Monthly Archives: March 2008

I’m hoping to wear that headline out this year. There have been a lot of pleasant surprises thus far this spring, including the number of players who showed up in legitimately fantastic shape, but the best news of all has been the performance of Phil Hughes, who has restored confidence in his legs following last year’s hamstring and ankle injuries, and has thus recovered the snap on his curve, the hop on his heater, and is back to inducing groundballs. This afternoon he took on the Minnesota Twins, who didn’t know how good they had it when the Yankees offered Hughes in package for Johan Santana, and kept his spring record hitless over four innings as the Yanks went on to win 6-4.

Lineup:

S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
L – Hideki Matsui (DH)
R – Shelley Duncan (1B)
R – Morgan Ensberg (3B)
R – Jason Lane (LF)
R – Jose Molina (C)
R – Chris Woodward (SS)
R – Jose Tabata (RF)

Pitchers: Phil Hughes, Kei Igawa, Alan Horne, Jeff Marquez, Chase Wright, Scott Patterson

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Bernie Castro (2B), Alberto Gonzalez (SS), Nick Green (PR/3B), Kyle Anson (C), Colin Curtis (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Brett Gardner (PR/LF), Greg Porter (DH)

Opposition: The Twins’ B-squad with Delmon Young and Justin Morneau.

Bit Hits: Doubles by Jose Molina (1 for 3), Morgan Ensberg (1 for 2, BB), and Greg Porter (1 for 1, BB). Chris Woodward was 2 for 3.

Who Pitched Well: Phil Hughes sailed through four hitless innings only allowing a pair of walks as he tired in the fourth. He struck out just one man, but got seven others out on the ground. Kei Igawa walked the bases loaded in the fifth, but stranded all three runners and allowed no hits over two scoreless innings. Scott Patterson retired the only man he faced. Though Igawa allowed that grand slam against SFU, during regular exhibition action those three pitchers have combined for 12 scoreless, hitless innings.

Who Didn’t: Chase Wright allowed two runs, one earned, on two walks and a single while getting just two outs in the ninth. Jeff Marquez allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits (one a double by minor league catcher Eli Whiteside) and a walk in one inning of work. Alan Horne pitched a scoreless seventh, but allowed a single, uncorked a wild pitch, and walked two.

More Cuts: Wright, Marquez, and Horne were all reassigned to minor league camp after the game, which was likely to happen even if they had pitched well. Like McCutchen and Melancon from yesterday’s cuts, all three are worth tracking this season. Horne and Marquez should be the top two starters in the Scranton rotation and could return as spot starters or long-relief help during the year. If all goes according to plan, both will be in the running to replace Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte next spring. Wright is less exciting, but as a lefty who has his first major league win under his belt, he could pop back up if he is able to right his course in the minors. I’d expect him to start the season in the Trenton rotation with McCutchen, but he could sneak into the Scranton quintet depending on how the chips fall at the end of camp. Chad Jennings of the SWB Yankees blog has been doing some good work on the bullpen battles and believes that with these cuts every remaining pitcher in camp is legitimately fighting for a spot on the 25-man roster.

Oopsies: A throwing error by Colin Curtis and a boot by Alberto Gonzalez, the latter Gonzalez’s second error of the spring.

Ouchies: Per Pete Abe, Francisco Cervelli is expected to miss eight to ten weeks and could have a pin inserted in his arm to aid his healing. In his first game action of the spring, Hideki Matsui (knee/neck) went 0 for 3 and grounded into a double play, though supposedly the double play ball was smoked to Justin Morneau, who turned the 3-6-3. Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada (right lats) are expected to play the field in tomorrow’s game against the Reds.

The Rays beat the Yankees 4-1 at Legends Field this afternoon, but the big news was a home plate collision with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that sent Yankee catching prospect Francisco Cervelli to the hospital where x-rays revealed a fractured right forearm. The play came with the Rays leading 3-1 in the top of the ninth with two outs and minor league infielder Elliot Johnson on first base via a botched play that was absurdly ruled a single (see below). Willy Aybar doubled to left and Johnson attempted to make it home from first base. As the relay came in from Wilson Betemit via Jason Lane, Cervelli set up in front of the plate. The ball beat Johnson to the plate, so Johnson dropped his head and shoulder and plowed full speed into Cervelli, who was rolled over, but held onto the ball for the out. Cervelli was promptly removed from the game and now has his arm in a cast. This play comes on the heels of another Ray, Carl Crawford, plowing into Houston catcher Humberto Quintaro on Wednesday. Cervelli wasn’t going to make the team, but he is a valuable prospect and could be be hindered by the lost development time. Joe Girardi is not pleased. The Rays and Yankees play twice more this spring (the first coming on Wednesday) and 18 times during the regular season, so we haven’t heard the last of this.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (LF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (DH)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Cody Ransom (3B)
R – Jose Molina (C)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)

Pitchers: Mike Mussina, Chris Britton, Kyle Farnsworth, Jeff Karstens, Jonathan Albaladejo, Ross Ohlendorf

Subs: Shelley Duncan (1B), Bernie Castro (PR/2B), Wilson Betemit (SS), Nick Green (3B), Francisco Cervelli (C), Kyle Anson (C), Jose Tabata (RF), Justin Christian (CF), Jason Lane (LF), Juan Miranda (DH)

Opposition: The Rays’ starters save for Dioner Navarro.

Big Hits: Johnny Damon (1 for 3) led off the game by shooting a double down the left field line off Matt Garza. That was the Yankees’ only extra-base hit of the game. They had just five hits in total and no Yankee had more than one.

Who Pitched Well: Mike Mussina had a monster curveball working and struck out five in 2 2/3 innings while allowing just two hits and walking two. One of those hits just happened to be a wind-blown solo homer by Jonny Gomes. Regarding the walks, Moose was being squeezed by home plate ump Mark Carlson, which is one reason why he only threw 55 percent of his pitches for strikes. It was also the source of some classic grouchy body language on the mound, as you might imagine. Kyle Farnsworth pitched a perfect fifth inning. Chris Britton retired all four batters he faced, one via strikeout. Jon Albaladejo worked around a walk for a scoreless inning.

