Blog Archives

The Yankees shutout the Indians at home yesterday 2-0 behind a fantastic outing by Randy Johnson with all five of the returned WBC players seeing action, but before we get to the usual game-in-a-box summary, I want to address the flurry of cuts the Yankees made yesterday. Here are the players optioned or reassigned to the minors yesterday:

1B – Eric Duncan, 3B – Marcos Vechionacci, SS – Ramiro Pena, C – David Parrish, OFs – Melky Cabrera and Mitch Jones, SP – Sean Henn, RPs – J. Brent Cox, T.J. Beam, Frank Brooks.

Duncan, Vechionacci, Pena, Cabrera and Cox are potential future stars who impressed Torre and his coaching staff this spring, but need further seasoning in the minors. Cox, who will be 22 in June, is the oldest of that bunch. Jones also impressed at the plate but remains a poor defender with high strikeout rates, who, at age 28, has yet to show that he’s outgrown triple-A. Sean Henn had an awful spring (9.45 ERA, 6 2/3 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 7 BB, 4 K) and will return to triple-A where he’ll slip behind DeSalvo and Rasner on the depth chart. Beam is 25, has never pitched above high-A ball, barely pitched this spring (3 IP) and didn’t do well in that limited exposure (6 H, 3 R, despite a solid 4:1 K/BB). Brooks threw just two uneventful innings this spring and will spend the season as a triple-A roster filler. Parrish sucks and proved it by going 0 for 8 this spring.

In addition to those cuts, Senator Al Lieter officially announced his retirement before coming into yesterday’s game to get one last out (a groundout by Eduardo Perez). With those eleven men out of the picture for the moment, one can break the remaining campers into four groups: those that have made the 25-man roster, extra catchers, those rehabbing from injuries, and those battling for one of the final spots on the 25-man freed up by one of those injuries. Here’s how they break down:

Made the roster (22):

1B – Jason Giambi (L)
2B – Robinson Cano (L)
SS – Derek Jeter (R)
3B – Alex Rodriguez (R)
C – Jorge Posada (S)
RF – Gary Sheffield (R)
CF – Johnny Damon (L)
LF – Hideki Matsui (L)
DH – Bernie Williams (S)

R – Andy Phillips (1B/3B)
R – Miguel Cairo (IF)
R – Kelly Stinnett (C)

L – Randy Johnson
R – Mike Mussina
R – Chien-Ming Wang
R – Shawn Chacon

R – Mariano Rivera
R – Kyle Farnsworth
R – Tanyon Sturtze
L – Mike Myers
L – Ron Villone
R – Jaret Wright

Extra catchers (3):

R – Wil Nieves
S – Ben Davis
R – Omir Santos

Injured or rehabbing (4):

R – Carl Pavano (mangina)
R – Octavio Dotel (elbow)
R – Aaron Small (hamstring)
R – Colter Bean (knee)

Batting for a spot (14):

OF – Bubba Crosby (L)
OF – Kevin Reese (L)
OF – Kevin Thompson (R)
IF – Felix Escalona (R)
IF – Russ Johnson (R)
IF – Kevin Howard (IF)

R – Ramiro Mendoza
R – Scott Erickson
L – Matt Smith
R – Scott Proctor
R – Matt Childers
L – Dusty Bergman
R – Mark Corey
R – Jose Veras

Taking the second part first, Bergman, Corey and Veras have pitched just five innings combined and Bergman and Veras have pitched poorly at that. I can only assume they’re still here just to eat innings. Here are the spring lines of the other five:

(more…)

Playing in the same Jupiter, Florida ballpark in which they lost to the Cardinals the day before, the Yankees took an easy one from Joe Girardi’s baby Marlins yesterday 8-3

Lineup:

Kevin Reese CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Hideki Matsui LF
Gary Sheffield RF
Jason Giambi DH
Andy Phillips 1B
Wil Nieves C
Marcos Vechionacci 3B
Felix Escalona SS

Subs: Miguel Cairo 1B, Kevin Howard 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Eric Duncan 3B, David Parish C, Mitch Jones RF, Melky Cabrera LF, Russ Johnson DH

Pitchers: Jaret Wright, Dusty Bergman, Ramiro Mendoza, Mike Myers, J. Brent Cox, Ron Villone

Big Hits: A three-run homer in the third by Hideki Matsui (1 for 3, 4 RBIs), a bases-loaded triple by Kevin Howard (2 for 4, 4 RBIs), and what Ken Singleton described as “a ringing double” by Mitch Jones (1 for 2). Kevin Reese was 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Who Pitched Well: Mike Myers worked a perfect seventh, striking out one, Ramiro Mendoza allowed one hit while striking out one in a scoreless sixth, but the big story was Wright, who allowed just one run in four innings on three hits and no walks while striking out four. After the game, Wright credited his effectiveness to a new grip on one of his pitches taught to him by Mike Mussina. Which pitch that is, however, seems to be the subject of some debate, as MLB.com reports it’s his curve, while our pal Peter Abraham reports it’s his slider.

Oopsies: Felix Escalona, Ramiro Pena and Mitch Jones each committed a fielding error.

Ouchies: Robinson Cano got beaned in the left temple by a throw from third baseman Miguel Cabrera while trying to beat out an infield single in the first. Cano was safe, but was removed from the game as a precaution (yielding to Kevin Howard’s fantastic day). Cano appears to be fine. Scott Erickson was scheduled to pitch, but instead returned to Tampa with back spasms while Ramiro Mendoza, who I believe to be his primary challenger for Aaron Small’s spot in the bullpen, pitched a pretty sixth inning. Jorge Posada (flu) took batting practice and is expected to be in the line-up tomorrow when the team returns to Tampa, as should be returning WBCers Jeter, Rodriguez and Williams (though not Damon, due to his shoulder tendinitis). Bubba Crosby (hamstring) is also expected to return to action tomorrow.

The Yanks lost another snoozer on the road, this one 5-2 to the Cardinals.

Lineup:

Miguel Cairo SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Jason Giambi 1B
Gary Sheffield DH
Hideki Matsui LF
Kelly Stinnett C
Melky Cabrera CF
Russ Johnson 3B
Kevin Thompson RF

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Felix Escalona 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Marcos Vechionacci 3B, Wil Nieves C, Kevin Reese LF, Andy Phillips DH

Pitchers: Shawn Chacon, Frank Brooks, Scott Proctor, Ron Villone, Jose Veras, Matt Smith

Big Hits: Doubles by Jason Giambi (1 for 3), Russ Johnson (1 for 3), Miguel Cairo (2 for 4), Kelly Stinnett was 2 for 3 and Kevin Thompson went 2 for 3.

Who Pitched Well: Scott Proctor walked one in two hitless innings. Ron Villone struck out two in a hitless inning, though he walked one.

Who Didn’t: Jose Veras gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits without getting an out, though one suspects that Matt Smith, who struck out two and was not charged with a run, but followed Veras by allowing a hit, walking one and uncorking a wild pitch, had something to do with that.

