Kuzul

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(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (36-28) beat Indianapolis (35-29) 3-1 : Box Score – Recap

Batting:
Reid Gorecki RF: 1-for-4, R
Colin Curtis DH: 1-for-3, BB, 2 R
Eduardo Nunez SS: 3-for-4, RBI (27), SB (13)
Juan Miranda 1B: 2-for-4
Jorge Vazquez 3B: 0-for-3, RBI (1)
Jesus Montero C: 0-for-3 – down to .230
David Winfree LF: 0-for-3
Reegie Corona 2B: 0-for-3
Greg Golson CF: 0-for-3

Pitching:
Tim Redding (W, 1-2): 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, WP (3.52 ERA)
Royce Ring (H, 7): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, HB (1.19 ERA)
Mark Melancon (H, 5): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (3.67 ERA)
Jonathan Albaladejo (S, 21): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (1.17 ERA)

Pitches-strikes : Redding 92-59, Ring 18-12, Melancon 15-8, Albaladejo 6-6.
Groundouts-flyouts : Redding 5-7, Ring 0-0, Melancon 1-1, Albaladejo 3-0.

(Double-A) Trenton (38-23) beat Binghamton (30-33) 10-2: Box Score – Recap

Batting:
Justin Christian LF: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI (25), BB, R, SB (6)
Austin Krum CF: 0-for-5
Daniel Brewer DH: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI (28), R
Brandon Laird 3B: 1-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 R
Marcos Vechionacci 1B: 1-for-3, BB, R
Edwar Gonzalez RF: 1-for-3, HR (2), 3 RBI (19), 2 R, HBP
Jose Gil C: 1-for-3, 3B, 3 RBI (13), BB, R
Luis Nunez SS: 2-for-4, 2B, 3B, RBI (24), R
Kevin Mahoney 2B: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R

Pitching:
Hector Noesi (W, 3-0): 9 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, WP (2.57 ERA)

Groundouts-flyouts : Noesi 12-9.

(Low-A) Charleston (30-33) had an off-day.

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(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (35-28) beat Indianapolis (35-28) 3-2: Box Score – Recap

Batting:
Reid Gorecki LF: 1-for-4
Matthew Cusick 3B: 0-for-4, 3 K’s
Eduardo Nunez SS: 1-for-3, R, HBP
Jesus Montero DH: 3-for-4, 2B, R – average up to .233
David Winfree 1B: 1-for-2, 2 HBP
Rene Rivera C: 1-for-4, 2 RBI (6)
Colin Curtis RF: 0-for-4, 2 K’s
Reegie Corona 2B: 1-for-4, 2B
Greg Golson CF: 1-for-4, HR (4), RBI (16), R

Pitching:
Dustin Moseley (W, 3-4): 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, WP (4.01 ERA)
Boone Logan (H, 6): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (1.32 ERA)
Jonathan Albaladejo (S, 20): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (1.21 ERA)

Pitches-strikes: Moseley 108-66, Logan 20-12, Albaladejo 20-13.
Groundouts-flyouts: Moseley 10-1, Logan 0-0, Albaladejo 0-0.

(Double-A) Trenton (37-23) beat Binghamton (30-32) 6-0: Box Score – Recap

Batting:
Justin Christian LF: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI (23)
Austin Krum CF: 0-for-3, BB, R
Austin Romine C: 0-for-4
Brandon Laird 1B: 1-for-4, HR (13), 3 RBI (59), R
Jorge Vazquez 3B: 0-for-4
Daniel Brewer RF: 0-for-2, 2 BB, R
Marcos Vechionacci DH: 2-for-3, HR (5), 2 RBI (18), R
Luis Nunez SS: 0-for-3
Justin Snyder 2B: 0-for-1, 2 BB, 2 R

Pitching:
D.J. Mitchell (W, 5-3): 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K (4.41 ERA) – lost no-hitter in seventh
Grant Duff: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (1.85 ERA)

Groundouts-flyouts: Mitchell, D. 13-5, Duff 1-3.

(Low-A) Charleston (30-33) lost to Hagerstown (36-28) 5-3: Box Score – Recap

Batting:
Jimmy Paredes 3B: 0-for-4
Emerson Landoni SS: 0-for-4, RBI (8)
Zolio Almonte RF: 2-for-4, RBI (28)
JR Murphy DH: 1-for-4
Robert Lyerly 1B: 3-for-3, BB
Kyle Higashioka C: 0-for-2, BB
Deangelo Mack LF: 1-for-3, HR (4), RBI (26), IBB, R
Hector Rabago 2B: 0-for-3, BB
Raymond Kruml CF: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 R, SB (12)

Pitching:
Josh Romanski: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (4.50 ERA)
Dickson Marquez (L, 0-3): 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (5.87 ERA)

Groundouts-flyouts: Romanski 8-7, Marquez, D 1-2.

