Kuzul

The Yankees won a roller coaster last night to take back first place, but like I said, last night—it doesn’t mean much if they can’t win tonight to stay atop the AL East. Going for them is Phil Hughes, who is making his first start since being skipped in the rotation to limit his innings.

Here are some notes—

• Hughes has made three starts this year with six or more days of rest. He’s 1-2 with an 8.04 ERA in those games.
• Mark Teixeira has been playing with a broken toe for the last two weeks. Since then he’s played in 13 games and hit just .208 with a .600 OPS.
• Andy Pettitte made his final rehab start last night. His line was five innings, six hits, two earned, with a walk, four K’s, and one HR allowed. He threw 67 pitches during the game and 10 more in the bullpen afterward. He’ll rejoin the Yankees rotation this Sunday.
• Nick Swisher had an MRI yesterday that revealed no structural damage in his knee, just inflammation. He got a cortisone shot to deal with the pain and probably won’t play until Friday at the earliest.
• Brett Gardner got a cortisone shot in his wrist earlier in the week and it is possible that he could be back in the lineup tonight.
• Kevin Towers has interviewed for and could possibly get the Diamondbacks’ GM job because he is not under contract for next season. Scouting director Damon Oppenheimer was not allowed to interview because he is under contract for one more year.
• The Yankees released their 2011 schedule.

That’s all for now. The Yankees game starts at 7:10 tonight, it’s Hughes against “Big Game” James Shields. It should be a good one. Be sure to stop back in throughout the day for more updates.

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The Yankees overcame a seven-run fifth inning, battled back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-7 in 10 innings, and regained first place in the AL East.

Here are some highlights:

• The two biggest highlights were a pair of great defensive plays late in the game. The first was a great diving catch in center by Curtis Granderson to and the 9th inning. The second was a tremendous throw by Greg Golson from right field to double off Carl Crawford who was tagging up on a fly ball.
• The Yankees built a 6-0 lead off of homers from Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez by the top of the 5th inning.
• The Rays came back and took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the 5th when Ivan Nova and Boone Logan combined to allow 7 runs on 6 hits and a walk.
• In the top of the 6th, the Yankees regained the lead off a RBI double off the bat of Cano.
• The game remained tied until Jorge Posada hit a pinch-hit moon-shot in the 10th inning.
• Derek Jeter, Granderson, A-Rod, and Cano had multi-hit games.
• This was Nova’s worst start so far, 4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR. His ERA is up to 4.30.
• Mariano Rivera picked up his 30th save of the season.

It was a big win for the Yankees, but if they don’t follow it up with another win tomorrow, it’s really not that big a deal. They need another win tomorrow to stay in first place and to finally turn this losing slide around. The bullpen was heavily taxed in this game though so another big performance by the lineup is important.

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It’s been pretty harsh watching the Yankees these days, but like I said the other day, if they are blowing games because of the likes of Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre, two players who might not even be on the playoff roster, it’s hard to kill them over it. Those aren’t the only mistakes, but if the offense were clicking it’s hard to imagine that they would be doing this badly.

Here are some notes:

• Joe Girardi made some questionable bullpen moves last night. His reasoning for not using his best relievers was simply, “Sometimes you lose a battle to win the war.” Meaning, his pitchers were tired, and he didn’t want to wear them out and leave them unavailable later in the season.
• With the way the standings look now, the AL East winner will face the Texas Rangers and the Wild Card winner will face the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees might be better off against the Twins. So winning the Wild Card might not be terrible.
• Nick Swisher has been dealing with knee issues since August and will go for his second MRI today.
• Wilkin De La Rosa, the 25-year-old lefty reliever that they DFA’d last week, has cleared waivers and will stay with the Yankees.
• Jay-Z and Eminem played at Yankee Stadium last night, here is some info.

The Yankees can’t keep giving away games. They have a comfortable lead now, but they face the Red Sox six more times, and if they let the lead shrink too much than the Sox may be able to take advantage of it.

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Via Chad Jennings:

An MRI on Brett Gardner’s right wrist showed no break or tear, but it did show considerable inflammation. Gardner got a cortisone shot and is hopeful it will do the trick within a day or two.

