Wang Headed to Toronto

Chien-Ming Wang is headed back to the Major Leagues according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. The Yankees signed their former two time 19-game winner prior to this season and assigned him to the minor leaguers. Wang's deal had a number of target dates that gave him the opportunity to leave the organization if the Yankees didn't call him up from Scranton. That day has come.

Wang was offered a Major League deal by the Toronto Blue Jays and will be the team's starting pitcher when the team faces the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday.

Wang was 4-4, 2.33 in nine starts, but his trademark, hard biting sinker was only clocked in the 88-90 mph range instead of the 93-95 he used to throw.  Rookie Vidal Nuno's success and the possible return of Michael Pineda made Wang expendable.

Good luck to the Wanger, one of my favorite Yankees of the last decade.

Decision Day 2 For Chien-Ming Wang

"What to do..what to do."

The Yankees saw the best of Chien-Ming Wang when he won 19 games in back-to-back seasons for them from 2006-2007. He was on his way to another fine season (8-2, 4.07) when he ruptured the Lisfranc ligament in his foot running the bases during a 2008 interleague game against the Houston Astros. Shoulder problems and surgery followed and Wang missed the entire 2010 season.

After two years with the Washington Nationals organization, Wang returned to the Bronx Bombers, but with a clause in his contract that allows the 33-year old to become a free agent today at five different points in the season. May 31 is the second of those selected dates (He chose not to opt out at his first chance.). It might not be a tough decision this time around since the Yankees haven't called up their former Cy Young Award candidate despite injuries to starters Andy Pettitte and Ivan Nova. Brian Cashman recently told the NY Daily News his reasons for not giving Wang a call up.

“He’s pitching some good games but he’s not a candidate for this. He’s not the power sinker he used to be, but we believe he needs to mix in more of his breaking balls to have the type of success necessary to pitch up here consistently,” Cashman said in reference to possible roster replacements when Joba Chamberlain was DL'ed due to a strained oblique.

“He’s becoming a different type of pitcher now because he can’t come up here and just sink that sinker every pitch. He needs to incorporate some of his pitches in there and mix and match because he’s that reduced in velocity,” 

Wang is 3-4, 2.65 in eight starts for the Triple-A Scranton RailRiders. He's put together a 1.176 WHIP in 51 innings with 23 strikeouts and 9 walks. He's allowed just two home runs and is coming off his best start of the season in which he tossed seven shutout innings and allowed only two hits. His ground out to air out ratio of 2.12 is not much different than his seasons in the Major Leagues.

According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo there are six teams interested in the Wanger's services. The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly reported that the Orioles are one of the teams.

If Wang stays on, he can still opt out at the end of June, August 10, and August 31.

Return of the Wanger?

Chien-Ming Wang quickly became one of my favorite Yankees after his recall from the minors in 2005. His 8-5, 4.02 performance helped the Yankees win the AL East over Boston in a race that went down to the wire. Back-to-back 19 win seasons followed, but then so did injuries and the unemployment line beckoned this winter.

Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal reported that Wang is worked out for the Yankees' scouts Wednesday morning in a move that could lead Wang back to the pinstripes. Interest grew after Wang was scouted over the last month and pitched Chinese Taipei (6 shutout innings) to a victory over Australia in the World Baseball Classic.

Wang's woes began in 2008 when he tore the Lisfranc ligament in his right foot and missed the final 3 1/2 months of the season. He was 8-2, 4.08 at the time of the injury, which was especially aggravating  since it occurred during interleague play while Wang ran the bases. It's no secret that the loss of Wang contributed to the Yankees missing out on the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Something was wrong from the get-go when Wang returned in 2009. His hard biting sinker was missing its sting and he was hammered by the Yankees' opponents. Wang would finish 1-6, 9.64 in 12 games (9 starts), but none of that mattered compared to the pain in Wang's right shoulder. Initially diagnosed as a strain, Wang underwent surgery in July, 2009 for a torn capsule in the shoulder.

Elbow surgery was once thought of as career ending, but the advent of Tommy John surgery turned that prognosis upside down. Shoulder surgeries are another matter though - ask Michael Pineda how worried he is about the future of his career. Wang missed the entire 2010 season, but signed with the Washington Nationals prior to the following season.

The "Wanger" returned to the Majors on July 29, 2011, exactly two years to the day after his surgery. The Mets knocked him around in four innings, but Wang's shoulder passed the test. He finished 4-3, 4.04 in 11 starts and had the second best WHIP (1.283) of his career.

Wang's 2012 season didn't go too smoothly; a bad hamstring and strained hip limited him to five starts and five relief appearances, and no new contract this winter. The Wanger is hoping that changes shortly, maybe in a return to the pinstripes.