Who Didn’t: Jeff Karstens wasn’t awful, but he took the loss, allowing the tie-breaking run on three hits and a walk over two frames. Ross Ohledorf pitched in bad luck in the ninth (see the botched grounder ruled a hit in “Oopsies” and add in a passed ball by Kyle Anson that allowed a run to score), but also surrendered a solo homer to Hector Gimenez and a would-be RBI double to Willy Aybar that led to the play on which Cervelli was hurt.

Good Plays: The play that sent Cervelli to the hospital was a great block of the plate. Cervelli has certainly been living up to his defensive reputation thus far this spring. Credit is also due to Wilson Betemit for making a great relay throw from shortstop, and to Jason Lane for hitting the cutoff man. Shelley Duncan made a great leaping stab of a hard hopper over his head, but . . .

Oopsies: . . . he botched the transfer in his attempt to come down and start the 3-6-3 and only got the out at first. In the ninth, Duncan bit on a groundball to his right that was an easy play for the second baseman and in his scramble to cover the bag he both cut off Ohlendorf, who was covering, and dropped the throw. Amazingly, that was ruled a hit. Pressed into emergency duty after Cervelli’s injury, Kyle Anson allowed a run to score on a passed ball during the only at-bat he caught in the game.

Ouchies: Alex Rodriguez singled and walked in his two trips as the DH. Jorge Posada did not play. Both are nursing sore right lat muscles. Hideki Matsui will see his first game action tomorrow as the DH, though Anthony Rieber asks, “Is it the best thing to have him take a 2 1/2 hour bus ride when he missed time last week with a stiff neck?”

More Cuts: The Yankees reassigned five pitchers to minor league camp: Steven White, Steven Jackson, Mark Melancon, Dan McCutchen, and Scott Strickland. Strickland came down with a sore elbow before games started and never saw action this spring. White and Jackson both got roughed up. McCutchen pitched a solid inning (one hit, one K), but he’s pitched just seven games above A-ball and was never a contender to make the team. Melancon pitched one perfect inning, but is coming off a year lost to late-2006 Tommy John surgery. Both Melancon and McCutchen are arms to keep an eye on. White, however, is in danger of losing his spot on the 40-man roster.

When I was a teenager, the film critic Pauline Kael was one of my idols. I loved her reviews. Even when I disagreed with her I learned something new. I felt sure that I could predict which movies she’d like and which ones she’d trash, but I was never that sure. She was always surprising. She was crazy for movies and wanted to be overwhelmed by them. She wrote sprawling reviews. They were always something to look forward to.

In the late ’80s, she fell ill, and I wrote her a note, saying, in effect that she could not die before she had the chance to review my first movie. Weeks later, I received a postcard with scrawled handwriting on one side–“It wasn’t the prospect of reviewing your first movie that laid me so low, although something sure as hell did. Good luck, Pauline Kael.” She retired from the New Yorker not long after that.

Her reviews were also condensed into blurbs in the front of the New Yorker. Here is a random selection, sure, as always, to raise an eyebrow, make someone furious, and perhaps turn your head too.

It’s a rainy day in New York. Enjoy:

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Not that it matters, but the Yankees dropped their third game in a row yesterday, falling to the Astros 9-5.

Lineup:

S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (DH)
R – Shelley Duncan (1B)
S – Wilson Betemit (3B)
R – Jason Lane (RF)
R – Jose Molina (C)
L – Brett Gardner (LF)

Pitchers: Andy Pettitte, Edwar Ramirez, Mariano Rivera, LaTroy Hawkins, Steven White, Brian Bruney, Heath Phillips, Jose Veras

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (1B), Chris Woodward (2B), Alberto Gonzalez (SS), Cody Ransom (3B), P.J. Pilittere (C), Colin Curtis (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Greg Porter (PH/LF), Jorge Posada (DH)

Opposition: The Astros’ B-team plus Hunter Pence.

Big Hits: A bunch. The Yankees had 13 hits, eight of which went for extra bases including a solo homer by Wilson Betemit (1 for 3) and doubles by Morgan Ensberg (1 for 2) and Greg Porter (2 for 2). Facing Houston starter and ex-Yankee Shawn Chacon with two outs in the second inning, the Yankees cashed in a leadoff double by Alex Rodriguez (1 for 2) when Jason Lane (1 for 3) doubled himself. Jose Molina then singled Lane home and was pushed to third by a double by Brett Gardner, who tripled in his only other at-bat. Melky Cabrera, who later doubled (1 for 2), walked to load the bases, but Derek Jeter (0 for 3) swung at ball four on 3-1 to leave the bases loaded.

Who Pitched Well: Mariano Rivera, in his first game action of the spring, retired the side on eight pitches (seven strikes) via a pair of strikeouts and a groundouts. Health Phillips pitched around a Tomas Perez double for a scoreless inning and a third, striking out one and getting two other outs on the ground. LaTroy Hawkins allowed two runs on a pair of hits in his only inning, but both were unearned due to a Shelley Duncan error, one of the two hits didn’t leave the infield, and all three of his outs, and thus five of the six balls in play he allowed, were on the ground. Andy Pettitte allowed two runs on three hits in his 2 2/3 innings, but the two runs came when a questionable hit-by-pitch was followed Victor Diaz cueing a curve off the plate away the other way for a home run. The other hit was a single and Pettitte struck out two while walking none and getting three other outs on the ground.

Who Didn’t: Steven White gave up three runs (two earned) on two doubles and the only two walks drawn by the Astros in an inning and a third. Jose Veras allowed two runs on two hits (one a triple by David Newhan) in the ninth.

Nice Plays: A nice running catch by human highlight reel Colin Curtis.

Oopsies: A boot by Shelley Duncan.