“I couldn’t have picked up a bat today and swung,” Gardner said.

The pain is right at the base of the wrist, a little bit lower than the spot where Gardner was hit by a pitch in Los Angeles. He said he can play defense and pinch run tonight.

Gardner said he considered today’s MRI “pretty much good news.”

Manager Joe Girardi said over the weekend that he really wants the Yankees to win the division rather than settle for the Wild Card, but the bottom line is getting everybody healthy to the playoffs. If that means sitting Gardner quite a bit over the next 19 games, then so be it.

It’s good news that the MRI came back negative, but if there is considerable inflammation in his wrist, this could stick around for the rest of the year.

The cortisone shot will help, but it’s mostly going to just take away the pain. In a few weeks, when the shot wears off, the problem will still be there.

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The Yankees have been bad lately, but they’re still in first place because the Tampa Bay Rays have also been struggling.

That lead is down to just half a game though, and it will be put to the test over the next three days as the two AL East juggernauts go head-to-head.

It starts tonight with a battle of the aces, CC Sabathia vs. David Price.

Here are some notes:

• Javier Vazquez is going to have at least one start skipped through the rotation. If you were paying attention to a post I wrote this morning, it was something I just assumed when I laid out the rotation for the next three weeks.
• Nick Swisher sat out yesterday’s game because of his knee. He fouled a ball off it a couple weeks ago and has played from time to time, but he’s complaining that it’s not getting better. MRIs were taken and came back negative.
• Swisher is sitting out tonight’s game, as is Brett Gardner, who has been dealing with pain in his wrist. He is expected to have an MRI this week.
• Here is tonight’s lineup:
  • Derek Jeter SS
    Robinson Cano 2B
    Mark Teixeira 1B
    Alex Rodriguez 3B
    Marcus Thames DH
    Jorge Posada C
    Austin Kearns LF
    Curtis Granderson CF
    Greg Golson RF
• Here are the pitching matchups for the Rays series:
  • Tonight: CC Sabathia (19-6, 3.14) vs. LHP David Price (17-6, 2.87).
  • Tuesday: Ivan Nova (1-0, 2.92) vs. RHP Matt Garza (14-8, 3.68).
  • Wednesday: Phil Hughes (16-7, 4.26) vs. RHP James Shields (13-12, 4.98).

This is a pretty big series for the Yankees. Getting swept by the Rangers isn’t the end of the world, especially because it can only help them, as they will be forced to take the Rangers seriously when they face them in the playoffs. But they have lost six of their last seven and really need to start winning again before they start getting down on themselves.

They have the perfect man on the mound to help them turn themselves around. Sabathia gets his second chance at picking up his 20th victory and joining the Black Aces. Hopefully he has more tonight than he did in his last start, when he got shelled by the last-place Baltimore Orioles.

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The Yankees have 19 games left to play this season and the AL East may still be up for grabs, but with an eight game lead in the Wild-Card chances are pretty good that they’ll make the playoffs. Yesterday, I decided to take a look at the playoff roster. Today, I am going to look at where the pitching staff falls for the remaining 19 games and the first round.

Sept 13: CC Sabathia
Sept 14: Ivan Nova
Sept 15: Phil Hughes
Sept 17: A.J. Burnett
Sept 18: Sabathia
Sept 19: Andy Pettitte
Sept 20: Ivan Nova/Javier Vazquez
Sept 21: Hughes
Sept 22: Burnett
Sept 23: Sabathia
Sept 24: Pettitte
Sept 25: Nova/Vazquez
Sept 26: Hughes
Sept 27: Burnett
Sept 28: Sabathia
Sept 29: Pettitte
Oct 1: Nova/Vazquez
Oct 2: Hughes
Oct 3: Burnett

Game 1: Oct 6: Sabathia
Game 2: Oct 7: Pettitte
Game 3: Oct 9: Hughes/Burnett/Nova/Vazquez
Game 4: Oct 10: Sabathia (three days rest)
Game 5: Oct 12: Pettitte (full rest)

Of course injuries and/or rain could throw this entire rotation off track. But the way I have it mapped out works and makes sense. It also looks pretty good for the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs. Sabathia and Pettitte each get two starts with only one other starter needing to go in game three.

