Kuzul

The Yankees have been waiting a long time for Lance Berkman to do something. Actually, they’ve been waiting for him do to anything.

Before yesterday, his most notable achievement in pinstripes was hitting Alex Rodriguez in the shin with a line drive in batting practice. That happened in early August, and in all the time that followed, one of the greatest sluggers in Houston Astros history managed a single home run in New York.

The Big Puma was suddenly an endangered species. That’s not a clever pun. I literally worried a bleacher creature was going to straight-up try to murder him, The Fan style.

But that’s the beautiful thing about postseason baseball—you can wipe away months of bad faith with one good series. Or in Berkman’s case, one good game.

Berkman had the two biggest hits in the Yankees’ Game 2 win over the Twins on Thursday, a long opposite-field homer in the fifth inning, and a booming RBI double in the seventh.

It had to be sweet vindication for Brian Cashman, who brought Berkman aboard to fortify the Yankee lineup and instead got Triple-A production out of a lavishly-paid veteran.

Berkman wasn’t the only player who made Cashman look smart on Thursday.

Curtis Granderson continued his resurgence with three more hits, while Kerry Wood officially put Joba Chamberlain’s face on the side of a milk carton with a dominant eighth inning.

It’s been a tough year for Cash, who watched the acquitions of Nick Johnson and Javier Vazquez blow up in his face as A.J. Burnett’s contract quickly morphed into one of the worst in baseball.

He’s no doubt feeling good this morning, as is Andy Pettitte. He won the 19th postseason game of his career, and few were more impressive given the circumstances.

The Yankees didn’t know what they were getting from Pettitte coming into this series. The groin injury that wrecked his second half had turned the left-hander into a serious question mark, albeit one on a successful journey to comfort.

Pettitte was dominant for seven innings and 88 pitches, and probably could have went the distance if Joe Girardi wasn’t correctly protecting the veteran’s health.

I received a couple of texts from friends after the game saying this was the game that makes Pettitte a Hall of Famer. I tend to disagree, because it’s the ALDS and I thought he already was. I will say that if the Yanks go deep into the playoffs, he may finally get his proper national due as one of the great postseason performers in the game’s history.

But of all the positives Cashman took out of Thursday, perhaps most fulfilling was the sight of Carl Pavano, the man who had swindled the Yankees out of $40 million, walking off the mound a loser for the second straight ALDS. I would’ve paid anything to be able read Cash’s lips as the American Idle trudged off.

“Nice mustache, d*ck.”

Stray thoughts

• John Sterling is on a roll. His Berkman home run call last night was bananas. “SIR LANCELOT RIDES TO THE RESCUE! C’EST LUI! C’EST LUI!” This was the most outrageous radio I’ve ever heard, just ahead of Dan the Farter (no relation) setting the world flatulence record on Howard Stern.

• Epic fail is in order for Ron Gardenhire, the Twins manager who told the media before Game 2 that he buried his uniform after the Game 1 loss. Since that didn’t work, I say he knocks off a convenience store next. If that fails, assassinate Fidel Castro. Let’s see how far we can take this.

• Give Minnesota Twins fans this: They care. My God, do they care. Some serious depression shots by TBS in the late innings. Look at the bright side guys, at least your football team’s quarterback isn’t a gray-haired old fool who walks with a limp. Oh wait.

• Funny A-Rod quote on Berkman over at the LoHud Blog: “You know these games are important. I actually saw him in the weight room a couple of days ago. I almost had a heart attack.”

• I can’t tell you how much more I enjoy TBS’ incessant Conan promos over last year’s incessant Frank TV ads. I still can’t believe Frank TV ever existed. Dude got his own sketch show because he could do a bad John Madden impression.

• Mariano Rivera is the greatest of all time. In shorthand, you can call him the G.O.A.T. Just a friendly reminder.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.

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Who’s the hottest team in MLB right now?

The answer is the New York Yankees.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is a Yankee-hater, because you either bleed pinstripes or you burn them. It is that simple.

