Kuzul

Well, that was unexpected.

For weeks leading up to MLB’s trade deadline, the Yanks were mostly quiet. Once the Cliff Lee deal fell through, the only names being thrown around were bats off the bench and middle relief help.

Well, the Yanks got their bench bat in Austin Kearns. And they paid the Indians $1.4 million to rent Kerry Wood for the rest of the season. But the one guy who came completely out of nowhere–and has the most potential to improve the team–was Lance Berkman.

Even before the 2009 World Series, I’m sure the Yankees Brass knew that they weren’t going to resign Hideki Matsui. Once the Japanese Iron Man, Matsui’s body began to fail. His knees couldn’t handle the outfield, and he underwent extended slumps at the plate as a result of those wonky knees. He ended up having six RBI in Game Six of the World Series, winning him WS MVP honors, but that performance didn’t change the fact that Matsui was in the decline.

The Yanks cold-heartedly let Matsui go and replaced him with the former Yankee and OBP Machine Nick Johnson. I admit it freely: I loved the signing. I appreciated Matsui for everything he brought to the Yanks—class, pride, a World Series title—but the idea of Johnson’s .426 2009 OBP plugged into the No. 2 spot in the lineup was thrilling. He was an injury risk, sure, but the Yanks would protect Nick by keeping him off the field and making him a True DH. Alas, even that didn’t help. After only 24 games–a-period, in which he batted a paltry .167 but still OBP’d at a .388 clip, Johnson went down with yet another injury and is likely done for the year.

Removing the Johnson left a gaping hole from the Yankee lineup. That void has not been properly filled all year. Check out the different DHs the Yankees have used in 2010, with the number of games at that “position” listed in parentheses:

1. Jorge Posada (24)
2. Nick Johnson (19)
3. Juan Miranda (10)
4. Marcus Thames (10)
5. Alex Rodriguez (9)
6. Nick Swisher (8)
7. Mark Teixeira (6)
8. Derek Jeter (5)
9. Robinson Cano (1)
10. Colin Curtis (1)

The addition of a full-time DH creates allows the 38-year-old Jorge Posada to get a full day off when he takes a break from catching. And it allows the Yanks to avoid those less ineffective DH options in Miranda, Thames, and, yes, even Colin Curtis.

The Yankees hope Lance Berkman will be the Nick Johnson they never had. Berkman will slide right into that No. 2 hole in the lineup and be the team’s everyday DH. Berkman, like Johnson, is also known for his ability to take pitches and work walks. Despite his less-than-stellar 2010 season so far, he had ranked fourth in the National League in bases on balls .

But of course the question remains: Which Lance Berkman will show up? Will it be the feared and respected slugger that carried the Houston offense over the last decade or will it be the washed-up shell of an All Star that Berkman presented in 2010? (The Yanks have experienced that “shell of a former All Star” before ). Berkman swears that the move to the Bronx will reinvigorate him. We will see. But as an owner of Berkman in my fantasy keeper league, I still remember when Berkman was great.

Heck, he finished 5th in MVP voting as recently as 2008. And he had solid stretches in 2009—hitting .300 with 7 HR during the season’s final 23 games. He’s only 34 and will see good pitches with the protection of Tex and A-Rod behind him. I’ll be rooting for him—and not just because I’m still stupidly counting on him in my fantasy league. He alone has the opportunity to make this Yankee team significantly better. Given that they’re already the best team in baseball, that’s a scary-good thought.

___________________

From the FanTake Blog: Mr. Blogtober

Follow on Twitter: @Mr_Blogtober

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Well, that was unexpected.

For weeks leading up to MLB’s trade deadline, the Yanks were mostly quiet. Once the Cliff Lee deal fell through, the only names being thrown around were bats off the bench and middle relief help.

Well, the Yanks got their bench bat in Austin Kearns. And they paid the Indians $1.4M to rent Kerry Wood for the rest of the season.

But the one guy who came completely out of nowhere (and has the most potential to improve the team) was Lance Berkman.

Even before the 2009 World Series, I’m sure the Yankees Brass knew that they weren’t going to resign Hideki Matsui. Once the Japanese Iron Man, Matsui’s body began to fail.

His knees couldn’t handle the outfield, and he underwent extended slumps at the plate as a result of those wonky knees.

