Trade Deadline Thread

We’ll be updating this throughout the day. Now that both Kuroda and Jimenez are off the market, there doesn’t appear to be any difference maker left. Within 6 hours, Yankee fans will figure out if Cashman does have something in the cards. Hopefully, he does…

—UPDATE, 2:34pm: Check that, Heath Bell is still available. Rosenthal says its Adams the Rangers acquired, not Bell.

—UPDATE, 2:28pm: Ken Rosenthal reports that the Rangers and Padres have agreed to a deal for Heath Bell. So much for that route.

—UPDATE, 12:21pm: Jon Morosi reports the Yankees and Astros discussed Wandy as early as this morning.

—UPDATE, 12:11pm: Jon Heyman says the Yankees don’t like Rodriguez’s contract or even his pitching, necessarily, but “they know they need to do something.” Buster Olney says the Astros would have to eat a huge chunk of Wandy’s contract in order for them to strike a deal.

—UPDATE, 11:56am: Marc Carig says the Yankees wouldn’t have to include top end prospects for Wandy, if they “kick in enough money”.

—UPDATE, 11:39am: Ken Rosenthal says the Yankees are trying for Astros’ pitcher Wandy Rodriguez.

—UPDATE, 11:15am: Joel Sherman says the Yankees like Mike Adams more than Bell, because he is much stronger against lefties (.194 BAA compared to .273 BAA). However, Adams is not as cheap, as he is under control through next year. Bell is a Type A free agent after this year, so he could bring good draft pick compensation, notes Sherman. He also says that both Bell and Adams have success on the road, so their great numbers aren’t just a result of being in huge Petco Park.

—UPDATE, 11:06am: Could be nothing, but Austin Romine is not in the Trenton lineup today. Could be a normal day off, or not. We’ll see.

—UPDATE, 10:37am: As of this morning, there wasn’t much common ground for a Heath Bell trade between the Padres and Yankees, Joel Sherman says.

 — Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees are in on Padres’ closer, Heath Bell. Andrew Marchand speculates that Soriano would pitch the 6th, Robertson the 7th, Bell the 8th, and Mariano in the 9th. Sounds a bit farfetched, but it could be a last resort if they can’t trade for a solid starting pitcher by 4pm. Danny Knobler adds that when the Yankees couldn’t get a starter in the winter, they “threw $$$ at Soriano instead.” Now that they might not be able to get a starter, it may be Heath Bell.

NYY vs. BAL – 7/31/11

Lineup:

1. Gardner LF
2. Jeter SS
3. Granderson CF
4. Teixeira 1B
5. Cano DH
6. Swisher RF
7. Chavez 3B
8. Martin C
9. Nunez 2B

Pitchers:

Freddy Garcia (9-7, 3.23) vs. Jake Arrieta (10-7, 5.12)

 

Enjoy the game.

 

Morning Bits 7/31/11

Welcome to the last day of the month everyone.  Great two game double header for the Yankees yesterday as the hits and runs were aplenty.

Another game with the Birds today.  Please stick around to our blog today as the trade deadline ends today at 4PM EST.

and here are your morning links.

* The Yankees push never got off the ground for Jiminez.   I’m happy with that.  The Yankees keep their stud prospects and don’t get a guy who has lost his fastball and to me would have been another A.J.

* Yankees #1 priority is a #2 pitcher.

* The Yankees helped Haitian refugee children with HOPE week.

 

AL EAST STANDINGS

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
Boston	65	40	.619	–	33-19	32-21	581	440	+141	Won 1	7-3
NY Yankees	63	42	.600	2	36-22	27-20	556	408	+148	Won 2	6-4
Tampa Bay	55	51	.519	10.5	24-25	31-26	446	423	+23	Lost 1	4-6
Toronto	54	53	.505	12	27-26	27-27	503	490	+13	Lost 1	6-4
Baltimore	42	62	.404	22.5	26-28	16-34	428	556	-128	Lost 2	3-7

Game 2: Yanks rout Orioles to sweep double-header

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
BAL	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	0		3	9	2
NYY	12	3	1	0	0	1	0	0	x		17	24	0

W: Nova (9-4)

L: Britton (6-8)

