To fantasize, or not to fantasize?

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with fantasy baseball. The first few years I did it – 2003, 2004, somewhere around there – it was downright valuable; for someone like me who was used to just watching the Yankees and Mets, it forced me to familiarize myself with the mid-level players on other teams that I otherwise wouldn’t have known much about. Willy Taveras, whatever his flaws, will always have a place in my heart thanks to his unexpectedly non-sucky 2005 season; Aaron Harang remains a target of my misplaced resentment ever since his 6-win, league-leading 17-loss 2008 season crippled my Brooklyn Excelsiors. (Pretty much my favorite part of fantasy baseball, of course, is naming my team. My Little Lebowski Urban Achievers had a particularly successful run in the middle of the decade).

Too often, though, I’ve been That Person: the one who gets busy or forgetful or just frustrated with a lousy roster or bad luck, and abandons her team sometime in late July, allowing it to float gently to the bottom of the standings. Nobody likes That Person. But when I get stressed out, or just distracted by a shiny object, my fantasy team will be the first thing jettisoned. So perhaps, this year, I should leave it to those with more devotion, or at least longer attention spans. Maybe I can convince someone else to let me name his or her team.

Even if it may not be for me anymore, it would seem to go without saying that there’s nothing wrong with fantasy baseball. And yet, last night I came across Ron Shandler’s Huffington Post piece about a new fantasy baseball documentary:

There is a segment in the new documentary film, Fantasyland, when several esteemed baseball media veterans rail against fantasy baseball….

Mike Francesa of WFAN, Phil Mushnick of the New York Post and Hall of Fame writer Murray Chass are classified as “The Naysayers.” They think fantasy baseball is “foolish” and “ridiculous.”

(Mike Francesa, Phil Mushnik, and Murray Chass. You know that popular interview question, “Name the three people you’d most like to have dinner with”? This reads like the answer to the opposite of that question. Welcome to Brunch in Hell.)

Is fantasy baseball “foolish” and “ridiculous”? Maybe, but then, isn’t baseball itself? It’s no sillier than most of the things we do for fun. (Let’s pause here for a moment to allow Murray Chass time to Google the word “fun”). Obviously you can take a fantasy fixation too far – one of the cardinal rules of sports blogging is: No one cares about your fantasy team. But no one cares about the dream you had last night, either; that doesn’t mean it has no meaning for you.

Anyway, this got me thinking: is baseball really so different from fantasy baseball? I may not have a team this year, but I’ll watch a collection of players perform, and I’ll hope that they hit well and pitch well, and if they do better than another collection of players, it will make me happy, even though the tangible benefits to my daily life are nonexistent. Obviously, given the choice, I’ll choose flesh-and-blood baseball over fantasy baseball any day of the week, but let’s not kid ourselves: fandom is essentially irrational, except insofar as it gives us pleasure. Hell, at least in fantasy baseball, you can win some money.

This update is powered by . . .vintage Genesis:

• A rainout calls for some imaginative thinking:

. . . A rainout at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Sunday allowed the Yankees’ players to knock off early, but for the manager, it created — in his words — a mess.

While heavy rains pelted the tarpaulin outside, Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland huddled with a head-scratcher of figuring out how to make sure eight pitchers could get into action on Monday thanks to the canceled game.

. . . The solution, it was decided, was to create another game. After checking with other clubs to see if anyone could spare hitters to play an unscheduled split-squad game, the Yankees opted to create their own.

In front of thousands of empty blue seats and few other witnesses, the Yankees will field two teams at their home stadium on Monday morning. Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte will hurl for one squad, with Joba Chamberlain, Chan Ho Park and Dave Robertson firing for another.

Then in the game that is printed on the schedule, A.J. Burnett will start against the Phillies on MLB.TV at 1:05 p.m. ET in Clearwater, Fla., with Phil Hughes serving in relief.

Problem solved, providing Girardi and company one long morning and afternoon to evaluate Chamberlain and Hughes in the ongoing battle to complete New York’s rotation, a decision Girardi hopes to make by March 25 or 26.

• David Robertson may see more (and more important) action this season:

That baby-faced 24-year-old, Yankees manager Joe Girardi says, might pitch the eighth inning this year. Of course, this is the spring. Of course, this could be just the manager talking. And of course, the team still needs to hammer out it’s starting rotation and see where pitchers like Alfredo Aceves and Joba Chamberlain land.

But Girardi says he has enough confidence in Robertson – four runs in 3 2/3 innings this spring – to use him as a “guy who can pitch for us anywhere now.”

• Catching up with Chien-Ming Wang.
• Meet Kevin Towers.
• A-Rod can’t wait for his World Series ring.

(more…)

The Yankees and Tigers were rained out on Sunday, throwing the Yankees’ pitching plans into a bit of disarray given that they were already muddled by the need to dedicate innings to each of the fifth-starter candidates as well as the pitchers who have the staff made. A.J. Burnett was supposed to start Sundays’ game with Phil Hughes pitching in relief. They will now fill those roles in Monday’s game against the Phillies. Andy Pettitte, who had already been bumped from Monday’s game by the need to give Joba Chamberlain innings, was scheduled to pitch in a minor league game on Monday, but with Burnett and Hughes pitching against the Phillies, Pettitte’s game will now be an intrasquad contest between two teams of Yankee minor leaguers, and his mound opponent will now be Joba Chamberlain.

It seems telling that the Yankees are bumping Chamberlain to the intrasquad game, though I’m not quite sure what it tells us. I would think that, after Chamberlain’s early struggles this spring, the Yankees would be most eager to see him face a major league lineup and would rather let Burnett pitch in the minor league game. Are the Yankees showing excessive faith in Chamberlain by letting him face minor leaguers in what could be the most crucial start of the spring for him? Are they showing a lack of faith by not letting him face the major leaguers? Have they already reached a decision on Chamberlain without telling anyone? Am I reading too much into this? It doesn’t seem insignificant given that Joe Girardi has said he’d like to start eliminating pitchers from the competition this week and perhaps even choose a fifth starter by the end of the week.

