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With a fake nail on the index finger of his pitching hand, A.J. Burnett was able to throw his knuckle-curve for strikes and dominated the Yankees for six innings last night. Mike Mussina had a decent curve himself, but not the yakker he displayed in some of his spring training outings. The result was a typical post-2003 Mike Mussina start: 5 2/3 IP, 4 R, 2 K. Though Mussina kept it close, it was obvious from the very start which way the game was going to go.

Moose gave up a hard-luck unearned run in the first. Scrappy David Eckstein led off the game with a sinking liner to the right side that Giambi knocked down, but didn’t glove cleanly. When Giambi came up with the ball, he looked to flip to Mussina for the out, but Mussina, who had broken for the bag on contact, eased up when Giambi came to his feet expecting the big lug to take it himself. With no other option, Giambi did just that and his foot hit the bag at the exact instant that Eckstein’s foot did. There is no official rule that the tie goes to the runner, but that’s what happened. Giambi was charged with an error on the play, I assume for either his brief bobble or his apparent hesitation over what to do with the ball once he had it, but if Mussina covers, Eckstein’s out. Giambi made another nice play later in the game, diving up the line with his foot on the bag to snag a Derek Jeter throw in the dirt for an out, and made a valiant but fruitless (and thankfully harmless) dive into the camera pit in pursuit of a foul pop. Back in the first inning, Eckstein was move to second by a well-placed ground-ball single by Shannon Stewart and plated by a flare over Robinson Cano’s head by Alex Rios, though he would have been out had Jose Molina fielded Bobby Abreu’s throw cleanly. In Molina’s defense, he threw out both attempting Toronto base steelers in the game.

The Jays made it 3-0 in the third on a two-out walk to Rios and a two-run Vernon Wells homer to left on a hanging slider that Mussina said was his worst slider of the game. They then added on in the sixth, despite Johnny Damon snagging a would-be wall-scraping homer by Rios to start the inning. Wells followed that out with a single and was pushed to second when a Mussina changeup (Mussina called it a “lazy curve”) appeared to nick the bill of Frank Thomas’s helmet. Mussina then got Lyle Overbay to fly out for the second out and got ahead of Aaron Hill 0-2, but Hill singled Wells home on a fat 84-mile-per-hour fastball up in the zone, bringing Joe Girardi out of the dugout to make the first mid-inning pitching change of his Yankee career. LaTroy Hawkins got the third on out a fly ball with a single pitch to Marco Scutaro, proving that Girardi is a managerial genius. Unfortunately, the Jays added another run against Hawkins in the seventh when Rod Barajas hit a ground-ball double down the right field line, moved to third on an Eckstein grounder, and scored on a single by Rios.

Burnett, meanwhile, allowed just four singles through six innings and didn’t walk a man nor allow a Yankee past first base until the seventh, when Bobby Abreu led off with a walk and Alex Rodriguez followed with a two-run bomb to dead center. That shot drove Burnett from the game, but Toronto relievers Brian Tallet (two perfect innings, 4 Ks) and Jeremy Accardo were no more generous. The Yanks made thingS interesting against Accardo in the bottom of the ninth when Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu led off with singles to put men on first and second and bring the tying run to the plate, but Alex Rodriguez struck out at the end of a tense six-pitch at-bat, Jason Giambi hit a 390-foot fly out to the 399-foot sign in center, and Robinson Cano flied out to left on the first pitch he saw to give the Jays a 5-2 win.

Tonight Mike Mussina will begin his 18th major league season and his eighth as a New York Yankee. Regardless of how he performs this year, it will likely be his last as a Yankee, as he is in the second year of the two-year contract he signed following the 2006 season. At age 39, if he struggles the way he did last year, it could prove to be his last year in the majors as well.

In the winter following the Yankees’ last World Series win, the two big free agents were Manny Ramirez and Mike Mussina. The 2000 season saw David Cone post a 6.91 ERA in his final year as a Yankee and Denny Neagle post a 5.81 mark after coming to the Bronx from Cincinnati in a mid-July deal. With a rotation just three-men deep and no apparent reinforcements on the way from the then-barren farm system, the Yankees made the correct choice by signing the 32-year-old Mussina to a six-year deal worth $88.5 million. The 28-year-old Ramirez, a Washington Heights native who longed to play in the Bronx, instead landed with the rival Red Sox for $168 million over eight years. In those eight years, both men have helped their teams to a pair of World Series appearances, but Mussina’s Yankees lost both times (despite going 2-1 in the three games Mussina pitched in those two Series), while Ramirez’s Red Sox won both times, with Ramirez claiming the MVP trophy in the team’s curse-breaking victory in 2004.

Mussina pitched well enough to earn the Cy Young award in his first year as a Yankee, but the award instead went to his rotation-mate Roger Clemens, who won 16 straight games to arrive at a 20-1 record on September 19 thanks to a handful of convenient no-decisions while Mussina went 17-11 with more than a run and a half less offensive support per game. In his first postseason with the Yankees, Mussina pitched well in three of his four starts, most memorably in the “Jeter flip” game in Oakland with the Yankees facing elimination in the ALDS. Mussina also struck out ten Diamondbacks in eight innings of two-run ball in Game 5 of that year’s World Series, but his performance was overshadowed by the fans’ chanting of Paul O’Neill’s name, Scott Brosius’s game-tying ninth-inning home run, and the Yankees’ eventual twelfth-inning victory.

In his first three seasons with the Yankees, Mussina posted a 3.52 ERA and struck out 8.07 men per nine innings against just 1.78 walks, he averaged nearly 220 innings a year, more than 6 2/3 innings per start, and more than 17 wins a year despite never reaching the magic total of 20. Since then, however, he’s been a different pitcher.

Since out-dueling Josh Beckett in Game 3 of the 2003 World Series, Mussina has posted a regular season ERA of 4.36, struck out a more pedestrian 6.97 men per nine innings (against a still-stellar 2.04 walks), and averaged just 173 1/3 innings per year and less than six innings per start. Take away his strong performance in April and May of 2006, when he briefly managed to compensate for his decreasing velocity with a Bugs Bunny changeup that would occasionally dip below 70 miles per hour, and things look even worse. Prior to 2004, Mussina had never posted an ERA below league average and only come close to average on two occasions. In the past four years, he’s only been above average once, and that was largely due to those two strong months in 2006.

Last year, Mussina struggled through his worst major league season. After getting rocked in his season debut in the bitter cold of the Bronx, he pulled a hamstring in the second inning of his next start and missed three weeks. After returning, he was more of the same, posting a 4.25 ERA, averaging six innings per start exactly, and striking out just 5.22 men per nine innings. Then, facing the Tigers at home on August 16, the bottom fell out. Mussina gave up seven runs in five innings in that start, then 13 more in 4 2/3 innings between his next two starts combined while striking out just three men total in the three outings. Things were so ugly that Joe Torre, in the heat of his final pennant race as the Yankee skipper, was all but forced to pull Mussina from the rotation in favor of rookie and first-year professional Ian Kennedy.

Kennedy pitched well, giving Mussina a two-week rest during which his only game action was a poor relief outing in an early September loss. The break seemed to do Moose some good. When Roger Clemens’ elbow discomfort forced Mussina back into the rotation, Moose returned with three strong starts, winning all three with a 1.37 ERA and lasting a full seven frames in the latter two, but he closed the regular season with another five-inning stinker. Faced with starting Mussina in Game 4 of the ALDS while facing elimination, Torre opted to give the ball to Chien-Ming Wang on three-days’ rest, a decision I supported. Wang was awful and Mussina came in to relieve in the second, but Moose allowed a pair of inherited runners to score, then coughed up two more runs of his own. That was enough to make the difference in the Yankees’ eventual 6-4 loss.

At his peak, Mussina threw in the low-90s with a devastating knuckle-curveball. This spring, he had several starts in which he had command of a monstrous curve, but his velocity was topping out in the mid-80s. Even with two rookies in the rotation, Mike Mussina is no better than the Yankees’ fifth starter. He starts the second game of the season tonight because of seniority and Andy Pettitte’s balky back. With Moose unlikely to make it out of the sixth, both Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera having pitched last night, and the Yankees in the second of 20 straight games to open the year, we should get our first informative look at Joe Girardi’s bullpen moves tonight.

Facing Mussina is A.J. Burnett, who dominated the Yankees in his two starts against them last year, allowing just one run (a Johnny Damon solo homer) in 15 innings while striking out 13 and allowing just seven other hits. Burnett has a similar repertoire to Mussina (fastball, knuckle-curve, change), but has at least ten more miles per hour on his heater, which is no small difference. In contrast to Mussina’s success with his curve this spring, the oft-injured Burnett had an awful spring (7.36 ERA, just 8 Ks against 9 walks in 18 1/3 innings), which stemmed from a November incident in which Burnett slammed his pitching hand in a car door, breaking the nail on his index finger. With the nail still healing, Burnett was unable to throw his knuckle-curve until the end of spring training. That forced him to spend more time on his changeup, which could be to his benefit as the season progresses, but clearly wasn’t doing him much good in Florida. The key to tonight’s game will thus be each starter’s effectiveness with his curve, which means we could know pretty early on what kind of game to expect.