BD Spring Training Report: NL To The DL | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: NL To The DL | Baseball Digest

Yesterday the Spring Training Report took a look at the injury situation in the American League. Today we take a look at who’s hurtin’ for certain in the National League.

NL East

Atlanta: Superstar-in-the-making Jason Heyward returned to the Braves’ lineup yesterday after sitting out the the last four games due to a sore back. Heyward saw a specialist on Wednesday for further evaluation. “He told me it’s bone structure vs. muscle or anything like that, nothing to be torn,” said Heyward, who hasn’t played since his back stiffened Saturday in batting practice, a scheduled day off for him. “If I can’t tear anything or do anything worse, I’ll play, and that’s what I told Fredi (Gonzalez).”

Florida: The Marlins may have a makeshift outfield in their lineup on opening day. Another superstar in the making, Mike Stanton, has yet to play in a spring game after injuring his quad in an exhibition game against the U. of Miami. While he has taken some at-bats in minor league games, he’s been replaced by a pinch-runner each time he gets on base. On Thursday, Chris Coghlan was sidelined with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. Manager Edwin Rodriguez has not ruled out Coghlan starting the season on the DL.

Free agent pitcher Javier Vazquez was scratched from a Tuesday start due to elbow soreness, but threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and felt fine afterwards. He’s scheduled to start against St. Louis tomorrow. Fellow starter Anibal Sanchez is expected to pitch in Sunday’s game after being out since March 10 after a comebacker bruised his shin. Their potential battery mate, John Baker, is day-to-day with a muscle strain near his right throwing elbow. He can swing the bat, but so far he has been prohibited from throwing.

New York: Things have been rough in Metsville and they may get rougher. Reports surfaced this week that ace Johan Santana was behind schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery. The Mets have denied the report, which specifically stated that Santana’s bullpen sessions were not going as planned. Whatever the case, Santana will be on the DL (as expected) to start the season. Carlos Beltran has been slowed by left knee tendinitis and might start the season on the DL. GM Sandy Alderson is contemplating not having Beltran play any additional spring games so that the DL time can be backdated.

Philadelphia: All-Star 2nd baseman Chase Utley continues to be bothered by patellar tendinitis andchondromalacia in his right knee and sought out assistance from a specialist on Thursday. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is hoping Utley can avoid surgery. “We’re doing everything we possibly can to have him not get into a surgery,” Amaro said. “Until we stop seeing progress, then we’ll continue to exhaust all those possibilities.”

Third baseman Placido Polanco had to leave Wednesday’s game after hyperextending the same elbow he had surgery on in November. He’s expected to be back in the lineup in a few days. Closer Brad Lidge is day-to-day with muscle soreness in his right bicep, but Amaro is not worried since Lidge has already thrown a good number of innings. Finally, prospect Domonic Brown was lost for the season after he broke the hamate bone in his right hand and underwent surgery.

Washington: Chien-Ming Wang continues to try to come back from 2009 shoulder surgery. He’s been limited to a pair of bullpen sessions, including one this past Tuesday, so the Nationals have not been able to set a timetable for his return. 3rd baseman Ryan Zimmerman strained his groin on Monday and has sat out since. He’s expected to return to action next week and said he would have played had it been during the regular season.

NL Central

Chicago: Angel Guzman will miss the start of the season and won’t be back until mid-April at the earliest, as he recovers from a tear in his throwing shoulder.

Cincinnati: Johnny Cueto had to leave his start last Friday with stiffness in his right bicep, but after having a throwing session yesterday, he’s expected to return to the mound on Saturday.

Houston: Earlier this month, the Astros lost their starting catcher, Juan Castro, for the year with torn ligaments in his knee. Infielder Jeff Keppinger is no longer hampered by the walking boot he’s been wearing since he underwent foot surgery to remove the sesamoid bone in his left foot. He’s hoping to be back in the Astros lineup in mid-May. Wandy Rodriguez, who signed a new deal this winter, has been bothered by shoulder tendinitis and was scratched from his last start. But the right-hander threw a side session this morning and is good to go.

Milwaukee: The Brewers were hoping to get off to a good start with their 1-2-3 punch of Zack Greinke,Shaun Marcum, and Yovanni Gallardo, but Greinke injured his ribs playing pick up basketball and is out until mid-April. Outfielder Corey Hart may miss opening day due to a strained rib cage. He took swings off a batting tee on Tuesday, but still doesn’t feel right. ”It’s still not coming as fast as I want it to,” Hart said. “It won’t go away. I still can’t go full-speed on anything. Hitting off the tee is fine, but I can’t amp it up the way I know I can. I can throw, but as soon as I have to do a quick move or let it go, it kills.” Catcher Jonathan Lucroy may or may not be ready to catch on opening day. He’ll undergo surgery on Monday to remove pins that were placed in his hand when he broke his pinky finger during a catching drill back in February.

