09/12: Nice Cashman Interview
Posted by: Patrick
Phil Allard has a great interview with Brian Cashman where he touches on a number of subjects, including our young pitchers, the Joba Rules, Kei Igawa, A-Rod's contract and more.
Via Steve.
The rapid ascent of Joba Chamberlain has to be a surprise to you and everyone in Baseball.
When you have a great deal of ability and it comes together, you can move fast. No one would have thought he’d be doing this in ’07 – same as Ian Kennedy -- but sometimes players move themselves ahead of their developmental program. In these two cases they have. Joba Chamberlain has been a huge stabilizing impact on our bullpen. The Joba rules have also contributed to the fact that – since there are days he can’t be used – it forces a situation where others have to be used, because there are no other choices, to be quite honest. This has helped Kyle Farnsworth, whose 10 of his last 11 appearances have been shut out baseball, and Edwar Ramirez has done very well. Now the work load is spread evenly throughout the bullpen. That might not be the case if Joba were available more often.
And this is to protect Joba in a role he isn’t accustomed to. I know that some people in the media have been saying that this is my way of protecting Joba from the manager. Nothing is further from the truth. This is about protecting a young pitcher at the end of his inning limit who has never been a reliever before. And we relied on Nardi Contreras to develop a program that would protect him. When I realized that we weren’t going to secure any outside help -- I didn’t want to give up the farm system -- we started to prepare him for the bullpen and his graduation to the big leagues and he has been spectacular.
When you have a great deal of ability and it comes together, you can move fast. No one would have thought he’d be doing this in ’07 – same as Ian Kennedy -- but sometimes players move themselves ahead of their developmental program. In these two cases they have. Joba Chamberlain has been a huge stabilizing impact on our bullpen. The Joba rules have also contributed to the fact that – since there are days he can’t be used – it forces a situation where others have to be used, because there are no other choices, to be quite honest. This has helped Kyle Farnsworth, whose 10 of his last 11 appearances have been shut out baseball, and Edwar Ramirez has done very well. Now the work load is spread evenly throughout the bullpen. That might not be the case if Joba were available more often.
And this is to protect Joba in a role he isn’t accustomed to. I know that some people in the media have been saying that this is my way of protecting Joba from the manager. Nothing is further from the truth. This is about protecting a young pitcher at the end of his inning limit who has never been a reliever before. And we relied on Nardi Contreras to develop a program that would protect him. When I realized that we weren’t going to secure any outside help -- I didn’t want to give up the farm system -- we started to prepare him for the bullpen and his graduation to the big leagues and he has been spectacular.
Via Steve.
Posted by: Patrick
From Peter Abraham:
On a related note, Jesse Spector has a great interview with Mr. Duncan.
Via Mark Feinsand.
Shelley Duncan has what the team is calling "discomfort in his lower abdominal wall" and was sent back to New York to be examined by team physician Stuart Hershon. He will have an MRI today.
Torre said Duncan has been dealing with the injury for about a month.
If Duncan has a hernia, he could be out for the remainder of the season. In an ironic twist, Duncan's younger brother Chris left the Cardinals on Monday because of a hernia and is expected to miss at least 10 days.
Torre said Duncan has been dealing with the injury for about a month.
If Duncan has a hernia, he could be out for the remainder of the season. In an ironic twist, Duncan's younger brother Chris left the Cardinals on Monday because of a hernia and is expected to miss at least 10 days.
On a related note, Jesse Spector has a great interview with Mr. Duncan.
Via Mark Feinsand.
Posted by: Patrick
From the AP:
He expects to pitch in the finale of the upcoming Red Sox series.
Roger Clemens threw a bullpen session, pronounced himself ready to return to the mound Sunday night at Boston and revealed tests showed ligament damage in his sore right elbow. ...
Clemens said an MRI exam revealed ligament damage and internal bleeding in his forearm, adding that the muscle was "pretty nasty." The elbow problem might have stemmed from a blister on Clemens' foot that caused him to alter his mechanics.