Ouchies: Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada split DH duties due to the fact that both are suffering from sore right latissimus dorsi muscles that hinder their throwing and are being shrugged off as typical of the dead-arm period. Per Pete Abe, they will split DH duties again today, sit out tomorrow, and should play the field again on Monday. Hideki Matsui took batting practice again yesterday and could DH on Monday.

What the hell is the 13^th man, some of you are probably wondering right about now?! Basketball has a sixth man, hockey has a third-man-in, and baseball has a 10^th man, so what exactly is the 13^th man? With 12-man pitching staffs becoming the norm throughout the major leagues today, teams generally now have 13 position players from which to fill out their lineup and bench. That figures to be the case with the Yankees, who will carry a four-man bench in support of their regular nine-man lineup.

Barring injury, 11 of the 13 slots have been decided. They include two catchers (Jorge Posada and Jose Molina), five infielders (Jason Giambi, Wilson Betemit, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez) and four outfielders (Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, and Hideki Matsui). That leaves two open slots. One of those will likely be filled by Shelley "Slam" Duncan, who is off to a riveting start in the Grapefruit League. Yankee management, from the front office down to the coaches, loves Duncan’s work ethic (he took 200 grounders a day in the early part of spring training), enthusiasm, and raw power from the right side of the plate. Let’s face it, they want Duncan to make this team. Heck, I want Duncan to make the team. Only a brutal spring performance would ruin Duncan’s bid, and right now, it doesn’t appear that Slam will crash. So Duncan figures to be the 12^th man.

That leaves us with one open spot for a position player—the aforementioned 13^th man. Although the Yankees are publicly keeping an open mind, let’s rule out young first baseman Juan Miranda, who will likely start the season at either Trenton or Scranton. We’re left with an intriguing battle featuring four non-roster players and a minor league prospect who received a cup of coffee in 2007. With that in mind, let’s examine the five candidates and their worthiness.

Morgan Ensberg: He has the most impressive resume of the contenders, but is also the oldest at age 32 and is learning to play first base for the first time in his career. A solid defensive third baseman, Ensberg should be able to handle first base with little trouble, but the question lingers: will he start to hit again? He had big years for the Astros in 2003 and 2005, and emerged as a huge component of Houston’s World Series club in ’05, but hasn’t been the same hitter since injuring his shoulder in the middle of the 2006 season. Instead of hitting like Morgan, he’s been hitting more like Morganna. Ensberg is also one of those rare players who sometimes becomes too patient at the plate. Like former big league outfielder Rich Becker, Ensberg can look so passive that he creates the impression that all he wants to do is work out a walk, which may be a sign that he lacks confidence in the strength of his shoulder.

Still, Ensberg ability to draw walks and hit home runs fits in with the general Yankee gameplan. He has also hammered left-handed pitching throughout his career, to the tune of a .405 on-base percentage and a .530 slugging percentage in 686 plate appearances against southpaws. Considering that his primary role would consist of playing first and DHing against lefties, and backing up A-Rod at third, Ensberg seems like a solid fit.

Jason Lane: Like Ensberg, Lane is learning to play first base and also provides the potential for right-handed power on a left-hand dominant club. At 30, he’s two years younger than his former Astros teammate, and brings the added benefit of being able to play all three outfield positions. Unfortunately, that’s where his advantages end. Lane has had only productive season in the major leagues; that was in 2005, when he slugged 26 home runs and came within a whisper of slugging .500. He has been positively brutal the last two seasons, including a failed late-season tryout with the Padres. Unlike Ensberg, Lane hasn’t hit left-handers especially well, so he may not fill the need for lineup balance. He’s also not your prototypical fourth or fifth outfielder. Defensively, Lane is OK, but nothing special, and doesn’t have enough speed to give the Yankees a pinch-running option. In order to make the Yankees’ roster, Lane will have to hit exceptionally well this spring; even then, the Yankees would be wise to take a pass and try to send him to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Or perhaps trade him to the Mets, who could use a warm body from the right side of the plate.

Chris Woodward: Like Lane, the 31-year-old Woodward has had one big year. That was way back in 2002, when he pounded out 13 home runs in semi-regular duty as the Blue Jays’ shortstop. Since then, he hasn’t put up a slugging percentage of even .400 and hasn’t reached base at anything better than a .337 clip. So what does Woody do? Well, versatility is his particular claim to fame. He played seven positions for the Mets in 2005, then showed up at six positions in 2006. A shortstop by trade, Woodward can play all four infield positions and has experience in all three outfield slots. There is some value in carrying a jack-of-all-trades, but the Yankees already have a versatile infielder in Wilson Betemit, who is a much better hitter, can switch-hit, and happens to be five years younger than Woodward.

In the old days (I’m thinking of the seventies and eighties), teams often carried two utility infielders as part of a contingent of 15 or 16 position players. So under that structure, there would be room for both Woodward and Betemit. But in today’s game, with only 13 position player slots, that kind of arrangement doesn’t make sense—unless both utility guys can hit like Tony Phillips or Cesar Tovar. Woodward is clearly not that kind of player, meaning the Yankees should take a pass and try to stash him at Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

Nick Green: He’s a lot like Woodward, only he’s a little better defensively and doesn’t play the outfield, outside of three career games in right field. He’s never had a big season offensively, which puts him behind Woodward, Lane, and Ensberg on the depth chart. Frankly, the 29-year-old Green needs the other contenders to flop and needs some veterans (like the ailing Hideki Matsui) to hit the disabled list to have any chance of making the team.

Alberto Gonzalez: Having been acquired as part of the Randy Johnson trade, Gonzalez is the only one of the five contenders who’s already on the 40-man roster. That won’t help much; he clearly has only an outsider’s shot of making the team—and that’s only if the Yankees decide that Derek Jeter needs a late-inning caddy. Given how the Yankees treat Jeter with ultra-sensitivity, it’s unlikely they would insult him by suggesting he needs to be lifted for defensive reasons. The 24-year-old Gonzalez does have his plusses, however. He’s a brilliant defensive shortstop in the Andre Robertson mold and has the kind of athleticism that should allow him to learn second and third base quickly. He also has just enough speed (38 steals in 57 minor league attempts) to serve as a pinch-runner. But his inability to hit and his lack of experience will probably doom him to start the season at Scranton Wilkes-Barre, where he’ll wait for an injury –or to be traded somewhere else.

