Joba Pitches the Eighth...And Has the Best Start of His Career (postgame notes 1 June 2009)

Guys like Mike Francesca should be forced to sit down and watch today's game again and again and again (but preferably only the parts where Joba is pitching, and not when the Yankees had the bases loaded in the 6th and didn't score).

They should be forced to watch Joba pitch efficiently, play defense and go eight innings without over exerting himself or getting distracted by midges.

Maybe it had to do with the weather forecast and the knowledge that once the rain came and started it wouldn't stop...and that if the Yankees wanted to get this one in they had to play a quick game.

Maybe it was trying to redeem himself after a poor start in Texas.

Maybe it was because in the last 19 games only one starter has lost (and I had the good luck to be at that game...), and he wanted to keep it that way.

Maybe, as Joe Girardi suggested, he was angry at the midges.

Whatever it was, Joba pitched and pitched well.

Now, instead of having to settle for a split with the Indians, the Yankees took three of four and went 5-2 on their road trip, have won 15 of 19 and have not had an error in their last 18 games--a new MLB record.

(I don't know about you, but I thought the MLB record would have been something like 50 games).


Offensively, the Yankees weren't stellar--check out the comment about the sixth inning--but to their credit, when faced with the same situation the next inning, the Yankees took advantage, and it was certainly nice to see Swisher get the big hit again.

It was also nice to see Melky back in the line up, and even though he didn't get a hit, he still walked...a rarity, even still.

Still, the star of the game was the defense--especially Joba's in the bottom of the fifth, when he belly flopped to catch Kelly Shoppach's pop-up bunt, and then threw the runner out at second to complete a double play.

The difference between this year and last year?

This year's Yankees make that play.

Last year's don't.


The Yanks are in first by a game, nine games over .500 and even if one part of their game isn't perfect, everyone is stepping up to give the team a chance night in and night out.

You can't ask for much more than that.

Screw Baseball Logic. Rivera Should Have Been Pitching (postgame notes 31 May 2009)

Conventional baseball wisdom is a funny thing.

Conventional baseball wisdom states that in a tie game, on the road, you don't pitch your closer beccause there's always the chance that your team will take the lead and you will need someone to pitch the bottom of that inning.

Conventional baseball wisdom, however, also assumes a few things.

It assumes that the rest of your pitching staff is functional and that your other relievers won't have an issue throwing strikes.

It makes the assumption that everything is playing exactly as it should play.

As you might imagine, the problem with this is that this scenario rarely occurs.

Case in point: today's Yankees' game.

Going into the bottom of the ninth in a tie game, the best pitcher the Yankees had left in their bullpen was their closer, Mariano Rivera.

Now, if the Yankees didn't want to pitch Rivera to start the inning, that's one thing, but once Phil Coke gave up the lead off walk and that runner reached scoring position, the move to go to the unreliably wild David Robertson over Mariano Rivera is baffling once you disregard conventional wisdom.

Even if the Yankees take the lead the next inning, it's not as though Rivera's never pitched two innings before...and while it's understandable that you might not want Mo to pitch two innings, surely then you're more comfortable throwing Robertson or Aceves or whomever out there with the lead than in a tie game while Rivera sits unused.

Having worked exactly once since last Sunday, it's hardly like Rivera's been overtaxed.

Sometimes the best managers are the ones who take conventional logic, and then precede to say, "screw it".

*****

Otherwise, the game was nothing to get too upset about--Carl Pavano pitched well, but the Yankees struck when Wedge took him out of the game. Teixeira had all four Yankee RBI; Hughes had one bad inning in the third and it kept him from pitching more than five, though he wasn't awful and the game never got out of hand.

Yankees will have a chance to take the series tomorrow evening.

Yankees at Indians, 31 May 2009: A Liveblog

10.43 AM: Mmm, it feels good to liveblog again, though the week off was just what I needed.

10.43 AM: Posada is sitting today in favor of Cervelli; day game after a night game is usually a day off for Jorge.

Today's pitching matchup is Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano. This could be, uh, interesting.

