Billy Crystal will suit up and play in an exhibition game with the Yankees tomorrow. It’s a frivolous, ego-driven stunt, that is being promoted as a good, light-hearted time for all. The Yankee players, management and announcers, seem to fawn over celebrities like Crystal, and, as we well know, stars like Crystal just love being around jocks. Maybe I’m turned off by it because I wish I was Crystal, being able to live out my fantasies. More than that, though, I’m embarassed by his need to fulfill his every desire. Color me a spring training Scrooge.

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Chien-Ming Wang made a nice rebound from his ugly second start as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 6-1. Lots more below, so let’s get to it . . .

Lineup:

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

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Edwar Ramirez, Kyle Farnsworth, Darrell Rasner, Brian Bruney

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (1B), Wilson Betemit (2B), Cody Ransom (SS), Nick Green (PH/3B), Chad Moeller (C), Greg Porter (RF), Brett Gardner (CF), Chris Woodward (LF), Jorge Posada (DH)

Opposition: The Jay’s starters save for Alex Rios.

Big Hits: A pair of no-doubter homers; a two-run shot to the right of dead center by Alex Rodriguez (1 for 2) in the first inning and a solo shot far over the left field wall by Jason Lane (2 for 3) in the sixth. Also doubles by Bobby Abreu (2 for 3), Cody Ransom (1 for 1), and Melky Cabrera (2 for 3). Melky’s double came batting lefty, of course. His other hit was a perfectly placed bunt single to lead off the game, which came batting righty. Jose Molina was 2 for 2.

Who Pitched Well Everyone, really, but the big news was Chien-Ming Wang, who tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings showing good velocity, late movement, and improving as the game went on. After getting roughed up in his last start, Wang worked with pitching coach Dave Eiland to tweak his mechanics, incorporating a double tap in his glove just before separating his hands. Apparently the problem in his previous outing was that he was overstriding and thus leaving his pitches up–death for a sinkerballer–the same problem he was having in the ALDS last year. In the first inning, David Cone, announcing his first game of the year for YES, and John Flaherty commented that Wang’s arm appeared to be dragging and, indeed, his pitches were still staying up, but he was popping the mitt in the mid 90s and as the game progressed he found his arm slot and rediscovered his sink. The two hits he allowed in his 3 2/3 innings were both singles, one a broken bat shot into left by Vernon Wells, the other a hard grounder up the middle by Lyle Overbay. He also got eight of his eleven outs on the ground and ended his day by striking out Scott Rolen on three pitches. Along the way, Wang worked on his slider and changeup and threw a total of 58 pitches, this after throwing a 75-pitch bullpen session a couple of days ago.

Beyond Wang, Edwar Ramirez got his only batter, Frank Thomas, to pop out. Brian Bruney pitched around an infield single and struck out two in 1 2/3 innings, though two of his three outs on balls in play were hard line drives that were caught.

Who Didn’t: Kyle Farnsworth allowed a double and walked one in a scoreless inning, struck out none and one of his three outs was a hard fly to the warning track in right center. Darrell Rasner retired the first five batters he faced in order and struck out two in 2 1/3 innings, but with two outs in his second inning of work issued a walk and allowed an RBI double. He was pulled with one out in the next inning following a Reed Johnson single. The outing was enough of an improvement over his last two to earn Rasner another outing in major league camp, but he remains on a short leash.

Nice Plays: A perfect throw by Jose Molina to catch Vernon Wells stealing in the first inning. A nice diving snag of a line drive off Bruney by Morgan Ensberg at first base. The best play of the game, however, was a catch against the wall in dead center by Toronto’s Buck Coats off a booming drive by Jorge Posada, who has just one single in 15 spring at-bats.

Ouchies: Johnny Damon fouled a ball off his right foot in Monday night’s game and skipped yesterday’s contest to get x-rays of the foot, which came back negative, which is a positive. The official diagnosis per his manager is a “bruised toe.” He’ll likely sit out until the toe’s feeling better. He’s not listed on today’s travel roster. Francisco Cervelli, who has been in a full-arm hard cast, will have surgery on his fractured right wrist/forearm (I’ve yet to see mention of the actual bone that was broken) today. Finally, some news on the rehabbing Humberto Sanchez. He’s playing catch from 120 feet and hopes to start throwing bullpens at the end of the month.

More Cuts: Juan Miranda was optioned to triple-A, where I expect he’ll be the starting first baseman. P.J. Pilittere, who should be the starting catcher for Trenton until Cervelli’s back in action, and outfielders Jose Tabata, Austin Jackson, and Colin Curtis, who will be the Thunder’s starting outfield, from right to left, were reassigned to minor league camp. Jackson and Tabata are the top two position-player prospects in the system right now, but did nothing of note in camp. Curtis showed a great glove in camp and went 2 for 6 with a double. Miranda was hitless in camp, but was victimized by a few excellent plays on drives deep in the gaps and could find himself called up as an injury replacement later in the year if he performs well for Scranton.

More: As expected, Joe Girardi is setting about busting Billy Crystal’s hump. Joba Chamberlain is working on adding a Chien-Ming Wang-taught sinker to his arsenal. In fact, he got three groundball outs with it in Monday’s game. That pitch would be his fifth after his unhittable slider, high-90s fastball, above-average curve, and developing changeup. Wow. Speaking of Joba, Pete Abe sums up the starter/reliever debate perfectly. Meanwhile, the YES crew was pounding the regrettable “Generation Trey” nickname for Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy during today’s broadcast, but Hughes says the three of them would prefer “The Three Amigos.” Hughes was born the year that film came out, which means he probably doesn’t remember that the Denver Broncos beat them to it. Speaking of the YES crew, Cone sounds like he’s going to be a headache on the air this year. He spent a lot of time talking about how pitch and innings limits are unnecessary (come back Jim Kaat, all is forgiven!) and praising the Blue Jays for focusing on “chemistry” by signing “character” guys like David Eckstein and Scott Rolen, while failing to note that Rolen’s such a great character guy that he’s bitched his way off both of his big league teams. You might remember that Cone was also the guy who thought Scott Strickland was likely to make the team out of camp. Strickland was reassigned without throwing a single exhibition pitch. Off to a great start, Coney.

Last night the Yankees played the tenth game of their exhibition schedule, which means they’ve gone through their starting rotation twice and are a third of the way through their pre-season slate. With that, I thought now would be a good time to take a look at how the battles for the final spots on the roster are shaping up.

There are 53 players left in camp, not counting the trio of rehabbing pitchers (Andrew Brackman, Humberto Sanchez, and Glass Pavano). Twenty-one of those players are all but guaranteed to head north with the club, as per my initial camper’s post of a month ago:

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

Bench:

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

Rotation:

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

Bullpen:

R – Mariano Rivera
R – Joba Chamberlain
R – Kyle Farnsworth
R – LaTroy Hawkins

Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy have been sharing the fifth starter’s spot thus far, Kennedy getting the start the first time through the rotation with Chamberlain appearing later in the game, and Chamberlain getting the start last night with Kennedy appearing later in the game. Their turn will come around again on Saturday, when the Yankees have their only split-squad games of the month, thus allowing each pitcher to start one of the two games. After that, the decision to bounce one of them to the bullpen will have to be made. There’s no reason for Chamberlain not to be the pitcher moved into relief. All of the other pitchers in the rotation have pitched well in at least one of their two starts thus far (the most recent stinker was from Chien-Ming Wang, who will start against the Blue Jays this afternoon). Kennedy has been better than Chamberlain in both of their games thus far, and, perhaps most importantly, Chamberlain will have a much lower innings limit this season, which all but requires him to spend some time in either the bullpen or the minors.

When I wrote my camper’s post, Shelley Duncan’s spot on the 25-man roster seemed tenuous. Since then he’s torn the cover off the ball. He’s slugging 1.063 and leading the Yankees in total bases this spring with 17 while his closest competitors have 11. He could probably go hitless for the rest of camp and still make the team.

As for the fourth and final spot on the bench, my initial characterization of the matter suggested it would come down to what sort of player Girardi wanted to fill that final spot, with the top contenders being corner infielder and solid righty bat Morgan Ensberg, outfielder and righty power bat Jason Lane, or any of a number of weak-hitting utility infielders, with speed/defense center fielder Brett Gardner as a longshot.

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Being sick has its advantages. For one, it allows you to relax and catch up on some reading. While the Mets have taken hold of the back pages — it’s the Spring, they’ll have their time in the spotlight again when they’re blowing a 7-game lead in September — the feature writers have had some fun projecting next steps for the Yankee organization.

After all, this is a season of combined firsts and lasts: the last year in “old” Yankee Stadium, the first season with new manager Joe Girardi, the first season with Hank and Hal Steinbrenner at the helm, which could mean the last year of Brian Cashman as general manager. (There has been only speculation; Cashman has been mum on the topic. We’ve seen and heard this song and dance before.)

Two pieces most notably caught my attention, both for their similarities and for the differences. Both are profiles of Hank Steinbrenner. Ryan McGee’s piece in ESPN the Magazine traces Hank’s path to the Yankees, then to Kinsman Farm, and then back to the Yankees, capturing his bluster and portraying him as his father’s son. The New York Times Magazine also traced the lineage – what profile doesn’t? – and hinted that certain members of the organization believe that Hank is trying too hard to be the kind of managing partner, at least in the press, that his father once was.

The greatest difference was that the PLAY brought the siblings into it as if to demonstrate that the Yankees want to show a unified management front with the Steinbrenner children. Hank is the liaison to the press and handles the baseball decisions, Hal is the brains behind the business decisions, and Jennifer is helping on the real estate side, assisting in oversight of the New Yankee Stadium project.