Joe Girardi got his first win as the manager of the Yankees last night as the Yanks beat the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 3-2 in front of a packed house in a beauty of a game in the final opener in the history of the original Yankee Stadium. Though it rained most of the day and again after the game, the weather for the rescheduled opener was gorgeous throughout, which was in part a tribute to the contest’s swift pace.

As I’d hoped, starters Chien-Ming Wang and Roy Halladay were both on their game and produced a riveting duel through the first seven innings. The two starting pitchers got 28 of the game’s first 41 outs on the ground, five more by strikeout, and one by caught stealing (Derek Jeter, who got a bad jump on Halladay and catcher Gregg Zaun). Wang got three more outs in the infield, two in the second via a humpback line drive to second baseman Robinson Cano, who doubled Alex Rios off first, and a rocket line drive by Marcos Scutaro in the seventh that Jason Giambi, playing in on the grass to guard against the bunt, snagged with a leap. That’s 37 of 41 outs in the infield between the two pitchers. Of those remaining four outs, two came on tremendous fourth-inning catches by Yankee center fielder Melky Cabrera. The first was a drive to the 385-foot sign in the right-centerfield gap by Lyle Overbay that Cabrera caught moments before turning and slamming back-first into the wall. Two pitches later, Aaron Hill hit a sinking liner to the left-centerfield gap that Cabrera caught on a lunge, topping forward and sliding on his chest after making the catch.

As the stellar defensive play behind Wang indicates, Halladay was the sharper of the two pitchers, but also the less fortunate. The Yankees got out to an early lead in the bottom of the first on a two-out Bobby Abreu single and a double by Alex Rodriguez that scored Abreu from first, but the Jays tied it up right away in the top of the second on a pair of singles by Frank Thomas and Lyle Overbay (the latter of which was a hard grounder hit to Alex Rodriguez’s right that ticked off the third baseman’s glove as he dove) and a fielder’s choice by Scutaro. The two aces each faced just one more than the minimum over the next four and a half innings until the Jays took the lead in the top of the fifth when Scutaro drew a lead-off walk, stole second (his second steal of the game), moved to third on a single by Zaun, and scored on a slow Shannon Stewart groundout to third.

Melky Cabrera led off the bottom of the sixth against Halladay with a ten-pitch at-bat that saw him battle back from 1-2 to a full count, fouling off four pitches along the way. On the tenth pitch, Cabrera lifted a pop fly down the right field line that just cleared the wall behind the “3” in the 314-foot sign for a game-tying home run. In the top of the seventh, Wang gave up a lead-off double to Hill, but Giambi’s snag of Scutaro’s line-drive held the runner. Hill then moved to third on the second out, a grounder of course, and Wang got David Eckstein to ground out to strand Hill.

The Yankees mounted their own threat in the bottom of the seventh following a flair single by Rodriguez over Hill’s head at second base. That lead-off hit was followed by a walk to Giambi. Cano then hit a chopper that Eckstein fielded in front of second base. Eckstein’s momentum carried him past the bag forcing him to attempt to make a tag on Giambi, but Giambi froze in the baseline and ducked Eckstein’s tag, forcing the Toronto shortstop to fire to first base in the hope of turning a 6-3-4 double play, but Giambi beat the return throw from Overbay, sliding headfirst and safely into second. A replay shows that Hill could have fielded the ball on the bag and turned an easy DP had Eckstein not cut it off, but as much credit for the eventual result of the play is due to Giambi’s savvy baserunning as to Eckstein’s aggression. Giambi, incidentally, had a fine game despite going 0 for 3. In addition to that baserunning maneuver and his leaping catch of Scutaro’s liner, Giambi made several nice scoops at first base and cut down a lead-runner at second in the second by ranging to his right for a hopper and making a nice shovel pass to Derek Jeter on the bag as his momentum carried him toward the keystone.

With Rodriguez on third and Giambi on second with one out, the Jays walked Jorge Posada to load the bases for Hideki Matsui, setting up the double play for groundballer Halladay against Groundzilla. Matsui, who went 0 for 3 with three groundouts in the game, hit a skipping grounder just to the right of second base, but the ball hit the heal of Hill’s glove on his attempt at a back-handed stop, and the Jays were only able to get Posada at second as Rodriguez scored with the go-ahead and ultimately winning run.

With Wang having maxed out at 92 pitches in the seventh (Girardi made the only mound visit of the game with two outs and Hill on third in the seventh, likely to tell Wang to empty the tank), Girardi followed the formula by calling on Joba Chamberlain in the eighth and Mariano Rivera in the ninth. Chamberlain wasn’t particularly sharp, but he still worked around a walk and struck out two for a scoreless frame. Curiously, he used his curveball more than his slider. He used the hook to get a 1-1 strike call against Alex Rios, but Rios successfully checked his swing on the slider twice, including on ball four of his ten-pitch walk. Joba’s slider was irresistible to hitters last year, so either the pitch wasn’t working last night, or the league is catching up. That will bear watching. Chamberlain got Wells looking on bit of a hanging curve that dropped into the top of the zone as Rios stole second, then made quick work of Thomas, blowing a high fastball by him for a three-pitch strikeout. Rivera needed just 12 pitches to pick up the save, striking out Overbay, getting Hill to lift an easy fly to center, and inducing a mild groundout from Scutaro to end the game. Rivera then collected the ball from Giambi and presented it to Girardi, who was clearly overjoyed by the entire experience. He couldn’t have asked for a better game.

My wife and I trekked out to Yankee Stadium yesterday, shelled out about $25 a piece on train and subway fare, then and sunk another $25 or so into some eats at the ballpark as we sat in the cold, misting rain for two and a half hours waiting for a ball game that was never played. Back in New Jersey this afternoon, the rain seems to have finally ceased and the sun is starting to filter through the still-overcast sky, but I’m not going back to the Bronx tonight. My wife is working late and, frankly, I’m too worn out and pissed off from our journey yesterday to bother, even though they should actually play the final Opening Day game in Yankee Stadium history at 7:05 tonight.

If you told me that, with tickets in hand, I’d pass up the opportunity to go to this game, I’d tell you you’re crazy, but I’ll only jump through so many hoops. As our president once said, “Fool me once, shame on . . . shame on you. Fool me . . . you can’t get fooled again.” No, I got to sit in the old Stadium yesterday and contemplate the finality of this season for the old yard. I got to see the bunting lining the face of the stands. I got to see the old familiar faces in the right field bleachers and chow down on the best Italian sausage in the Stadium, and I’ll be back there on Sunday to see Chien-Ming Wang match up against a star pitcher from a division rival, so I don’t need to endure the cold, the wind, and the remaining wet, and I don’t need to endure the crowds or the four-hour round trip on public transit necessitated by the parking crunch created by the construction of the new Stadium.

I will, however, happily and eagerly tune in the high-definition broadcast on YES from the warm and convenient comfort of my living room. I’ve also happily passed on my tickets to a good friend (and reader), so as to not rob anyone of the opportunity to see the game in person.

The Yanks will do tonight what they intended to do yesterday, complete with ceremonies and fanfare, and though my bitterness over the team’s mishandling of yesterday’s game keeps telling me it will lack some of the excitement we all expected yesterday because of the delay, the fact that it will be played at night under the lights, and the fact that the stands are unlikely to be full due to others who were similarly either unable or unwilling to alter their Tuesday schedules, deep down I doubt it will be diminished much at all.

Most of all, the game still promises a stellar pitching match-up, with ace Roy Halladay taking the mound for the Blue Jays and groundballer extraordinaire Chien-Ming Wang starting for the Yankees. Given the fact that the ground has been softened by two days of rain, if both men are on their game, their outfielders may need to find new ways to occupy themselves in the pastures this evening. I, for one, would love something along the lines of this two-hour and eight-minute gem from three Aprils ago, provided it concludes with the opposite result.

