Games 23 and 24

Game 23:

A lone rough inning
Doomed Ian Kennedy's start
Offense still struggling

Game 24:

Wang was tremendous
Erases playoff demons
Melkman delivers

It was an interesting weekend of games. On Saturday, Ian Kennedy labored through a terrible 2nd inning, but was otherwise pretty good. I still think he has the kind of stuff to succeed in the majors, but right now he's really nibbling instead of attacking hitters. I think he's reading the papers and letting the mediots get in his head, despite the fact that they have a total of three braincells between them.

Yesterday's game was a candidate for game of the year. Both Wang and Sabathia were fantastic, with CC's mistake to Melky the difference (the big lefty seems to be over those early struggles though - 19 k's his last two games). Wang pitched one of the best games I've ever seen from him, deftly mixing in his slider and splitter/change to keep hitters off balance. He finished with 9 k's, 2 BB, and 4 hits allowed, all of which were to lead off innings. If he can keep pitching like this, he may yet win the Cy Young award.

Following Wang were Joba and Mo, who were equally as nasty. Chamberlain struck out 2 in his inning, including Travis Hafner on a 98 mph fastball on the black to end it. Rivera breezed through the 9th on 11 pitches, freezing Peralta with a cutter on the black for the final out. For those scoring at home, Mo now has 10 scoreless innings to start the year, a welcome change from his early season struggles the last few years.

The Yanks have one more in Cleveland today, with Moose squaring off against Aaron Laffey. Hopefully this is the one that gets the offense rolling because, for all the talk about the pitching, the offense has been pretty terrible to this point.

Please...

can we release Billy Traber? I hate LOOGYs to beging with, and he can't get out lefties or righties right now. Give Ohlendorf Bruney or Farnsworth's spot and call up Rasner to be a long man.

Game 23

Hughes looked amazing
Until the skies exploded
Win 1 evasive

I'm pretty sure that the baseball gods hate Phil Hughes. He was off to an amazing start last night - hitting 94, according to game day, and looking crisper than he has since the first start of the year. Then the rains came and the Yankees wisely didn't send him back out to continue. Had that not happened, I have complete faith that he would have calmed the worries of fans. I guess he'll just have to do it next time instead.

In other news, Bruney is on the DL and may miss the rest of the season. Just when it was starting to look like he'd break out, he's gone. Joining him will be Professor Farnsworth, allowing the Yanks to call up Britton and Albaladejo. Hopefully they'll actually use Britton in this stint. He's got the stuff to be a key cog in a big league bullpen. I like Albaladejo as well...he could end up being another key player this year. Waiting in the wings is Scott Patterson, whom I'd like to see at some point this season. He really impressed me this spring, and he's not going to learn much in AAA. At this point, he is what he is.

Besides Edwar and Veras, who most people already know about, there are a few other potential big time relievers waiting in the farm system, should the Yankees decide they need help or that LaTroy Hawkins is toasted garbage. Former second rounder JB Cox, who took over for Huston Street as Texas's closer, is currently rehabbing from TJ surgery at class A Tampa (*just found out he was called up to AAA today*). Joining him in TJ rehab in Tampa is Mark Melancon, whom the Yankees grabbed in the 8th round in 2006. He was widely regarded as the best closer in that draft, and fell into the Yankees' hands solely because of injury concerns. Cox reached AA in 2006, so he could be a fast mover when he completely recovers. He throws a heavy moving fastball in the upper 80's to low 90's and features and excellent slider that BA rated as the best in the system before his injury. Malancon could also move quickly once he completely recovers, as he features a fast ball in the 91 - 94 range and an explosive power curve. My guess is that we won't see either of these guys this year, but they could be important pieces of the pen in the future.

The guy I really wanted to write about is David Robertson, who the Yankees grabbed in the 17th round in 2006. Don't let the draft round fool you, he was pretty highly regarded after posting k/9 ratios of 12.77 and 10.90 in his two years of college. He fell largely due to signability concerns; as a sophomore, he had all kinds of leverage, and teams didn't want to waste a pick on a player they didn't think would sign. I remember at the time most thought the Yankees had no chance of bringing him aboard and that he was a backup in case Melancon didn't sign.