Pittsburgh: Reliever Joe Beimel has been out since early March with pain in his left forearm, but has been cleared to pitch against the Orioles this coming Monday. Catcher Ryan Doumit has missed a week with a strained oblique, but is expected to be back in the lineup today.

St. Louis: Utility infielder Nick Punto underwent surgery in February for a sports hernia and is out until at least mid-April. The Cardinals’ most devastating injury was, of course, losing starter Adam Wainwright to Tommy John surgery.

NL West

Arizona: Infielder Geoff Blum will miss a few days with a swollen right knee that he strained earlier in the week. Zach Duke, who was competing for the #5 spot in the rotation, is out until May after a line drive broke two bones in his pitching hand.

Colorado: Aaron Cook was already starting the season on the DL due to shoulder inflammation, but then slammed and broke his finger in a car door and is out until May. 3rd baseman Ian Stewart is day-to-day with a sprained right knee. Eric Young Jr. is back competing for the utility position after sitting out all spring with a broken tibia.

Los Angeles: The Dodgers were expected to be competitive because of their starting pitching, but have suffered two injuries already. Jon Garland is out until mid-April with a strained oblique, and Vicente Padilla is lost until late April/early May with forearm surgery.

San Diego: Outfielder Kyle Banks returned from a 10-month absence after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he served as the DH on Monday. He is a certainty to start the season on the DL. Starter Tim Stauffer is still hurting from a strained hip flexor and missed his scheduled start today. He’s listed as day-to- day. Southpaw Joe Thatcher was scheduled to undergo an MRI today on his ailing left shoulder. Thatcher hasn’t appeared in a game this spring and is headed to the DL as well.

San Francisco: Starter Matt Cain returned from a nearly two-week absence caused by elbow inflammation to throw three scoreless innings on Monday. Just like their AL counterparts, the defending NL pennant (and World Series) champions are in good shape to start the season.

BD Spring Training Report: Twins “Liri” To Deal Francisco | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Twins “Liri” To Deal Francisco | Baseball Digest

Trade rumors concerning Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano began at the trade deadline last season, continued throughout the hot stove season, and are still being bandied about during spring training. The latest chatter has the New York Yankees inquiring about the left-handed starter with big time potential and a surgically repaired elbow.

First reported by USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale on Jim Bowden’s radio show, Brian Cashman reportedly contacted Twins’ GM Bill Smith about Liriano’s availability. Later reports had a rumored Yankees offer of pitching prospect Ivan Nova and light hitting/good glove infielder Ramiro Pena. Needless to say, rumored or real, the Twins would not ship Liriano for that minor of a package.

Both teams should be wary of how they proceed. Liriano underwent Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss all of 2007 and limited him to 76 innings in 2008. Liriano struggled mightily in 2009 as he tried to regain his form- he pitched to a nearly 6 ERA and allowed 21 home runs. Last season, Liriano finally started to look like the 2006 version of himself. He averaged over nine strikeouts per nine innings, recorded a 3.62 ERA, and allowed less than a hit per inning.

But there are some details that should be pointed out. First, Liriano threw a career-high 191-2/3 innings (nearly 55 innings more than his prior top innings count) and seemed to wear out in September. His post-season performance against the Yankees was nothing to write home about either (5.2 IP 4 ER 6 H 3 BB 7 K). And his regular season ERA was more than a full point higher on the road than in his spacious home ballpark (Target Field).

Liriano complained of shoulder soreness and a tired arm shortly after reporting to spring training a few weeks ago and his initial bullpen sessions were cancelled. Manager Ron Gardenhire downplayed it as tendinitis, but the Twins have to be concerned about their pitcher with the nastiest selection of pitches. Part of the reason for the early spring issues was that Liriano did not consistently do his off-season strengthening exercises. As Scott Miller of CBS Sports pointed out, that showed a lack of maturity.

There is talk that Minnesota will wait until the July trade deadline gets closer to have a better gauge of the market (Minnesota has Liriano under control for another season, so they may not be in a rush to do anything as well), but if the Twins do move Liriano, they are better off moving him sooner rather than later. Shoulder injuries and any necessary surgeries are much trickier and take longer to come back from than elbow injuries. Liriano’s shoulder may not be a serious issue at all, but buyers should beware of what they may be purchasing/giving up prospects for in return for the 27-yr old.

The Washington Nationals should finally get a look at Chien-Ming Wang on a mound. The Taiwanese hero and two-time 19 game winner with the New York Yankees is scheduled to pitch in a minor league intrasquad game on Friday. Not so good news for his teammate Cla Meredith who will have to undergo Tommy John surgery today.

Twins beat writer Joe Christensen tweeted this morning that Justin Morneau is making progress in his recovery from concussion symptoms, but was still not cleared by doctors on Tuesday to participate in any exhibition games.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett who took a baseball to the head and suffered a mild concussion on Monday has been cleared to resume baseball activities.