While we’re still waiting for the first pitch, here are a few items worth mentioning from the past few days:

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Toronto Blue Jays

2007 Record: 83-79 (.512)
2007 Pythagorean Record: 87-75 (.537)

Manager: John Gibbons
General Manager: J.P. Ricciardi

Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Rogers Centre

Who’s Replacing Whom:

Scott Rolen replaces Troy Glaus on the DL
David Eckstein replaces John McDonald (bench) and Royce Clayton at shortstop
Marco Scutaro and John McDonald replace Russ Adams (minors), Jason Smith, Ray Olmedo, Howie Clark, Hector Luna (minors) and others on the bench
Shannon Stewart replaces Reed Johnson
Buck Coates replaces Adam Lind (minors)
Rod Barajas ironically replaces Jason Phillips and Curtis Thigpen (minors)
Brandon League replaces Casey Janssen (DL)
Randy Wells replaces Josh Towers

Opening Day Roster:

1B – Lyle Overbay (L)
2B – Aaron Hill (R)
SS – David Eckstein (R)
3B – Marco Scutaro (R)
C – Gregg Zaun (S)
RF – Alex Rios (R)
CF – Vernon Wells (R)
LF – Matt Stairs (L)
DH – Frank Thomas (R)

Bench:

R – Shannon Stewart (OF)
R – John McDonald (IF)
L – Buck Coats (OF)
R – Rod Barajas (C)

Rotation:

R – Roy Halladay
R – A.J. Burnett
R – Dustin McGowan
R – Shaun Marcum
R – Jesse Litsch

Bullpen:

R – Jeremy Accardo
L – Scott Downs
R – Jason Frasor
R – Brian Wolfe
L – Brian Tallet
R – Brandon League
R – Randy Wells

15-day DL: R – Scott Rolen (3B), L – B.J. Ryan
60-day DL: R – Casey Janssen

Likely Lineup:

R – David Eckstein (SS)
L – Matt Stairs (LF)
R – Alex Rios (RF)
R – Vernon Wells (CF)
R – Frank Thomas (DH)
L – Lyle Overbay (1B)
R – Aaron Hill (2B)
R – Marco Scutaro (3B)
S – Gregg Zaun (C)

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New York Yankees

2007 Record: 94-68 (.580)
2007 Pythagorean Record: 98.5-63.5 (.608)

Manager: Joe Girardi
General Manager: Brian Cashman

Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Yankee Stadium (100/99)

Who’s Replacing Whom:

Morgan Ensberg replaces Doug Mientkiewicz
Ian Kennedy replaces Roger Clemens
LaTroy Hawkins replaces Luis Vizcaino
Billy Traber replaces Ron Villone and Sean Henn (DL)
Ross Ohlendorf replaces Edwar Ramirez (minors)

Opening Day Roster:

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

Bench:

R – Shelley Duncan (1B/OF)
R – Morgan Ensberg (1B/3B)
S – Wilson Betemit (IF)
R – Jose Molina (C)

Rotation:

R – Chien-Ming Wang
R – Mike Mussina
R – Phil Hughes
R – Ian Kennedy

Bullpen:

R – Mariano Rivera
R – Joba Chamberlain
L – Billy Traber
R – LaTroy Hawkins
R – Kyle Farnsworth
R – Brian Bruney
R – Ross Ohlendorf
R – Jonathan Albaladejo

15-day DL: L – Andy Pettitte, R – Jeff Karstens, L – Sean Henn
60-day DL: R – Humberto Sanchez, R – Andrew Brackman, R – Carl Pavano

Lineup:

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

The Yankees open the 2008 season with a roster that looks a lot like the one with which they concluded the 2007 season. That may not be the most encouraging sign for a team that finished in second place in its division in 2007, but there are a lot of hidden positives.

To begin with, the Yankees made several significant roster upgrades during the season last year. Roger Clemens solidified a rotation spot in early June, replacing Kei Igawa and Matt DeSalvo; thus, Ian Kennedy replaces not just Clemens, whose performance he’s likely to match or even exceed, but the dismal early-season performances of Igawa (7.63 ERA prior to Clemens’ arrival) and DeSalvo (5.87 ERA prior to Clemens). On the bench, Wilson Betemit, Shelley Duncan, and Jose Molina were mid-season upgrades from Miguel Cairo (.246 EqA), Kevin Thompson (.214), and Wil Nieves (.141), respectively. Duncan replaced Thompson on July 20, Molina replaced Nieves on July 22, Betemit was acquired at the July 31 trading deadline, and Cairo was designated for assignment a week later. When Phil Hughes came off the disabled list on August 4, he solidified another rotation spot that had been filled at various times by Carl Pavano (4.76 ERA), Jeff Karstens (14.73 ERA as a starter), Darrell Rasner (solid until he was injured in his third start in this spot), Tyler Clippard (6.33 ERA), DeSalvo (one dismal start), and Igawa in a return engagement (5.97 ERA pre-Hughes). This year, Hughes returns to the rotation as a better pitcher than the one who came back from hamstring and ankle injuries last August still worried about his legs, and is replacing not only his own performance over 13 starts, but that of those various replacement pitchers. On August 7 of last year, the Yankees brought up Joba Chamberlain and made him their primary set-up reliever, which allowed every other reliever other than Rivera to drop down a notch on the depth chart and squeezed out Mike Myers a week later. Opposing hitters had hit .257/.349/.399 against Myers. They hit .145/.202/.229 against Chamberlain. Chamberlain won’t be quite that dominant this year for the simple reason that no one could be, but he’ll be more effective than any of the short relievers the Yankees used for the first four months of last season, save for perhaps for Luis Vizcaino during the months of June and July (1.27 ERA in 29 games after posting a 7.27 mark in April and May).

In part due to those in-season upgrades, the Yankees went 56-28 over the final three months of last season, a pace which projects to 108 wins over a full campaign. Having upgraded on the fly during the summer, the Yankees then spent the offseason working to keep that roster intact, doling out more than $444 million to do so by signing Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Robinson Cano to long-term deals, re-signing Andy Pettitte and picking up Bobby Abreu’s option for this season, inking Jose Molina for two years, going through arbitration with Chien-Ming Wang, and settling with arbitration-eligible youngsters Wilson Betemit and Brian Bruney.

Given all of that, the apparent lack of change on the roster is less of a concern. The bench, rotation, and bullpen should all be better than they were a year ago because of the upgrades made during last season. As for the starting lineup, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are all but guaranteed to see noticeable-to-significant decreases in production given the exceptional nature of their 2007 performances, but there are several other players who can be flagged for improvement.

Bobby Abreu hit .228/.313/.289 through the end of last May, then hit .309/.396/.520 the rest of the season. Abreu hit .349 with a pair of homers and a team-best 13 walks this spring. If he stays hot entering the season, he should easily outpace last year’s performance. Similarly, Johnny Damon hit .234/.338/.322 through July 20 of last year, then .319/.369/.493 the rest of the year. Damon was plagued by a variety of nagging injuries in the first half of last season, but once he got healthy, his stats looked a lot like they did in his first year as a Yankee (.285/.359/.482). Keeping Damon healthy is a challenge, but there’s ample opportunity for improvement there.

Speaking of health, Jason Giambi missed more than two months of last year with plantar fasciitis and hit just .236/.356/.433, which was roughly equivalent to what the Yankees got out of Doug Mientkiewicz (.277/.349/.440) or what they can expect from Morgan Ensberg this year (.233/.366/.438 the last two seasons combined). This year, Giambi’s going to be back in the field, which increases his chance of injury, but also tends to increase his production at the plate. Just looking at 2006, Giambi’s last healthy season–which happened to be one split fairly evenly between the two positions–Giambi hit .224/.373/.531 as a DH and .289/.459/.592 as a first baseman. Giambi is 37 and his body has been through a lot over the years, so there’s a good chance he’s cooked, but he spent most of his time in the field this spring and looked good, hitting .395 with two homers (though, oddly, just two walks), so there’s reason to believe that, even if he only gives the Yanks another 300 plate appearances, they’ll be more productive plate appearances than the 300 he gave them last year.

Then there’s Robinson Cano, who hit .343/.396/.557 in the second half of last season, but just .274/.314/.427 in the first half. Cano’s seen this pattern before, as his career OPS is 212 points higher after the All-Star break than before. Cano arrived in camp this year determined to have a first-half similar to his past second-half performances and hit .452. He also went 3-for-3 on the basepaths (Cano stole just four bags in nine tries last season). If Cano can put together a full season reflective of his abilities at the plate, he could make the leap from star to superstar at age 25.

Finally, there’s Melky Cabrera. Melky’s just 23, but this will be his third season as a major league starter, and it could be a decisive one for his Yankee future. Scranton center fielder Brett Gardner was one of the last cuts in camp and will be breathing down Melky’s neck all year, something both Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have been rather upfront about in the press. Melky started last year cold and on the bench before finally being given the center field job on June 1 as a result of Johnny Damon’s first-half struggles. Melky hit .325/.375/.482 in his first three months in center, but went cold again September. This year he’ll be the Yankees’ starting center fielder on Opening Day for the first time in his career, and the club will be looking for him to reward their continued faith in him with a breakout season. One positive indicator from spring training: Melky hit .304, drew 7 walks (tied for second best on the team), and struck out just three times.

Another positive indicator for the team is that 98-plus-win Pythagorean record listed above. The Yankees scored nearly six runs per game last year and 76 more than the next most productive offense in baseball. This year, they have a better bench and hope for improvement at five spots in the order. The passage of a season has also allowed them to improve their pitching by starting the year with Hughes, Kennedy, Chamberlain, and Ross Ohlendorf on the major league staff and with last year’s Double-A sensations Alan Horne, Jeff Marquez, and reliever Scott Patterson now waiting in the wings with triple-A Scranton.