Looking back to just 7 days ago, things were not going so well for New York who finished 2-8 on a road trip from hell. The nickname “Bombers” was starting to refer to bombing games, instead of balls out of the park.

Lots of factors come into play regarding the Yankees resurgence of winning four of their last five games.

The first two wins were in Baltimore, but it was followed by a loss last Sunday allowing the O’s to avoid another sweep.

Heading into the toughest, most critical series of the season, a four game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, Yankee fans would finally get some answers.

Nick Swisher put it in plain and simple, “I think we all pretty much know what’s at stake,” Swisher said. “Take the Rays and us and line us up, and let’s see what happens.”

What has happened is the Yankees have played all around great baseball. Not just winning, but beating the Tampa Bay Rays.

It seems the surreal dedication and tribute to the late, great George Steinbrenner before Monday’s game definitely reminded the Yankees and its fans what would be the biggest way to honor their beloved Boss. Win, win and keep winning until #28 is a thing of the past.

Also, major credit also goes to Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman.

GM Cashman and Skipper Girardi’s pick-up of RP Kerry Wood has completely changed around the bullpen, both Wood the individual and as a mentor to Joba Chamberlain.

Everyone knows Joba hasn’t had the easiest time out of the bullpen, understandably with what the 24-year old has been through.

This is a place Wood has been, the new hero to struggling middle reliever who used to have potential. Since joining the Yankees, Woods’ arm is back to his former days, finally getting recognition as a reliever because he realizes how much he was needed.

Wood has pitched 23 innings as a Yankees, striking-out 26 batters, with one home-run, one earned run hit against him and a ridiculous .39 ERA. Batters have a .167 average when Woods is on the mound.

Joba looked like Wood’s been rubbing off on him, proof was just last night.  In the eighth inning Joba took the mound, loaded the bases but worked his way out of it by fanning the next two batters to close the inning for Mariano.

In his last 24 appearances dating to July 28, Chamberlain has posted a 1.50 ERA, allowing four runs in 24 innings.

Fact is the bullpen is the core of any team in baseball. If you have a solid group in the middle of games to eat innings and win is the most undervalued, virtually going unnoticed a lot of the time.

Cashman did his job grabbing Wood and this is in the top three reasons as to why the Yankees have a chance to repeat in 2010.

The line-up Girardi used in Tuesday night’s win against the Rays is by far the strongest.

Three major positives factors, starting with Jeter at the top who is finally leading-off like the Captain again, which is a huge sigh of relief in New York. Swisher is on fire again, since coming back after receiving cortisone shot for his knee. Granderson is making-up for lost time smacking in two homers in the first win against the Rays.

The rest of the line-up all hit, getting base runners home and when the Yankees click like this it will be challenging for any team to defeat them.

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On the night that the New York Yankees unveiled a seven-foot tall monument of their late owner George Steinbrenner, the American League leaders won their 91st game of the season by beating the Tampa Bay Rays.

With 12 games to play, New York leads Tampa Bay by 1.5 games in the A.L. East and leads the Minnesota Twins by one game for the best record in the league. 

New York leads the league in runs scored, is third in homers, second in walks, first in OBP, and second in OPS.

On the mound, the Yankees rank in the upper-half of the A.L. in ERA, walks, and strikeouts.

So, what’s the problem?

Well, there is no problem exactly.

New York is a juggernaut, much like the team that beat the Philadelphia Phillies last year to win the World Series.

Prior to the season, the club made two moves that got The Bronx talking. One worked out OK, the other not so much.

New York traded for Curtis Granderson in hopes that he would help it upgrade defensively in centerfield as well as bring some additional pop to the top of the order.

Granderson has done that.

His 21 homers have been nice even if his OBP is lacking for a player with his skill set.

The other deal—bringing in Javier Vazquez—hasn’t paid off for New York. After having a tremendous 2009 with the Atlanta Braves, the Yankees thought they were getting an All-Star caliber pitcher, a guy they could lock into the middle of their rotation.

