First place Yankees take on suprising first place Nationals

When the season schedules were released earlier in the offseason, who would have ever thought that June 15-17 could be a series to prove a team's legitimacy? 

The schedule showed a three-game series between the Yankees and Nationals.  The Nationals, who are perennial basement dwellers in a division that is normally dominated by the Philadelphia Phillies are shocking the baseball world with their play this season.
  
That's right ladies and gentleman, the Nationals are on top of your National League East, with a 9.5 game lead over the Phillies.  With a 38-23 record, the Nats have the second best record in all of baseball, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This also includes the Yankees.  The Yankees sit atop the American League East with 37-25 record after winning nine of their last ten games. 

As I said before, who would have thought both teams would be in first place this late in June.  Let's be honest, many thought the Yankees would be sticking around.  With the Nationals, many including me, believed the team was at least one year away from having winning baseball in the District of Columbia. 

So how are both teams in first place after dealing with devastating injuries? The Nationals have relied on one of their greatest assets: youth, while the Yankees are relying on experience.

Welcome Back, Andy

In a somewhat surprising move on Thursday, Jack Curry of the YES Network reported that Andy Pettitte did his best Brett Favre imitation by coming out of his one year retirement to return to the Yankees.

Pettitte was serving as a spring training instructor for the team in Tampa and many, including his former teammates, had noted that the lefty was in great shape.  Nobody was aware that the reason why he was in such great shape was that he was secretly throwing bullpens since January 1, at his home in Texas this winter.  In December, Pettitte was offered a contract somewhere between $10-12 million by general manager Brian Cashman, before Cashman traded for Michael Pineda and signed Hideki Kuroda.

Pettitte declined Cashman's offer, but he still continued to work out.  Last week he threw a secret bullpen in front of Cashman, Joe Girardi, Gene Michael and pitching coach Larry Rothschild and that's when the contract discussions began.  Pettitte agreed to a one-year $2.5 million minor league deal.

So what does this all mean for the Yankees?

An already crowded starting rotation just got even more crowded.

CC Sabathia and Hideki Kuroda will no doubt make the rotation.  That leaves five more pitchers for three open spots.  Pettitte will not be ready to join the team until early May at the earliest, but, what happens when he returns?  Joe Girardi is going to have some tough decisions to make.

Jorge Posada's Yankee Legacy

Yesterday afternoon, Sweeney Murti of WFAN reported that Jorge Posada will announce his retirement from the Yankees and from the game of baseball within the next two weeks.

As a fan of the game and the Yankees, it was refreshing to see Posada know when to bow out gracefully. The fiery catcher had a fantastic 16 year career for the Yankees.

Posada is a lifetime .273 hitter, with 275 home runs, a .374 on-base percentage, .474 slugging percentage and 1,075 runs batted in.

Though his career statistics may seem underwhelming compared to other Yankee greats, it's important to compare with other catchers who have worn the pinstripes.

Posada's 275 career home runs rank second all time behind Yogi Berra.  His 1,664 hits rank third all time behind Berra and Bill Dickey.  Posada also ranks second all time behind Berra on games played.  (**All Yankee records.**)

Perhaps Posada's greatest contribution to the teams he played on was his defense and ability to call games.  Though he never won a Gold Glove, Posada was responsible for guiding the dynasty pitching staffs of the '98-'00 teams.  Those starting staffs included Andy Pettitte, David Cone, David Wells and Roger Clemens among others.  Wells pitched his perfect game in '99 with Posada behind the plate calling the pitches.

He became a postseason hero among fans during the Yankees glory years by producing timely hits and driving in key runs.  One of his most memorable hits was off of Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning of the 2003 ALCS which allowed the Yankees to tie up the game and eventually win, sending the Bombers to another World Series.

Posada prided himself in his ability to stay healthy.  The first time he was placed on the 15-day disabled list was in 2008, which also coincidently was the first time the Yankees missed the playoffs since 1994.  Posada recovered nicely from a shoulder injury, hitting .285, 22 home runs and driving in 81 runs.  It was the last great season for Posada, as he saw his playing time reduced due to younger catchers.

Though he batted a career-low .235 in 114 games in 2011, he still managed to hit .429 in the Yankees postseason series against the Detroit Tigers.