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jeter, SS	6	1	2	2	0	2	1	.269
Granderson, CF	6	3	4	0	0	1	5	.269
Teixeira, 1B	5	3	3	2	1	0	2	.246
Cano, 2B	5	2	5	5	0	0	0	.297
1-Cervelli, PR-3B-C	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.241
Swisher, DH-RF	6	2	3	3	0	1	3	.270
Jones, An, RF-LF	5	2	2	2	1	1	6	.229
Martin, C-3B	5	1	2	1	1	1	6	.228
Nunez, E, 3B-2B	5	2	2	1	0	0	2	.268
Gardner, LF	4	1	1	1	1	0	1	.279
Ayala, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Soriano, R, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	48	17	24	17	4	7	27	.263

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Nova(W, 9-4)	7.0	6	2	2	1	6	1	4.01
Ayala	1.0	3	1	1	0	0	0	1.65
Soriano, R	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	5.06
Totals	9.0	9	3	3	1	8	1	3.48

Game Review from MLB.com’s Matt Fortuna:

NEW YORK — In the first inning of the second game of Saturday’s split doubleheader, the Yankees scored more runs than they did in Game 1. Each starter recorded at least one hit and scored at least one run, with Robinson Cano getting two of each.

And from the home dugout, with a front-row view of the most productive opening frame in his club’s 110-year history, starter Ivan Nova witnessed more fireworks in 40 minutes than he had in a nearly month-long stint in the Minors.

Game 1: Colon grinds out a win with strong offensive support

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
BAL	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	0		3	9	1
NYY	0	0	2	3	3	0	0	0	x		8	11	1

W: Colon (8-6)

L: Tillman (2-4)

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gardner, CF	5	0	1	2	0	1	3	.280
Nunez, E, SS	5	0	0	0	0	3	4	.264
Teixeira, DH	4	1	0	0	0	1	1	.241
Cano, 2B	3	1	0	0	1	2	1	.288
Swisher, RF	4	2	3	2	0	1	0	.266
Chavez, Er, 3B	4	2	2	1	0	0	1	.295
Posada, 1B	4	0	1	1	0	0	3	.235
Dickerson, LF	4	1	2	1	0	0	1	.321
Cervelli, C	3	1	2	1	1	0	1	.244
Totals	36	8	11	8	2	8	15	.260

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Colon(W, 8-6)	5.0	5	2	2	2	6	0	3.30
Wade	3.0	2	1	1	0	2	1	2.08
Logan	1.0	2	0	0	0	1	0	3.18
Totals	9.0	9	3	3	2	9	1	3.48

Game Review from MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:

NEW YORK — Nick Swisher had the most powerful swing of the day for the Yankees, but the switch-hitting slugger was more pleased seeing the bottom of the lineup come through with plenty of run production.

Swisher belted a two-run homer among three hits, and members of the Bombers’ ensemble cast embraced their chances to shine as the Yankees defeated the Orioles, 8-3, in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Minor Night-Cap 7/30/11

SWB L 6-2

BATTING
2B: Laird (24, Slowey), Vazquez (12, Waldrop).
HR: Lamb (4, 9th inning off Waldrop, 0 on, 1 out).
TB: Golson; Montero; Lamb 4; Vazquez 2; Laird 3; Bernier.
RBI: Montero (48), Lamb (18).

Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Warren (L, 6-4)	5.0	8	5	5	2	3	1	3.39
Kensing	1.2	4	1	1	1	1	0	2.35
Flores, R	1.1	1	0	0	0	2	0	2.54

Trenton W 17-5

BATTING
2B: Joseph, Co 2 (31, Verdugo, Quirarte), Almonte, Z (3, Maday).
HR: Maruszak (6, 3rd inning off Maday, 2 on, 1 out).
TB: Joseph, Co 5; Almonte, Z 5; Mesa 2; Sublett; Gil 2; Mujica 2; Maruszak 5.
RBI: Joseph, Co (44), Gil 3 (28), Mujica 4 (11), Maruszak 4 (38), Almonte, Z (8), Mesa (27), Sublett (15).

Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Hall (W, 10-4)	7.0	5	4	4	1	5	1	4.13
Arbiso	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5.17
Halsey	1.0	2	1	0	1	0	0	6.17

Tampa L 5-3 F/11

BATTING
2B: Murton (24, Koronis), Castro, K (13, Koronis).
TB: Almonte, A 2; Castro, K 3; Adams; Roller; Murton 3; Abeita; Landoni; Rabago.
RBI: Murton (52), Castro, K 2 (37).

Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Quintana	6.0	5	2	2	1	2	0	1.63
Sneed (BS, 1)	2.2	1	1	1	2	4	0	4.57
Hinojosa (L, 0-1)	1.1	2	2	2	2	1	0	13.50
Burawa	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	3.00

Charleston L 4-3

BATTING
2B: Feliz (25, Workman).
TB: Toussen 2; Feliz 2; Mahoney 2; De Leon, K.
RBI: De Leon, K 2 (49).

Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Greene (L, 3-11)	4.0	4	2	2	3	5	1	4.08
Barreda	2.0	3	2	2	0	5	1	4.80
Reyes, Y	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	4.70
Montgomery	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1.59

Staten Island L 15-1

BATTING
2B: Gamel (7, Urena, J), Castillo, Al (5, Manzueta).
TB: Castillo, Al 2; Gumbs; Gamel 3.
RBI: Wilson, Z (19).

Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Mitchell (L, 0-2)	4.2	8	6	6	0	5	2	5.60
Varce	0.2	4	6	5	1	0	0	67.50
Richardson, M	0.2	0	1	1	2	1	0	1.35
Wetherell	1.2	2	1	0	0	3	0	1.26
Lewis	0.2	1	1	0	2	2	0	5.14
Gerritse	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.59

Gulf Coast Yankees W 10-6

BATTING
2B: Taveras, D (9, Stewart), Calderon, Ye (11, Stewart), Tejeda, I (8, Cusick).
HR: Bichette (3, 1st inning off Stewart, 1 on, 2 out).
TB: Custodio; Brewer; Pena, H; Tejeda, I 4; Bichette 6; Calderon, Ye 2; Taveras, D 2; Lopez, Da.
RBI: Bichette 4 (31), Taveras, D (10), Brewer (4), Calderon, Ye 2 (23), Pena, H (5).

Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Texeira	2.0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0.00
Morton (W, 3-1)	4.0	3	2	0	2	2	0	1.65
Agramonte	0.1	0	4	1	3	1	0	3.00
Rodriguez, Ed (H, 2)	1.2	1	0	0	0	2	0	2.42
Cowsert	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2.45

Rumor Roundup Thread

Here I will recap any rumors that have occured throughout today, and I will update it as more come. Remember, this is all starting to boil up, as the deadline is tomorrow at 4PM EST. Any updates will be made at the top of the current list of rumors.

 — UPDATE, 7:50PM: And now Ubaldo is off the market. Troy Renck reports that a deal in which Jimenez would be traded to the Indians is just about done. Jimenez has been scratched from tonight’s start. Indians’ prospects, Pomeranz, Matt McBride, and Alex White have all been scratched. Joel Sherman says the Yankees took all their top prospects off the table and offered Phil Hughes, plus, and the Rockies were infuriated.

 — UPDATE, 6:57PM: Well you can cross off 2 more pitchers from the remaining trade market. Hiroki Kuroda reportedly told the Dodgers he will not waive his no-trade clause and will remain in Los Angeles. Also, Jason Marquis has been traded by Washington to the D-Backs. Not that Marquis would be the answer to the Yankees pitching needs anyway.

 — UPDATE, 6:30PM: Jon Heyman says the Yankees have called the Twins about Francisco Liriano, but were old he is not going to be traded.

— Joel Sherman believes that the White Sox have really fallen “out of love with (Matt) Thornton”. They would “love” to move the $13MM owed to Thornton from ’12-’13. Reportedly, the Yankees have been watching the left-hander closely.

 — According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, the Yanks have inquired upon Twins outfielder Denard Span, who the Nationals have strong interest in. He says that it “could be part of something bigger.” Meanwhile, Joel Sherman says the Yanks could potentially have the intention to trade for Span, and then flip him over to Washington for reliever Tyler Clippard. Sherman adds that Clippard is very good against left-handed batters (.181 BAA).

