Burnett Good Enough

A.J. Burnett was in the middle of an inning he had experienced many times last season. Pitching with a 6-1 lead, Burnett was in a bases loaded, no out situation in the 5th inning of Saturday's game. Last season there was a 99% chance there would have been a complete meltdown and in all probability he wouldn't have finished the inning, but at least for one day Burnett survived.

The Tigers cut the lead to 6-3, but Burnett finished the 5th and picked up his first win since last September 1 in the Yankees 10-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees were powered by a pair of 3-run home runs from Mark Teixeira and Russell Martin, and a long solo blast off the bat of Alex Rodriguez.

Brad Penny (4.1 IP 8 ER) struggled with the Boston Red Sox in 2009 before his release and short term revival with the San Francisco Giants. After missing most of last season, Penny returned for his second stint in the AL, but fared no better than his prior experience.

Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, and Nick Swisher drove in runs in the 1st inning and Teixeira unloaded his second 3-run blast in as many games for a 6-0 lead. After the Tigers cut the lead in half, Martin stretched it back out again in the home half of the 5th with his first home run as a Yankee (off of reliever Brad Thomas).

Rodriguez's home run came at the expense of Brayan Villarreal, who was making his Major League debut. Mariano Rivera picked up his second save after a 2-run Victor Martinez home run, and an unearned run on an Eduardo Nunez error (Derek Jeter and several regulars were removed when the game got out of hand) in the 9th cut the lead to 10-6.

Notes

Derek Jeter picked up his first two hits of the season to put him within 72 of 3,000.

The Yankees go for the sweep on Sunday when Phil Hughes faces off with Max Scherzer.

The Yankees got some unwanted attention from Keith Olbermann and the MLB Front Office for relaying hand signals in Thursday's opener. Olbermann tweeted a photo of coaching operations assistant Bruce Weber putting up a number of fingers to indicate the speed of pitches. GM Brian Cashman acknowledged the fact that the league contacted the Yankees and said that the scoreboard wasn't working properly and couldn't display the radar settings. Cashman said the league seemed satisfied with the explanation and did not expect any punishment.

Cashman also told reporters that the Mets had abused Pedro Feliciano, which led to the relievers sore rotator cuff. Perhaps Cashman should have recalled the abuse several pitchers (Proctor, Sturtze, etc.) had at the hand of Joe Torre. FoxSports televised Saturday's game and Joe Buck and Tim McCarver mentioned how honest and upfront Cashman has been/is. They fail to realize that none of that occurred before George Steinbrenner was no longer running the show.

BD Hot Stove: Galarraga’s Strange Journey Continues | Baseball Digest

BD Hot Stove: Galarraga’s Strange Journey Continues | Baseball Digest

The hot stove is coming to you a little later today and a hot stove is really needed since it was below zero in the northeast today. It’s been a strange stretch of time for Armando Galarraga over the last seven months. On June 2 last year Galarraga was robbed of a perfect game by the very imperfect call of umpire Jim Joyce. Hugs, tearfests, ovations followed…yada yada yada.

One week ago Galarraga and the Tigers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one year, $2.3M contract. The very next day the Tigers designated Galarraga for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Brad Penny. Today, Galarraga was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-hander Kevin Eichhorn and lefty Ryan Robowski.

Galaragga will probably get a chance to compete for the Diamondbacks final spot in the rotation with second year man Barry Enright and Aaron “I want to be a starter again” Heilman. Eichorn was a third round pick by the Dbacks in 2008 and played primarily in rookie ball last season. He averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, but surrendered 12 home runs and gave up more hits than innings pitched. Robowski put up similar numbers for High Single-A Visalia last season after being selected in the 16th round out of Ohio Dominican University in 2009.

The Diamondbacks also brought back pitcher Micah Owings, who some feel would be better as a full time hitter at this point. Owings showed promise a rookie in 2007, posting an 8-8, 4.30 mark in 27 starts and a pair of relief appearances. But his command got worse the following season, so the Dbacks shipped him to the Reds in September as the PTBNL in the Adam Dunn deal. This past October he was granted free agency after two poor seasons with the Reds. As for his hitting, Owings had 4 HR and 15 RBI as a rookie and has a .293 lifetime batting average and an .861 OPS. Perhaps it’s time to pick up a fielder’s glove or become an AL DH.

One more Diamondbacks note – Rafael Rodriguez acquired in July’s trade deadline Dan Haren deal, was DFA’ed to make room for Galarraga on the Arizona 40-man roster.

The Rockies signed outfielder Willy Taveras to a minor league deal. Taveras played for Colorado from 2007-2008.

The Nationals have added pitcher Todd Coffey with a one year deal. Coffey was non-tendered by the Brewers in December.

Per Jon Heyman, the Rangers have re-opened talks with Vlad Guerrero.

Over the weekend the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reported that the Red Sox will be willing to deal Jonathan Papelbon at any point before or during the season. Papelbon will earn $12M in 2011.

BD Hot Stove: A Penny Signed Is A Penny Earned | Baseball Digest

BD Hot Stove: A Penny Signed Is A Penny Earned | Baseball Digest

The Detroit Tigers have spent the last couple of seasons trying to re-work their starting rotation. Outside of Justin Verlander, the Motown crew hasn’t had gotten much consistency from their starting staff.

Hopes are still high very high for Rick Porcello, who had an oustanding rookie campaign in 2009, but floundered in much of his sophomore season. Max Scherzer was brought in from Arizona prior to the 2010 season. He’s a hard thrower who strikes out nearly a batter per inning, but struggles with his command. Then there’s Armando Galaragga, who can look perfect one day and quite ordinary the next.

In attempt to steady the rotation and add some experience GM Dave Dombrowski has signed veteran right-hander Brad Penny to a one year, three-million dollar contract. It’s a good low risk gamble for Dombrowski and the Tigers. Penny made just nine appearances last April and May, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, due to back trouble.

Penny struggled his only other time in the American League back in 2009 with Boston. Shoulder issues made him ineffective in 24 starts and the Red Sox released him in late August. Whether it was a switch to the National League or better health, Penny went 4-1, 2.59 in six starts after the San Francisco Giants picked him up four days later.

That’s the Penny the Tigers are hoping for; one that can shine in Detroit, and give the sagging rotation a boost. Over the span of 11 seasons, Penny has made 284 starts, won 108 games and posted a 4.11 ERA.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Yankees may be taking a low risk gamble as well. Several sources have them in serious discussions with free agent right-hander Justin Duchscherer. The 33-yr old missed 2009 after undering going elbow surgery and was also treated for clinical depression. Last year he underwent hip surgery and made just five major league appearances. When not injured, Duchscherer is extremely effective. In 2008, he went 10-8, 2.54 in his first season as a full-time starter. His strikeouts per nine innings (6.0) were lower than in his time as a reliever, but he posted a WHIP under 1.0. He made his second All-Star appearance as well. With just five appearances in the last two seasons, the Yankees could likely sign him to a deal worth less guaranteed money than Penny.

Across town the Mets are reportedly taking a look at free agent right-hander David Bush (per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick).

The Reds officially signed off on their deal with Edgar Renteria and also added outfielder Fred Lewis.

The Angels and infielder Alberto Callaspo avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing on a one year contract.

The Rockies signed veteran right-hander Claudio Vargas to a minor league deal.

Another veteran righty, Kris Benson, has decided to call it quits.

Left-handers are in the news too. KC GM Bob Dutton told MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel that the team is considering re-signing Bruce Chen. And the White Sox signed lefty reliever Will Ohman to a two year, $4M deal.

The Mariners signed veteran infielder Adam Kennedy to a minor league deal that will included an invitation to spring training.

Granderson Talk Highlights Day 1

There may be nothing more to it than pure speculation or the Yankees, Tigers, and Diamondbacks may have actually had some meaningful discussions on a possible three team trade. No matter, the outcome was the same. No deal.

The Yankees have shown interest in Tigers' center fielder Curtis Granderson since Mark Teixeira recorded the final putout in the World Series. The Yankees would have had to part with plenty of talent though in order to land Granderson and that's why the deal made no sense.

Top prospect Austin Jackson and left-handers Phil Coke and Mike Dunn would have been shipped to Detroit, while right-hander Ian Kennedy was sent to Arizona. The Diamondbacks would have sent Max Scherzer to the Tigers, receiving fellow right-hander Edwin Jackson in return. But by the end of the evening, the talks had stalled, maybe permanently.

It's just as well that they did. There's no point in dealing Jackson for a fellow center fielder, even he's as good as Granderson. Notice I said (very) good, not great. Granderson has plenty going for his game, but that doesn't mean Jackson might not turn out to be better. If Jackson is to be dealt it should be for a higher rated position player or a top notch starter (i.e. Roy Halladay).

Brian Cashman told the Bergen Record's Pete Caldera that pitching is still the Yankees top priority this off-season. That includes looking to re-sign Andy Pettitte, reportedly for around $10 million.

Short time Yankee Ivan Rodriguez agreed to a 2-yr, $6 million deal with the Washington Nationals. The future Hall of Fame catcher didn't find a taker last season until the Astros scooped him up in mid-March.

The Cardinals inked righty Brad Penny to a 1-yr, $7 million contract. Penny, who spent this past season with the Red Sox and Giants, could earn an additional $2 million in incentives. By signing Penny, it's also thought the Cards will not bring back John Smoltz.

American Idle himself, Carl Pavano has agreed to arbitration and will stay with the Minnesota Twins. Pavano had a resurgence last year with the Indians before being dealt at the deadline to Minny.

The Tigers re-signed shortstop Adam Everett to a 1-yr, $1.5 mill deal.

No suprise in Houston where Astros' closer Jose Valverde turned down arbitration in search of a much bigger deal. The Braves were surprised though that Rafael Soriano took them up on arbitration. Meanwhile lefty Mike Gonzalez said no thanks.

Clobberin' Time

Recap for Baseball Digest

Yankees Make a Statement in Fenway

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Alex Rodriguez • andy pettitte • brad penny • hideki matsui • Mark Teixeira • Michael Bowden • Yankees 8/21 recap • Yankees vs. Red Sox

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	2	4	0	0	6	3	1	0	4		20	23	1
Boston	1	0	0	0	3	3	0	0	4		11	12	1

WP - Pettitte (10-6) LP - Penny (7-8)

No matter how well the Yankees played during stretches of first half of the season, there was the constant reminder that they were 0-8 against the Boston Red Sox. Part of playing the best baseball in the majors since the All-Star break has been exorcising those demons. The Yankees, back in Fenway Park for the first time since June 11, were determined to show the Red Sox and their “nation” that the recent 4-game sweep at Yankee Stadium was no fluke. The Yankees were successful in making a statement and then some, pounding out 23 hits in a 20-11 thrashing of Boston.

While Joe Girardi most definitely will not point to this game as a good example of good pitching, defense, or base running, he can proudly look back at the way his lineup dismantled starter Brad Penny and the Boston bullpen. Chief among the batterers was Hideki Matsui, who hit a pair of 3-run home runs and drove in 7 runs.

Andy Pettitte settled into the game after allowing a first inning run, but lost his command after the long 6-run 5th inning that put the Yankees on top 12-1. Thanks in part to a poor job by Brian Bruney of keeping inherited runners on base, Pettitte was charged with 7 runs (5 earned) in 5 innings. It was still good enough to give him 10 wins, tying him with A.J. Burnett for second best on the ball club.