For those wondering here is the schedule for the second round of the playoffs:

Game 1: Oct 15
Game 2: Oct 16
Game 3: Oct 18
Game 4: Oct 19
Game 5: Oct 20
Game 6: Oct 22
Game 7: Oct 23

If Sabathia pitches in game four of the ALDS, he would be able to pitch game one of the ALCS on normal rest, but would need to go on short rest twice to pitch in games four and seven.

The Yankees wouldn’t necessarily need a fourth starter for this series either, but after the first time through every starter would be pitching on short rest. I didn’t map this out because there are too many potential variables that could throw things off.

The World Series is laid out the same exact way with back-to-back games, an off-day, three games in a row, another off-day, and concluding with back-to-back games.

If Sabathia pitched in game seven of the ALCS, he wouldn’t be able to start again until game two of the World Series and that would be on short rest. The World Series starts on October 27.

Here is the complete MLB 2010 playoff schedule.

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The Yankees were swept today by the Texas Rangers and now have lost six of their last seven games as Cliff Lee was brilliant tonight holding them to one run on two hits over eight innings. Dustin Moseley was impressive, but ultimately not good enough as he allowed four runs over 6.2 innings as the Yankees lost 4-1.

Here are some highlights:

Probably the biggest positive to come out of this game was Jonathan Albaladejo who pitched 1.1 innings and didn’t allow a run. His ERA this season is down to 1.59.

Other than that there wasn’t much as only Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez got hits, one each. Jeter also had two walks.

The Yankees managed three walks off Lee. It’s the most walks he’s allowed since September 2009.

The Rangers were aggressive on the bases, swiping three bags off of Jorge Posada. That could be a problem in the playoffs.

Alex Rodriguez got the day off for normal rest.

Nick Swisher was originally in the lineup, but was a late scratch because of his knee.

Brett Gardner sat with pain in his wrist, he’ll have an MRI on it this week. He’s currently day-to-day.

This was a very tough loss for the Yankees because of the playoff implications. Luckily, Tampa Bay lost today, so they are still in first place. But that is their next opponent, so if they don’t turn around their recent losing ways, they are at risk of falling into second place.

Things to keep in mind though, Chad Gaudin was a big reason for two of the losses and he isn’t likely to be on the playoff roster. And Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte weren’t in the rotation this week. Hughes will be back Wednesday and Pettitte Sunday.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees have dropped two in a row in walk-off style against the Texas Rangers and things won’t get any easier today as they face Cliff Lee. Making things worse, the Tampa Bay Rays are within striking distance, just a half-game back, of first place. So there is a lot on the line this afternoon.

Here are some notes:

In Lee’s last start against the Yankees he pitched 6.1 innings and gave up 4 earned runs.

Andy Pettitte will throw another rehab start on Tuesday and if everything goes well he will rejoin the rotation next Sunday, a week from today, in Baltimore.

Triple-A Scranton was ousted from the playoffs so the Yankees have called up first baseman Juan Miranda and infielder/outfielder Kevin Russo from the minors. It’s possible more players could be called up later on.

Jorge Posada is expected to catch today, the first time he’ll be doing that since he had a concussion scare after getting hit with a foul tip last week.

Brett Gardner has an injured right wrist. There was no specific play he injured it during, it’s just one of those things. He’s day-to-day, but could be seeing some time off in the upcoming days. He expects to get an MRI sometime this week.

Even if the Yankees lose today and the Rays win, they two teams go head-to-head starting tomorrow. So the Yankees will ultimately control their own destiny. First things first though, they have to win tonight to avoid a sweep at the hands of another potential playoff opponent.

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This weekend’s series is a possible playoff preview and that could be bad news for the Yankees as it appears the Texas Rangers have their number lately after they picked up their second walk-off win in a row. This time the Rangers won the game after Ian Kinsler tied it in the bottom of the 9th with an RBI double and then Texas won the game when Mariano Rivera hit Jeff Francoeur with a pitch while the bases were loaded. The final score was 7-6.