Posada's friendship with shortstop Derek Jeter, closer Mariano Rivera and Pettitte was well chronicled as the four earned the nickname of "the core four" during the latter years of Pettitte and Posada's career.

As Posada joins his "core four" teammate and friend, Pettitte in retirement, Yankee fans will now turn to Jeter and Rivera to cling to the glory years of the '90s.  Rivera, could be entering his final season, with Jeter retiring soon thereafter.

The Glory Days of the "Cour Four" are really coming to a close.

I'll leave you with a picture of the "core four" from the last home game at Old Yankee Stadium

*Photos courtesy of Detroit Free Press and Sports Illustrated

Ps I'm going to miss this commercial.

State of the Yankees: Offseason Edition

Two nights ago, the San Fransisco Giants were crowned the kings of Major League Baseball for the 2010 season.  I know I have been slacking on my posts but school has consumed my life thus far.  So here's a quick recap of the 2010 Yankees postseason.

The Yankees were crowned the American League Wild Card Winners after losing the AL East title to the Tampa Bay Rays.  Winning the wild card was a good thing for the Yankees as they were able to play the Minnesota Twins in the division series.  The last few years the Yankees have played the Twins in the division round they were able to dispose of them easily, particularly in 2003, 2004, and 2009.  Nothing was different in 2010, as the Yankees swept the Twins.

The League Championship series was a different story for the Yankees.  The Yankees won games 1 and five, but were outplayed severely by the Rangers.  Cliff Lee was not the biggest problem, it was the Ranger's pitching in general and the Yankees inability to hit at all.  Robinson Cano was the only offensive player who showed up to play in that series.

Following the postseason, the Yankees made some changes.  Most notably, pitching coach Dave Eiland was given the axe in what General Manager Brian Cashman called a "personal reason".  The public was given no other explanation but Manager Joe Girardi did not object.  Girardi signed a new three year contract worth between $9 and $10 million.

Cashman's checklist for the remainder of this offseason should be a big one.  Here's some areas that need to be addressed:

1. What to do with Derek Jeter?

I like everyone else believes Jeter will be resigned.  The biggest questions however are how long will Jeter resign and for how much?  Hal Steinbrenner went on the radio yesterday to say that negotiations between Jeter's camp and the Yankees could get "messy".  The issue will be how the Yankees decide to reward Jeter.  I expect a very heavy incentive based contract.  But, will they reward him for the 14 seasons prior to this year's dismal performance, where five championships were won and Jeter put up MVP-caliber seasons?  Or, will Cashman try to play the card that Jeter is in decline after batting .40 points lower then his career average?  My guess is they go somewhere in the middle.  It has been rumored that Jeter wants to play until he is 42 - the same year Alex Rodriguez' contract will run out.  I don't expect Jeter to earn a six year contract but I would assume he could get a three of four year deal. Just think, nothing will look worse then Jeter getting his 3,000 hit in another uniform - one without pinstripes.

Closer Mariano Rivera is also a free agent, but after having another amazing season his new contract should not be an issue.  

2. How can the rotation be fixed?

As of right now, three of the five starters are coming back.  Unfortunately, this is not a guaranteed good thing.  CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes were two of the more reliable starters this past season and should be able to maintain (in Sabathia's case) and potentially improve in Hughes' case their form for next season.  A.J. Burnett was the most inconsistent starter in the major leagues all of last season.  One could never know what would occur each time he took the mound.  Hopefully, the new pitching coach that is hired will be able to correct Burnett.  It is unknown what  Andy Pettitte's plans are for next season especially since it was reveled Pettitte had injuries in the offseason in his back.  After taking some time off I do expect Pettitte to come back after having one of his best seasons - minus the groin injury he experienced.  Finally with one spot in the rotation up for grabs, I expect the Yankees to sign free agent Cliff Lee.  The Yankees tried to go after Lee before the trade deadline in July when the Rangers acquired him from Seattle.

3. What about the bullpen?
Last season, the bridge to Mariano was in pretty good shape.  With David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and Kerry Wood the Yankees had the best late inning bullpen relief in the majors.  Chamberlain and Robertson will be back next season.  The Yankees already declined Wood's option for next season and they will try to resign him at a lower price but that does not seem possible as Wood was lights out next season.  Boone Logan was the Yankees most consistent and at times only left handed reliever in the bullpen.  Look for Brian Cashman to add another lefty in the pen for at least Spring Training.