He ended up having six RBI in Game 6 of the World Series, winning him WS MVP honors, but that performance didn’t change the fact that Matsui was in the decline.

The Yanks cold-heartedly let Matsui go and replaced him with the former Yankee and OBP Machine Nick Johnson. I admit it freely: I loved the signing.

I appreciated Matsui for everything he brought to the Yanks—class, pride, a World Series title—but the idea of Johnson’s .426 2009 OBP plugged into the #2 spot in the lineup was thrilling.

He was an injury risk, sure, but the Yanks would protect Nick by keeping him off the field and making him a True DH. Alas, even that didn’t help.

After only 24 games, a period in which he batted a paltry .167 but still OBP’d at a .388 clip, Johnson went down with yet another injury and is likely done for the year.

Removing Johnson left a gaping hole from the Yankee lineup. That void has not been properly filled all year.

Check out the different DHs the Yankees have used in 2010, with the number of games at that “position” listed in parentheses:

Jorge Posada (24) Nick Johnson (19) Juan Miranda (10) Marcus Thames (10) Alex Rodriguez (9) Nick Swisher (8) Mark Teixeira (6) Derek Jeter (5) Robinson Cano (1) Colin Curtis (1)

The addition of a full-time DH creates allows the 38-year-old Jorge Posada to get a full day off when he takes a break from catching. And it allows the Yanks to avoid those less ineffective DH options in Miranda, Thames, and, yes, even Colin Curtis.

The Yankees hope Lance Berkman will be the Nick Johnson they never had. Berkman will slide right into that No. 2 hole in the lineup and be the team’s everyday DH. Berkman, like Johnson, is also known for his ability to take pitches and work walks.

Despite his less-than-stellar 2010 season so far, he had ranked fourth in the National League in bases on ball.

But of course the question remains: Which Lance Berkman will show up?

Will it be the feared and respected slugger who carried the Houston offense over the last decade, or will it be the washed-up shell of an All Star that Berkman presented in 2010? (The Yanks have experienced that “shell of a former All Star” before.)

Berkman swears that the move to the Bronx will reinvigorate him. We will see. But as an owner of Berkman in my fantasy keeper league, I still remember when Berkman was great.

Heck, he finished 5th in MVP voting as recently as 2008. And he had solid stretches in 2009—hitting .300 with 7 HR during the season’s final 23 games. He’s only 34 and will see good pitches with the protection of Tex and A-Rod behind him.

I’ll be rooting for him—and not just because I’m still stupidly counting on him in my fantasy league.

He alone has the opportunity to make this Yankee team significantly better. Given that they’re already the best team in baseball, that’s a scary-good thought.

___________________

From the FanTake Blog: Mr. Blogtober

Follow on Twitter: @Mr_Blogtober

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Of the Yankees’ remaining 74 games of the 2010 regular-season schedule, 13 are against the Tampa Bay Rays. That’s nearly 18% of all remaining games for the Yankees against the rival best team in baseball. The first of those showdowns between the two powerhouses begins today.

For a snapshot of where we are today, July 16, the AL East Standings look like this:

Team………………..W-L..pct..GB
New York Yankees..56-32 .636 –
Tampa Bay Rays….54-34 .614 2.0
Boston Red Sox…..51-38 .573 5.5
Toronto Blue Jays..44-45 .494 12.5
Baltimore Orioles….29-59 .330 27.0

The Yanks and the Rays are currently the only .600 teams in baseball. But with so many head-to-head contests looming that may change. After all, someone has to lose. That’s about the only thing going for the Red Sox right now.

Looking ahead to this first series after the All-Star Break, the pitching match-ups are as follows:

Friday
LHP CC Sabathia (12-3, 3.09 ERA) vs. RHP James Shields (7-9, 4.87)

Saturday
RHP A.J. Burnett (7-7, 4.75) vs. RHP Jeff Niemann (7-2, 2.77)

Sunday
LHP Andy Pettitte (11-2, 2.70) vs. LHP David Price (12-4, 2.42)

Jeez, the Rays have some pretty good pitchers, don’t they? Facing Niemann and Price over the weekend doesn’t look like much fun for the Yankees hitters. It was David Price, after all, who mowed down the best NL hitters in baseball in his start of the All-Star Game earlier in the week. The only match-up here that favors the Yankees is tonight, the Yanks’ ace against the Rays’ worst-performing starter. But even James Shields has his good days, and tonight is no gimme.