The Yankees’ road lineup beat up on ex-Phillie Brett Myers, but Alfredo Aceves and Mark Melancon, in their first poor outings of the spring, were unable to make the early 4-0 lead stand up and the Astros won 8-6.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Nick Johnson (DH)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Marcus Thames (LF)
L – Jon Weber (RF)
S – Ramiro Peña (SS)
R – Mike Rivera (C)

Subs: David Winfree (1B), Eduardo Nuñez (2B), Kevin Russo (2B-SS), Jorge Vazquez (3B), Reegie Corona (3B), Francisco Cervelli (C), Reid Gorecki (RF), Greg Golson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Jamie Hoffmann (DH)

Pitchers (IP): Alfredo Aceves (4 1/3), Mark Melancon (2/3), Boone Logan (1), Dustin Moseley (2)

Big Hits: A solo home run by Robinson Cano (1-for-3). Triples by Brett Gardner (2-for-3, the other hit being a bunt single on the first pitch of the game; Gardner is suddenly hitting .281/.361/.406 on the spring) and Reid Gorecki (1-for-2). A pair of doubles by Alex Rodriguez (2-for-3), and two-baggers by Ramiro Peña (1-for-3), Mike Rivera (1-for-3), and Jorge Vazquez (2-for-2). Nick Johnson (0-for-1) walked twice in three trips.

Who Pitched Well: Boone Logan worked around a single (by the only lefty he faced) for a scoreless sixth. His ERA is a tidy 2.57 this spring, but with an option remaining and Sergio Mitre pitching well, he still seems like a long-shot to make the 25-man roster.

Who Didn’t: Save for a solo homer allowed his last time out, Alfredo Aceves had been dominating all spring, but after some loud outs in his first three innings on Saturday, balls started dropping in his last two. He allowed two runs in the fourth, then bequeathing three runners to Mark Melancon with one out in the fifth. Melancon let all three score, putting a five-spot on Aceves’s line to go with five hits (two doubles, three singles), a walk, and a hit batsman. Melancon then allowed a run of his own to score, though he allowed just two hits (one a Hunter Pence double) and walked none. Dustin Moseley let the Astros pile on by giving up a pair of runs in the ninth on a two-run jack by Cory Sullivan, a member of my personal Reggie Cleveland All-Star team (another thing to blame on Corey Patterson).

Oopsies: Kevin Russo made a throwing error, which likely hurts his chances of unseating Ramiro Peña as the utility infielder as it emphasizes the defensive gap between the two. Brett Gardner was picked off first base by catcher Humberto Quintero after his bunt single. Said Girardi of the latter, “I would rather see him find out what he can get now, and be more aggressive now. Then we can tone it back as opposed to being passive.”

Ouchies: Curtis Granderson‘s right hand felt fine a day after it was grazed by a pitch.

The split squad Yankees played a pair of games decided by a 6-2 score, beating the Tigers and home, but losing to the Rays on the road. In the road game, Sergio Mitre enjoyed another strong outing against a loaded Rays lineup, while Chad Gaudin again struggled. More on that and some more cuts below.

Yankees 6, Tigers 2

Lineup:

R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Nick Johnson (DH)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Marcus Thames (LF)
R – Jamie Hoffmann (CF)
R – Francisco Cervelli (C)
R – Greg Golson (RF)

Subs: P.J. Pilittere (1B), Luis Nuñez (2B), Kevin Russo (SS), Jorge Vazquez (3B), Mike Rivera (C), David Winfree (LF), Jon Weber (DH)

Pitchers (IP): CC Sabathia (5 1/3), Jonathan Albaladejo (2/3), Mariano Rivera (1), Royce Ring (1), Ryan Pope (1)

Big Hits: A booming solo homer over the George M. Steinbrenner Field scoreboard by Alex Rodriguez (2-for-3). A double by Jon Weber (2-for-2), who is hitting .588 this spring. Greg Golson had two singles in four at-bats. Jamie Hoffmann walked three times in four trips, stealing second after the first.

Who Pitched Well: CC Sabathia struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs on three singles, a double, and two walks, but the first run came early in the first inning and the other scored after he left the game. Mariano Rivera needed just ten pitches to throw a perfect seventh and strike out one. Ryan Pope threw a perfect ninth striking out one. Royce Ring pitched around a walk for a scoreless eighth, striking out one.

Who Didn’t: Jonathan Albaladejo inherited two runners from Sabathia and allowed one to score on a double to Carlos Guillen before getting the final two outs of the sixth. That’s a big improvement for Albaladejo, but he’s still the only guy in this category for this game.

Oopsies: Greg Golson‘s throw home on the first Tiger run in the top of the first was very wild and allowed the batter to advance to second, resulting in an error.

Ouchies: Damaso Marte will wait until Sunday to pitch again as he still has some deep bruising where Ryan Howard’s liner hit his lower back.

Nice Plays: The next inning, Golson made a nice running catch charging a Gerald Laird flare to shallow right. Francisco Cervelli pounced on an Austin Jackson bunt and made a strong spinning throw to first which bounced, but was scooped by Mark Teixeira for the out.

Other: Kevin Russo has played shortstop in the last two games. This makes me think the Yankees are seriously considering him for the futility infield spot as he’s hitting .353/.429/.471 on the spring but the one concern about him in that role is his lack of experience at shortstop. Russo lifted a sac fly in his only at-bat in this game.