4. Will the Yankees go after Carl Crawford?

My personal wish is no.  The Yankees did just fine this past season with Curtis Granderson hitting at a sub par level for the majority of last season.  But hitting coach Kevin Long worked with Granderson in late July to revamp his swing.  After Long fixed his swing, Granderson became one of the most reliable hitters in the Yankees lineup - especially in the postseason.  Granderson has proven he can handle the spotlight of New York and I think it would be wise to bring Granderson back with a smaller contract.  Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher should be able to handle left and right field respectively.

Pictures from Orioles series & other information

First off let me start off by saying I have been slacking for the last two series.  But, let me say nothing major happened against the lackluster teams of the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros.

Alex Rodriguez was forced to come out of the season finale against the Orioles due to what he called a sore groin.  It was later diagnosed as tendentious in his right hip flexor, the same side in which Rodriguez had surgery on his right hip last season.  Consequently Arod sat out the entire Houston series and skipped the series opener against the Phillies on Monday.  Rodriguez returned last night to the game as the designated hitter.  It is not known when he will take the field.

In the Houston series, a Yankees sweep, Jorge Posada returned to catching and his stroke returned on the offensive side of the ball, hitting two grand slams in two games.  Phil Hughes also earned his ninth win of the season on Saturday.  Andy Pettitte also continued his masterful season, earning his eighth win.  With his start against the Astros on Friday, Pettitte can now boast that he's pitched against every team in the Major Leagues except of course for the New York Yankees.

Now I'll leave this post with some pictures I personally took at Camden Yards, when Phil Hughes beat the Orioles last Tuesday.  The final score of the game ended up being 12-7.  The highlight of the game was when New York scored six runs in the seventh inning.

So as promised here are the pictures.

Yankees sweep O's for second time this season

Opponent: Baltimore Orioles
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.
Yankees Overall Record: 34-20
Series MVP: The Yankee offense who made the Baltimore pitching staff pay for their mistakes
Quotes of the series: comes from Nick Swisher on Robinson Cano's inability to make an out.

“I think we’re all just trying to keep pace with him,” Swisher said. “It’s been special to watch. Guys are looking at each other in the dugout saying, ‘Let’s see how hard he hits this one.’”

The Yankees continued their dominance against the lowly Baltimore Orioles with their second consecutive sweep of the O's this season.

Tuesday night's game allowed Javier Vazquez to earn his second win in his last three starts.  Vazquez took advantage of the dismal Orioles offense.  He allowed just one run in seven innings, earning his fourth victory of the year.  The offense was led by Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson.  Cano and Jeter each had two hits a piece and Granderson hit his second home run since returning from the disabled list.  The final score of the game was 3-1. The only down side to the game was an injury to Mark Teixeira, who had to leave the game after fouling a ball off of his foot.  Although it was not serious because he was in the lineup for Wednesday's game.

Wednesday's game belonged to two Yankees who are having very special seasons; starting pitcher Phil Hughes and second baseman Cano.  Hughes pitched seven very effective innings, allowing only one run while striking out seven.  He lowered his earned run average to 2.54.  With the way Hughes has pitched this season, he is the second best pitcher in the rotation right now, behind only Andy Pettitte.  On the offensive side of the ball, Cano led the way with three hits, one of which a home run, his 12th of the year.  Cano's average sits at an outstanding .372, which believe it or not is second in the league.  Nick Swisher also had three hits while continuing to show he's improved his swing to get on base more.  Last season he hit around .260 and now he's currently hitting .320, which would be a career high for Swisher.  The Yankees won the game with a score of 9-1.

Thursday's game was played in the afternoon, as both teams had to leave town.  CC Sabathia won for the first time in five starts allowing three runs over seven innings.  He would have been able to go another inning if not for the unbearable humid temperatures.  The offense was led by Alex Rodriguez and Brett Gardner who both hit home runs.  Rodriguez, is now the all time active home run leader following the retirement of the Mariner's Ken Griffey Jr on Wednesday.  Joba Chamberlain was able to hold the lead and turned the ball over to Mariano Rivera who earned his 12th save of the season.

Next Up: The Yankees head north to Toronto for a three game series.  This will be the first time the two teams meet this season.

Yankees take three of four from Indians

Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.
Yankees Overall Record: 31-20
Series MVP: third baseman Alex Rodriguez
Honorable Mention: Andy Pettitte
Quote of the Series: comes from manager Joe Girardi on the team's overall performance in the month of May

"Obviously you would've loved to have a better record in the month of May," Girardi said. "But 29 games in 31 days, some split doubleheaders, suspended games — we went through a lot. We went through some injuries. I thought our guys just kept going at it, and I'm proud of them for that."

The Yankees returned home from Minnesota and got back to winning ways in the Bronx.  The mediocre pitching staff of the Indians and the resurgence of the Yankees pitching staff was quite the dose of medicine the Bronx Bombers needed.

Friday's game allowed the Yankees offense to break out for the first time in a little more then a week.  The offense scored eight runs in an 8-2 victory.  Phil Hughes was once again masterful and allowed two earned runs, while lowering his earn-run average to 2.70, second to only Andy Pettitte.  Hughes earned his sixth win of the season while striking out eight.  Curtis Granderson returned from the disabled list and was in centerfield for the first time in over a month. To make room for Granderson on the roster, veteran Randy Winn was designated for assignment.

Saturday's game was rather unforgettable.  CC Sabathia was a bit wild once again.  Although he did have to sit through a lengthy delay in the third inning as Indians starter David Huff had to be attended to after taking a liner from Alex Rodriguez off of his head.  Huff was sent to the hospital and was back by the eighth inning.  But Sabathia gave up five runs in six innings.  His ERA stands at 4.16, much higher then normal.  The biggest culprit in Saturday's game though was reliever Joba Chamberlain.  Chamberlain allowed four runs in 1/3 of an inning.  The Yankees lost Saturday's game with a final score of 13-10

In Sunday's game AJ Burnett pitched eight masterful innings allowing three runs, only one earned, and had eight strikeouts.  Burnett's biggest strength of the day was he had no walks, which almost never happens.  (This is the guy who pitched a no hitter and had around nine walks in the same game.)  The offense broke out and scored seven runs.  Mark Teixeira  hit his eighth home run of the season.  Mariano Rivera came in in the ninth to pick up another save on the season.

Finally, Monday's game belonged to two people. Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte.  A rejuvenated Pettitte pitched seven innings and allowed only one run.  Oh did I mention he's 38 years old? The fact that Pettitte has been around for 15 years and still manages to rake up wins and have the second lowest ERA in the league at 2.48 in amazing.  Rodriguez hit his second grand slam of the season, and 20th all time after Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked in the seventh inning.  Rodriguez hits virtually everything in site after Teixeira is intentionally walked before he goes up to bat.  Hopefully opposing managers won't read those statistics.  Derek Jeter also had two hits in the game in the Yankees 7-2 victory.

Next Up: The Yankees are in the middle of a three game set with the Baltimore Orioles.

Yanks get back on winning track against Twins

Opponent: Minnesota Twins
Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Yankees overall record: 28-19
Series MVP: Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera
Quote of the series: comes from closer Mariano Rivera on how Pettitte continues to amaze with the way he's pitching this season

“If there is somebody who can get out of a jam like that, it’s Andy,” Mariano Rivera said. “He made the pitches. All of his composure. Getting it done. I’ve seen it over and over.”

The Yankees made their first and only  trip of the regular season to Minnesota and the new Target Field.  Overall the ballpark is beautiful and one of the nicest ballparks around the league.

Leave it to the Yankees however to experience the first weather related delay in Minnesota since the 1970s.

Tuesday night was truly an interesting game.  AJ Burnett was dealing with Minnesota starter Scott Baker through five innings.  After five innings however, mother nature finally decided to punish the Minnesota sports fans.  The clouds opened up and it began down-pouring.  The game was suspended after a two-hour rain delay.

Luckily for Burnett, as the opposing pitcher, if the Yankees found a way to score in the top of the sixth inning, and the team could hold the lead, Burnett would earn the win.

And that's exactly what the Yankees did.  Derek Jeter hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth to score the only run of the game.  He also helped preserve that lead by making one of his patten jump throws in the bottom of the inning on the defensive side of the ball.

Rivera came in to get the save and the Yankees had won their first game since last Friday.

Just a couple hours later, the second game was set to begin.  This time it was Mr. Reliable, Andy Pettitte versus Francisco Cervelli.