Clemens said an MRI exam revealed ligament damage and internal bleeding in his forearm, adding that the muscle was "pretty nasty." The elbow problem might have stemmed from a blister on Clemens' foot that caused him to alter his mechanics.
He expects to pitch in the finale of the upcoming Red Sox series.
09/11: Yankees Top Jays, 9-2
Posted by: Patrick
Tonight, Phil Hughes made the 10th start of his major league career. It was a good one. He went 6 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 ER with 3 walks and a strikeout. He got the win, improving to 3-3. It was an all rookie affair, as Edwar came in and threw two scoreless innings and Ross Ohlendorf made the first appearance of his career, throwing a 1-2-3 9th. Congrats to Ross.
The Yankees pounded Shaun Marcum for 8 earned runs in 4 and 1/3 innings. Jeter started at short shop, going 0 for 3 with 2 walks. Giambi was 1 for 3 with a grand slam, 2 runs and a walk. Posada was 2 for 3 with a double, a homer and 3 runs. Damon was 3 for 5 with 1 run and 2 RBI. Abreu was 2 for 5 with 2 doubles and a run. A-Rod was *just* 2 for 4 with no homers and 1 run. Matsui was 0 for 4 and managed to get an RBI on a sac fly, Cano was 1 for 4 with 1 run and Melky was 0 for 5.
The Tigers played a double header, losing the first game and winning the second, so we gained a half game there. In the Red Sox and Devil Rays game, the Rays were leading 8-1 after 4 and 1/2 innings. Unfortunately, that was not a safe lead as they allowed 4, 3, 6 and 2 runs, respectively, in each of the next 4 Red Sox halves of the inning. Tomorrow, we'll send Moose (8-10, 5.51 ERA) up against Dustin McGowan (10-8, 3.90).
The Yankees pounded Shaun Marcum for 8 earned runs in 4 and 1/3 innings. Jeter started at short shop, going 0 for 3 with 2 walks. Giambi was 1 for 3 with a grand slam, 2 runs and a walk. Posada was 2 for 3 with a double, a homer and 3 runs. Damon was 3 for 5 with 1 run and 2 RBI. Abreu was 2 for 5 with 2 doubles and a run. A-Rod was *just* 2 for 4 with no homers and 1 run. Matsui was 0 for 4 and managed to get an RBI on a sac fly, Cano was 1 for 4 with 1 run and Melky was 0 for 5.
The Tigers played a double header, losing the first game and winning the second, so we gained a half game there. In the Red Sox and Devil Rays game, the Rays were leading 8-1 after 4 and 1/2 innings. Unfortunately, that was not a safe lead as they allowed 4, 3, 6 and 2 runs, respectively, in each of the next 4 Red Sox halves of the inning. Tomorrow, we'll send Moose (8-10, 5.51 ERA) up against Dustin McGowan (10-8, 3.90).
Posted by: Patrick
A-Rod was named the AL Player of the Week and Pettitte was named the MLB Clutch Performer of the Month.
In all, the American League Player of the Week hit .565 with seven homers, 11 RBIs and nine runs scored while putting up an astounding 1.478 slugging percentage.
However, helped by Pettitte's consistent starts and the Majors' best second-half offense, the team went 18-11 in the month, including a 6-0 mark when Pettitte pitched.
09/10: Sox Lose, Tigers Win
Posted by: Patrick
Today the Yankees were off, so we could only watch while the Red Sox and Tigers either gained or lost a half game. Well, it was a split. Scott Kazmir held the Sox to zero runs in 7 innings to notch a 1-0 win, but the Tigers by scoring 4 runs in the 9th to win by 1. That makes us 5 games back in the division and puts our Wild Card lead at 3.5 games.
Posted by: Patrick
The first round of playoffs in the Yankees Bloggers Fantasy Baseball League has come to a close.