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Regular Season Game 61

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (37-23)
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Ramiro Pena 3B
Kevin Russo LF

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (7-1, 2.47 ERA)

ASTROS (25-36)
Michael Bourn CF
Jeff Keppinger 2B
Lance Berkman 1B
Carlos Lee LF
Hunter Pence RF
Jason Michael DH
Pedro Feliz 3B
Tommy Manzella SS
Kevin Cash C

Pitching: RHP Brett Myers (4-3, 3.01 ERA)

Astros vs. Pettitte

– Chad Jennings is reporting that Alex Rodriguez has been diagnosed with tendinitis in his right hip flexor. The injury is in a different spot from the area that cause Alex to have surgery last year. Joe Girardi said it was “about as good of news as [the Yankees] could have gotten,” and A-Rod may even be able to pinch-hit tonight.

– Tonight will be Andy Pettitte’s first career start against the Astros. Here are some of Andy’s 2010 stats: FIP: 3.86, xFIP: 4.00, BABIP: .262, K/9: 6.29, BB/9: 2.59, HR/9: 0.86, GB rate: 46.0%, WAR: 1.3.

– In two career starts against the Yankees, Brett Myers is 2-0, with a 3.07 ERA. His start last year with the Phillies took place in the Bronx. Obviously, he beat the Yanks that day, holding them to three runs on eight hits its over eight innings pitched.

– Click on the team name for the Yankees or Astros 2010 batting stats.

– If you can spare a few minutes don’t forget to come sign up for the forums. And like always, the chat room in the forums is open.

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WP: C. Sabathia (6-3) LP: C. Tillman (0-2)
SV: M. Rivera (14)

The Yankees made it ten in a row over the Orioles with their 4-2 win last night at Camden Yards. They didn’t play nearly their best ball, but the O’s kicked the ball all over the field and found a way to lose.

CC Sabathia had a start much like Phil Hughes ‘ on Tuesday. He wasn’t at his best, but he was good enough. CC held Baltimore to two runs on nine hits, walked three, and struck out eight over seven innings.

The Yankees actually trailed 2-0 in this game after CC gave up individual runs in the 2nd and 3rd. After the third, the Yankees left-hander cruised through the middle innings, but once again found himself in some trouble in the seventh.

While Sabathia was mowing through the Orioles hitters through the middle innings, the Yankees would take the lead thanks to several defense blunders by the O’s.

After Robinson Cano led off the started the fourth with a single, O’s starter Chris Tillman threw a pickoff attempt away, allowing Cano to move to second. Jorge Posada then moved him to third with a groundout, and Curtis Granderson brought him home with a sac fly.

The O’s would continue to embarrass themselves in the sixth. Mark Teixeira led off the inning hitting a weak grounder to second that Julio Lugo booted. It was scored a single for some reason, but don’t be fooled, it was an error. A-Rod then singled on a ball off the glove of a diving Luke Scott to put runners on the corners for Cano.

It was another big game for Robbie, who made a great play in the field and went 3-for-4 to raise his average to a MLB-best .376. His biggest of the three hits came after A-Rod’s single, a chopper over first to tie the game at two.

The Yanks then took the lead on a force out hit by Posada. It should have been a 3-6-3 doubleplay, but Izturis’ return throw to Ty Wigginton ended up in the first row.

With the Yankees now leading 3-2, Cesar Izturis led off the bottom of the seventh with a bunt single, and then moved to second on Julio Lugo ‘s sac bunt. Following a Miguel Tejada groundout, Nick Markakis reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners with two out.

CC then walked Ty Wigginton to load the bases for Luke Scott . Scott got ahead on the count 1-0, but CC came back with two strikes, and then a got him swinging on a slider away for the third.

The Yankees gave themselves a little insurance with their fourth run in the eighth. Posada walked with one out and then was pinch-ran for by Brett Gardner . With two out an Francisco Cervelli at the plate, Gardner would steal his 21st base of the season to put himself in scoring position.

