Greene Baseballs and A Ham

Shane Greene has waited for this moment since he was selected by the Yankees in the 15th round of the 2009 MLB amateur draft. Sure, he's had a cup of coffee, a very tiny cup, in the Majors already. That came on April 24 when he put on the Yankees' road greys with a  #39 on the back and strode out to the mound against the Boston Red Sox. It didn't end well.

Greene only got one out, walked three batters, and allowed three unearned runs. Well, at least his ERA is still 0.00. Tonight the Yankees are counting on Greene to last a lot longer than that when he makes a spot start against the Indians in Cleveland. Hopefully there will be no midges.

This would have been Vidal Nuno's start, but the lefty was dealt to Arizona on Sunday for Brandon McCarthy. With McCarthy on his way, it was just logical for the Yankees to grab Greene for one start. The 25-year old has made 15 appearances this year, 13 of them starts, for the Triple-A Scranton RailRiders. His 5-2 record, 4.61. and 1.583 WHIP means the Yankees will have a long man ready early to back him up.

Greene opened some eyes last year, when he made 26 starts (plus one relief appearance) between Scranton and Double-A Trenton. His combined sub-4.00 ERA, 1.328 ERA, and better than eight K's per nine innings gave him a legitimate shot to be a call-up this season. His command issues and more than a hit allowed per inning caused a professional setback.

But Greene can open some eyes again tonight with solid start.

Oh, the ham? That would be the Indians' Nick Swisher.

Ralph Kiner, 91

Growing up in the Metropolitan area in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, two of the most legendary baseball players could  be seen and/or heard on New York Yankees and New York Mets broadcasts. Both had Hall of Fame baseball careers and both could have had their picture next to the word character in the dictionary.

Sadly, Mets' announcer Ralph Kiner joined Yankees player and announcer Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto today in God's ballpark today. He was 91 years of age. Kiner was one of the top sluggers of his era, but most people will remember him for his work on New York Mets games and his post-game show, "Kiner's Korner".

The Alhambra (CA) High School graduate signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1941. After a little more than two years in the minor leagues, Kiner served as a Navy pilot during World War II. He flew reconnaissance missions in the South Pacific looking for enemy submarines and ships and left active duty in December, 1945.

One year later the 23-year old was in the Major Leagues with the Pirates and became their primary left fielder. Though he led the National League in strikeouts (109), the rookie topped the NL with 23 home runs and also drove in 81 runs. Then he went on a tremendous seven year tear that included a six year streak in which he led the National League in home runs (seven years straight overall). He topped the half-century mark twice and eclipsed 40 home runs three times.

From 1947-1949, Kiner averaged 125 RBI and 48 home runs. He finished in the top 10 in the NL MVP voting five straight seasons, and led the league in OPS ('47, '49, '51)  and walks ('49, '51, '52) on three occasions. Unfortunately, the Pirates finished at or near the bottom of the NL in each of Kiner's best seasons.

About a quarter of the way into the 1953 season, he, Joe Garagiola and two others were dealt to the Chicago Cubs for six players and $150,000. Kiner adapted to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field and hit 28 home runs in 117 games the rest of the season as a Cubbie. (In addition to the seven he hit with Pittsburgh.)

Despite an OPS over .800 the next two seasons with the Cubs and Cleveland Indians, the 32-year old Kiner retired from baseball after 10 big league seasons. He never got the chance to play in the post-season, but the 7-time All-Star was selected by the Veterans Committee for induction in the baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.

After one year in the Chicago White Sox broadcast booth, Kiner joined the Mets crew and became a legend. He was a regular member of the Mets broadcast team until 2006, when at the age of 84, he reduced his schedule.  While across town, Rizzuto had his "Holy Cow!", Kiner's trademark was his frequent malaprops.. He would often combine and scramble players name. One Father's Day he wished everyone a Happy Birthday.¹  While fans of opponents criticized him, it made him more beloved among Mets fans

Kiner suffered from Bell's Palsy, a stroke like illness, in 1998 that left him with slurred speech. But the fan favorite carried on and continued to make cameo appearances after the 2006 season. The Mets honored him with a day at Shea Stadium in 2007.

