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The Yankees are going to have to keep their fingers crossed on Chien-Ming Wang, because if he is hurt they don't have a lot of apparent answers for who takes his spot in the rotation.  You have to assume that Hughes isn't in shape to start anymore and could probably only last 2-3 innings.  Aceves could probably throw 40-50 pitches, but that isn't going to get it done.  Brett Tomko is probably in the same boat.

In the minors, Ian Kennedy is recovering from surgery and the other guys on the 40-man roster are either in AA or relievers right now.  That means we are going to have to find someone else and the first name that comes to mind is...gulp..Kei Igawa.  Now I suggested trying Igawa over Tomko a few weeks ago and I am sticking to that idea.  Worst thing that happens is you add him to the 40-man, he starts and gets bombed.  You can then pass him through waivers, or gladly see another team claim him and his $10 million remaining salary, and send him back to the minors.  

If the Yankees don't go that route, Sergio Mitre is probably the answer.  Five starts with Scranton and a 3.26 era.  Other than that, there isn't much.  I guess it is too bad Casey Fossum signed with the Iowa Cubs yesterday.   

UPDATE: Per Pete Abe, Wang to the DL  As he also points out they need a starter for Thursday and then have the All-Star Break.  They could then use the break to insure that Wang's spot doesn't come up again until July 21st. Technically, he could return from the DL in time for that start, but of course he won't.  Unfortunately, the Yankees come out of the break with 17-straight games so they will need someone at that point.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kudos to Joe Girardi for tonight's lineup.  Against a tough lefty he moved Cano down to 6 (not a bad idea no matter who is pitching) and he let A-Rod DH instead of Matsui. 

I imagine it didn't escape the Yankees notice that Mike Lowell went on the DL yesterday because of his hip.  Lowell had the full operation last offseason and was "worn down a bit" (his manager's words)  It doesn't sound like Lowell will be out long, but the point is having this surgery and playing baseball may not be the best combination.  

It probably also didn't escape the Yankees' notice that A-Rod has been a different player since getting his mini-vacation in Florida.  He is 11-31 with 4 homers and keeping him fresh has to be a priority over the remainder of the season.  

That's why the addition of Eric Hinske is great.  I know everyone is jumping on the "Hinske can't play third well" bandwagon, but really so what?  The guy has played there before and even the best third basemen in the game only turn something close to three outs a game.   I am not suggesting they use Hinske if Wang is on the mound and I would definitely get someone else in there if the game is close, but for one start a week against a righty pitcher, he should be fine.

The biggest test of A-Rod will be when the Yankees head to Minnesota next week.  The Twins of course play on turf and that is not something great for tender players.  The rotation is currently setup to have Wang pitch Thursday and I would want A-Rod playing third for that, but maybe they can get Hinske out there for Tuesday and Wednesday.  

It will be interesting to see how Girardi uses A-Rod from this point forward.  Hopefully the addition of Hinske makes him more comfortable resting him.  If not, Brian Cashman has to step in and mandate that he does.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wasn't it just the other day that Brian Cashman said the team didn't need to trade for a bat?  Well he lied, because the Yankees have apparently traded for Eric Hinske. 

Hinske doesn't hit for much power these days, but he can play the corners in the infield and outfield.  He is also a lefty bat.  I suspect this means the Yankees will send Ramiro Pena back to the minors and let him play everyday.  That would leave a bench of Cabrera, Hinske, Ransom and Cervelli on most days.

The Yankees didn't give up much in the way of prospects.  Erickson is in A ball and I believe would need to be added to the 40-man at the end of this year or be subject to the Rule 5.  (Very, very doubtful they would have protcted him)  Fryer was acquired from the Brewers for Chase Wright and hasn't done much in Tampa.

UPDATE: Joel Sherman has a blog post up with some reasons for the deal and it sounds like Pena is going to the minors.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

As I write this it is 3-2 heading into the 7th.  Normally, I would wait until after the game, but Girardi is managining this like he is drunk, so I felt inclined to post now.

Question 1: Bottom of the fourth, two outs with a runner on third, 8th-place hitter up for the Mets.   Don't you walk him and face the pitcher? (He didn't)

Question 2: Bottom of the fifth Gardner on first with one out and Wang batting.  Don't you order Wang to take a pitch to let Gardner steal second before trying to bunt him over?  The worst case scenario isn't that Wang doesn't get the runner over, it's a double play which Wang bunted into.

