Having opened the second-half by sweeping the A’s, the Yankees are now just three games out in the Wild Card picture, but they’re still in third place. The next team on the ladder is the one coming to town for the next three nights: the Minnesota Twins. The Twins just took two of three from the Rangers, but with the Yankees’ sweep, that closed the gap between the two teams to two games. With another sweep, the Yankees could take second place in the Wild Card chase, and the next team on ladder, the slumping Boston Red Sox (they were just swept by the Angels), are the next on the schedule.
The problem is that, having burned their top three pitchers against the A’s, the Yanks are left with Sidney Ponson (tonight) and Darrell Rasner (tomorrow) starting two of three games against Minnesota. Also, despite sweeping the A’s, the Yankees only scored four runs during regulation during the last two games. Meanwhile, the Twins’ rotation is deeper, and their worst starter, Livan Hernandez, won’t pitch in this series. Still, taking two of three would bring the Yankees within one game of the Twins, and with Mussina pitching on Wednesday and Minnesota’s Tuesday night starter, Kevin Slowey, having allowed 11 runs in 9 2/3 innings over his last two starts, a series win is well within reach.
Tonight, the Yankees send Ponson against Nick Blackburn. Blackburn pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the Yankees on June 1–when the Yanks and Twins were in the midst of splitting a four-game set at the Metrodome–but was forced to leave the game when a comebacker off Bobby Abreu’s bat broke his nose. Blackburn struggled in his next start (which he did make), but has a 3.05 ERA since then with five quality starts in six tries, and a 1.74 ERA over his last three starts, in which he’s walked just three and allowed just one home run.
Amazingly, Ponson has allowed just one run total in two of his three Yankee starts, shutting out the Mets for six innings on June 27, and holding the first-place Rays to one run over six frames in his last start before the All-Star break. Ponson’s 3.96 ERA on the season is something of a shocker, but there’s something real behind it. Much like LaTroy Hawkins did in Colorado last year, Ponson’s been getting the job done with an unprecedented (for him) groundball rate. Ponson had never had a GB/FB rate over 2.00 before this year, but his 2008 mark thus far is 2.42 (by comparison, Chien-Ming Wang’s career GB/FB rate is 2.78). Ponson’s one dud start as a Yankee saw him allow eight fly balls against five grounders, but in his two quality Yankee starts, he’s induced 23 grounders to just 6 fly balls. It will take a great deal more of those starts for me to have any sort of faith in Ponson, but at least there’s some legitimate and repeatable reason for the success he’s had this season. That means it’s not a fluke; he might have actually figured something out with his sinker. . . and now that I’ve said that, he’ll stink up the joint tonight.
All of the above is further complicated by the news this afternoon that Jorge Posada’s shoulder has forced him back to the DL and could require season-ending surgery (as opposed to the offseason surgery that was expected). Posada only played in two of the games against the A’s, only caught one (in which he was removed for defensive replacement Jose Molina when the A’s started running on him late in that game), and only had one hit (a single), but he got on base four times in nine trips.
Johnny Damon returns from the DL to take Posada’s roster spot tonight, but he’s starting out slow by DHing. Jason Giambi plays first. Betemit and Sexson will wait for the key moment to pinch hit for catcher Molina or left fielder Brett Gardner. Surprisingly, given Posada’s inability to catch with any frequency of late, the team could actually be improved by swapping Posada for Damon, assuming Damon’s able to return to the outfield in short order. With Damon in the lineup in place of Gardner and the Sexson/Betemit platoon in place of Posada, the Yankees could upgrade from Posada’s production to Damon’s, Gardner’s to Sexson/Betemit’s, and Molina’s to Molina/Moeller’s while hoping Cano can stay hot and gaining depth on the bench by dropping down to two catchers, giving them power (the inactive member of the Sexson/Betemit platoon), and speed and defense (Gardner and Christian for now, who can run for the catchers or sub into the outfield corners late in close games the Yankees are leading) in reserve. Swapping out one of the speedsters for Alberto Gonzalez in order to increase position flexibility would only make the bench deeper.
How’s that for shining up a turd?
Minnesota Twins
2008 Record: 55-43 (.561)
2008 Pythagorean Record: 52-46 (.535)
Manager: Ron Gardenhire
General Manager: Bill Smith
Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (96/96)
Who’s Replaced Whom:
Denard Span (minors) replaces Michael Cuddyer (DL)
Brian Buscher (minors) replaces Mike Lamb at third base and Howie Clark on the roster
Nick Punto (DL) replaces Matt Macri (minors)
Scott Baker (DL) replaces Boof Bonser on the rotation and Juan Rincon on the roster
25-man Roster:
1B – Justin Morneau (L)
2B – Alexi Casilla (S)
SS – Brendan Harris (R)
3B – Brian Buscher (L)
C – Joe Mauer (L)
RF – Denard Span (L)
CF – Carlos Gomez (R)
LF – Delmon Young (R)
Bench:
R – Craig Monroe (OF)
L – Mike Lamb (3B/1B)
R – Mike Redmond (C)
S – Nick Punto (IF)
Rotation:
R – Nick Blackburn
R – Kevin Slowey
L – Glen Perkins
R – Livan Hernandez
R – Scott Baker
Bullpen:
R – Joe Nathan
R – Matt Guerrier
L – Dennys Reyes
R – Jesse Crain
R – Brian Bass
L – Craig Breslow
R – Boof Bonser
15-day DL: R – Michael Cuddyer (RF), R – Adam Everett (SS), S – Matt Tolbert (IF),
60-day DL: R – Pat Neshek
Typical Lineup:
R – Carlos Gomez (CF)
S – Alexi Casilla (2B)
L – Joe Mauer (C)
L – Justin Morneau (1B)
L – Jason Kubel (DH)
R – Delmon Young (LF)
L – Brian Buscher (3B)
R – Brendan Harris (SS)
L – Denard Span (RF)