So those are the five choices for the 13^th man. I’ll take Ensberg, but could see the Yankees, who don’t seem to value good offensive players on the bench, opting for either Lane or Woodward. Who would you choose?

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And Kyle’s got plenty of it.

The Yankees took the long trip to Sarasota for a game they’d probably rather forget, a 12-8 loss to the Reds that wasn’t nearly that close.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (DH)
R – Jose Molina (C)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
S – Wilson Betemit (2B)
R – Austin Jackson (LF)
L – Brett Gardner (CF)
R – Chris Woodward (3B)
R – Alberto Gonzalez (SS)

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Scott Patterson, Kyle Farnsworth, Darrell Rasner, Sean Henn, Dan Giese, Billy Traber, Steven Jackson

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (1B), Bernie Castro (2B), Cody Ransom (SS), Nick Green (3B), Francisco Cervelli (C), Jose Tabata (RF), Justin Christian (CF), Greg Porter (LF), Juan Miranda (DH)

Opposition: The Reds starters minus Brandon Phillips and their ace pitcher Aaron Harang.

Big Hits: A grand slam by Greg Porter off Alexander Smit in his only at-bat. A solo homer by Bobby Abreu (1 for 3), and doubles by Johnny Damon (2 for 3) and Chris Woodward (1 for 3). Hitting ahead of Porter’s salami, Morgan Ensberg (1 for 1) hit a would-be double to center but was held to a single by Jose Tabata’s baserunning.

Who Pitched Well: Scott Patterson, Dan Giese, and Billy Traber were all perfect, Giese and Traber for an inning each, Patterson for an inning and a third. Patterson and Traber each struck out one, Giese got all three outs on the ground. Kyle Farnsworth faced the minimum as Joey Votto, whom he walked, was caught stealing by Molina. He struck out one.

Who Didn’t: Chien-Ming Wang was decimated. He lasted just two-thirds of an inning and gave up six runs on six hits (five singles and a double by NRI second baseman Andy Green) and two walks. The only two outs he got came in the air (one of them a sac fly). Wang later said he was overthrowing and overstriding leaving his sinkers up. After throwing 32 pitches in the game, Wang threw about 20 more in the bullpen while working on correcting what went wrong in the game. Darrell Rasner allowed a single, walked three, and gave up a grand slam to Edwin Encarnacion. He got five of his six outs on the ground, but struck out no one. Sean Henn struck out two in his one inning of work, but also gave up three hits and two runs (though one was unearned). The game officially ended with the hosting Reds up 12-8, but Joe Girardi asked them to play the bottom of the ninth so that Steven Jackson could get an inning of work. Jackson got only one run before allowing four runs and having his manager throw in the towel.

Oopsies: A boot by Woodward and a bad throw by Nick Green.

Tyler Kepner has a piece on Ian Kennedy today in the Times:

Kennedy’s average fastball is probably 89 miles an hour, and what was exceptional in high school — when he teamed with Young on a United States junior national team — is nothing special now.

But Kennedy, who studies the control artist Greg Maddux closely, has extra life on the pitch to make it seem harder.

“You’re going to see 87s and 88s on the radar gun, but the way the hitters react, it’s not like 87 or 88,” [Kennedy’s AA catcher, P.J.] Pilittere said. “He’s got a nice, easy delivery with that late, hard finish on the ball where he really drives through it. Phil Hughes is the same way. He’ll be throwing 91, and you’ll catch it and say, ‘Man, is he throwing 98 today?’ That’s something you can’t really teach.”

This brought to mind an article that Jack Curry did on Greg Maddux back in 2003:

“Why am I so good?” Maddux said, repeating a question. “I think it’s probably because I understand myself as a pitcher, somewhat. I have an idea of what I can and can’t do on the mound. That’s probably the only reason I’ve lasted for the last five or six years.”

…While Maddux’s fastball rarely exceeds 89 miles per hour, it is a pitch he hones extensively and a pitch that enables him to be so masterly. Maddux’s fastball has tremendous movement and he can usually hit a one-inch box from 60 feet 6 inches. Since he controls it like a yo-yo, it enhances the rest of his repertory. Maddux counsels teammates to spend more time controlling their fastballs and less on curveballs or sliders.

“It’s unbelievable the amount of time he puts on perfecting the command of his fastball,” Mazzone said. “It’s his No. 1 priority. In his mind, if you can command your fastball and change speeds, there isn’t a heck of a lot more you have to do.”

…”I think what separates him is he’s so much better at recognizing what the last pitch dictated and gathering information from that than most guys are,” Glavine said. “Most guys say: `I threw a fastball in. Now I’m going to throw this.’ Why? They don’t know. It might not have anything at all to do with the last pitch. I think that’s what he’s good at. Seeing the hitter’s reaction and using that information on the next pitch.”

Horse of a Different Color

Curry, writing in the Times, and Gordon Edes, writing in the Boston Globe, both have stories on Terry Francona and his relationship with Joe Torre and the Yankees today. Edes notes:

For fans inflamed by provincial loyalties, it may be hard to fathom the personal bonds forged in an environment seemingly more suited for enmity than affection. But this winter, the general managers, Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman, made public appearances together, Cashman at Epstein’s charity event in Boston, Epstein at a speaking engagement at a New Jersey university, one that Cashman jokingly likened to an Obama-Clinton debate. The friendship is genuine.

“We’ve known each other and been friendly for a long time,” Epstein said yesterday.

The rivalry is real, but it’s mostly for (and about) the fans. Which is not to say that players on each side don’t want to beat each other, but, with perhaps a few exceptions here and there, I don’t believe the players dislike each other in the same way they did in the Fisk-Munson days.

