Kuzul

The Yankees bullpen is not looking too good right now.

First, Joba Chamberlain with the dislocated ankle. Then, Mariano Rivera with the torn ACL,

Now, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, David Robertson will be put on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain.

Cody Eppley will be recalled from Class AAA-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in place of Robertson.

Robertson was having a great start to the 2012 season with an 0-1 record and a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings with 24 strikeouts.

After Rivera was shelved for the entire season, Yankees manager Joe Girardi decided to go with both Robertson and Rafael Soriano as temporary closers without giving either one the official role.

But with Robertson now on the shelf for the next couple of weeks, that leaves Soriano as the closer by default. Now, the Yankees will need to find a temporary solution for the setup role.

The Yankees can go with guys like Cory Wade or David Phelps to see if they can excel as the setup man, for now.

Or, if Brian Cashman really feels the need, he could look into a trade for a reliever.

Last year, the Yankees went through the same situation with the bullpen, with Damaso Marte, Pedro Feliciano, Soriano and Chamberlain all suffering injuries, which got Robertson the opportunity to be the setup man for Rivera.

The Yankees can only hope that Robertson’s injury isn’t that serious and he’ll be back at full strength once he’s eligible to come off the DL.

If the Yankees want any hope of making the postseason and winning another championship, they will need Robertson healthy.

It’s a rough injury for the Yankees to have. Hopefully, it’s only temporary and nothing serious,

Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Yankee fans were holding their breath when they heard the news on setup man David Robertson.

Robertson hurt his foot while unloading boxes at his spring training home in Florida and the New York Yankees were awaiting the news of his MRI.

On Friday, the organization could breathe a major sigh of relief, as David Waldstein of The New York Times reported through his Twitter account that Robertson’s injury was not a serious one, being a bone bruise.

Girardi says David Robertson has a bone bruise on top of his foot. In boot until Sunday and then comes back as he can tolerate pain

— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) March 9, 2012

Waldstein talked to Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who said Robertson will be in a walking boot through the weekend, and then will begin throwing again soon, a long as he can tolerate some discomfort.

Losing Robertson for any significant period of time would have been a bad way to start the 2012 season, as Robertson is a key member to the Yankees bullpen.

With the 2012 season potentially being the last one of Mariano Rivera’s career, the Yankees may start to groom Robertson to be the team’s next closer.

But since the injury is just a mild one and nothing serious, the Yankees can breathe a little easier, and not have to make any drastic moves during spring training.

They will be without Joba Chamberlain, who is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and likely won’t be back until June. Likewise for new Yankee reliever David Aardsma, who is also recovering from the same surgery and should be back in the summer.

The Yankees are also without Pedro Feliciano, who has been shut down for most of his tenure as a Yankee with shoulder problems. The team is hopeful Feliciano can make a September appearance, if everything goes to plan.

The Yankees got bit by the bullpen bug last year, which propelled Robertson into the setup role, which turned out to be a blessing for the team.

Losing him early on would have been a disaster. But now, it’s a disaster the Yankees can avoid.

Yankee fans all over can breathe a little easier, as their All-Star reliever should be just fine for the start of the 2012 season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees lost their first spring training game to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, after a late rally opportunity was wasted.

Trailing by what would prove to be the final score, New York had the tying run on third and the winning run on first with only one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. However, Brandon Laird struck out, and then Kevin Russo grounded to shortstop to end the threat, and the game.

Bartolo Colon started for the Yankees, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk in two innings of work. Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson followed with scoreless innings before prospect David Phelps was knocked around in his lone inning of work, allowing a pair of runs on three hits.

Another of the Yankees pitching prospects, Hector Noesi, allowed two hits in two shutout innings before Eric Wordekemper allowed a pair of runs and the loss for New York.

