Rangers down Yanks 2-1

The Yankees bats have fallen silent for the past 2 games. Scoring 2 runs over 18 innings is not going to cut it against any team in the league. The Yankees will be looking forward to a strong game tomorrow from Joba. This team should be scoring tons of runs every night its just hard to watch when a team with so much talent can not string a few runs together. The Rangers do not have a very good pitching staff, but they score a lot of runs. When you limit them to 2 runs you can not drop that game. Mussina was very good tonight 6.0 innings 5 hits 2ER 2 walks 8K's. He had a lot of movement on his pitches and showed good control. Something has to be done to get some more consistency into this lineup. When they do score runs its a blow out, but they have problems winning those 1 or 2 run games. This team will have to make some sort of changes if they plan on making th playoffs.

Yankees - Rangers / Debut of Brett Gardner

Brett "The Hitman" Gardner makes his MLB debut for the Yankees tonight against the Texas Rangers. He is batting lead off and playing left field in his first MLB game. I have been waiting for some time for the Yankees to give Gardner a chance. I have seen him play a good amount of times (he's got wheels). Many MLB scouts say that he has been ready to play in the MLB for a few months. In Scranton he had a .287 average 3HR 29RBI 34 stolen bases. Mussina makes the start tonight for the Yankees against Scott Feldman. Mussina in his last 3 games is 1-1 22.0 innings 3.68ERA 2 walks 11K's. His last start was cut short against the Pirates, but in that game he gave up one run in 2 innings. Scott Feldman in his last 3 games is 0-1 with 16.0 innings pitched 5.63ERA 7 walks 7K's. Feldman in his last start only went 4.0 innings giving up 6 hits 2ER 2 walks 2K's picking up a no decision against the Astros. It should be a very fun game tonight stay tuned for updates.

Notes: Alfredo Aceves was put on the 7 day DL with a slight groin strain, he will make his next scheduled start for Scranton. Humberto Sanchez pitched 1.0 inning on Friday for the GCL Yankees giving up 1 hit, and striking out 1.

Mets-Yanks

Yanks and Mets are in progress in game 3 of the 3 game set Rasner V.S. Perez. The Yanks are down 2-0 in the bottom of the 3rd. Rasner is having some issues with his command so far is is at 54 pitches in only 2.1 innings (not good). Perez on the other had has pitch 3 innings and has not yielded a hit yet. I have been busy this weekend, and haven't had time to post, but I will have some updates tonight.

Yankees - Mets Subway Series Game 1

The Yankees got rained out last night in Pittsburgh through 2 innings with the Yanks leading 3-1. The game will be made up July 10th from scratch. Today the Yanks play a home-and-home doubleheader against the Mets. Dan Giese (1-2) starts the first game against RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-6). Giese only has one start under his belt, but he has pitched in other games this season in relief of Joba. Giese in his last 3 games is (0-1) with 10.1 innings pitched 0.00ERA 0 walks and 9K's. In his last start he went 6.2 innings giving up 4 hits 0ER 0walks 5K's. He made one costly error on a double play ball that cost him the game. Pelfrey is 2-0 in his last 3 games with 19.2 innings 3.20ERA 9 walks 13K's. Pelfrey in his last start went 5.2 innings 0ER 5 walks 5K's picking up the win against the Rockies. The Yankees need to get off to a good start today and take this game at home before going into Shea to play the remaining 3 games of the series.

Yankees - Pirates / Mussina - Maholm

Tonight the New York Yankees take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in game 3 of the 3 game set. Mike Mussina (10-5) takes on LHP Paul Maholm (5-5). Mike Mussina is 1-1 in his lat 3 games going 22 innings, 3.68ERA, 2 walks, 11K's on 289 pitches. In his last game he went 8 innings giving up 10 hits, 4ER, 2 walks, striking out 4 on 111 pitches against the Reds. Paul Maholm (the guy Billy Crystal got a piece of) is 1-0 in his last 3 games pitching 19.2 innings 4.12ERA, 6 walks, 9K's on 281 pitches. In his last game he pitched 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 3ER, 3 walks, 1K on 99 pitches. The Yankees are facing another LHP so look for the same lineup that played in the past 2 games. Posada will most likely get a rest tonight, and Molina or Moeller will get the start.

Notes: The rosters for the 2008 MLB Futures Game will be released at 3 p.m. check back for updates.

What do these two athletes have in common?

Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon was suspended indefinitely by the team Wednesday for insubordination after reportedly grabbing general manager Ed Wade by the neck and throwing him to the ground. Here is the story.