The Yankees suffered their first spring-training loss this afternoon, falling to the Twins 7-5. See my liveblog of the game in the previous post.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (CF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (DH)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
S – Wilson Betemit (3B)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)

Pitchers: Ian Kennedy, Heath Phillips, Joba Chamberlain, Jonathan Albaladajo, Edwar Ramirez, Chris Britton, Ross Ohlendorf

Subs: Shelley Duncan (1B), Nick Green (2B), Chris Woodward (SS), Morgan Ensberg (3B), Francisco Cervelli (C), Jason Lane (RF), Brett Gardner (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Greg Porter (DH), Bernie Castro (PR)

Big Hits: Consecutive doubles to deep dead center by Robinson Cano (3 for 3) and Wilson Betemit (1 for 3), and a solo homer by Shelley Duncan (1 for 2). Derek Jeter was 2 for 2 with a walk.

Who Pitched Well: Heath Phillips tossed a perfect third inning retiring a lefty and two righties (one of the latter via strikeout and the other two men via grounders). Chris Britton retired the only two men he faced. Ross Ohlendorf allowed a well-placed weak ground ball for a single, but struck out the other two men he faced with some wicked stuff.

Who Didn’t: Ian Kennedy didn’t seem sharp as he threw just 56 percent of his 34 pitches for strikes and allowed a solo homer to Delmon Young, but he didn’t walk anyone, only allowed one other hit, a single, and got four of his five outs on the ground (two via a double play in the first). Joba Chamberlain had a ratio of strikes to balls that was similar to Kennedy’s (54 percent of 35 pitches), but also got four of his six outs on the ground (plus one via strikeout). He allowed three baserunners in his two frames, one via walk, one via single, and one via a two-run home run by minor leaguer Garrett Jones. Neither pitched well, but neither was awful, and it is still the first week of March. Jonathan Albaladejo allowed a run on four hits (one a double by Joe Mauer), was charged with a blown save, and had to be pulled with one out in the seventh (though he did strikeout two of the five men he retired). Edwar Ramirez struck out Felix Molina to end Albaladejo’s seventh inning, but ran into trouble in the eighth. After a leadoff walk, the Yankees’ replacement fielders only got one out on a double-play ball. Ramirez then hit a batter, and gave up an infield single and a two-run double. He finally got that second out only because of a great diving catch by Colin Curtis. Then came the hook.

Nice Plays: Curtis’s diving catch coming in toward the line in left was the highlight, but Melky Cabrera had a nice day in the field, making a one charging catch on the run in shallow right center and later gunning out a tagging runner for a 8-5 double play. Jason Giambi also had a good day in the field, making one leaping stab of a ball over his head and later circling a well-hit ball down the line nicely for an unassisted putout.

Oopsies: Nothing really, that missed double play was the only poor play. Chris Woodward did a good job of fielding a hard grounder at short, but the ball rolled up his arm on the transfer. Second baseman Nick Green’s pivot throw bounced, and Shelley Duncan didn’t even come close to corralling it at first base.

Ouchies: Hideki Matsui finally took some batting practice after skipping a few days due to a stiff neck that resulted from his last BP session, though he supposedly wasn’t swinging at full strength today. Scott Strickland (sore elbow) was scheduled to throw of a bullpen mound today.

More: Smiles abound in this post from Tyler Kepner, which has the good news on Bobby Murcer’s biopsy (it was just scar tissue!) and a humorous note from the intrasquad game that took place this morning. That play involved Chase Wright, who now has yet another incident to live down. Also, here’s a link to some links from Chad Jennings of the excellent SWB Yankees Blog, including an excellent piece on Kei Igawa by Kepner.

Welcome the my fifth annual spring training liveblog. I typically blog the Yankees’ first spring training game of the year, but this year the YES broadcast schedule (which omitted the first game of the exhibition season) and reader request have reassigned me to Game 5, which like last year’s opener, finds the Yankees hosting the Minnesota Twins.

Here are today’s lineups courtesy of Peter Abraham:

Twins

R – Carlos Gomez (CF)
R – Brendan Harris (2B)
L – Joe Mauer (C)
L – Justin Morneau (1B)
R – Delmon Young (LF)
L – Brian Buscher (3B)
R – John Knott (DH)
L – Garrett Jones (RF)
S – Matt Tolbert (S)

R – Kevin Slowey (P)

The traveling Twins only brought half their starters, but they do have both of the M&M boys (last year they left Mauer behind) and two of their big off-season acquisitions, Delmon Young and ex-Met Carlos Gomez. Injuries to Moises Alou (of course) and Endy Chavez forced the Mets to rush Gomez to the majors last year at age 21, robbing him of a crucial year of development. Many believe that Gomez, who has just 140 triple-A bats under his belt, needs a full season at Rochester this year, but looking at his competition and Ron Gardenhire’s lineups this spring, it seems Gomez is the leading candidate to open the season as the Twins’ center fielder and leadoff hitter. The pressure to show off some of their return for Johan Santana may also factor in to the team’s decision.

Harris came over in the Young trade and is competing with Alexi Casilla for the second base job. Tolbert, starting at shortstop today, is also primarily a second baseman and could factor into that battle as well. Buscher is coming off a huge season as a triple-A Rule 5 pick, but will be 27 in April didn’t hit much in his brief major league debut last year. Jones is entering his tenth professional season and also made an unimpressive major league debut last year. Knott is a 28-year-old former Padres power prospect and non-roster invitee.

Yankees

L – Johnny Damon (CF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (DH)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
S – Wilson Betemit (3B)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)

R – Ian Kennedy (P)

Joba Chamberlain will follow Kennedy for the Yankees.