Kiner was married four times and is survived by his five children and 12 grand children. My condolences go out to his family and friends.



1 - NY Daily News

Peralta Disproves Adage That Cheaters Never Prosper

Jhonny Peralta got slapped with a 50 game suspension this past season for his association with Biogenesis, then returned to the Detroit Tigers to play in the post-season, which included a World Series appearance. And now, the big free agent pay-off. Peralta and the St. Louis reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year, $50MM deal.

There were rumors that Peralta might sign with a team and switch to the outfield, but with not much offensive production from Cards' shortstops Pete Kozma and Daniel Descalso, Peralta is likely to remain at short.

After seven-plus seasons in Cleveland, Peralta was dealt to the Tigers at the 2010 trade deadline for catcher Giovanni Soto. Outside of an All-Star appearance two years when he hit 21 home runs and knocked in 86, Peralta's offense had been in decline since 2008. That is until this past season when he had an .815 OPS with 11 HR and 55 RBI in 107 games and was selected as an All-Star for the second time.

But Peralta's regular season ended prematurely when his name was among those involved in the Biogenesis Clinic scandal. The native of the Dominican Republic issued a public apology at the time -  "I take full responsibility for my actions, have no excuses for my lapse in judgment and I accept my suspension."

Peralta made a career high $6MM in 2013 and will reportedly more than double his annual salary despite the fact his numbers may very well have been boosted by his PED use.  Apparently baseball ownership doesn't care much more than the fans do.

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.

The Kids Are Hot Tonight: Nuno, Warren Earn Split

When you've got Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, and Kevin Youkilis missing from your everyday lineup, people need to step up their game. It's not just the seasoned veterans, but the youngsters as well. Pitchers Vidal Nuno and Adam Warren did just that Monday afternoon to lead the Yankees to a 7-0 win and a split of a "true" doubleheader with Cleveland Indians.

Another youngster, David Phelps, was outstanding in Game 1,but lost 1-0 to Justin Masteron. A Jason Kipnis first inning home run was the only damage done to the Yankees pitching. Nuno and Warren topped that performance by combining on a shutout that gave Nuno his first Major League win and Warren his first Major League save.

Nuno was outstanding in Spring Training and there was talk that he could make the team as a lefty reliever out of the bullpen. Having not pitched above Double-A, the Yankees felt it was better to have Nuno start every fifth day at Triple-A Scranton. Last month I spoke with Scranton RailRiders beat writer Donnie Collins who had this to say about Nuno: "He started tonight. I think he's a starter. Doesn't have great reliever splits."

Nuno threw 14.2 innings in the exhibition season and allowed just one earned run, 12 hits and four walks, while he struck out 13. He had made four starts for Scranton this season and was equally good. 23.1 innings pitched,  four earned runs, 13 hits, two walks, and 26 strikeouts. That translated to a 1.54 ERA, a league batting average of .157 against him, and a 0.64 WHIP.

The California native threw five innings in frigid Cleveland today and left with a 1-0 lead. He allowed three hits, three walks, and struck out three. Warren came on in the 6th and continued his impressive first month-plus in the big leagues. In a post last week I talked about how he has turned a lot of heads, including my own, after being so solid in the wake of a horrible Spring Training and a poor showing when he got called up for a cup of coffee last year.

Warren's allowed three runs in 18.2 innings, 14 hits, six walks, and has struck out 15. Today's outing lowered his ERA to 1.45 and his WHIP to 1.07. It was his third appearance of three innings or more innings as he continues to give the bullpen a break.

Nuno and Warren had to be spot on due to the Yankees lack of offense. After being shut out in the opener the Yankees managed to score just a single run (on Vernon Wells' RBI ground out) through the first six innings. Then the kiddie corps got it going again in the 7th inning. Corban Joseph, called up only because teams can add a 26th player for a doubleheader, reached on a lead off double. It was Joseph's first Major League hit. Austin Romine followed with a double of his own off start Trevor Bauer to pick up his first Major League RBI. You catching the theme here?

Jayson Nix, Wells, and Lyle Overbay each contributed RBI hits against to break things open against the Indians pen.