Rays 6, Yankees 2

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Curtis Granderson (LF)
S – Nick Swisher (DH)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
S – Randy Winn (RF)
L – Juan Miranda (1B)
S – Ramiro Peña (2B)
R – Brandon Laird (3B)
R – Eduardo Nuñez (SS)

Subs: Reegie Corona (3B-2B), Walter Ibarra (SS), Jose Pirela (3B), Jesus Montero (C), Edwar Gonzalez (RF), Reid Gorecki (RF-CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Austin Romine (DH)

Pitchers: Sergio Mitre (5), Chad Gaudin (2 1/3), Amaury Sanit (2/3)

Big Hits: A solo homer by Juan Miranda (2-for-4) off Jeff Niemann leading off the fourth. A double by Jesus Montero (1-for-1). Montero is hitting .375 on the spring, but has had just eight at-bats in eight games (in which he has a single and two doubles). If the Yankees aren’t going to give him multiple at-bats in games, they should reassign him to minor league camp so he can hit. It makes no sense for a player who has been discussed as a potential mid-season call-up to have had the fewest at-bats of the 29 hitters still in the Yankees’ major league camp. Curtis Granderson singled in both at-bats.

Who Pitched Well: Facing a strong Rays lineup, Sergio Mitre allowed two runs in his five innings, but on just a walk, a single, and an Evan Longoria double. Meanwhile, he struck out seven men in those five frames, keeping his hat in the fifth-starter ring. Amaury Sanit continued his scoreless, walk-less spring by retiring both batters he faced, striking out one.

Who Didn’t: Chad Guadin pitched his way out of the fifth-starter contest and may have pitched his way off the 25-man roster given how well Mitre has done this spring. In 2 1/3 innings, Gaudin gave up four runs (three earned) on a whopping seven singles, three walks, and two wild pitches while striking out just one. His spring ERA is now 8.68. Joe Girardi, who was at this road game to see Mitre and Gaudin pitch, blamed some of Gaudin’s struggles on his defense, which did include some players borrowed from minor league camp, and on bad luck (Carlos Peña, for example, got an infield single on a broken bat hit into the shift), but this wasn’t the first time Gaudin had been lousy this spring.

Oopsies: A-ball middle infielder Jose Pirela booted a ball while playing out of position at third base.

Ouchies: Curtis Granderson‘s hand was grazed by a pitch. He came out of the game, but only as a precaution.

Cuts: Romulo Sanchez was optioned to Triple-A. He’s likely to be in the Scranton rotation, but could be bounced to the bullpen as the Scranton rotation could get pretty crowded with Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova, Wilkin De La Rosa, Jason Hirsh, Kei Igawa, and Dustin Moseley all candidates, which doesn’t even count the possibility of one or more of the big club’s fifth-starter candidates finding themselves in Scranton.

Ryan Pope was reassigned to minor league camp. Pope looked good in camp, striking out four in four innings while allowing just one hit and no runs. He should be given another crack at the Double-A rotation as he struggled there last year.

Also, I missed two earlier cuts on Monday as Ivan Nova was optioned to Triple-A Scranton, where he’ll be guaranteed a spot in the rotation, and Hector Noesi was optioned to High-A Tampa, where he finished his 2009 campaign. Look for Noesi to pitch his way to the Double-A rotation this year and hope that Nova can pitch well enough to have his name bandied about in trade talks at the deadline or beyond.

The Yankees beat the Rays 6-4 thanks to some strong relief pitching, including Chan Ho Park’s spring debut, and a three-run homer by Colin Curtis.

Lineup:

R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Curtis Granderson (CF)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Marcus Thames (DH)
S – Randy Winn (LF)
L – Juan Miranda (1B)
S – Ramiro Peña (3B)

Subs: Jon Weber (1B), Reegie Corona (2B), Kevin Russo (SS), Eduardo Nuñez (3B), Austin Romine (C), Reid Gorecki (RF), Greg Golson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), P.J. Pilittere (DH)

Pitchers (IP): Javier Vazquez (3), Romulo Sanchez (2/3), Boone Logan (1/3), Chan Ho Park (1), David Robertson (1), Mark Melancon (2), Dustin Moseley (1)

Big Hits: A booming two-run double just shy of the warning track in center field by Derek Jeter (2-for-3). That double came before he hurt his hand, but the single came after. A three-run homer by Colin Curtis (1-for-3), his second dinger of the  spring. Ramiro Peña had two singles in three at-bats.

Who Pitched Well: Chan Ho Park looked sharp in a perfect fifth inning, needing just eight pitches to retire the side, striking out one and making a nice play coming off the mound. David Robertson struck out two (one on a nose-to-toes curve, the other on high heat) in a perfect sixth. Though Jorge Posada sullied it with a run-scoring passed ball, Boone Logan made like a proper LOOGY in the fourth, coming in with two out and the bases loaded to strike out Carl Crawford with a good slider and strand the remaining runners. Dustin Moseley worked a perfect ninth. Mark Melancon gave up a run following a booming leadoff triple by Justin Ruggiano in the eighth, but he didn’t allow any other hits and only one other man hit a ball to the outfield in his two innings of work. In the seventh, he erased a leadoff walk with a strike-em-out/throw-em-out double play with Austin Romine throwing out opposing catcher Dioner Navarro.

Javier Vazquez worked into some deep counts and walked two, shaving an inning of his intended workload by using up 60 pitches in just three frames, but he limited the damage to a solo homer by Carlos Peña (on a fastball up and on the outside half of the plate) and only allowed one other hit (a harmless single) while striking out three.

Who Didn’t: Romulo Sanchez gave up two runs on a walk and three hits, including a B.J. Upton double, before he could get three outs. He was all over the place, which was one reason Jorge Posada whiffed on a low fastball to allow one of those runs to score.

Nice Plays: On a slow roller to second, Robinson Cano circled the ball, came in on the grass, and scooped and shoveled the ball to first with his glove to get the out. Later in the game, the coaching staff had Cano positioned perfectly on Pat Burrell. Robby needed just two steps to knock down a would-be single up the middle that nearly took off David Robertson’s head. Chan Ho Park sprung off the mound to make a clean play and a strong throw on a bouncer well on the grass to the left side by Carlos Peña. Though it didn’t result in an out, Jorge Posada made a near-perfect throw to second on a stealing Carl Crawford in the third. Crawford was safe, but barely.

