This Is Granderson Land

Right up until yesterday the Yankees worried that Curtis Granderson might miss the start of the season due to the oblique he strained back on March 22. But after playing in a minor league game yesterday, Granderson was good to go and the Yankees are thankful.

The center fielder tested his side immediately, diving to catch a line drive off the bat of Will Rhymes in the 1st inning. Granderson then drilled a second deck home run off former Yankee Phil Coke to snap a 3-3 tie in the 7th and the Yankees went on to a 6-3 win.

If the Yankees were following a script, they nearly did to a "t". Starter CC Sabathia matched Tigers starter Justin Verlander, going six innings with three runs allowed. Joba Chamberlain threw a scoreless 7th, Rafael Soriano did likewise in the 8th in his first Yankees appearance, and Mariano Rivera notched his first save on a called third strike of Alex Avila to end the 9th.

The Yankees trailed 1-0, but with two aboard in the bottom of the 3rd, Mark Teixeira blasted a 3-run home run. He had been just 1-17 against Verlander prior to the at-bat. But Brandon Inge delivered a two out RBI in the 4th and Miguel Cabrera picked up his first RBI in the 5th on a sacrifice fly to tie things up.

After Granderson's home run, Russell Martin, who earlier had his first hit, reached on an Inge error. The Yankees new starting catcher move to second on a Brett Gardner bunt, moved to third on a wild pitch by Ryan Perry and came home on a Derek Jeter sac fly. Nick Swisher would add an 8th inning RBI single for the final tally.

But this game belong to Granderson, who also added a long over the shoulder catch to his stellar day.

Notes

Mike Mussina threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Ken Singleton gave everyone a good laugh when he accidentally called Tigers 2nd baseman Will Rhymes, "Busta Rhymes (the rapper).

Robinson Cano made the Yankees lone error when he dropped an underhand toss covering 1st base. Last season Cano had an 81 game error-less streak.

Russell Martin had a hit, stole a base, and called/caught a good game.

BD.com - A-Rod to DL, Javy Should Follow

Written for BaseballDigest.com

Shortly after the Yankees 9-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners this afternoon, the team announced it had placed Alex Rodriguez on the 15-day DL with his troublesome strained calf. The Yankees would be wise to have Javier Vazquez join him on the sideline.

The Yankees were able to overcome the right-hander's shortest outing since May 1, when Vazquez also lasted just three innings, by beating up on Jason Vargas and the Mariners' bullpen.

Vazquez was diagnosed with a dead arm several starts ago and has regressed rapidly. His last five starts have gone from bad to worse - 6.1, 5.1, 4.1, 4, and 3 innings pitched. He's been tagged for 16 earned runs in 20 innings and has seen his ERA rise from 4.45 to 5.05 since July 10. He's also been ripped for 35 hits during the stretch and has walked 12 batters to boot.

Dead arm, tired arm, call it what you want, it's not something a pitcher can work through. What it does, however, is wear out the bullpen. The Yankees got exceptional work from the pen today, specifically the beleaguered Chad Gaudin who shut down the M's after entering the game in a 4-4 tie.

When Vazquez has no velocity, which has been the case in his last five starts, he has to be perfect with his location. That's just as hard to do as it sounds. And when Vazquez doesn't hit locations, home runs are sure to follow. Today it was a pair from Ichiro Suzuki and a monster upper deck shot, the first in the new Yankee Stadium, to right field by Russell Branyan.

I had a Twitter discussion a short time ago with Jack Curry of YES, who felt there was no need for the Yankees to bring in another starting pitcher. I disagreed then and I do now. How long the call up will last remains to be seen, but Ivan Nova has been summoned from Scranton to take A-Rod's place on the 25-man roster and is scheduled to start Monday night in Toronto.

With Andy Pettitte probably not back until early September and A.J. Burnett's continued inconsistency, the Yankees should definitely take a long look at Nova or another minor leaguer. Brian Cashman's daily to-do list should also include checking the waiver wire for a decent starter. While they're not likely to land a top notch starter, perhaps a serviceable arm will be available.

With an off day this coming Thursday, manager Joe Girardi is also likely to revise the rotation so that Burnett and Vazquez are not throwing on back to back days.

Speaking of waiver wires, the Detroit News reported earlier today that both Johnny Damon and Brandon Inge have been placed on waivers. Stop before you start, the Yankees do NOT need Damon back. It shouldn't even be up for discussion.

Inge, on the other hand, should be a player the Yankees put in a claim on. The third baseman is pretty slick with the glove, and though he doesn't hit for average, he does have pop; he had career highs in HR (27) and RBI (84) last season. Inge's numbers are down this season, but he missed a large chunk of games with a broken hand. The former catcher could also be used in that position in a pinch- he caught 60 games as recently as 2008, and has some outfield experience as well.

In the meantime, Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena figure to split the bulk of the work at third base. Nunez had his first major league hit and RBI in this afternoon's contest.

Tuesday Hot Stove

With LaTroy Hawkins joining the Yankees, the Rockies are now looking to add Luis Vizcaino to thei bullpen. Essentially a trade of free agents. Source

The Tigers inked Timo Perez to a 1-year deal and have had talks with the Pirates about Brandon Inge. Source

The Padres are still targeting Tadahito Iguchi for 2nd base and are talking with the Pirates about shipping out Michael Barrett. Source

The Cubs reportedly have offered Kosuki Fukudome a deal worth $50 million in total, trumping the reported $30 mill deal made by the Pads. Source

The Twins and Red Sox continue to talk about Johan Santana, and the Twins are reportedly focusing on a package headed by Jacoby Ellsbury. Source

The Major League Baseball Player's Association has filed a grievance on behalf of Jose Guillen and his 15 game suspension.

Tuesday Hot Stove

With LaTroy Hawkins joining the Yankees, the Rockies are now looking to add Luis Vizcaino to thei bullpen. Essentially a trade of free agents. Source

The Tigers inked Timo Perez to a 1-year deal and have had talks with the Pirates about Brandon Inge. Source

The Padres are still targeting Tadahito Iguchi for 2nd base and are talking with the Pirates about shipping out Michael Barrett. Source

The Cubs reportedly have offered Kosuki Fukudome a deal worth $50 million in total, trumping the reported $30 mill deal made by the Pads. Source

The Twins and Red Sox continue to talk about Johan Santana, and the Twins are reportedly focusing on a package headed by Jacoby Ellsbury. Source

The Major League Baseball Player's Association has filed a grievance on behalf of Jose Guillen and his 15 game suspension.