12.50 PM: Yankees waste a lead-off double there and don't score in the top of the first. Now, it's Hughes' turn.

1.01 PM: Hughes strikes out two, plunks one and gets a roundout So far he's pumping strikes and the velocity isn't too shabby, either.

1.07 PM: There's a reason Canó isn't known as a great base stealer...

1.11 PM: Nothin' doing there...move along...

1.19 PM: Two innings and four K's for Hughes

1.25 PM: Still nothin' doin' on the offensive front.

1.36 PM: With the bases loaded, Jhonny Peralta singles and it's now 2-0 Cleveland as Hughes seems to have come a bit undone.

1.45 PM: That was a rather awful inning for Hughes, but all things considered 3-0 has to be considered doable for the Yankees.

1.53 PM: Let me rephrase. 3-0 is doable, but the Yankees have to actually hit the ball.

2.00 PM: Hughes needed that 1-2-3 inning to get bak on track. Now the hope is for the offense to do something. Anything, really.

2.07 PM: Too much to hope, then?

2.28 PM: That's Teixeira's 13th home run of the season. Had the umpire not botched the call on Jeter, it'd be 4-3. Anyway, it's 4-2 and the Yanks have nine outs to play with.

3.21 PM: Lots going on in this inning. Carl Pavano's cruising, gives up an infield single to Derek Jeter, so Indians' manager Eric Wedge takes Pavano out and brings in Rafael Perez, who promptly gives up a double to Johnny Damon. Perez comes out, Rafael Betancourt comes in and leaves after two pitches with some sort of leg injurt, and Matt Herges comes in...and gives up a two run double to Mark Teixeira. Game is now tied.

Yankees' Errorless Streak Reaches 16 Games In Win (postgame notes 30 May 2009)

Not only are the Yankees in first place right now; they're playing like they belong.

Well, with the exception of Jose Veras and Hideki Matsui's legs, but on the whole the point is still valid.

Their third win in a row and fourth of five (and fourteenth of seventeen) was sparked by the offense, which got on the board when Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher homered in the second, and then took advantage of two Cleveland errors in the fourth, scoring five runs there.

CC Sabathia had no-hit type stuff through four, then seemed to struggle in the fifth and get hit a bit harder in the later innings, but by then the Yankee lead had been built and even if Sabathia had given up a grand slam, the Yanks would have still had the lead.

One of the most encouraging signs this weekend has to be that Jorge Posada has come off of the DL as though he had never gone on it.

On that note, perhaps one of the reasons things have been going so well for the Yankees of late is that even when one player goes down, another steps up in his place.

Think of how well Gardner has been hitting while taking over for Gardner, or Cervelli for Posada, and similar. No team wants to have to play its depth, because then you lose the depth, but the Yanks' depth has exceeded expectations--and now many of the DL'd guys are on their way back.

When Jose Molina returns, likely sometime this week, Francisco Cervelli will likely be sent down; not because Cervelli hasn't done his job (far from it), but because he needs to play every day.


The Yankees have now won 14 of 17 games and haven't enjoyed a stretch like this in a long time.

The feeling you get as a fan is that every day, every game there's a new chance to win...and that might be the best feeling of all.

Liveblogging will return tomorrow...if I wake early enough for the 12.40 start. (this is not a guarantee on a Sunday).

Yankees Do Enough To Beat Cleveland and Take First (Postgame Notes 29 May 2009)

The Yankees have waited more than two years to reclaim solo possession of first place.

So what was waiting another hour and a half rain delay?

Indeed, that is what the Yankees endured before they took the field for today's game, but it did not seem to matter.

The Yankees got to Indians' starter Cliff Lee early; while they didn't really do what they were supposed to do with lots of baserunners and break the game open, they did score three runs before Cleveland scored any, and though they scored without much fanfare, they do still count.