It was an especially big win after the Yankees had their four game winning streak snapped in the first game and with the prospect of having to face Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

Notes

Wells is 10-26 (.385) over his last seven games with 3 HR and 9 RBI.

Yankees Juggling Roster Like a Street Performer

Brett Marshall now in "The Show"

Monday's doubleheader  with the Cleveland Indians created some roster changes for the Yankees. Second baseman Corban Joseph was recalled with the "26 man" rule - you can add a 26th player to your roster if there's a doubleheader, but the player must get sent back to the minors afterwards.

Since it's an additional player and Joseph was already on the 40-man roster, no corresponding move needed to be made. Joseph played first base to give Lyle Overbay a rest and did a nice job defensively. He started at second base in the second game with Robinson Cano getting a partial game off as DH.

To help the bullpen out, Brett Marshall was called up to be a potential long man for Game 2. The Yankees sent outfielder Brennan Boesch down to Scranton. Of his 96 career minor league appearances Marshall has pitched in relief just twice. The 23-year old was 2-2, 4.60 in six starts this season, his first, at Triple-A Scranton.

Boesch was picked up in Spring Training after he was released by the Detroit Tigers. A good power hitter, Boesch will wildly inconsistent while he played in the Motor City. Boesch had just 41 plate appearances in 19 games and produced just two home runs, five RBI, one double, and one triple. He started just 10 games this season, including the first game of the doubleheader, and produced a .680 OPS.

It's possible that Curtis Granderson, who has swung the bat well in Scranton, could be recalled from his rehab stint (from the broken arm he suffered in Spring Training) to take Boesch's place.

David Phelps pitched his heart out in Monday's opener, a Jason Kipnis home run the only run he allowed in 6.2 innings pitched. The Yankees couldn't muster anything against Indians starter Justin Masterson and were shutout for the third time in May, 1-0. The prior two losses were both 2-0 scores to Oakland and Colorado.

Vidal Nuno made his first Major League start in the Game 2 against Trevor Bauer.

Angel Hernandez Gives MLB a Black Eye and MLB Says "Thank you"

Toss the manager when you blow the call.

The first I heard of the controversial ending in Wednesday night's Oakland A's-Cleveland Indians game was while I listened to Mike and Mike on ESPN radio this morning.

Right off the bat - appropriate baseball phrase in this case - I had a problem with the fact that Angel Hernandez was the crew chief of the umpires in the game. In case you haven't heard about it, the A's trailed by one in the 9th when Adam Rosales hit a Chris Perez pitch high off the wall in left field.

A's manager Bob Melvin immediately came out to question the call. He felt that the ball landed up the yellow line, which would indicate a home run. Any ball hitting the line would be in play and that's how the umpires interpreted it. However, Melvin was right, the ball hit the railing past the wall and bounced back on to the field.

If you look at the three image captures below you can clearly (okay it's from a slow motion replay - you can "blurrily") see the ball is above the wall, descends and then passes the yellow line as it moves towards the field of play. Meaning it had to have hit behind the wall and ricocheted back on the field. It was clear as a bell. Apparently that bell was missing from the replay room.

Ball descends  and is about to hit the stair railing

The ball ricochets off the stair rail and caroms towards the field.

The ball begins to clear the yellow line on  its way to the  outfield grass.

Hernandez and the three other umpires came back out and ruled that there was no substantial proof that the ball was a home run. Melvin immediately got in Hernandez's face and was ejected. Hernandez is one of the most obstinate, the "game is about me" umpires in all of Major League Baseball. I could easily see him deciding that the crew was not going to be overruled by some piece of technology.

Yes, I am questioning the integrity of Hernandez and not just because of this one incident. And for anyone who thinks the integrity of officials should not be brought into question, remember the name Tim Donaghy. I agree with the two Mikes that the league should overrule the umpires and pick up play from the point of it being a 4-4 ball game. (This is not a safe/out call like the one that took away Armando Galarraga's perfect game.) I also agree that commissioner Bud Selig will never do it.

The mantra of "Getting the call right." is clearly just a suggestion and not a mandate. Major League Baseball, especially under Selig, has always been reactive rather than proactive in the way they deal with things that happen between or outside the lines.