Vazquez hasn’t been that, but rather a weak link in a solid rotation.

Vazquez’s walks are way up and his strikeouts are way down compared to a season ago. Sure, some of that has to be credited to moving from the National League to the A.L. East, but the point is that Vazquez isn’t who New York thought it would get.

And that’s the issue we are getting at with these Yankees. No, Vazquez isn’t the problem, he’s just part of the problem.

How Deep Is the Starting Rotation?

If there’s one thing that may stifle New York’s chances of repeating as World Series champions, it’s lack of depth in the starting rotation.

The rotation is the one where area that general manager Brian Cashman didn’t address at the trade deadline this summer.

Cashman wanted to upgrade his bench, and he wanted to get some bullpen help.

Adding Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns to the bench worked fine, although both of them have been relatively non-factors. Kearns has struck out in more than a third of his at-bats while Berkman has yet to hit a homer since coming to New York via Houston.

When the Yankees made their title run last year, a large part of it was due to Phil Hughes and his transformation of the bullpen.

Hughes became the set-up guy to Mariano Rivera, and he excelled in that role. Hughes pitched so well that he even hinted he would be open to becoming the closer when Rivera decided to walk away from the game.

No need for that.

Rivera has pitched as well as ever, and the Yankees put Hughes in the starting rotation full-time this season, a role that he has grown accustomed to and has had some early success in.

That left a void in the bullpen.

With Joba Chamberlain struggling and the Yankees not entirely comfortable with handing all of the responsibility to David Robertson, Cashman went and got Kerry Wood.

The epitome of a high-risk, high-reward move, Wood brought his power stuff to New York and has been phenomenal because he has been able to stay healthy. Wood has a 0.39 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 23 innings, his fastball and slider as toxic as ever.

But, boy, the bullpen may need to be that good if New York’s rotation can’t roll out four consistent guys come October.

Look, it’s not as if the Yankees rotation can’t dominate any team on any night. It can. The upside there is tremendous. But the questions, you may say, are plentiful.

CC Sabathia… Then What?

You have CC Sabathia. He’s a horse that manager Joe Girardi can count on for two or three times per series in the playoffs and a guy that you could stack up against any other pitcher in baseball and feel good about. So, the Bombers at least have that much.

But that’s where the certainty ends.

Andy Pettitte had a phenomenal first half but then missed extended time after the All-Star break due to a leg injury and is just working his way back now. How will his leg(s) and arm hold up when the furnace gets cranked up in the postseason? Is his body and arm in the proper condition to handle that stress?

We don’t know.

A.J. Burnett will get the ball, but that’s because of his upside, which is magnificent, and the fact that the Yankees need to justify the mega-dollars they handed him two winters ago along with Sabathia.

But which Burnett New York gets is anybody’s guess.

And then there’s Hughes.

Hughes has good stuff and looks like he has settled into being a starter, but there’s something entirely different about starting in the playoffs when your team is facing elimination, a level of nerves Hughes has never encountered.

That’s where Cashman may have whiffed at the deadline by not securing a Cliff Lee or a Dan Haren.

The Yankees went after Lee hard, but they reportedly didn’t want to empty the farm system for a guy they could go after five months later in free agency.

Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero was the deal breaker, and then the Texas Rangers stepped up and offered the Seattle Mariners a package built around Justin Smoak.

With that, Lee went to Texas.

And what about Haren?

He would have been great, too, but it again came down to prospects versus dollars for New York.

Cashman didn’t want to split with many premier prospects if he had to pay Haren’s contract entirely, which would have been in excess of $30 million.

Cashman reportedly was willing to part with Joba Chamberlain, but only if the dollars made sense.

It didn’t happen, and now Chamberlain is back to throwing bullets out of the bullpen.

Some shine came off Lee when he got hammered around during August, and some people questioned his health and whether or not he was “breaking down.”

I don’t buy it. I’d still love to lead my rotation with Cliff Lee in the postseason.

The Yankees have the talent to win a title again this year.

Who knows, maybe their starting rotation will be the cog that gets it done?

Or maybe New York will just hit its way to victory?

But unless Pettitte pitches like he did in the first half and Burnett pitches up to his ability, Cashman may have plenty of time to wonder this winter why he didn’t pull the trigger on another starting pitcher.

Follow Teddy Mitrosilis on Twitter. You can reach him at tm4000@yahoo.com.

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Via Chad Jennings:

“Over time you get educated,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. “You want to all be macho and say, ‘American League East at all cost,’ but hey man, I’ve been part of the Yankees now for a long time. I’ve been beaten by a Wild Card Red Sox team in ’04. I’ve been beaten by a Wild Card Florida Marlins in the World Series in ’03. I’m not saying give me the Wild Card. I’m just saying we’ve got to realize perspective. We’re in this to try to win a World Series. If we don’t, people remember that we didn’t more than whatever we did.

“This is about trying to line us up and getting our guys in a position to play at full gear if we can get ourselves to October. We’ve got to get there, but I don’t think the conditions of Swish and Gardner during the Tampa series, I don’t think they would have helped us regardless. But I think we’re in a better position now because we backed off and didn’t try to push them through.”

Brian Cashman is absolutely right. The only thing that matters is winning the World Series. If the Yankees aren’t at 100 percent by October, their chances take a big hit. If that means they have to get to the playoffs via the Wild Card to be healthy, so be it. If the Yankees win the Series again in 2010, nobody will care if they were only the Wild Card.

Related Stories

• August 18, 2010—Yankees Trade Rumors: Cashman Says No More Trades
• March 29, 2010—Cashman’s Opinion the Only One that Matters
• March 14, 2010—Montero Follow-Up
• March 4, 2010—Yankees GM Brian Cashman Ranked No. 3

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This past week, Major League Baseball witnessed one of the best three-game, going-for-the-division slug fests in history.  Three one-run games.  Two extra inning games.  Cy Young caliber pitching.  Heavy hitting.  Seven lead changes.

The New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays clash featured playoff-caliber baseball, a preview of next week’s four game set in New York, and a preview of the potential ALCS opponents. 

Next week’s games could very well determine who wins the best division chase baseball has ever seen.  Throughout baseball’s 120-plus year history, at no time have two teams with this good of records been in the same division, and still duking it out for the division crown.

Consider New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman less than impressed.

“We’re in this thing to win a World Series. Our focus is a World Series, not 10 years from now being known as division champions.”

Why does this sound like a spoiled rich kid who lost his lollipop, but acts like he didn’t want it in the first place?  Your focus is not on the division?  If you can’t beat a team for the division, how can you beat a team, or any team, for that matter in the post-season?

This is the Yankees we are talking about, right?  Where winning is everything?  The team who is built on a nearly 200 million dollar payroll with the purpose of being better than every other team?  And you can’t win the division?

There is no way anyone would have muttered these words if George Steinbrenner was still around, and in charge.  I’m pretty sure George would have fired him on the spot for saying that. 

Why? 

Because they are the Yankees and winning is everything, and second place is always unacceptable.  Even the division.

If anything, maybe this is an indictment on baseball’s playoff format.  If winning the division can be scoffed at, then maybe the team that wins the division isn’t getting the advantage it should be getting.  Maybe they should be getting more home games.  Maybe you increase the Wild Cards to two, and the top division champ gets a bye like in football.

But Cashman says his reasons for not focusing on the division is because he is looking at the bigger picture.

“If you’re not World Series champions, nothing else matters. Nobody really remembers.” 

The bottom line is all that matters.  It’s hard to argue with that.  But how do you get to be the best?  By beating the best.  At the end of the day, the Yankees have faced off with the Rays 14 times.  The Rays, and not the Yankees have gotten the better of the head-to-head-matchup, 8-6.  Even at Yankee Stadium, the Rays own a slight edge, 3-2.  In the second half, against the Cliff Lee upgraded Rangers, the Yankees are 1-4.

And even though a team in your own division has been better than you, you still say your focus is on the World Series and not the division?  How can you say you have a clear sight on the “bigger picture” when you are ignoring the biggest thing that is standing in your way?

“That doesn’t mean we’re conceding anything. We could have swept the whole series but we didn’t. Tampa won those games and you have to give them credit. We’ll live to fight another day.”

Could have?  Is this the same “could have” but instead got swept by the Rangers?  Which is it—these games matter or they don’t?  How do you say you could have won the series? The man who touts the “bottom line” mantra is trying to now sugar coat the bottom line?

One thing is for sure, these aren’t your father’s Yankees. 

The rotation is spotty behind Sabathia.  The team still has its classic Bronx Bomber power, but it is lacking career-average production from its big names.  The bullpen outside of Rivera has questions.

This team isn’t as iron-clad as it was last year.  But don’t worry.  Only 1-4 in their last 5 games against Texas?  No problem.  Winning the division?  You know what, second place isn’t so bad.

You have a general manager who believes you’ll fight another day, without beating the best. 

Maybe the “another day” he’s referring to is Spring Training. 

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Via The Star-Ledger:

“…general manager Brian Cashman said following the Yankees’ 6-2 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday that he believes the Yankees have enough to weather setbacks. As the deadline for waiver trades approaches at the end of the month, he doesn’t intend to make any moves.

“‘I’m not anticipating any more moves,’ Cashman said. ‘I think this is the team we’ve got and we’re looking forward to playing the string out and seeing where it takes us. Obviously, everybody in this game would like to be healthy. But that’s part of the game, not being healthy and dealing with it.'”

This is a bit of a surprise because before the July 31st deadline, the Yankees’ biggest target was a veteran bat who could play third base, and they missed landing a player who fills that role. Now Alex Rodriguez is having calf problems, and the Yankees need an upgrade over Ramiro Pena more than ever.

This doesn’t necessarily mean no trades, though, as something could present itself, and Cashman is never one to say never. It is unlikely that they’d make any other deal aside from a backup infielder.

Related Stories

• March 29, 2010 — Cashman’s Opinion the Only One that Matters
• March 14, 2010 — Montero Follow-Up
• March 4, 2010 — Yankees GM Brian Cashman Ranked No. 3
• February 28, 2010 — Posada Compares C.C. to former Yankee Wells

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After witnessing yet another poor start by Javier Vazquez on Monday, I believe that it is about time to call upon the services of 23-year-old Ivan Nova.

As you may or may not know, Vazquez is going through a stretch of dead arm right now, which is severely limiting his velocity on pitches, which are topping out at 88 miles per hour.

He got ripped by the Rangers last Wednesday, and he gave up two runs through four innings against the Tigers yesterday, throwing 106 pitches and dodging several scary situations in the process.

Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland have stood by Javy through this dead arm period, but this simply cannot continue, not with the division lead on the line seemingly every night.

And speaking of the division, Monday’s loss put the Yanks in a tie atop the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays.

You can blame the hitting, but the Yankees are pretty much stuck with what they have until Jesus Montero gets here in September.

As for Javy, the Yanks can fix that problem, put him on the DL, and call up Nova!

I know that I sound like a broken record, as I have been lobbying for Nova to be in the Majors long before now, but how much longer can Brian Cashman sit there and ignore what is looking him right in the face?

It’s clear that Javy has lost his ability to give the Yankees quality starts due to the dead arm, and the best thing for that issue is rest.

I could understand why the Yankees would continue to run him out there every five days if they didn’t have any other options, but they do.

Nova has been excellent at AAA Scranton all year, posting an 11-3 record, with a 2.93 ERA in 22 starts. He has given up 130 hits in 138 innings while walking 44 and striking out 108, good for a respectable 1.258 WHIP.

In such a tight pennant race, as it is in the AL East, the Yankees can’t afford to keep sending Javy out to the mound every five days, not only because he has lost his velocity, but because such short outings like yesterday against the Tigers tax the bullpen much more than normal.

I wouldn’t usually say this, but in the current Yankees plight, the rookie Nova gives them a better chance to win than Javy does right now. A two-week stint on the DL should help restore his velocity, while Nova could help the Yankees in their dogfight with the Rays for first place.

All I’m saying is give the kid a shot, Cashman.

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Bench, bench, and more bench is what New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman added right before the non-waiver trade deadline.

Will Cashman’s last minute moves help the team down the stretch?

Let’s hope so, but for now, we might as well get to know the two new Yankees hitters.

Other than adding Cleveland Indians pitcher Kerry Wood to help the bullpen, Cashman added fellow Indians outfielder Austin Kearns and Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman.

Austin Kearns is hitting .272 with eight home runs and 42 RBI, while stealing four bases in 84 games this season.

Kearns primary role is as the fourth outfielder, but he also brings another right-handed bat to the lineup.

Kearns is used to playing everyday and is very useful anywhere on the field, but watch to see him play against lefty pitching.

It will help Curtis Granderson, who is becoming an almost automatic out against lefties.

Five-time All-Star Lance Berkman will primarily fill in as the Yankees designated hitter and sometimes first baseman to give Mark Teixeira the day off.

Berkman is 34 years old and is known as “The Big Puma.”

Berkman has been with the Houston Astros his entire career, so he’s excited to play for a team that is contending. Berkman is hitting .245 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 85 games this season.

Collectively, there are negatives for both Kearns and Berkman.

The two players are both very familiar with being on the disabled list.

Kearns and Berkman are almost worse than Yankee virus Nick Johnson. From knee to elbow, there has been a lot wrong with both men since day one, which brings many reasons to worry.

Nick Johnson, who replaced 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, has been on the disabled list since early May with no return in site. This might go down as one of the dumbest moves Cashman has ever made, but that is for another time.

Kearns is almost 30 and Berkman is 34, so neither is a youngster anymore.

After watching Berkman replace Tex at first against the Rays on Sunday, his defense left me absolutely uneasy.

Even though the Yankees lost 3-0, Berkman’s lack of skills were the reason for two of the runs scored. One was a ball over his head, and the other a textbook scoop up that Tex would have made without question.

Kearns also got right in the mix at the plate, but he was more a disruption because he did nothing to benefit the team.

Understandably, it takes a few games to start to feel like you are part of a team but if only Yankees fans could see it that way.

I am staying optimistic as experts, fans, and even the Yankees haters over at ESPN.

Everyone has praised what Cashman did for the team by picking up Kearns, Berkman, and Wood (who I will tell a tale about in another post).

The saying does still go, “Age Before Beauty” and the Yankees seem to have this as their unofficial team motto still.

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Saturday, July 31 at 4:30 pm marked the official end of MLB’s trade deadline—well, technically at least.

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman was hard at work trying to fix the mess the organization has made of Joba Chamberlain.

It is no secret that the Yankees don’t know what else to do with Joba Chamberlain, but looking at his historically short career the answer is pretty evident.

Back in 2007, Joba was Cashman’s prize pupil. The problem was no one wanted to take the time to teach the 24-year-old because of one infamous bug game.

Then in 2008, Joba had the weight of an entire city on his shoulders. Failure didn’t seem to be an option and whenever things looked bleak for Joba, he got yanked from the mound.

Fast-forward to 2010. Joba lost the coveted fifth spot in the Yankees rotation to Phil Hughes.

Joba didn’t deserve it; Hughes pitched better and he continues to exceed expectations. Hughes went to the All-Star game and that must have taken a toll on Joba’s confidence level.

Skipper Joe Girardi’s solution is pretty simple. “We want him to pitch at the level he’s capable of pitching at. Until we get Joba right, I might look at matchups a little more.” (NY Daily News)

The Yankees bullpen needed help and Cashman’s answer was Cleveland Indians pitcher Kerry Wood. He claims it had nothing to do with Joba and every thing to do with Chan Ho Park, who was designated for assignment.

This has everything to do with Joba, but in one sense Wood is a veteran who once dazzled the city of Chicago with his fastball. Wood was Chicago’s pride after striking out 20 batters in his sixth career start.

Wood’s career didn’t pan out like it should have, as he saw the DL 14 times in his 13 seasons, his latest just days before he landed in New York.

Wood has 62 saves over the last three seasons, with 165 strikeouts, while appearing in 146 games out of the bullpen.

For now, Wood is a walking liability, but with an upside that might be worth the risk. Wood’s experience could be just what the doctor ordered for changing Joba back into the phenomenon everyone witnessed in 2007.

Wood has been in Joba’s shoes, as he has yo-yoed from starter to reliever like musical chairs.

The other hope for Wood is to help down the stretch out of the bullpen in getting to Mariano Rivera. The fact is, Wood is an upgrade from Chan-Ho Park.

So, Cashman covered his ass there. Maybe the Yankees secretly banned Wood from the DL list. Who really cares, because this could work.

It also leaves many questions unanswered. For example, could Brian Cashman have killed two birds with one stone?

My bet is yes and Cashman will be deemed a genius because the concept is just shy of being too good to be true.

Read More At Lady Loves Pinstripes …

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Once again, the New York Yankees fell victim to their own rules.

Last night, the result ended with a Yankees loss of 7-4 to the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have consistently held the last spot in the AL West this season.

The Mariners had baseball’s best pitcher on the mound in Cliff Lee to face a well-rested Phil Hughes.

Hughes has exceeded all expectations this season and entered the game with a 10-1 record, an ERA of 3.17 and has been the most consistent on the Yankees rotation.

No question that Hughes is the real deal, but at 24 years old the Yankees worry about using him too much.

Hughes just turned 24 and this is his second full season in the bigs—the first as a full time starter. So the Yankees place an innings limit on him, also known as the Hughes Rules.

Innings limit on young arms is the latest craze around baseball. I was under the impression it was used when a pitcher was transitioning from the minors.

Looking at pitching sensation Steven Strasbourg of the Washington Nationals, it makes sense. The Nats manager was upfront that Strasbourg was allowed to pitch for 120 innings in 2010, no matter what.

Strasbourg is clear on this rule, along with everyone who watches Sports Center . It is extremely helpful, especially from a young player’s mental outlook.

That is why skipping over Hughes’ start made utterly no sense. Hughes was in a rhythm, which was working.

Why did Girardi not let Hughes throw the allowed 170-180 innings on an unchanging basis?

Not to mention Hughes skipped start was in his hometown and his parents were planning on attending. Remember the last time Mrs. Hughes was in the house her son almost threw a no-hitter.

Did the Joba’s Rules not teach Girardi and GM Brian Cashman anything?

It brought horrible memories back for me. Girardi having panic attacks when Joba got near 70 pitches or was through four innings. Even when Joba was throwing heat, everyone knew he was coming out no matter what, including Joba.

This whole state of affairs falls under something my dad calls, “The Da-Boom-Theory.”

The Da-Boom-Theory is when a person gets an idea (the ‘da’) in their mind that makes sense by anyone’s standards. Then instead of thinking it out or learning from past mistakes, that someone goes boom.

The ‘boom’ is acting on the idea with positively no understanding of possible repercussions that might affect the result.

Specifically, in these situations the DA would be the Hughes Rules. The boom would be the skipped start, which ended in a Yankee loss and cut Hughes mental game.

Aren’t the young guys supposed to be the workhorses and the veterans coddled?

It is time to stop babying these men into boys and start letting them work. The timing here was totally off and the Yankees should know better than this.

Finally, congratulations to Mariners Cliff Lee who threw his fifth no-hitter of the season. It did not go overlooked, and the Yankees do apologize for the mess.

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