Here are some highlights:

• To make matters worse, the Tampa Bay Rays won last night and now sit just a half game back in the AL East.
• The night after playing a 5:12 minute game with 19 pitchers, this game lasted 4:16, had a 59 minute rain delay, and required 14 pitchers.
• The Yankees held the lead twice in this game, 2-1 in the 2nd and 6-5 in the 8th, but blew both leads.
• A.J. Burnett started and went only 4 innings because of the rain delay, he allowed 2 earned runs.
• Despite the fact that both Sergio Mitre and Dustin Moseley were more rested and have more consistent numbers, Chad Gaudin came out after the rain delay. He pitched 1 inning and allowed 2 runs. He was the loser the night before.
• Derek Jeter sat this one out. Joe Girardi said he was giving him a rest after such a long affair the night before.
• Jorge Posada sat out another game after suffering concussion symptoms the other day, but he went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter.
• Francisco Cervelli started in his place and went 1-for-1 with 3 walks.
• The Yankees 3-7 hitters, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Lance Berkman, and Curtis Granderson, went a combined 9-for-20 with 5 walks.
• Brett Gardner got an outfield assist. It is his 11th of the season and puts him in a tie for 2nd place. Only Shin-Soo Choo has more in all of baseball with 12.

This loss looks really bad, especially coming after the loss the night before. But Gaudin was a major contributor to both loses and is just a bad pitcher. He should even be getting into these games and at this point it’s hard to imagine him making the playoff roster. So the next time the Yankees face the Rangers people are going to be making a big deal about these games, but the Yankees aren’t likely to keep trusting Gaudin in these situations.

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One of the greatest moments in Yankee history occurred on October 8, 1956.  In fact, it is the only such accomplishment of its kind.  Don Larsen threw the only postseason no-hitter and perfect game in Major League Baseball history.  It was done in Game 5 of the World Series.

To throw a perfect game is a monumental task itself.  No batter can reach base, no walks, no hits, no errors, no HBP.  It’s 27 up, 27 down.  In the 135 years of professional baseball, there have only been 20 perfect games.  That is, on average, one every 6.75 years.

Now, Larsen was never a great pitcher.  He never won more than 11 games in a season in his career, and he only reached double-digit wins twice.  He also spent his 14-year career with eight different teams, five of which with the Yankees.  He only won 81 games in his career, with a career record of 81-91.

To put it frankly, Larsen was a journeyman pitcher.  But, some of the greatest moments in baseball happen to those who are least likely.  This is the perfect example of one.

The Yankees were facing the Brooklyn Dodgers that year in the World Series, and Brooklyn combated Larsen with Sal Magile.  Larsen, who had no idea he was starting the game until he arrived at the stadium, was coming off of a horrible start in Game 2, lasting only two innings while giving up four runs and four walks.  The culprit?  Larsen’s control.

But, Casey Stengel gave Larsen another shot in Game 5, and the last thing that Larsen wanted to do was let his manager down.  And in this game, his control was impeccable.

“When it was over, I was so happy, I felt like crying. I wanted to win this one for Casey Stengel. After what I did in Brooklyn, he could have forgotten about me and who would blame him? But he gave me another chance and I’m grateful.” (Baseball Almanac)

It would be no use to do a play-by-play in this post, because it was simply 27 up and 27 down. However, as it seems in all no-hitters and perfect games, there was what I would call a “perfect play,” a play or defensive feat that saves the perfect game.  It occurred in the fifth inning, with Gil Hodges at the plate.  He roped a line drive into the infamous left-center field “death valley,” and it is safe to say that Mickey Mantle made one of the best defensive plays of his career.  He saved the perfect game in typical Mantle fashion.  Mantle commented after the game by saying:

“The biggest game I ever played in was probably Don Laresn’s perfect game.” (Baseball Almanac)

In 97 pitches, Larsen went nine innings, allowing no runs, no hits, and no walks while striking out nine men.  He accomplished one of the greatest feats in baseball history, and one feat that may never again be duplicated.  Throwing a perfect game is a rarity among itself, but throwing one in the postseason, or in the World Series for that matter is something else.

As Don Larsen thew the final pitch of the game past Loren Dale Mitchell into Yogi Berra’s glove, history was made, and Don Larsen’s name will be forever written in the Major League Baseball history and record books.

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