Since joining the Yankee system, Robertson has flat out dominated, earning himself a callup to AAA today. In 84 innings across 3 levels last season, he pitched 84.1 innings and allowed 45 hits, 12 runs, 9 (!) earned, 0 homers, 32 walks, and 113 (!) strikeouts. Batters hit just .154 against him, and he had a nearly 2 outs on the ground for every one in the air. His ratios of 4.82 H/9, 3.42 BB/9, and 12.09 K/9 are nearly other worldly, especially considering he was just 22 years old. He's continued to dominate this year, throwing 14 innings and giving up 7 hits, 1 earned run, 6 walks, and 21 strikeouts. He doesn't throw particularly hard, sitting 89 - 93, but he's supposedly got good sink on the fastball,an excellent curve, and a good change. His lack of velocity and 5'11", 180 lb frame limit his upside and give some reason to doubt him, but it seems that he's pretty close to a finished product, and he's experienced nothing but success at every level at which he has pitched. He may never be a dominant closer, but in a best-case scenerio he could end up like Rafael Betancourt, a reliever who has similar fastball velocity and similar breaking stuff, along with a career 2.80 ERA and 9.14 K/9 in the majors. We could very well see Robertson this season.

Game 22

Slow, slower, slowest
Moose may not be finished yet
Finesse his new game

Unfortunately, other commitments prevented me from watching last night's game, but it was a good one, with a few exceptions. Moose was able to keep Chicago off balance and get through 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 homers. He's going to give up the longball as any mistakes he makes are going to be punished, but if he keeps runners off base, he'll be able to get by. He's actually done a fairly good job of preventing baserunners; his WHIP currently stands at 1.21.

On the offensive side of things, Damon continued to heat up, collecting two more hits, and Posada turned in a huge 4 - 5 effort, with 3 of those hits going for doubles. Don't look now, but Damon is now hitting .254/.360/.480. He's not done yet.

On the bad side, Cano continued his early season funk, going 0 - 4. I did read, however, that he hit into some bad luck, which is a good sign. He also walked again, his third and 4 days. Like last year, I expect Cano to heat up with the weather.

In additional bad news, LaTroy continued to suck. He gave up 2 more runs while recording just one out, raising his ERA to an almost comical 11.17. He's not that bad, but it's looking like he's not very good either. At this point, I'd rather just cut him and let one of the many solid relievers in AAA have a chance. Britton, Edwar, Patterson, Albaladejo, and maybe even Veras are all probably capable of besting Hawkins at this point.

Game 21 recap

Wang was good enough
Johnny started to break out
Abreu was grand

The Yankee offense continued to mediocre its way through the season until the 7th last night, when Bobby Abreu's grand slam gave the Yankees the lead and Damon's three-run blast added the insurance. Robinson Cano, who I thought would bust out after the pinch homer against the Devil Rays a while back, doubled and walked. Even the ghost of Jason Giambi hit one out against someone not named Mike Timlin, lifting his average to a robust .120.

Wang wasn't great, but he was just good enough to hold down the Sox. He had a fairly typical outing, giving up 10 hits and 3 runs in 6 innings while getting 8 outs on the ground vs. 5 in the air. Though he recorded 5 strikeouts tonight, he still pitches to contact more than many pitchers, which has led (at least in my memory) to a bunch of games like the one he had tonight. Fortunately he can often survive giving up a lot of hits since he doesn't walk many people and doesn't give up many XBH.

Quick hits-

Even though it's still really early, I'm beginning to get just a little concerned about Hughes, Kennedy, and Cano. I'm still really confident in all of them, I'd just like to see each have a good game soon. That may be all it takes to get them turned around.

Moose has to start pitching the Jamie Moyer. The fastball is gone, Moose. Pitch off the breaking stuff.

Joba should start this year. Having a dominant 8th inning guy is meaningless if you can't get to the 8th.

Games 18, 19, and 20

Game 18:

Phil Hughes was hammered
Cabrera shut down the "O"
Another game dropped

Game 19:

Kennedy's command
Was as steady as a swing
A terrible game

Game 20:

Pettitte helped the Yanks
Out of their doldrums on a
Sometimes rainy day

Game 17 recap haiku

Moose was terrible
The bats tried to awaken
A late rally failed

Game 16 recap haiku

Wang was not perfect
Offense destroys laptop thief
Another win for Yanks

The Yankees beat down the BoSox last night, but I was unable to watch until the last inning due to a soccer game. Wang got hammered, saying after the game that his sinker was moving too much preventing him from throwing it for strikes. This forced him to rely on his other pitches which, obviously, aren't nearly as good. They work well as complementary pitches, but not as the focus of his arsenal.