The Yankees offense came alive primarily from the bats of Jorge Vazquez, Mark Teixeria and Fransisco Cervelli. Vazquez hit the Yankees only home run, a two-run shot that gave New York the lead in the seventh inning. Teixeira and Cervelli each provided RBI doubles.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For all the discussion about how Cliff Lee could decide the American League Championship Series in a potential Game 7, it turned out the Texas Rangers needed only one start from their starting ace to dethrone the New York Yankees and clinch the AL pennant for the first time in franchise history.

And as the Yankees attempt to pick up the pieces from a failed quest to win their 28th World Series championship, they should be able to point to a myriad of reasons why a season in which they finished with the second-best record in the American League ended in disappointment.

This on-going analysis should also result in the identification of five main reasons New York is entering an offseason full of uncertainty much sooner than they could have possibly imagined. Ultimately though, any which way the pie is sliced, the Bronx Bombers were humbled by a team that could have destiny on their side in this year’s postseason.

5. David Robertson’s Inability to Hold Close Games

In the 61 innings he was called upon during the regular season, Yankees right-handed reliever David Robertson held 14 games and amassed 71 strikeouts. Robertson’s numbers included an ERA of 3.82 and a WHIP of 1.50.

But among New York’s relievers in the ALCS, the Rangers roughed up Robertson more than any other to the tune of six earned runs on eight hits in only two innings. Robertson finished the series with a dismal ERA of 20.25 and a WHIP of 3.38.

Robertson’s unreliability allowed Texas to blow open close games in Game 3 and Game 6 to expand deficits from which the Yankees were unable to recover.

Game 3 saw the Rangers turn a 3-0 contest into a 8-0 blowout with Robertson on the mound while in Game 6, outfielder Nelson Cruz belted a two-out, two-run home run off Robertson to give the Rangers a 5-1 lead and propel them into the World Series.

4. Power Outage of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira

For a duo that combined for 63 home runs and 233 RBI, to say that Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira failed to come through in the ALCS would be a gross understatement.

In 21 plate appearances, Rodriguez managed to come up with only four hits and two RBI to finish with an anemic batting average of .190. Meanwhile, Teixeira didn’t register a single hit in his 14 at-bats prior to bowing out of the series with a hamstring injury in Game 4.

The lack of production from the Yankees corner infielders left AL MVP candidate Robinson Cano to carry the offensive load for the team, which he did with flying colors. However, Cano’s power display needed to be supplemented by similar efforts from Rodriguez and Teixeira for New York to have a shot at winning the series.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, the power went off somewhere between the end of the American League Divisional Series and the beginning of the ALCS and they’re still waiting for it to come back on.

3. Ineffectiveness of Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes won an impressive 18 games in the regular season for New York but he also had an unusually high 4.19 ERA, which translates to having a significant amount of run support during his starts. But as evidenced in the ALCS, when the run support wasn’t as robust, Hughes’ shortcomings became increasingly glaring.

Hughes was the loser of Game 2 and Game 6 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, where he gave up 11 earned runs on 14 hits and walked seven while only striking out six. Hughes’ ERA in his two starts was 11.42.

When the No. 2 starter puts up those kinds of numbers in a best-of-seven series, chances are his team isn’t advancing to the next round. This holds true for any team in baseball; even the New York Yankees.

2. Colby Lewis Outshines Cliff Lee

Of all the starters on the Rangers pitching staff, Colby Lewis was arguably the last one who would have been expected to shine the brightest against the Yankees. Nevertheless, it was Lewis who channeled his inner Cliff Lee to shut down New York’s vaunted offense in Game 2 and Game 6.

Thus, the same Colby Lewis who finished with a 12-13 record and an ERA of 3.72 this season went 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA on the biggest stage of his career. More importantly, Lewis’ performances keyed Texas to a critical victory in Game 2 to even the series and a win in Game 6 to clinch the pennant.

He may have not been a household name prior to the ALCS but, as far as the Yankees are concerned, Colby Lewis is a name that will not soon be forgotten.

1. The Rangers Were the Better Team

As hard as it might be for Yankees fans to admit, the Rangers outhit, outhustled and outpitched New York throughout a series that could have just as easily been a sweep as opposed to a six-game affair.

