To the Rescue…?

The Yankees announced just before kicking off tonight’s rain-delayed start that they have signed Texas Ranger cast-off Sidney Ponson to a minor league deal.  Its likely that he’s signed cheap and will get a try-out in Wang’s rotation slot this Saturday.  He’s 4-1 with an ERA of 3.88, which looks promising, but his WHIP (Walks and hits / inning pitched) is 1.56, not a great number.  He’s had 6 or 7 quality starts (one was 7 IP, 4 ER), but not much of a record of success vs. the AL East.  Hopefully he’s just a stop-gap to give some AAA pitchers a little more time to develop and prove themselves ready for the bigs.  Worst case scenario, he eats up a few starts and gets a bus pass out of town.

Even if Ponson comes up big, there’s not really a place for him on this team.  He was a cancer in the clubhouse in Texas (hence him being sent away), and once the rest of the starting staff comes off the DL, Sid will probably be out the door.  He’s already had a chance at pinstriped glory and been run out of town on a rail, so unless he makes an incredible impression, don’t expect too much.  There’s too much talent waiting in the wings for an overweight, over-30 pitcher to stick around.

Paranoia, Paranoia!

Everyone is coming to get me!  Okay, not me personally, but all eyes are on Brian Cashman and how the Yankees respond to Chien-Ming Wang’s injury.  In case you haven’t heard, he has torn the dreaded linsfranc ligament in his foot, the same injury that has busted out Brian Bruney for the season.  Wang will be sidelined for at least 6 weeks before he can even throw off of a mound again, coupled with about 4 weeks to get back into pitching shape, which makes for 10 weeks sans Wang.  No one is looking forward to this, but there are some bright spots.  The Yankees are not completely devoid of pitching prospects – in fact, the AAA club has more than a few serviceable options.  In addition to those arms being short term fixes (Aaron Small anyone?), they can certainly be used as trade bait.  There are a few “high-ceiling” prospects who will be difficult justify parting with, for sure – Melancon, Brackman, Hughes (for sure), OF Austin Jackson and C Jesus Montero (only in High-A right now, but projected off-the-charts apparently).  However, the rest of the AAA players and some of the major leaguers (Cano and Cabrera come to mind) could be available for trades.  Personally, its hard to part with some of the names and faces I’ve grown to know and love, despite their current performance.  However, a good trade makes both teams feel some pain.

As far as trades go, Cashman has shown restraint lately with parting with high ceiling prospects.  Last season, Texas wanted Joba for Teixeira and Cashman said no.  Minnesota wanted some combination of Wang, Hughes, Kennedy, Cabrera, plus one for Santana and Cashman (wisely, in my opinion) said no.  Now all eyes are on Cleveland’s CC Sabathia.

No team is completely out of the race in mid June.  Despite Cleveland’s disappointing start, their major competition in the AL Central is the surpising Chicago White Sox, plus the possibility of a late season run by a rejuvinated Detroit Tigers team (if they pick up someone who can, you know, throw a ball past a hitter).  Hell, if every player on any given team played up to their ability, anyone could make a run at the post season at this point.  Except for the Orioles.  They’re just not a good ball club.

Therefore, a trade at this point isn’t really likely.  Even if Cleveland were interested in dumping CC, they’ll want to take all they can get at this point.  In 2006, Philly wanted to bend Cash over the railing for Bobby Abreu early in the season, but Cash held out.  Then, at the deadline, the Yankees traded what amounts to peanuts for him and Cory Lidle (RIP, fellow aviator) in what has been widely regarded as a brilliant move.  Philly needed to dump some payroll, the Yanks could afford the hit and needed the help, and it worked out.

That’s what needs to happen this season.  Cashman recognizes this and probably won’t start making calls for at least a few weeks.  That gives him time to evaluate possible replacements in the organization, use the upcoming days off to skip Wang’s starts, and even show off possible trade bait at the Major League level.  Nothing about this situation screams “move now!”  All signs point to patience.  Hopefully, with CC approaching free agency, and if the Indians are truly out of the race, the selling point will drop enough for Cashman to make the deal.  Even if it hurts the farm system some, CC’s got the stuff to be a solid starter for several years.  Also, the Yankees have enough prospects in the waiting to be able to deal a few for someone of CC’s calibur.