 — ESPN’s Jim Bowden lists the teams involved in the Heath Bell sweepstakes, and says the Yankees are one team who is kicking the tires. I doubt they have much interest in trading for Bell though, as the price would presumably be pretty high. However, Joel Sherman notes that one of New York’s most trusted scouts, Bill Livesey is scouting the Padres’ relievers.

 — Tim Kurkjian of ESPN says “Source said ‘someone who should know told me that the Yankees are all over Ubaldo Jimenez.'” This only validates the Yankees interest in Jimenez as a pitcher. However, they are not interested in paying the Rockies’ high price for Jimenez.

 — SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports that the Rockies asking price has indeed dropped a tad today. Instead of the Rockies asking for Nova, Betances, Banuelos, and Montero, they are “only” asking for Nova, Betances, and Montero. (note quotation marks) To me, that is still high, for what the Yankees don’t know is a “sure thing”.

 — The Rockies will have a scout watching Ivan Nova make his start versus the Orioles tonight.

 — Heyman also reports that 2 teams involved with  Ubaldo have “enhanced offers for him.”

 — Well the Yanks won’t have to worry about facing Baltimore’s relief pitcher, Uehara tonight. Heyman confirms that he has been traded to Texas for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.

 — Buster Olney says that “Other teams believe that the Rockies’ best chance, for making a Ubaldo Jimenez deal, is with the Cleveland Indians.”

 — Hiroki Kuroda has finally indicated that he may be open to a deal with the Rangers, the Red Sox, or the Yankees. Gordon Edes says Texas has been pushing hard for Kuroda.

NYY vs. BAL – 7/30/11: Game 2

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Granderson CF
Teixeira 1B
Cano 2B
Swisher DH
Jones RF
Martin C
Nunez 3B
Gardner LF

Enjoy the game!

Yankees Mailbag – 7/30/11

Welcome to our segment called “Yankees Mailbag”, where you sent in your questions and I answered them. For the past two days I have been asking fans via Twitter to send in questions whether about the bullpen, trade rumors or on injured players. Let’s get started shall we ladies and gentlemen?

Our first question comes from @TeamRobinsonCano. They wrote:

Q: How close do you think the Ubaldo Jimenez trade is? Do you think it’s possible?

A: The Ubaldo Jimenez trade seems like the Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees can’t see eye to eye. The Yankees want Jimenez no doubt, but the asking price that the Rockies want is too high. Not only do they want Jesus Montero, but they also want Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances & Ivan Nova. The Yankees had already made it clear that they didn’t want to give up their pitching prospects and they keep trying to get the Rockies to lower the price. I’m not saying that the trade is impossible, but the only way that this trade will work is if the Rockies lower their asking price.

Our next question came from @AwesomeDarrenD. They wrote:

Q: Going forward to the Yankees have one glaring need and if so what is it?

A: The answer is simple: Starting Pitching. I believe the Yankees have a good chance of making the playoffs but with the starting pitching that they have they won’t make it to the World Series. With Burnett’s inconsistency, Hughes not pitching to his full potential and Colon being a little shaky in the beginning of the second half, the Yankees need to get another arm in the rotation if they plan on marching right into the playoffs as a dominate force.

The next question was from @VamanosYankees and he asked this right after the DJ3K special on HBO.

Q: How long before the Yankees run out of 2 jersey’ numbers?

A: Ha, they will never run out of #2 jerseys. He’s Derek Jeter. Even when he’s 100 they will still have Derek Jeter jersey’s.

Our next question was from @ehom87. Here was his question:

Q: If King Felix was available, would the Yankees give up the farm to get him?

A: That’s a tough question to answer. You never would know what Brian Cashman has up his sleeve. As of now, he says he refuses to give up his pitching prospects but you never know that could all change. But on the Mariners side, they refuse to give up King Felix, so Felix to the Bronx most likely will not happen.

The next question in the “Yankees Mailbag” was sent by @GeneMoney13. His question was:

Q: Can the Yankees get another pitcher without giving up too much?