Scott Boras has one less big name client- Mark Teixeira. There was no reason given for the dismissal.

Indians GM Chris Antonetti told the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes that he does not expect outfielder Grady Sizemore to be ready for opening day (April 1). “It’s still a possibility,” said Antonetti. “But I’d say it’s less likely than more likely that he’ll be ready for the start of the season. We’re hopeful it will still be near the start of the season. Whether that’s a few days or a few weeks, we just don’t know yet.”

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos assured fans that GM Andy MacPhail is “…not going anywhere.” MacPhail’s contract expires at the end of the 2011 season. “Andy and Buck [Showalter] are a great combination,” Angelos told the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck.

The Wanger is Non-Tendered

Sunkia, Wanger

Written for Baseball Digest Online

The Chien-Ming Wang era has come to a close in the Bronx. The two time 19-game winner, injured for much of the past two seasons, was non-tendered by the Yankees today. Wang was arbitration eligible and stood to make decent coin despite the fact he was 1-6, 9.64 in 2009 before having season ending shoulder surgery.

Wang’s agent Alan Nero expects The Wanger to be ready by opening day, but a more realistic return would be between May and June. The Yankees could still bring Wang back with a minor league contract, but Nero will definitely explore other options (by the way, Sunkia is goodbye in Taiwanese).

Newsday’s Ken Davidoff feels that Joe Torre’s LA Dodgers may be a natural fit. The drawback there, of course, would be that Wang would have to bat. He started just 15 games in 2008 due a season ending Lisfranc injury he suffered during interleague play.

Wang helped turn the Yankees season around in 2005, when he went 8-5 in 18 games after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus. He was then an integral part of pennant contending teams the following two seasons when he went a combined 38-12 and average 208 innings pitched.

Arm bashers look out

Shelley Duncan is coming back up to the Yankees. The Yankees needed a position player with the injury to Brett Gardner and Dunc is the man. No word on corresponding roster move, but it will be a pitcher sent down (Albaladejo yet again?).

Chien-Ming Wang can be moved to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Duncan.

Time for Yankees to Shop Until They Drop

The time has come for the Yankees to start seriously shopping, if they haven't already, for a starting pitcher. Brian Cashman confirmed to reporters this week that Joba Chamberlain will have his innings monitored for the remainder of the season. Though Cashman would not specify, it's thought that Chamberlain will not exceed 160 innings pitched this season. That leaves him with about 65 for the rest of the year, or approximately as little as 10 starts if he averages 6 innings per start.

With Chien-Ming Wang's shoulder getting no better and Phil Hughes ensconced as the key set up man in the pen, the Yankees are now in desperate need for a starter. Yes, I said desperate, but that doesn't mean make a stupid move to get said starter. Face facts, Sergio Mitre is not the answer. He might have been had Wang been healthy and productive, but neither is the case.

Andy Pettitte is coming off a good start, but as we've seen this season, he's been more often bad than good. Mostly mediocre probably sums it up best. The Yankees cannot just rely on CCSabathia and A.J. Burnett to carry them the rest of the way. The Yankees need to add a starter who can give them some innings and keep them in ball games. Better yet if he can win some games.

The Yankees are reportedly taking a look at Cleveland's Cliff Lee, but Indians want Joba or Hughes, and Cashman isn't going for that. The Reds have Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, but neither is consistently stellar. I've "pitched" for Harang here, but there's no question his contract is a hang up (or is that a harang up?). The Yankees shouldn't pay out his full $12.5 million for next year.

Roy Halladay? That's just a pipe dream. The Yankees can't mortgage as much of the future as the Blue Jays would like them to. Plus teams like the Phillies have prospects who can make a more immediate impact.

But the name I really am pushing for is a name Ihave not heard mentioned in trade rumors, and I don't even know if he's available. I am talking about Kansas City's Gil Meche. The right-hander, who is currently on the DL with back spasms, has two years remaining on a 5-yrs, $55 million deal. Meche has struggled this season, but threw more than 200 innings in his first two years in KC and had a sub-4.00 ERA, while posting a 23-24 mark.

The Royals have lost 9 straight and are in last place in the AL Central. Things won't be turning around any time soon. Obviously, the Royals want to remain competitive in the coming years, andMeche's contract is not that bad by today's standards. But if the Yankees are willing to pick up the rest of this season and the next two years,Meche may come at a reasonable asking price from KC. Perhaps a package that includes one of the Yankees minor league catchers ( Austin Romine?), Ramiro Pena or Eduardo Nunez, and a minor league pitcher (or two).

Update: Just to clarify, Meche is on the DL and won't be activated until after the trade deadline. Which means the Yankees have to make a trade for a player to be named (Meche) or have the Comish approve it.