Despite having suspicions for years, Selig and company ignored the use of steroids, HGH, and other performance enhancing drugs. Attendance was up and the game was recovering nicely from the work stoppage in 1994. (Yes, this is also the man who canceled the World Series.) Selig has tried to convince everyone that he and other executives in the commissioner's office were in the dark and had no idea how bad things were when it came to PEDs. But as stories unfolded and tests get released, it is obvious PED use was rampant in baseball. There's no way the extent of it could be unknown. Then Selig conducted his ridiculous witch hunt with the Mitchell Report that only concentrated on a small segment of baseball.

One of the new problems arose when it was decided that interleague play would be played all year long. So instead of taking enough time and planning things out, MLB threw together an awful schedule for the 2012 season with a plethora of two and four game series, ridiculous travel schedules, and forced rivalries. "Don't worry it will all be better next year", was the basic statement from Selig's office.

A situation that did not have a major impact was the league's failure to prepare for a tie in the All-Star game. Sure enough, the two leagues played to a tie in the 2002 All-Star game. The reactive commissioner added more players to the roster and pitched the motto, "Now it counts" since the All-Star league winner would get home field in the World Series.

MLB not only did not change the attitude of fans towards the game, but potentially screwed over the team with the best record by taking away home field advantage. Of course this is also the sport that alternated home field advantages in prior World Series and still has pitchers bat in half of the World Series games, which gives the National League representative a clear edge.

Enough with Selig and back to the bigger problem of leaving the decision in the umpires' hands. MLB needs to put into place the same set up that the National Hockey League uses- a media center where plays are instantly reviewed even if there is no call for one from the head coaches or referees.

A call is placed from the command center into Toronto to an official at rinkside. That person than contacts the referee, who will come over and get on a communicator (phone or headset) with the people looking at the replays in real time. While they may ask for input from the referee it is the officials in the situation room that uphold or overrule a call. This is what MLB needs to take the the umpires' egos out of the circumstances.

Alas, MLB won't do this until there's a World Series game decided in the wrong favor because the umpires didn't change or uphold a call. It would be nice to get a look at the replay facilities the umpires use. I get the feeling they're watching on an old Emerson eight-inch black & white TV.

MLB Responds - No surprise here:

President for Baseball Operations Joe Torre issued the following statement, which basically said it was a mistake, but we're not going to do anything about it.

“By rule, the decision to reverse a call by use of instant replay is at the sole discretion of the crew chief. In the opinion of Angel Hernandez, who was last night’s crew chief, there was not clear and convincing evidence to overturn the decision on the field. It was a judgment call, and as such, it stands as final.

“Home and away broadcast feeds are available for all uses of instant replay, and they were available to the crew last night. Given what we saw, we recognize that an improper call was made. Perfection is an impossible standard in any endeavor, but our goal is always to get the calls right. Earlier this morning, we began the process of speaking with the crew to thoroughly review all the circumstances surrounding last night’s decision.”

Case closed...until MLB does the right thing too late.

Cano - Cleveland - Kapow

No one was more annoyed at Robinson Cano than the Dominican-born star himself. A 3-23 start helped contribute to a 2-4 Yankees record and the second baseman realized very quickly that he was trying to do too much at the plate.

Cano is a smoother operator than the subject of Sade's 1984 hit song. So when things go wrong, fans, media, etc. say he doesn't care, he's not trying..yada yada yada. (I'll save the stupidity of Colin Cowherd's "Robinson Cano plays harder for the Dominican Republic than for the Yankees" for another time. Kudos though to ESPN's Pedro Gomez for pointing out the silliness of that statement.)

Cano cared very much after those first six contests against the Red Sox and Tigers produces no extra base hits, runs, or RBI. He knows that with the plethora of injuries that have beset the Yankees, he is now the go to guy. Even without the injuries, he's the go to guy. The team's best hitter, the player that will secure the #3 spot in the order, a leader by example if not by words. The added pressure of playing for a new contract certainly couldn't have helped.