A few pitches later Cervelli lined a single to center to drive in Gardner and make it 4-2 Yankees. Cervelli is now hitting .441 with RISP this season.
Joba Chamberlain came in for the eighth and held the O’s scoreless, although he was hit hard in the process. Adam Jones led off hitting a rocket to left, but Kevin Russo ranged over to make a fantastic diving catch.

Then, following a booming double by Matt Wieters , Joba settled down, struck out Corey Patterson , and retired Scott Moore on a ground out to second to get out of the inning.

Mariano Rivera came in for the ninth, and needed just 11 pitches to rack up his 14th save of the season.

It was by no means a good win for the Yankees, who went 2-for-13 with RISP and left 11 men on base. But those are the mistakes you can make against a team as bad as the Orioles.

The Yankees go for the sweep tomorrow with A.J. Burnett on the mound. 24-year-old right-hander Jake Arrieta will be making his big league debut for the O’s. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be o YES.

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From George A. King III :

The Mariners are scouting the Yankees’ organization thoroughly.

They had two scouts recently in Charleston (Single-A). Last night they had two scouts watching Trenton play Reading, one of whom was former Yankees minor league coach Bill Masse.

They are slated to have at least one scout check on SWB shortly.

The immediate need for the Yankees is a bat, but if the Mariners are going to shop Lee the Yankees will be interested because he will be a free agent after the season.

Of course, he is making $9 million this season, so even if the deal is made at the July 31 deadline the Yankees would have to pay him three million.

If they were to give up Austin Romine or Jesus Montero, the Yankees would need assurances that Lee would sign an extension and not become a free agent.

As for adding a bat, the Yankees have scouts following the Astros in the event that the club holds a fire sale and wants to move first baseman Lance Berkman, who would be a DH for the Yankees.

There are obstacles to adding Berkman, or any other high-priced bat like the White Sox’s Paul Konerko, because of the money owed.

Berkman is making $14.5 million this year and Konerko $12 million. Berkman has a complete no-trade clause; Konerko a limited no-trade.

According to King, “a person familiar with Seattle’s thought process if they deal with the Yankees” said the Mariners would “want one of the catchers and (Eduardo) Nunez,’’ for Lee.

I actually don’t think the Yankees will be in on Lee, at least not until the winter when they have the possibility to sign him as a free agent. Until then, I think the Yankees are pretty content with their starting rotation.

Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes have been two of the best starters in the league. A.J. Burnett has been good, and while CC Sabathia has struggled, I’m sure nobody in the organization is too worried about him. On top of that, Javier Vazquez is throwing the ball a lot better these days.

As far as pitching goes, I think the Yankees should be focusing on a reliever to help sure up this bullpen.

To me that’s the only major flaw in this team.

Regarding Berkman and Konerko, the Yankees could land either player if they want to take on a decent amount, though I’m not sure they want to do that right now.

However, if they get to a point where a big bat will get them over the hump, their minds would change quickly.

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Here’s some quotes from Amateur Scouting Director Damon Oppenheimer via Chad Jennings about first-round Yanks’ pick Cito Culver:

“I’ve had basically over 100 years of scouting experience…go in and see this kid.”

“We’ve been able to see him play for a long time. We’ve probably got a couple of hundred at-bats from him… We were ahead of the game because we knew so much about him.”

“He really wants to be a Yankee. I think that we’re going to get him. We should get him signed and get him out playing really soon.”

The Yankees project Culver as a shortstop, and that picking him was “an easy decision.”

The Yankees did consider waiting until the second round, but Oppenheimer said he was glad they didn’t because he received a call from another team telling him that Culver wouldn’t have been around when the Yankees were back on the clock.

Jennings also had this scouting report from Oppenheimer :

BAT: “Switch hitter. We like him from both sides of the plate. An above average hitter. He has pop in his bat, even with wood. It’s high school, but he’s hitting the ball over the fence in center field with a heavier wood bat than most of these kids we see using. The kid only struck out twice. We saw him all summer against the better stuff, guys throwing hard, and he squared the ball up well during that time so we think he’s going to hit. We think there’s a chance for power too.”

GLOVE: “You always keep your mind open, but his tools and his ability were what attracted us as a shortstop. You never know how long it will take for a guy to get there, and what’s in front of him when he does get there, but I think the fact that he’s in the middle of the field right now, we project him to be a shortstop. Worst-case scenario, if somebody was there blocking his way, you’re talking about a switch hitter that can run and do some other things, it would allow him (to change positions) if you need to.”