Update of the Update: Okay, turns out Meche is actually eligible to come off the DL on Monday, the 27th.

Fix This Broken Wang

Bad news from NY Times' Yankees beat writer Tyler Kepner on his Twitter account - Chien-Ming Wang felt tenderness in shoulder today while playing catch. It's the first time Wang has thrown since being placed on the DL July 5 with shoulder soreness.

1st Half Ends With a Thud

As I've said before, just one you start feeling good about this team, they get derailed and have an awful series like the one just completed in Anaheim. The Yankees dropped the finale on Sunday because of a poor outing by CC Sabathia and a lack of clutch hitting (how many times has that phrase been used?).

Yesterday's game was a prime example of what's wrong with this team right now and what has plagued them all year. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett cannot be expected to throw gems every time out, so it's a major issue when the back end of the rotation struggles.

Joba Chamberlain is pitching very poorly right now and not accepting it either. His post-game words sound a lot like the dillusional, immature statements Ian Kennedy said last year.

Andy Pettitte has not been the same since he tweaked his back. He's allowed 4 or more earned runs in 8 of his 14 starts since May 1 (5.49 ERA sine then).

Chien-Ming Wang has been hurt and/or ineffective all season. He'll be out at least a month, which means tryouts are underway. Al Aceves was ineffective in his one start and the Yankees prefer to use him in the bullpen, especially if Chamberlain and Pettitte aren't giving the team innings.

Sergio Mitre is likely to get a shot. He's gone 3-1, 2.40 in 7 starts at Scranton and has averaged better than 6 innings a start. The 27-yr old right-hander has shown promise in the past with both the Cubs and Marlins (he played for Joe Girardi), but he does hold a 5.36 career ERA. He also served a 50 game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs.

Josh Towers would be another option, but his stuff isn't as good as Mitre's. The Yankees can't afford to move Phil Hughes out of the bullpen (unless a quality reliever is acquired), which means a deal for a starter would be another option. Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Doug Davis, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Tallet, Brian Moehler are among the mediocrity that is probably available.


The Yankees lack of clutch hitting is another matter that won't be addressed with a trade. Guys just need to step up. Girardi said that the outfield will be a mix the rest of the way. Sounds like Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Nick Swisher may see more bench time with Eric Hinske getting more at-bats. Despite his home run total this year and pretty good offense, Damon has solidified my position that there is no way he should be in Pinstripes next year. His outfield play has been atrocious bordering on comical. And as much I love Godzilla, this has to be his last year in Pinstripes as well.

I think they Yankees would still benefit from a bat that is better all-around hitter than Hinske. The Yankees can hit solo home runs with the best of them, but trying in that runner from third with less than two outs is far from being their specialty.

So, what do you think? Take our new poll, "What's the Yankees immediate need".

Alfredo on the Spot

It's official- Alfredo Aceves will take Chien-Ming Wang's spot in the rotation, at least for one day any way, on Thursday
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With Wang on the DL, it was originally thought the Yankees would turn to one of their Triple-A pitchers, perhaps Sergio Mitre or Josh Towers, both of whom have major league experience. But Aceves' 4-inning performance on Sunday helped Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman go in another direction.

Aceves is 5-1, 2.02 in 21 relief appearances this season. In 40 innings, he has struck out 34 and walked just 7.

Aceves in the Mix for Wang Spot

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, manager Joe Girardi admitted yesterday that Al Aceves is being considered for Chien-Ming Wang's spot in the rotation. Aceves gave his cause a boost yesterday with four scoreless innings against the Blue Jays to earn his first major league save.

Initial reports had Wang not missing more than 15 days, but the latest info has Wang not even picking up a baseball for 12 days. Translation - he might not be back until well after the All-Star break.

Aceves has been a big find for the Yankees after they plucked him out of the Mexican League prior to last season. Aceves was 1-0, 2.74 in 4 starts last year for the Yankees and has been a God send out of the pen this year. In 21 games (40 IP), he's gone 5-1, 2.02 with a 34/7 strikeout to walk ratio.

The other options for Girardi are Scranton starters Sergio Mitre and Josh Towers, with Towers currently lined up to throw on the same day (Thursday) that Wang's spot is due up. Girardi also re-iterated that Phil Hughes is NOT an option.

Yankees Come Back Again

Jeter Blast Gives Yankees Weekend Sweep

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Aaron Hill • Adam Lind • All-Star team • chien-ming wang • Derek Jeter • hideki matsui • joba chamberlain • Jorge Posada • Mark Teixeira • Roy Halladay • Yankees 7/4 recap • Yankees 7/5 recap • Yankees vs. Blue Jays

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Toronto	0	0	3	5	0	0	0	0	0		8	12	1
NY Yankees	2	2	0	3	3	0	0	0	X		10	14	2

WP - Albaladejo (3-1) SV - Aceves (1) LP - Ryan (1-1)

The holiday weekend saw plenty of fireworks at the new Yankee Stadium as the Yankees pulled off a pair of come from behind wins. Derek Jeter celebrated his election to his 10th All-Star game with a 2-run home run as the Yankees overcame an 8-4 deficit and beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-8 this afternoon. The victory came on the heels of Saturday’s 6-5 comeback win against Roy Halladay.