Texas scored twice as many runs (38-19), their batting average was more than a hundred points higher (.304 vs. .201) and their pitching staff’s ERA was nearly three points lower (2.76 vs. 6.58) compared to the Yankees.

So, in essence, the ALCS really wasn’t as close as the six-game outcome would make it appear. Simply put, the Rangers wanted it more.

And that may very well be the toughest reason for the Yankees and their fans to accept of them all.

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special pictorial/video recap of Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Standing at a height of 6’8″ and weighing in at a listed 225 pounds, Jeff Nelson was an imposing figure and the primary setup man on the Yankees’ World Series teams of 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

Since Nelson left for Seattle prior to the 2001 season, the Yankees have been actively searching for his replacement as the bridge to Mariano Rivera. Thus far, from a stability standpoint, the Yanks have failed. 

Over the past 10 years, Ramiro Mendoza, Steve Karsay, Chris Hammond, Armando Benitez, Paul Quantrill, Flash Gordon, Tanyon Sturtze, Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizcaino, Edwar Ramirez, and Joba Chamberlain all, in one way or another, have fallen shy of the Yankees’ expectations in a big situation.

In 2003 the Yankees even brought back Nelson at the trading deadline to try to recapture his magic. By this point, however, he was too old.   

Phil Hughes finally filled the eighth inning void in 2009, turning into an executioner out of the bullpen and helping the Yankees to title No. 27—their first in nearly a decade. This solution was only temporary though, and Hughes’ success has translated into the rotation in 2010. 

Compared to Jeff Nelson, the 25-year-old David Robertson would appear to be a pretty unassuming guy. Listed at only 5’11”, 190 pounds, it’s easy to write off Robertson as another meek MLB middle reliever. His stats say otherwise. 

Since arriving in the Yankee organization as a draft-eligible sophomore out of Alabama in 2007, David Robertson has posted impressive strikeout totals. Over 152 minor league innings, all in relief, Robertson rang up 215 batters, good for an otherworldly 12.7 K/9 rate. It may surprise you to discover that in 110 major league innings Robertson has struck out 142 batters (good for a 11.5 K/9 rate). 

Over the past three seasons, of relievers who have thrown at least 100 innings, David Robertson has the fourth best strikeout per nine innings rate in baseball.   He sits only behind Carlos Marmol, Jonathan Broxton, and Billy Wagner, three of baseball’s elite closers. 

Where David Robertson struggles is with his control. After walking only 61 batters in his minor league career (for a respectable 3.6 BB/9), he has issued 56 free passes in the major leagues for a BB/9 of 4.6. In 2010, his K/9 rate is only 10.55, but the walks have come down slightly to 4.42 per nine innings. 

Robertson’s arsenal consists of a slightly above average low 90s (usually 92 MPH) cutter, which he throws around 80 percent of the time. The other 20 percent of his offerings come in the form of a league average 79 MPH curveball. 

In terms of batted ball data, Robertson’s rate of groundballs has always been around 40 percent, which is also about league average. This year, however, his line-drive rate has jumped to an absurdly high 26 percent, which may either be random noise or a real cause for concern.

It would seem odd that a pitcher who has one of the league’s highest strikeout rates would also rank fifth in the league in line-drive percentage against, although he is in familiar company with relievers such as Matt Thornton, Carlos Marmol, and Jon Axford, all of whom rank highly in both categories. 

Whatever the case, David Robertson’s .373 Batting Average on Balls in Play is due to regress. Though his ERA sits at 4.42, it’s reasonable to suggest that Robertson currently possesses the ability of a pitcher with an ERA of around 3.50. Since the All-Star break, in seven innings of work, Robertson has struck out 11 batters and only walked one.

Whether or not this is merely the impact of a small data sample (likely) remains to be seen. For the optimists, it could mean that Robertson has taken that next step towards stardom. 

