Tanaka Tosses, Thornton Tossed

Every time you hear the name Masahiro Tanaka, you are at once hopeful and also want to curl up in a fetal position. The expensive Japanese import was having a phenomenal first season in Major League Baseball when he felt something wrong in his very valuable right elbow. If you listen closely you can still hear the cries of "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" echoing throughout the country after his last start on July 8.

Tanaka had been taking it easy since then, but threw 25 baseballs (correction - previously reported as 50) in a light and easy game of catch on Monday. Today, Tuesday, he followed up with another 50 throws. Hopefully he'll feel as good as he did yesterday when he wakes up tomorrow morning after back-to-back efforts.

GM Brian Cashman's nails must be bitten down to the cuticle as he sees one of his starting pitchers after another fall to the wayside. David Phelps was the latest injury victim when he was diagnosed with elbow inflammation after his short start this past Sunday. He was placed on the 15-day DL forcing the Yankees to once again maneuver things around to put someone in the rotation to take his place.

Chase Whitley should not be that choice. We've seen how that experiment went downhill after a great start. Michael Pineda should not be rushed back either. He's just beginning to ramp up his throwing rehab. David Huff could be moved into that spot or Cashman might find someone on the waiver wire.

There has been a shift in the bullpen as well. Matt Thornton got one out in Monday night's game and was headed to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. The Yankees placed Thornton on waivers and the Washington Nationals scooped him and the $4MM he'll paid next season. Veteran Rich Hill will take his place for now, while Cashman looks for a more viable replacement. Either way, the Yankees have some extra cash to play with.

There's already been talk by members of the media that the Yankees will promote their first pick (2nd round) in June's amateur draft, Jacob Lindgren, to fill the void. The Mississippi State University product was promoted to Double-A Trenton on Tuesday after one game in the Gulf Coast League, four games at Single-A Charleston, and six games at Advanced-A Tampa.

One look at the 5'11" southpaw's stats and it's easy to see why the Yankees and the media are thinking the 21-year old could join the team this year. What stands out the most are 30 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched. While he's averaged over 20 K's per nine innings, Lindgren has walked just four batters, meaning that not to many opponents have put the bat on the ball and put it in fair play when they did make contact. But before declaring Lindgren as a star as making, remember that he's not facing David Ortiz or a young Justin Morneau. Hopefully the Yankees keep that in mind when it comes to deciding if Lindgren should be fast-tracked.

The Constant Gardner

The Yankees pulled out an important win in the 9th inning against the Baltimore Orioles last night, but Brett Gardner had to leave the game after one at-bat due to a oblique injury. It's possible that Gardner could be lost for the season after undergoing an MRI today, which in case you have forgotten, is Friday the 13th.

Gardner has played in 145 of the Yankees' 147 games, a far cry from last year when an injured right elbow limited him to just 16 games in the regular season. With Derek Jeter limited to 17 games this season, Gardner's role at the top of the order has been crucial to the Yankees keeping their toes in the water of the playoff race.

He's' not as aggressive as he once was, for reasons unknown to just about everyone, but Gardner has swiped 24 bases in 32 attempts this season. His .273 batting average and .416 slugging percentage are both above his career norms, and his hits (147), HR (8) , RBI (52),doubles (33), and triples (10) totals are career bests. His OPS (.759) is just three points lower than the career high he set in 2010.

Gardner also manned centerfield after being moved to left the past two seasons to accomodate Curtis Granderson. The move back to center would have occurred even Granderson hadn't suffered a broken forearm in Spring Training. With Garnder possibly out for at least the remainder of the regular season, Granderson will move back to centerfield and rookie Zoilo Almonte could see some more playing time.

As for Thursday night's game itself, the Yankees entered the 8th inning with a 5-2 lead, but David Robertaon had a rare terrible night that culminated in a game tying 3-run home run by Danny Valencia. Orioles reliever Jim Johnson got him off the hook though with a sloppy 9th inning.

After Brendan Ryan reached on a single, Johnson committed an error on Chris Stewart's sacrifice bunt attempt and everyone was safe. Granderson followed with a successful sac bunt and Ryan scored when Johnson unleashed a wild pitch.

Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 9th and was credited with his sixth. The official scorer could have given the win to Robertson, but didn't feel he deserved it after his performance. With no save for Rivera, the Yankees' closer remains tied for the AL lead with....you got it...Jim Johnson.  Coincidence much?

Granderson hit his 16th career home run aganist the Orioles, second only to Edwin Encarnacion's 19.

Phil Hughes started and was followed by David Huff. Both pitchers allowed one run in thee innings of work.

Laughter At 5 After: Red Sox Club Yankee Again

Mike Napoli of ZZ Top Boston Red Sox

The Yankees were already reeling from the first two games of the their four game set with the Boston Red Sox when the first pitch was thrown Saturday by David Huff about 1:05 pm. Huff struck out two and retired the side in order. Then he and fresh from Scranton Jim Miller got their heads handed to them in a 12-9 loss.

The Fox broadcast shared the ignominious statistic that Thursday and Friday's games represented the first time the Yankees had scored eight runs in back to back games at home and lost since they were the 1911 New York Highlanders. Now they can look up 25 runs in three straight losses.

Mike Napoli must be thinking that with all the shaved heads and beards on the Red Sox, the Yankees cannot tell them apart. It might explain why the Yankees continue to pitch to him despite the fact that he should be arrested for abuse of baseballs. With David Ortiz on second and first base open in the 2nd inning, Huff served up a meatball to Napoli, who quickly turned it into a souvenir and a 2-0 lead.