Joba, Yanks Stifle Pirates

Tonight Joba Chamberlain went 6.2 strong innings of shutout baseball for the Yankees to get his first win as a starter. The Yankees shut out the Pirates 10-0 in the 2nd game of the 3 game set in Pittsburgh. The story of the night was Joba Chamberlain his line 6.2 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts. He threw a new personal high 114 pitches. Joba was able to extend himself by keeping his walks down from previous outings. His opponent Zach Duke did not fare as well, although his defense didn't help him out too much. Duke went 5 innings on 79 pitches giving up 7 hits, 3ER, 2 walks. The Pirates made 2 errors behind Duke both of which led to runs. Ohlendorf pitched 1.1 innings 0 hits 3K's (impressive). Veras finished out the game pitching 1 inning giving up 2 hits 1K. Melky Cabrera was 2 for 5 with 1 run and 1 RBI. Abreu was 3 for 5 with 2 runs and 4 RBI Solo HR. Jason Giambi was 1 for 4 with 2 RBI. Robinson Cano was 3 for 5 with 1 run 1RBI Solo HR.

Notes: Eric Hacker pitched a very good game for the Trenton Thunder tonight (6.2 innings, 4 hits, 0ER, 2 walks, 5K's). Hacker a 23rd round pick in 2002 is now 2-1 for Trenton with a 1.97ERA. Anthony Claggett pitched 1 inning of relief for Trenton (0 hits, 0ER, 0 walks, 1K) lowering his ERA to 1.27.

Yankees Interested in Bedard?

Erik Bedard (4-4 3.97ERA not horrible) is officially on the trade market. There has been some rumblings that the Yankees may be interested. Bedard's trade value has diminished significantly since he was traded to the Mariners. It would take a decent package of players to be able to attain his services, but i think it would be a good idea. He is a lefty, and we all have seen what he can do (good games against the Yanks on a few occasions). He has had his share of injury problems and that is a major concern. He may even be going on the 15-day DL with back spasms this week. He threw a very good game this year against the Red Sox 7 innings 2 hits 0ER 3 walks 8K's. He might be starting off slow, but I think he still has it. Last year pre-All Star break he had a 3.40ERA, post-All Star break he has a 2.69 ERA (Only 9 games). In 2006 he had 4.28ERA pre-All Star break, and 3.10ERA post-All Star break. His numbers show he starts off slow, and I would be thrilled in the Yanks took a look at Bedard.

Joba and the Yankees take on the Pirates

The New York Yankees take on the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at 7:05 at PNC Park in game 2 of the 3 game set. Yankees phenom Joba Chamberlain (1-2) takes on LHP Zach Duke (4-4). Joba in his last 3 games is 0-0 with 16 innings, 2.25ERA, 8 walks, 16 strikeouts on 267 pitches. In his last game Joba got the no decision in the Yankees win over the Padres going 5.2 innings giving up 4 hits, 1ER, 3 walks, and 9 strikeouts on 100 pitches. Zach Duke is 1-0 in his last 3 games with 19.0 innings, 2.84ERA, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts on 278 pitches. Duke got a no decision in his last game out against Toronto going 7 innings giving up 6 hits, 0ER, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts on 97 pitches. Joba should have no problem tonight controlling the Pirates lineup. He needs to show the control that he had when he was coming out of the pen.

Pirates Down Yankees 12-5

The New York Yankees dropped the first game of a 3 game set to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Darell Rasner pitched 5 innings giving up 7ER striking out 4. The Yanks had numerous chances against Gorzelanny. Gorzelanny went 6 innings giving up 6 hits 3ER walking 5 striking out 2. The Yanks loaded the bases 2 times against Gorzelanny, and were unable to push a run across. Gorzelanny was very wild he also walked Darell Rasner on 2 separate occasions. He found a way to get out of trouble coming up with timely double plays when he needed to get out of a jam. Latroy Hawkins entered the game in the 6th inning he pitched 2.2 innings giving up 7 hits and 4ER. Latroy Hawkins has been doing nothing except giving the Yankees a better reason to DFA him. The Yankees have a few people who could replace Hawkins (Patterson, Cox, Robertson), time will tell if the Yankees decide to make a move. Edwar Ramierz came in to finish off the game pitching 1/3 of an inning giving up 2 hits, and 1ER. In the 9th inning Betemit got on base on an error and Bobby Abreu crushed a 2 run homer to make the score a little more respectable. The final score 12-5 Pirates.

Notes: J.B. Cox pitched 1 inning coming off the DL for Scranton 0 hits, 0ER, 1K. Cox lowered his ERA to 0.68 in Scranton. The switch pitcher Pat Vennditte pitched a scoreless 9th inning for Staten Island recording his 2nd save 1.0 inning 0hits 0ER 1K. Justin Christian went 2-4 in his first MLB game with 2RBI for the Yankees.

Yankees Injury Notes

Injury Notes: J.B. Cox (sore shoulder) was activated from the disabled list and is back with Scranton. Cox has pitched 12.1 innings in 10 games giving up 7 hits, 1ER, 3BB, 4K with a 0.73 ERA. Before Cox was injured the Yankees were looking for a way to get him to the Bronx. Phil Hughes (cracked rib) will start throwing off flat ground this week he is expected back sometime in August. Carl Pavano (Tommy John) is throwing curve balls off a mound, he is expected back in August . Humberto Sanchez (Tommy John) last I heard he was throwing BP, but that was about 2 weeks ago. There has been no recent news on Sanchez, but many have said he will see game action in June. Ian Kennedy (strained lat) Kennedy made his first start yesterday for the Gulf Coast League Yankees going 3 innings giving up 3 hits 1ER on 58 pitches striking out 7. Kennedy will most likely see a good number of starts in the minors before he is considered for a call up. Kyle Farnsworth (hand) is day to day after getting stitches on the webbing between his fingers on his throwing hand on Sunday.

Update: Humberto Sanchez started a game today for the Gulf Coast League Yankees. He only pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up 1 hit 1ER and 1 walk. No word on why he only pitched 2/3 of an inning. I will update ASAP.

Update: Sanchez reached his pitch count in the GCL game, that is why he was taken out of the game.

The "ACE" to Scranton

According to Peter Abram of the Journal News Alfredo Aceves has been promoted to Scranton. Aceves probably will get his first start with the team wile they are in Buffalo (to my dismay), but as soon as he makes a start in Scranton, I will get to the game and do some live blogging. It is nice to see this guy get a chance given his great numbers 97 innings, 1.95ERA, 69 hits, 21ER, 14 walks, 72 strikeouts. Hopefully he will continue to shine, and we can see him in the Bronx in the near future.

Yankees Visit Pittsburgh For 1st time in 48 years.

Tuesday the New York Yankees travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates at 7:05 at the beautiful PNC Park. Its the first time the Yankees will be in Pittsburgh since Bill Mazeroski's walk off home run in game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Darrell Rasner takes on LHP Tom Gorzelanny. Rasner is 1-2 in his last 3 starts going 16.2 innings with 5.40 ERA 6 walks 12 strikeouts on 299 pitches. Rasner is coming off of a decent start his last time out against the Padres(5 innings 2ER 5 walks 4 strikeouts 96 pitches). Only going 5 innings is not going to cut it, but it was nice to see him get back on track(sort of). Rasner is a first pitch strike guy so if he brings his walks down from last game he should definitely be able to extend his innings. Gorzelanny is 1-1 in his last 3 starts going 18.2 innings with 4.82 ERA 10 walks 11 strikeouts on 322 pitches. Last start Gorzelanny went 6.0 innings 4 ER 4 walks 4 strikeouts 110 pitches and picked up the loss against the White Sox. Gorzelanny pitched against the Yankees last year at Yankee Stadium he went 6.1 innings gave up 6 hits 4 ER 3 walks 5 strikeouts. In that game last year Hideki Matsui was 2 for 3 2 RBI with a single and a home run.

Time to see what Gardner has got to offer?

As Melky Cabrera continues his steady decline, we have a speedy center fielder just waiting to get shot. Brett Gardner the center fielder for the Scranton Yankees is batting .292 with 29 RBI and 29 stolen bases. He also has 52 walks and 53 runs scored. I know you can not compare major league and minor league stats, but in the majors this year Melky is batting .253 with 31RBI 26 runs scored and 5 stolen bases. Now I'm sure once Gardner got to the MLB his numbers would drop off, say his batting average dropped 40 points he would still be doing just as much as Melky. The one thing about Gardner's game that could make a big difference on this team, is his ability to steal a base, and manufacture runs. Not to mention the fact that he bats .342 against left handed pitching. Gardner could be the key ingredient that this team is lacking. Even if he isn't coming to permanently replace Melky, he could light a fire under Melky, and make him start producing.