Question 3: You pull Wang for Coke to face two lefties (eventhough Coke is better against righties) and then the Mets put in a righty.  Two outs in the inning and you go to bring Hughes in.  Absoultely fine with that, but why would you double switch?  Girardi brought Hughes in and put Damon into left, moved Cabrera to right and took Swisher out of the game.  What did that all accomplish?  It moved the pitchers spot from the 4th all the way to 6th.  So for two lousy lineup spots you lost a good hitter and cost yourself a bat on the bench?  If the Yankees go 1-2-3 in the 7th, the pitcher won't get up anyway and what are the chances Hughes is going to pitch more than 1-1/3?  You could then have led off the 8th with a pinch hitter anyway.  If the pitcher's spot comes up in the 7th you could alway pinch hit then.  Plus, if the Yankees do go 1-2-3, the pitcher's spot is going to come up in the 8th, just like it would have.

Maybe Joe is having an off night, but these decisions are weird.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, so the Yankees have held the Mets to four hits and one run over 18 innings of baseball.  We can point to dominant pitching by Sabathia and Burnett, we can also point to the fact that the current Mets' lineup resembles a beer softball league squad.

And that is what makes tomorrow's start for Wang so interesting.  Here is a lineup in terrible shape and a pitcher struggling to regain his stuff.  I know Joe Girardi says that Wang is in the rotation for the long haul, but if he gets shelled tomorrow how do you justify that?  I'm not expecting Wang to dominate the Mets like Sabathia and Burnett have, but I would expect at least a quality start from Wang.  Anything less and I hope the Yankees reconsider keeping him in the rotation.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Xavier Nady is done for the year.  He is going to need Tommy John surgery and that means a minimum recovery of a year.

Now if the Yankees are searching for a righty bat, how about looking at Shelley Duncan again?  He has 21 homers in AAA this season and he can be added to the 40-man when Nady gets placed on the 60-day DL.  Duncan would provide a lot of pop off the bench and he can play both corners.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Anyone catch Michael Kay's home run call for A-Rod's homer last night?  

Yes, from a fact standpoint, A-Rod caught Reggie Jackson on the home run list last night.  But, don't we all agree that there is a huge asterisk next to A-Rod's home run total?

And why would the Yankees (via YES) promote this achievement?  I know they cannot simply ignore it, but Kay's home run call was over the top and there was delicious irony in the fact that he mentioned Rafael Palmeiro is next up on the list. 

The really interesting thing will be if Alex starts hitting those five "historic" home runs he gets money for in his new contract.  (Hitting #660, 714, 755 and tying and breaking the career record earn him $6 million a swing.)  You know the Yankees paid that money because they were expecting to make a bunch of money selling the bats, balls, cleats, etc., involved in those achievements.  But will anyone want that stuff now? 

I don't know, but I don't think we should be celebrating any of A-Rod's career achievements in light of what he has admitted to doing.  I certainly hope that YES will ditch that "Chasing History" grpahic they sometimes show with Alex.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kind of a weird week with Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both dying today and Ed McMahon the other day. 

It reminded me of an old baseball joke that involved Michael Jackson.  (You will need to be at least 30 to get it)

Question- What do Steve Sax and Michael Jackson have in common?

Answer- They both wear a glove on one hand for no apparent reason.   

You can dislike the man, but you cannot understate his impact on music.  He and Madonna were my generation's answer to Elvis.  Now one is gone and the other one was dating A-Rod.  

Anyway, RIP Michael.  RIP Farah. RIP Ed.   

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Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Casey Fossum has decided to leave Scranton and become a free agent.  I am not suggesting that Fossum was going to come back to the AL East and dominate, but wouldn't he have been a better choice than Brett Tomko?

I never get how the Yankees make these decisions, but they seem good at signing players to fortify the minor league teams, but lousy at using them to help the major league teams.  A few years ago they had Carlos Pena in the minors for most of the season but never promoted him (whoops!).  How many more appearances by Tomko do we have to see before they turn to someone else?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So here we are almost at the All-Star Break and we have two guys who make up an imperfect fit in center.

Melky Cabrera has a great arm, is prone to long slumps and doesn't get on base enough. 

Brett Gardner can cover tons of ground, run like the wind, but he has no power.

If there was someway to platoon the two of them it would be great, but neither guy has proven the ability to hit lefties over their career.  

So, let's play to the two guys' strengths.  Gardner can run and Melky has some pop, so how about using Garnder in center when the Yankees are on the road and Melky in center when they are at home?   

Consider Melky's home/away splits: At home Melky is hitting .284/.346/.491 on the road he is .278/.329/.354.  Would it be fair to say he is enjoying the bandbox that is the new place?

Consider Gardner's home/away splits: .296/.397/.407 at home and on the road he is .275/.330/.400

So, Brett outhits Melky away from the Bronx and Melky outhits Brett in the Bronx.   Boil it down to OPS and it becomes even clearer Melky (.837 at home/.683 on the road) vs. Gardner (.804 home/.730 road)

So, why not take advantage of that difference and make it formal?  Or, let Gardner play center all the time?  (Don't see that happening)   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)