On the offensive side of things, the bats really came alive. They hammered Clay Buchholz, a juvenile delinquent in the offseason, for 8 hits and 7 runs in 3.2 innings, and finished the night with 15 runs and 16 hits. Abreu and A-Rod both went deep, and everyone else had at least one hit. Chad Moeller (!) reached base 4 of the 5 times he came to plate, something that is nearly unbelievable. If he does nothing else in his Yankee career, his night tonight was valuable.

So, as it turns out, the sky did not fall and the Yanks are now tied for first. It's Moose/Beckett tonight, so it could be another long one.

LaTroy Hawkins to change his number

It's been announced that LaTroy Hawkins will give in, and change his number to 22. Hopefully the braindead morons who were booing him for disgracing Paul O'Neil will now stop, and hopefully no braindead morons start booing him for disgracing Roger Clemens.

I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed to be a Yankee fan.

Game 15 recap haiku

The Rays weren't Devils
Andy lasted seven strong
Mo shut the door tight

Well, break out your minibrooms, the two game sweep is in the books. Andy Pettitte lived on the edge all night, but was able to weasel out of jams and give up only 3 runs despite allowing 9 hits and 3 walks in 7 innings. He had just enough tonight to keep the Yankees in the game, which is what I'd look for from Pettitte all year. He's not going to blow teams away, but he has enough savvy and experience to keep games close. He is now what sportscasters love to call a "crafty lefty."

Quick hits:

Is there anything more fun than watching Mo quietly do his job in the 9th? I know that there is, but I still love watching it. Dude is like a surgeon with that cutter.

Giambi and Cano are killing me. They've each had a big homer in the last week, but they've got to start hitting more. They've become automatic rally killers and proof that, as LaTroy said, "spring don't mean sh*t."

How in the hell do you walk Chad Moeller twice in a game. Seriously. He's Chad Freaking Moeller!

They'll always be the Devil Rays to me.

Early season limerick

This just came to me as I watched tonight's game:

There once was a team called the Yankees
They started off slowly, quite frankly
They couldn't score runs
"Our season is done!"
Yelled the fans as the quickly grew cranky

I'll be back with tonight's game recap limerick shortly.

Game 14 recap haiku

I'd once again apologize for a busy schedule preventing posting, but I don't think I have enough readers for it be necessary. I'd also rather use this time to introduce a new feature: the game recap haiku. I was working in a 4th grade today that was writing poetry, and it gave me the idea to recap Yankee games in Haiku form. I'm hoping to have enough creative juices to keep this up for every game this year.

Bats build a big lead
Bullpen can't protect it but
Cano saves the day

In non-poem form, last night's game went from exciting, to frustrating, to exciting again. The offense came out blazing; Damon, A-Rod and blog favorite Morgan Ensberg all homered in the early innings; Jeter started to come alive; even Chad Moeller impressed, singling up the middle on a pitchout. Ian Kennedy looked good through six, giving up only 2 earned runs.

In the sixth, however, the wheels temporarily fell off.

It started when Kennedy was hit on the hip by a Jason Bartlett line drive. Billy Traber then came in and, after getting Iwamura to line out, promptly gave up a homer to Carl Crawford and hit Carlos Pena with a pitch. He was replaced by Brian Bruney who gave up bombs to BJ Upton and Eva (n) Longoria. Bruney settled down and got out of the inning, but the damage was already done; the game was tied.

The next inning, Robbie Cano brought exciting back and gave the Yanks the lead with a long bomb to right. Bruney was then left in to get the first two outs of the eight, and, thankfully, he managed. Mo then came in and blew the Devil Rays away, striking out two in the process.

The bad was easy to spot in this game...the implosion of the bullpen in the absence of Joba (take a moment to send prayers to his father, by the way). And though Bruney's performance was bad, there is some good to take away. He walked no one and threw 16 of 20 pitches for strikes, the type of strike ratio we never would have seen from him last year. So while his command was terrible, he was at least throwing strikes and not walking anyone. It's a step in the right direction for him.