But this game was all about hitting. Already up 4-1, the Yankees blew it open against Penny and rookie Michael Bowden in the 5th. Terry Francona pulled Penny after he gave up back to back singles to Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, but things only got worse. Matsui drilled a long 3-run home run off Bowden into the Boston bullpen in right-center for a 9-1 lead.

Jorge Posada followed with a walk, moved to 2nd on a wild pitch, and scored on Robinson Cano’s double. After moving to 3rd on a ground out, Cano came home on Melky Cabrera’s RBI single to push the Yankees advantage to 11-1. Teixeira’s second single of the inning provided the inning’s final run.

Boston jumped on Pettitte to cut the margin to 12-4, but the Yankees answered right back with three of their own runs to go back up 15-4. That’s when some life returned toFenway. The Sox cut the margin to 15-6 in the bottom of the 6th and had the bases loaded with no one out against Bruney. But newly re-acquired shortstop Alex Gonzalez bounced into a run producing 6-4-3 double play that let the air back out of the balloon.

Game Notes

Derek Jeter added yet another 3-hit game to his hot streak. He’s now batting .333 overall and a gaudy (no relation to Chad) .434 against left-handers.

After 31 runs and four hours of baseball, WABC radio’s John Sterling must have been exhausted. He sounded like a runner that just completed the New York City marathon when he said his patented “The Yankees Win” phrase to end the ball game.

From the Elias Sports Bureau - the 31 runs were the most combined in a Yankees-Red Sox game. The 20 runs was the 3rd most the Yankees have scored against Boston.

Johnny Damon will be out of the starting lineup on Saturday and possibly Sunday after fouling a ball off his knee last night.

The series continues this afternoon with A.J. Burnett facing Junichi Tazawa, who gave up the 15 inning game winner to Alex Rodriguez on August 7.

Fenway Failure

Yankees in Fenway - Fail

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: al aceves • Alex Rodriguez • brad penny • cc sabathia • dustin pedroia • Jason Bay • Jonathan • Kevin Youkilis • melky cabrera • Mike Lowell • Papelbon • Yankees 6/11 recap • Yankees vs. Red Sox

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0		3	10	1
Boston	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	X		4	8	0

WP - Saito (1-0) SV - Papelbon (16) LP - Sabathia (5-4)

When Nick Green singled off CC Sabathia to start the 8th inning last night, an ominous sense came over me. The feeling got stronger when Sabathia couldn’t put away Dustin Pedroia, after being ahead of him 1-2, and ended up walking him in a 10-pitch at-bat. The feeling became overwhelming when Joe Girardi left an obviously cooked Sabathia in the game. The end result was a 4-3 Red Sox win and a 2-game Sox lead in the AL East. It also gave Boston victories in all eight games the two teams have played this season.

The Yankees had rallied from a one run deficit to take a 3-1 lead in the 7th. Francisco Cervelli doubled down the left field line to score Melky Cabrera from first base with the tying run. Four batters later Alex Rodriguez ripped a 2-run double to the gap in left-center off Manny DelCarmen to give the Bombers their only lead of the night.

But things fell apart for Sabathia in the 8th. He had pitched an outstanding game, having just allowed a solo home run to David Ortiz (Yes, Papi did take a curtain call) in the 2nd inning. But as YES announcer John Flaherty prematurely praised Sabathia’s game, things went to pieces for the big left-hander. After Green and Pedroia walked, Sabathia hung an 0-1 breaking pitch to J.D. Drew. The right fielder laced it into center field for a run scoring single to cut the Sox deficit to one. Girardi finally pulled his starter after 123 pitches and sent for the normally reliable Al Aceves. He was anything but reliable last night.

Kevin Youkilis greeted Aceves will a soft single to right to load the bases with no one out and Jason Bay followed with a line drive to left that short hopped Johnny Damon for a game tying single. The Yankees lack of arms in the outfield hurt them on the very next play when Mike Lowell lofted a fly ball to medium left-center field. Take your pick, center fielder Brett Gardner or the even weaker armed Damon. Gardner made the catch and made a throw that was nowhere near home plate nor had any zip on it.