3. Ben (River Ave. Blues) defeats 6. Aziz (Pride of the Yankees), 5-4
Aziz led the batting categories, taking runs, home runs and runs batted in. Ryan Braun was a big part of this, hitting .304 while scoring 8 runs, hitting 4 homers and driving in 8. Magglio Ordonez hit .400 for the week, to go along with 3 runs and 3 runs batted in. Curtis Granderson (7 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 SB, .370 AVG) and Albert Pujols (3 R, 5 RBI, .400 AVG) were Ben's biggest contributors.
Ben's pitching performed better, though, winning saves, ERA and WHIP. Wins ended in a tie at 3, despite Aziz using 10 starting pitchers. Ben had wins from C.C. Sabathia (2) (9 Ks) and Brad Hennessey and saves from Chad Cordero (3), Hennessey (2) and Brett Myers (2). Aziz's wins came from Ben Sheets (11 Ks), Oliver Perez and Dustin McGowan (12 Ks). Matt Cain also had 9 strikeouts. Francisco Cordero (2), Takashi Saito and C.J. Wilson had saves.
5. Patrick defeats 4. Dave (Pride of the Yankees), 7-3
My offense had a terrific week, hitting .330 with 37 runs, 15 home runs, 42 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases. This resulted in me winning all of those categories, except for stolen bases. A-Rod had a monster week, hitting .565 with 9 runs, 7 home runs, 11 runs batted in and 1 stolen base. Jorge Posada (7 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .500 AVG) and Prince Fielder (6 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .381 AVG) also had great weeks. Freddy Sanchez drove in 8 runs. Aaron Rowand hit .417. For Dave, the biggest guy was Hanley Ramirez (3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 SB, .240 AVG).
Live Aziz, Dave threw a lot of starting pitchers out there, in an attempt to capture strikeouts and wins. He accomplished both, utilizing 13 starters to do so. But, I took the other 3 categories with 5 saves, a 2.40 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. I had wins from Manny Corpas and Justin Verlander and saves from Mo (2), Corpas (2) and Joe Borowski. Pedro Martinez, Al Reyes, Carlos Zambrano, Tom Glavine, Mike Pelfrey and David Wells had wins for Aziz while Joaquin Benoit (2) and Al Reyes had saves.
This Week
Here are this week's playoff match ups:
1. Mike (River Ave. Blues) (Regular Season Record: 123-88-9) vs. 5. Patrick (109-103-8)
Previous match ups:
Week 3: Patrick wins, 5-4-1.
Week 12: Tie, 5-5.
Week 21: Patrick wins, 6-4.
Mike's strengths: runs (3rd in the league), stolen bases (1st), wins (T1st), strikeouts (1st) and ERA (2nd).
Patrick's strengths: runs (1st), home runs (1st), RBIs (1st) and strikeouts (3rd).
Mike's weaknesses: RBIs (8th) and batting average (8th).
Patrick's weaknesses: stolen bases (10th), ERA (T8th) and WHIP (10th).
2. James (117-89-14) vs. 3. Ben (112-98-10)
Previous match ups:
Week 6: James wins, 8-2.
Week 15: James wins, 7-2-1.
James' strengths: saves (3rd), ERA (1st) and WHIP (3rd).
Ben's strengths: home runs (2nd) and batting average (3rd).
James' weaknesses: none.
Ben's weaknesses: stolen bases (8th).
The winners of these two games will face each other. Good luck everyone.
3. Ben (River Ave. Blues) defeats 6. Aziz (Pride of the Yankees), 5-4
Aziz led the batting categories, taking runs, home runs and runs batted in. Ryan Braun was a big part of this, hitting .304 while scoring 8 runs, hitting 4 homers and driving in 8. Magglio Ordonez hit .400 for the week, to go along with 3 runs and 3 runs batted in. Curtis Granderson (7 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 SB, .370 AVG) and Albert Pujols (3 R, 5 RBI, .400 AVG) were Ben's biggest contributors.
Ben's pitching performed better, though, winning saves, ERA and WHIP. Wins ended in a tie at 3, despite Aziz using 10 starting pitchers. Ben had wins from C.C. Sabathia (2) (9 Ks) and Brad Hennessey and saves from Chad Cordero (3), Hennessey (2) and Brett Myers (2). Aziz's wins came from Ben Sheets (11 Ks), Oliver Perez and Dustin McGowan (12 Ks). Matt Cain also had 9 strikeouts. Francisco Cordero (2), Takashi Saito and C.J. Wilson had saves.
5. Patrick defeats 4. Dave (Pride of the Yankees), 7-3
My offense had a terrific week, hitting .330 with 37 runs, 15 home runs, 42 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases. This resulted in me winning all of those categories, except for stolen bases. A-Rod had a monster week, hitting .565 with 9 runs, 7 home runs, 11 runs batted in and 1 stolen base. Jorge Posada (7 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .500 AVG) and Prince Fielder (6 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .381 AVG) also had great weeks. Freddy Sanchez drove in 8 runs. Aaron Rowand hit .417. For Dave, the biggest guy was Hanley Ramirez (3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 SB, .240 AVG).
Live Aziz, Dave threw a lot of starting pitchers out there, in an attempt to capture strikeouts and wins. He accomplished both, utilizing 13 starters to do so. But, I took the other 3 categories with 5 saves, a 2.40 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. I had wins from Manny Corpas and Justin Verlander and saves from Mo (2), Corpas (2) and Joe Borowski. Pedro Martinez, Al Reyes, Carlos Zambrano, Tom Glavine, Mike Pelfrey and David Wells had wins for Aziz while Joaquin Benoit (2) and Al Reyes had saves.
This Week
Here are this week's playoff match ups:
1. Mike (River Ave. Blues) (Regular Season Record: 123-88-9) vs. 5. Patrick (109-103-8)
Previous match ups:
Week 3: Patrick wins, 5-4-1.
Week 12: Tie, 5-5.
Week 21: Patrick wins, 6-4.
Mike's strengths: runs (3rd in the league), stolen bases (1st), wins (T1st), strikeouts (1st) and ERA (2nd).
Patrick's strengths: runs (1st), home runs (1st), RBIs (1st) and strikeouts (3rd).
Mike's weaknesses: RBIs (8th) and batting average (8th).
Patrick's weaknesses: stolen bases (10th), ERA (T8th) and WHIP (10th).
2. James (117-89-14) vs. 3. Ben (112-98-10)
Previous match ups:
Week 6: James wins, 8-2.
Week 15: James wins, 7-2-1.
James' strengths: saves (3rd), ERA (1st) and WHIP (3rd).
Ben's strengths: home runs (2nd) and batting average (3rd).
James' weaknesses: none.
Ben's weaknesses: stolen bases (8th).
The winners of these two games will face each other. Good luck everyone.
09/09: More Call Ups
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that after the finish of Scanton's season, the Yankees have decided to call up Matt DeSalvo, Kei Igawa, Sean Henn, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and Bronson Sardinha. With Ohlendorf not on the 40 man roster, someone will need to be dropped to make room for him. No word on who that will be, yet.
Once Trenton ends their season, the Yanks plan to bring Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright up, as well. That would give them 37 players.
Once Trenton ends their season, the Yanks plan to bring Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright up, as well. That would give them 37 players.
Posted by: Patrick
Jeter has patellar tendinitis and will skip Sunday's game against the Royals. From MLB.com:
"I think [he'll miss] just [Sunday]," Torre said. "He has irritation. It's the same knee, same problem. Another team doctor took a look at him when he came out of the game, and just a day off hopefully will do the job." ...
"It is just something that he has been dealing with, and I think he is at the point now where is having trouble dealing with it," Torre said, "even though if you put his name in the lineup, that is where he will go. But hopefully, the couple days off will help him feel better.
"It is just something that he has been dealing with, and I think he is at the point now where is having trouble dealing with it," Torre said, "even though if you put his name in the lineup, that is where he will go. But hopefully, the couple days off will help him feel better.
09/09: Moose to Pitch Wednesday
Posted by: Patrick
Moose will start Wednesday in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Wang pitches today in place of Clemens. Tomorrow is an off day. Then, we'll have Hughes and then Mussina.