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I like reading about hardass managers from the seventies–Dick Williams, Billy Martin, Whitey Herzog, Earl Weaver–because it’s just so difficult to imagine them in today’s game. Here is a typical bit of nastiness from Billy the Kid, courtesy of Bob Klapisch and John Harper’s The Worst Team Money Could Buy:

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Mike Lupica and Allen Barra, an incongruous couple if I’ve ever heard of one, both mention W.C. Heinz this week. Barra has a tribute to Heinz in today’s Wall Street Journal:

Perhaps the lasting legacy of Bill Heinz is something he told me in a phone interview 15 years ago. What, I asked him, was the greatest lesson he had learned in nearly half a century of sportswriting? His answer was surprising. “In the end, all of us — fans, writers, coaches, athletes — have something in common: We’re all losers. Everybody is a loser, let’s face it. None of us wins all the time, in games or in life, not Joe DiMaggio, not Muhammad Ali. And none of us is going to live forever.”

Not even Roger Clemens…

This reminded me of what Roger Angell once said about failure, and why, when he started writing about baseball, he was drawn to the Mets and not the Yankees because, he contended, there is more Mets than Yankees in most of us. Most of us can generally relate more to failure than success. Pat Jordan was a failure as a pitcher and then made a career out of profiling so-called “failures” (though he writes just as convincingly about success stories). Check out Jordan’s latest, from last weekend’s Play magazine, on two young golfers.

Last fall I was at Yankee Stadium working on an assignment for SI.com. I wanted to speak to Kevin Long, the batting coach. I waited, just outside of the Yankee dugout, for batting practice to end. The players started walking off the field. When I saw a familiar face approach I introduced myself…only it was to the wrong guy. “No, I’m not Kevin Long,” said Rob Thomson, as if he had often been mistaken for someone other than himself, “he’s the short guy over there.”

I felt like a dope, but Thomson didn’t seem displeased which made me breath a sigh of relief. Well, turns out Thomson will be more visible this year in the Bronx as Joe Girardi’s bench coach. According to Mark Feinsand in the Daily News:

“I knew how prepared he was, how much he knew about the game and all the different roles he had played within the organization,” Girardi said. “The only thing he didn’t have was big-league experience, but he’s been doing it for years.”

Now, after spending four years as the seventh man on Joe Torre’s six-man coaching staff – three as special assignment instructor and one as major league field coordinator – Thomson has been rewarded with a spot as Girardi’s bench coach.

“I’ve known him for a long time; he works as hard as anyone,” said Derek Jeter, who has worked with Thomson since 1993. “He’s always prepared, always positive; he’s a lot of fun to be around. I’m excited for him. It’s well-deserved.”

“He’s earned the right,” Cashman said. “We all talk about the emergence of the young players on our roster, but we have an emergence of our coaching staff from the minors on this roster as well. Rob Thomson is a product of that, as are Dave Eiland and Kevin Long.”

Joba Chamberlian re-upped with the Yanks too. He’ll earn $390,000. Random thought…Last week, I either read or heard that Joba went to P.R. over the winter to attend a charity bowling benefit that Jorge Posada hosted. I wonder if a veteran like Posada paid for Joba to fly down there or if the kid paid is own way.

Rain interrupted the Yankees’ game against the Blue Jays twice this afternoon. First a rain delay ended Phil Hughes’ day after his first pitch of the second inning (Hughes threw a pair of 15-pitch “innings” indoors to get to 40 tosses on the day), then rain ended the game itself with the visiting Yanks leading 2-0 with two outs in the top of the sixth. The Blue Jays sent just 15 men to the plate. None of them reached base.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (LF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (DH)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
R – Shelley Duncan (RF)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
S – Bernie Castro (2B)

Pitchers: Phil Hughes, Scott Patterson, Kei Igawa, Billy Traber

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (1B), Alberto Gonzalez (SS), Cody Ransom (3B), Jose Molina (C), Colin Curtis (RF), Justin Christian (CF), Greg Porter (LF), Juan Miranda (DH)

Opposition: The Blue Jays’ starters minus Alex Rios.

Big Hits: Doubles by Shelley Duncan (2 for 2) and Morgan Ensberg (1 for 1).

Who Pitched Well: Everyone. Phil Hughes got through the first inning on nine pitches (six strikes), getting two outs on the ground. Billy Traber struck out the side (two lefties and righty Frank Thomas) in the fifth for the save. Scott Patterson struck out one in his lone inning. Kei Igawa went 3-0 on his first batter, but recovered and struck out two in his two perfect frames (more on Igawa here).

Ouchies: Updating my note on Hideki Matsui from yesterday, Godzilla did not take batting practice yesterday or today due to his stiff neck. The original goal was for Matsui to start participating in games this weekend, but that target is starting to slip. Robinson Cano missed the game to get a couple of fillings in his teeth.

More: Tyler Kepner has a brief note on the Andy Pettitte workout group, which now includes six Yankee hurlers. Kat O’Brien has some nice Joba anecdotes here. The other pitchers scheduled to pitch today (Jeff Marquez, Chase Wright, Alan Horne, and Mark Melancon) will get their work in during a brief intrasquad game tomorrow morning scheduled for 10:15. Assuming there’s no more rain, I’ll be liveblogging the actual game against the Twins at 1:00.

I caught a couple of innings of Sunday’s exhibition game between the Yankees and Phillies–saw Giambi punch a double into the left center field gap, saw Alex Rodriguez just get under one and fly out. I was struck by how, what’s the right word?, rusty, the fielding was. Not that it came as a surprise, but it reminded me just how smooth most major league fielders are once the season gets going. How talented they are. The routine plays looked difficult on Sunday.

Also saw Jorge Posada take one off the face mask and Ken Singleton, the YES announcer, said, “First one of the year.” I wonder if veteran catchers like Posada are so used to getting banged up by foul balls that they hardly notice it (that is, if it is physically possible to hardly notice getting pounded in the grill), or if he says, “Oy, there’s the first one, only a hundred plus more to go.” Does it get harder and harder the older you get?

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The Yanks beat the Astros 7-6 this afternoon to run their spring record to 2-0-1.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (LF)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Shelley Duncan (DH)
R – Morgan Ensberg (1B)
S – Wilson Betemit (3B)
R – Jason Lane (RF)
S – Francisco Cervelli (C)
R – Chris Woodward (SS)

Pitchers: Mike Mussina, Jeff Karstens, Edwar Ramirez, Steven Jackson, Daniel McCutchen, Mark Melancon

Subs: Cody Ransom (1B), Bernie Castro (2B), Alberto Gonzalez (SS), Nick Green (3B), Kyle Anson (C), Jose Tabata (RF), Brett Gardner (CF), Austin Jackson (LF), Greg Porter (DH)

Opposition: The Astros starters.

