What the Johan Santana Non-Trade Can Tell Us about Roy Halladay

All of the hullaballoo about Roy Halladay being on the trade market has made many Yankee fans think back to the 2007-2008 off-season, and the Johan Santana trade that wasn't.

For those that need a refresher course, let's recap:

• Johan Santana was on the market that season because he was slated to become a free agent at the end of 2008 and the miserly Twins did not want to pay what it would have cost to kept him.

• Therefore, whatever team traded for Santana would also have to be willing to sign him to a long contract extension as well.

• No one not named Brian Cashman and Bill Smith know for sure, but the rumored deal the Yankees had on the table was Hughes + Melky Cabrera + Jeffrey Marquez.

• Santana ended up going to the Mets for Carlos Gomez, Phillip Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey

• Of the four the Mets traded, only Carlos Gomez is currently playing in the Majors.
  

• It is widely believed that Twins' GM Bill Smith overplayed his hand with the Red Sox and Yankees and settled for a package that, in the words of some, has netted him "nothing".

Got all that?

Good.

Now, 2008 was an interesting season, in that despite the Mets' trade and the Yankees' non-trade, neither team made the playoffs.

For the Mets, the problem in 2008 was not Santana. He pitched to an ERA of 2.58 and an ERA+ of 168--while not the best numbers he's ever put up (especially in WHIP), the numbers are still very, very respectable. Sure, he did give up a grand slam to Felix Hernandez (yes, THAT King Felix), but on the whole Santana did exactly what the Mets needed him to do.

The problem, however, was that the Mets kept blowing his leads. His record, 16-7 for 08, is impressive enough...but when you consider that he started 34 games (thus getting a decision in only 23 of these starts) you begin to see how life went for fans of the Mets last season.


For the Yankees, on the other hand, 2008 was an unmitigated disaster for both Hughes and Cabrera; Marquez's season was un-special enough that he ended up being shipped to Chicago with Wilson Betemit for Nick Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira.

Hughes spent most of 2008 injured; he pitched only 34 innings with a WHIP over 1.70 and an ERA over 6.60.

Cabrera started the season hot and cooled off so much that by the end of the season he had an OBP of .301. He was sent down to AAA Scranton; though by then it was far too little too late. In other words, he was as close to an automatic out in the Yankee line up as you could get.




Fast forward one year later, and things have changed.

For instance, Johan Santana, while not necessarily having a bad season, is having a bad season for him and there are warning signs.

• Since 2002, Santana's 3.29 ERA is second only to his 2006 3.33 ERA. Again, it's not that this is a bad stat, but that it's poor for him. After all, his ERA was 2.53 last season and he's moved from the American League to the weaker National League.

• More concerning: his WHIP of 1.22 is the highest it's been since 2002; his H/9 is the highest since 2002; and his walks are up while strikeouts are down. In other words, his peripheral statistics are declining and, at age 30, Santana should be in the middle--not the wrong end--of his prime.

• Mets fans might want to stay away from this one: in the past nine months, Johan Santana has had knee surgery and elbow problems; now word (still just rumors, but keep your ears open) comes to us today that may have just received a cortisone shot.

• Just for kicks: in his last five starts Santana is 1-4 with a 5.64 ERA and nearly equal strike outs to walks. I know Santana can't be blamed for the shoddy defense behind him, but unearned runs don't count towards ERA and he can't blame that start against the Yankees on his defense.

On the other hand, Phil Hughes is finally (first since 2006) having a healthy season for the Yankees.

Called up as an emergency starter during Wang's first d/l stint, Hughes had one ycch start against Baltimore but was okay otherwise, and getting better. Because he only started seven games his numbers are skewed by the Baltimore start but he seemed to improve each time out after that.

After Wang has returned from the d/l (alas only to go back on it), Hughes was shifted to the bullpen--and here he has flat-out excelled, helping, along with Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke, to rescue what was one of the league's worst bullpens and turned it into one of the league's best. All you really need to know is that as a reliever, Hughes' WHIP is 0.614. Mariano Rivera's WHIP from last year, where he was, statistically the best closer in the league? 0.665.

Granted, Hughes' sample size as a reliever is pretty small, but he shows know sign of slowing. At any rate, Hughes has already pitched more innings, total, this season than he did all of last season. He is, in other words, thriving, and he's still just turned 23 years old.


Melky Cabrera seems to have benefitted from sharing outfield duties with Brett Gardner; but perhaps most interesting is that while his .OBP is still a not-that-inspiring .336, 13 of his 32 RBI--a little less than half--have come in situations defined as close-and-late. Furthermore, 17 of his RBI have come in situations defined as high leverage. The Yankees already have eight walk-off wins on the young season and Cabera is directly responsible for three of them.

In other words, Cabrera might not be getting a whole lot of hits, but when he does, they sure as heck count.

Think that's not important?

The eight walk-offs are a huge reason the Yankees are still only one game back of Boston.



Then there's the other thing to consider:

By not trading for Johan Santana, the Yankees were able to get CC Sabathia in the off-season this year for just money and not prospects, put together the package that netted Nick Swisher--which given Xavier Nady's injury has thus been invaluable--and give us an idea as to what Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero might bring to the table.



So, a year and a half later, what have we learned?

• Patience is a virtue. Prospect development takes time and there are growing pains. This is why it's not right to automatically give up one of Hughes/Chamberlain for Halladay. Hughes/Chamberlain are both just 23 years old and have a lot of growing to do. With Chamberlain there is a legitimate concern as to his declining velocity , but if the Yankees can figure out the cause and solve that problem, they could end up with the potential that they drafted. At any rate, Halladay, Randy Johnson, Johan Santana, two of the three of the Braves trifecta (Maddox/Smoltz/Glavine, I forget which) and plenty of other brand-name pitchers all struggled when they first came up. Unless your name is Tim Lincecum, developing an ace takes time.
  

• If you are a GM, don't overplay your hand. The Yankees and Red Sox played it perfectly and ultimatley got Johan Santana out of the American League. They now only have to face him in interleague play and/or the World Series, and in 2009 it would take a miracle to get the Mets to the World Series. Not saying that it can't happen, but it's unlikely.
  

• You can't judge a trade or non-trade based on one year alone. Right now it looks like the Twins got really nothing in the trade except a speedy centerfielder that robs Alex Rodriguez of grand slams, but one can take two things from this: a) the other prospects (may) still be developing, and b) the Mets don't really have much of a farm system. Right now the Mets can't be considered really major players in the Halladay sweepstakes because they simply don't have the farm system to get it done.

• Ultimately, we won't know for another six or seven years as to whether or not the trade should have been made, but what this can do is it can show the type of parameters to consider when talking about Halladay. What is the team willing to give up, and what will it get in return? If not this year, what about next?
  

All Things Must Pass

That's it, then.

The end of Yankees baseball 2008.

Right now seems a far cry from when the season started, from those days in February and March when we were all psyched for what looked like the start of an unforgettable season.

The Yankees were supposed to be an offensive powerhouse supplemented by a core of young pitchers, with some veteran guidance and a firm resolve not to get off to the same, slow start as nearly derailed the team in 2007.

Alas, the thing about sports--nothing ever plays according to the script.

Players get hurt. Sometimes they miss a couple games, sometimes the entire season. Sometime they're borderline major leaguers, sometimes they're the stars of your team.

Players under perform. Sometimes coaches can discover the reasons why; sometimes they can't.

Other teams improve. Sometimes they're in the other league; sometimes they're in your own division.

Some teams recover, some don't, but if there's one thing baseball tells us, it's that time can be measured in eternity, or in thousandths of a second.

The memories of Yankee Stadium will last forever. The fleeting moment where one mistake pitch is the difference between a win and a loss is never gotten back.


No matter what we might think, going forward, we won't forget 2008.

Whether it's because it's the first time since 1994 we won't see baseball in October or because it's the year we paid tribute to Yankee Stadium, that's up to you. I, being my delusional, optimistic self will choose the latter--but I don't blame you if you choose the former.

Of course, the end of 2008 also means looking forward to 2009, and so we shall.


We will look forward to what will likely be one of the most eventful, if not entertaining, off-seasons in recent Yankees history. Among the issues that need addressing:

a) Will Brian Cashman come back?

a1) If not, who replaces him?
a2) If so, for how long? With any conditions?

b) Do we go after CC Sabathia?

b1) What are we willing to spend to get him--not just in terms of cash, but in terms of time?
b2) If CC is uninterested, do we look at AJ Burnett? Ben Sheets?

C) Who plays first base?

c1) What do we offer Teixiera?
c2) Do we re-sign Giambi or Abreu as a DH?
c3) What if Posada doesn't heal well and can't catch?



The list goes on. The fact is, the Yankees in 2009 might look very different than 2008.

With a new Stadium, a new team might seem fitting, but no Yankee team can forget the past.

Joba Chamberlain will be there in 2009, and so will Derek Jeter.
Phil Hughes will (likely) be there in 2009, and so will Mariano Rivera.

I will be there, and, I hope, so will you.


The Quest for 27 in 2009 starts now.

First Half Recap

So now that we've reached the midpoint of the season, it's a good time to take stock of where the Yankees are now, where they are headed and what they need to do in the second half of the season.

I was curious to see what Yankee fans other than myself thought about this season so far, so I set up a short poll here, in a Yankees' fans community.

Some notes on the results:

It's pretty obvious that the biggest (pleasant) surprise of the season has been Mike Mussina.

He won 11 games all of last year, and has already equaled that total this year. He's throwing more first pitch strikes, walking almost no one and giving the Yankees a chance to win in almost all of his starts.

He's even solved the issue of how to pitch to Manny Ramirez--just hit him!

Joking aside, whatever the Yankees expected they'd get from Moose this year, it wasn't this.

Mussina had, after all, pitched himself out of the rotation last August. He was supposed to be competing for the fifth spot, and when he ended up in the two spot because of an injury to Andy Pettitte, you could hear Yankees' Universe holding its breath.

Eleven wins later, there are still doubters, those that think Mussina will fall off, because pitchers in their late thirties aren't supposed to be this good.

The numbers don't lie, though. Without Mussina, the Yankees are under .500 and in last place.

He's stayed healthy all year, and pitched quality start after quality start, even if they haven't all been wins.



In terms of other surprises, the Yankee bullpen has come out of almost nowhere, and transformed from the greatest Yankee liability to the greatest asset. I'm not joking.

First of all, it doesn't hurt that Mariano Rivera is not just having a career year, he's having the type of year that can stand on its own for generations, like a Maris '61 or Pedro Martinez '99, and even then...

While, at 1.06, Rivera's ERA is about the highest it's been all season, it's still the lowest it's been in his career. In 42.1 innings pitched, he's allowed five runs. Five--and only one of those has come in a save situation.

His strike out per nine ratio is over 10; the only season in which he was better in that regard was in 1996, when he worked multiple innings as a set-up man, and his strike out to walk ratio, of 12.5, is by far the best it's ever been in his career. Considering that Mariano Rivera was headed to the Hall of Fame before this season started, that says something.

Never mind that he has converted all of his 23 save opportunities thus far.


Thing is, the bullpen hasn't been successful just because of Rivera.

With the probable exception of LaTroy Hawkins, everyone currently in the bullpen now is pulling his weight.

At the beginning of the season, the bullpen was a serious concern--outside of Joba Chamberlain and Rivera, there was no real confidence in any one of the relievers.

Somewhere along the line, however, the bullpen straightened itself out. Kyle Farnsworth figured out how to pitch and keep the fly balls in the ballpark, and Jose Veras went from being wildly inconsistent to a solid seventh inning guy. While Veras has given up a couple late inning home runs, for the most part he has come through in a big way.

The result of Farnsworth's and Veras' success is that the workload for Edwar Ramirez has been reduced--meaning that his change up is more effective because hitters see it less--and Dan Giese has thrived as a long man, while Dave Robertson has become another solid arm.

Joe Girardi has done a great job of spliting up the workload in the bullpen, but that alone cannot be the explanation to the bullpen's success.

Somewhere along the line--about the same time the Yankees decided to make Joba a starter--the bullpen figured it out.

To put it in statistical terms, considering the following splits, courtesy of Baseball Reference:

ERA
1998: 3.76
2008: 3.56

BAA
1998: .252
2008: .232

OBP
1998: .320
2008: .308

SLG
1998: .386
2008: .371

K/BB:
1998: 1.91
2008: 2.39


Granted, there's still a whole half season to go, but if the bullpen keeps this up, then once again we've got ourselves a team that can shorten games to six innings, and we know what happens when that occurs.




On the flip side of things, the most disappointing aspect of the season so far has easily been the offense.

At the same time there are both a million reasons for the fall off from last year, and no reasons at all.

You can look at all the injuries as an excuse--it's hard to manufacture runs when you have Jose Molina, Alberto Gonzalez and Wilson Betemit all with regular playing time, you might say--or, you can say, well, the Red Sox lost Ortiz and they're still scoring something like seven runs a game.

The truth is, the injuries that should have hurt us the most--the loss of Alex Rodriguez in May and Jorge Posada for much of April and May--shouldn't be considered a factor any more (well, at least A-Rod. Jorge is still playing with a tear in his shoulder.)

Instead, the Yankees need to look at other factors. For instance, Derek Jeter is having the worst offensive year of his career. Robinson Canò, who has started slowly every season, has started especially slowly this season, and Bobby Abreu isn't just not hitting, he's not even walking at the pace that he's set for himself in years previous.

Nevermind the offensive contributions (or lack thereof) from Melky Cabrera, Wilson Betemit or any of the other bottom-of-the-lineup guys; when the top and heart of the order aren't producing, it's real hard for the rest of the line up to make up the difference.



So for the second half of the season, if the Yankees want to have a real shot at a playoff spot, what do they need to do?

First, they need to keep pitching as they are. They aren't getting perfect starts, but for the most part, their starters are giving the team a chance to win which is all you can ask for game in and game out. The bullpen is shutting the opposing team down in a way they haven't really done since the late nineties.

Second and more importantly, the Yankees need to get out of this offensive malaise. They need to follow Brett Gardner's lead when it comes to grinding out at bats--if they remember how to work pitchers again, success will eventually follow. They need to be willing to sacrifice an out to move the runner over if they're facing a tough pitcher, and they need to stop acting as though a nine run outburst every once in a while is a substitute for a consistent offensive effort.



So, can the Yankees make the playoffs this year?

They can, but it won't be easy. With both Boston and Tampa Bay ahead of them, the Yankees have even more games to make up and less AL East teams to feed on--even traditional cellar dwellers of late, the Orioles, are exceeding expectations.

The Yankees still have ten games left against Boston, and I think a similar number against Tampa Bay, which is more than enough to make something happen, but they can't sit around and wait for those games to occur.

The Yankees have to start putting together win streaks of four or five in a row, and then not follow them with losing streaks of almost equal length.

The Yankees can do it with the players they have on their team now--after all, they did it last year--but they have got to pick it up and come out of the break flying.

They've been in worse situations before, and made the playoffs, but they have some serious work to do.




First Half Yankee Awards:

MVP: Mike Mussina. The team is nowhere this year without him.
Cy Young: Mariano Rivera. Read above. 'Nuff said.
Rookie of the Year: Joba Chamberlain. Has over exceeded expectations.
Comeback Player of the Year: Mike Mussina

Best Win: 6/5/08 vs. Toronto. Jason Giambi has a two strike, two out, two run home run in the bottom of the ninth to cap a comeback from down 7-2 to win the game.

Most important win: 7/5/08 vs. Boston. Mariano Rivera pitches into a bases-loaded, no one out jam before pitching himself out of trouble and helping the Yankees to a series split with Boston.

A Healthy Dose of Optimism

Don't look now, but there's a team that's just won nine of twelve games to move to four games over .500. In the past three games, they gave up a grand total of five runs while scoring 23 themselves. In the past six, they've given up 15 runs while scoring 34.

With the exception of one bad start in Oakland, the starting pitching has been exquisite--even going back to the last game of the Kansas City series, despite the Yankee loss.

Mike Mussina deserves a spot on the All Star team. Whether or not he gets it is, of course, up in the air, but if there's any Yankees' pitcher not named Mariano Rivera that deserves a spot this year, it's Mussina. He has been the Yankee stopper, on pace for twenty wins this season, which is all the more amazing when one considers that at the beginning of the season, most of the fan base (and even the experts) figured he'd be lucky to win ten games all year.

Joba Chamberlain's transition to starter has not been flawless, but he's improved significantly in each start, and in his next one, he will not have a pitch count limit. In his last start he allowed just one run over six innings while throwing 88 pitches--and hitting 97 MPH on his last pitch.

Andy Pettitte looked more like his old self in his most recent start, getting both the ground balls and the double plays, and Chien Ming Wang looks as though he has emerged from his pitcher's slump, though it may be a while before he makes his next start.

While Darrel Rasner faltered in his last start, it was most likely fatigue after having thrown 110+ pitches in his previous outing. With the exception of that start--one clunker in seven starts--he has given the Yankees a chance to win every time he steps on the mound.

The bullpen, too, has stepped it up a notch. Kyle Farnsworth recorded a save in the Yankees' 2-1 victory on Friday, and then pitched the eighth in Saturday's game, which, at the time the Yankees lead by only two runs. Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez have been excellent; after pitching in five games out of six, Mariano Rivera has not pitched now in four games, so he should be available in the upcoming Padres and Reds series. Though he has given up a couple ninth inning home runs, he has not blown a save opportunity.


The offense, it seems, has finally figured out a way to score runs. Johnny Damon has been utterly on fire--currently hitting over .330, he is perhaps the Yankees' most valuable offensive player of the moment.

Derek Jeter's average isn't quite as high as he'd like, but his eighth inning home run on Friday illustrated why he has been dubbed Captain Clutch.

Alex Rodriguez has also been on fire since coming off of the disabled list; he's had two home runs in the past two games--a sign that he is utterly locked in--and, in other just-off-the-dl-news, Jorge Posada gives an added punch to the Yankee line up.

The rejuvination of Jason Giambi also continues--whether because of the 'stache or thong, though, is a question best left unanswered, and Hideki Matsui is still among the league leaders for batting average.

What does this all mean?

The Yankees have climbed to four games over .500, and while there's no guarantee, it feels like the Yankees have finally broken through the .500 barrier. There's still a while to go before they can catch Boston, but it's not quite time to worry about that just yet.

Currently, the Yankees are only 3.5 games back in the Wild Card--trailing only Oakland (from whom they just took two out of three) and Tampa Bay.

So while you're sitting there waiting for news on Wang, perhaps it will cheer you up to remember that these are the Yankees, and no season is ever over before July 4.

Good, Bad, Ugly and Pregame Notes (30 April 2008)

One month into the season, and it is still hard to get a clear picture as to where this Yankee team is headed.

On one hand, they have just escaped a mammoth, 18-of-20 on the road, April and will, at worst, be one game under .500. It's certainly not where a team wants to be, but it is much better than it could be.

Chien Ming Wang seems to have matured overnight, rounding the corner from 'very good' to 'ace'--not sure? Consider the 2-0 win against Tampa Bay, the 2-1 two-hitter against Boston, and the 1-0 shutout against Cleveland. Also consider the performance against Chicago--far from stellar, but the type of battle, grind-it-out start that is the hallmark of a good pitcher. He's already 5-0, with just one poor start.

Mariano Rivera looks like he is on his way to a career year--eight saves already, an infinite K-to-BB ratio, and an ERA of 0.00.

Melky Cabrera, the supposed 'throw in' for the Santana deal, is doing his best to say "thank you for not trading me" and, by all accounts, doing a very good job of it as well.

In fact, all the M guys seem to be perfomring well--Chien Ming, Mariano, Melky, Matsui, Molina...even Mike Mussina is giving the Yankees what they need when he's not pitching to Manny Ramirez.

On the other hand, there is no getting around the fact that Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have been struggling. They--especially Phil--are young, and the struggles are to be expected, but that neither of them have a win or an ERA under 5.00 is not a good sign if the Yankees expect to contend this year.

The offense has been stagnant, largely unable to get the "big hit" when needed; Jason Giambi and Robinson Canò have been the most notable of those struggling and Canò has the second lowest batting average of all American League qualifiers, despite his home run last night. The Yankees are confident he will heat up, but such an extended slump has got to play with his psyche.


The biggest blow of all, however, are the injuries. Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Molina, Jorge Posada, Wilson Betemit and Brian Bruney have all missed or are missing considerable time with injuries--Brian Bruney, Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez have all needed to go on the disabled list.

It's impossible to know how much of the injuries are due to the poor conditions the Yankees have played in, or to other reasons, but to say they will have an impact on the Yankees is an understatement. They will have an impact, when two guys who provided the center for the Yankee offense last year are out of the line up for an extened period and so many others are struggling.


That said, the situation could be a lot worse. The Yankees do have things going for them, and it would be foolish to ignore the positives, just as it would the challenges they face.


***

Andy Pettitte takes the mound tonight in a role that has become very familiar to him over the years--that of the "Yankee Stopper". He will go against Jeremy Bonderman, one of Detroits young pitchers.

If the Yankees win tonight, they have a chance at winning the series with the Tigers tomorrow. Ross Ohlendorf pitched three innings tonight, so if Pettitte gets in trouble, it's likely that Jonathan Albaladejo will be the long man.

Birdfeed (Postgame Notes 18 April 2008)

There aren't many Yankees-Devils fans out there, but, for the few of us, tonight is an exceptionally bitter pill to swallow.

Phil Hughes was not awful tonight. He had a better start than either of his past two starts, and with some better defense and offense with runners in scoring position (which seems to be our downfall this month), he may have well come out of the game at least down only 2-1, if not on top.

Instead, he only lasted into the sixth, and LaTroy Hawkins, nice guy though he may be, did resolutely not come through tonight.

It says something about the state of the offense when the best performance of the night comes from the third-string catcher Chad Moeller, who drove in both Yankee runs.

While Yankee fans can (likely) take comfort in that the slumping Robinson Canò will come around, and while Johnny Damon in left field gives the Yankees their best defensive alignment, the struggles of Jason Giambi are beginning to get old, especially when substitutes who have (so far) been performing, in Morgan Ensberg and Shelley Duncan, could possibly jump start the offense.

In the seventh inning, Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez both had good line-drive swings that could have kept a rally going for the Yankees, if only they hadn't been hit at Orioles' fielders.


OPTIMIST TAKE: Hughes had his best outing since his first one. Moeller has exemplified the "low risk-high reward" signing and almost makes you wish they didn't have to send him down to Scranton. I enjoyed the weather and played Frisbee on the quad.

Pregame Notes 18 April 2008

The Yankees begin another mammoth road trip tonight as they make the short journey to Baltimore.

Thanks to His Holiness, the Yankees will not return home until the very end of the month.

Phil Hughes is taking the mound against Daniel Cabrera, who has fared well against the Yankees in the past--once pitching a two-hitter. The Yankees need a big night from Hughes to spare their depleted bullpen--word is Edwar Ramirez is in Baltimore to help out--though Mariano Rivera has not pitched in two nights and would thus likely be available if needed.

Yankee hitting has been hot of late, but not everyone's caught on--Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Robinson Canò are the most notable of the strugglers, though Robinson is making a slow start into an art form.

Melky Cabrera and Hideki Matsui, on the other hand, have been hitting well, and Derek Jeter has been on fire since coming off of the DL.

Joba Chamberlain released a statement earlier; his father is off of the ventilator though still in "critical" condition. Best wishes, of course, to the Chamberlain family.

Check back later.

Man-Handled (Postgame Notes 17 April 2008)

There aren't many, but there are some certainties in life.

Death. Taxes.

Manny Ramirez against the New York Yankees.

One would have thought that, given Saturday's game, Mike Mussina may have opted to pitch around Ramirez, perhaps giving up the walk to save the home run.

Alas, this was not the case.

On some occasions, stubbornness can be a virtue. If, say, for example, you are general manager of a team in 1995-1996 and you refuse to trade Mariano Rivera.

When it comes to refusing to pitch around Manny Ramirez, who has long been known as a Yankee-killer, this is a bad thing. When this occurs on an evening where you, the starting pitcher, can't even make it to the fourth inning, it's not just a bad thing, it's a stupid thing.

All you have to do is listen to Michael Kay, Al Leiter and John Flaherty's call of Manny Ramirez's second home run, and you hear that they are not just resigned to it,l but that they expected it.

The worst thing about the situation is not that Ramirez had two home runs, but that the bullpen has been so depleted that Billy Traber, the lefty specialist, pitched two innings tonight. Hawkins, Bruney and Albaladejo have all pitched for multiple innings within the past two nights. The good news is that they did, for the most part, an admirable job, but the Yankees need to get more innings out of the starters.

Joe Girardi isn't afraid to spread the workload and not riding one pitcher into the ground, but there is only so much the bullpen as a whole can take.

The Yankees were not likely to muster a whole lot against Josh Beckett offensively, so while any loss is a disappointment, it's hard to blame the offense for this one, especially when the offense is down 7-0 at one point. That the Yankees climbed to within 7-5 is a testament to their fight.


OPTIMIST TAKE: The Yankees scored two runs in the ninth, refusing to go quietly against Papelbon. Traber did not give up a run in his two innings of work and Kyle Farnsworth, the only Yankee pitcher to retire Manny Ramirez, had a 1-2-3 eighth. Melky Cabrera continues to swing a hot bat.

Pregame Notes 17 April 2008

So first things first, I apologize for not being around last night--writing two papers in one day will do that to you.

Anyway.


The Yankees are going for the (short) two-game sweep of the Red Sox and their home stand, but, to do so, Mike Mussina will have to beat Josh Beckett (this matchup seems strangely familiar...)

Last time out, Mussina didn't pitch too poorly; Beckett simply pitched better. Tonight will bring undoubtedly better weather conditions, and the Yankees' bats are riding a hot streak.

Giambi had his first non-HR, non-off-of-Mike-Timlin hits last night, and every Yankee reached base and scored a run. Ohlendorf, Hawnkins and Bruney all pitched last night, which theoretically means that in a close eighth inning, Kyle Farnsworth is probably your man.

Check back later.

Winning With Runners in Stranded Position

First, the good: The Yankees won, which is, in the end, the most important thing. Everyone one through five in the lineup scored a run, and Andy Pettitte battled on a night when he didn't have his best stuff to keep Tampa to three runs.

That said, there is one pressing concern.

In the seventh inning, the Yankees loaded the bases and they did not score.

In the eighth inning, the Yankees loaded the bases and they did not score.

In the ninth inning, the Yankees had runners on first and second with no one out and didn't even move the runners over to second and third.

While it's true that good pitching will always beat good hitting, Tampa Bay did not exactly have Cy Young caliber pitching on the mound in those innings--in fact, Tampa's best pitcher so far this year, Edwin Jackson, was the only one the Yankees could get to.

The lack of clutch hitting becomes a much bigger concern as the season goes on, and tonight poor weather conditions can't be used as an excuse.

The Yankees get to go back home for a grand total of two games against the Red Sox; hopefully the return home will remind the bats that hits are really cool when you string three or four or five together in a row.

OPTIMIST TAKE: Kyle Farnsworth pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Mariano Rivera notched his fifth save of the year. On a night that was far from the best start of his career, Pettitte battled and came out with the win, with some good defense from Robinson Canò to help. Derek Jeter, in his second game back from a quad injury, had three hits. The Yankees went 4-4 on the road trip and are back on the right side of .500.


Boston looks like they'll win, Toronto won and for the first time this year, Detroit won two in a row.

Pregame Notes 15 April 2008

Writer's block is horrible.

That aside, the Yankees can pull back above .500 and finish the road trip at 4-4 with a win tonight. While 4-4 is certainly not ideal, given the poor conditions in Kansas City and Boston, as well as the injuries to Posada and Jeter, it is understandable.

Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter and Robinson Canò will all wear 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson.

Mariano Rivera will also wear 42; he is the last active player to be able to wear 42 on a day-to-day basis.


Check back later.

Oh Clutch, Where Art Thou? (Postgame Notes 13 April 2008)

In a game where Yankee starting pitching was so bad that the bullpen was up in the first inning, their undoing tonight proved not to be the men on the mound, but the hitters at the plate.

It wasn't that the Yankees didn't get on base.

They did, many, many times--enough that midnight rolled around before the ninth inning was done--but when it mattered, when one hit could have tied the game or brought the deficit to within one run, they faltered.

Again and again, it seemed, every inning, a new chance, and every inning, someone else failing to come through in the clutch.

It's frustrating, especially when you know the team is too good to stay mired in a slump, and even though it's not even the tax deadline, the cold weather excuse is beginning to get old.

Yes, the Yankees have had to play baseball in horrible weather--but then, so did whoever it was that they were playing, and somehow, unless Wang was pitching, they found a way to hit as well.

That said, there are some encouraging signs. The walks the Yankees took show that they aren't wholly lost at the plate, and that the famed Yankee patience isn't just a thing of the past. They managed to take a 7-1 deficit and climb to within 7-5 at the closest, again showing that never-say-die is as much a part of the game as cracker jacks and rain delays.

The bats will come out of their slumber, and on a hot night in August, when Mike Mussina or Ian Kennedy has a similar evening like Phil Hughes's tonight, they will complete the comeback. They are too good not to.


OPTIMIST TAKE: LaTroy Hawkins had possibly his best pinstripe performance yet. Every Yankee except for Canò and Rodriguez reached base at least once. The Yankees may have had one of their best games defensively so far this year. Jose Molina continues to hit as if he was a regular and Alberto Gonzalez is turning out to be a better offensive player than many of us thought he'd be.


It's late and I'm tired--driving five and a half hours twice in three days will do that to you--so check ESPN for scores if you need them.

Behind Enemy Lines

Well, hello there!

I am just back from a weekend spent deep in the heart of enemy territory in the great city of Boston.

While the game on Saturday was the major attraction of the trip, just being in the city, was an experience in itself.

On Friday night, I wasn't planning on being able to catch the game; dinner with friends certainly took priority, but as luck would have it, we ate at a restaurant in Chinatown called Shabu Zen, and managed to nab seats at the bar, where the game was being broadcast on a very big, very fancy TV.

I was a little worried when Wang got a lot of fly-outs that one inning (I know, I know, I can't remember which), but through the wonder of the internet on my cell phone, my fears abated when I saw the final score.

Alas, my tickets were not for Friday night, so the majority of this post is about Saturday.

Saturday began with a great start. My friend Dan, who is the one responsible for the tickets, had a job interview at Boston University at noon, so after that was over, we walked the ten minutes (not even) to Fenway.

The weather, then, was gorgeous. Normally weather is just for background description and a way to fluff writing, but yesterday, the weather was an important factor. So, let me state, that around 1.30 PM, there were sunny, clear skies and it was warm enough that I was seriously worried because I didn't have sunscreen and I burn easily.

Given that there were a few hours before the start of the game, and that we were a little hungry, we stopped in at Cask N' Flagon, because, well, if you're going to have the Fenway Park experience, you might as well make it the Fenway Park experience. Citgo Sign included.




I was a little nervous about wandering inside with my Yankees shirt on, but as it turns out, there are quite a few Yankees fans in Boston. So I unzipped my sweater and let fly.



Myself, and Dan. I know I look horrible, but that's not the point. I know Dan's allegiance is misguided, but you can't blame him; he's from the area. If people from New Jersey are allowed to like the Yankees, people from eastern Massachusetts can like the Red Sox.




The park is gorgeous, even on the outside, even near its centennial.

We got there in time for batting practice; the Green Monster actually doesn't look that huge in person, but then again, I'm not sure Jacoby Ellsbury/Coca Crisp/whoever's in left field there would agree with me.



The John Hancock board is the only one in the park with a monitor/digital date and time. It really did feel like I was stepping back in time.



Someday, I will have to come back just to sit in the Monster Seats:



When I took this next shot, the clouds were already beginning to roll in a little--in the ten minutes it took for me to take this shot and walkover to where the Yankees were taking BP, the temperature dropped from about 75 F to game-time 61 F. I had previously thought that temperature drops like that only occurred in front of massive storms. I was right.



I wasn't able to get a whole lot of good shots from where I was standing--I made it to the first row behind home plate, near the dugout, but there were so many people on the field that I was just really thankful my camera has an amazing 12x zoom.


A-Rod


Jorge. Jorge, I think, more than any other of the Yankees, looks a lot bigger (as in more muscular) in person than he does on TV. He wasn't smiling at me, but I can pretend.


Looks like Cash, smells like Cash....


Johnny Damon taking BP. Robinson Canò is on deck; either he or Johnny hit some massive BP home runs, but I forget who it was--could have easily been neither of them. In the corner you can see Peter Gammons talking to Derek Jeter.


Bobby Abreu throwing catch. You can see the Yankees fan behind him. I was very much not alone.


You can see how much darker it was at Fenway by the time I reached my actual seat. I've seen day turn to night plenty of times, but the way it did yesterday was scary.


When I say Fenway Park is old, I mean that it looks like the seats haven't been cared for at all since 1912. It's kind of cool, actually--they say people were smaller back then, and the size of the seats makes you actually believe it.


I spy...people in the scoreboard. I was telling Dan that as far as summer jobs go, scoreboard operator at Fenway Park would have to be on the top of the list of any baseball fan. At least, it should be.


The sun came out again. It was like some weather deity spent a little too much time at Cask n' Flagon, which, if he's a Sox fan, makes sense, given Friday's two-hitter.


A-Rod and Giambino talking...about something.


The Umpires, deciding how, exactly, they were going to annoy fans who were probably a 5:1 ratio of Sox-Yankees faithful.


Some dugout action. A couple comments: 1) the road jackets are awesome and I want one. 2) the dugout is tiny for grown men.


The Sox take the field. As you likely know, Beckett was on the mound for the Sox.


Johnny Damon


Melky Cabrera.

I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed that in the Yankees' starting line-up yesterday there were only two righties--A-Rod and Alberto Gonzalez.


The Yankees take the field.

Mike Mussina did not pitch (that) poorly; it was just that Beckett was better, as generally is supposed to happen when a two matches up with a five. Mussina got some very nice double plays to help him in the early innings, but Manny Ramirez must hate me, or something. He homered for Cleveland at the very first Yankee game I ever went to, and he homered again yesterday.



The hawk that attacked Alexa Rodriguez.


Moose in action.


Robinson Canò. He had one of the better offensive performances for the Yankees yesterday.


Yankees with men on first and second. You'll notice that now the lights are on, a portent of things to come.


The (former) Attorney General on the basepath.


Clutch situation.


Yankees with lead. It didn't last very long, but it was nice when it did.


The other side of Fenway, just because I don't have a picture of it.


The bullpen.


Bruney comes on and attempts to save the day. He doesn't, but it's not for lack of effort.


The press box. I wonder how many are actively writing about the game, and how many are messing around with Spider Solitaire during the delay...


Okay, so this is where it gets interesting. Right now, you see the tarp is on the field. This should not be a problem, except for the fact that A-Rod is at bat, there are two Yankees on base, the Yanks are down by one, there are two out and it's the top of the eighth. You would think they would let A-Rod have his at bat.

You thought wrong.

In the umpires' defense, it was raining a monsoon, and even if they let A-Rod bat, they would have probably put the tarp on the field anyway, especially after the lightning. For those of you not into weather-related phenomena, just remember that baseball players wear metal spikes in their cleats, and thus lightning makes for a potentially dangerous situation--it's why after the sight of lightning you have to wait at least a half hour before pulling the tarp off.

Eventually, as is normal, the rain stopped.

The skies cleared.

The temperature rose.

The tarp stayed on the field.

No amount of yelling "TAKE IT OFF" or "PLAY THE D*** GAME" or "WHAT THE F-ING HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU THE SKY IS CLEAR" could rouse the grounds crew out to take the tarp off.

Had the sky stayed clear for only about ten minutes before becoming ominous again, it would not have been a big deal, but the skies stayed clear for a long time. I didn't time it, but it was at least three-quarters of an hour. More than enough time to take the tarp off and start playing again.

Eventually, the grounds crew came out and began to remove the tarp. They got most of the way done.





However, as you can see, the sky has again gotten that dark-and-stormy look. So the grounds crew stood around for a while, doing nothing, until some of the scariest lightning I've ever had the fortune of seeing live, lit up the sky. Thus, the tarp went back on the field.

At this point in time, Dan's friend had been waiting outside Fenway for us to meet him at the end of the game, and Dan and I felt bad for him having to wait, and also really angry at the umpires, for not taking the tarp off while the sky was clear, so we left.

By the time we got to Cambridge, where we ate dinner, the game was in the bottom of the eighth. It was on a large TV in the front display window of a wine and cheese shop, so a crowd gathered around on the sidewalk to watch.



We stayed--and attempted to stay through the ninth, and saw Papelbon get the Yankees to within their last strike, before FOX decided that the Heidi Game would make a great broadcast journalism role model.



So even though the Yankees didn't win, and the weather deities don't like me very much, I had a wonderful time.

They say if you're a baseball fan, there are three ballparks you have to visit before you die--Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park.

So far, they're right.

The Rainmen Cometh

The rain cleanses and nourishes.

It restores a balance in the atmosphere, and breaks the heavy fog.

Tonight, on a much less mythical note, it woke up the stopper in Andy Pettitte and woke up the Yankee offense.

After the first two innings of play, the game felt much like a continuation of last night. Pitching that was good, but not good enough. Hitting that didn't, well, hit, with the exception of Melky Cabrera's home run.

Then, the rain.

It was only a 28-minute delay, which is hardly remarkable, but sometimes that is all it takes.

When the rain cleared, Pettitte was on, retiring seven straight, including a reaction play that involved snagging a line drive ticket for center field, with a stop at Pettitte's forehead. As might be expected, Pettitte also had patented Pettitte pick-off, but the caught line drive is the one will make top play lists.

Offensively, it was the Melky Cabrera show for a while--he took to the two spot in the line-up better than Canò had--but then the rest of the team began to get into the act. Everyone except Robinson Canò had a hit; Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada went back-to-back with home runs in the ninth.

More impressive, the Yankees managed to score in three straight innings, which they had not yet done.

While no series with the Red Sox will ever be easy, the Yankees can at least board the flight knowing that they've got the bats working again.


OPTIMIST TAKE: Canò walked. Johnny Damon has a five-game hitting streak. Alberto Gonzalez had a clean single, again. He's no Derek Jeter with the bat, but he's not quite the automatic out everyone makes him out to be. Andy Pettitte went 6.2 innings, which saved most of the bullpen. Joba Chamberlain might not be able to pitch tomorrow, but the rest of the bullpen should be set to go.



As I said before, I'm off to Boston, so tomorrow's postgame will be done by Brent Nycz of The Bronx Block.


SCORES AND STUFFS (of interest):

Boston beat Detroit, 12-6. Detroit had closed to within 8-6, but 1-8 teams are 1-8 for a reason.

Texas swept a double-header with the Orioles. The Orioles are still AL-East leading, and the only AL East team currently over .500. The Yankees and Sox are tied at the .500 mark, but as you might imagine, it probably won't last.

Tampa Bay defeated Seattle 7-0. Apparently there's something to this Edwin Jackson guy.

Oakland beat Toronto 3-2, in 12.

Mets beat Philadelphia, 4-3 in 12.



Happy weekend, I'll catch you all sometime on Sunday.

Pregame Notes 10 April 2008

The Yankees need a win tonight, but more than that, they need an offensive showing.

Fortunately, for those that think a little line-up shuffle will get the job done, that is exactly what's in store for tonight.

The Yanks are sitting Bobby Abreu, so A-Rod is hitting third in his place and Posada is batting clean-up. Since Jeter is still sitting, Melky Cabrera (as opposed to Canò) will get his chance in the two-spot and Gonzalez playing in short. Morgan Ensberg gets the start at first and Molina will be catching.

So, if the Yankees are looking for speed on the basepath, tonight's not especially the night.


Andy Pettitte will be on the mound, which should hopefully give the bullpen a little bit of rest, as he looks to bounce back from his so-so first start.


This time tomorrow I will be on my way to Boston (I have tickets for Saturday), so Brent Nycz from The Bronx Block has kindly agreed to do tomorrow's postgame recap.

Check back for more after the game.

Topsy-Turvy Washout (Postgame Notes 09 April 2008)

Any game in which the starter relieves the bullpen is going to have a topsy-turvy feel to it. For the Yankees, however, it was no better than yesterday afternoon.

It wasn't that the Yankees pitched exceptionally poorly; they took a scoreless game to the sixth and learned the hard way that Kyle Farnsworth really can't go back to back innings, and then Ian Kennedy had his soon-to-be-patented first inning jitters.

It was that the Yankees still have yet to put together a solid offensive performance, even when all the cogs are not working. Most notable, they have not figured out a way to hit with runners in scoring position, the same major issue they had in the postseason. After one or two games, you don't worry, but going into the middle of the month, it becomes frustrating, and then the pressing starts.

There's something to be said for the horrible game conditions, in terms of weather and temperature, that have dogged the Yankees for the first nine games, but even so, if the other teams have been able to do it, why not the Yanks?

That said, it will turn around. No team can pitch as well as the Yankees have , on the whole, been pitching and sustain losing.

OPTIMIST TAKE: There's actually a lot to be optimistic about--first, Brian Bruney. He was excellent. Sure, he was no Joba or Rivera, but the turnaround from last season to this season is incredible and inspiring. Girardi and Eiland are not the first managers/coaches in baseball history to pull a starter due to rain, but it does show ingenuity on their part and a willingness to adapt on the fly as needed. Alberto Gonzalez, the one who's not supposed to be able to hit, actually had one of the hardest hits for the Yankees, with a stand-up double. Jose Molina threw out two baserunners attempting to steal, again showing himself to have been the best move the Yankees made at last year's deadline.


SCORES AND STUFFS

The ones that'll interest you:

Detroit beat Boston, 7-2, getting their first win of the season. The Sox and the Yankees now have the exact same record, neck and neck for....the AL East cellar!

Oakland beat Toronto, 6-3, mounting a four-run ninth to do so.

Seattle beat Tampa, 7-1, and Baltimore-Texas was a rainout.

In the National League, Mets beat the Phillies 8-2, and the Cubs and Pirates have hit the 15th.

Pregame Notes 09 April 2007

First things first.

If the story of Doug Davis doesn't inspire you or move you or get a response from you, you don't have a heart.

You don't even have to be a baseball fan to understand.


As far as the Yankees are concerned, Ian Kennedy will take the mound against Zach Greinke; Kennedy struggled greatly in his first start while Greinke, well, didn't.

However, ultimately, the bigger concern for the Yankees are the injuries. Jeter's out. Posada's out. Giambi is not 100%. Last year, the injury concerns included pretty much the entire pitching staff and Bobby Abrea; this year (thankfully, knock on wood) they haven't hit the rotation.

Right now, the trade and resigning of Jose Molina looks like a genius move; in him the Yankees have a capable, durable back-up that might not fill Posada's offensive shoes, but can certainly play some defense and hit enough to not be an automatic out.

However, the situation at shortstop is much more precarious; Alberto Gonzalez was pulled from the Scranton AAA game last night, ostensibly to come up and replace Jeter at short should Jeter be gone for any extended time. Gonzalez's one advantage over Wilson Betemit is supposed to be his glove work, but the absence of Jeter's bat in the line up will be felt. Robinson Canò has the makings of future batting titles, but a number two hitter, he is not.

If the Yankees can pull of a series win at Kansas City, it will put them in excellent shape heading into Boston.

Royal Pumpkins (Postgame Notes 08 April 08)

Ugly. Like Cinderella's stepsisters.

That's pretty much the only thing that comes to mind when you think of the Yankees' performance today. That they escaped by a score of only 5-2 belies a much nastier truth: sloppy defense, and a poor start from Phil Hughes, did them in much more than the lack of any discernable offense, though it certainly doesn't help.

Hughes wasn't helped by a small and inconsistent strike zone on the part of Mark Wegner, the home plate umpire, but neither was Brian Bannister. Both starters had thrown over 50 pitches by the start of the third inning.

The lack of Derek Jeter in the line up was felt at both ends--defensively, Wilson Betemit had trouble with a couple of throws that would have otherwise caught Kansas City baserunners attempting to steal, and offensively, Robinson Canò could not muster anything in the number two spot. Betemit did have an RBI single, which was about the only serious offense the Yankees mounted in the entire game.

Alex Rodriguez, especially had a rough day; he was the not-so-proud recipient of the Golden Sombrero, striking out four times. Jorge Posada came out of the game in the late innings; no official word yet, but given his recent shoulder problems, they might have been an issue.

OPTIMIST TAKE: Despite the over-all ugly stepsister feel of the game, there are bright spots. Phil Hughes escaped bases-loaded situations a couple of times without surrendering a run, which, at the very least shows that he is maturing as a pitcher. Billy Traber and LaTroy Hawkins pitched well. Hideki Matsui has hit in every Yankee game so far. The Yankees don't play again until tomorrow evening, so now they can get some rest and hopefully not play like zombies, like they did today.


SCORES AND STUFFS

Don't have time to go through them all, but the ones of interest:

Boston beat Detroit, 5-0. Detroit is now 0-7, and while the first week in baseball usually doesn't mean anything, it's quite a hole to have to climb back from--Detroit is already 4+ games out in the Central. Boston is now 4-4, equal with the Yankees.

Baltimore beat Texas, 8-1 The Orioles are now 6-1. It's still probably a fluke start, but even so...

The Mets lost their home opener to the Phillies, also 5-2.

Pregame Notes 08 April 2007

You'll forgive the Kansas City Royals if they forget there's a baseball game today.

Anyone who's ever had the experience of winning an NCAA basketball tournament knows what it's like--for that brief, shining moment, nothing else seems to matter.

However, the Yankees don't have the luxury to enjoy it. Instead, they begin a stretch where they play 18 of 20 on the road, with one off day, and the two they do play at home? Against Boston.

You'll forgive the Yankees if they're counting down the days to May 1.

Still, that might not be the Yankees' biggest concen.

There is still no official word on Jeter's injury with the amount of time that he'll be out; ESPN 1050 in NY has him out a week, but athletes (with the exception of one who shall-not-be-named) have a habit of downplaying injuries.

Some are throwing about the idea that if Jeter is hurt for any length of time, A-Rod should move to short so Ensberg can play third; this is an idea, but unlikely; A-rod has not spent considerable time at short since 2003--five years--and throwing him there cold would, from a defensive standpoint, be a very bad idea. However, if Jeter's injury is DL-worthy (and hopefully, of course, it's not), it might be a possibility the Yankees seriously consider.


Phil Hughes is on the mound; he pitched well in his first start, and has a chance to pitch the Yankees to their third straight win.

Brian Bannister will pitch for Kansas City, who has a surprisingly solid top three in Bannister, Gil Meche and Zach Greinke.

Moose & Bobby

Pick the performance of the night:

Mike Mussina, six innings, one run, two hits, one walk, three strike outs

or

Bobby Abreu, three-for-three with a home run, a triple, a single and a walk.

Tonight was plain old, good fashioned, quality Yankee baseball. There was excellent pitching from Mussina, Bruney and Farnsworth, and good-enough pitching from Hawkins. There was actual offense, including hits with less than two outs and runners in scoring position.

However, it was not a perfect night, as Derek Jeter left in the second inning with a strained left quad, and while Wilson Betemit might be an adequate fielder, hit well, he does not. If Jeter's injury is serious (first reports are day-to-day, though injuries tend to be underreported at first), the Yankees have a dilemma.

Neither Morgan Ensberg, nor Shelley Duncan, who inspire more confidence at the plate, play shortstop. Given that shortstop is one of the most important defensive positions, you can sacrifice the bat for a few games, but eventually, it will come back to hurt.

The Yankees have to hope, then, that Jeter's injury is not serious.

OPTIMIST TAKE: On (yet another) cold night, the Yankees finally mounted something that more than resembles an offense. Bobby Abreu is on fire right now, and while A-Rod might not have a 13-home-run-April, he's had some very nice swings. Same with Matsui.

Over the past two games, the Yankees have given up just one run, earned or otherwise. I wonder if they did that at all--back to back games giving up one run or less--last year...


SCORES AND STUFFS

Pirates 5, Reds 3.

Orioles 5, Mariners 4. Orioles are 5-1.

Cubs 10, Pirates 8. Cubs blew a seven run lead and had to win in 12.

White Sox 7, Twins 4.

Padres 8, Giants 4. Giants are 1-6.

Astros 5, Cardinals 3.


Marlins lead Nationals 8-7 in the 8th, Braves lead Colorado 1-0 in the 8th, Diamondbacks lead Dodgers 4-0 in the third, Indians and Angels scoreless in the first.