A: To answer your question, absolutely. The Phillies had done it and the Giants had done it. They didn’t have to give up too much to get good names. To get Hunter Pence, the Phillies got 2 prospects. To get Carlos Beltran the Giants gave Kevin Wheeler who is another prospect. The Phillies had gotten the team they wanted without having to give up one of their best prospects Dominic Brown and they still have the bat to replace Jayson Werth. The only thing with the Yankees not giving up too much is that it depends on the opposing teams asking price. If the Yankees can sweet-talk other teams to lower their price then there is no reason that they can’t walk away without having to give up a lot in the end.

Okay, our next question was from @tazc23. They originally asked 2 questions in a row so I decided to combine the question into one. They asked:

Q: How was A-Rod progressing and what he did for his birthday? Also what are they going to do with Nunez once A-Rod comes back and Chavez is doing his Golden Glove thing?

A: Well to answer the first part of the question, A-Rod is doing great rehabilitating and has spoken to Yankees officials about being ready the 2nd week of August. Now what he did for his birthday? I have no idea, but I can only guess he was still rehabilitating. I know Jeter got a cake from his birthday. And to answer the second part of your question, Eduardo Nunez most likely will still be a bench player when A-Rod gets back. When A-Rod comes back it would either be Ramiro Pena or Chris Dickerson who gets sent down.

Our next question comes from @djeter1128 and they asked:

Q: Would the Yankees consider a trade with the Mariners for Eric Bedard? Considering Mariners would not ask the farm from the Yankees?

A: Well the Yankees weren’t too interested in Eric Bedard in the first place, but if anything else they might consider him if the Mariners don’t ask from the farm. I wouldn’t expect the Yankees to get Bedard before the trade deadline is over because they have their sights on Ubaldo Jimenez. But you never know what could happen.

Our next question came from @addie623. Again I mentioned they could ask anything about the Yankees so she decided to ask a question about Mark Teixeira. Here was her question:

Q: What is Mark Teixeira’s favorite movie?

A: Mark Teixeira likes certain genres from comedy, to baseball movies to crime movies. One of his favorite crime movies happens to be one of my favorites, which is Scarface. He also enjoys The Godfather. In the baseball category he enjoys Major League and The Natural. And last but not least in the comedy category, Mark enjoys Christmas Vacation and Wedding Crashers.

The next question was another one from @ehom87. His second question was:

Q: If Hughes continues to struggle will he be moved to the bullpen?

A: If I were Girardi, Hughes would definitely go straight to the bullpen but since Girardi likes to baby his players, Hughes might not go anywhere for a while. Apparently Girardi doesn’t get the point when he has to be tough on his players and tell them enough is enough. Hopefully he will come to his senses and tell Hughes he’s going to the bullpen. Hughes just doesn’t have his stuff this year, and if Hughes can’t get his act together, then we don’t know what’s going to happen in his future.

The next question came from @CanesEagles1. His question was:

Q: After A.J’s last start, what do you think his future will be in the rotation?

A: Well, Brian Cashman signed A.J Burnett to be apart of the rotation so I don’t think they would move Burnett from there. When you think about it Burnett hasn’t pitched badly. He just doesn’t get the run support from the offense in order to win games. If the Yankees could get the offense going and not burn it all out when CC Sabathia pitches then Burnett would look more like a good pitcher.

Our next question was another question from @tazc23. They asked:

Q: Is Grandy (Curtis Granderson) feeling any HR fatigue or does he think he can make it to 40 by the end of the year? What is his goal?

A: To answer the first part, Granderson might be feeling a bit fatigue which is why he probably hasn’t homered a lot in the second half so far. I don’t think he’ll make it to 40 HR, but I think Granderson is personally happy with where his HR numbers are. He was able to pass last years HR total in the first half of the season, so I think he’s just happy. His goal right now is that he’s tired of striking out a lot, so he wants to focus on not striking out as much more than he wants to hit homers.

And to round it off @missmccrocodile had some questions that she wanted answered. Mostly it’s about what the players think and what goes on in the Yankees Clubhouse. Here was her first question:

Q: Other than NYC, what are some of the AL cities that the Yankees enjoy visiting?

A: Mark Teixeira really enjoys going to both Baltimore and Seattle. He enjoys Baltimore because that’s where’s he was born and Seattle because he likes the food there & Curtis Granderson enjoys going to Detroit when they get the chance.

Her second question was:

Q: I’m not a fan of inter-league play. What do the players think of it?