Oopsies: Playing shortstop, Kevin Russo was unable to come up with a hard grounder to his right in the eighth, allowing a run to score from third on what was ruled an error. On a chopper in front of the plate by Ben Zobrist in the third, Javier Vazquez and Jorge Posada both charged the ball but simultaneously pulled up expecting the other to make the play, thus allowing Zobrist to reach safely as the ball went untouched. In the fourth, Posada failed to block a low fastball from Romulo Sanchez that got through his wickets and allowed B.J. Upton to score from third. Later that inning, Posada had a Boone Logan fastball that was nearly a strike clank off his glove allowing another run to score. All of which would seem to bode well for Jesus Montero. Posada’s been out-hitting his defense for years. I’m guessing Montero can do the same.

Ouchies: A diving Derek Jeter, in failing to come up with a hard single to his left, got his throwing hand caught on the lip of the outfield grass but stayed in the game and got a hit in the bottom of that inning. He was seen wincing during warm-up throws later in the game, but, say it with me: he’s fine and will play tomorrow. A day after getting hit in the lower back with a Ryan Howard line-drive, Damaso Marte is doing well and could pitch in Friday’s home game.

This update is powered by the late, great Gilda Radner:

• Individual game tickets go on sale at Noon on Friday.
• MLB.com set out to determine the Yanks’ team of the past decade.
• Kevin Towers is the Yanks’ new “Special Assignment Scout”
• Ex-Yankee Chuck Knoblauch is in trouble with the law.

Back on Monday.

An ugly spring debut from Damaso Marte helped the Phillies beat the Yankees 6-2 in Clearwater, but the story of the game was a strong four-inning appearance from Joba Chamberlain, who, having heard the gun, is finally keeping stride with Phil Hughes in the race for the final spot in the Opening Day rotation.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Nick Johnson (DH)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
R – Marcus Thames (LF)
S – Randy Winn (RF)
R – Francisco Cervelli (C)
S – Ramiro Peña (SS)
R – Kevin Russo (2B)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Reegie Corona (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Jorge Vazquez (3B), Mike Rivera (C), David Winfree (RF), Reid Gorecki (CF), Jamie Hoffmann (LF), Jon Weber (DH)

Pitchers (IP): Andy Pettitte (4), Damaso Marte (four batters), Amaury Sanit (1), Joba Chamberlain (4)

Big Hits: Francisco Cervelli went 3-for-3 with an RBI double and is hitting .583 on the month. Brett Gardner went 2-for-3 with a triple courtesy of a missed diving catch by Shane Victorino in center. Gardner also stole his first base of the spring.

Who Pitched Well: In his first actual game action (he previously threw two simulated games, one to avoid travel, the other due to rain), Andy Pettitte struck out four in four innings against just one walk. He did allow a pair of runs on five hits, but threw just 55 pitches. Amaury Sanit retired all three men he faced, striking out two. He hasn’t issued a walk or allowed a run in 3 2/3 innings this spring.

Most importantly, Joba Chamberlain answered the bell with four strong innings (including an unofficial bottom of the ninth with the home-team Phillies in the lead). He did allow a run, but on a well-placed bloop double over Kevin Russo’s head and a single. He also struck out five against just one walk after getting just two Ks against six walks in his previous 3 2/3 innings. Like Hughes on Tuesday, he did it over the game’s final four innings, but he faced a better group of hitters than Hughes did against a split-squad Astros road team. Having needed just 47 pitches to get through those four frames, Joba threw about 15 more in the bullpen. During the game, Chamberlain was not only efficient but was working quickly, showing the aggressive approach that so often seemed missing last year but showed its head in his three strong starts after the All-Star break. That is a very good indicator, as is the fact that his slider had that nasty break to it as seen in the highlight reel found here. Both of those things suggest that this fifth-starter battle could live up to its billing after all.

Who Didn’t: In his first spring appearance, Damaso Marte faced four batters without getting an out. Switch-hitters Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino singled. Righty Jayson Werth hit a three-run home run. Lefty Ryan Howard then singled off Marte, bouncing him from the game.

Ouchies: Howard’s liner hit Damaso Marte in the lower back and left a bruise. Marte was doing his exercises before the game was over and said he was fine after, but the Yankees might push back his next appearance to be on the safe side.

Other: Having finally faced major league batters, Andy Pettitte may have to start a minor league game his next time out so that Chamberlain can get his full pitch load in the major league game.

A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera, the latter in his spring debut, put a lot of runners on base against a pathetic split-squad Astros lineup, but only let one score. The preliminary Opening Day lineup plated three early runs, and Phil Hughes wrapped things up with four scoreless innings as the Yankees won 4-1.

Lineup:

R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Nick Johnson (DH)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Curtis Granderson (LF)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
L – Brett Gardner (CF)

Subs: Jorge Vazquez (1B), Reegie Corona (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Brandon Laird (3B), Jesus Montero (C), Jamie Hoffmann (RF), Greg Golson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Austin Romine (DH)

Pitchers (IP): A.J. Burnett (2 1/3), Zach Segovia (1 2/3), Mariano Rivera (1), Phil Hughes (4)

Big Hits: A solo homer by Mark Teixeira (1-for-2, HBP). Doubles by Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano (both 1-for-3). Jorge Posada went 2-for-3 and is now hitting .421 on the spring.

Who Pitched Well: Zach Segovia retired all five men he faced, striking out two and picking up the win. Phil Hughes threw four scoreless innings allowing just three singles and a walk needing just 59 pitches, all while continuing to experiment with his changeup. At the same time, he was often working from behind in the count and faced the subs of the road split-squad of a terrible Astros team and still only struck out two (both on curveballs).

Who Didn’t: A.J. Burnett walked four and allowed a double and a single in 2 1/3 innings, using up his 65 pitches well before the Yankees’ goal for him of four innings. Burnett said he was struggling with his fastball command and overthrowing. Mariano Rivera showed some rust in his first inning of work of the spring, walking one, giving up a pair of singles (one hard hit, one that didn’t reach the outfield), and throwing 27 pitches. Still, he stranded all three runners.