Which portrayal is correct? You never know with the Yankees. I’m shocked they allowed such access to two relatively unknown writers, especially an ESPN writer, given the volatility of the Yankees-ESPN relationship in the last eight years.  

Both stories were well written and are interesting reads, but ultimately came to the same conclusion: George II is named Hank.

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The Yanks shut out the Reds 4-0 in their first night game of the spring, while Hideki Matsui picked up his first hits.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (CF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Jason Giambi (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Hideki Matsui (DH)
R – Nick Green (2B)
L – Brett Gardner (LF)

Pitchers: Joba Chamberlain, Billy Traber, Mariano Rivera, Ian Kennedy, LaTroy Hawkins

Subs: Morgan Ensberg (1B), Chris Woodward (2B), Alberto Gonzalez (SS), Cody Ransom (3B), Chad Moeller (C), Jason Lane (RF), Justin Christian (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Wilson Betemit (DH)

Opposition: The Reds’ starters.

Big Hits: Doubles by Alex Rodriguez (2 for 3) and Colin Curtis (1 for 1). Hideki Matsui was 2 for 3 in his second game of the spring.

Who Pitched Well: Everyone, as the Yankees didn’t allow a run nor an extra-base hit and walked just one man, but in order: Mariano Rivera stayed perfect in his second spring inning and has yet to allow a ball out of the infield. Ian Kennedy lasted four innings allowing just two singles and a walk while striking out two and retiring his last eight hitters in order. LaTroy Hawkins pitched around a single in the ninth, though he only got one out on the ground. Billy Traber faced three men, allowed a single, struck out one, and got the third to fly out. Joba Chamberlain was inefficient, lasting just 2 1/3 innings while throwing 49 pitches, and only struck out one, but he also allowed just two singles and walked none. He also threw more strikes as the game went on, throwing only 57 percent of 23 pitches for strikes in the first inning, but 73 percent of 26 pitches for strikes over his remaining inning and a third. Pete Abe reports that the lone strikeout came on an “unholy” curve ball to Edwin Encarnacion, but that it was the 14th pitch of that at-bat as Encarnacion kept fouling off sliders. More on Kennedy and Chamberlain, plus audio, from Pete Abe here.

Nice Plays: Chamberlain picked rookie Jay Bruce off first base.

Oopsies: A wild throw by Alex Rodriguez.

Ouchies: Rodriguez and Posada both played the field and picked up hits, though one wonders if that wild throw had something to do with the sore lat muscle the limited Rodriguez to DH duty over the weekend.

New Faces: In need of an extra backstop following Francisco Cervelli’s injury, the Yankees have signed veteran Chad Moeller to a minor league deal. Moeller is a 33-year-old major league vet with a career .224/.284/.346 line. He split last year between the Reds and Dodgers, picking up just 56 at-bats along the way (while posting an OPS+ of 3, yes, three). He was available because he’d just been released by the Nationals, who had him in camp as an NRI. He’s purely minor league filler, but will be the triple-A starter and thus the Yankees’ third-string catcher. Chad Jennings called him this year’s Raul Chavez. Bingo. Meanwhile, the Yankees are giving Billy Crystal one hell of a 60th birthday gift. Crystal will do his best not to get killed in Thursday’s game. Frankly I’d be surprised if Joe Girardi isn’t drawing blood from biting his tongue over this stunt.

Other: Andrew Brackman got pranked. Back when Brackman was in grade school, Mo was getting advice from Steve Howe.

Joe Girardi and Don Zimmer are close friends but they disagree about what went down the other day at the end of the Yankee-Rays exhibition game. Over the past three or four seasons, the Rays have occasionally been pesky against the Yanks, though there has never seemed to be any hard feelings between the two teams, not like the ones the Rays have developed with the Red Sox. But it is never too late to start. Who knows? This could be the year. I see that many experts expect the Rays to be much-improved. Maybe this’ll keep Zimmer on-point, poised and ready to rustle up another serving of his inimitable brand of moral indignation.

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

Lineup:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lineup:

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

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

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

Opposition: The Rays’ starters save for Dioner Navarro.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s a rainy day in New York. Enjoy:

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

Lineup:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oopsies: A boot by Shelley Duncan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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And Kyle’s got plenty of it.

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

Lineup:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horse of a Different Color

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

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

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

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

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

Lineup:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are today’s lineups courtesy of Peter Abraham:

Twins

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

R – Kevin Slowey (P)

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

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

Yankees

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

R – Ian Kennedy (P)

Joba Chamberlain will follow Kennedy for the Yankees.

(more…)

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

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

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

Not even Roger Clemens…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lineup:

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

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

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

Opposition: The Blue Jays’ starters minus Alex Rios.

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

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

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

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