So when the Yankees came to Cleveland on Monday, Cano relaxed and stopped chasing pitches out of the zone, and started to crush the baseball.  After hitting into a right side shift earlier in the week, Cano started to drive the ball with authority the other way. The result was back to back Yankees wins in which Cano went 7-10 (.700) with 3 HRs, 7 RBI, and 3 doubles. His OPS went from .330 to 1.028 in two days and the Yankees won 11-6 and 14-3.

A Wednesday night rain out hopefully won't slow Cano and the Yankees, who have won three straight, down. (Thursday night's game is currently in a rain delay at the 7:05 EDT start time.)

What's everyone else up to?

Not to be overlooked the Yankees pitching has stepped up in the streak.

CC Sabathia is still working his way back to full strength, but he blanked the Tigers for seven innings Sunday to salvage the finale of the three game series in Detroit.  Hiroki Kuroda and his bruised finger struggled on Monday's opener in Cleveland, but he gutted his way through 5.1 innings to give the Yankees their first winning streak of the season.

Andy Pettitte, who was solid in an eight inning performance in the lone win of the three game set with Boston to start the year, was strong again Tuesday night with a seven inning victory.

After a woeful start offensively, just about everyone picked it up in the finale in Detroit and the first two games in Cleveland. For a team not supposed to hit home runs,  Cano (3 times), Kevin Youkilis, Brennan Boesch, Lyle Overbay, Ichiro Suzuki, Jayson Nix, and Travis Hafner all went deep during the winning streak.

Hafner got a huge ovation when he was introduced in his return to Cleveland on Monday, which was also the team's 2013 home opener. Like any good Yankees hater though, the fans booed when Hafner came up to bat the first time. He quickly reminded them of one of the reasons they loved him when he slugged a 3-run home run.

Another reason for the Yankees slow start was the inability of Brett Gardner to get on base. The team's table setter was just 5-30 through the team's first seven games, but had four hits and a walk on Tuesday. He also knocked in a pair of runs, scored three times, and had two doubles.

The Yankees need their second table setter at the bottom of the order to get going as well. Ichiro Suzuki has not swung the bat well since the season opener. He did have two hits and in RBI in Monday's win, but was just 1-5, albeit the one hit a line drive home run, on Tuesday. He's just 5-27 for the season with a .530 OPS.

As for the bullpen, things have been up and down. Shawn Kelley and Joba Chamberlain have been dreadful (at least Joba shaved off his equally dreadful mustache.) Adam Warren, who I thought should have been released at the end of Spring Training, has done an outstanding job in the long man/mop up role.

Mariano Rivera has one save and appeared in just two ball games thus far. That's all we've seen from David Robertson as well, both scoreless appearances. Left-hander Boone Logan has been inconsistent and remains the lone lefty in the pen.

2 Million Guaranteed Reasons to DH

"Ow, my shoulder"

The Yankees wouldn't listen to me. I explained yesterday why they shouldn't sign Travis Hafner   but they're going to anyway. The Steinbrenner boys are shelling out $2MM guaranteed  for Hafner to be their DH against right-handed pitchers in 2013.

On the plus side, Hafner is popular with his teammates and a good clubhouse guy. For the team's sake and the fan's sake I hope it all works out. But I'm not counting on it.

Plus with Kevin Youkilis on the team the Yankees are starting to look too much like Vin Diesel.

Swisher Changes Tribes

For most of the period (2009-2012) that Nick Swisher was in New York, the flamboyant outfielder was extremely popular with fans. His regular season numbers helped the Yankees to the post-season in each of his four seasons and as a right fielder he bonded with the Bleacher Creatures.  But Swisher struggled each post-season, including this last post-season, when many of the fans took out their frustration on Swisher and others. It will be interesting to see the reaction (likely positive) when Swisher returns in 2013 as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

The nine year veteran agreed to a four-year, $56MM deal on Sunday to play the outfield for the Indians through 2016. For Swisher, it's a homecoming of sorts, since he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes in college. He'll replace Shin-Soo Choo who was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds earlier this month.