The Yankees jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Joba Chamberlain was tagged for three runs, including an Adam Lind home run, in the 3rd inning and four more runs in the 4th. Cody Ransom, filling in at third base for Alex Rodriguez, committed an error to extend the inning. The Blue Jays took advantage of the mistake and took the lead on RBI singles by Raul Chavez and Marco Scutaro, and a 2-run home run by Aaron Hill.

But the Yankees came right back against shaky rookie starter Brett Cecil (scheduled starter Scott Richmond was placed on the DL with shoulder tendinits) and the Blue Jays bullpen. Hideki Matsui’s 3-run shot off Cecil cut the Yankees deficit to one in the bottom of the 4th and an inning later, Jeter took B.J. Ryan deep with a man aboard to put the Bombers back in front. Jorge Posada, who had the game winning hit on July 4th, added some insurance with an RBI double later in the inning.

The Yankees bullpen, which has been much improved of late, got stellar efforts from Jonathan Albaladejo, who earned the win, and Al Aceves. Aceves picked up his first major league save with four scoreless innings of work.

Game Notes

As expected, Chien-Ming Wang was placed on the 15-Day DL with a shoulder strain and bursitis. It’s not considered serious and the Yankees believe Wang could be back when he’s eligible to be activated. Albaladejo took his spot on the active roster.

The Yankees may not like facing Roy Halladay, but Johnny Damon loves too. The Yankees left-fielder tied Saturday’s game 5-5 with a 2-run shot off the Blue Jays ace. It gave Damon a .349 (30-86) average against Halladay with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 11 walks.

Robinson Cano had a miserable Saturday, going 0-6 with 10 men left on base. On top of that he missed a sign in the 9th inning. With 2 men aboard and a 3-0 count, Cano was supposed to take a pitch. Instead, he bunted into a force out.

In addition to Jeter, Mark Teixeira beat out Kevin Youkilis in the voting as the AL’s All-Star starting 1st baseman and Mariano Rivera was added to the team’s pitching staff.

The Yankees go for a sweep of the 4-game series of Toronto on Monday (1:05 p.m. ET) when Andy Pettitte faces fellow left-hander Ricky Romero.

Mo Saves 500th

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		4	4	0
NY Mets	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0		2	5	0

Mariano Rivera earned his 500th career save tonight in the Yankees 4-2 win over the New York Mets. Making it even more memorable was the first career RBI of Rivera's illustrious career.

Francisco Rodriguez walked Rivera with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 9th for a big insurance run. Rivera came on in the 8th inning to strike out Omir Santos with two men aboard and then picked up his milestone stay by retiring Alex Cora on a game ending ground out to Robinson Cano.

The save also preserved Chien-Ming Wang's first victory of the season. Rivera becomes just the second player in major league history, along with Trevor Hoffman, to earn 500 saves.

Box Score

Yankees Go Cold in Hot-lanta

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Alex Rodriguez • Atlanta Braves • brian mccann • chien-ming wang • chipper jones • Derek Jeter • Interleague Play • Phil Hughes • tommy hanson • Yankees 6/23 recap • Yankees vs. Braves

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

WP - Hanson (3-0) LP - Wang (0-6)

The Yankees hitting woes continued tonight, as the punch-less Bombers dropped the opener of their 3-game series with the Atlanta Braves, 4-0. New York had a number of opportunities in the early innings against Braves rookie starter Tommy Hanson, but couldn’t manage to come up with a clutch hit. Hanson and the Braves bullpen didn’t allow a hit over the final 3 2-3 innings.

Chien-Ming Wang continued his improvement, but was tagged for three runs in the 3rd inning and the loss. After a pair of strikeouts to start the frame, Wang gave up a single to Yuniel Escobar and walked Chipper Jones. Brian McCann followed with an RBI double and Garrett Anderson brought home two more runs...

Read the rest of my recap at Baseball Digest Online.

Wang Remains in Rotation

Joe Girardi told reporters this afternoon that Chien-Ming Wang will remain in the rotation. Girardi watched a replay of last night's game to get a better idea of Wang's performance.

"I thought he threw some really good sinkers," Girardi said. "His slider was really good last night. He mixed his pitches well. I thought he threw the ball pretty well. I just wanted to watch it on video to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing."