None of this means the Yankees will be a better team than they were a year ago, but there’s certainly a strong chance that they will be, and it’s difficult to believe they’ll be any worse, which, considering they won 94 games and the Wild Card last year, is a nice place to start.

In an ideal tuneup for Opening Day, the Yankees beat the Marlins in a well-pitched ballgame by a 4-2 score. The decisive blow came with the Yanks trailing 2-1 in the ninth inning and facing Florida closer Kevin Gregg. Shelley Duncan struck out to start the inning, but Greg Porter walked and Cody Ransom singled. Chad Moeller then hit a three-run, stand-up, inside-the-park homer to give the Yankees the lead and, eventually, the win.

Lineup:

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

Pitchers: Phil Hughes, Billy Traber, Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Brian Bruney, Joba Chamberlain, Ross Ohlendorf

Subs: Shelley Duncan (PR/1B), Cody Ransom (2B), Wilson Betemit (SS), Morgan Ensberg (3B), Jose Molina (C), Jason Lane (RF), Bernie Castro (CF), Greg Porter (LF), Chad Moeller (DH)

Opposition: The Marlins’ starters.

Big Hits: A double by Damon (1 for 2, BB), a solo homer by Melky Cabrera (2 for 3) and that inside-the-park homer by Chad Moeller (1 for 1). Jason Giambi was 2 for 3.

Who Pitched Well: Everyone. Phil Hughes allowed two runs (one unearned) on three hits and a walk in five innings and struck out four. He still got most of his outs in the air, but he was far more efficient, needing just 69 pitches, and he retired the last ten men he faced in order. Six of the eight members of the Opening Day bullpen pitched (LaTroy Hawkins and Jonathan “Andy Pettitte’s Roster Spot” Albaladejo being the exception) and combined they put up this line: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K. Mariano Rivera recorded the only fly out. The pen’s other 11 outs came via strikeout or groundout. Kyle Farnsworth and Brian Bruney both struck out the only two men they faced. The two hits were doubles off Billy Traber and Ross Ohlendorf.

Oopsies: A fielding error by Derek Jeter.

Ouchies: A groundball struck Jeter’s pinky (I assume the right one, since the left one would have been in his glove) during batting practice. He played in the game, but went 0 for 2, made an error, and came out earlier than the other starters. Still, he’s expected to be in the Opening Day lineup despite the bruised finger.

More: Scott Patterson got “a little heated” when he was sent down, but he’ll buck up and try to pitch his way back. To me the most interesting part of that article by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch comes at the end:

The right-hander said he developed the mental toughness to deal with successful hitters during the offseason in the Venezuelan Winter League, facing players such as Miguel Cabrera and Jose Castro.

“I knew then that I’d be able to do OK against Major League hitters,” Patterson said.

Did he mean Juan Castro? And even if he did, does a 35-year-old with a career .231/.269/.336 line really qualify as a “Major League hitter”? Either way, Miguel Cabrera definitely counts.

Wilson Betemit declined Morgan Ensberg’s offer of $5,000 for uniform number 14, so Ensberg will take number 11, which was worn by Chris Woodward during spring training and Doug Mientkiewicz last year. A couple of anecdotes about Joe Girardi. And finally, per Joel Sherman, Brian Cashman “envisions” both Shelley Duncan and Morgan Ensberg starting against the tougher lefties in the league. I imagine that scenario would put Duncan in left in place of the lefty-challenged Bobby Abreu and Ensberg at first base in place of either Giambi or, if Giambi shifts to DH for those games, Matsui. If either of the latter two are in a groove, they won’t need the sub, but subbing Shelley in for Abreu against lefties is a good move, though I wonder to what degree Joe Girardi will actually execute that plan.

The Yankees set their Opening Day roster yesterday. First the expected moves: Jeff Karstens was placed on the 15-day DL, though he’s expected to miss at least a month; Nick Green and Jose Veras were sent down, as were Edwar Ramirez and Scott Patterson.

Here’s where the surprises come in. Andy Pettitte threw 25 pitches in the bullpen yesterday and is still on schedule to pitch a minor league intrasquad game on Sunday (against Ian Kennedy) and then make a start in the first trip through the rotation in the regular season. However, because he hasn’t pitched in a spring training game since March 17 the Yankees were able to put him on the 15-day DL retroactive to that start, thus making him eligible to come off the DL to start the fifth game of the regular season a week from today against the Rays.

With Pettitte on the DL, the Yankees will have an eight-man bullpen and thus have decided to start the season without a long-man. With two extra spots available (Pettitte’s and the one expected to be filled by a long-reliever), they are taking two extra right-handed short relievers. Thus Brian Bruney, Ross Ohlendorf, and the big surprise to me, Jonathan Albaladejo will all start the season with the big club, while Kei Igawa and Darrell Rasner will both start the season in the Scranton rotation.

My only complaint is that Scott Patterson should have made the team over Albaladejo, but then Albaladejo will likely get bumped when Pettitte comes off the DL a week from today, so that’s likely moot. I’ll be curious to see if Girardi renews his desire for long man once the bullpen is down to seven men. If so, it will force another decision. For now, here are your 2008 New York Yankees:

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

R – Shelley Duncan (1B/OF)
R – Morgan Ensberg (1B/3B)
S – Wilson Betemit (IF)
R – Jose Molina (C)

R – Chien-Ming Wang
R – Mike Mussina
R – Phil Hughes
R – Ian Kennedy

R – Mariano Rivera
R – Joba Chamberlain
L – Billy Traber
R – LaTroy Hawkins
R – Kyle Farnsworth
R – Brian Bruney
R – Ross Ohlendorf
R – Jonathan Albaladejo

15-day DL: L – Andy Pettitte, R – Jeff Karstens, L – Sean Henn
60-day DL: R – Humberto Sanchez, R – Andrew Brackman, R – Carl Pavano

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The Yankees played their final home game of exhibition season yesterday, prior to which Legends Field was renamed for the Bossman. The Yanks now play a pair of games against Joe Girardi’s old team, the Marlins, in the Fish’s regular season home, Dolphin Stadium, then head north for the final Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.

As for the game, Kei Igawa gave up a bunch of runs early, the Yanks didn’t score much and lost 5-2 to the Pirates.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (DH)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
R – Shelley Duncan (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Hideki Matsui (LF)
R – Morgan Ensberg (1B)
S – Wilson Betemit (2B)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)

Pitchers: Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens, Scott Patterson, Ross Ohlendorf, Brian Bruney, Josh Schmidt

Subs: Cody Ransom (1B), Bernie Castro (2B), Alberto Gonzalez (PR/SS), Nick Green (3B), Jose Molina (C), Jose Tabata (RF), Jason Lane (CF), Greg Porter (LF), Jason Brown (DH)

Opposition: The Pirates minus Jason Bay.

Big Hits: Homers by Derek Jeter (1 for 2, BB) and Nick Green (1 for 2) and a double by Jose Molina (1 for 2). No Yankee had a multi-hit game.

Who Pitched Well: Scott Patterson had another perfect outing, this one lasting four outs. Patterson has allowed just one baserunner (a double) in 7 2/3 spring innings and struck out seven. Brian Bruney and Ross Ohlendorf both pitched around singles for scoreless innings. Bruney struck out two. Ohlendorf struck out none, but faced the minimum thanks to a Jose Molina pickoff and got his other two outs on the ground. Jeff Karstens pitched around a single for a scoreless 1 1/3 innings and struck out two, but left the game with a groin injury (see below).

Who Didn’t: Kei Igawa gave up four runs on four singles, a double, and three walks in 3 1/3 innings, putting the ball back in Darrell Rasner’s shoe when it comes to the battle for the long-man job in the Opening Day bullpen.

Oopsies: Morgan Ensberg’s third error at first base and a wild pickoff throw by Ohlendorf.

Nice Plays: Molina pounced on Ohlendorf’s wild throw and nailed the runner at second. Jorge Posada picked Nyjer Morgan off first base.

Minor Work: Mariano Rivera, Jose Veras, and Jonathan Albaladejo all pitched in yesterday’s triple-A contest. Mo worked around a walk, struck out a man, and is set to start the season. Looking at the list of pitchers in yesterday’s major league game, I’d say those assignments are confirmation that neither Veras (who gave up two runs in his only inning) nor Albaladejo (who matched Mo’s line) is making the 25-man roster, though neither was among the players officially reassigned yesterday (see below).

Ouchies: Andy Pettitte threw long toss yesterday, will pitch in an intrasquad game on Sunday, and could start the fourth game of the season if all goes well. Karstens did not travel with the team to Miami. He’ll stay behind to get an MRI and will likely land on the DL with a groin injury, leaving Darrell Rasner as the last man standing for the long-relief job. Back in the lineup, Johnny Damon (flu) went 0 for 3 as the DH. Brett Gardner needed his lip stitched up after fouling a ball off his face on Wednesday, but otherwise he’s fine, though a bit tough to look at. Scott Patterson got hit in the hip by a comebacker, but stayed in the game.

Roster Moves: The Yankees cleaned house when it comes to position players, reassigning Brett Gardner, Cody Ransom, Jason Lane, Bernie Castro, Greg Porter, Chad Moeller, and Jason Brown to minor league camp. That leaves the four expected bench players (Molina, Duncan, Ensberg, Betemit) and Nick Green in major league camp. Per Pete Abe, Joe Girardi said that Wilson Betemit has made the team, which means Green will be farmed out as well. So, though it’s still unofficial, you can put that four-man bench in ink. As for the reassigned players, Castro (2B), Ransom (3B), Lane (RF), Gardner (CF), Moeller (C), and possibly Porter (LF) will start for Scranton. I assume catcher Jason Brown will return to his role as an organizational soldier, though every year I expect him to retire and begin his career as a coach.

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Brett Myers and 22-year-old righty Andrew Carpenter shut out the Yanks 4-0.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
S – Wilson Betemit (SS)
R – Jason Lane (LF)
R – Chien-Ming Wang (P)

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Ross Ohlendorf, Joba Chamberlain, Billy Traber, Brian Bruney

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (1B), Chris Woodward (SS), Cody Ransom (3B), Jose Molina (C), Bernie Castro (PH/CF), Nick Green (PH), Greg Porter (PR), Carlos Mendoza (PR)

Opponent: The Phillies’ starters.

Big Hits: Robinson Cano went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles. Bobby Abreu walked twice in four trips. The rest of the Yankee hitters reached base just four times on two other singles and two other walks.

Who Pitched Well: Billy Traber retired the only two men he faced. Those two men happened to be lefties Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, the latter of whom struck out. Ross Ohlendorf pitched around a Geoff Jenkins double, striking out two in the sixth. Joba Chamberlain faced three batters, walking one, striking out one, and getting the third to ground out.

Who Didn’t: A bad second inning ruined Chien-Ming Wang’s outing. Wang allowed four runs on six singles and two walks in his five innings, but all four runs, four of those singles, and one of the walks came in the second inning. Things were worse than they should have been in that frame as Wang induced two double-play balls, but due to misplays by Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez (the latter Alex Rodriguez’s third error of the spring) only got one out from them. Brian Bruney only retired half of the four men he faced, allowing a double to So Taguchi and a single.

Ouchies: Andy Pettitte threw 36 pitches in the bullpen and said he felt good. He’s on target to make a minor league start on Saturday and start Game 3 of the regular season, though he’ll have to throw another bullpen today to stay on target. Brett Gardner fouled a ball off his face. Bloodied, he came out of the game immediately and headed to the dentist for x-rays. Johnny Damon missed the game as he continues to struggle with the flu. Don’t be surprised if you start hearing about other players battling the flu in the coming days (Pete Abe reports Shelley Duncan and Jeff Karstens aren’t feeling so hot . . . easy fix on the latter: send him to minor league camp).

Minor Work: Pitching for Tampa, Mariano Rivera tossed a perfect inning and Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless one, but allowed two hits.

Roster Moves: As predicted by Chad Jennings, Sean Henn has been placed on the 15-day DL with tendonitis. Nick Green chose not to opt out of his Yankee contract, but the Yanks did reduce their futility-man glut by releasing Chris Woodward. Analyzing the battle for the final bench spot two weeks ago, I wrote, “We’ll get our first big lesson on Joe Girardi’s decision making when he’s forced to choose between Chris Woodward and Morgan Ensberg, a choice which should be obvious.” Well, with four days left in camp, Ensberg’s on the 40-man roster and Chris Woodward is looking for a new team. I couldn’t be more impressed.

More: Gardner got the start because Damon was sick and Melky Cabrera stayed behind in Tampa for some sliding practice. Legends Field becomes George M. Steinbrenner Field today. Porn enthusiast Hideki Matsui is getting married.

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The season has begun. The season has not begun.

On the other side of the world from where the A’s and Red Sox kicked off the 2008 season, the Yanks got to Paul Byrd, but a pair of three-run homers by the Indians were enough to beat the Yankees by a 7-5 score.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (DH)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
L – Hideki Matsui (LF)
S – Wilson Betemit (3B)
R – Jose Molina (C)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)

Pitchers: Ian Kennedy, Scott Patterson, Kyle Farnsworth, Darrell Rasner

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

Opposition: The Indians starters save for Casey Blake.

Big Hits: Doubles by Jose Molina (3 for 4), Jason Giambi (2 for 4), and Robinson Cano (3 for 4), the last of whom had two of them.

Who Pitched Well: Scott Patterson struck out the only man he faced to end the fifth inning for Ian Kennedy. Kyle Farnsworth pitched around a single for a scoreless sixth, two of his three outs coming on the ground.

Who Didn’t: Kennedy walked four and gave up a three-run homer to Ryan Garko with two outs in the first. All four runs Kennedy allowed in his 4 2/3 innings were unearned (due to an error by Melky Cabrera), but three of the five hits he allowed went for extra bases. He was also inefficient, needing 91 pitches to get through 4 2/3 innings and throwing just 53 percent of those for strikes. Darrell Rasner may have handed the long-relief job to Kei Igawa by giving up a three-run home run to Andy Marte with two outs in the in the eighth with the Yankees holding a slim 5-4 lead. Rasner had worked a scoreless seventh, but allowed four baserunners in his two innings, Marte included.

Oopsies: Fielding errors by Cabrera in center and Chris Woodward (his third of the spring) at shortstop.

Ouchies: Andy Pettitte played catch (42 tosses) today and will throw a bullpen tomorrow. If all goes well, he’ll start a minor league game on Saturday and start the third game of the season, simply swapping spots with Mike Mussina, who will start the second game. Johnny Damon went 0 for 4 as the DH after missing Monday’s game due to the flu.

Roster News: Per Chad Jennings, Sean Henn will likely start the year on the DL with biceps tendonitis (which explains why he has barely pitched in camp). That also allows the Yanks to avoid having to pass Henn, who is out of options, through waivers. Instead they can hold on to him on the DL and get him back to the minors via an eventual rehab assignment. Nick Green can opt out of his Yankee contract tonight and likely will. He’s fourth in line for the Yankees’ utility spot at best.

More: The Record‘s Pete Caldera on new bench coach Rob Thomson. Chad Jennings details the minor league outings of Joba Chamberlain and LaTroy Hawkins.

Tokyo: It’s a shame it started at 6 a.m. EST (or 3 a.m. PCT), because the A’s and Sox played a gem of a game in Tokyo to start the 2008 season. The no-name A’s scored a pair against hometown hero Daisuke Matsuzaka in the first and just kept putting men on against him, drawing five walks off the Sox starter, but Matsuzaka battled and locked it down. A’s starter Joe Blanton then tired in the sixth and coughed up three runs to make it 3-2 Sox, but the A’s then jumped right back in in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run dinger by Jack Hannahan, who is filling in for the still-injured Eric Chavez, off Kyle Snyder. The A’s got the ball to closer Huston Street with a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth, but Brandon Moss, who was literally a last-minute replacement for an achy J.D. Drew in right field, tied it up with a solo homer. The Sox added two more off Street in the tenth, but the A’s rallied in the bottom of the tenth against Jonathan Papelbon, only to be outdone by an Emil Brown baserunning mistake that turned a one-out/man-on-second situation into a two-out/none-on situation with the A’s having closed to within one run. The A’s sloppy play was their undoing throughout the game, while the play of the game was a leaping catch at the wall in dead center by Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury. Three hours and 39 minutes is too long, and the Red Sox did get the win, but otherwise, here’s hoping all the games are that good this year.

The Phillies made four errors and J.D. Durbin gave up six runs in the fifth inning as the Yankees beat the Phillies 13-4.

Lineup:

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

Pitchers: Phil Hughes, Billy Traber, Mariano Rivera, LaTroy Hawkins, Brian Bruney

Subs: Wilson Betemit (1B), Chris Woodward (PH/2B), Nick Green (PH/SS), Cody Ransom (3B), Chad Moeller (C), Jason lane (PH/RF), Brett Gardner (CF), Greg Porter (LF), Hideki Matsui (DH), Bernie Castro (PR/DH)

Opponent: Half of the Phillies’ starters.

Big Hits: Robinson Cano (3 for 4) was a double shy of the cycle and drove in five runs, three on a home run to right that Pete Abe says flew “over everything.” Jason Giambi (2 for 2) and Melky Cabrera (2 for 4) also homered. Derek Jeter (3 for 4) and Shelley Duncan (3 for 4) doubled.