Swisher will play for manager Terry Francona, who was named to replaced Manny Acta, after one year of working in the ESPN Sunday night baseball broadcast booth. Swisher averaged 26 HRs and 87 RBI in his four seasons in New York and was excellent at working the count. He topped 90 walks twice and compiled an .850 OPS. But Swisher hit just .161 in 36 career post-season games, with four home runs and eight RBI.

Yankees Offer Youkilis 1 for 12

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch has reported that the Yankees have offered free agent third baseman Kevin Youkilis a one year deal worth $12MM. Whether there is any flexibility in the number of years and/or the cash remains to be seen.

My feeling is that the Yankees won't budge off the one year, but might raise the money a bit. The Cleveland Indians are said to be very interested in Youkilis as well and I could see them making a two year, $24MM or more deal.

YCN: Greatest Yankees-Indians Games

Photo Courtesy of NYDN

This weekend's Yankees-Indians series was pretty boring, but that has not always been the case when the two met.

Great players like Allie Reynolds faced off with Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller. Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera squared off with the likes of Jim Thome, David Justice, Manny Ramirez, and Travis Fryman.

So what were the best 5 games between the two teams....click here and read my latest piece for the Yahoo Contributor Network.

Pen Beats a Tribe Called Less

I will not untuck before it's time.

Fans of the Cleveland Indians had their hopes up when the team burst out of the gate with a 27-21 record and led the AL Central from May 2 to May 28. But after splitting the first 100 games, the Tribe entered Sunday's action with the Yankees having lost 21 of their last 26 games and plummeted to 14.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

The teams split the first two games of the series with Swisher & Soriano saving Sabathia's start (I've been waiting days to say that....if Dan Rather said it, he'd whistle your ear right off) for the win on Friday and then the Yankees hitters let down Hiroki Kuroda, who was excellent again after a shaky first inning, in Saturday's defeat.

Sunday afternoon's rubber game of the series was all about the Yankees' bullpen after Sweaty Freddy Garcia couldn't make it out of the 5th inning for the second straight start. The Yankees built a 3-0 lead against starter Ubaldo Jimenez  on RBI singles by Nick Swisher and Ichiro Suzuki, sandwiched around a Derek Jeter run producing ground out in the 2nd inning,

But after seeing leads slip away in a three game series sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox, manager Joe Girardi was not going to let the finale of the six game road trip get away when Garcia ran aground in the 5th.

Garcia had worked out of a pair of jams leading up to his final inning, but the Indians stranded five men on base, three of them in scoring position.  Garcia retired the first two hitters in the 5th, but gave up a double to Jason Kipnis, hit Asdrubel Cabrera,  and walked Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases.

Catcher Carlos Santana had flied out to right in the same situation back in the 3rd inning, but this time singled to center to for a pair of runs and sent Garcia to the showers. Lefty Boone Logan got left-handed hitter Michael Brantley to ground out to end the threat.

Curtis Granderson gave the Yankees an insurance run in the 6th, when he belted his 200th career home run off of lefty reliever Tony Sipp. It was the Grandy man's 33rd home run of the season and RBI number 74.

Logan retired the side in order in the 7th before he exited when Kipnis reached on a out-single in the 8th. David Robertson picked up the final two outs of the inning and left in the 8th after he retired two batters and allowed a single to Brantley.

Closer Rafael Soriano induced an inning ending fly out from Matt LaPorta, before he worked the 9th inning for his 33 save. The victory didn't come without a scary moment, however, when Kipnis hit a comebacker that got a piece of Soriano's glove and bare hand (he wasn't sure after the game which it hit first).  Soriano was able to recover to throw Kipnis out at first and said after the game that he felt fine. Hopefully that will still be the case on Monday.

Notes

Ironically, a day after the passing of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the Indians honored former astronaut and US Senator John Glenn for the 50th anniversary of Glenn's orbit of earth. The 91-year old threw out the first pitch (underhanded) for a strike.

Nick Swisher continued his torrid August with three hits and an RBI. He's now hitting .336 for the month with five HR, 19 RBI, and seven doubles. He narrowly missed a home run when he hit the base of the right field wall and settled for a double.

From the High to the Lowe

The Yankees name always came up whenever Derek Lowe was available. Whether it was when Lowe was a free agent or at the Major League trade deadline.