Oopsies: A throwing error by Chacon and a fielding error by Felix Escalona.

Ouchies: The fates are trying to give Joe Torre a message as Bubba Crosby, who missed the first week of spring after being hit on the index finger during a bunting drill, missed yesterday’s game due to what is alternately being called a tight groin and a tight hamstring. Doesn’t sound like Torre’s getting the message, however:

“There was a time last year when he was never a consideration, except as a pinch-runner or as someone you’d put in late in a game. But after Donnie worked with him, I saw a different hitter. He once was a dead pull hitter — hit the ball in the air and swing and miss. Donnie got him waiting on the ball. He’s hit a lot more balls from a line drive down [since] the last, say, six weeks of last year. He’s a much better player now.” (MLB.com)

Upcoming Schedule: Settle in for a long day of baseball on the tube today as the Yankees play the Fish on YES at 1:00 and the two WBC semifinals air on ESPN at 3:00 and 10:00. A little break in the middle there for dinner, otherwise, baseball all day. Best of all, Becky and I have a brand new puppy to curl up on the couch and watch the games with us. Man, life is good!

The Yankees dropped a pair of split-squad games to the Tigers and Astros yesterday.

A-Game

Wednesday the Yankees visited Houston and put the smack down. Yesterday, the Astros returned the favor 10-5.

Lineup:

Miguel Cairo 3B
Melky Cabrera CF
Jason Giambi 1B
Gary Sheffield DH
Hideki Matsui LF
Kelly Stinnett C
Kevin Howard 2B
Ramiro Pena SS
Kevin Reese RF

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Russ Johnson 3B-2B, Hector Made 3B, Wil Nieves C, Bronson Sardinha RF, Rudy Guillen LF, Ben Davis DH

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Tanyon Sturtze, Mike Myers, T.J. Beam

Big Hits: Solo homers by Matsui (1 for 2) and Russ Johnson (2 for 2), a pair of doubles by Stinnett (2 for 3) and a triple by Melky Cabrera (2 for 4)

Who Pitched Well: Wang allowed five hits and no walks in four innings and getting ten of his twelve outs on ground balls, but was betrayed by his defense resulting in a pair of unearned runs in the first. Rivera and Myers both walked one in a hitless inning, though Rivera also hit a batter.

Who Didn’t: Sturtze and Beam combined to allow seven runs on six hits a pair of walks and a homer (Luke Scott off Beam) in two innings pitched. Sturtze also plunked two Astros. Ugly.

Oopsies: A fielding error by Cano and a throwing error by Ramiro Pena.

Ouchies: Jason Giambi played the field for the first time since before his calf injury. Jorge Posada has a fever, unfortunately an increase in cowbell has not caused the illness to abate. He’ll skip the Yankees’ two-game roadtrip to Jupiter this weekend.

B-Game

Joe Torre actually joined his B-squad on the road (Mattingly managed the home game) as it enabled him to have dinner with his old Cardinal teammate Bob Gibson and Gibson’s even older teammate Stan Musial. How much would you pay to join that trio for a long, story-filled meal? I’m sure dinner was better than the Yankees 4-3 loss to the Tigers, which was so incredibly dull that the subhead of the game wrap on the Yankees’ official site reads: “Rolls, Escalona, Vechionacci drive in runs for New York.” Wow, thrilling.

Lineup:

Bubba Crosby CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Andy Phillips 1B
Mitch Jones DH
Damian Rolls LF
Felix Escalona SS
Omir Santos C
Marcos Vechionacci 3B
Kevin Thompson RF

Subs: David Parrish C, Jose Tabata RF

Pitchers: Matt DeSalvo, Jeffrey Karstens, Scott Erickson, Sean Henn

Big Hits: None. Not one Yankee had an extra base hit or a multi-hit day.

Who Pitched Well: Really no one, though both Jeff Karstens and Scott Erickson allowed just one baserunner in two innings a piece, both baserunners came on solo homers. Matt DeSalvo allowed just one run on another solo homer in three innings while striking out three, but also walked three and allowed two other hits, and the homer was by Omar Infante.

Who Didn’t: No one really stunk up the joint like Sturtze or Beam in the A-Game. Sean Henn got the loss by giving up another run in 1 2/3 innings on two walks and two hits, the second hit being a game-ending RBI single by Nook Logan, though Henn also struck out two.

Oopsies: The Yankees played error-free ball, but the Tigers made four errors behind groundballer Nate Robertson (11 of 15 outs on the ground) and company, giving them a staggering 26 on the spring.

WBC: The USA managed just three hits against Mexico, losing 2-1 and thus losing a tie-breaker to Japan, who will advance to play Korea in the second semi-final on Saturday, the third match-up between the two teams in the tournament and a game I don’t plan to miss. That means the Yankees will be back at full force possibly as soon as Sunday’s return to Tampa. Bernie Williams is already back in Tampa, where he will work out at the minor league complex while the Yankees are on their two-day road trip. For the record, Derek Jeter went 0 for 4 in last night’s game and finished the WBC with a .450/.522/.550 line with a triple and no strikeouts in 23 plate appearances over six games. Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 2 with two walks last night finishing with a .333/.391/.381 line with a double and seven strikeouts in the same number of opportunities. Johnny Damon did indeed pinch run last night, but did not come to bat, finishing the tournament 1 for 7 with a triple and two walks. Al Leiter made just one appearance in the tournament giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in just 2/3 of an inning.

Third Cut: After pitching in the B-game, Matt DeSalvo and Jeffrey Karstens were optioned to Columbus (a.k.a. minor league camp). With that, the Yankees have relocated all of the starters who aren’t either going to make the 40-man roster or be considered for work out of the bullpen, which is to say that I believe that the Yankees are currently trying to figure out what Sean Henn might be able to offer in a relief roll. DeSalvo has thus far fulfilled expectations by departing camp as the pitcher most likely to pull a Chien-Ming Wang this season. His final spring line: 8 IP, 4H, 1 R, 1 HR, 6 BB, 5 K, 1-0, 1.13.

The Yankees were exceedingly unkind to ol’ pal Andy Pettitte and the Astros yesterday, whooping them 11-1 on their own field.

Lineup:

Bubba Crosby CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Jason Giambi DH
Jorge Posada C
Andy Phillips 1B
Mitch Jones RF
Russ Johnson 3B
Kevin Thompson LF
Miguel Cairo SS

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Felix Escalona 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Omir Santos C, Kevin Reese CF, Kevin Howard DH

Pitchers: Mike Mussina, Ron Villone, Scott Erickson, Ramiro Mendoza, Frank Brooks

Big Hits: Mitch Jones (2 for 5) went deep twice for the second time in three days, Kevin Thompson cracked a pair of doubles in the process of going 4 for 5, Robinson Cano (3 for 4) and Miguel Cairo (1 for 3) also doubled, as did Russ Johnson (1 for 4), who’s two-bagger was his first hit of the spring (though he’s walked five times and scored four runs), Eric Duncan, who is now slugging .875 this spring, tripled in his only at-bat, Andy Phillips also had a big day going 3 for 4 with a pair of RBIs.

Who Pitched Well: Mike Mussina threw 77 percent of 78 pitches for strikes while allowing just one run on three hits and a walk and striking out eight over five innings. After the game he said, “I did everything I wanted to do, anything I wanted to do, in any count.” Scott Erickson worked a perfect seventh. Ron Villone and Ramiro Mendoza each threw a hitless inning walking one each.

Ouchies:

The verdict on Johnny Damon’s shoulder is tendinitis. The Yankees are taking that as good news and Damon will be limited to pinch-running and pinch-hitting duties for at least the next week be it in the WBC or Yankee camp. The main objective is to keep Damon from throwing, though I tend to wonder if a head-first slide or diving back to first on a pick-off attempt could do just as much damage.

Despite claiming to refuse comment on the fact that Damon’s shoulder flare up happened in the WBC, Cashman did say that it was something “that sprung up because he pushed himself.” With Korea’s stirring 2-1 victory over Japan, the US can advance to the semifinals of the WBC with a victory tonight over Mexico. As WBC rosters can be altered between rounds, here’s hoping the US sends Damon back to Tampa if that should happen. Regardless, the Yankees expect Damon to be ready for opening day.

Meanwhile, the big injury news from yesterday is that Aaron Small strained his right hamstring while doing his running on Tuesday and will likely start the season on the disabled list. With Small and Pavano, who threw 45 pitches in the bullpen yesterday, ticketed for the DL there are now two open roster spots for the season’s first 15 days.

As I said before, I expect Pavano’s spot to be filled by an extra position player much like Andy Phillips did for Kevin Brown last year. The favorite for that spot at the moment is Kevin Thompson, who is hitting .469/.514/.656 this spring, though by all rights Thompson should be given Bubba Crosby’s spot on the roster with, say, Felix Escalona (.296/.321/.519) getting the extra spot. Of course, bearing in mind the uselessness of spring training stats, I’d rather see Kevin Reese take the outfield spot as there are still some doubts about Thompson that even his electric spring can’t quiet. Either way, don’t fret too much about the spot created by Pavano as the last man on the bench won’t see a lick of action before the Yankees’ need for a fifth starter boots him back to Columbus on April 15.

As for who will replace Small in the pen, you can scratch Colter Bean from your wishlist due to the fact that he’s rehabbing from ACL surgery and still hasn’t seen game action this spring. You can also cross off the three Columbus starters on deck, DeSalvo, Henn and Rasner (the last of whom has already been reassigned), as they’d be much better off starting in Columbus in preparation for the all-but-guaranteed injury-induced opening in the rotation than languishing in the major league pen. I’m wishcasting for Matt Smith, who despite giving up one monster solo homer has looked sharp to me. The problem there is he’s only pitched 2 1/3 innings this spring. More likely we’ll be subjected to watching “proven veterans” Ramiro Mendoza and, yes, Scott Erickson battle it out for Small’s long relief spot.

Startlingly, Erickson has pitched more innings this spring than any Yankee hurler other than Johnson and Mussina. Gulp. Here are the spring lines of these two old hands:

Erickson: 8 1/3 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 8 K, 0-2, 2.16
Mendoza: 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 7 K, 1-0, 2.84

If forced to chose between these two, I’d take Mendoza in a heartbeat. My reasons are these:

• Save for the high walk total, Mendoza has outpitched Erickson this spring
• Erickson last posted an ERA below 6.00 in 2004 in eight starts with triple-A Norfolk. His mark there was 4.50. Mendoza posted a 1.50 ERA in 11 appearances from Rookie ball through the majors while rehabbing last year, striking out 19 in 18 innings (most of those innings coming in triple-A) and walking just two. Mendoza also posted a 3.52 ERA in 30 2/3 innings with the Red Sox in 2004. The last time Erickson had a single-season major league ERA that low was 1992 (though in fairness, Erickson is a starter and did post a 3.69 mark in 1997). Erickson’s lowest single-season major league ERA this decade was 5.55 in 2002.
• Mendoza is more than four years younger than Erickson.

Prodigal Son: With their 3-2 loss to Cuba, Puerto Rico has been eliminated from the WBC, which means Bernie Williams is on his way back to Yankee camp. Bernie was 2 for 4 with a walk and a lead-off home run in the loss and hit .250/.280/.542 with a double and two homers but just one walk in 25 plate appearances as PR’s DH and lead-off man in all six games.

WBC: There are just four games left in the WBC, miraculously all will be shown live on ESPN (all times EST):

Thu 3/16: USA @ MEX (Angel Stadium) 7:30
Sat 3/18: CUB @ DR (Petco Park) 3:00 – semi-final 1
Sat 3/18: TBD @ KOR (Petco Park) 10:00 – semi-final 2
Mon 3/20: Winner 1 @ Winner 2 (Petco Park) 9:00 – Championship Game

Korea remains the only undefeated team in the tournament and looks to have the upper hand given their pitching strength and the fact that the final two rounds will take place at the pitching-friendly Petco Park. Indeed, if the US beats Mexico tonight and advances to face Korea in Saturday’s second semi-final, I’d expect an easy win for Korea given the USA’s inferior outfield defense (Ken Griffey Jr. in center is a nice thought, but an outdated one to say the least) and the fact that Korea already beat them once by a score of 7-3 in a game in which Korea was leading 7-1 after eight innings. Filtered back through Yankee glasses, this means the issue of Damon playing in any future WBC games is a minor one at worst and that Damon, Jeter and Rodriguez (but hopefully not Leiter) will all be back in camp by Monday.

The Yankees lost a close, well-pitched game to the Cardinals who, disturbingly, wore their red home caps on the road. Final score 4-3.

Lineup:

Bubba Crosby CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Jason Giambi DH
Gary Sheffield RF
Hideki Matsui LF
Andy Phillips 1B
Kelly Stinnett C
Felix Escalona SS
Miguel Cairo 3B

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Kevin Howard 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Marcos Vechionacci 3B, Wil Nieves C, Kevin Thompson RF, Kevin Reese CF, Melky Cabrera LF, Mitch Jones DH, Ben Davis PH, Shelley Duncan PH

Pitchers: Randy Johnson, Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Tanyon Sturtze, Mike Myers

Big Hits: Just a solo homer by Robinson Cano (2 for 4). Cano was the only Yankee with more than one hit.

Who Pitched Well: Mariano Rivera struck out two in a scorless sixth. Randy Johnson allowed just one hit through 4 1/3, retiring eleven in a row and needing just 36 pitches through his first four innings. He then gave up two runs on a walk and four more hits (including a homer by St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan’s son Chris) over his final 2/3 inning. He struck out four on the day throwing 73 percent of 67 pitches for strikes. Johnson will make three more starts this spring.

Oopsies: A throwing error by Kelly Stinnett.

Ouchies: Jason Giambi returned to game action going 0 for 2 with a sac fly, but the big news was Johnny Damon’s tired throwing shoulder. Damon hurt his left shoulder diving for a ball early last August, but the reoccurence of soreness has been attributed to typical spring training fatigue. However, because Damon is playing in the WBC and no one in Tampa–specifically Torre, Cashman, or any of the Yankee doctors or trainers–has spoken to him, everyone is overreacting to the lack of information. The fact of the matter is that Damon is resting the shoulder by not playing–he last started on Friday and had a single pinch-hit at-bat on Sunday–just as he would if he were in camp with the Yankees, and could be taken off the US roster and returned to the Yankees if the team advances to the semifinals (which it might not). Damon has a dreadful throwing arm to begin with (Steven Goldman recently wrote that the Orioles’ Daniel Cabrera could throw a dead octopus through a brick wall. Damon, like Bernie before him, couldn’t throw a brick through a dead octopus.) So as long as the bum wing (which could be fine given the rest) doesn’t effect his swing, there’s not much cause for concern here. Just be thankful that the Yankees have two of the best cuttoff men in the business in Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. The more things change . . .

Even five homers by a road-game B-squad couldn’t overcome a nightmare start for Jaret Wright as the Yanks fell to the Pirates 9-8

Lineup:

Bubba Crosby CF
Miguel Cairo 2B
Jose Posada C
Andy Phillips 1B
Kevin Thompson CF
Mitch Jones LF
Melky Cabrera RF
Marcos Vechionacci 3B
Ramiro Pena SS

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Kevin Howard 2B, Wil Nieves C, Kevin Reese PH

Pitchers: Jaret Wright, Scott Proctor, Ron Villone, Matt Childers, Ramiro Mendoza

Big Hits: A lead-off homer by Bubba Crosby (1 for 3), a pair of dingers by Mitch Jones (3 for 5, the third hit being a double), and a pair of ninth-inning taters by Eric Duncan (2 for 2, the first hit being a double) and Kevin Thompson (1 for 2). Miguel Cairo (1 for 3) and Melky Cabrera (1 for 4) doubled.

Who Pitched Well: Ron Villone plunked a batter in a hitless, walkless sixth; Ramiro Mendoza threw a hitless eighth, striking out two and walking one; Matt Childers pitched around one hit for a scoreless seventh.

Who Didn’t: Jaret Wright was flat out throwing batting practice. His line says it all: 3 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 0 K

Oopsies: A throwing error by Ramiro Pena and a passed ball by Jorge Posada.

Ouchies: Robinson Cano skipped the game due to a root canal. Joe Torre, in reporting that Tanyon Sturtze felt fine following his return to game action on Sunday, told the media that Sturtze wasn’t honest with the team about his shoulder problems last year.

WBC: Bernie went 0 for 3 leading of for Puerto Rico in their first loss of the tournament. In the US’s loss to the still undefeated Korea, Derek Jeter went 3 for 4, Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 5 with seven men left on base, and Johnny Damon rode pine behind Matt Holliday and Randy Winn.

The Yankees brought their starters on the road for a change, but still lost to the Indians 7-5 thanks to the arrival of the real Scott Erickson.
Lineup:

Bubba Crosby CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Gary Sheffield DH
Hideki Matsui LF
Andy Phillips 1B
Kelly Stinnett C
Russ Johnson 3B
Kevin Reese RF
Felix Escalona SS

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Kevin Howard 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Omir Santos C, Kevin Thompson LF, Melky Cabrera DH, Mitch Jones PH

Pitchers: Shawn Chacon, Sean Henn, Jose Veras, Tanyon Sturtze, Mike Myers, Scott Erickson

Bit Hits: Just a double by Melky Cabrera (1 for 1), Felix Escalona (2 for 3) was the only Yankee with a multi-hit day.

Who Pitched Well: Jose Veras pitched a perfect fifth inning striking out one, Tanyon Sturtze needed just eight pitches in his first game action of the spring, pitching around one hit for a scoreless sixth.

Who Didn’t: Sean Henn gave up four runs on four hits and four walks in a single inning, Scott Erickson blew the game by giving up three runs (two earned) on a walk and three hits including a homer by Todd Donovan. Shawn Chacon struck out three in three scoreless innings, but walked four, hit one and allowed two hits in the process. Joe Torre hinted before the game that Chacon has made the rotation, leaving Wang and Wright to battle it out for the fourth spot, with Pavano lined-up to claim the fifth spot which won’t be required until April 15.

Ouchies: Tanyon Sturtze made his spring debut. Jason Giambi (calf) started running on Friday and participated in full workouts over the weekend, but won’t return to game action until Tuesday because there will not be a DH in today’s road game against the Pirates. Carl Pavano threw 40 pitches, all from the rubber in his fourth bullpen session of the spring.

Second Cut, Part Two: Danny Garcia and Darrell Rasner were also reassigned to minor league camp before Saturday’s game. Garcia was an afterthought in the infield picture, but Rasner, who pitched well in two appearances (4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 HR, 0 BB, 4 K), should be on the short list of call-ups should injuries create room on the pitching staff. Rasner was on Jaret Wright’s schedule in the spring rotation.

WBC: Alex Rodriguez (2 for 5) came through with a bases-loaded single with two out in the bottom of the ninth to drop Japan 4-3. Jeter was 1 for 3, Damon struck out in a pinch-hit at-bat.

Chien-Ming Wang did indeed make up for his rocky first outing as the Yankees beat a split-squad Braves B-team 7-3.

Lineup:

Miguel Cairo SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Gary Sheffield RF
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Andy Phillips 1B
Mitch Jones LF
Melky Cabrera CF
Marcos Vechionacci 3B

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Felix Escalona 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Wil Nieves C, Bubba Crosby RF, Kevin Thompson DH

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Aaron Small, Matt Smith, Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Ron Villone

Big Hits: A three-run homer by Jorge Posada, doubles by Mitch Jones, Robinson Cano and Bubba Crosby.

Who Pitched Well: Wang was razor sharp in his three innings, allowing just one baserunner, a single in the third which he erased on a 3-6-1 double play. The exact opposite of his first start, Wang kept the ball down with impressive velocity, making many (admittedly minor league) batters swing and miss and striking out four. Mariano Rivera and Ron Villone each pitched 1-2-3 innings. Kyle Farnsworth pitched around a hit for a scoreless eighth.

Ouchies: Bubba Crosby played in his first game since getting hit on the index finger during bunting practice a week ago. Jason Giambi (calf) sat out again. Scott Proctor is away from camp due to the birth of his second child.

Second Cut: Philip Hughes, Chris Prieto and Jason Brown were reassigned to minor league camp before the game. According to Peter Abraham, Hughes was on Mike Mussina’s schudule and with Mussina scheduled to go five innings in his next start there are simply no innings left for Hughes in big league camp. Hughes didn’t pitch particularly well this spring (3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K), but that’s of little concern. Rather, it’s impressive that, having never pitched above the Sally League, he got to pitch as much as he did. Jason Brown, meanwhile, got into just one game with a split-squad B-team. A 31-year-old double-A lifer, Brown should have been given the opportunity to play in an A-game, merely as a reward for having stuck around so long. Odds are the only major leaguers he’ll share the field with in the future will be on injury rehab assignments. Prieto never should have been in camp in the first place.

The Yankees left their starters at home and fell to the Reds 5-4

Lineup:

Kevin Reese LF
Miguel Cairo 2B
Kelly Stinnett C
Mitch Jones DH
Melky Cabrera CF
Eric Duncan 1B
Russ Johnson 3B
Felix Escalona SS
Kevin Thompson RF

Subs: Danny Garcia 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Marcos Vechionacci 3B, Omir Santos C, Rudy Guillen RF, Damian Rolls LF

Pitchers: Mike Mussina, J. Brent Cox, Philip Hughes, Scott Erickson

Big Hits: A double and a solo homer by Felix Escalona (2 for 3), doubles by Cairo (1 for 3) and Guillen (1 for 1)

Who Pitched Well: Mike Mussina pitched three hitless innings before giving up three runs (two earned) on two walks and three hits in the fourth. Moose wasn’t impressed:

“The first three innings weren’t as good as it looked. I threw the ball right down the middle, and they hit some balls hard right at people. For the most part, though, I feel pretty good and I’m getting most of my pitches over the plate or just off, so I’m not complaining.” (Yahoo!)

J. Brent Cox struck out one in a 1-2-3 fifth. Scott Erickson kept his ERA at 0.00 despite giving up the game winning run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings of work (see Oopsies). Hughes was less impressive, giving up a run on a walk and three hits in two innings despite striking out two.

Oopsies: Rudy Guillen misplayed a single in the ninth allowing the winning run to score from second. Mekly Cabrera and, for the second day in a row, Danny Garcia also committed errors.

Ouchies: Carl Pavano threw 37 pitches (or 35, depending on the source) in a bullpen session mixing fastballs, sliders and changeups all from the rubber. Octavio Dotel also threw from the rubber in his bullpen session.

WBC: In the United States’ brutal five-inning 17-0 pasting of South Africa, Damon went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored, Jeter went 3 for 3 with a triple, a walk, an RBI and four runs scored, Rodriguez went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. In Puerto Rico’s 12-2 victory over Cuba, Bernie Williams went 1 for 4, his lone hit being a two-run homer.

Ask and ye shall receive. Having enjoyed Peter Abraham’s on-the-scene blogging for the Journal News, I thought he just might be the man to answer my Colter Bean conundrum. Indeed, an e-mail was all it took. Abraham spoke to Bean this morning and learned that Colter had surgery in October to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. As a result, Bean has been limited to bullpen work thus far this spring, but hopes to get in a game before the spring is over. Abraham promises more on Bean tomorrow.

PS: Don’t forget I’ll be appearing at Coliseum Books in Manhattan tomorrow at 6pm along with Steven Goldman and Christina Kahrl of Baseball Prospectus.

In the first of two split-squad contests, the Yankees’ A-squad got two-hit by ex-Yank Kenny Rogers and a trio of relievers, including fellow ex-Ranger Colby Lewis, while Randy Johnson and Mariano Rivera combined to yield six runs in a 6-1 loss to the Tigers.

Lineup:

Miguel Cairo SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Gary Sheffield RF
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Andy Phillips 1B
Mitch Jones LF
Felix Escalona 3B
Kevin Thompson CF

Subs: Damian Rolls 1B, Kevin Howard 2B, Eduardo Nunez SS, Omir Santos C, Rudy Guillen RF, Russ Johnson DH

Pitchers: Randy Johnson, Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Ron Villone, T.J. Beam

Big Hits: Felix Escalona (1 for 3) doubled in the third and scored on an out by Miguel Cairo. A Kevin Thompson single was the only other Yankee hit (Thompson was also 1 for 3).

Who Pitched Well: Farnsworth and Villone pitched scoreless innings but gave up a walk and two singles respectively. T.J. Beam made his spring debut by striking out two in two scoreless innings, but gave up three hits in the process. Meanwhile, ex-Yankee Marcus Thames ruined Rivera’s one inning of work, in which the Yankee closer struck out the side, with a solo homer, and Randy Johnson gave up five runs (but only two earned due to an ugly Kevin Thompson fielding error in the third) on a walk and seven hits, including a two-run Chris Shelton homer in the first, while striking out three in four innings. The good news: Unit lasted four innings and got his fastball into the mid-90s.

Oopsies: Kevin Thompson’s error came on a flyball (it has been alternately described as wind-blown and a ball Thompson lost in the sun) with two out and two on in the third. Both baserunners and the batter, Kody Kirkland, scored on the play.

Game 2

In the B-squad game, a line-up that included just two members of the 40-man roster and had David Parrish at DH (he went 0 for 5) exploded for 17 hits against Brett Myers and the Phillies, winning 8-3.

Lineup:

Kevin Reese LF
Danny Garcia 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Eric Duncan 1B
Wil Nieves C
David Parrish DH
Marcos Vechionacci 3B
Ramiro Pena SS
Bronson Sardinha RF

Subs: Selley Duncan 1B, Gabe Lopez 2B, C.J. Henry SS, Jason Brown C, Austin Jackson CF, Jose Tabata LF

Pitchers: Matt DeSalvo, Jeffrey Karstens, Mike Myers, Mark Corey, Jose Veras

Big Hits: The biggest was a first-inning grand slam by Eric Duncan (2 for 4) that gave the Yankees enough runs to win before a single Phillie hitter had come to the plate. Shelley Duncan (no relation, 2 for 2) capped the Yankee scoring with a solo shot in the ninth. In between Kevin Reese (1 for 3), Ramiro Pena (2 for 3), Marco Vechionacci (curiously listed as 0 for 2), and Gabe Lopez (1 for 2) delivered doubles. Danny Garcia went 3 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base, Austin Jackson did the same minus the RBI.

Who Pitched Well: Matt DeSalvo started and allowed just two baserunners (a walk and a hit) while striking out two in three innings. Mike Myers, who also pitched on Wednesday, went 2 1/3 innings allowing just two hits and no runs, Jose Veras struck out two in a hitless ninth, Mark Corey pitched around a hit for a scoreless eighth.

Oopsies: Danny Garcia, in his spring debut, made an error to compensate for his excellent day at the plate and on the bases.

Ouchies: Jason Giambi (calf) took batting practice but was not allowed to run the bases, he’s hoping to return to action over the weekend. Bubba Crosby (finger) threw for the first time since the injury. Russ Johnson (back) returned to action as a DH in the A-game. Tanyon Sturtze threw a bullpen session and is schedule to pitch in Sunday’s game.

Meanwhile, with four of their starters absent due to the WBC, a lot of new names popped up in yesterday’s split squad action. As a supplement to my pre-spring training breakdown of the Yankee campers, here are quick descriptions of the players who participated in yesterday’s games were not on that initial list.

(more…)

In their third-straight home game, the Yankees picked up their fourth-straight win, 8-3 over a split-squad Pirates team.

Lineup:

Miguel Cairo SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Gary Sheffield DH
Hideki Matsui LF
Jorge Posada C
Andy Phillips 1B
Mitch Jones RF
Marcos Vechionacci 3B
Kevin Reese CF

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Felix Escalona 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Wil Nieves C, Kevin Thompson LF, Kevin Howard DH

Pitchers: Jaret Wright, Darrell Rasner, Scott Erickson, Mike Myers, Matt Childers

Big Hits: Doubles by Jorge Posada (1 for 1 with a walk), Andy Phillips (2 for 3, RBI, 2 runs scored, stolen base), Wil Nieves (1 for 2) and a pair by Kevin Reese (2 for 4), triples by Robinson Cano (1 for 4) and Kevin Howard (1 for 1 with a walk). Jorge and Andy smoked their doubles, Andy’s bounding over the center field wall for a ground rule jobby, Reese got his first double by hustling on a ball that fell just fair behind third but ricocheted right to the left fielder.

Who Pitched Well: Distressingly, Scott Erickson once again, walking one and striking out three in two hitless innings. Mike Myers and Matt Childers each threw one scoreless inning allowing a hit each, Childers struck out two. Darrell Rasner struck out three and walked none in 2 1/3 innings, but gave up four hits including a monster home run by Ryan Doumit. Jaret Wright retired the first eight men he faced, then gave up two runs on two walks and three hits and was pulled before ever getting another out.

Nice Play: Marcos Vechionacci put on a show at third making nice plays to both his left and right, including a diving stab of a hot shot on the foul line after which he scrambled to his feet and nailed the runner with a strong throw.

Oopsies: There were no errors in the game, but balls were dropping in all over the outfield as if it was hard for the fielders to see. The YES announcers (Kay and Murcer), however, said that the sky was clear and black.

Ouchies: Gary Sheffield (hamstring) returned to action as the DH going 1 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored (though he didn’t run all-out when going first to home on Posada’s double off the wall), Jason Giambi (calf) sat out again saying he’s improving and might play Saturday, Bubba Crosby (finger) took BP but didn’t play, Carl Pavano threw 35 pitches in the bullpen.

Roster news: Torre confirmed that the Yankees plan to break camp without Pavano. Much like they did last year, when they left Kevin Brown behind, the Yankees will use a four-man rotation for as long as the schedule will allow and hope that Pavano will be ready once a fifth starter is required. Looking at the schedule, that should give Pavano until April 15 to get in game shape:

4/3 – Randy Johnson @ Oakland
4/4 – Mike Mussina @ Oakland
4/5 – Chien-Ming Wang @ Oakland
4/6 – travel day
4/7 – Shawn Chacon @ Angels
4/8 – Johnson @ Angels
4/9 – Mussina @ Angels
4/10 – travel day
4/11 – Wang v Royals (home opener)
4/12 – Chacon v Royals
4/13 – Johnson v Royals
4/14 – Mussina v Twins
4/15 – fifth starter needed v Twins

In the mean time, I expect they’ll fill Pavano’s roster spot with an extra position player, again like they did last year when they let Andy Phillips sit on the bench until Brown came back. That extra position player will most likely be someone already on the 40-man roster, Kevin Thompson and Kevin Reese (lot of Kevins in camp this year) being the leading candidates. Torre has clearly been impressed with some of these minor leaguers and, according to Peter Abraham, joked after today’s game that the four players who left for the WBC would have to earn their way back into the lineup. If only he meant it regarding Bernie. Speaking of which . . .

WBC: Bernie went 1 for 5 with an RBI leading off for Puerto Rico. In the USA’s embarrassing loss to Canana, Jeter went 1 for 3 batting second, Rodriguez went 1 for 2 as a mid-game replacement for Chipper Jones, Johnny Damon walked in a pinch-hit at-bat for Matt Holliday (still wondering why the US lost?) and Al Leiter (there you go!) got beat up in 2/3 of an inning, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk.

The Yankees evened their spring record yesterday by shutting out the grieving Twins 5-0.

Lineup:

Kevin Thompson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Andy Phillips 1B
Melky Cabrera RF
Russ Johnson 3B
Felix Escalona SS
Chris Prieto LF

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Ramiro Pena SS, Kevin Howard 3B, Omir Santos C, Mitch Jones DH

Pitchers: Shawn Chacon, Sean Henn, Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Ron Villone, Matt Smith

Big Hits: A two-run, two-out, first-inning homer by Jorge Posada (2 for 3) off Brad Radke, doubles by Matsui (2 for 3, his third two-bagger of the spring, Matsui made his first out of the spring today) and Kevin Howard (1 for 2).

Who Pitched Well: Everybody. Aggregate line: 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K. Chacon went three innings giving up a triple to Torii Hunter, a single and striking out two. Mariano Rivera needed just six pitches to get three outs in his spring debut and still managed to ring up a strikeout.

Ouchies: As expected Giambi (calf) and Sheffield (hamstring) did not play. Sheffield took batting practice and said he could have played. Giambi didn’t take BP, but stretched with the team and worked out in the weight room. Both are day-to-day. Bubba Crosby (finger) will take BP today and is hoping to return to action by Friday. Russ Johnson left the game early due to a back problem.

WBC: Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez–batting first, second and fourth respectively–all went 1 for 3 for the US. Damon’s hit was a triple. Jeter made a throwing error. Bernie Williams went 2 for 3 from the leadoff spot for Puerto Rico by doubling then driving in the winning run with a single.

By now, most of you have heard about the revelations about Barry Bond’s steroid use published in Sports Illustrated. Those come courtesy of an excerpt from Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, the two San Francisco Chronicle reporters who chased down the BALCO story beginning in the fall of 2003.

Once you get your full of Bonds’ juicing regime, might I recommend you turn to Howard Bryant’s Juicing the Game, which puts Bonds, BALCO, and Williams and Fainaru-Wada into context by telling the entire history of steroid use in baseball and the resulting scandal. Juicing the Game, which I edited, is now available in paperback with a new epilogue covering the 2005 season and the Palmeiro revelations. If you need further convincing, check out Alex’s objective review of the hardcover.

Since I’m on the topic of books I helped bring into existence, I will be appearing at Coliseum Books this Saturday at 6pm with Steven Goldman and Christina Kahrl to promote Baseball Prospectus 2006, to which I contributed the chapter on the Cleveland Indians.

Later that same night I’ll be switching gears to attend the book release party for the US edition of Simon Reynolds’ Rip It Up and Start Again, a history of postpunk music which I edited. The party may fill up, but it’s ostensibly open to the public, so come on out and boogie to some death disco

Finally, don’t forget to pre-order Alex’s biography of Curt Flood, Stepping Up, which is scheduled for release in two weeks.

While I’m at it, I should thank each and every one of you for your support of this site, which has made our participation in the above projects (Alex’s book and my BP chapter in particular) possible.

Returning home, the Yankees–sans anti-WBC propaganda–rematched with the Blue Jays, winning their second straight game despite a poor first outing from Chien-Ming Wang. Final score: 11-8.

Lineup:

Miguel Cairo SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Hideki Matsui LF
Jason Giambi 1B
Andy Phillips DH
Mitch Jones RF
Kelly Stinnett C
Marcos Vechionacci 3B
Kevin Reese CF

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Kevin Howard 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Felix Escalona 3B, Ben Davis C, Wil Nieves C, Chris Prieto RF, Melky Cabrera CF, Kevin Thompson LF

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Aaron Small, Ramiro Mendoza, Scott Erickson, Ron Villone, J. Brent Cox

Big Hits: Homers by Cano (one on, 2 for 2) and Nieves (a solo shot that hit the base of the foul pole in right, 1 for 1), Doubles by Matsui (1 for 1, 2 BB), Jones (1 for 4), Thompson (1 for 2) and Duncan (1 for 4). Andy Phillips (2 for 5) picked up three RBIs.

Who Pitched Well: Ron Villone struck out two in 1 1/3 hitless innings, echoing fellow lefty Mike Myers by making up for an ugly first outing in his second appearance, J. Brent Cox pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save, Scott Erickson, alarmingly, struck out two and walked none while allowing two hits in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Who Didn’t: Chien-Ming Wang said he had his sinker working in the pen, but once he hit the mound everything was up, resulting in home runs by Troy Glaus (that’ll happen) and Erik Hinske (who you’ll recall beat Randy Johnson on a slider in that fantastic duel between Johnson and Roy Halladay last April). I caught the pitch to Glaus on Encore. It sunk, but it started at the shoulders and sunk into the zone where Glaus absolutely creamed it to dead center. It would have been in the black seats in the Stadium (Legends Field, built to the same dimensions as Yankee Stadium, has a large black screen beyond the 408-foot sign representing the black seats, Glaus’s shot hit half-way up the screen).

Nice Play: Mitch Jones broke out his canon again, nailing Aaron Hill going first to third on a single, his second outfield assist in three games.

Oopsies: Bad throws by Cairo from shortstop and Vechionacci from third.

Ouchies: Hideki Matsui played the field for the first time and reached base in all three trips to the plate. He stumbled around first base on his first-inning double, but showed no ill effects. Jason Giambi, meanwhile, left the game in the second with a cramp in his left calf and is expected to sit out today’s game as well. Gary Sheffield sat out with his sore hamstring and will also miss today’s game. Carl Pavano threw another 30 pitches off a bullpen mound, mixing fastballs and changeups, though only ten were tossed from the rubber. Octavio Dotel also threw 30 pitches from the bullpen mound, 15 of them fastballs from the rubber.

M.I.A.: Mariano Rivera did not wind up making his spring debut, the Yankees preferring to give him an extra day of rest after his Saturday bullpen session. He’ll pitch today. There are six other healthy Yankee campers who have not yet seen game action: Danny Garcia, Jason Brown, T.J. Beam, Mark Corey, Jose Veras, and, say it with me, Colter Bean, the only one of the six who should be getting a serious look this spring.

The Yankees made their first cuts of the spring on Sunday, reassigning catcher Jose Gil and pitchers Jorge DePaula, Stephen White and Kris Wilson to minor league camp. Of the four, only DePaula saw game action this spring, surrendering three runs on a walk and a pair of homers by Ryan Howard and Aaron Rowand (the latter of whom had been hit on the wrist by Jaret Wright in his previous at-bat). Gil is a low-minors prospect who could use to play more often than he would have with the big boys this spring. White is a mid-level prospect coming off an injury-plagued season who could likely use same. Wilson, 29, is a never-was who won’t be, the Yankees having used up their miracle juice on Aaron Small last year. DePaula, now 27 and nearly two years away from his Tommy John surgery, has just reached that status.

Elsewhere, it appears that Al Leiter doesn’t really have any designs on breaking camp with the Yankees, but rather signed his minor league deal so that he’d be available for the World Baseball Classic (not that he needed the contract to make the Classic, but that, unlike Roger Clemens, he wasn’t guaranteed a roster spot and needed a place to stay in shape and keep his name in the mind of US manager Buck Martinez). Some choice quotes from Senator Al: “This could be the last thing I do, very much so.” “My mind was more on this than the other [making the Yankees].” “When this is over, Roger will pitch. For me, this could be it.”

For all intents and purposes, this means that Al’s minor league deal is something of a sham, and that we can more or less place him on the cut list with DePaula et. al. The primary beneficiary of this revelation is Matt Smith, who looked sharp striking out two in a 1-2-3 ninth in Thursday’s opener.

Here’s an in-a-box type look at the Yankee action since Friday. Today the Yankees take on the Blue Jays at home at 1:15 with Chien-Ming Wang making his spring debut and Mariano Rivera scheduled to do the same.

Friday:

Taking to the road (and leaving behind the ouchy Matsui and Sheffield and catcher Jorge Posada), the Yanks rematch with the Phillies, only to lose a high-scoring sea-saw battle in the ninth 11-10.

Lineup:

Kevin Thompson – LF
Robinson Cano – 2B
Andy Phillips – DH
Jason Giambi – 1B
Kelly Stinnett – C
Melky Cabrera – CF
Miguel Cairo – 3B
Bubba Crosby – RF
Felix Escalona – SS

Subs: Eric Duncan 1B, Russ Johnson 1B/3B, Kevin Howard 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Wil Nieves C, Chris Prieto RF, Mitch Jones LF, Kevin Reese PH

Pitchers: Jaret Wright, Jorge DePaula, Ron Villone, Scott Erickson, Ramiro Mendoza, Matt Childers, Frank Brooks

Big Hits: Doubles by Cano (1 for 3), Escalona (1 for 2), Cairo (1 for 4), Mitch Jones (2 for 2) and Melky Cabrera (4 for 5). Kevin Thompson went 3 for 3, with a walk, scoring two runs, but was caught stealing for the second time in as many games (though replays showed he was safe in Thursday’s game). Jones and Eric Duncan came up with two-out hits in the ninth to cap a two-run rally against Tom Gordon, making his spring debut, to tie the score at 10-10.

Who Pitched Well: Matt Childers pitched 1 2/3 scoreless, one of only two pitchers on both teams, 12 pitchers in total, to escape unscathed (the Phillies Brian Sanches being the other). That’s about it.

Oopsies: Robinson Cano misplayed a hard hit grounder up the middle for an error.

Ouchies: After Jaret Wright hit Aaron Rowand in the wrist with a pitch, ex-Yank Jon Lieber plunked Felix Escalona. Escalona was not injured.

Saturday:

Back at home in Tampa, the Yanks stack their line-up, with Matsui making his spring debut, but struggle to score, losing 4-1 to the Reds.

Lineup:

Miguel Cairo – SS
Robinson Cano – 2B
Gary Sheffield – RF
Jason Giambi – 1B
Hideki Matsui – DH
Jorge Posada – C
Kevin Reese – CF
Marcos Vechionacci – 3B
Kevin Thompson – LF

Subs: Andy Phillips 1B, Felix Escalona 2B, Ramiro Pena SS, Omir Santos C, Mitch Jones RF, Melky Cabrera LF, Eric Duncan DH, Kevin Howard PH

Pitchers: Randy Johnson, Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, Darrell Rasner, Dusty Bergman

Big Hits: Doubles by Posada (1 for 2) and Duncan (1 for 1)

Who Pitched Well: Scott Proctor pitched two hitless innings, striking out three and walking two, Darrell Rasner pitched two scoreless innings allowing just a single.

Nice Plays: Mitch Jones gunned down Austin Kearns at home.

Good Sign: Jorge Posada was behind the plate for Randy Johnson’s first spring start. Joe Torre said that the two seemed to work well together and that the whole personal catcher thing was “a non-issue.”

Bad Sign: A sign at Legends Field apologizes to fans for the absence of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Bernie Williams (though likely not Al Leiter), all of whom are participating in the WBC. The sign reads

We are sorry that certain players will not be present for portions of spring training. The New York Yankess [sic] did not vote to support this event. Any comments you have regarding the World Baseball Classic should be directed to the commissioner of Major League Baseball or the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Ouchies: Hideki Matsui made his spring debut after missing the first two games with a swollen left knee. Gary Sheffield played the field for the first time after being slowed by back spasms. Bubba Crosby was a late scratch after being hit on his left index finger during a bunting drill. Carl Pavano threw 30 pitches off a mound, his first mound work since August. Octavio Dotel threw 30 pitches from half-way up a mound, his first bullpen session since his June Tommy John surgery.

Sunday:

Back on the road, the Yankees again took a limited squad to face the Blue Jays, pulling off their first win of the spring 3-2.

Lineup:

Melky Cabrera – CF
Robinson Cano – 2B
Hideki Matsui – DH
Jorge Posada – C
Andy Phillips – 1B
Mitch Jones – RF
Russ Johnson – 3B
Kevin Thompson – LF
Felix Escalona – SS

Subs: Miguel Cairo 2B, David Parrish C, Eric Duncan DH

Pitchers: Mike Mussina, Philip Hughes, Mike Myers, Jeffrey Karstens, Matt DeSalvo

Big Hits: Doubles by Matsui (3 for 3), Phillips (1 for 5) and Cabrera (3 for 5). Phillips’ double plated Matsui in the fifth inning for the decisive run. Phillips’ excuse-me opposite field shot in Thursday’s game remains the only Yankee homer of the spring. Cabrera was 7 for 11 with a pair of doubles on the weekend. He and Kevin Thompson (7 for 11 overall with two walks) are the leading hitters in camp, though Andy Phillips slips between the two with eight total bases. Phillips, Cabrera and Thompson also boast three of the four top at-bat totals in camp (Robinson Cano being the other), proof that the WBC could be very good for farmhands around the league.

Who Pitched Well: Just about everyone. Mike Myers made-up for his opening day performance by pitching 1 1/3 hitless innings. Jeff Karstens struck out two and walked none in 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Matt DeSalvo pitched two scoreless for the save. Philip Hughes didn’t pitch particularly well, allowing a run on two walks and a hit in 1 1/3 innings, but picked up the win.

Ouchies: Sheffield was a last-minute scratch due to a tight hamstring tweaked bursting out of the batters box in Saturday’s game, Crosby missed the game with a splint on his index finger, though x-rays were negative. Tanyon Sturtze threw batting practice for the first time this spring. Hideki Matsui DHed due to . . . allergies.

(more…)

The Yankees played their first exhibition game of the spring yesterday afternoon, hosting the Phillies at Legends Field in Tampa. Last year, I was able to blog the game live during a slow day at work thanks to a free MLBtv broadcast. This year I wasn’t quite as lucky. Instead I present a running commentary on the YES Network’s 7:00pm Encore presentation of the game.

(more…)

The Yankees take the field for their first intersquad game of the spring today when they host the Phillies at Legends Field in Tampa. With that, one of this offseason’s burgeoning controversies will come to a head. Or rather it should have, but the key players will be on a plane to Arizona to join the USA’s entry into the World Baseball Classic.

Still, despite their absence, now that Joe Torre will once again be filling out line-up cards on a daily basis there is sure to be a great deal of debate over the issue of who should bat lead-off once the season starts, Yankee captain and 2005 lead-off man Derek Jeter or the newly acquired Johnny Damon, who repeatedly described himself as the best lead-off hitter in the game after signing with the Yankees in late December. Given the bearded Boston baggage that comes with Damon and the reverence afforded Jeter, as well as the considerable lead-off skills of both men, the debate could get ugly. I’m here to nip it in the bud.

Choosing which players take the field is the most important job any manager has. Productive players can only produce on the field, while a team’s 27 outs can disappear in a hurry when a manager calls the wrong number. Having chosen a starting nine, a manager can further distribute playing time within a given game by calling on pinch-hitters, pinch-runners and defensive replacements. Often overlooked, however, is his ability to distribute plate appearances via the batting order.

While there’s a great deal of debate over the significance of batting order, one thing that’s undeniable is its effect on playing time. Each successive spot in the order will receive approximately 18 fewer plate appearances over the course of a full season than the spot above it. This adds up to a whopping 144 plate appearances between the top and bottom spots, but the difference is largely insignificant when deciding between two consecutive spots. For example, the difference between a line-up with a .400 on-base percentage in the lead-off spot and a .300 OBP in the two-hole and a line-up with those two batters switched in the order is just 1.8 outs over a full season (.100 OBP points * 18 at-bats).

The difference between a line-up that starts Jeter-Damon and one that starts Damon-Jeter is even smaller. By the most basic logic, a line-up that puts Jeter ahead of Damon is a better line-up because of Jeter’s reliably superior on-base percentage. However, based on a projection using Jeter’s career OBP of .386 (his 2005 mark was .389) and Damon’s road OBP from 2005 of .342, the difference between the two line-ups is a grand total of less than 0.8 outs over the course of 162 games. That’s zero-point-eight, or a fraction of one out. Bear that in mind the next time you find yourself getting worked up over the top two spots in Torre’s batting order.

(more…)