Big Hits: Doubles by Melky Cabrera (2 for 3, BB), Shelley Duncan (2 for 4), and Morgan Ensberg (2 for 4). Robinson Cano went 3 for 4.

Who Pitched Well: Everyone except Mussina. The five Yankee relievers combined for this line: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 4 K. Jeff Karstens delivered three strong innings of relief, working around a single and a double by striking out two and getting four other outs on the ground. Jackson pitched a perfect inning. Melancon erased an error in the ninth by inducing a double play to face the minimum.

Who Didn’t: Mussina, who allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits in two-plus innings without striking out a batter. Moose breaks down his outing here. In summary, he was getting lots of early two-strike counts, but lacked command and an out pitch and thus was making mistakes in the zone (he threw a whopping 83 percent of his 40 pitches for strikes) and getting hit. The bulk of the damage occurred when he came back out for the third inning and gave up a pair of singles (an infield job by Kaz Matsui and a solid shot by Lance Berkman) and a three-run homer to Carlos Lee. Moose’s outing is yet another reminder that it’s very early in spring training, though it’s worth noting that a lack of an out pitch is what got him bumped from the rotation down the stretch last year.

Oopsies: A bunch: Morgan Ensberg booted one in the first. In the second, with Hunter Pence on second, Jose Cruz Jr. singled to right field, Ensberg made an attempt at the ball (Mark Feinsand thinks he perhaps should have gotten to it), drawing Mussina toward first to cover the bag, Jason Lane then threw wild to the plate, and Mussina was caught out of position, leaving no one backing up the play and allowing Cruz to move to second. Later in the game, Alberto Gonzalez made a throwing error and Cody Ransom booted one in the ninth.

Ouchies: Hideki Matsui apparently tweaked his neck while swinging a bat a couple of days ago, but was still scheduled to take BP today.

Bonus Cut: Third baseman Marcos Vechionacci, another low-minors player with zero chance of factoring into a position battle, was reassigned to minor league camp.

More: This is utterly unrelated, but fun stuff from Jack Curry on some old cat-and-mouse games between Jason Giambi and David Cone.

The Yanks and Phils played to a 7-7, nine-inning tie in the Yanks’ first home game of the spring.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (DH)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Jason Lane (LF)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)

Pitchers: Andy Pettitte, Steven White, Scott Patterson, LaTroy Hawkins, Kyle Farnsworth, Sean Henn, Brian Bruney, Jose Veras

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Alberto Gonzalez (2B), Wilson Betemit (SS), Cody Ransom (3B), Jose Molina (C), Colin Curtis (RF), Justin Christian (CF), Chris Woodward (LF), Nick Green (DH)

Opposition: The Phillies traveling squad, featuring five regulars and no Ryan Howard.

Big Hits: A rocket of a three-run home run by Jason Giambi to inaugurate the new right-field bleachers in the first inning. Giambi (2 for 3) also had an RBI double to the gap in left center. Jason Lane added a solo shot and a triple in three trips. The triple was actually a dropped fly by Jayson Werth playing in center, but Lane did hit it about 400 feet. Both homers game off Philly starter Cole Hamels. Johnny Damon doubled in three trips. Bobby Abreu went 2 for 3 with a stolen base for the second straight game.

Who Pitched Well: LaTroy Hawkins pitched a perfect inning of relief, getting all three outs on the ground. Jose Veras also pitched a perfect frame, with all three outs coming in the air. Scott Patterson, who has a really wacky delivery (a tall guy, he looks like he’s going to throw about three-quarters, then suddenly he drops his left shoulder and comes straight over the top in the low 90s), retired the only batter he faced. Andy Pettitte was sharp, pitching around a walk (erased by a double play) and a single (erased by a pickoff) in two scoreless frames and getting just one of his outs in the air. Sean Henn pitched around a single for a scoreless inning of his own.

Who Didn’t: Steven White was lit up for four runs on five hits and two walks in just 1 2/3 innings. Brian Bruney, who is probably the most noticeably slimmed-down player in camp, gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in his lone inning of work, picking up a blown save in the process. Kyle Farnsworth is still working from the windup, but it did him little good as he gave up a solo homer to Pat Burrell plus a single in his only frame.

Nice Plays: The gem of the game was actually a full-out dive by Philadelphia center fielder Greg Goslon to rob Juan Miranda of an extra-base hit in the left field gap. Goslon caught the ball in mid-air at full extension. He also had an RBI single and a stolen base and homered in Saturday’s game. Word is he still has a lot of work to do at the plate, but he’s a young five-tool player worth keeping an eye on. Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez both made nice plays going to their right and throwing off balance to Jason Giambi, who also had a nice day in the field (“I’m a cat out there” sez G’bombi).

Oopsies: Nothing egregious, but there were a few difficult plays in the infield that weren’t made that likely would have been during the regular season, betraying how early we are in the process of these players getting ready for the season. Derek Jeter didn’t quite get his jump-pass to first base on time, Cano pulled Giambi off the bag with another cross-body throw, and Alex Rodriguez got eaten up by a short hopper right after making his nice play mentioned above.

The First Cut: Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, Eduardo Nuñez, and Eric Duncan have all been reassigned to minor league camp, which opens tomorrow. I’m disappointed not to have gotten to see Montero hit, particularly after he homered in Saturday’s game, but he and Romine, who were actually reassigned on Saturday, are important prospects from the low minors who need to spend the spring doing something other than riding pine with the big leaguers. Nuñez and Duncan probably shouldn’t have been in camp in the first place. In Duncan’s case, the invite was likely intended solely to boost his confidence, as not inviting him would have underscored the degree to which his stock has fallen.