"As I've said all along, this guy has won a lot of games and I don't think you forget how to pitch," Girardi said. "You do have struggles. This game is a game where you're going to struggle from time to time, and you have to find a way to fight your way out of those struggles."

Wang's ERA dropped to a season low 12.65.

Pesky Nats Nip Yankees

Yankees Comeback Thwarted in 9th

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: adam dunn • Alex Rodriguez • Derek Jeter • Interleague Play • john lannan • Johnny Damon • Nick Johnson • Robinson Cano • Yankees 6/17 recap • Yankees vs. Nationals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Washington	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0		3	7	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1		2	4	0

WP - Lannan (4-5) SV - MacDougal (1) LP - Wang (0-5)

Robinson Cano had a marvelous day and night on Tuesday and was looking to repeat his feat as hero in last night’s Yankees game. Down 3-2 to in the 9th to the Washington Nationals, the Yankees had runners on the corners with one out and the hot Cano at the plate. He had a great at-bat against hard throwing Mike MacDougal, fouling off one pitch after another, but ultimately McDougal won the battle. Cano bounced into a game ending 6-4-3 double play, much to the chagrin of the 46,000+ in attendance. The loss also left the Yankees with a split of the first two games of a three game series with the worst team in baseball.

New papa Chien-Ming Wang took the hill for the Yankees with the weight of his pitching future resting squarely on his shoulders. He showed some improvement - allowed 3 runs in 5 innings, his longest start of the season - but didn’t have his best velocity and still left pitches in the hitting zone. As MLB Network Studio Analyst (and YES announcer) Al Leiter pointed out afterwards, Wang was still not coming over the top on his pitches, causing his sinker to tail rather than dart down. One of this pitches was ripped by former Yankee Nick Johnson to the gap in left-center and just out of the reach of a diving Melky Cabrera in the 5th inning. The resulting 2-run triple proved to be the difference in the ball game. Adam Dunn had given the Nats a 1-0 lead in the 4th with his 18th home run of the year.

The Yankees struggled against the Nats’ top starter John Lannan, who defeated the Mets in the Nats last trip to the Big Apple. He held the Yankees hitless until the 5th when Cano broke up the no-no and got the Yankees on the scoreboard with his 12th home run of the year. Johnny Damon doubled with one out in the 6th, but was stranded.

The Yankees finally doubled their hit output in the 9th when Damon cut the deficit to a single run with his 14th home run of the year and one out later, Mark Teixeira singled. With MacDougal on in relief, pinch-runner Brett Gardner stole 2nd and 3rd base to put the tying run 90 ft. away. McDougal walked Alex Rodriguez and things were set up for Cano. But you can’t be a hero every night.

Game Notes

Derek Jeter sat out the game as a precaution after leaving Tuesday’s game with a stiff ankle. He is expected to play today, though the 1:05 p.m. ET start will probably be a washout.

Brett Gardner’s 2 steals made him successful in 14 of 16 attempts. Imagine if he were a .300 hitter.

Wang Gets Another Shot

Tyler Kepner of the NY Times reports that Chien-Ming Wang will get one more start, and that may be it. Wang is scheduled to go against the Marlins next week.

There'll Be No Joy in Taiwan Tonight

Yankees Can’t Avoid Fenway Flop

June 10th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: chien-ming wang • Hideki Okajima • Johnny Damon • Jonathan Papelbon • Kevin Youkilis • Mark Teixeira • nick swisher • Phil Hughes • Tim Wakefield • Yankees 6/10 recap • Yankees vs. Red Sox

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

WP - Wakefield (8-3) SV - Papelbon (15) LP - Wang (0-4)

Another game in Fenway Park, another loss for the New York Yankees. The Bombers dropped to 0-7 against the Red Sox this season, with five of the losses coming on the road in Boston. Wednesday night the Yankees belted three home runs, but couldn’t overcome another horrendous start by Chien-Ming Wang, and fell 6-5. The victory gave the Red Sox sole possession of first place in the AL East.

In Wang’s start against Texas last Thursday he showed a glimmer of his old self, shutting down the Rangers the first time through the lineup. That would not be the case tonight. Wang retired Dustin Pedroia to start the game, but then issued a pair of walks prior to a Jason Bay RBI single. The Yankees tied things up immediately on Jorge Posada’s home run off Tim Wakefield in the 2nd, but the Red Sox tagged Wang for a pair of runs in their half of the inning. George Kottaras doubled in one run and Nick Swisher gave Pedroia a gift when he turned a catchable ball into a run scoring ground-rule double. Wang lasted just 2.2 innings, the second straight night the Yankees starter did not make it out of the 3rd inning, and was charged with 4 earned runs.

Phil Hughes did a great job out of the pen with 3.2 innings of relief. He allowed a 2-run home run to Kevin Youkilis in the 4th, but otherwise kept his team in the game. Down 6-3 in the 6th, Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit back to back home runs off Ramon Ramirez to cut the deficit to a single run. The Yankees had the tying run on second base with one out in each of the final two innings, but couldn’t deliver the big hit.