Nice Plays: Running catches by Nick Swisher and Colin Curtis in the outfield.

Oopsies: Jorge Posada airmailed a throw over second base, but the runner was advanced on ball four anyway and didn’t take third on the overthrow. Robison Cano failed to get a double-play ball out of his glove in time for Derek Jeter to make the pivot. Phil Hughes dropped a comebacker for an error.

Ouchies: Mark Teixeira was hit in the back with a pitch, but stayed in the game and later homered.

Other: Although the batting order was a trial run at the Opening Day lineup, Joe Girardi was clear that he’s still experimenting with where Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner will play in the outfield, so don’t read anything into Granderson starting in left on Tuesday, even though I’m going to.

Props to the Star-Ledger‘s Marc Carig for providing some of the details via play-by-play on twitter as the game wasn’t on TV or radio in the New York area.

The Yankees have now played a dozen exhibition games, more than a third of their spring schedule. So what have we learned thus far?

Over at LoHud, Chad Jennings reports that, in Tuesday’s game, Joe Girardi will start a preliminary Opening Day lineup that is likely to look like this:

R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Nick Johnson (DH)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Curtis Granderson (CF/LF)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
L – Brett Gardner (LF/CF)

Nick Johnson hitting second is among the Yankees’ worst-kept secrets. It was obvious the day they signed him that he was brought in to replace Johnny Damon in the two-hole with ability to work deep counts and get on base. The pleasant surprise from Johnson this spring has been his team-leading three home runs (all of which have come against the Pirates). No other Yankee has more than one. Johnson also has a pair of doubles and is slugging 1.308  and leading the Yankees in most major offensive categories. That despite missing some time after tweaking his lower back when his spikes got caught in the turf rug the team uses to protect the batting circle during batting practice.

Robinson Cano hitting fifth is a direct challenge to Cano to improve his numbers with runners in scoring position. Last year he hit .207/.242/.332 with runners in scoring position, and Kevin Long, who keeps such stats on the Yankee hitters, said that Cano’s swings on pitches out of the zone spiked in those situations. Cano hit .376/.407/.609 in 343 at-bats with the bases empty last year, and one of his goals this spring has been to maintain the same approach with runners on.

I expected Curtis Granderson to be the fifth-place hitter, but with Cano fifth, Granderson seventh makes sense so as not to have lefties hitting back-to-back, particularly when one of them is as susceptible to left-handed pitching as Granderson.

Brett Gardner batting ninth seems to suggest that Gardner is well on his way toward winning a starting job, and to hear Girardi speak to the YES crew during Saturday’s home game, that does seem to be the case. That was the first spring game that featured Gardner in center field and Granderson in left field in the starting lineup, and Girardi said that he was just trying to figure out which arrangement (that or with Granderson in center and Gardner in left) allowed the two to work best together. That clearly implied that Gardner would be starting at one of those two positions.

Gardner has hit just .158 (3-for-19) this spring, two of those hits being bunt singles, and hasn’t stolen a base or delivered an extra-base hit, but he does have four walks and a .304 OBP. His three challengers all have even lower averages and have combined for just one-extra base hit, one walk, and no steals: Jamie Hoffmann .150 (3-for-19, 2B), Randy Winn .133 (2-for-15, BB), Marcus Thames .111 (2-for-18).

In the battle for the backup infielder spot, Kevin Russo has distinguished himself at the plate, hitting .385/.500/.538 (5-for-13, 2 2B, 3 BB) and has rotated through second, third and shortstop without a significant gaffe. I don’t know if he’ll be able to overcome the Yankees’ existing preference for Ramiro Peña, who has struggled at the plate save for an early homer but played outstanding defense, but Russo is certainly making a strong impression, showing a great approach in the plate, and making solid contact with regularity.

(more…)

This update is powered by . . . my favorite Natalie Merchant song:

• What do some of the Yankee coaches think about Jesus Montero:

(Batting Coach Kevin) Long said Montero reminded him of Robinson Cano — “another kid who can wake up out of bed and hit.” He has already shown a consistent ability to put the barrel of his bat on pitches and hit to the opposite field, and the Yankees are most impressed with his gift for making adjustments from at-bat to at-bat and from pitch to pitch.

Cashman recalled an instance from last Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, when Montero, after falling behind to Jesse Crain, 0-2, sensed that an outside breaking ball was coming. It did, and Montero poked it down the right-field line for a double.

“It’s amazing that at 20 years old he’s a .320 lifetime hitter,” Long said. (Montero’s career average is actually .325.) “But he’s got to get his body in shape and turn from being a soft kid to a hard-nosed man. He’s got to do it in a hurry because he owes it to the organization. He owes it to everybody around him.”

. . . According to the Yankees, Montero usually needs 1.9 to 2.0 seconds to catch and throw the ball to second base, whereas an elite catcher, like Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals, can do it in about 1.7. Long after his teammates had finished their morning workout Saturday, Montero remained in the Yankees’ bullpen to work on his throwing technique with Girardi.

(Catching instructor Tony) Pena said: “He has a strong arm — a very strong arm — but he can’t rely on that. If he has the proper mechanics, everything else will take over, and then we’ll have what we like.”

• Girardi on Alfredo Aceves:

“He’s just doing what he does,” Girardi said, adding: “What I’m most happy about is he’s ahead in the count all the time. He’s strike one, 1-2, lot of 1-2 counts, 0-1 counts. That’s what you love to see. Guys love to play behind those types of guys, too.”

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With the wind blowing out in Bradenton, the Pirates launched five home runs to beat the Yankees’ road squad 10-5. If not for Bucs non-roster reliever Jean Machi stinking it up in the ninth inning, the game wouldn’t even have been that close.

Lineup:

R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Nick Johnson (1B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
R – Marcus Thames (LF)
L – Brett Gardner (CF)
S – Randy Winn (DH)
R – Francisco Cervelli (C)
R – Jorge Vazquez (3B)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Kevin Russo (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Brandon Laird (3B), Mike Rivera (C), Jon Weber (RF), Greg Golson (CF), David Winfree (LF), Reid Gorecki (DH)

Pitchers (IP): CC Sabathia (4 1/3), Jonathan Albaladejo (2/3), Mark Melancon (1), Dustin Moseley (1), Ivan Nova (1)

Big Hits: A two-out wind-blown solo homer to straight-away center  in the sixth by Nick Johnson (1-for-2, BB) for the first Yankee run of the game. A two-RBI double by Greg Golson in his only at-bat. No Yankee had multiple hits and only Johnson reached base more than once.

Who Pitched Well: CC Sabathia gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings, but two of those runs scored after he left the game. In his first four innings the only run he allowed came on a wind-blown solo homer by Akinori Iwamura and he only allowed to other hits, both singles, and walked two in his full outing, though he also only struck out two.  Mark Melancon worked around a leadoff single in the sixth, striking out two and erasing the single with Francisco Cervelli’s help via a caught-stealing.

Who Didn’t: Jonathan Albaladejo walked one and gave up two doubles and a single over the course of just six batters, allowing two inherited runners to score as well as three of his own. His spring ERA, which doesn’t include inherited runners who have scored, is 45.00. Dustin Moseley gave up three solo home runs as well as a single in the seventh. Ivan Nova gave up a solo homer to Bobby Crosby (who also homered off Moseley) with two outs in the ninth. He then gave up two singles and a walk, but got the third out before any of them could score.

Nice Plays: Francisco Cervelli threw a strike right to the inside part of second base to nail Lastings Milledge trying to steal in the sixth. Hat-tip to Delwin Young who robbed Marcus Thames of a hit in the seventh by leaping to snag a line drive well over his head.

Oopsies: Nick Swisher wiffed while trying to cut off a Lastings Milledge double in the gap, but Brett Gardner backed up the play and threw behind Milledge as he rounded second, trapping him in a run-down.

Cuts: Right-handed starter Zach McAllister, catcher Jose Gil and righty reliever Grant Duff, all non-roster invitees, were reassigned to minor league camp. Gil is organizational filler in an organization filled with actual catching prospects. He could serve as Austin Romine’s backup in Double-A this year or have a bigger role in High-A Tampa. Duff and his high-90s heat will likely slot into the Trenton bullpen, where he’ll have a lot to prove. McAllister is the organization’s top pitching prospect and is being farmed out this early because starters are going deeper into games and there are only so many innings available in the major league games with five pitchers theoretically competing for the fifth spot in the big league rotation. McAllister should be the ace of the Scranton rotation this year and could be in play as a mid-season replacement should the rotation require it. If not, expect to see him called up in September and competing for the fifth-starter spot himself next year.

Other: Watching the Pirates’ broadcast on MLB Network, it was a bit sad to see how hard Pittsburgh was pushing its season ticket packages. It was also frustrating; I wish the Yankees were that desperate for my business.

Though the weather in New York on Saturday was like the inside of a dishwasher, things cleared up in Florida, allowing the Yankees to finally get back in action with a pair of split-squad games. At home, the Yankees jumped all over the Orioles Jeremy Guthrie and held on for a 5-3 win thanks to four strong innings from Alfredo Aceves. On the road, the Yankees were held down by a pair of Tiger pitchers trying to make comebacks as Dontrelle Willis and Jeremy Bonderman combined to allow just two runs in six innings leading to a 6-2 Detroit win.

Meanwhile, the Yankees made their first cuts of the spring, farming out eight pitchers and a catcher. Details below after the game summaries.

Yankees 5, Orioles 3

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Nick Johnson (DH)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
L – Curtis Granderson (LF)
S – Randy Winn (RF)
L – Juan Miranda (1B)
R – Brandon Laird (3B)
S – Ramiro Peña (SS)

Subs: P.J. Pilittere (1B), Reegie Corona (2B), Jesus Montero (C), Jon Weber (RF), Greg Golson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF)

Pitchers (IP): Javier Vazquez (3), Alfredo Aceves (4), Royce Ring (1), David Robertson (1)

Big Hits: A double over the left-fielder’s head by Nick Johnson (2-for-3, BB). Jorge Posada singled three times in four trips. Robinson Cano and Brandon Laird each singled twice in four trips.

Who Pitched Well: Everyone. With a strong wind blowing straight out, Javier Vazquez and Alfredo Aceves each gave up a home run on a gut-high fastball on the inside half of the plate (to Ty Wigginton and Garrett Atkins, respectively), but otherwise gave up very little. Vazquez issued one walk, which scored on Wigginton’s homer, and three harmless singles while striking out two in three frames. Aceves walked no one in his four innings, allowed two harmless singles, one of which only traveled about 20 feet up the first base line, and Atkins’ homer was a solo shot, though he only struck out one batter. Royce Ring worked around a single for a scoreless eighth. David Robertson worked around a single and struck out the other three batters he faced in the ninth.

Nice Plays: Early in the game, Ramiro Peña ranged to his left to snag a hard grounder, spun and made a strong, accurate off-balance throw for the out. Later, he dove to his right and scrambled to his knees to start a 6-4-3 double play. Brandon Laird also made a nice play ranging to his left in front of Peña and firing a strike to first base. Also, I have to tip my hat to Ty Wigginton, who is playing second base for the O’s in place of Brian Roberts, who is out with a herniated disk in his back. Wigginton ranged to his right, snagged a grounder behind second base and flipped it to Cesar Izturis with his glove while in stride to start a 4-6-3 double play.

Oopsies: Juan Miranda had a bounder about one foot to his right clang off his glove. It ricocheted right to Robinson Cano, but Miranda missed first base with his left foot while taking the throw and ran into the runner. He got an error, though I’m not sure for which part of that play.

Tigers 6, Yankees 2

Lineup:

R – Derek Jeter (SS)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
R – Marcus Thames (LF)
R – Francisco Cervelli (C)
R – Jamie Hoffmann (CF)
R – David Winfree (DH)
R – Eduardo Nuñez (2B)

Subs: Mike Rivera (1B), Kevin Russo (SS), Jorge Vazquez (3B), Austin Romine (C), Reid Gorecki (RF), Edwar Gonzalez (LF), Jose Gil (DH)

Pitchers: Chad Gaudin (3), Sergio Mitre (4), Boone Logan (1)

Big Hits: A double by Alex Rodriguez (1-for-3). Mark Teixeira singled twice and walked in three trips. Francisco Cervelli, wearing his new helmet singled twice in three trips. Derek Jeter singled twice in four trips.

Who Pitched Well: Boone Logan threw a perfect ninth inning.

Who Didn’t: Chad Gaudin gave up three runs in his three innings on a walk, three singles and a pair of doubles while striking out just one. His spring ERA is now 7.71. Sergio Mitre gave up three runs in four innings on a walk, three singles, a double, and a Johnny Damon solo homer, though he did also strike out three.

Oopsies: Jorge Vazquez booted one at the hot corner. Jamie Hoffmann played a fly ball by Miguel Cabrera into a double in center, but wasn’t charged with an error.

Cuts: Three pitchers on the 40-man roster were optioned out: Andrew Brackman, Christian Garcia, and Wilkin De La Rosa. Brackman was optioned to High-A Tampa, where he’ll slot into the rotation and hope to prove that his terrible 2009 season was the result of rust, bad mechanics, and his continuing rehab from his 2007 Tommy John surgery. Garcia, who is coming off a season largely lost to elbow surgery, was optioned to Double-A Trenton, where he’ll also be in the rotation. De La Rosa was optioned to Triple-A Scranton, though there’s some thought that he might actually open the season in Double-A if the Triple-A rotation fills up. He could become an option as a second lefty for the major league bullpen if he pitches well.

Five other non-roster pitchers were reassigned: Kei Igawa, Kevin Whelan, Jeremy Bleich, Wilkins Arias, and D.J. Mitchell. Igawa is persona non grata and likely headed back to the Scranton rotation. Whelan could be in the pen in Trenton or Scranton, but wherever he lands he’ll have to work on reducing his walk rate. Bleich, the Yankees’ top 2008 draft pick, should start in the Trenton rotation. Arias, a lefty, should be in the Scranton bullpen. Mitchell could start the season in the Double-A rotation after a breakout pro debut last year. Whelan, Bleich, Arias, and Mitchell combined for just three innings pitched in the exhibition games.

Kyle Higashioka was the catcher reassigned. He’ll be making his full-season debut this year and is no longer needed in camp with eight fewer pitchers around.

One advantage of today’s game being canceled is that it gives me room to share this roundtable discussion about the fifth-starter competition and spring training competitions in general that Jay Jaffe and I participated in over at Steven Goldman’s Pinstriped Bible on YES. A quick sample:

Cliff: . . . what Girardi is looking for (I assume and hope) is execution of pitches, game planning, the ability to set-up hitters, work out of jams, miss bats, avoid hard contact, turn lineups over, etc. This is the one time of year when I agree with those who diminish the importance of statistics. The sample is indeed too small, thus one bad outing, due to the after-effects of the flu or fatigue toward the end of an outing in which the pitcher in question is extending his pitch count, can ruin an ERA. Also, as Girardi has said, the first couple of spring starts are really tune-ups in which starters don’t use all of their pitches and are just trying to build arm strength and get a feel for things. So for Hughes and Chamberlain, as well, the charge is to execute in a high-pressure situation, to show what they can do, but I don’t think that necessarily means the pitcher with the better ERA is going to get the job. If Joba continues to struggle but suddenly finds it in his last two spring starts and looks like the guy from 2007 again, I think the job will be, and should be, his.

Read the rest here.

As expected, more rain washed the Yankees out again Friday afternoon, canceling their game against the Nationals. The Yankee bus turned around before reaching the Nationals’ complex in Viera. Andy Pettitte, who threw a simulated game for his first turn, threw three simulated innings this time as well, getting up to 50 pitches. Joe Girardi says that he’ll be sure to have Pettitte face live batters for his remaining four turns. Austin Romine caught Pettitte. Now they’re saying Derek Jeter had food poisoning yesterday, not the flu. The Upcoming Schedule on the left sidebar is updated with next week’s pitching assignments.

I’m hardly an expert on the mechanics of a pitcher, but even I can tell that the finish of Lance McCullers’ delivery in this game against the Blue Jays looks rather painful. When your head is completely turned toward first base just as you’ve released the ball toward home plate, there is something desperately wrong.

As a young reliever with the Padres, McCullers had the kind of talent over which scouts salivate, a powerful right arm that could manhandle opposing hitters. Some folks called him “Baby Goose” because his style mirrored Hall of Fame teammate Rich “Goose” Gossage. I remember well when the Yankees acquired McCullers as part of a package that sent slugging Jack “The Ripper” Clark to the Padres. Reacting to the news with boyish fervor, I thought that the trade would help the Yankees on two fronts. With a 95 mile-an-hour fastball and a knee-bending slider, McCullers appeared to be the young relief ace who could effectively replace the erratic Dave Righetti. That, in turn, would have allowed the Yankees to put Righetti back in the starting rotation, thereby strengthening one of the weakest areas of the team.

Unfortunately, the Yankees didn’t receive my memo. They stubbornly resisted the temptation to change Righetti’s role, instead announcing that McCullers would become his primary setup man in the bullpen. McCullers then compounded the problem by flopping in his first season in pinstripes. After having pitched remarkably well for three seasons in middle relief, McCullers did not take well to a similar role in the Bronx. His ERA rose by more than two runs, from 2.49 to 4.57, despite a reduced workload in 1989. Often unhittable in the National League, McCullers found hitters in the junior circuit to be far less impressed with his arsenal of riding fastballs and diving sliders.

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A month into spring training has yielded little in terms of newsworthy occurrences in Yankee camp.

The team announced it would not discuss or negotiate contract extensions for Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, or manager Joe Girardi until after the season, which is consistent with recent club policy. Nick Johnson missed time with back stiffness (uh-oh), but then rejoined the lineup (phew!). Indications, per Girardi, are that Johnson will bat second and that speed isn’t important, since Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez are hitting behind him. That means Curtis Granderson, who Girardi hinted would be the team’s starting center fielder, will likely bat seventh or eighth, depending on Nick Swisher’s exploits. Granderson in center, coupled with Brett Gardner’s wet-noodle bat, means Randy Winn, um, win(n)s the left field job.

That brings us to the first of three major subsections of this week’s column.

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That’s a term you rarely hear in baseball, but Thursday night’s exhibition game between the Braves and Yankees was rained out, and in spring training, that doesn’t result in the game being merely postponed. It’s canceled. A.J. Burnett threw three innings under simulated conditions to stay on schedule, working in his curve for the first time this spring. Jorge Posada caught him. Francisco Cervelli was outfitted with a new S100 batting helmet which he’ll wear at the plate indefinitely to protect against another pitch-induced concussion (though he’ll switch to a less bulky standard helmet when running the bases). Derek Jeter has the flu. More rain possible on Friday. And those are the issues of the day.

This update is powered by a classic Buddy Hackett joke (sorry for the video quality):

• Nick Johnson, pull power hitter?:

As a lefthanded hitter he’s always had a lot more Tony Gwynn in him than Ken Griffey Jr. He’s not exactly a slap hitter, but Johnson has made a career of hitting the ball to all fields, always more comfortable going the other way than pulling the ball.

“My whole life’s been left field,” was the way he put it yesterday.

. . . (Batting coach Kevin) Long took one look at him on tape after the Yankees signed him as a free agent and saw an obvious flaw that was draining his power from his swing. Basically, he wasn’t using his legs to drive the ball.

“When I watched him it was striking that his back foot was sliding out and collapsing,” Long explained. “So that was the first thing we attacked, getting to use his lower half more efficiently and consistently.”

. . . The payoff came quickly, in Johnson’s fifth and sixth at-bats of the spring, and the home runs were enough to make the Yankees salivate over what his new approach might produce this season.

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The fifth-starter battle continued to fizzle as the Yankees needed a two-run ninth-inning homer from Greg Golson to pull out a 9-8 victory over the Tigers, who scored seven combined runs off Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in the third and fourth innings.

Lineup:

L – Curtis Granderson (CF)
L – Nick Johnson (DH)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Marcus Thames (RF)
L – Brett Gardner (LF)
R – Mike Rivera (C)
R – Jorge Vazquez (3B)
S – Ramiro Peña (SS)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Kevin Russo (2B), Reegie Corona (SS), Eduardo Nuñez (3B), Austin Romine (C), Jamie Hoffmann (RF), Greg Golson (CF), David Winfree (LF), Colin Curtis (DH)

Pitchers: Joba Chamberlain (2 1/3), Phil Hughes (2 2/3), Jason Hirsh (1), Andrew Brackman (1), Grant Duff (1), Ryan Pope (1)

Big Hits: A game-winning two-run homer by Greg Golson (1-for-2) in the ninth. A solo homer by Mark Teixeira (2-for-3, BB) off former Yankee gopherballer Phil Coke. Doubles by Jorge Vazquez (1-for-2), Mike Rivera (1-for-3), and Jamie Hoffmann (1-for-2). Curtis Granderson singled twice and walked in four trips. David Winfree singled in both of his at-bats. Brett Gardner had a walk and a bunt single in three trips and scored twice.

Who Pitched Well: Jason Hirsh pitched around an error for an otherwise perfect sixth inning, striking out two. Ryan Pope pitched around a single, striking out two in a scoreless ninth, picking up the save. Grant Duff pitched around a single for a scoreless eighth. Phil Hughes gave up a solo homer to Ryan Rayburn and a pair of singles, but in contrast to Joba Chamberlain, his 2 2/3 innings, which included a pair of punchouts and no walks, looked sparkling.

Who Didn’t: Joba Chamberlain got through two scoreless innings allowing just a single and a walk, but melted down in the third. Before he could record a second out in that frame, he gave up six runs on three walks and five hits including a grand slam by Gerald Laird, older brother of Yankee camper Brandon Laird. Chamberlain said he felt fatigued in that third inning, but he also struck out just one of the 15 batters he faced in the game (Austin Jackson on a changeup). Compared to that, Phil Hughes looked fantastic, and he did strike out two against no walks, but also he gave up a solo homer to Ryan Rayburn, two other singles, and needed a spectacular catch from Curtis Granderson to escape the fourth inning without further damage. Joe Girardi said before the game that this was the last “tune-up” start for Chamberlain and Hughes before the fifth-starter competition would begin in earnest. Both should be please by that as Joba has struggled in both of his starts (though he had the flu as an excuse for the first), and Hughes has underwhelmed despite better overall results. LoHud’s Sam Borden provides some explanation for those disappointing performances.

Nice Plays: Curtis Granderson made a running, over-the-shoulder catch on a deep drive by Miguel Cabrera, catching it just shy of the wall, more than 400 feet from home plate. That catch saved Phil Hughes from what could have been an ugly fourth inning. Sadly, the game wasn’t televised, but Borden was so impressed by the catch he dedicated a whole post to it after the game.

Oopsies: Jamie Hoffmann made an error in right field.

Ouchies: Francisco Cervelli caught Andy Pettitte’s bullpen session.

Other: Johnny Damon was out of the Tigers’ lineup after stubbing his toe at home. Austin Jackson played center and led off for Detroit and singled and struck out in four at-bats. Teixeira’s homer was the only blemish on Phil Coke‘s one inning of work.