Anyways, here's hoping for a win and mini-sweep tonight.

Sorry about the lack of posts

I've had a lot going on the last few days, so I haven't really had much of a chance to post. Fortunately, there hasn't been a whole lot of good stuff about which to write. Jeter's hurt and out of game action all together; he likely will miss the opener against Boston. Posada hurt his shoulder and can't catch. The team is having trouble putting runners on base, and, when the do reach scoring position, they can't get the big hit. I don't know how many times this year they've been one big hit from breaking a game open but haven't been able to do it.

Even the weather has been against the Yankees. Hughes fought through cold and windy conditions while also fighting himself. Kennedy was scratched because of a rain delay that never came (though it probably should have), forcing a string of relievers to pitch the early innings.

Eventually the offense will turn things around, but this team is really frustrating to watch right now. I really thought that Girardi's boot camp style spring training would help prevent the slow starts of the last few years, but it really hasn't. There not as bad off as they were last year, but they're just kind of middling along right now.

It's too early to really be concerned; all is not lost. 5-5 records over 10 game stretches happen to even the best teams. The fact that it's the start of the season sort of magnifies it. The same goes for Robbie Cano; he seems to just be a slow starter. Before long, he'll turn it up, along with the rest of the offense. And when this team does get hot, watch out. I have a feeling they're going to do it in a big way.

Last few days

They haven't necessarily looked pretty the last few days, but the Yankees have gotten the job done the last couple days. Sunday, they won behind ace Chien Ming Wang's brilliant performance, Joba (with a little help from lady luck) and Mo's performance, and Hideki Matsui's home run. Once again, the Yankees couldn't score any runs and leaned on their starter/bullpen for support. And boy, was the pitching awesome in this one. Unfortunately, my Little League Yankees had practice so I didn't get to watch, but from the highlights I've seen and what I've read, Wang was in control from the beginning. He was throwing his offspeed stuff for strikes, giving him a very unWang like 6 strikeouts. Joba was Joba, escaping the first and third, no out jam Wang left him with - with the help of a gorgeous play by Cano to turn a soft liner into a DP - and pitching a clean 8th. Mo was nearly as awesome, striking out 2 in a perfect 9th.

If Wang keeps throwing his offspeed stuff for strikes, the rest of league will need to look out. Wang's groundball tendencies + strikeouts = an end to the "is he an ace" debate.

In yesterday's 6-1 win, Moose, to the surprise of everyone, Moose had an excellent start. In 6 innings, he gave up just 1 run, on Johnny Gomes homer, and struck out 3 while walking 1. The offense, led by Bobby Abreu's 3-3, 2 RBI day, finally showed some signs of life. Brian Bruney and Kyle Farnsworth continued to show off their improved control, as each threw an inning without walking a batter. Fun fact of the morning - through 7 combined innings, Bruney and Farnsworth have 0 walks between them. Last year, they'd have probably walked about 6 guys apiece by now. Additionally, Farnsworth has showed off a nasty two-seamer that sits around 91 mph.

Unfortunately, yesterday was not all good news. Derek Jeter, while grounding into a fielder's choice in the first, strained his left quad. Right now, it doesn't look like it will cost him too much time, but that could change as he is further examined. The Yankees have a few options at short - if it's just for a few they could play Wilson Betemit, as they did last night, or they could move A-Rod over for a few games and play Ensberg/Betemit at third. If he's out for an extended period of time, they'll probably go with one of the above options and call up someone like Nick Green to take the utility role. Hopefully, Jeter will return quickly.

On top of Jeter's injury, LaTroy Hawkins continued to look terrible. Though he made it through without giving up a run, he was shaky from the start. His command was erratic - he walked 1 and threw a wild pitch - and looked a bit lost. He did end the night with a strikeout, so hopefully that helps him get into some kind of a groove. He probably won't be great this year, but he also won't have a 21 ERA.

Tonight, the Yankees start their 200 day road trip in Kansas City. Blog namesake Phil Hughes takes on Brian Bannister in the opener. As good as Hughes' first start was, Bannister's 7 inning, 0 run performance was even better. Let's hope Hughes can keep it going and that the Yankees can touch up Bannister. Time for the offense to wake up.

2 - 1

The Yankees are now 2-1 on the young season, thanks to last night's 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays. They were able to squeeze across a couple runs despite the bats having an off night, and Phil Hughes was able to have a very good start despite not having hist best stuff or command.

Reading around the Internets, I've noticed that some people are already starting to panic about the lack of offensive output to this point. To me, this first series was nearly as encouraging as if the Yankees had steamrolled the Jays in their victories. I think we can all easily remember the Yanks' overall struggles both early last year and in 1-run games especially. Through May and into early June, they were terrible in close contests; if they didn't score early and often, they didn't win.

To this point, the season has been different. Despite scoring only 8 runs against Toronto, the Yankees won two games. They were able to scrape together some timely offense, and their starters/bullpen was able to hold Toronto in check. The offense will be there eventually. This showed they can win the close games as well.

It also needs to be considered that the Yankees were facing some great pitching in cold weather. Halladay, Burnett, and McGowan all have good stuff, and AJ and Dustin have blazing fastballs, which can be tough to hit in cold weather. Facing three pitchers of that caliber, few teams would have put up huge run totals. I expect the offense to warm along with the weather...and the facing of some worse pitching.

As for the blog namesake's start, I was impressed. He didn't quite have the extra pop on his fastball or the command his curve, but he still looked good overall. He buckled a number of knees on the curve, and was able to paint the corners with the fastball. The pitch that got Frank Thomas ejected was perfect; Thomas spent the whole at bat backing away from the inside pitch, and Phil placed one in the exact right spot.

He will have plenty of starts this year where he is much worse than last night, but he'll also have plenty where he has better stuff. He won't make people forget Santana this year, but I think he very well could in a few years.

Update: Great article on Hughes' night from John Harper:

One sequence in the fourth inning, in particular, was telling. With a runner at third base and one out after the Jays had already scored a run to go ahead 1-0, Hughes struck out both Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas to escape further damage.

But it was the way he did it that made you notice. After going to 3-2 on Wells, he threw a changeup that Wells barely fouled off, then came back with a curve to get a swinging strikeout.

"That's something I probably wouldn't have done last year," said Hughes. "I probably would have thrown a fastball, and unless my location was perfect, he probably would have hit it hard somewhere.

"I have to be able to throw other pitches in counts where a guy like that is expecting a fastball."

On Thomas, meanwhile, he went all hard stuff inside, as the scouting report dictates. In fact, after getting ahead with a curve, Hughes threw four straight fastballs in, three just off the plate, to get to 3-2, and then came in one more time to get Thomas looking at a 93-mph fastball.

If you can't already tell, Hughes is probably my favorite Yankee. He's got one hell of a future ahead of him.

4/3 Liveblog - Blue Jays - Yankees

I'll be in and out tonight.

Here are your starting lineups:

YANKEES
Johnny Damon DH
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Hideki Matsui LF
Jose Molina C
Melky Cabrera CF

Starting Pitcher: Phil Hughes

BLUE JAYS
David Eckstein SS
Matt Stairs LF
Alex Rios RF
Vernon Wells CF
Frank Thomas DH
Lyle Overbay 1B
Aaron Hill 2B
Marco Scutaro 3B
Gregg Zaun C

Starting Pitcher: Dustin McGowan

Jorge Posada is out again with a stiff shoulder. Based on what I've read, it's likely nothing to worry about. Hopefully he can return shortly.

Blog namesake Phil Hughes makes his first start of the year tonight. He's fully recovered from his injuries, so look for a return of the stuff that made him the top pitching prospect in baseball just one year ago. I can't wait to see the first batter swing through a 93 mph fastball and laughing at the first to be frozen at a nasty curve. Don't let all the hype fool you...there are still some in the prospect community who like Phil's potential more than Joba's. Yes, he's that good.

On a side note, I've got my nonbaseball fan girlfriend to adopt Hughes as her favorite player, largely because he has the same birthday as me. I have no idea why anyone would find that interesting, but I posted it anyway.

It's 6:43 now and my pizza is here. Dinner time!