The secret to the Yanks’ success for this series? They need to make sure they take Friday night’s game, in what is sure to be an emotional event following the death of longtime owner George Steinbrenner. Then hope that the Good AJ shows up on Saturday or Andy continues his dominance on Sunday. Either of those outcomes doesn’t guarantee a win against the likes of Niemann or Price, but that’s their only hope to walk away with 2 out of 3.

Either way, baseball is back.

_____________

From the FanTake blog: Mr. Blogtober

Follow on Twitter: @Mr_Blogtober

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Much will be made of the Yankees’ terrific victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the first game after the All-Star Break. There was the somber aspect of the first game since Steinbrenner’s death. There were the dramatic back-to-back shots from Robbie Cano and Jorge Posada to tie the game in the 6th. There were the heroic hits from Nick Swisher–first, the game-tying dinger to lead off the 8th and then the game-winning single in the 9th.

But the play that stands out for me is a single with nobody out from a guy who went 1-4 on the night. I’m referring to the lead off single by Curtis Granderson to start the 9th inning. Facing the former Yankee, lefty Randy Choate, Granderson initiated the game-winning rally with an unassuming single to right field. Wait, let me repeat that for emphasis.

Granderson got a hit off a lefty.

Count me in the camp that wasn’t overly concerned by Granderson’s righty/lefty splits heading into 2010. After all, he hit 30 home runs last year, playing half his games in spacious Comerica Park. As a lefty in Yankee Stadium, I figured he could hit 40. His BA against lefties was .259 in 2008; surely his .210 avg vs. lefties in 2009 was an outlier. Kevin Long would perform his magic, and Curtis Granderson would be yet another Yankee superstar.

Except it didn’t happen like that. Curtis Granderson has seemed wildly over matched by left-handed pitchers all season long. Heading into tonight’s game, he was batting a paltry .207 with lefties on the mound, to go along with an OBP and SLG of .250 and .287, respectively. With a meager .537 OPS vs. lefties, Granderson has been matched up against the left-handed specialists from opposing teams in every late-inning pressure situation. He’s been effectively shut down time after time.

Randy Choate came into tonight’s game with devastating numbers against lefties. Before Curtis slapped his single, lefties were hitting .162 against him with 3 walks and 22 strikeouts in 19 innings. Curtis was perhaps the most unlikely candidate to put a dent into those numbers. But he did it.

Is this the start of something big for Curtis Granderson? Well, his inability to hit lefties has been the one knock on Granderson’s talents from the day he became a big-league player. I don’t think anyone is expecting Granderson to start destroying left-handed pitching. But hitting .250 would at least prevent him from becoming a glorified platoon player. If the Yanks are going to reach their full potential, they need that from Curtis.

_____________

From the FanTake blog: Mr. Blogtober

Follow on Twitter: @Mr_Blogtober

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yanks enter the 2010 All-Star break with the best record in baseball and are on pace for 103 victories. But the big news in Yankeeland this past week was the non-trade for Cliff Lee. Since that deal fell through, ESPN Insider is reporting that a Yanks deal for Cubs starting pitcher Ted Lilly “has legs.” What I don’t understand is the Yanks’ sudden obsession with starting pitching. Yes, yes, there are those old pitching adages:

Pitching wins championships.
You can never have enough pitching.

But, seriously, is Ted Lilly going to improve this team? I guess you need to grab Cliff Lee if all you’re giving up is a minor league prospect, but even that seemed like an unnecessary addition—like one of those deals I make for my fantasy team that never works out. The Yanks are the best team in baseball because their starting rotation, from top to bottom, is outrageously good right now.

Let’s talk a look at the Opening Day rotation and where the pitchers stand today.

C.C. Sabathia: After a characteristically slow start, C.C. has continued the dominance that earned him $161 million to play on 161st Street. Since June 1, a period of eight starts, Sabathia is 8-0 with an ERA of 1.81. You’re not going to improve on that. Let’s move on.