Just like that, Boston had the lead back. Jonathan Papelbon retired the side in order in the 9th, with Mark Teixeira making the only noise- a line out to Youkilis to end the game.

Game Notes

Red Sox’ starter Brad Penny hit Alex Rodriguez in the lower back with a pitch in the 1st inning. After all four umpires conferred, both sides were given a warning. If the umpires felt Penny had purposely thrown at A-Rod he should have been tossed from the game. Otherwise, no warning should have been issued until the Yankees had the chance for some payback.

Nick Swisher deserves to be benched for tonight’s opener with the Mets. One night after being doubled off first base on a soft liner hit right in front of him, Swisher was doubled off second base on a fly ball to the wall in left. Both plays killed potential rallies.

Chien-Ming Wang will get one more start and Girardi will take things from there. The Wanger is set to face the Florida Marlins on Wednesday.

The current Red Sox joined the 1912 Red Sox and 1990 A’s as the only teams to win their first eight games in a season against the Yankees.

The first part of the Subway Series starts tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Mets are coming off a series loss to their division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Monday Morning Shortstop

Yeah, it's a lame spoof of Monday Morning Quarterback, but we're tired and we don't care.

Penny for Your Thoughts
It's not official yet, but it appears the Red Sox have added Brad Penny to their starting rotation. That would give them a first four of Josh Beckett, Dice-K, Jon Lester, and Penny. Tim Wakefield has the number five spot at the moment, with Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson as additional options.

Penny was injured for most of 2007, finishing 6-9, 6.27. His performance came on the heels of a 16-win season in 2006. He was also a member of the world champion Marlins in 2003. He's expected to get a 1 year, $5 million deal.

The Red Sox also brought back catcher Josh Bard, whom they dealt in 2006 to get Wakefield's personal catcher, Doug Mirabelli, back from the Padres.

On the Air

The MLB Network kicks off on January 1, including a rebroadcast of Don Larsen's perfect World Series game. Network CEO Tony Pettiti tells us all about the new channel.

These Pirates are in Pittsburgh

Major league sports used to worry about pieces of content (clips, videos...) being ripped off. Now pirating of broadcasts is a full-blown concern.

Have a Nice Day

Bon Jovi is being sued by a guy who claims they ripped him
off their baseball promo song, "I love this town".

The Original Rocket
A new book documents the story of Ron Necciai, who struck 27 batters for the Bristol Twins in a 1952 Class 'D' game.

Monday Morning Shortstop

Yeah, it's a lame spoof of Monday Morning Quarterback, but we're tired and we don't care.

Penny for Your Thoughts
It's not official yet, but it appears the Red Sox have added Brad Penny to their starting rotation. That would give them a first four of Josh Beckett, Dice-K, Jon Lester, and Penny. Tim Wakefield has the number five spot at the moment, with Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson as additional options.

Penny was injured for most of 2007, finishing 6-9, 6.27. His performance came on the heels of a 16-win season in 2006. He was also a member of the world champion Marlins in 2003. He's expected to get a 1 year, $5 million deal.

The Red Sox also brought back catcher Josh Bard, whom they dealt in 2006 to get Wakefield's personal catcher, Doug Mirabelli, back from the Padres.

On the Air

The MLB Network kicks off on January 1, including a rebroadcast of Don Larsen's perfect World Series game. Network CEO Tony Pettiti tells us all about the new channel.

These Pirates are in Pittsburgh

Major league sports used to worry about pieces of content (clips, videos...) being ripped off. Now pirating of broadcasts is a full-blown concern.

Have a Nice Day

Bon Jovi is being sued by a guy who claims they ripped him
off their baseball promo song, "I love this town".

The Original Rocket
A new book documents the story of Ron Necciai, who struck 27 batters for the Bristol Twins in a 1952 Class 'D' game.