There are still 92 games left to play.  In 10 weeks, Wang will miss about 18 starts (according to someone else’s math – I did too damn much math at work today and I’m not about to go counting through the schedule at 11 PM).  That’s 74 games without Wang that the Yankees have a chance to win with Moose, Pettitte, Rasner, and Joba.  If the Yankees are able to play at a .600 clip (3 wins per trip through the 5-man rotation), they’re still at 92 wins, which should certainly be enough for a playoff slot.

So, in conclusion, there should not be nights without baseball because people get paranoid and start screaming for trades to be made the hour that a player gets hurt.  Then again, I’m sure there would still be screaming even if there were a game on…

Tomorrow lefty Randy Wolf will take the mound for the Padres against veteran lefty Andy Pettitte at Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees can’t get lost looking at the forest or else they’ll start running into trees.  Win the next game and go from there.

Cano and Cabrera… What to do?

Robbie and Melky have gotten off to slow starts this season, and it is not hard to jump on the bandwagon and start chanting for some trades or call-ups to light a fire under their respective posteriors. Let’s take a look at some numbers:

Robinson Cano:

So far in 2008

.227 BA / .268 OBP / .331 SLG

21.42 PA / BB

11.17 PA / K

Career (since 2005)

.303 / .336 / .469

23.35 PA / BB

8.63 PA / K

What to do? Wait and see looks like the best option here. Robbie has shown that he has the ability to hit the ball and hit it well, even if he doesn’t appear to be seeing the ball much better than his average PA/BB. Patience will be the key to his improvement – once he starts laying off some pitches, he’ll start to get better pitches to hit and his average should start to move up. His start to the season has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year (along with Hughes and IPK’s woes), but he’s certainly given us reasons to believe he can do better. Perhaps not having Larry Bowa around to put a boot in his ass is part of the reason, but he also got off to a slow start last season and really came to life after the All-Star Break. Let’s remember that he’s only 25 and plays a position where there just aren’t many excellent players, nor any easy answers in the farm system. In the words of Axl Rose, all we need is a little patience.

Melky Cabrera

2008

.269 BA / .321 OBP / .397 SLG

14.29 PA / BB

8.1 PA / K

Career

.274 / .337 / .389

12.05 PA / BB

8.79 PA / K

What to do? Melky hasn’t been exactly lighting up the scoreboard this season, either, but his play has been more along the lines we’re used to seeing from him.  Granted, he’s only 24 and has only recently earned the starting job in CF.  In just over two years, he’s shown his value primarily as a fielder.  He may not quite be “Death to Flying Things,” but anyone who watched on opening day knows what he can do in center.  While his slugging percentage may not show much improvement in power, he’s already hit 7 homers this season, compared to 8 all of last season.  He certianly doesn’t have the offensive upside that Cano is supposed to, but he’s also younger by a year, two seasons less experienced, and reportedly works out with A-Rod before every game.  However, there are CF prospects in the system nipping at his heels if he doesn’t improve with time, so his job isn’t as “safe” as Cano’s.

My thoughts: Cano has been a slow starter before, and he’s improving so far this season slowly.  However, he has the ability to play much better and should once he learns to be more patient at the plate.  Cabrera is playing about as well as he always has, even if he has made a few big outs.  They are both young players and certainly have plenty of time to develop.  The question for the Yankees is can we afford to wait it out, or should they be made trade bait to fill other holes in the team?  CC Sabbathia will likely be on the market before the deadline, and the Yankees really need another solid starter to help make the playoffs.  Do they take the “Win Now” approach, or go the distance with these youngsters?

Struggling to keep up…

Just like the Yankees, I’ve been having a hard time keeping up with the action.  First off, work has been a beast lately, plus my only friend on this side of the city is finally back in town, so keeping up has been difficult.  Latest updates, however, ain’t pretty.  A-Rod has joined Jorge on the DL with his quad issue.  No updates on his status other than he’ll be eligible for return in 15 days.  Just as bad, Phil Hughes has also been placed on the 15-day DL with a strained right oblique.  Whether this is a real injury or “work on your mechanics or we’ll send you to the minors” injury, I don’t know, but the Yankees will have to bring someone up to start in his place.  The consensus seems to be Darrel Rasner, who is tearing up AAA ball.