ARM: “He has a great arm. He’s up to 95 on the mound, but the idea of being able to get a switch-hitting shortstop is more attractive right now than a thrower, which is really what he is as a pitcher.”

The Yankees seem pretty high on this kid. Hopefully he’s not another C.J. Henry .

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WP: J. Vazquez (5-5) LP: S. Downs (1-5)
SV: M. Rivera (13)

Thanks to some stellar pitching by Javier Vazquez , and a pretty lucky four-run eighth, the Yankees were able to get out Toronto with a win. Vazquez was outstanding, holding the Jays to just one hit, walked four, and struck out nine in seven innings. Things may be turning around for Vazquez, who has now put up an ERA of 2.77 over his last five starts.

After throwing 5.2 no-hit innings, Vazquez walked Adam Lind with two out in the sixth, then Vernon Wells hammered a Vazquez slider into the seats in left for a two-run homer. It was his only mistake on the day, and for a while it looks like it would cost him a victory.

That’s because for a third day in a row the Yankees lineup couldn’t do a damn thing. Jays starter Brandon Marrow came into this start with a 6.00 ERA, but that didn’t stop him from holding the Yankees to just one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings.

Eventually the Yankees would put together a big inning in the eighth to take the lead, but a lot of their success was due to a few gifts handed out by the Jays. Marrow started the inning by hitting Francisco Cervelli with a pitch on a 1-2 count.

Then, after Scott Downs came in to replace Marrow, Brett Gardner got plunked to put two on with nobody out. Over the course of this series, this has usually been the time when a Yankee batter would strikeout or bang into a doubleplay, but Derek Jeter put an end to that and lineup a double down the right field line to cut the Jays lead to 2-1. Downs would then leave the game and be replaced by Jason Frasor .

Nick Swisher was up next and after falling behind 1-2 he clearly checked his swing on a change-up from Frasor, but home plate umpire Bruce Drekman took called him out anyway, and didn’t even bother to check with the third base ump.

This was just one of many missed calls by Drekman on the day and Joe Girardi had seen enough. He raced out of the dugout and let the ump have it before and after quickly being ejected from the game.

After the ejection the Jays decided to walk Mark Teixeira to load the bases for Alex Rodriguez . Frasor then gave the Yankees another gift when he uncorked a wild pitch to allow the tying run to score. However, the move that has burned managers five times in a row finally paid off and A-Rod eventually struck out for the second out of the inning.

This brought up Robinson Cano with an open base at first and I still can’t figure out why Cito Gaston didn’t walk him, but I’m glad he didn’t. That’s because on the second pitch of the at-bat Cano lined a single into left to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. It was one of three hits on the day for Robbie, who raised his average back up to .363.

It was now up to the bullpen and Joba Chamberlain got the call for the eighth. It didn’t look too promising at first, because Jose Molina led off the inning with a double into the right-centerfield gap, and then score on a Fred Lewis RBI single.

After just four pitches the Jays had cut the Yankees lead to one, had the tying run on first, and it was looking like one of those disaster innings for Joba. Aaron Hill then hit a rocket, but it was on the ground and right Cano, and the Yanks were able to turn a big 4-6-3 doubleplay.

After a bit of confusion about which pitcher the Yankees were going with, Damaso Marte came out of the pen to face the left-handed Adam Lind . After a first pitch fastball for strike one, Marte went after Lind with three straight sliders to put him away swinging.

The Yankees went down quietly in the top of the ninth and now it was Mariano Rivera time. Mo made quick work of the Jays in the ninth, retiring them in order on just five pitches.

This series could have easily been a disaster, so all the credit for this win goes out to Javier Vazquez and the way he pitched today. He came up huge for this team when they really needed him to, and for a guy that had to deal with many doubters (including myself) this is a big step n the right direction.

Tomorrow is an off-day before the Yankees start a three-game series with the O’s in Baltimore on Tuesday. Phil Hughes will face Kevin Millwood in the opener. Game time is 7:05 p.m., and the game will be on MY9

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Another tough day for the Yankees in Toronto, who lost to the Jays for the second straight day. There are many reasons why this one ended up in the loss column. Some that stick out include, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine men on base, and Mariano Rivera never even warming up let along getting into a game that lasted 14 innings. I could, and probably will, go into them each in detail, but first let’s focus on the positives.

Andy Pettitte had another great start. The lefty allowed two runs on five hits, while walking three and striking out 10 in 7.2 innings. Andy had great command of all the pitches in his arsenal and threw 74 of his 107 pitches for strikes. He made just two mistakes on the day, and both left the yard. Vernon Wells gave the Jays an early 1-0 lead with a solo shot in the second. After Derek Jeter gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead with a two-run shot in the fifth, Alex Gonzalez tied the game two innings later with another solo blast.

Another positive on the day was the Yankees bullpen, well, besides Chad Gaudin . Joba Chamberlain , Damaso Marte , David Robertson , and Chan Ho Park combined to throw 5.1 of four-hit baseball. While they each looked very good, the most impressive of the four was Joba Chamberlain, who not only was throwing 97, but more importantly, was throwing strikes. He struck out three in 1.1 scoreless.

Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner were the only two Yankees hitters to have solid days at the dish. Jeter went 2-for-6, with the homer and a single. Gardner also picked up two hits, including a double, he walked twice, and stole his 20th base of the year.

Now for the ugly side of this game.

Besides the two guys above, the rest of the Yankees batters only combined for four hits and three walks over 14 innings. Mark Teixeira was especially bad. He went 0-for-6 with five, yes five, strikeouts.

The Yankees did have a couple chances in regulation to give themselves a lead, but fell short both times. They loaded the bases with two out in the second before Kevin Russo grounded out to end that threat. In the seventh they put runners on second and third with one out, but Jeter lined into an inning-ending double play.

A lot of credit needs to go to the Jays staff. Ricky Romero was just as good as Pettitte, holding the Yankees to two runs on five hits, walking four and striking out seven over eight innings pitched. Then a quartet of relievers held the Yanks to just three hits and a walk over six scoreless innings.

This all led to the bottom of the 14th, when the Joe Girardi called on Chad Gaudin , who was one of two relievers left in the Yankees pen. The other was some guy named Mariano Rivera . Like I said in the title, I knew this game was over as soon as he was announced as the pitcher, and it took just nine pitches. Gaudin walked Edwin Encarnacion on four pitches to start the inning, Fred Lewis laid down a successful sac bunt, and then Aaron Hill singled home the winning run.

I wrote a post earlier about the decision to use Gaudin while Mariano sat and waited for a save opportunity that never came, so I won’t go into it again. But for now let’s just say I don’t agree with it. That said, they didn’t lose this game only because of Chad Gaudin. Going 1-for-9 with RISP and leaving nine men on base will lead to a L on most days.

The Yanks now they look to Javier Vazquez to help them avoid a sweep. He’ll take the mound against Jays righty Brandon Marrow . First pitch will be at 1:07 p.m. and the game will once again be on YES.

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As soon as Chad Gaudin came marching out of the pen for the 14th inning today I knew the game was over, and I’m sure many of you felt the same way.

Sure enough, Gaudin walked the first batter he faced on four pitches and two batters later the game was over, with Mariano waiting for a save situation that never came.

I was on Twitter at the end of the game and many people, including beat writers, bloggers and fans, began the debate well before Gaudin threw his first pitch:

Should Girardi have called on Mariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher of all time, instead of the struggling Gaudin?

Conventional baseball wisdom tells you that you never use your closer in extra innings on the road unless it’s a save situation, and managers generally stick to that rule. It makes sense most of the time, but in situations like today when you’re down to two guys in the pen, one is the greatest ever and the other is Chad Gaudin, I think you’ve got to go with Mo and hope to at least extend the game.

There are valid arguments on the other side.

Since Mo couldn’t go two innings, what happens if the Yankees score a run in the 15th? Who closes?

What if they don’t score in the 15th?

Neither of these situations are ideal, and Gaudin is just as likely to mess up and blow the game, but at least you gave yourself three more outs and a chance to put something on the board.

Remember, the Jays were running low on relievers too, so the Yankees could have gone up in the 15th and put 3 or 4 on the board, making Gaudin’s 15th much easier to deal with.

There are a lot of factors involved, and I’m not sure there is a right answer here, but what do you think: Did Girardi make the right move today?

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YANKEES (31-20)

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Marcus Thames DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Curtis Granderson CF
Kevin Russo LF

Pitching: RHP Javier Vazquez (3-5, 6.86 ERA)

ORIOLES (15-36)

Corey Patterson LF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Ty Wigginton 1B
Luke Scott DH
Matt Wieters C
Adam Jones CF
Julio Lugo 2B
Cesar Izturis SS

Pitching: LHP Brian Matusz ( 2-5, 5.76 ERA)

Orioles vs. Vazquez

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