7:00 - I've finished my pizza and I'm ready for baseball. Already, Michael Kay is irritating me. That was quick.

7:02 - Can we stop using "Generation Trey?" It's lame. They really don't need a nickname.

7:05 - Michael Kay reminds us again that he is Michael Kay and the guy sitting next to him is Paul O'Neil. We know, Mike.

7:07 - Here we go! Hughes sure does look sharp in that uni.

First Inning - First pitch strike! Yeeha!

Is there a more annoying player than David Eckstein. It's nothing against him, but I'm tired of reading about how scrappy and short he is. Thank God he didn't play football.

Broken bat grounder to the great scrappy one to A-Rod. One away.

Matt Stairs is up. Hughes is hitting 88 fastball. And as I type that, he hits 91. Go figure. Beautiful backdoor curve to sit Stairs down. 2 away.

Professional Yankee Killer Alex Rios is up. Beautiful curve on the inside corner for strike 2. The crowd is yelling "Huuuuuuuuuuughes" which I will confuse for booing for years. Painted the corner with a 91 mph heater for strike 3. What an inning for my man.

Bottom 1 - Johnny Damon promply falls behind 0-2. If he doesn't improve over last year, he needs to be bumped from the leadoff spot, in favor of Jeter. Then Abreu can move to the 2 slot, and Cano can settle into the third spot. And he goes down swinging at 96 mph gas. What an awful swing that was.

Jeter does his little shimmy which makes the women here in New York swoon. He then hits a broken bat grounder to Mighty Midget who plays a competent shortstop despite barely being able to reach first base on his throws.

In steps Abreu, who seems to be in much better shape this year. Hopefully his first half is like last year's second half for him.

McGowan keeps throwing BBs. This could be a long night for Yankee batters, as Abreu goes down "swinging."

Top 2 - For some reason, we're showing video of Hughes hurting his hammy. It still makes me cringe.

Vernon Wells flies out to Cano, who makes a nice catch on a flair in shallow rightfield.

The Big Hurt lifts and easy fly to shallow center on the next pitch for the second out. That didn't take long.

In steps Lyle Overbay, who bothers me simply because he's name Lyle. Hughes starts him off with 2 out of the zone. Overbay grounds out on a 2-1 pitch, ending a ridiculously easy inning. I love the efficiency.

Bottom 2 - Let's go fellas. How about at least a baserunner or two here. Perhaps a run or seven.

A-Rod steps in, looking to continue his hot spring and start to the season. He hits it sharply, but almost right at Scutaro. 1 away.

Giambi has looked decent in the field so far, but not so much at bat. Hopefully he can get going soon...a bounce back from him would be huge for the Yankees this year. McGowan falls behind 3-1, but he's still looking phenomenal. This could be another low scoring affair.

Giambi walks. His batting eye never ceases to amaze me. Even when he's slumping, he still takes his walks.

Cano, first pitch hacking, chops one to third, but just manages to beat it out to avoid the DP. I had high hopes for that AB starting a rally.

Based on how Hideki checked his swing there, I predict a strikeout here. And Hideki doesn't disappoint me, flailing at low breaking ball. I'm not sure he could have looked any worse there.

Well, at least Hughes has thrown fewer pitches so far.

Top 3 - Hughes just got away with a hanger in the middle of the plate. Luckily, Aaron Hill fouled it back, before hitting a liner to Melky for the first out.

Scutaro up. I'd like to break his shins for the walkoff against Mo last year, which ruined my night. Preservation of my good mood should be the top priority for these guys.

Lazy fly ball to Abreu for the second out. There have been a number of very poorly hit fly balls off Hughes tonight. And Zaun grounds one to Giambi, fulfilling the request I was in the middle of typing for more grounders.

Yet another efficient inning for Hughes. He had me a tiny bit worried this spring about how efficient he'd be this year, as he had problems going deep into games. Perhaps I have nothing to worry about.

Bottom 3 - Jose Molina up now. I really wish Jorge was in the lineup tonight...we could really use the offense. Molina somehow manages to stay alive on a weak hack at a breaking ball down and away...that was some good hand-eye.

I now feel like an idiot for pining for Jorge's offense as Molina singles up the middle for the first hit of the night.

Here's hoping soon-to-be-sitting Melky continues his hot start to the season. He's up 3-0 in the count now. Let's get something going here, fellas.