An inning later Jonny Gomes hammered Huff with two aboard and the Red Sox were rolling 5-1. Huff departed in the 4th in the midst of a five run 4th inning. By the time Xander Bogaerts hit his first Major league home run off of new reliever Jim Miller, the Yankees were in a 12-3 hole.

Then came the get-your-hopes-up comeback. A four run 6th inning highlighted by Brett Gardner's 2-run triple sent Sox starter John Lackey to the showers with a 5.2 inning, 7 earned runs allowed win (9-12). Mark Reynolds delivered a 2-run double in the 8th and it was suddenly a 12-9 game.

That is until Napoli came up and deposited yet another pitch, this one from Brett Marshall, over the fence in left-center field. It was the final death knell of what seems to be assuredly headed towards a four game sweep by Boston.

Notes

As of this writing, the Rays barring a comeback were headed towards another loss. However, both Baltimore and Cleveland won and will stand just a game back of the Rays.  Meanwhile, the Yankees are stuck cement 2.5 games back.

Napoli is 18-50 with 6 HR and 17 RBI against the Yankees...this year alone.

Derek Jeter left the game early with irritation in surgically repaired ankle. A CT scan was negative

Yankees Bounce Back With Some Huff and Some Puff

David Huff knows what it's like to be Phil Hughes- a southern California prospect that is expected to pay off in wins and a long career with the team that drafted him. Hughes was picked 23rd overall by the Yankees in the 2004 amateur draft while Huff went 39th overall to the Cleveland Indians in the 1st round of the draft two years later.

Neither has had the career expected of them. Hughes is in the final year of his current contract with the Yankees and will get the opportunity to test the free agent market. His time in pinstripes is most certainly over. He won nearly one-third of his 56 career wins (18) in 2010. It appeared he was on the road to regular success when he won 16 games last season, bolstered by a strong second half.

Unfortunately for Hughes,this season he picked up from the first half of last season rather than the way he finished. Home runs have continued to be his bugaboo and Yankee Stadium is no place to pitch with that affliction.

The Indians gave up on Huff earlier this year and the Yankees plucked him off waivers on May 25. The left-hander holds the unique distinction of being drafted three separate times. The Angels took him in the 31st round of the 2003 draft out of Edison High School in Huntington Beach, CA, but Huff opted for Cypress College. He also passed on the Phillies when they selected him in the 19th round in 2005.

After Huff also attended UCLA and UC-Irvine, he went pro with the Tribe. But after a career mark of 20-26, 5.18, he was set free. After one relief appearance with the Yankees on May 26, he was sent down to Triple-A Scranton, but was recalled in August and has allowed one earned run in 15 innings.

His career and Hughes' converged on Sunday when Hughes' start (1.1 IP) against the Chicago White Sox was washed out by a nearly two hour rain delay. Joe Girardi called on Huff to take the baseball and the 29-year old gave his manager and teammates everything he had. His 5.2 inning relief stint was backed by an eight-run 4th inning that gave the Yankees a 9-1 win and Huff his second victory with his new team. A win was needed after Sunday's bullpen melt down that prevented a three game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles. The outing also gave Girardi some options.

Should the Yankees manager decide to pull Hughes from the rotation, Huff has certainly earned an opportunity to take his place.

Notes

Huff's biggest connection to the Yankees prior to joining the team came in 2010 when Alex Rodriguez hit a line drive that careened off of Huff's head. He was helped off the field, but resumed baseball activities two days later.

Betances Demoted in a Huff

Dellin Betances struggled as a starting pitcher in the Yankees organization so it was decided he would become a reliever. The improvement was drastic and it earned a promotion to the big club. Unfortunately, a four run 9th inning against the Angels Tuesday night earned him a trip back to Scranton Thursday.

The Yankees recalled left-hander David Huff, a waiver acquisition from the Cleveland Indians in May. Huff had one poor inning with the Bombers - a run, hit, and two walks - before he was sent to the RailRiders. Since his demotion, Huff has started in 12 of his 13 appearances for the International League franchise. He had a 1-6 record despite a decent 3.84 ERA. He also struck out 8.5 batters per 9 innings, but gave up more than a hit an inning.

To make room on the 40 man roster, David Phelps was moved from the 15- to 60-day disabled list. Phelps was in the midst of rehabbing a sore forearm. He's had a setback and it's possible he may not pitch again this season. He's not eligible to be activated until the first week of September.

Joba Activated, New Pick Up Gone in a Huff

Joba Chamberlain was activated prior to Tuesday's rain delayed Yankees-Mets game at Citi Field after a strained oblique kept him out for a month.

To make room on the roster, David Huff, picked up on waivers over the weekend, was designated for assignment. The Yankees would like the left-hander to pass through waivers, but I can see a team taking a shot at him, especially being his is left-handed.

Francisco Out in a Huff: Gets DFA'ed for Bullpen Help

According to WFAN's Sweeny Murti, Ben Francisco's days as a Yankee are no longer numbered. The outfielder has been designated for assignment to make room on the 40 and 25 man rosters for pitcher David Huff. The Yankees claimed Huff off waivers from the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.

Francisco was a nice pick up as a reserve outfielder, but lack of playing time and lack of production (which came first, the chicken or the egg?) made him dispensable. The right-handed hitter had just five hits in 44 at-bats (.114) with a home run also his only RBI.

Huff was a part of the Indians rotation in 2009 and 2010 without much success. His 11 wins his rookie year was despite an ERA over 5.00 and a WHIP of 1.558. He bounced between the minor and Major leagues the last few years and has been used more in relief of late.

After he allowed five earned runs in three innings over three appearances, the Indians decided to free up some space on their 40-man roster. He gives the Yankees another left-handed option out of the pen.