Yankees Salvage Game 3 Against Reds

Today the Yankees defeated the Reds 4-1 behind another strong start from Andy Pettitte. Pettitte went 6 strong innings giving up 4 hits 2 walks 0ER striking out 4. Pettitte threw 97 pitches in 6 innings before the game was delayed due to rain in the middle of the sixth. This may have cut his day short because of the delay, but I doubt they would have run him back out for the 7th anyway. Johnny Cueto's day was defffinetly cut short due to the rain. After pitching 5 innings Cueto was only at 75 pitches giving up 4 hits 1ER striking out 7. Cueto was very impressive through 5 innings, but after the delay was relived by Gary Majewski. Majewski came in gave up singles to Jeter, and Matsui. With Jeter and Matsui on Majewski was relived by Affeldt who came in and gave up back to back doubles to Giambi and Posada, which made the score 4-0 Yankees. Edwar Ramirez pitched an impressive 9 pitch 7th inning, and turned the ball over to Farnsworth in the 8th. Farnsworth got the first 2 outs of the 8th and served up a homer to Griffey. The next batter Phillips hit a chopper back to the mound which Farnsworth tried to field with his bare hand, and A-Rod threw the ball wide to first. Mariano came in to get the final out of the 8th. In the 9th Mo got into some trouble giving up back to back singles to Votto, and Bruce. After giving up the 2 singles Mo got 3 outs in a row saving his 21st game for the Yankees.

Notes: Giambi 3 for 3 with 2 RBI. Posada 2 for 4 1 RBI. Ramirez 1.0 IP 0H 1K

Tarp is on the field.

The tarp is on the field at Yankee Stadium in the bottom of the 6th. The Yankees are leading the Reds 1-0 it is an official game, so if the weather does not let up the Yankees win. Notes: Bobby Abreu is 2 for 2 with 2 singles. Jason Giambi is 1 for 1 with a single, HBP, and a run. Andy Pettitte's day is most likely over. His line 6 innings 4 hits 4 strikeouts 2 walks 96 pitches.

Reds-Yankees / Cueto-Pettitte

The Yankees take on the Reds today at the stadium in the final game of the 3 game set. The Yankees are looking to avoid the sweep after 2 tough losses Friday, and Saturday. For the Yankees LHP Andy Pettitte takes the mound going 2-0 in his last 3 games with 21.2 innings 4.57 ERA 4 walks 18 strikeouts on 327 pitches. Pettitte's last start was exceptionally good in which he went 7 innings with 5 hits 1 walk 9 strikeouts on 103 pitches leading the Yanks to a 8-0 victory over the Padres. Going up against the Yankees today is RHP Johny Cueto. Cueto is 1-2 in his last 3 starts going 18.0 innings with 5.50ERA 14 walks 12 strikeouts on 325 pitches. Cueto was also good in his last start against the Dodgers although he got the loss he pitched 7 innings giving up 5 hits 2ER 3 walks 2 strikeouts on 103 pitches.

Reds Down Yanks 6-0

The Yankees lost to the Reds today 6-0. Everyone is making a big deal about Thompson for the Reds and I can't see why. I even heard them say he pitched a gem on ESPN News. A gem, are you kidding me? Since when is 5Innings 4Hits 4Walks 2K's and 96 pitches a gem. I'll give him credit he worked out of a few jams, but he was not nearly as good as Giese. Giese went 6.2Innings 4hits 0walks 5K's on only 75 pitches, but throw in one costly error. Thompson threw a decent game, but wasn't even the best pitcher in the game today. Giese impressed me in his first start, and I would like to see more of him. He doesn't have overpowering stuff by any means(88mph max), but he did have a nasty slider(75-76mph). The slider was a nice change of pace, and it kept hitters off balance all afternoon. In the seventh Giese got into some trouble and had a chance to get out of it with a DP back to the mound, but Giese made a bad throw and runners were safe on 1st and 2nd. After the error he got Votto to ground out to third, and he struck out Adam Dunn. The one very costly pitch he made to Encarnacion a fastball over the middle of the plate scored 2 unearned runs, and that was that. Veras came in gave up a 2 run homer to Patterson, and then got Bako to fly out ending an ugly 7th inning. The lefty Billy Traber came in to pitch the 8th for the Yanks giving up 2 hits to Janish and Griffey on 5 pitches only recording one out. To my dismay Girardi gave the ball to Ross Ohlendorf to get the final 2 outs of the 8th. Phillips singled with 2 runners on and made the score 6-0. Hawkins pitched a scoreless 9th inning (He's good when it doesn't count). I myself have seen enough of Ohlendorf, and Traber needs to go also. Ohlendorf will be gone as soon as Bruney is ready to come back, as far as Traber the may have him stick around since he is there only LHP out of the pen.

Is it the Mustache or the Thong.