Melky obliges to my request with a walk. 1st and 2nd, no one out for Damon to either strike out or GIDP. Any Johnny falls behind 1-2.

One of the highlights of the early parts of the season are the comical statlines. Johnny is currently sporting a .111 OBP. Nice.

Damon proves me wrong, hitting a screamer directly at the right fielder. He couldn't have hit it much harder. I hate when that happens.

2 on, 1 out for el Capitan. Now would be a nice time for his first ribbie of the year.

Instead, we get a continuation of last years GIDP happy Derek. It's good to have him back.

Top 4 - In steps the Mighty Mite. He looks adorable in that uniform...he's looks all growds up, just like Daddy.

Yes, that wasn't funny. I don't care.

Man, I wish Paulie would do more games. I like his style, and he's got a good voice for it.

David just got himself the cheapest double in the history of the sport. I hate when opponents get those kinds of hits.

Stairs grounds out, but moves the runner over to third. Despite what Kay says, I have a feeling Stairs was trying to get a hit, rather than tap one to Cano.

I don't like Rios. He looks like a putz. Rios taps a breaking ball of the end of his bat over the infield for the first run of the game. What a cheap run.

Molina has Rios nailed on a steal, and Cano boots it. Way to go, Robbie.

Vernon tries to hit a curve to Pluto and came up empty. Hughes strikes out Wells on another beautiful curve...he was totally fooled.

Hughes follows that up with another beauty to Thomas. That's back to back buckled knees, for those of you scoring at home. This ump is not giving Hughes anything on the inside part of the plate. That's 3 borderline pitches called balls in this AB alone. I hate when umps give hitters calls just because the have reputations and the pitcher is a rook. It cheapens the game.

As I say that, Hughes paints the black with a beautiful fastball. That was perfect location. Frank blows several gaskets and gets tossed, despite the fact that everyone in the stadium knew that pitch was coming and that it was a strike. He gets run. See ya, Frank.

I'll now be blogging intermittently, as my girlfriend is here and we will be switching channels frequently.

Through 6, the Jays are up 2-0. The second run scored on a walk, double, and infield hit. Both of the runs Hughes has given up have been the result of cheap singles. The Yankees just can't sustain a rally so far this year...maybe they've got a few cheapies of they're own up their sleeves.

Joba

This is his reaction to striking out Frank Thomas on a 97 mph fastball. Joba is the man. Thanks to Getty Images for the picture.

Put it in the books!

The Yankees won the last home opener in the Stadium, 3 - 2. Overall, it was a good game for the good guys. Wang showed why we shouldn't be concerned with spring stats or two postseason starts; Melky should, both offensively and defensively, why the Yankees didn't trade him; Joba showed he's actually a sophisticated robot; Mo showed he's still Mo (the pitch he struck Overbay out on is one of my favorite things about baseball season); A-Rod picked right up where he left off; Giambi showed some impressive defense and baserunning; and Girardi got his first win. The offense may have only scored 3 runs, but when you're facing Halladay, that's not too shabby.

I know some people don't like Joba's fistpumping, but I love it. It actually gets me pumped up. When I guy plays with that kind of emotion and fire, you can't take it away from him. It'll make him less effective. Besides, I've watched Frankie Rodriguez and Papelbon do it against the Yanks for long enough.

I didn't liveblog tonight, but I hope to in the future, during times I'm there for the whole game. We'll see how it goes.

Rejoice! Baseball is back.

Opening day washout

How disappointing was it that opening day washed out? Oh well, what's one more day?

In other news, the Yankees have signed outfielder Isuro Tanaka out of the Independent Leagues to a one-year deal. It sounds like he's not great with the bat, but he can run and play all three outfield positions.

I like the move. It gives the Yanks some flexibility if someone gets hurt and they think Gardner isn't ready. Some of you may remember Tanaka for his amazing catch with the Indians in 1994, as he climbed the fence and made a bare-handed grab to take away a potential homer.

He issued the following press release:

I am honored to have been given this opportunity by the New York Yankees. I look forward to proving that I have the marbles to play in the great city of New York and I hope to bring much honor and another championship to the fans and my new teammates. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the Bronx Block for the tip.