Though he's had some success - 174 career wins, 21 wins for the Red Sox in 2002 - I've never been enamored of him as a pitcher and was always glad when he or others decided he would not don the Pinstripes.

That all changed today, when Lowe, who was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians last week, signed on with the Yankees. Lowe had said he was willing to start or relieve for any team. The Yankees clearly signed Lowe as insurance after CC Sabathia was placed on the 15-day DL Saturday with a sore elbow.

Lowe was in his first season with the Indians after being traded by Atlanta this past off-season. He had signed a four year, $60MM deal with the Braves prior to the 2009 season, but was just 40-39 over the first three years of the deal and lost 17 games in 2011.  Cleveland released him after he had posted an 8-10, 5.52 record in 21 starts.

Lowe was part of one of the best deals the Boston Red Sox ever made when they acquired him and catcher Jason Varitek for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb at the 1997 trade deadline. He was 70-55, 3.72 in eight seasons in Boston, and was a member of the 2004 World Series winners.

He then moved on to the LA Dodgers as a free agent and was part of a high profile divorce when it was learned he was having an affair with Fox Sports' Carolyn Hughes, who was covering the team at the time. The two later married.

Joe D Did Not Like The Cleveland Indians

The Yankee Clipper and Keltner joke around at an OT Day

Okay, I really don't know if that was true. But on this date, June 19,1941, Joe DiMaggio extended his hitting streak to 32 games against the Chicago White Sox. Of course, we know the streak ended at 56 games when third baseman Kenny Keltner and the Indians stopped it.

And a year later, on this exact date, Joe D struck out three times against the Indians' Mel Harder. It was the only time in 1,787 games that the Yankees centerfielder went down on strikes three times in a game. A remarkable feat, but even more remarkable was the fact that he struck out just 369 times in a 13 year career. The Orioles' Mark Reynolds does that in one and a half seasons!

Jeter and Yankees Endure Painful Loss

When you leave seven men on base in the first three innings you can't expect to win a baseball game. Even if it's against a team that has been struggling mightily over the last month-plus. A.J. Burnett pitched, arguably, his best game of the season, but the Yankees came out on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision to the Cleveland Indians.

To make matters worse Derek Jeter's quest for his 3,000th hit on hte homestand likely came to end when the captain left early with a Grade 1 calf strain. Jeter plays through everything and anything, but it's not likely that Joe Girardi will have him in tonight's lineup.

The Yankees loaded the bases with no one out in the 1st inning, put runners on first and second with no out in the 2nd, and had runners on the corners with one out in the 3rd and came away with nothing each time. Jeter tried to draw a throw home on Alex Rodriguez's shallow fly to center in the 1st, but centerfielder Michael Brantley pump faked three times before finally throwing the ball in. Jeter was stuck in place though and lost an opportunity to score. Indians starter Carlos Carrasco then retired Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher to escape the first of his three self made jams. After that, the Yankees were putty in Carrasco's hands. Closer Chris Perez struck out the side in the 9th to preserve the win.

The game's lone run came in the 4th when Swisher demonstrated once again that he's an average outfielder. Brantley lined a ball to right-center that Swisher got a bad jump on, then lunged/dove for, but didn't seem fully extended on. The ball hit off his glove and Brantley had himself a triple. Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a single to left for his 43rd run batted in. Cabrera trails Jeter by a substantial amount of votes in the AL All-Star balloting, but clearly should be the starter at shortstop.

For Burnett, it was a great effort after getting slammed by Boston last week, but his teammates didn't pick him up. He left to a big ovation with two on and two out in the 8th inning. David Robertson finished up the night for the Yankees and stranded two inherited runners in the process.

Notes

Joe Girardi has not committed to a pitcher to step into Bartolo Colon's spot in the rotation. In addition to Hector Noesi, currently on the roster, the Yankees had Scranton scratch David Phelps from his start last night as another option.

Brett Gardner continues to mistify with his bunt attempts and most failures. Gardner, who has been swinging a hot bat, bunted on a 3-2 pitch last night for reasons unknown. The ball went foul for a third strike.