Who Pitched Well: LaTroy Hawkins pitched a perfect eighth inning and still boasts a spring ERA of 0.00. Mariano Rivera struck out the side around his first walk of the spring. Brian Bruney also pitched around a walk in a scoreless four-batter ninth (more on Bruney below the fold).

Who Didn’t: Phil Hughes struck out six in five innings, but also allowed three runs, two of them on a Pedro Feliz homer in the fourth. Hughes, who was targeted for 90 pitches, used up 86 of them in those five frames and seven of his nine outs on balls in play came on flies. That combination of inefficiency and fly-ball tendencies is what we were seeing from Hughes last year after he came off the DL, whereas earlier this spring he was back to being the dominant groundballing power pitcher he’d been in the minors. Billy Traber allowed a run on three singles in the sixth. It was the first earned run he’d allowed all spring, though he had allowed a pair of unearned runs (as has Hawkins) as well as a pair of inherited runners to score.

Ouchies: Andy Pettitte made 47 throws off flat ground, but still felt some discomfort in his back. He needs to get a bullpen in no later than Wednesday and start a minor league game on Friday in order to make his Game 2 start. Still, the Yankees expect him to start one of the first five games of the season at worst, which means the rotation should remain intact, though it’s likely to be shuffled. Johnny Damon caught the flu and was sent home. He’s supposed to play today.

Bullpen News: Dan Giese and Heath Phillips have been reassigned to minor league camp. With Traber on the 40-man roster and assumed to be the lefty on the eventual 25-man, that’s not big news. The big news is that Chris Britton was optioned to Triple-A. Britton was given just five innings this spring, which ranked him 15th among the relievers in camp, and that doesn’t even include Joba Chamberlain and Kei Igawa. Britton excelled in those innings, allowing just three hits and walking none while striking out three and allowing just one earned run (1.80 ERA), but once again he’s gotten the shaft. There’s clearly something we’re not being told here. Nonetheless, with Traber in line to be the lefty (Sean Henn has made just three appearances all spring, though he’s also pitched well), and Girardi determined to take a long man (fingers crossed for Darrell Rasner), there’s just one spot left and still six men left in camp competing for it with just five exhibition games left. Here are your contenders in reverse running order:

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The Yankees brought their B-team on the road to play the Pirates, got just five men on base, and were shut out 8-0

Lineup:

S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
L – Hideki Matsui (LF)
R – Morgan Ensberg (1B)
S – Wilson Betemit (SS)
R – Jason Lane (RF)
R – Cody Ransom (3B)
R – Chris Woodward (DH)
R – Chad Moeller (C)

Pitchers: Jeff Karstens, Scott Strickland, Heath Phillips, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, Ross Ohlendorf

Subs: Bernie Castro (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Nick Green (3B), Jason Brown (C), Brett Gardner (CF), Greg Porter (LF), Wilson Betemit finished the game at first base.

Opposition: Something approximating the Pirates starters.

Big Hits: None. The Yankees had two singles on the day, one by Hideki Matsui and one by Chris Woodward. Matsui also drew one of three Yankee walks and was thus the only Yankee to reach base twice.

Who Pitched Well: Health Phillips pitched around a single for 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Who Didn’t: The only other Yankee hurler not to be charged with a run was Scott Strickland, but he came in with a man on base and allowed a pair of singles, which plated that inherited runner. He also pitched just 2/3 of an inning. Jose Veras allowed two runs on a walk and two singles in the sixth. Edwar Ramirez allowed a run on a walk and two singles in the eighth, though he also struck out the side. Ross Ohlendorf allowed a run on two singles in the ninth, though he also struck out two and/or got two groundouts (the box score is a bit conflicted).

Jeff Karstens started and allowed four runs on seven hits, five of them doubles. He has a 9.64 ERA on the spring and a 1-3 record. Per Pete Abe, the Yankees remain determined to take a long man north, which means it’s probably between Darrell Rasner (1-0, 5.84) and Kei Igawa (1-0, 3.38). Igawa, by the way, dominated the Trenton Thunder in today’s minor league intrasquad game (see below). I’ve always preferred Rasner out of this group, though his struggles earlier this month concerned me. Unfortunately, Rasner has the additional obstacle of not being on the 40-man roster.

Ouchies: Andy Pettitte (back) was supposed to play catch yesterday. He didn’t. He was supposed to start on Thursday. He won’t. If he can start in a minor league game on Friday, he can stay on schedule to start Game 2 of the regular season. If not, the Yankees will have to come up with another plan, which could be anything from simply swapping Mussina and Pettitte in the rotation to using the afore-mentioned longman in a spot start, to placing Pettitte on the DL retroactive to his last spring start and starting anyone from a minor league replacement to Joba Chamberlain in his stead. Robinson Cano (back) was supposed to play against the Pirates. He did. He’s fine.

Other Action: Igawa, pitching for Scranton, and Mike Mussina, pitching for Trenton, faced off in a rule-bending minor league intrasquad game of sorts that started at 10am yesterday morning. Dan Graziano sets the scene. Chad Jennings has the details. The relevant lines are Igawa: 4 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 8 K; Moose: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

More: Kat O’Brien has an exclusive piece on Hal Steinbrenner, on whom I must admit I’m developing a bit of a man-crush. He’s young, good looking, and says things like, “The Super Bowl was great. I think it showed New Yorkers that if you’re patient with a young kid, good things can happen.” Swoon. Excerpts from the article can be found on Kat’s blog. Meanwhile, here’s a solid piece by Sam Borden on the impact of Joe Torre’s relocation on his family. Also, Pete Abe is taking reader questions for Brian Cashman. I imagine you guys could come up with some real doozies for the GM.

On Saturday, the Yankees had one of those days that just wasn’t worth waking up for. Both Andy Pettitte and Robinson Cano were scratched from their respective games due to back stiffness and the big league game was rained out in the bottom of the second inning with the Yankees trailing 6-0. Blech.

I won’t even bother with the usual breakdown other than to say that Jonathan Albaladejo did most of the damage, but pitched in extraordinarily bad luck. After a lead-off single, a double-play grounder went right through Derek Jeter’s legs (Jeter anticipated a hop that didn’t happen), after which left fielder Shelley Duncan threw to third base allowing the batter to go to second. After an RBI groundout, Duncan booted a basket catch, plating two more runs. Frank Thomas then hit a grounder to third that hit the bag giving the immobile DH an infield single. At this point, Albaladejo had gotten the equivalent of five outs and allowed one legitimate hit, but only had one out on the board, three runs in, and a man on base first. Then Aaron Hill drove Thomas in with a double. Then a downpour started. Then Marcos Scutaro doubled in Hill, driving Alabaladejo from the game down 5-0. Sure, Albaladejo could have helped himself with a strike out or two in there somewhere, and those last two doubles were smoked, but you kinda have to give the guy a do over for an outing like that, don’tcha? Especially since he was a last-minute replacement for scheduled starter Kei Igawa. You see, the Yankees knew there was a chance the game would be cut short by rain and they wanted to get a look at their relievers, so they inverted their pitching plans, starting the game with Albaladejo and scheduling Igawa for the last three or four innings, which never came.

Scott Patterson replaced Albaladejo and got two quick fly outs, one of which was a sac fly to push Albaladejo’s total to six runs, all unearned. Kyle Farnsworth coughed up a double and a walk in the second, but escaped unscathed. LaTroy Hawkins and Joba Chamberlain got their work in indoors in a simulated game. Igawa will pitch against Mike Mussina in a minor league intrasquad game on Sunday that will pit the Double-A squad against the Triple-A squad. Jeff Karstens will make the start for the major leaguers.

As for Pettitte and Cano, here’s Andy on his back, which he says locked up on him on Thursday on the way home from the park. He got treatment on Friday, said he felt better Saturday, but the Yankees weren’t about to have him pitch. He had the same issue with his back last year and still made 34 starts and two relief appearances, so hopefully this won’t be a lingering concern. Right now, Pettitte expects to make his final spring start on Thursday, try to get up toward 90 pitches in that game, and start the second game of the regular season as originally intended. Cano says he’s fine and is expected to play in Sunday’s game.

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The Yankees and Rays played seven and a half innings of scoreless ball before both team’s tallied in their final at-bat to make it 2-1 Yanks. The big news, however, is that Morgan Ensberg was added to the 40-man roster after the game, prompted by an escape clause in his contract that would have kicked in at midnight had he not made the 40-man. Having been added to the roster Ensberg is guaranteed $1.75 million for the season. Joe Girardi has said, as he did regarding Billy Traber, who was added to the 40-man a week and a half ago as prompted by a similar clause, that this doesn’t mean Ensberg has maid the team, but Ensberg has long since run out of options, and I find it difficult to believe that the Yankees would play $1.75 million just to cut him loose in a week.

Ensberg went 0 for 4 in last night’s game, which dropped him to .270/.341/.405 for the spring, which may not be a far cry from what the Yankees can expect from him during the regular season, but it’s a heckuvalot better than what they’d get from a Nick Green/Chris Woodward type. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com had a good piece up on Ensberg earlier in the day in which Ensberg raves about working with hitting coach Kevin Long.

As for the guys this leaves out, Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom, who will be Scranton’s starting center fielder and third baseman, respectively, put themselves on the short list should the Yanks need roster filler during the season. Gardner has hit .393/.469/.536 thus far this spring and stolen six bases in six tries. The catch is that he’s only played 45 games above double-A and the Yankees want to give him a little more time in triple-A. They may also prefer to have him keep his bat warm in a starting role in the minors just in case Melky Cabrera leaves the door open to the major league job in center field. Ransom has played all four infield positions and hit .273/.294/.455. He’ll walk more than that, which makes him a threat to Ensberg if the latter struggles. Jason Lane hit .263/.333/.526, but is simply too similar to Shelley Duncan, though that puts pressure on Shelley to perform assuming Lane will wind up starting in one of the outfield corners in Scranton. Perhaps most significantly, the fact that Chris Woodward faded from the fight despite his .409/.435/.455 line this spring (that’s all singles save for one walk and one double, by the way) is an encouraging early indicator for Joe Girardi’s decision-making skills.

Oh, and Ensberg has said he’ll change numbers, “”I’m not taking Paul O’Neill’s number. I’ll be trying as quickly as possible to get rid of that.” Per Mark Feinsand, Ensberg has always worn 14 and will attempt to buy the number away from Wilson Betemit.

As for the game . . .

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Behind a member of the actual starting rotation, Yankees B-team crushed the Blue Jays’ starters hitting behind a replacement pitcher. Final score: 7-2.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (LF)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
L – Hideki Matsui (DH)
R – Shelley Duncan (RF)
S – Wilson Betemit (1B)
R – Cody Ransom (SS)
R – Jose Molina (C)
R – Nick Green (3B)

Pitchers: Ian Kennedy, Dan Giese, Kyle Farnsworth, Joba Chamberlain, Jonathan Albaladejo, Chris Britton

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (1B), Bernie Castro (2B), Alberto Gonzaelez (SS), Chad Moeller (C), Greg Porter (RF), Justin Christian (CF), Jason Lane (PH/LF), Matt Carson* (PR/DH)

Opponent: The Blue Jays’ starters, including Alex Rios.

Big Hits: Consecutive RBI doubles by Wilson Betemit (2 for 4, BB) and Cody Ransom (2 for 3) in the second inning, a two-run double by Shelley Duncan (2 for 5) in the third, and a monstrous two-run jack to right field by Betemit (batting lefty, of course) in the fifth. Johnny Damon was 2 for 3 with a walk, Robinson Cano was 2 for 4.

Who Pitched Well: Ian Kennedy had a monster curve working as well as a good changeup and used those pitches to limit the Blue Jay’s starters to one run on six hits and no walks over 4 1/3 innings while striking out four. If there’s a knock on his outing it’s that he was a bit inefficient, using 75 pitches and throwing only 56 percent of them for strikes. Chris Britton pitched a perfect ninth, striking out one. Jonathan Albaladejo pitched around a single for a scoreless eighth. Dan Giese walked back-to-back batters in relief of Kennedy in the fifth, but one came on a questionable full-count call and he managed to strand both men.

Making his first short-relief appearance of the spring, Joba Chamberlain looked like the guy who posted the 0.38 ERA down the stretch last year by striking out the side on 11 pitches (nine strikes, of course). Just like last September, Joba was firing laser-guided rocket fastballs and unhittable sliders. Of course, he faced a trio of low-minors nobodies, but the performance was so dominant that it almost made me worry that Joba’s become a bit too fond and too comfortable in this new role, which could prove to be an obstacle to his return to starting. Indeed, check out some of these quotes:

Kennedy: “He looks like a different guy when he starts and relieves. He just goes after guys. I don’t know if he was holding back too much, but he looked like a different guy today.”

Joba: “It felt great . . . it’s like riding a bike. . . . You just attack the zone. You stop worrying about your mechanics and your abilities take over. It was back to the slider that I’m used to throwing, and not babying it. . . . If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Admittedly that bit about “if it ain’t broke” was in reference to his relief repertoire, not the role itself, but I do worry about the fact that Chamberlain suggests he might have been overthinking and babying things while working as a starter this spring. Joba seems to relish the big bad reliever role, but he absolutely must return to starting or he’ll be denying the Yankees and himself a chance to realize his full potential.

Who Didn’t: Kyle Farnsworth struck out two in his lone inning but also allowed a single, a double, a walk, and a run. Many point to Farnsworth’s failings as another reason why Chamberlain needs to be in the pen. If Chamberlain does wind up sticking in relief long-term, Farnsworth’s Yankee legacy will be even worse than his numbers will show.

Nice Plays: A relay from Shelley Duncan in the right-field corner to Robinson Cano to nail David Eckstein at third base trying to stretch a double in the first inning.

Ouchies: A week from tomorrow, Humberto Sanchez will throw off a mound for the first time since his Tommy John surgery.

Roster News: Catcher Kyle Anson was reassigned to minor league camp. He’ll land in A-ball somewhere depending on where Austin Romine and Jesus Montero wind up. In the Cody Ransom article linked to above, Bryan Hoch suggests that Brett Gardner will not make the Opening Day roster:

. . . there may be no room at the inn for Gardner, who could benefit more from playing every day in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre than by riding the bench in New York. Girardi said he has encouraged Gardner along those lines, telling him to keep his head up and wait for his chance.

“I think he’s got a chance to be a really good big league player,” Girardi said. “It’s like the pitching staff here, obviously, we can only take so many when we leave [Florida]. If you don’t go with us when we break camp, you need to be ready at all times, because you never know when that call is going to come.”

*Matt Carson, on loan from minor league camp, got in the game as the Yankees brought a limited roster on the road. Don’t sweat Carson. He’s a 25-year-old outfielder with a career .250/.307/.397 line after six pro seasons. He hit about that in his first full season in double-A last year and won’t crack the starting lineup in Trenton or Scranton this year.

More: In order to avoid giving their divisional rivals an extended look at their starting pitchers with little more than a week left until the regular season, the Yankees will have Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte pitch minor league games tomorrow and Saturday while Darrell Rasner and Kei Igawa start against the Rays and Jays (who also happen to be the first two teams the Yanks will face in April). Indeed, the Jays did the same with Roy Halladay today, using Kane Davis against the Yankees in Halladay’s place. Speaking of Davis, there was a nice moment early in the game when he threw a looping curve up in the zone to Cody Ransom who crushed the pitch just as it began to break, hitting it so hard that he pulled it well foul. Ransom hit the ball like he knew he was getting a curve, and a close up of Davis on the mound soon after showed him trying and failing to suppress a giggle. Speaking of the broadcast, YES has used Bob Lorenz in the booth twice this week, first at Virgina Tech alongside Michael Kay, then again today alongside Ken Singleton. I don’t imagine the network plans to use Lorenz that way during the regular season, but I’d take him over Kay in a heartbeat (though that has more to do with Kay than Lorenz).

The Yankees admitted to the worst-kept secret in baseball yesterday by officially announcing that Joba Chamberlain would start the year in the bullpen. Shocker.

I largely avoided the What To Do With Joba debate over the winter, in part by avoiding blogging in general more than I should have, and in part because, to my mind, there’s no debate. Save for two months of last year, Joba Chamberlain has always been and should continue to be a starter. Peter Abraham said it best last week, using a pitcher with Chamberlain’s talent in relief is a waste equal to using Alex Rodriguez as a pinch-hitter.

That said, here’s the point everyone seems to have missed thus far: The decision to put Chamberlain in the pen to start the year isn’t about how to get the maximum value out of Joba, it’s about how to get the maximum value out of the team. The Yankees have six legitimate starting pitchers. Three of them have no innings limit this year and of the remaining three, Chamberlain has the fewest innings to work with. Chamberlain also has the most and most recent bullpen experience of the six. Putting Chamberlain in the bullpen is best for Joba because it will help limit his total innings (though the team will also have to make sure he gets right up to that limit so he can increase that total next year), and it is best for the team because it allows the Yankees to maximize the value of their roster.

The second thing is that putting Chamberlain in the bullpen in April of what is still officially his rookie season does not mean he’s going to be a reliever for the rest of his career. Someone in the rotation is going to get hurt, or is going to stink up the joint, and when that happens, Chamberlain’s going to get his shot (unless he’s hurt or stinking up the joint himself). Remember, the Yankees used 14 starters last year, six of whom made a dozen or more starts. In 2006 they used 12 starters, six of whom made nine or more starts. In 2005 they used 14 starters and nine of them made nine more starts. Even going back to the “five aces” rotation of 2002 (Clemens, Mussina, Pettitte, Wells, El Duque), the Yankees used ten starters, six of whom made 11 or more starts and seven of whom made eight or more. Remember all of the debate about how and when to work Phil Hughes into the rotation last year? That worked itself out, didn’t it? Joba will start games this year. Mark my words.

As for the words of Joba himself and of manager Joe Girardi, have fun: MLB.com, Girardi audio from Pete Abe. Key points: there will be no Joba Rules this year, and the Yankees still think of Chamberlain as a future member of the rotation.

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Watching the Yankees stomp Virginia Tech 11-0, allowing just two hits to the Hokies along the way, my wife asked me how exactly it was supposed to lift the spirits of the students to have their asses handed to them by the Yankees. I explained that, for most of those on campus, it was in part the gesture and in part getting to see a major league team on their own turf and performing on their intimate ball field. For the players, just getting to meet and compete against major leaguers as equals was a tremendous thrill, as few if any of the Virginia Tech players are likely to make it to the major leagues themselves. Indeed, the Yankees did their best to make themselves available to the students and players and put their starting lineup on the field, with only Hideki Matsui staying behind from the expected Opening Day starting nine.

Beyond all that, there were small victories enjoyed by the Hokies throughout the game. In the first inning, the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs, bringing Alex Rodriguez up in a situation that had me wondering if maybe my wife had the right reaction to the game in the first place. Rodriguez swung at the first pitch and hit a sac fly to right field and Jason Giambi followed by grounding into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play that was started beautifully by VT second baseman Matt Hacker, surely a great moment in the life of Hokies’ starter Andrew Wells.

In the second inning, the Yankees again loaded the bases and this time pushed across three runs, one on a boot by Hokies’ shortstop Ty Hohman that was ruled a hit and two more on walks to Bobby Abreu and Rodriguez. Jason Giambi then lifted a ball to deep right, but it fell short of the wall for the final out. Despite having given up three runs, Hokies’ pitcher Dave Zappacosta had stranded three Yankees on the bases and was received enthusiastically by his teammates out in front of their dugout.

These small victories repeated themselves throughout the game as Rob Waskiewicz retired Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano and Shelley Duncan in order in the third and, in the fourth, redshirt freshman Brandon Fisher struck out Jason Lane and Morgan Ensberg to wrap up his own scoreless inning of work. Rob Whitley then retired the Yankees in order in the fifth, setting down Greg Porter, Chad Moeller and Cano.

The Yankees scored seven runs in the final two frames of the seven-inning contest, but I don’t think the Virginia Tech players or their classmates, teachers, or families much minded. Obviously having a major league baseball team come to the campus and romp to a mismatched victory in no way compensates for the thirty-two lives lost last April, but though they may seem painfully insufficient and even disturbingly illogical, random acts of kindness can go along way toward restoring the spirit. Sometimes it helps just to know that someone cares enough to do something. Exactly what that something is doesn’t matter nearly as much as the gesture. The Yankees done good.

Sweeny Murti has some Yankee audio from Virginia, while the Virginia Tech site has a great photo gallery.

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It may have been meaningless, but it was awfully sweet to see the Yankees torch the Red Sox in their first 2008 meeting. It was particularly sweet to have it happen on St. Patrick’s Day and to have the Yankees rough up the Sox’s non-roster starter Bartolo Colon, who was trumpeted heading into the game as a great low-risk find for the Sox and a possible replacement for the injured Curt Schilling in the rotation (the Sox seem to want Clay Buchholz to start the season in the minors).

It’s funny to think that several years back the Yankees organized a three-way deal that cost them Orlando Hernandez primarily for the purpose of keeping Colon away from Boston. Colon was throwing in the mid 90s with good movement on both his fastball and breaking pitches, but was wild and hittable and got bounced in the first inning. Colon struck out Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi, but the other Yankees in the order combined for three hits (including a Hideki Matsui double) and three walks for four runs, sending Colon to the showers after eight batters, but just two outs. The Yanks went on to win the game 8-4

Lineup:

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

Pitcher: Andy Pettitte, Heath Phillips, Jonathan Albaladejo, Billy Traber, Brian Bruney, Scott Strickland

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (PH/1B), Bernie Castro (2B), Alberto Gonzalez (SS), Nick Green (3B), Kyle Anson (C), Jason Lane (PH/RF), Brett Gardner (CF), Cody Ransom (LF)

Opposition: The Red Sox’s starters minus Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew.

Big Hits: A no-doubter two-run homer by Bobby Abreu (2 for 2, BB) who also doubled, both hits coming off Julian Tavarez. Doubles by Hideki Matsui (3 for 4), Jason Giambi (2 for 3). Robinson Cano was 2 for 3.

Who Pitched Well: Andy Pettitte allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings, but one of those runs came on a wind-blown fourth-inning homer when Pettitte was past his pitch count, and one of the other two hits was a fly ball that Johnny Damon lost in the sun allowing it to drop for a double. That “double” plated one of the two runs Pettitte allowed in the third, the other of which scored on a wild pitch in the dirt that went right through Posada’s legs. Pettitte said he didn’t feel quite right on the mound, but reported no pain. He looked pretty sharp in the early innings and struck out three. Billy Traber retired all five men he faced, striking out two. Scott Strickland struck out two in a perfect ninth, though it’s likely too late for him to enter the competition for the final bullpen spot. Brian Bruney, hitting 100 miles per hour on the YES gun (for context, Pete Abe says the Yankees themselves had him at 96 mph–if that’s true, what has Mike Mussina been throwing?), faced four batters in the eighth, walking one, striking out two, and getting the third to strike out.

Who Didn’t: Heath Phillips faced five batters in the fourth and gave up a run on three singles. Jonathan Albaladejo pitched a scoreless inning and a third, getting all of his outs via grounders and a strikeout, but also allowed a single, a double, and walked a batter.

Oopsies: Kyle Anson skipped a throw to second past Alberto Gonzalez, who was utterly unprepared to block the ball. Anson got the error. Jacoby Ellsbury got the stolen base and went to third, but was stranded by Bruney.

Ouchies: Chris Woodward, whose early bid for a roster spot seems to be appropriately receding, has a tight hamstring and will rest for a few days. Derek Jeter was plunked on the elbow by Tavarez, but stayed in the game. Andy Pettitte later made David Ortiz jump out of the way of an inside pitch near his hands, but the pitch was not seen as retaliatory by either team.

Upcoming: With the Yankees playing in Blacksburg, Virginia tomorrow, Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera will stay behind and pitch in a minor league game in Tampa with Jose Molina catching and Hideki Matsui likely DHing to get more at-bats (Matsui played all of today’s game). The rest of the Yankees (save Woodward) are expected to make the trip. Looking further ahead, the Yankees will have to decide on a fifth starter for Thursday’s game, which mean’s Joba Chamberlain‘s much anticipated return to the bullpen could be imminent. As long as the plan remains to return him to the rotation by year’s end, I’m fine with it. Ian Kennedy has looked good this spring, as have the other four starters, and things tend to happen. Most likely, an injury will draft Joba into the rotation sooner than anyone expects.

More: Mark Feinsand has an exclusive Q&A with Ian Kennedy on his blog. Dan Graziano has a conspiracy theory about Pettitte’s elbow soreness.

That’s a terrible headline I just couldn’t resist as Nick Green knocked in the winning run for the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth to give them a meaningless 7-6 win over the visiting Indians. Heck, I’ll probably never have another occasion to use it.

Lineup:

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

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Scott Patterson, Darrell Rasner

Subs: Cody Ransom (PR/1B), Bernie Castro (2B), Alberto Gonzalez (SS), Nick Green (PR/3B), Chad Moeller (C), Greg Porter (RF), Brett Gardner (CF), Justin Christian (LF), Kyle Anson (DH)

Opposition: Cleveland’s starters and ace C.C. Sabathia.

Big Hits: A monster two-run homer by Shelley Duncan (1 for 3) off Sabathia, Duncan’s third tater of the spring. Doubles by Jose Molina (1 for 3), Chad Moeller (1 for 1), and Kyle Anson (1 for 1). Alex Rodriguez was 2 for 3.

Who Pitched Well: Scott Patterson just keeps getting it done, this time getting five outs from four hitters by entering with runners on in the fifth and inducing an inning-ending double play, then pitching a 1-2-3 sixth, striking out one. Patterson has allowed just one baserunner in six innings this spring, striking out five. He and Billy Traber are the only pitchers still in camp who have yet to allow a run this spring, though even Traber has allowed a few inherited runners to score.

Who Didn’t: Working in his slider and changeup, Chien-Ming Wang struck out seven men in 4 1/3 innings, but also allowed four runs on six hits and two walks and four of the other six outs he induced came in the air. Darrell Rasner allowed two runs on five hits and a walk in three innings. Both Wang and Ranser allowed solo home runs to Grady Sizemore, who now has five on the spring.

Leaders: There’s not much else to say about today’s game, so for yucks, here are some of the statistical leaders in Yankee camp thus far:

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