A: Well, the players like it because it’s different, when you are in a NL park the pitcher has to bat and there’s no DH. I remember they interviewed Brett Gardner earlier in the year before the Subway Series and he said he loved it when the Yankees and Mets played one another. Some of the other players agreed as it was special and it gets the fans of New York going. But going to other cities in general, they admit they get tired but they still enjoy it. Hmm…I wonder how Brett’s doing after that Chicago Cubs series where he landed in the ivy and almost disappeared…oh well.

And her final question was:

Q: Now that Bernie’s no longer strumming in the locker room, who controls the music

A: Well in Bernie’s time it was a little different. There weren’t iPods, iPads, iPhones or Blackberries. Now the guys are able to keep themselves entertained, but Nick Swisher has become the official clubhouse DJ from time to time. I honestly think he enjoys every aspect of his job.

Well, that was all the questions I got for the Yankees Mailbag. I want to thank everyone for sending in their questions about the Yankees and I was more than glad to answer them. If you have any more questions about the Yankees that you would like me to cover, send a reply to my Twitter address @dfiregirl4 and I will gladly answer it for you. Also while your there don’t forget to follow :). I had a blast answering your questions. Thanks guys!

NYY vs. BAL – 7/30/11: Game 1

Trade Rumors

The Yankees inquired on Twins center fielder Denard Span, tweets Yahoo’s Tim Brown.  Brown imagines that this inquiry could be part of something bigger, since the Yankees are currently set on outfielders.

Jiminez News

• The Yankees are all over Jimenez, a source tells ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian.
• The Yankees are hearing that the Rockies may lower the price on Jimenez today, tweets Ken Rosenthal, but still not to a point that they consider realistic.  Renck tweets that the Rockies’ price hasn’t changed during the process.
• The price on Jimenez has come down a tad, tweets Jon Heyman.  He says the Rockies are no longer asking for Banuelos from the Yankees; Betances, Nova, and Montero would work.  That’s similar to what Joel Sherman wrote earlier today.  The two teams have not talked today, tweets Troy Renck.  Renck believes the Yankees currently will not put both Montero and Betances in the deal – just one.

Kuroda News

• The Dodgers are down to a final three of the Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox on Kuroda, tweets Jon Heyman, though there’s still no word on whether he’d approve a trade.
• The Yankees have taken the lead over the Red Sox for Kuroda, tweets ESPN’s Jim Bowden, and it’s 40/60 they make a deal.  However, Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees and Dodgers have not spoken about Kuroda recently.

Lineup:

Gardner CF
Nunez SS
Teixeira DH
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Chavez 3B
Posada 1B
Dickerson LF
Cervelli C

Pitchers:

Bartolo Colon (7-6, 3.29) vs. Chris Tillman (2-3, 4.69)

Enjoy the game.

Morning Bits 7/30/11

Good morning all…. No win last night but at least Boston lost as well.

Here are your morning links.

* Savy deadline deals are not a Yankee specialty.

* Soriano is very glad to return to the Yankees.

* The talks between the Yankees and Colorado have stalled for Jiminez.

 

 

 

 

AL EAST STANDINGS

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
Boston	64	40	.615	–	33-19	31-21	571	438	+133	Lost 2	6-4
NY Yankees	61	42	.592	2.5	34-22	27-20	531	402	+129	Lost 2	5-5
Tampa Bay	55	50	.524	9.5	24-25	31-25	444	420	+24	Won 2	4-6
Toronto	54	52	.509	11	27-25	27-27	503	487	+16	Won 3	7-3
Baltimore	42	60	.412	21	26-28	16-32	422	531	-109	Won 1	4-6

Burnett pretty good, but Guthrie subdues Yanks’ bats

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
BAL	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0		4	7	1
NYY	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1		2	7	0

W: Guthrie (5-14)

L: Burnett (8-9)

SV: Gregg (17)

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gardner, LF	5	0	0	0	0	2	4	.281
Jeter, SS	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	.267
Granderson, CF	4	0	0	0	0	2	1	.263
Teixeira, 1B	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	.244
Cano, 2B	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	.290
Swisher, RF	3	0	1	1	1	2	0	.260
Chavez, Er, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	.275
Posada, DH	2	0	2	0	2	0	0	.235
1-Dickerson, PR-DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.292
Martin, C	4	0	1	0	0	1	4	.225
2-Nunez, E, PR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.272
Totals	33	2	7	2	4	8	15	.259