Jorge Posada appeared in his first game after coming off of the DL, and had a couple of the Yankees' best hits in the game. More good news is that instead of having to DFA Kevin Cash to make room for Posada, they were able to option him to AAA. While it's unlikely Cash will reappear with the big club this season, the Yankees do now have some extra insurance if something happens.


Andy Pettitte was far from sharp, but through five made the pitches he needed to make to get out of trouble. The problem was, however, that Andy left early with lower back stiffness. We don't really know more than that right now, but that Pettitte stayed on the bench at the end of the inning has to be an encouraging sign.


Alfredo "Mendoza" Aceves pitched three innings in relief; he allowed an inherited runner to score, but gave up nothing else and Mo pitched a nearly flawless ninth to break the starter-saver record combo (don't ask, baseball likes useless records.)


Anyway, the Yankees now sit eight games above .500 and a half game ahead of the Red Sox in the standings for first place; the first time since the end of 2006.


****

As you may have noticed, I've sort of taken this week sort of off. Everything should be back to normal on Sunday.

Some Pregame Notes, 17 April 2009

Some quick pregame notes, courtesy of LoHud:

David Robertson has been sent down and Juan Miranda called up.

Matsui has fluid in his knees from being on base four times yesterday and is a scratch today.

Teixeira got a cortisone shot in his wrist but should be fine for today's game.

Life, Death and Baseball (Postgame Notes 16 April 2009)

[As some of you know, I was informed of the death of a close relative yesterday]

I wanted baseball to comfort me.

I can't say why I turned to baseball over anything else, expect that maybe it's because it seems so normal to me. Something that will go on, play on, not stop for the trivial things such as life.

Anything I say, or want to say, and anything I do, or want to do, seems inappropriate.

So I guess it only seems fair that the Yankees should loose this game as they have.

It wouldn't be appropriate to celebrate a win today.

It's so selfish, isn't it? To think that the Yankees shouldn't win because *I* don't deserve to celebrate anything?

It's hard to imagine that at one point, as recently as the seventh inning, the game was a 1-1 tie and Sabathia had pitched on pure guts. Little command, but somehow kept the tribe to one run.

I keep asking myself if this loss is really the bullpen's fault, or if somehow it's my fault because I decided to watch it.

I know, I know. It sounds unreasonable. What possible control can I have over a game I am watching on television?

Maybe it's some consolation that they'll play baseball again tomorrow, where I can probably guarantee you that not one man on either 25-man roster or in the dugout or on the staff for either team is aware of my existence. That's okay though, because that's the way it's supposed to be.

Life goes on. We can only control so much.

Carl Pavano: Yanks Didn't Pick Me Up

[This was too good to pass up]

When you’re down, you expect your organization to pick you up, not kick you when you’re down. I’ve had to pick myself up quite a few times the last four years.

--Carl Pavano, here.

Now, I know my memory can be pretty bad on occasion, but didn't Cashman and co. pay him $40 million over four seasons?

Didn't they let him pitch last summer even after Pavano had received Tommy John surgery that many believed was unnecessary at the time?

No one denies that injuries happen, but with the garish frequency they occur to Pavano, one has to consider the notion that maybe Pavano simply can't handle the workload of a major league pitcher.


Mark Shapiro has to going "head, meet desk" right about now...

Things You Learn on the Way to Temple

Driving to Temple tonight, my father and I drive through a neighborhood where he spent much of his childhood.

He points out the homes of cousins and aunts, and tells me about how he'd go to the corner candy store as a kid to buy candy and magazines. He remembers all of the landmarks as though his childhood was yesterday, and he makes the neighborhood of the 1950s and 1960s come alive for me.

We pass by a field.

It's called Larry Doby field, and Dad asks me if I know who Larry Doby was. I tell him that of course I know, that he broke the color barrier in the American League, played for Cleveland and only recently passed away.

Dad says that his father met Larry Doby. Talked to him.

I tell him that I am impressed.

Yeah, Dad says, in the early 1950s...perhaps 1951...his father wanted to sell his house in Paterson, NJ, and one day Larry Doby came to look.