Jason Giambi is putting up some pretty good numbers as of late. Giambi ranks 2nd in AL in HR (17), 9th in AL in OBP (.388), 5th in AL in SLG (.562), 4th in AL in OPS (.950).
So the question is credit the thong or the mustache?

Yanks drop one to the Reds.

The New York Yankees lost their first game tonight since June 11th. The Reds got a strong pitching performance from Edison Volquez 7innings 7hits 2ER 1BB 5Ks. Mussina showed some grit and pitched 8 Innings giving up 10hits 4ER 2BB 4Ks. Moose gave the Yanks a chance to win tonight but they only scored 2 runs and it was not enough to get the job done tonight. Tomorrow Dan Giese goes up against rookie Daryl Thompson. It should be an interesting match up tomorrow. Check back for more later.

Steven White off 40 man roster. Ponson to face Mets.

Steven White has been taken off the 40 man roster. This season in Scranton he was 4-6 with a 6.61 ERA. White will be replaced with Sidney Ponson who was signed by the Yankees on Wednesday. Ponson will start against the New York Mets in one of the games of home-and-home day/night doubleheader next friday. Ponson threw a bullpen session here in Scranton on Thursday, and will start Saturday against the Toledo Mud Hens in Scranton before being called to the Bronx to face the Mets.

Yankees- Reds / Moose-Volquez

Tonight the New York Yankees take on the Cincinnati Reds at 7:05 at Yankee Stadium. The big story for tonight will be the pitching match up. Mike Mussina(10-4 3.87) V.S. Edison Volquez (9-2 1.64). Last 3 starts Mussina 2Wins 0Losses 20.0Innings 2.70ERA 1Walk 13Stikeouts 281Pitches. Volquez 2Wins 0Losses 20.0Innings 2.25ERA 8Walks 22Strikeouts 326Pitches. Very similar numbers over the last 3 starts for these two pitchers both having very good years so far. Volquez has great stuff, but his command could sometimes be suspect. His command could hurt him against a very patient team like the Yankees. They will take pitches and try to get him out of the game early. Moose has great control of all of his pitches and seems to be locked in. If he could get past the first few innings without a problem the Yankees should have no problem getting past the Reds. This is not the first time this year the Yankees have seen Volquez. Volquez pitched four innings against the Yanks in spring training giving up 6Hits 2ER striking out 8. The Yankees stole 2 bases on Volquez during the spring, and have been running a lot as of late. So look for the Yankees to be stealing when they get on base.

Alfredo Aceves

Alfredo Aceves is a former Mexican League pitcher who is 25 years old and now pitching for the Trenton Thunder. I am intrigued by Aceves in High A he pitched 47 innings giving up 32 hits 11 ER walking 8 and striking out 37. Now those numbers are decent a 2.11 ERA in A+ really isn't dominating, but a very good BB/K ratio. His pitching was good enough to warrant his promotion to AA Trenton. With Trenton Aceves is pitching noticeably better which is a very good sign. His line in AA 44 innings 30 hits 8ER 5 walks and 33 strikeouts. Now I would say pitching to a 1.64 ERA in AA is dominating. His last outing with Trenton 8IP 0ER 1Hit 2BB 4K. Those numbers are scary. The outing previous to that one was 7IP 1ER 3hits 0BB 7K. Now what could make the difference in pitching decent in A+, to pitching well above average in AA? It could be coaching, or he may just be getting warmer as the season progresses. Whatever the case the Yanks need to find a way to get this man a few starts in Scranton. There is no need to baby him, he is 25 and he was already pitching in the Mexican League it's not like hes just some young kid that needs to be eased into pitching. If he does good in AAA who knows where we go from there, but I do know one thing, Sidney Ponson is not the answer.


In other news: Curt Shilling is out for the season for the Red Sox.

First Post Yanks Beat Padres 2-1

Today the Yankees continued their rise towards the top of the American League East with a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres. The Yankees scored what they needed behind another strong pitching performance behind Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlains line 5.2 Innings 4 Hits 1 ER 3 Walks 9 Strikeouts. Now you cant really expect much more from a guy starting in his only 4th start, but he has to lower his pitch count significantly. Throwing 100 pitches in 5.2 innings is not going to cut it. Instead of trying to throw the ball past everyone he should try pitching more to contact. He has the tools to be able to throw the hitters timing off, so even if a hitter gets wood on the ball odds are it won't do too much damage. I saw Joba make his first AAA start in Scranton he had 10 K's in 5 innings, but he threw way too many pitches. Joba is an amazing pitcher he just needs to learn not to try to blow it by everyone.