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Burnett, AJ(L, 8-9)	8.0	5	4	4	2	10	2	4.23
Ayala	1.0	2	0	0	0	1	0	1.42
Totals	9.0	7	4	4	2	11	2	3.49

Game Review from MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:

NEW YORK — The splinters of what used to be Brett Gardner’s bat were littered around Yankee Stadium’s home plate, a level of fury rarely seen from the outfielder, but it was that kind of night for the Yankees.

Gardner whiffed with the tying run on base in the ninth inning, finalizing a punchless 4-2 loss to the Orioles with a fitting end as the Bombers couldn’t muster enough support for A.J. Burnett’s odd outing.

NYY vs. BAL – 7/29/11

Lineup:

Gardner LF
Jeter SS
Granderson CF
Teixeira 1B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Chavez 3B
Posada DH
Martin C

Pitchers:

A.J. Burnett (8-8, 4.21) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (4-14, 4.33)

Enjoy the game.

NEWS

Jiminez

• The Yankees have made no calls to the Rockies thus far today, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
• Others believe the Indians are a big threat to acquire Jimenez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
• The Yankees’ interest in Jimenez appears to be waning, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. However, the Indians are sending signals that their “untouchables” might be available in a deal for Jimenez, according to Stark.

Rafael Soriano – R – NYY

Yankees activated RHP Rafael Soriano from the 60-day disabled list. Soriano hasn’t pitched with the Yankees since May 13 due to right elbow soreness. The high-priced reliever was a complete disaster before going on the disabled list, posting a 5.40 ERA and 10/11 K/BB ratio over 15 innings. It’s likely he’ll have to earn his way back into a set-up role. Jul. 29 – 4:12 pm et

Steve Garrison – R – NYY

Yankees optioned LHP Steve Garrison to Double-A Trenton. Garrison retired the only two batters he faced while in the pinstripes. He’s been optioned to clear a spot for Rafael Soriano, though the Yankees still need to make room on the 40-man roster. Jul. 29 – 4:09 pm et

Series Preview: NYY vs. BAL ~ 7/29/11-7/31/11

Fri., 7/29/11, 7:05PM EST

A.J. Burnett (8-8, 4.21) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (4-14, 4.33)

Burnett’s Last 3 Starts: 0-1, 4.86, 19 K in 16.2 IP

Guthrie’s Last 3 Starts: 1-2, 5.21, 7 K in 19.0 IP

Sat., 7/30/11, 1:05PM EST

Bartolo Colon (7-6, 3.29) vs. TBA

Colon’s Last 3 Starts: 1-2, 3.86, 13 K in 14.0 IP

Sat., 7/30/11, 7:05PM EST

Ivan Nova [unofficially pitching] (8-4, 4.12) vs. Zach Britton (6-7, 4.05)

Nova’s Last 3 Starts: 2-0, 2.84, 14 K in 19.0 IP

Britton’s Last 3 Starts: 0-1, 11.12, 8 K in 11.1 IP

Sun., 7/30/11, 1:05 PM EST

Freddy Garcia (9-7, 3.23) vs. Jake Arrieta (10-7, 5.12)

Garcia’ Last 3 Starts: 2-1, 3.72, 17 K in 19.1 IP

Arrieta’s Last 3 Starts: 1-1, 6.35, 12 K in 17.0 IP

 

And here is Ricky’s Podcast Preview: Orioles-Yankees Podcast Preview. Be sure to check it out!

 

Do the Yankees really need another starter?

The rumors don’t stop! The Yanks have been linked to every starter thought to be on the market  ever since Cliff Lee & Andy Pettitte decided not to pitch in NY.  It seems everyone agrees the Yankees are short in the rotation, but it may surprise some that they are 3rd in the AL in team ERA (3.48). Girardi & Cashman have both said thy don’t need to make a move so the question is….Are they saying that because they have to or is the Yankee rotation really good enough as is?