Further Reading: Anthony McCarron’s liveblog. I found this bit on Giambi particularly interesting: “Giambi is giddy about his condition and wants to prove to the Yankees that he can shoulder the load at first every day. He said he never realized how bad his feet are–medically speaking, not that he’s got two left ones–and he is now taking care of them with orthotics and exercises.” Remember it was plantar fasciitis (a foot-arch injury) that sidelined him last year.

In the first official game of spring training the Yankees treated the defending NL East Champions a lot like they treated the University of South Florida the day before, cruising to a 9-3 win.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
R – Shelley Duncan (1B)
R – Morgan Ensberg (DH)
R – Jose Molina (C)
L – Greg Porter (LF)
R – Chris Woodward (2B)

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Darrell Rasner, Billy Traber, Chris Britton, Heath Phillips, Jonathan Albaladejo, Dan Giese, Ross Ohlendorf

Subs: Wilson Betemit (1B-2B), Eric Duncan (1B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Marcos Vechionacci (3B), Jesus Montero (C), Jason Lane (RF-LF), Jose Tabata (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Bernie Castro (DH)

Opposition: The defending NL East Champion Phillies’ starters.

Big Hits: A three-run homer by Shelley Duncan, who also delivered a two-run double. He was 2 for 3 with 5 RBIs. Solo homers by Alex Rodriguez (2 for 3) and Jesus Montero (an opposite-field shot in his only plate appearance), and a two-run dinger by Wilson Betemit (1 for 2) of ex-Yank Tom Gordon.

Who Pitched Well: Almost everyone save for Darrell Rasner. The other seven Yankee pitchers combined for this line: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K, the lone run coming on a home run off Giese by non-roster invitee Greg “Goose” Golson, who was the first batter Giese faced and the only baserunner he allowed. Jon Albaladejo struck out two in a perfect inning. Billy Traber faced three lefties and retired them all. Chien-Ming Wang allowed a booming double by Ryan Howard, but retired the other six men he faced, four on groundouts, one via strikeout. Heath Phillips gave up a single to Howard, but struck out the next two men (a righty and a lefty) and got lefty Greg Dobbs to fly out to strand Howard.

Who Didn’t: Rasner pitched in and out of trouble with two outs. Following a single sandwiched between a pair of groundouts, he walked Shane Victorino, and gave up an RBI double to Chase Utley. He then walked Ryan Howard to load the bases (likely somewhat intentionally as it came on four pitches), and got Pat Burrell to fly out to leave ’em loaded. The result was the ugliest line of the day, but he probably impressed his coaches by getting himself out of the jam.

Oopsies: After walking and stealing second, Derek Jeter got picked off second base ahead of Rodriguez’s homer (Anthony McCarron reports the steal sign was on yet again). Chris Woodward let a grounder through the wickets at second for the game’s only error.

Battles: Traber and Phillips kicked off the battle for the lefty spot in the pen. Traber’s ability to get lefties out isn’t in question, but he needs to prove he can retire righties in order to make the team, and he knows it. Phillips pitched well overall, but the purpose of having a lefty in the pen is to get the big lefties like Howard out, and that he failed to do. Hitting directly behind Duncan in the order, Morgan Ensberg went 0-for-3 with two strikouts. Jason Lane singled and struck out in two trips. In addition to his six bases and five RBIs in three trips, Duncan got good marks for his fielding today. Chris Woodward played the entire game at second base and went 2 for 3, but also committed that error.

More: Jason McAdams of My Baseball Bias liveblogged the entire game. Wang threw just 24 pitches, but was mixing them well. He struck Pat Burrell out on a curve ball and even worked in three changeups. Don’t get too excited about that pitch just yet, however. Remember all the hype about Mariano Rivera throwing a change in spring training last year? Well, according to the new edition of The Bill James Goldmine, Mo threw exactly one (1) changeup during the regular season (though James does list 11 Rivera pitches as “uncharted”). If there was just one, Emma Span caught it. Tyler Kepner reports that Joe Girardi’s plan is to have Jason Giambi start at first base every other day this month. Finally, check out Pete Abe’s piece about the Yankees’ long-term center field picture. Quoth Cashman: “In the end, I think we’re going to have a great [homegrown] center fielder. It’s just a question of who that is.”

I saw my favorite bus driver this morning. I went to visit my brother and his family. I take the BX7 bus which picks me up on 236th street and Riverdale Avenue and lets me off on 207th street and Broadway, just a few blocks from their apartment. The trip takes between 15-25 minutes, depending on traffic.

The bus stops directly across the street from where I live so pretty much as soon as I walk out my door I know whether I can make a bus or not. I know exactly how much time it takes if I break out and haul ass in a sprint. Today, I started the sprint but didn’t have a chance and missed the bus by a wide margin. Buddy, a fit, old wise guy that lives in my building–he’s always out walking his little venomous dog–watched me sprint and then let up in defeat. I caught his eye and he laughed at me.

Took more than ten minutes for the next bus to show up. But when it did I saw that it was being driven by my man, Bobby Riggs. Bobby Riggs is a pale, lean man in his late fifites with glasses and pockmarked skin. He has a thick New York accent and a friendly disposition. Straight forward, open. But not soft. He’s been driving long enough to have seniority and he only likes to work the 7 line. The first time we met we got to talking sports, cause I brought it up, but he didn’t really care about sports. Somehow we got to tennis and the Billie Jean King celebrity match against…what was that guy’s name again? When I left the bus that day, neither of us could remember the stupid guy’s name.

Couple of hours after I left him that day, it hit me. And the next time I saw the guy, I was ready to pounce. He opens the door and points at me and goes, “Hey, Bobby Riggs.” So we’ve always called each other Bobby Riggs ever since. He’s a real good guy. Lives with his mother. She’s 91 and has alzheimer’s but he’ll never turn her over to a home or an institution.

He was actually getting off the bus himself at 215th street, a shift-change stop for drivers. Time for lunch-o. Before he got off he turned to me and said, “By the way, my name is Paul.”

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