The good news (and we need some) is that Posada likely doesn’t need surgery on his arm – just rest.  Before they make a decision, however, Jorge will be seen by nearly every doctor on the East Coast (including, according to PeteAbe, Dr. Benjamin Franklin Pierce and Roy “Doc” Hallady – HA!).  In the “I can’t believe I’m counting this as good news” department, Chad Moeller – who was unemployed at the beginning of the season after failing to make the Washington Nationals’ roster – has cleared waivers and is back to back up Molina.

So far, there’s a lot to be pessimistic about this season.  We’ve got two, maybe three soft spots in the rotation that have shown cause for alarm.  There’s been a few bullpen meltdowns.  Joba actually showed that he’s a human being and gave up a game winning run.  A-Rod, Jorge, Jeter, Giambi, Molina, Pettitte, and GI Joe himself have all missed games. Brian Bruney will likely be out for the season requiring surgery on his foot.  Farnsey is still a loose cannon (no disrespect, Kyle – please don’t shoot me) and may be facing a suspension.  Cano and Giambi can’t get a ball to drop anywhere in play – its either out or homer, it seems.  Finally, their average with RISP is only .236.  That certainly adds up.

What’s there to feel good about?  Wang.  Pettitte.  Pretty much the whole outfield.  Mo is still Mo – hasn’t allowed an earned run all season.  And finally, amidst all of this, you’d think that the Yankees would be 14.5 games back or some ridiculous number like that, right?

Two games back.  That’s it.

Slow start by a few Boston players, hot starts by the O’s, Rays, and Jays, and all of a sudden things don’t look to terrible.  There will almost certainly be a regression to the mean – The O’s will fall to the cellar where they belong, the Rays-Jays battle will ensue for 3rd, and the rivalry will continue for first place in the AL East.  In the immortal words of Axl Rose, all we need is a little patience.

The Yankees just dropped tonight’s game to Detroit 6-2.  Pettitte got dinged for 5 runs and Farnsey got beat by Polanco for a homer, but Hawkins and Edwar Ramirez both pitched scoreless innings.  The bats… well…  they’d better wake up sooner or later.

I’m off to do the opposite of wake up.

I hate losing.

Argh.  Last night’s game was an abomination before God – its a good thing they left the stadium so the Pope himself didn’t have to witness it.  Kennedy didn’t throw strikes (Hughes threw strikes in his last start, good boy) and walked 5 hitters in three frackin’ innings.  When you walk people, they don’t get out and you have to throw more pitches!  That’s why you got yanked in the third inning!

Argh.

Hitters?  What hitters?  You guys go shut out by Brian Burres (6-8, 5.95 ERA in 2007) and NASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson for God’s sake!  How can you get a single, a walk, and a triple in one inning AND NOT SCORE?

Jorge, A-Rod:  What’s up with leaving RISP?

Johnny:  Two strikeouts and your average has now plummeted below .200 – fine job leading off you’re doing!

Robbie:  What is the deal with not hitting?  I see you at the plate – for every good AB where you take pitches and eventually hit one well (usually you wind up getting robbed), you have two where you hack away at every frackin’ pitch!

Jason:  I hope you enjoyed the bench, because once Jorge’s healthy we may use Chad Moeller or Jose Molina as the DH the way you’re hitting.

ARGH!

Billy (Traber), Rossy (Ohlendorf), Joba-y…  Keep doin’ what you’re doin’.  Fine job.  Melky, nice catch.  Godzilla, Bobby, Cap’n, sorry you had to see that.  You guys wanna go grab a drink?  I am thirsty…  Oh yeah, how soon can we get Shelley on a flight from Scranton?

[I needed to get that off my chest.  I'm hittin' the road today, so I won't catch today's game, but I'll update you all from the booming metropoli of Topeka and Wichita as I'm able.]

Ugly, but not the end.

So the Yanks fell to the Orioles last night 8-2.  I watched most of it but the week just caught up with me and I passed out just as Edwar took the mound.  Hughes was very good through 5 innings but got into a jam at the end and Joe told him to take a seat.  The bullpen has been quite good at keeping the games within reach, but Hawkins decided not to pitch well against his former team instead.  So, Edwar Ramirez ascended to the hill and told the Birds to sit down and shut up, tossing 2.1 innings and giving up only one hit (RBI single against the first batter) and one walk.  Hughes was charged with 5 earned runs over 6 innings, dropping his ERA slightly.  Hawkins was charged with the other three after going five straight outings without giving up one.

As far as the offense, it was a one man show.  Not A-Rod, not Jeter, not even Damon, Abreu, Giambi, Posada, Matsui, Cano, or Cabrera…  It was third string backup catcher Chad Moeller who batted in both of the Yankees’ runs.  Maybe if we could have 9 back-up catchers in the lineup we’d have won, but alas, it is difficult to pull that off.  Daniel Cabrera threw a good game and only gave up two runs through 6+, the last being a solo shot by Moeller.

The defense wasn’t perfect by a long shot, either.  Giambi missed a sharp grounder hit almost right to him to allow a single that didn’t score, and A-Rod’s throw to first in the 6th was about ten feet wide.  There wasn’t going to be an out on the play, but Jones did get second base on the throw, setting up an intentional walk and three RBI on two singles.

Hughes was better tonight than his line shows – he threw first pitch strikes almost all the time, got his curve in the strike zone, fooled ‘em with the slider and change, and generally did a good job.  He wasn’t throwing poorly when he got yanked, either, but he was getting hit.  Much better than his last two, but still not as good as his first.  My guess is he’ll be up and down throughout the rest of the season as he’s learning the hitters and the hitters are learning him.  He will probably have a few more flashes of brilliance, but he’ll also have flashes of crapulence.  I think by the end of the season he’ll be a lot closer to being the pitcher he can be, but I’ll be content to ride the storm out until then.  The same thing goes for Kennedy, though I think he will either get there either much faster or much slower because he’s a precision pitcher.  Once he starts spotting his pitches like he will be able to he will be rokken like Dokken.  Or something like that.  Will it happen tonight?  We’ll just have to watch and see!

Red Cross Medical Watch:  Posada is ticked at always being asked when he’ll be ready to catch again, so I’ll be sure to just ask him “How ’bout them Knicks” when I see him.  He’s still not likely to sit behind the dish tonight.  Harlan Chamberlain is doing much better, breathing on his own and sitting up.  Joba will return to the Yankees tonight.  I hope for his sake that’s the right decision.  I know I would have a hard time leaving my father if he were still in the hospital.  Let’s home we can welcome Joba back with a nice 7 inning outing by Kennedy followed by our favorite Joba-Mo-Let’s Go 8th and 9th.  Joba did throw twice while in Nebraska to keep his arm ready.

Mike Mussina White Board Watch:  “No cookies and no ice cream make Moose a dull pitcher”

Holy offense, Batman!

I thought football season was over!  Last night the Yankees scored two touchdowns and a two-point conversion while holding the Red Sox to just three field goals for a final score of 15-9.  I am getting ready to head out on business this weekend and am rather busy at work, so I won’t be able to go into as much depth as usual, but here are some highlights:

RBI for everybody except Matsui who was 2-4 with a BB and a run.  Wanger got roughed up for 8 runs, but one bad start out of 4 isn’t a bad deal.  The bullpen locked the Sox down after CMW got the hook, though, and saved the game.  Ohlendorf allowed the only run in 5 innings of relief – Hawkins (W, 1-0), Traber (One pitch vs. Ortiz), and Bruney (1.2 IP, SV) were damn solid.  Hopefully Moose will pitch at least 6 tonight so they can get some rest and maybe just use Albaladejo, Farnsworth (shudder), and Mo for the 7th, 8th, and 9th.

Holy Moeller!  4-10 in three games with 2 walks and an RBI.  Depth at every position has saved the Yankees from falling hard due to injuries.

Joba’s dad is doing better.  Hopefully Joba takes some time to be with him until he’s 100%.  Family is the most important thing.  The Yankees will always be here for him.

RCMW:  Molina and Posada are still improving but still not ready to catch.  Molina is about 60% and can back up if Moeller needs it.

Road trip report: Royals, Rays, and Rival Red Sox

The outcome of the Yankees’ first road trip of the season wasn’t spectacular, but it was pretty good considering the circumstances.  Four wins, four losses, a boat full of injuries, a few rain delays, a whole lot of runners left on base, and a few signs of life for the offense made for an interesting eight games in three cities.  Starting off 0-2 in cold and rainy conditions in Kansas City was a dreary start, but a solid outing by Pettitte and some sparks off the bat save the sweep.  CMW pitched a two-hitter to start off the series in Boston, but the Yankees dropped the next two before departing Fenway for warmer weather and took two from the Rays in a two game series.

The offense scored 33 runs, including being shut out by Zack Greinke on game two of the trip, for an average of 4 and an eighth each game.  They’ve scored 56 over their first fifteen for an average of 3.733.  The real story is the failure of the Yankees to hit with runners in position to score – .205 average and only 32 runs in 117 at-bats.  Some of this could be attributed to the weather, at least until last night in Tampa when the Yankees were 0-3 with the bases loaded in the dome in Tampa.

Injuries have also taken their toll, but not as strongly as they could have.  Posada and Jeter have both missed several games, but backups Jose Molina and Alberto Gonzalez (brought in from AAA) have performed admirably in their absence, at least until Molina got hurt himself in the last game against Boston.  Even back-up back-up Chad Moeller had a key hit and run scored in the first game at Tampa Monday.  Jeter has returned to the line-up and is 5-9 in two games.  Posada has hit in the DH slot but still isn’t quite ready to man the plate as he tends to a shoulder strain.  Molina is still day to day, but could be back within a few days.

Pitching has varied from awful to amazing, with Kennedy and Hughes falling into the former while Wang, Joba, and Mo hold down the latter.  Kennedy did bounce back from a sloppy start and rain-induced relief appearance with a solid start in Tampa, but Hughes had two rotten outings after his dominating in his first start of the season.  Mussina and Pettitte have pitched somewhere in the middle, both having solid outings but neither stellar.  The bullpen has mostly done a good job, only really blowing one game and coming close once.  The first was Hawkins and Farnsworth, the second was Traber and Bruney.  Good performances from those two and Ross Ohlendorf have made the bullpen an asset instead of a liability, with Joba and Mo locking down the 8th and 9th in close games.

The outlook for the season is pretty sunny.  Aside from the poor batting average with RISP, the offense is showing signs of life.  The pitching has shown power (Wang, Joba, Mo), persistence (Pettitte, Mussina), and promise (IPK, Hughes, Ohlendorf, Traber, Bruney).  Defensively, the team has looked pretty solid, even with all of the pre-season worries about first base.  Baby, we got the tools – let’s see how GI Joe plays them.

Next up is a two game home “stretch” (more like brief visit) versus Boston.

Game 14 Quick Thoughts

The Yankees battled back to .500 yesterday with an 8-7 lead.  IPK pitched 6 strong innings and gave up only 3 earned runs before leaving the game after a comebacker came back and bit him on the hip.  The Yankees were up 7-2 when he departed to bring in Billy Traber.  Traber promptly got jacked for two runs on Carl Crawford’s homer.  He “beaned” (more like nicked) Pena and GI Joe sat him down to bring in Bruney.  Bruney got jacked for two runs of his own (well, one of Traber’s) right away by BJ Upton and another soon after by Evan Longoria to tie the game.  Luckily, GI Joe brought Cano in from the bench to pinch hit for Gonzalez and he air mailed his own shot over the right field wall to give the Yankees the 8-7 lead and, eventually, victory.

Traber and Bruney both got hit hard, but Bruney stayed out there for four more outs before Girardi brought in Mo to close it out.  Both of the young relievers have had strong outings this season and I don’t think a bad outing once in a while is cause for alarm.  Also notice that Kyle Farnsworth stayed in the pen – Looks like Joe G. learned from Joe T. not to use him back to back days.  Mo did his usual excellent job closing the game.

The bats, the bats, they came alive!  Damon, A-Rod, Ensberg (!) and Cano all homered, Jeter and Damon both had two RBI hits in an inning, and almost everyone contributed.  The only non-hitters were Matsui (0-5) and A-Gon (0-2 with a BB) – not bad, not bad at all.  Very little to complain about.

Red Cross Medical Watch:  Jeter played last night but claimed he did not run at full speed.  He did make all the plays in the field and swung the bat well.  Posada played catch and long toss yesterday and said he felt good, no pain, but wasn’t ready to sit behind the plate last night.  Not likely he will catch tonight, either.  Molina’s pulled hammy is still bothering him, but he’s hopeful for a quick come around: “I think it will be only a few days,” he said. “It feels better today. My problem is I can’t run. But I don’t run that fast anyway.”  Betemit is on the 15 day DL with conjunctivitis, aka pink eye.  I get that problem a lot, some times so bad I can’t keep my eyes open.  That could explain his hitting thus far this season.  IPK is fine after taking that ball off the hip – just a bruise, which he anticipates playing through.  What a trooper!

Mike Mussina White Board Watch:  “I miss you, Mikey…  Come back soon! – Whitey”

Hands off the panic button, folks

Okay, so we dropped the first series against the rival Red Sox 2 games to one.  A-Rod and Robby Cano were both oh-fers, and Hughes failed to record an out in the third before getting pulled.  Molina pulled a hammy and is going to have to sit for a while.  Jorgie wasn’t even allowed to throw in the 8th inning.  The best outing from the bullpen came from LaTroy Hawkins.  Giambi only hit one home run last night!  Why should we not panic?

Look at the calendar.

Sure, losing hurts.  Losing games that could have been won many times with one swing hurts.  But there are too many factors involved in every game, every series, every season, and even every at bat to freak out now.

So A-Rod and Robby didn’t even reach base.  That will happen.  They’ve both been cold so far this season, but both will hit .300 before the season is over.  Slumping hitters always try too hard, but after a while they calm down and it comes back to them.  There can be a million reasons for a slump, but this too shall pass.

Hughes gave up 7 in two innings.  Again, check the calendar, but this time go back to June 24th, 1986.  That’s when Phil was born.  He’s 21 years old and this is his first season starting with the team.  He’s going to have growing pains, but there’s a reason he’s with the club.  He has the stuff – look at his first start this year for proof – he just has to work on consistency, which comes with time and experience.   All this, not to mention he was born and raised in Southern California and has been pitching on cold, wet nights.  He’ll come around.

Jose Molina pulled a hammy and is probably going to sit for a while if not go to the DL.  That hurts, sure, especially when Posada says he’s not ready to catch.  The Yankees will likely bring up Chad Moeller, a veteran with 400 games under his belt, to handle Kennedy tonight.  Molina’s bat will be missed as he hit in every game he started, but Posada will likely DH and he’s more than capable of making some noise with the bat.  It’s stop-gap, but let’s be happy if it doesn’t cost us any runs even if we don’t get any out of it.

LaTroy Hawkins?  He’s not a bad reliever.  I worry when he comes to the mound (not as much as Farnsworth) because of his control, but he can soak up innings and get outs.  When the Yankee bats wake up, he’ll be as good as any to close out games with big leads.  Ohlendorf’s outing was spotty only because he inherited runners from Hughes.  He should have gotten out of that inning, but the “wild pitch” was more of a mix-up between him and Molina and maybe only one run would have scored were it not for that.  When you come in with two on and no outs, one run wouldn’t be too bad.

Giambi appears to be hitting like crap, but two of his three hits have been home runs.  He’s also drawn seven walks, which is another thing he’s really good at.  He’s hit the ball hard on most of his outs, but either not quite hard enough or right at one of the fielders.  Law of averages says some of those will scatter for some hits over time, plus improving weather conditions (ie not freezing or raining) will allow the ball to carry more, probably over the wall.

Optimistic?  Sure.  But why not?  That’s what baseball is all about!  Every game starts 0-0.  We’re only 13 games into the season, which means there’s about 149 left.  I will only panic when we’re more than 14.5 games out.  Or when Farnsworth takes the mound.