To me, I am very happy with how the staff has performed as a whole but when you break it down, starter by starter, and try to figure out who you would trust in a playoff game against Boston or Texas, that’s where it comes up short. Let’s look at what we have…

1.  CC Sabathia – Leads MLB with a 5.6 WAR. Has been especially dominating lately allowing 2 runs or less with 8+ Ks in 7 straight starts during which he’s 6-1 with a 0.83 ERA and 72 Ks in 54 2/3 IP. He’s my pick for Cy Young and I have full confidence in the Big Stoppa.
2. Bartolo Colon – Has been great but he’s basically only throwing 4-seam & 2-seam fastballs 83% of the time. As the #2 starter, will he be effective pitching twice in a playoff series relying almost entirely on his FB? Since he hasn’t had a complete season since 2005, we are always thinking he’s gonna come up with an injury at some point.
3. Freddy Garcia – Another great pick-up by Cash who has exceeded all expectations. But will patient lineups keep swinging at that soft splitter & slider out of the zone in the playoffs?
4. AJ Burnett – Still totally inconsistent and prone to the meltdown inning. Girardi has lost all confidence in him to pitch out of jams at this point. His M.O. is to pitch a solid game then have an inning where he comes unglued.  Someone hits a hard shot, so he begins nibbling, walks a couple hitters, gets behind….and then boom… gives up a back-breaking 3 run HR. His ERA has risen every month and his velocity has dropped now for his 5th straight season. He will have a short leash if he makes any post-season starts.
5. Phil Hughes – Been OK since his return but still has no put-away pitch. In his dominating 09′ season in the pen and the 1st half of last yr, his cutter was nasty and his FB consistently 93+ with life. Now they are both only average pitches and he has to battle too hard just to get by. He looked bad like this in April 2009 then regained his form after being moved to the pen…..hmmm…maybe they should try that again? Nova in the rotation and Hughes in the bullpen could be a Win – Win.
6. Ivan Nova – Was showing great improvement after a bad beginning. In his last 6 starts before being sent to Scranton, he was 4-1 with a 3.31 ERA.  He’s had trouble getting swing and misses in the A.L., but I think he has the raw stuff to become a solid #3-type starter. His Curve & Cutter both show potential to become go-to pitches and I think he needs to be put back in the rotation ASAP

 

* * *

	W-L	ERA	xFiP	K/9	BB/9	WAR
Sabathia	15-5	2.56	3.02	8.3	2.4	5.6
Colon	7-6	3.29	3.25	7.9	2.3	2.1
Garcia	9-7	3.23	4.11	6	2.6	2
Burnett	8-8	4.21	3.97	7.6	4.2	0.9
Hughes	1-3	8.24	5.64	4.6	3.7	-0.1
Nova	8-4	4.12	4.25	5	3.6	0.8

IMO, CC is having that special type of season and if Cash can find a #2 starter to complement him, they could pitch the Yanks to the WS. I like Colon & Garcia but not enough to be the #2 on a WS team.

SO, what do you guys think?

Will the Yankee rotation continue to pitch like the 3rd best unit in the AL in Aug, Sept and more importantly October? Should Cashman do whatever it takes to land someone like Ubaldo, Kuroda or Wandy? Post your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Morning Bits 7/29/11

Good morning after an off day and not much going on trade or rumor wise we are finally at Friday and a new series tonight.

Stick with us through the weekend as the trades and rumors are sure to heat up.

and here are your morning links…

* From K. Levine-Flandrup, the Yankees have reached an agreement with 18th round pick Hayden Sharp.

* Also, Levine-Flandrup  reports that the Yankees have signed seventh rounder Bubba Jones for a bonus of $350,000.

* How far will the Yankees go for Jiminez?

* Jeter’s 3,000 hit documentary started last night on HBO.

 

 

AL EAST STANDINGS

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
Boston	64	39	.621	–	33-19	31-20	570	435	+135	Lost 1	7-3
NY Yankees	61	41	.598	2.5	34-21	27-20	529	398	+131	Lost 1	6-4
Tampa Bay	54	50	.519	10.5	24-25	30-25	436	420	+16	Won 1	4-6
Toronto	53	52	.505	12	26-25	27-27	500	485	+15	Won 2	6-4
Baltimore	41	60	.406	22	26-28	15-32	418	529	-111	Lost 2	4-6