A.J. Burnett: “Good A.J.” and “Bad A.J.” have both showed up so far in 2010. But perhaps there’s logic behind his horrid stretch. Yankee pitching coach Dave Eiland left the team during the month of June for personal reasons. Here are Burnett’s stats with Eiland on the team and with him gone:

AJ with Eiland (April, May, July): 9-3, 2.96 ERA, 4 HR in 23 IP
AJ without Eiland (June): 0-5, 11.35 ERA, 9 HR in 85 IP

Does a pitching coach make this much of a difference? Does a pitching coach make any difference at all? I have no idea, but the difference in these numbers is ridiculous. How bad was A.J. in June? Hitters hit .357 and slugged .724 against him; he was worse than 2009 Chien-Ming Wang. But the rest of the season has shown that when he’s on, he’s one of the best in the game.

For folks who don’t remember, he single-armedly carried the Yankees for the second half of the 2009 season; he shut down the Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series, giving up one run and four hits in seven innings, to even the series at one game apiece. Despite his struggles, I want this man in my rotation.

Andy Pettitte: Dandy Andy is an All-Star for the first time since 2001, and his performance this season backs up the selection. He’s 11-2, bringing his career win-loss record to an insane 240-137 (making him the only active pitcher 100-plus games over .500). With victories in the clinching games in the 2009 ALDS, ALCS, and World Series, he also has 18 postseason wins.

Here in 2010, his 2.70 ERA and 1.147 WHIP marks what could be his finest AL season yet. Can he keep it up, or will his age (38) and the admitted previous usage of HGH finally break his body down? Either way, find me one Yankee fan that wants him bumped from the rotation right now. I’ll be waiting.

Javier Vazquez: Javy was the most likely pitcher to be bumped from the rotation with the theoretical addition of Cliff Lee to the Yanks. A quick glance at his overall 2010 numbers (7-7, 4.45 ERA) seem to indicate that he’d be the logical guy to trade away or relegate to the pen. But anyone watching the Yanks closely knows that he’s not the same guy who had his turn in the rotation skipped twice earlier in the season.

On May 17, Javy came on in the ninth inning of a Red Sox game, striking out Kevin Youkilis to preserve the Yanks’ two-run deficit. When Marcus Thames won the game with a two-run shot off of BoSox closer Jon Papelbon in the bottom of the frame, Vazquez earned the win for his one-third of an inning.

Since that game, Vazquez is 7-4 with a 2.77 ERA. Hitters are hitting .181 against him in 65 innings. For folks who remember only his painful 2004 stint in pinstripes, recall that Vazquez was fourth in the NL Cy Young voting just last year, behind Tim Lincecum, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainwright. In his last game, Vazquez lost a no-hitter on an infield single with two outs in the sixth inning. Is this a guy you want traded away or dumped to some long relief role? How would that make any sense?

Phil Hughes: Kind of hard to believe that there was once a battle for this fifth spot in the Yankees rotation. Two weeks past his 24th birthday, Phil Hughes will be an All-Star for the first time this evening. Sporting a sparkling 11-2 record, Hughes is the best No. five pitcher in baseball. More hitters have struck out against him this year than have reached base via a hit.

This is exactly what the Yankees hoped for when they selected him with their first pick in the 2004 draft. This is what Yankee fans dreamed of when Hughes threw 6.1 hitless innings in Texas in his second start, back in 2007. He’s really that good. For folks who were eager to deal him for Johan back in 2007, know this: Phil Hughes is costing the Yankees all of $447,000 this year. Santana is earning $20,144,707 across town.

The only issue in this rotation is Hughes’ reported innings limit. As a reliever for most of the 2009 season, Hughes was limited to 105.1 innings last year. Anywhere near 200 innings this season could be disastrous on his young golden arm. The Yankees skipped one of his turns in the rotation in June to cut back on his workload, but it’s tough to bench a pitcher when your team wins 81 percent of his starts.

Besides, is the intention of trading for Ted Lilly, Roy Oswalt, Dan Haren, or any of the other assorted pitchers on the trading block really to give Hughes a break? A spot-starter like Chad Gaudin could always spell the young Jedi, and the Yanks can still hold onto Jesus Montero for the inevitable time when Jorge Posada has to hang ‘em up.

So, as we look at the most important component of any baseball team, its starting rotation, here at the All-Star break, it’s mighty impressive to consider that 60 percent of the Yankees’ rotation will be in uniform for the Mid-Summer Classic. The other two guys have had stretches when they flat-out dominated the league. Take stock and enjoy it, fans. And don’t mess it up, Yanks.

________________

From Mr. Blogtober.

Follow on Twitter: @Mr_Blogtober

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com