Pettitte has continued to work magic by continuing his tremendous start to the season.  I've haven't seen Pettitte this dominant since his first initial few seasons with the Yankees, 15 years ago.  Not only did Pettitte out-duel Lirano for eight innings, he also lowered his ERA, which now sits at a miniscule 2.62.

The team won with a score of 3-2.  The offense was aided by a double from rookie Kevin Russo, a triple from Brett Gardner and the game winning home run from Nick Swisher.

Pettitte's greatest inning of the night came in the seventh when he got Joe Mauer to ground into an inning ending double play, with the bases loaded.  Rivera then came in for his second save of the day, to preserve the lead.

Thursday's game was Javier Vazquez's first time pitching since leaving his start early against the Mets on Friday. Unfortunately, good Javy was left behind in Queens.

Although Vazquez's ability to limit the damage by the opposing team has improved significantly, he  could still work on it.  He only allowed 5 earned runs, and should have been more if not for the spacious conditions in Target Field.

The bullpen gave up three more runs, making the final score 8-2.

Next Up: The Yankees return home once again for a four game series against the last-place Cleveland Indians.

Rays sweep Yankees

Opponent: Tampa Bay Rays
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Yankees overall record: 25-16
Series MVP: no one
Quote of the series: comes from manager Joe Girardi and his thoughts on the series

"We battled back in every game here,” Joe Girardi said. “We scored runs. We just gave up too many.”

The Yankees had a chance to sweep the series against the Tampa Bay Rays and would have been only one game out of first place.  Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened with the Rays sweeping the Yankees, leaving the Bombers five games out of first place.

Wednesday's game was rather unforgettable.  AJ Burnett was once again wild and gave up six total runs.  He gave up four in the fourth inning alone.  The offense did their best to rally back yet were ultimately defeated, 10-6.

Wednesday's game also brought bad news on the injury front.  Marcus Thames tripped over his own bat and sprained his ankle.  He is listed as day to day.  It was also announced Jorge Posada has a fractured bone in his right foot and could be out for a month.  Chad Moeller was recalled to take Posada's place yet Francisco Cervelli will continue to start.

Thursday's game brought a beating to lefty starter, Andy Pettitte.  Pettitte gave up three runs in the entire game, doubling his total for the season.  The game began as back and forth offensive action between the two teams.  However, as soon as the two teams were tied in the fourth, Pettitte gave up more runs.

The end result of Thursday's game was a 8-6 Rays victory thus concluding a forgetful series.

Something needs to be done with the roster if this losing streak continues, if not the Rays will run away with the division, similar to a pace that the '98 Yankees did.

Next Up: The Yankees begin inter-league play with round one of the Subway Series.  The Yankees will travel to Citi Field to play the New York Mets.

Yanks continue dominance against Twins

Opponent: Minnesota Twins

Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Yankees Overall Record: 24-13
Series MVP: Alex Rodriguez
Quote of the series: comes from manager Joe Girardi on the value Rodriguez adds to the team.

"I just kind of kept my mouth shut and watched the game unfold,” Girardi said."

The Yankees dominant streak against the Minnesota Twins continued through much of the weekend in the Bronx.  Through Saturday's game the Yankees had beat the Twins 12 consecutive games.  With Sunday's loss, the Twins were able to beat the Yanks for the first time since the 2008 season, this includes a sweep in the 2009 ALDS.

Friday's victory could not have come at a better time for the struggling Yankees.  Rodriguez was 2-3 with a huge grand slam, the 19th of his career, which is the second most all time.  The blast was also Rodriguez' 587th all time, which allowed him to pass Frank Robinson for seventh on the all time home run leader list.  The game also brought a better performance from AJ Burnett after his horrendous start in Boston.  He pitched 6.2 solid innings, allowing only 3 runs overall but only 2 of them were earned.

Saturday's game was more of the same for the Yankees.  Andy Pettitte pitched for the first time in a week and boy did he look amazing.  He allowed zero runs while pitching 6.1 innings. The offense scored seven runs against the Twins.  The offensive hero of Saturday's game was Mark Teixeira.  Texeira hit a two-run home run, proving that he was over his April slump.  Jorge Posada also hit a two run-home run, his sixth of the season showing he was well over the calf strain that kept him out of the lineup during the past series.

Sunday's game was looking like it was going to be a series sweep.  The Yankees had a lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning, with a score of 3-1.  Normally, that is more then enough of a lead for the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera.  Rivera was uncharacteristically wild however. He walked in a run while the bases were loaded and then served up a grand slam.  Consequently, the Yankees were beat 6-3.

Next Up: The Boston Red Sox come to town for a short two game series.  Phil Hughes will pitch game one Monday.

How sweep it is! Yanks sweep O's in Bronx

Opponent: Baltimore Orioles

Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.
Yankees Overall Record: 19-8
MVP of the Series: Francisco Cervelli
Honorable Mention: AJ Burnett
Quote of the series: comes from manager Joe Girardi about the recent injury bug that has bitten the Yankees

"Part of what you have to manage is the competitive spirit in them. You have to determine whether it’s just soreness or injury, and does soreness turn into injury. Those are things you have to determine as a manager. It’s usually harder when a guy has mileage. When a guy has mileage, they’ve probably pitched through aches and pains or played through aches and pains.”

The Yankees defeated the Orioles with the strength of their pitching staff over the past three days.  In game one, CC Sabathia was outstanding.  He pitched eight innings and only gave up one run, a home run to Orioles catcher Matt Wieters.

Jorge Posada had to leave Monday's game early with a strained calf.  He had a MRI taken on his calf which came back negative.  Posada has not played since Monday but is expected to be back sometime for the Boston series.

Tuesday's game belonged to AJ Burnett.  He was outstanding.  His curveball is back to the form it was in during the 2008 season when Burnett was with the Blue Jays.  He is baffling his opponents with the pitch and it proved true during Tuesday's game.  He only gave up one unearned run through 7.1 innings.

Burnett could not have won Tuesday's game without help from his catcher, Francisco Cervelli.  Cervelli really stepped up his game with not only his defense but his offense.  He hit his first career triple and drove in two go-ahead runs.

Wednesday's game was a bit of a mixed bag with the results.  The team got the all important win but they were bit by the injury bug yet again.  Starting pitcher Andy Pettitte had to leave after five innings after experiencing stiffness in his elbow.  He was sent to the hospital for a MRI where minor swelling was revealed.  He will most likely just undergo treatment and the team will continue to monitor his elbow.

The concern now is how the injuries will continue to stack up.  Last series, Curtis Granderson was lost.  Mariano Rivera hasn't been available since the weekend, but Joba Chamberlain has taken over the closing duties for the moment.  Then this series both Posada and Pettitte went down.  Hopefully, Rivera, Pettitte or Posada will have to spend time on the DL, otherwise the team could be in serious trouble.

Next Up: The Yankees head back up to Boston to play the Red Sox for a three game series.

-Courtney

Angels Hand Yanks First Series Loss

Opponent: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Location: Angel Stadium, Ahaheim, CA

Overall Record: 12-6

MVP of Series: Andy Pettitte & Robinson Cano

Honorable Mention: Jorge Posada

Quote of the series: comes from Sunday's starting pitcher  Javier Vazqquez following yet another lack-luster performance.

“I’m not doing a good job out there,” Vazquez said. “And it’s kind of embarrassing the way I’m throwing the ball.”

 The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finally handed the Yankees their first series loss of the 2010 series.  The Yankees were off to their best start since 1926 after winning their first five series of the young season.

Over the years, the Angels have OWNED the Yankees.  In fact, during Joe Torre's tenure, the Angels were the only team the yanks had a losing record against over the years.  Once Torre left, the losing continued against the angels.  I mean I personally thought it was a miracle that the Bombers managed to win the ALCS against Mike Scoiscia's talented club.

The reason why the Yanks lost this series is simple.

Pitching.

The offense showed up just fine but poor starting pitching from Javier Vazquez and the bullpen on Friday and Sunday proved to be the team's Achilles heel.

The lone exception when it came to the pitching staff this past weekend was old reliable, Andy Pettitte.

Pettitte, who will turn 38 years old this year is looking like he did during his glory years, of the late 1990s.

He pitched 8 innings and only gave up one run.  He's now competing with Phil Hughes for the team for the least amount of runs given up per start.

Pettitte may have the advantage, after all should Hughes respect his elder and learn how to pitch like Pettitte?

Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada remained on fire, driving in the majority of the runs scored this weekend.  Cano had yet another four hit game on Saturday.

Next Up: After a stop to the White House this afternoon, the team heads up to Baltimore to play the O's, who only have three wins on the season.

-Courtney

Yanks Win First Series

As the sole writer for this blog, I made the executive decision to write about the Yankees on a series by series basis rather then game by game.  Frankly with the semester winding down it's a busy time and there aren't enough hours in the day to write about a game that could potentially last four hours each night.  The lone exception will be any late breaking news regarding injuries, trades, suspensions, etc, or any controversial areas from a specific game.  With that being said let's talk about the first Yankees - Red Sox series of the season.

Opponent: The Boston Red Sox
Location: Fenway Park
Outcome: Yanks win 2-1.
Series MVP: Curtis Granderson
Honorable Mentions: Andy Pettitte, Chan Ho Park, Nick Swisher
Yankees overall record: 2-1

After a heartbreaking loss to begin the series the Yanks rebounded and won the next two games.  Ironically, there were six top tier starting pitchers from both sides and they all earned no-decisions.  The first two games were relatively high scoring and were won by miscues by each team.

The Red Sox won on Sunday due to the ineffectiveness and wild pitching of Damaso Marte and Chan Ho Park. The Sox eventually won with a score of 9-7.  Tuesday, the Yankees were helped with the error that newly acquired (and supposedly excellent defender) Marco Scutatro made, which allowed the Yanks to score the game winning run.

Wednesday's game was truly a pitching battle all around.  John Lackey for the Sox and Andy Pettitte for the Yanks started the game and each gave up one run.  They turned it over to their respective bullpens after pitching six innings a piece.  (We'll ignore Pettitte's "graceful" tumble at first for now. I'm sure it's all over Sports Center).  Park took over for Pettitte and pitched three easy scoreless innings.

After Lackey, a series of pitchers came in before Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth.  The game remained tied after the ninth.

In the top of the 10th inning,  new Yankee center fielder Curtis Granderson solidified his new position in the Yanks-Sox rivalry by hitting his second homer in three games.  The home run was the go ahead run, with the Yankees eventually winning 3-1 and Mariano Rivera earning yet another save in the history books.

Quote of the Series: Comes from Alex Rodriguez

"We won two out of three, and Tex and I really didn’t do much to help out,” he said. “The bottom of our lineup did a great job all three games. They came up big for us.”

- Courtney 

Yankees Offseason Update

Well with the New York Giants unable to continue its streak of postseason appearances I figured it was time to write about the Yankees and their offseason thus far.

The Yankees have made several trades in both adding and subtracting from last season's world champion roster. I'll go over a few of the trades and/or signings that have occurred.

1. The trade for Curtis Granderson.

The Yankees traded a few relievers and prospects to get outfielder Curtis Granderson in a three team blockbuster in order to improve their starting outfield during the Winter Meetings for the General Managers.  The Detroit Tigers traded Granderson for relievers Phil Coke and minor leaguer Austin Jackson, one of the highest rated prospects in the Yankees organization.  The Diamondbacks received Yankees starting pitcher Ian Kennedy and Tigers pitcher Edwin Jackson for two minor leaguers that went to the Tigers.  

Granderson will wear #14 for the Yankees because Joe Girardi will change his number from 27 to 28 in order to reinforce the Yankees goals of winning another championship.  Granderson was introduced to the media on December 17th.  He will not only bring major league experience to the outfield with his bat and glove but he'll also be a great edition to the New York area.  He is very involved with charities and intends on expanding his personal charity, "Grand Kids" foundation to the area.

2. Yankees trade for Javier Vazquez 
When Brian Cashman made this trade on December 22, I was at first very disappointed with him.   Although Vazquez had a relatively successful first stint in New York I am forever scarred of his performance in game seven of the 2004 ALCS, the series otherwise known as the most epic fail in sports history.  But after rethinking the deal, I realized Cashman made a very smart decision.  Javy has been one of the most reliable pitchers over the last five years, and gained his confidence back after becoming  the ace of the Atlanta Braves staff this past season.  The Yankees did not have to give up too much to get Vazquez either.  They traded under-achieving outfielder Melky Cabrera, reliever Mike Dunn and a pitching prospect to Atlanta and got back Vazquez as well as reliever Boone Logan, who is expected to take the vacated position of set up man Phil Coke. Vazquez should be the third or fourth starter for Girardi in the rotation, a low pressure situation compared to his last go around in New York. 


3. Yankees sign 1b/DH Nick Johnson
Another former Yankee returned to the Bronx this winter.  This was my least favorite signing thus far in the offseason.  Living outside of the DC Metro area, I experienced first hand Nick Johnson and how often he was injured for the Washington Nationals and how much money he was still making while on the DL.  Johnson missed almost two seasons after a freak accident while playing the New York Mets when he ran into former teammate Austin Kearns and broke his femur in 2006.  He made $5.5 million while rehabilitating the entire 2007 season.  Johnson was traded from the Nationals in the middle of the 2009 season to the Marlins.  Two good things about the Johnson trade.  The short porch in right field should allow his home run total to go up and we never have to see his awful beard ever again thanks to the Yankees no facial hair policy. 
However, by signing Johnson the Yankees essentially ended all hope of resigning OF/DH Johnny Damon. 


4. Yankees re-sign free agent pitcher Andy Pettitte
Almost everyone in Yankee nation knew this was going to happen even if Pettitte didn't know it himself yet.  This signing was the one of the most important signings the Yankees made over the offseason because Cashman re-solidified the starting rotation by keeping everyone from last season's powerful rotation and with the addition of Vazquez .  


5. Trade of Brian Bruney to the Nationals for Jamie Hoffmann (rule 5) 
The Yankees essentially dumped Bruney on the Nationals after a disappointing season filled with injury and an inflated ERA. In retun the Yankees received OF Hoffmann from the Nationals, a rule 5 pick.  It will be interesting to see if  Hoffmann is kept on the active roster throughout the season or if he'll be returned to the Nationals midway through the season.  The trade will be good for the Nats who desperately need relief pitching and is just a dumping of Bruney for the Yankees. 


Finally the only other topic I'd like to touch on is the Johnny Damon issue.
I personally am still hoping that Damon will return to the Yankees but my hopes are dwindling as the days continue to pass in January.  Damon thinks he should receive a two year contract worth $13 million a year.  Damon is well past his days of making that much money and the sooner him and his super agent,  Scott Boras realize that, the better.  For now, the Yankees are planning on moving on and saying Brett Gardner will be the starting LF and Johnson the starting DH.  But Cashman we've heard your bluff before, back in 2006 when you said Bubba Crosby was going to be the starting CF and you went out and brought Damon in.  For the sake of the Yankees clubhouse, I really hope Damon comes back.  He keeps the clubhouse loose and with the help of AJ Burnett last year, made the Yankees feel like a team on and off the field for the first time since the Dynasty Years.  Lord knows, we could all use another dynasty. 


That's it for now. Check back in soon!
Courtney 

Twins vs. Yankees

After an epic game that lasted 12 innings between the Tigers and Twins, it was determined the Yankees will play the Minnesota Twins tomorrow in the Bronx. Since the Yankees chose playoff scenario A, the teams will have a day off between Games 1 & 2. First pitch is scheduled for 6:07 tomorrow evening, as the Yanks-Twins game is the sandwiched of three games on TBS tomorrow.

The Yankees were 7-0 against the Twins in the regular season. The Yankees will also have the advantage of the Twins arriving in New York late as it's almost 10 pm and the game just completed. Expect the Twins to arrive early tomorrow morning, although the team may have enough adrenaline to make it through the one game. But they do have to face the 6'7 CC Sabathia tomorrow to welcome them to the lovely city of New York. I just hope Carl Pavano can get into the series so his former teammates can "thank" him for all his hard work that he did in New York. Oh wait they might catch Pavano syndrome and have a mysterious injury.

Key Players for the series:

1. Joe Mauer - the leading AL MVP candidate is not only an offensive threat but an outstanding defensive catcher.

2. Alex Rodriguez - Has he proven he's over his October woes or will it continue to haunt him?

3. A.J. Burnett - Will the good or evil A.J. show up?

4. Robinson Cano - Hopefully he remembers how to hit with runners in scoring position.

5. Andy Pettitte- Will his fatigued shoulder be able to hold up for potentially three weeks?

This should be an entertaining series.

Prediction: Yankees in 4