Dad doesn't know if he came close to buying the house, but before breaking in with the Indians, Doby did play Negro League ball for Newark and made his home in Paterson, NJ--where both of my parents were born and where my father's family made their home before moving to Fair Lawn.

You learn something new every day, don't you?

Bronx Bombin' (Postgame Notes 08 May 2008)

In a lot of respects, this game was eerily similar to the first game of the series--a close game where the Yankees' offense was mostly a product of Jason Giambi and Robinson Canò--but, unlike that game, the Yankees won this one.

Mike Mussina started the game great, giving up a lead-off single to Grady Sizemore and then retiring twelve in a row before hitting a wall in the fifth. It was certainly not Mussina's best start of the season, but it was good enough to give the Yankees a chance, and one cannot ask for much more than that from a (supposedly) back end starter.

Ross Ohlendorf, who has not pitched in a while, had an excellent outing and is making a strong case for the eighth inning when Joba makes the transition to a starter.

Joba Chamberlain rebounded from his poor start--this time striking out David Dellucci, and he did not bother to hide the emotion.

On the offensive side of things, Johnny Damon had two crucial hits, Jason Giambi hit at least two balls to the left side (even if they were outs) and a two run home run, and Robinson Canò had (arguably) the best game of his season. Even Wilson Betemit had his first home run of the season.

Hideki Matsui now has a 17 game hitting streak, getting a hit in his first at bat.

OPTIMIST TAKE: The Yankees' offense was able to pick up Mussina after he hit a wall, and they combined for four home runs. Mariano Rivera had a "poor" outing for himself, but his line is still sick. Although the Yankees finish the home stand at 4-5, one can argue that it should have finished at 5-4, had Joba not had the bad outing.

Cliff Diving (Postgame Notes 06 May 2008)

Most of the time, if your starter goes seven innings giving up three runs or less, your team is in good shape. In fact, such a scenario is called a "quality start".

Most of the time, however, the opposing pitcher does not sport a 0.96 ERA.

Cliff Lee did not just come as advertised tonight, but he made an excellent case for starting the All Star game, as well as even winning the Cy Young.

Chien Mien Wang did not have a strong first inning, and even though he settled down, there was simply no way he could out pitch Lee.

In fact, right now, it doesn't look like anyone can out pitch Lee. The only mystery seems to be when Lee's luck will run out--because it seems too good to hold true for the entire season.

Then again, stranger things have happened.

On the offensive side, the Yankees were able to manage hits--Abreu, Matsui, Duncan, Cabrera and Canò managed hits--but they were not able to put anything substantial together, and each time they had two men on base, there were also two out.

It's hard to fault an A-Rod and Posada-less offense for this loss; Lee was that good.

OPTIMIST TAKE: Even though Wang lost the game, he battled back from his shaky first inning and gave a quality start. Alex Rodriguez may be back in the line up as early as Wednesday. Kyle Farnsworth again looked good. David Cook is in the top three!

Pregame Notes 07 May 2008

These are short because I'm in the middle of packing, but here goes:

Tonight, Chien Ming Wang looks to go to 7-0, but to do so, he'll have to beat Cliff Lee, who currently has an ERA under one. Yes, you read that right--Lee's ERA is 0.96.

Meanwhile, Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui each have their own streaks to keep going--Matsui is looking at a 16 game hitting streak.

Meanwhile, here in Syracuse, it looks like the heavens are about to let loose...



More later, if I don't succumb to 'death by packing'.

Pregame Notes 06 May 2008

Well, it's only been one day without Yankees baseball, but it feels like a lot more than that.

Anyway, the Yankees open up the final series of their "welcome home after a three week road trip" home stand tonight, and Andy Pettitte will take the mound against Fausto Carmona of the Cleveland Indians.

The last time these two pitchers met, Pettitte out-pitched Carmona through seven, but ultimately the effort came undone, and if you're any sort of Yankee fan, I need not remind you how.

In his most recent two starts, Pettitte pitched well through the first four and came unglued in the fifth. If it happens again tonight, expect to see some questions as to his durability.

Coming off of a sweep of Seattle, the Yankees bats have been (mostly) hot; whether or not the offense has truly turned a corner has yet to be determined, and the Yankees will know more at the end of this series.

***

On a personal note: I've now completed all the coursework necessary for my BA, including the defense of my thesis (woo-hoo!)

As you might imagine, with graduation on Saturday (well, Sunday too, only I'm skipping because ceremonies that start at 9 AM on a Sunday totally don't do it for me), my posting will be a bit spotty this weekend. Brent Nycz has agreed to do gamers for Friday and Saturday, so you will get to see some more of his fine work.

Killing Them Softly (Postgame Notes 28 April 2008)

As far as wins go, tonight's may have been one of the oddest the Yankees will ever have this season.

In an inning where the Yankees only hit one ball out of the infield, they managed to score four runs, coming right back after a tough inning for Mike Mussina, taking the lead they would not relinquish.

Mike Mussina and Aaron Laffey matched each other well, taking a scoreless game into the fifth. While Mussina gave up his share of hits, until the bottom of the fifth, he was able to make the big pitches when he needed.

Even when Mussina struggled in the bottom of the fifth, giving up one run and loading the bases before recording his first out, he was able to escape the inning with only two runs.

Laffey was just as good--the Yankees did not get their first hit until the top of the sixth inning, and even when the Yankees knocked him out of the game, they did so with only one ball hit out of the infield, and two sacrifice outs.

The Yankees' bullpen--Jonathan Albaladejo, Kyle Farnsworth, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera--was excellent, retiring ten in a row to end the game. It was exactly what the Yankees needed--innings from Mussina and a good effort from the bullpen.

OPTIMIST TAKE: The Yankees won this game not with the home runs, but with the extreme small ball that everyone's been worried about them not being able to play. After losing the first two to Cleveland, they salvaged a split, both for the series and for the ten game road trip. They now get to return to Yankee Stadium for the first extended (as in, more than two games) homestand since the beginning of the season.

Pregame Notes 28 April 2008

With a win tonight in Cleveland, the Yankees can salvage a series split with Cleveland, and go 5-5 on the ROAD TRIP OF DOOM, as people like to say, and come out of the 18-of-20-on-the-road stretch with a +.500 record.

However, there are a few notable challenges to the Yankees being able to achieve that goal.

The first and most obvious is the injury to Jorge Posada. While the true extent of the injury has yet to be revealed, the fact that he is visiting the famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andrews does not bode well for anyone except Red Sox fans and those dependent on Dr. Andrews' salary for their living expenses.

The second potential challenge is that the hit-or-miss Mike Mussina is on the mound for the Yankees. When not facing the Boston Red Sox, his stats are actually good, but when not facing the Red Sox he's faced Toronto, Tampa Bay and the White Sox.

The third, and most frustrating issue, are the horrible numbers the Yankees have with Runners in Scoring Position. CC Sabathia was great yesterday, and the Yankee pitching better, but the Yankees had a few innings they could have opened up a 2-0 or 3-0 lead and did not capitalize.

That the Yankees are 13-13 right now despite everything that's gone wrong this month alone is somewhat of a miracle; hopefully they will ride the momentum from last night's win and return home above .500.

Let's Play Two!

As you may or may not know, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre -- Syracuse Sky Chiefs game yesterday was rained out, which was a disappointment, seeing as I had tickets.

However, Dan, the one with whom I went to Boston, and I are of the opinion that you can never have too much baseball, so we decided to make good on the rain check and head back out to the ballpark, given that it's only a ten minute drive from the University.

What we didn't realize, was that in the minor leagues, the way double-headers work (or at least in Syracuse), is that you have to exchange your tickets, and the new tickets are good for both games.

Now, originally, our seats were fourth row behind the SWB dugout, which is awesome in its own right.

However, when we went to exchange our tickets, that section had already been exchanged/sold out (there was another game originally scheduled for today, hence the doubleheader), so we went with the best available--which just happened to be row two in between home plate and the dugout--literally RIGHT behind the on deck circle.

The nice person behind the ticket counter told us that the seats were behind the netting as if telling us that we were sitting right behind the foul pole like in the old cartoons, but netting is a very small price to pay.

Anyway. So as you probably know, I like to take pictures.


Bernie Castro. I am amused that his name is Bernie and he wears #51. He does not, however, play center field--he plays second base. The man sitting in front of Dan and myself had a conversation with him through the netting in Spanish, but alas, my Spanish skills were not quite good enough to understand the entire conversation. However, the guy did make Bernie Castro laugh, so I guess that's a good sign.


During the anthem.


Brett Gardner. Offensively, he had a day he'd probably like to forget. However, defensively, he made a couple of good plays, especially in the first game, which was needed as Scranton won the first game 2-1.


Getting ready for game action.


Cody Ransom. He had a great Spring Training, if you remember.


Juan Miranda. Another guy in front of us tried to ask Miranda if he was related to someone, but I'm not sure Miranda speaks English.


Rasner pitching. He went into the sixth (of seven), three hits, one run. He looked good--seemed to be throwing mostly strikes.


Rasner wasn't actually looking at me when I took this picture, but I can pretend he was.


Jason Lane talking to hitting coach Alvaro Espinoza.


Bullpen getting loose.


Getting ready for the next inning.


A peek into the dugout.


Right after Rasner left the game. Rasner got a very nice hand--there are a lot of Yankee fans in Syracuse! In fact, there were audible Let's-Go-Yankees chants throughout the doubleheader, but no such for Syracuse.


Yes, that is Kei Igawa, and yes, he is in the stands, signing autographs. Igawa was actually sitting in the stands for the entire game. I was tempted to go over and say hi, but I don't speak Japanese. That, and according to one of the boys sitting behind us, his translator is scary.


Bern, baby, Bern? This was right before he started talking to the man in front of us.


Kei Igawa sat there through both games.




Igawa was charting pitches--when I took this it was the second game, so Marquez was pitching. Dan and I didn't stay for the entire second game; Marquez and the SWB Yankees were down 2-0 or 3-0 when we left. By this point I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the score.

We had a great time--in fact, we went and bought tickets for Syracuse--Pawtucket on Thursday.

Because, after all, you can never have too much baseball.

****

I did follow the ML Yankees game on my cell phone--excellent performance by Wang, great home run from Melky, not so great with RISP. However, the Yankees needed the win, and they got it. At 5-0, Wang is setting himself up for a great season.

****

The news about Jorge Posada, however, is not fun. The New York Times, as you likely know by now, is reporting a muscle tear, which means that for the first time in his career, Posada will be headed for the DL.

Since Chad Moeller has been DFA'd, Jose Molina is more or less our only catcher--and even he is not at 100% with his hamstring. Rumor has it that Chris Stewart will be called up for SWB, but, of course, one has to wonder, if Cervelli had not gotten hurt in Spring Training...

Pregame Notes 27 April 2008

The Yankees will try to stop the bleeding tonight and put an end to their three game losing streak, as Chien Ming Wang takes the mound against reigning Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia.

The last time these two pitchers met--last October--the result wasn't pretty. Cleveland's hitters killed the Yankees with two-out hits, and while Sabathia's pitching was far from Cy Young caliber, the Yankee hitters were never able to get the one big hit.

The inability to get the big hit has carried over with the Yankees, and, if you saw yesterday's game, you know just how frustrating it can be for the Yankees, and their fans.

With a bullpen as depleted as the Yankees' is, the offense will have to come around in a big way if the Yankees are going to salvage a +.500 record for the month. They have never lost more than 14 games in April (last year they were 9-14), but then again, they don't play 29 games in April very often, so the statistic might be a little skewed.

No Ken Do (Postgame Notes 26 April 2008)

Note: I had tickets to the Syracuse-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre game tonight (which was rained out), so I only saw the first four innings of the Yankee game today.

Ian Kennedy struggled once again in his start today; though he managed to pitch through five innings, he struggled in the first and second.

The Yankees' offense came on Jorge Posada's three-run triple, and yes, you read that sentence right.

Losing games in the bottom of the ninth sting, but given that the Yankees have such a depleted bullpen, it can't be that entirely surprising. However, the Yankees need to get past the excuse making, now that it's about a month into the season, and start adjusting. It's certainly not time to panic, but the Yankees need to seriously think about looking for ways to restock their bullpen, even if it means going outside their system.


OPTIMIST TAKE: Posada had a triple. Shelley Duncan is back with the big boys.

****

The Scranton-Syracuse game, as I said above, was a washout; there's a doubleheader tomorrow and apparently our tickets are good for the 2 PM game though I'm not exactly sure how it works.

That said, I'll have pictures tomorrow when there's actually a game.

While we were waiting during the rain, there was a booth where you could attempt to throw a pitch and if you hit the catcher's mitt, you could win a prize or some such. I tried it out--in my platformish flip flops--for the fun of it, just to see how I did. Of four throws, two didn't register on the radar gun, and the fastest one that did?

26 MPH.


Yeah, there's a reason I don't play baseball.

Pregame Notes 26 April 2008

Ian Kennedy is on the mound for the Yankees this afternoon as they look to halt their two-game losing streak, which has been made all the worse with the loss of Brian Bruney for the season.

Some good news for Yankees fans, however: fan favorite Shelley Duncan has been recalled to the bigs, and is in today's starting line up.

The Yankee line-up today is Damon/Cabrera/Jeter/Rodriguez/Giambi/Duncan/Ensberg/Molina/Gonzalez, which means that the Yankees have a bench that includes Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu and Robinson Canò.

The line up is likely the way it is today to get as many righties in there against Cleveland's left-handed starter Jeremy Sowers.

If that's not depth on a roster...

Anyway, I am going to see the Scranton Yankees tonight as they're in Syracuse, so when I return later this evening I shall have pictures from last night's game in Rochester, tonight's game, and, of course, a recap of the hour or so of the Yankees' game today I will be able to see.

As I said before if you're in the area and going to the game, stop by and say hi--section 105, row 4, seats 11 and 12.

Bad Times For Brian Bruney (with Pregame Notes for 25 April 2008)

So if you asked me last September, what's the last thing I thought I'd be writing here in an April post, "I feel bad for Brian Bruney" would probably be somewhere on the list, but it is very true.

From Tyler Kepner's blog:

Here is what happened to Yankees reliever Brian Bruney on Thursday:

* He had a magnetic resonance imaging exam on his injured right foot, which the Yankees fear has two torn ligaments and which will probably put him on the disabled list.

* He learned that the 18-wheeler transporting his truck to New York had an accident, and his truck fell off and sustained significant damage.

* His aunt in Oregon found his uncle not breathing, and his uncle is now in a coma.

Even though Bruney has not been entirely successful this season, his attempt is worthy of note--at one point only Joba and Mo had a lower WHIP.

You never wish for a player to get hurt, and even more than that, you never wish for a player's family to get hurt.

Here's hoping Bruney's uncle pulls through and his foot heals soon.

****

After a long night last night, the Yankees are in Cleveland to begin a four game set--three of which are scheduled to be started by lefthanders for the Indians.

As tired as the Yankees are, however, they may have caught a break--Cleveland had to play a double-header yesterday, and the second game did not get started until 10.25 PM Cleveland time.

That said, the Yankees are without the services of Brian Bruney, likely Alex Rodriguez, likely Kyle Farnsworth and likely Ross Ohlendorf.

Andy Pettitte, however, will start (his spot in the rotation was switched with Ian Kennedy's), and hopefully, weather-permitting, go long enough into the game to avoid having to dig deep into the bullpen.

Given the lack of immediate bullpen help, expect the Yankees to make a few moves before game time.

As I stated last night, I'm off to see Rochester and Lehigh Valley tonight; you may or may not get a guest postgame post.