Hideki Okajima struck out Derek Jeter and Damon to escape the 8th and Jonathan Papelbon struck out Robinson Cano and retired Jorge Posada on a ground out to preserve the lead in the 9th.

Game Notes

Mark Teixiera was 4-5 with two doubles and a single in addition to his league leading 19th home run. He’s hitting a season high .296 and is batting .343 since May 1st.

Nick Swisher made a tremendous diving catch in right field to take away an extra base hit and had a pretty push bunt for a base hit, but it’s a game he’ll want to forget. Besides completely missing Pedroia’s fly ball in right, he was also doubled off of a first on a soft line out to shortstop by Melky Cabrera. The Yankees had runners on the corners with no one out at the time, so it completely killed a potential rally.

The Yankees were 2-15 with runners in scoring position.

CC Sabathia will try to salvage the finale of the series Thursday night when he faces veteran Brad Penny.

Melky's Afternoon Delight

Melky Gives Yankees Afternoon Delight

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Brandon McCarthy • C.J. Wilson • chien-ming wang • Ian Kinsler • Johnny Damon • mariano rivera • Mark Teixeira • melky cabrera • Nelson Cruz • Yankees 6/5 recap • Yankees vs. Rangers

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Texas	0	0	2	2	1	1	0	0	0		6	11	1
NY Yankees	1	0	0	0	5	0	0	2	X		8	10	1

WP - Robertson (1-0) SV - Rivera (12) LP - Wilson (3-3)

Melky Cabrera had a miserable 2008 season. He barely hit his weight, had no power, was out of shape, and arguably, didn’t have the best attitude. He hit rock bottom when he was sent to the minors in August. He heard his name mentioned in various off-season trade rumors and came to spring training this year knowing he would have to compete for a job with rookie Brett Gardner. Despite hitting over .300 in the exhibition season, Cabrera lost out to Gardner and was relegated to the bench. But the stars aligned for Cabrera; the youngster struggled and the veterans started getting hurt. The Melkman jumped at his chance and took full advantage of it. Yesterday was another day for Cabrera to play hero, this time providing a game winning 2-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning.

The Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 8-6 after being down 5-1 and blowing a 6-5 lead of their own. Chien-Ming Wang pitched a seamless two innings, racking up three strikeouts, but then the Rangers jumped all over him the second time around the lineup. The Yankees bullpen held Rangers to one run the rest of the way though to enable the Yankees to enjoy another come from behind victory.

Except for a Johnny Damon solo home run to start the home team’s first at-bat, the Yankees couldn’t muster anything against Rangers starter Brandon McCarthy until the 5th inning. The youngsters started it off, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter had the day off, with Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena stroking back to back singles. Damon walked to loaded the bases and Nick Swisher drew a free pass on a 3-2 pitch to force in the Yankees second run. Mark Teixeira, back in the lineup after sitting out Wednesday with a bruised ankle, hit what seemed like a harmless squibber down the third baseline.

But the ball eluded the glove of Michael Young and trickled towards the left field corner. It allowed all three base runners to score to tie the game at 5-5 and Teixeira cruised into second with a gift double. Alex Rodriguez put the Yankees back on top with a long single off reliever Jason Jennings and Robinson Cano followed with a single of his own. But Jennings got out of the no-out jam when A-Rod was doubled off of second base on Hideki Matsui’s line out and Cabrera grounded out.

Ian Kinsler quickly tied the game back up in the 6th, with a solo home run off of Al Aceves, to set up Melky’s heroics. C.J. Wilson walked Cano to start the 8th and one batter later, Cabrera lofted a fly ball that barely cleared the wall in left field.

Mariano Rivera got into his own trouble as he tried to lock down the game in the 9th, putting runners on the corners with just one out. But Rivera struck out slugger Nelson Cruz and retired David Murphy on pop up to A-Rod to end the game.

Game Notes

Chien-Ming Wang was charged with 5 runs in 4.2 innings pitched, but still lowered his ERA to 14.46. You have to question the wisdom of throwing Wang after he pitched 3 innings on Sunday in Cleveland. Joe Girardi could have stuck with today’s scheduled starter, CC Sabathia, yesterday and thrown Wang today. It’s possible Girardi went with the philosophy that a sinkerballer is more effective when he’s a little tired.

Nelson Cruz’s home run ended Wang’s streak of 267 right-handed batters faced without allowing a home run.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, David Robertson became the first pitcher in three years to win a ball game after throwing just one pitch.

The Yankees open a 3-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at the Stadium. CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.46) faces hard throwing phenom David Price (1-0, 3.00).

And because I couldn't resist: