper to left. Kerry Wood certainly made me feel better tonight than he did last night, but I still am not sure about him and we don't know about the Twins and the running game.

And how about Curtis Granderson? This guy is clearly reinvigorated since he met with Kevin Long and he has become the player the Yankees thought he would be when they traded for him. Kudos also to Lance Berkman for a nice game.

And now the Yankees head home with a 2-0 lead. I still think the Twins have some fight in them, but it is very comforting to know that if they do pull out Game 3, they will have to get beat CC Sabathia, who is 18-4 with a 3.08 ERA in his career at the new place, to return home.

******

Permit me a few non-Yankee notes.

I guess Roy Halladay really wanted to get into the postseason. That was a pretty cool moment. But, please don't compare it to Don Larsen's game. First of all, Larsen didn't allow a baserunner. Second, Larsen did it in the World Series.

I said it months ago, and I will say it again, the Phillies made an ENORMOUS mistake trading Cliff Lee before the season. Can you imagine how every team in the league would feel if the Phillies had Halladay and Lee still?

Is there anyone who expected the Rangers to have a 2-0 lead over the Rays?

See you Friday!

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

My four biggest questions heading into the ALDS:

1- Can Andy Pettitte be "Andy Pettitte" when he gets the ball?

2- Is Mariano Rivera over his September slump?

3- Can Jorge Posada stop the Twins from running wild on the bases?

4- Will Kerry Wood throw strikes when it counts?

It is going to be a fascinating series. I think the Yankees' offense has a clear advantage over the Twins' pitching on paper, but we have seen the Yankees' offense disappear at inopportune times. If the Yankees hit, there is not stopping them, if the game becomes a battle of pitching staffs, the Yankees could be in trouble. The big guy starts it off tonight, welcome back to October!

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

That's what Joe Girardi said, but his actions certainly didn't back those words up. I think if you gave him truth serum, he would admit that he put winning the division below resting his players when push came to shove.

It's water under the bridge now. The Yankees are going to be the wild card because they lost to Boston (As I write this Tampa tied up their game 2-2, so it may not matter what the Yankees did today.) That means they are headed to Minnesota for the start of the playoffs I imagine we will hear that Andy Pettitte is starting Game 2 with Phil Hughes starting Game 3 and CC on tap to pitch on short rest in Game 4. Considering the Twins hit .276/.343/.433 vs RHP and .269/.338/.403 vs lefties that makes sense.

It should be a very interesting October.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

It's pretty amazing to think that it was almost six months ago that the Yankees started their season. On April 4th they blew a 5-1 lead at Fenway to start the season. 160 games later they arrive on the final Sunday of the season assured of a playoff spot, but unsure of which spot they will earn.

It's funny how a season always winds from place to place. If we could rewind the tape three months we would be at a point when the Yankees' rotation looked awesome and the very idea of adding Cliff Lee seemed an insane excess to some people.

That air of inevitability has clearly disappeared from the Yankees. Pettitte pulled his groin and missed two months, Vazquez fell completely apart, Phil Hughes struggled and AJ became AJ again. Unfortunately, there are no mulligans in sports. For better or for worse, the 2010 Yankees are going to have to rely on their bats and their bullpen to pull out a 28th crown.

I still believe that homefield advantage would be a big boost for this squad. It seems like over the last few weeks Joe Girardi whipsawed from wanting to win the division to not caring about it to wanting to win it again. It's been a frustrating September, but after today the playoffs await and the slate will be wiped clean.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:28 PM | Permalink

The Yankees survived Game 1, using the best of their pen and getting a very lucky hit off of Papelbon in the 10th.

Clearly, Girardi managed all out in Game 1, but what will he do in Game 2? It's not really about the lineup, the Yankees are using a pretty decent one, but what will they do when the game goes to the bullpen? Perhaps AJ Burnett makes it all moot with another one of his clunkers. But if the Yankees have a lead in the 7th, what will Joe do?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Today is the biggest day of the Yankees' season. By the end of it we will know the condition of their postseason rotation and we will have a chance of knowing when and where they will open up the playoffs.

Thanks to last night's monsoon in Boston the Yankees and Red Sox will play two today. Shame on MLB for scheduling the second game at 9:05pm, but so be it. If the Yankees win those two games and Tampa loses, they are AL East champs. If the Yankees get swept and Tampa wins they are the wild card. The much more likely split means we have an interesting Sunday to look forward to.

But the performances of AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte in their starts today/tonight are the biggest result. The Yankees are going to need one, if not both of them, to be good in the playoffs. The Yankees want to feel good about giving them the ball and their performances today will determine that. Considering all the stories about Andy's back this week, the Yankees need to see him go out there and perform.

The Yankees have caught a number of breaks over the past few nights. Who thought Bruce Chen would channel his former prospect status and pitch like that last night? The Red Sox also lost today's starter and their thirdbaseman heading into the weekend. Now it's up to them, as Ernie Banks once said, "let's play two!"

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:07 PM | Permalink