What is clear, even if he hasn’t, is that despite doubts about his size, David Robertson deserves a shot to become Mariano Rivera’s successor. 

Data courtesy of:

www.fangraphs.com

www.baseballcube.com

www.baseball-reference.com 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

New York Yankees CC Sabathia had a rare loss in his old stomping ground Tuesday night, falling 4-1 to the Cleveland Indians.

The Yankees are in first place, with a margin of only two games before they get caught.

This added a lot of pressure on an already erratic AJ Burnett. It was mandatory that Burnett put the team in a winning position.

Burnett surpassed all that was required, as he dominated the Indians batters. Burnett’s teammates helped make sure he had a chance to shine again and the Yankees won 8-0.

Another factor in the Yankees success is using David Robertson in the eighth inning.

It is no secret where the Yankees biggest weakness lies—in the bullpen.

With Alfredo Aceves on the DL since May, the Yankee bullpen has become a total mess. Chan-ho Park, Joba Chamberlain, and Boone Logan are not reliable at all and it has spelled trouble whenever they were called on.

Robertson was right in the mix, with a bad beginning to 2010.

The timing could not have been more perfect for Robertson to get find his form again.

Robertson thrived as the eighth inning guy even under the lights of the 2009 World Series. Translation: The pressure does not bother Robertson.

Skipper Joe Girardi realizes that he can count on Robertson to get the outs needed with no regrets.

Robertson’s small role has made the biggest difference since the All-Star break.

Still, the bullpen is the biggest roadblock for the Yankees. Most Yankees fans take comfort in the idea that Hughes will join Robertson once Andy Pettitte gets off the DL in a few weeks.

For now, the Yankees will head to Tampa following the fourth game against the Indians. Friday night starts a three-game set at Tropicana Field against the second place Rays.

This weekend series will be a literal battle royale for first place in the AL East. Both teams have their work cut out for them, as both are on fire right now.

Whichever team wins will purely be based on who played better defense and how each starting pitcher sets the tone.

Why?

Simply because both ball-clubs have proved they can hit the heck out of the ball, but if a pitcher is throwing heaters it will be considerably harder to accomplish.

This might be the most important series of 2010 thus far, because the Rays are just two games behind the Yankees in the standings.

Please check out Lady Loves Pinstripes, as the next three posts will break down each game pitching matchups.

*First pitch is at 7:10pm this Friday night, but Yankees have to win the last game against the Indians tonight…but trust me, this weekend will be some damn good baseball.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees enter the second half of the 2010 MLB season with the best record in the league and to much to complain about other than the inconsistent bullpen.

Throughout the first half the Yankees received the usual production from players like CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte , Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada. They also got some surprise performances from guys like Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.

Robinson Cano is having an MVP-type season so far, and the Yankees will surely hope he can continue his excellent play.

Despite the performances from these players, the Yankees are not quite a complete team yet. We have not seen the lineup or the pitching staff reach it’s full potential.

To see the five players, click here . (Link will open in a new screen)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s a good thing the New York Yankees starting pitchers have been able to go deep into ballgames most of the season. It is, however, a long season, and the bullpen will need to step up and win some games for this club.

Do you feel confident they can? I sure don’t. Outside of Mariano Rivera , who is having yet another excellent season, the Yankees bullpen is full of question marks.

Rivera holds own the ninth inning. That’s not a problem. The veteran is 0-1 this season with a 1.11 ERA in 24.1 innings. He has converted 16 of 17 save chances while giving up just nine hits all year to this point.

The problem is, if a starter only goes five or six innings, how do we get to Rivera. Sure Joba Chamberlain is out there for the eighth, but can you even trust him anymore?

Chamberlain is the guy many believe is being groomed to replace Rivera whenever baseball’s greatest closer finally decides to retire. However, at 1-3 and a 5.34 ERA, I’m not sure he is ready for that. Chamberlain has lost something. He has lost his fire, his dominance. Sure he has struck out 35 batters in 30.1 innings, but he has also given up 32 hits and 18 earned runs.

David Robertson was a guy expected to carry the load in the bullpen. Last season he was dominant at times, and the Yankees hoped he could carry that over into this season. He has pitched a little better of late, but still not the Robertson we saw last season.

This year, Robertson is 0-2 with a 5.64 ERA. In 22.1 innings, he has given up 29 hits and 11 walks. Not the numbers of someone you can count on to win games out of the bullpen.

Sergio Mitre   and Alfredo Aceves are two pitchers the Yankees need to get healthy. These two guys could be the answers, but coming back from injury is never a sure thing.

Chan Ho Park   and Chad Gaudin   need to go. Just get rid of these two guys, Park is a disaster. After a great season for the Phillies last year, the Yankees thought they were getting a solid bullpen guy. NOT!

For full article, visit Double G Sports .

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees got what they were looking for, they scored in double digits for the first time in almost two weeks. But Sabathia couldn’t tame the tribe and Joba got scalped out of the bullpen.

When the Indians hang 13 runs on you it’s time to make some changes, and it starts by moving Joba out of the set up roll ASAP, he now has an ERA of 5.84 and has three losses to his name.

The heir apparent to Mo might not be that apparent any more.

The problem with moving Joba out of his roll is that the Yankees would have to find somebody else, and I don’t think any pitcher out there in the bullpen can fill that roll right now.

That means it’s time to send some people down, lets start with Robertson and Park, who can’t get a hitter out to save their lives any way so it wouldn’t hurt for them to get themselves back together down at AAA.

Who should replace them? Mark Melancon deserves another shot and Jonathan Albaledejo has been lights out this season, so bring them up and at least give them an opportunity. They can’t do any worse than what the guys up here now are doing.

The offense was the only positive from Saturday, as it looks like Derek Jeter has come out of his slump and Teixeira is seeing the ball better, but Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano are heating up for the Yanks. And they will need every run they can get if they can’t solve their pitching issues soon.

The panic button hasn’t been pushed yet, but changes need to happen for this club to be successful moving forward, no team should give up 13 to the Indians, certainly not a team as talented as the Yankees are (or can be).

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Roy Oswalt has asked the Houston Astros for a trade. The Yankees are looking for another starter since Javier Vazquez is struggling to keep is spot. What if the Yankees could make a deal for the Houston ace?

The Yankees save several guys on the team that they could move in order to bring Oswalt to New York. The Astros would like to get a pitcher in return from the Yankees, so why not add Vazquez to the deal?

Vazquez seems to pitch great in the National League, because last year he was one of the best and was in contention for the Cy Young Award. He showed that yet again, when he pitched a great game against the New York Mets on Friday night. He serves no use to the Yankees if all he is going to do is pitch well against National League teams. 

Lets add some youth to the mix. Throw in the young relief pitcher, David Robertson. Robertson has been inconsistent and not the same since last year. It seems like every game he goes into, he has to give up a hit. The Yankees do not need that especially when they could possibly be fighting against the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East title. 

Does Houston want some more pitching? How about Sergio Mitre? The Yankees have been using him this year to eat up innings, but there definitely are better people out there in the farm system and on the market that could replace him easily. Mitre could revamp the Astros’ bullpen with Robertson. 

The Yankees should add a minor league player to be named later just to secure the deal. There are some guys that could be used as chips to make it happen like Kelvin De Leon, a Yankees outfield prospect or catcher Gary Sanchez. The Astros may want youth in the catcher position as they have Kevin Cash and Humberto Quintero behind the plate right now. Sanchez could be ready in a year or two if all goes well.

The Red Sox may want to get in on a deal to block the Yankees from doing so. Another team that may be out for Oswalt are the Mets, who desperately need pitching. Oswalt will be on the move, and it is only a matter of time before someone pulls the trigger on a deal. The Yankees need to act fast if they want to be the ones pulling the trigger.  

This article was featured at Chris Chavez’ Bomber’s Banter .

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com