Russell Martin was back out of the lineup with his sore back.

The Yankees Report Brought To You By Band-Aids

The Yankees' muscles, bones, and ligaments are getting more hits than the Yankees these days. The Yankees got another great effort from Bartolo Colon Saturday in helping to win their second straight game, 4-0 over Cleveland, but lost Colon in the process due to a hamstring strain. A trip to the DL is inevitable. This could prove to be the biggest injury the Yankees have been hit with season, since aside from CC Sabathia, Colon has been the Yankees best starter.

Let's take stock now. Feliciano and Soriano may never be seen again this season. Chamberlain is done with Tommy John surgery coming up this week. Chavez has been out a month with a broken bone (he might be able to resume baseball activities soon). Martin has missed a bunch of games with a bad back, which has exposed Cervelli's bad throwing ability. Apparently, Sanit joined the walking wounded after his last outing with elbow problems (that's what happens when you throw 500 pitches in an inning).

Phil Hughes is expected to do a rehab stint at Trenton this week and then the Yankees will have to determine if one is enough before he replaces Colon in the rotation (Nova with a big sigh of relief). If Hughes needs more time, Joe Girardi could plug in Hector Noesi, who will be recalled for today's game or the Yankees could give Carlos Silva a shot (I shudder at the thought).

Sore hips and tempers flared up in yesterday's game as well. After Alex Rodriguez homered earlier in the game, Curtis Granderson took Indians starter Mitch Talbot deep in the 6th inning. The next hitter Mark Teixeira nearly missed making it back to back blasts with a deep fly to right-center. That brought up A-Rod again, who promptly got plunked in the left hip for the second time this week. Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna immediately tossed Talbot, who claimed he slipped. Replays didn't really verify that claim though. Whether he did or not Iassogna did a better job than Dale Scott on Friday, who should have immediately tossed Fausto Carmona after he nailed Teixeira in the back following a Granderson home run.

The Yankees need to do something either today or tomorrow to retaliate for A-Rod. The Yankees are being hit by opposing pitchers disproportionately to hitting opposing batters (except maybe when Burnett has one of his "Bad A.J." days).

Notes

With just five games left on the homestand, it's going to be very hard for Derek Jeter to get the nine hits to reach 3,000 while at Yankees Stadium. For sure, he needs a couple of multi-hit games, like now. Jeter's OPS (.656) is even worse in the five games he's DH'ed (.546).

Since asking out of the lineup May 14 with a mysterious back ailment, Jorge Posada has gone 17-52 (.327) and is 9-15 (.600) on the current homestand. He's also had multi-hit games in four of his last five games and has gone 3-4 from the right side after an 0-27 slide to start the season. Of course, he's still making base running mistakes and was picked off second yesterday on a failed bunt attempt.

Curtis Granderson enters Sunday's play tied with Jose Bautista for the AL lead with 20 home runs. Bautista has gone 13 games without a home run, his longest stretch of the season.

Big Puma Tops Big Surprises | Baseball Digest

Big Puma Tops Big Surprises | Baseball Digest

Every year it seems a light-hitting shortstop powers up in April, a team that isn’t expected to compete comes out like lightning out of the gate, and a journeyman pitcher dominates. But, the biggest surprise this season has been the resurgence of one-time All-Star Lance Berkman, aka “Big Puma”.

Berkman’s numbers had dropped drastically the last couple of years, especially when the switch-hitting first baseman was facing a left-handed pitcher. But Berkman, who has moved back to the outfield with the St. Louis Cardinals, came out swinging this season. He hit .393/.455/.753 in March/April with eight home runs and 22 RBI. Though his numbers are still pedestrian in limited exposure to left-handed pitching, Berkman has absolutely destroyed right-handers to the tune of a 1.352. Berkman kept the pace through the first two games in May with a home run, five RBI and four hits in eight at-bats.

The American League Central division standings are upside down. Favorites Minnesota and Chicago are at the bottom of the division while the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals are 1-2 in the standings. The Tribe rolled out to a 20-8 start, thanks in large part to outstanding starting pitching and effective relief work. One-time Boston prospect Justin Masterson has started 5-0, 2.25, thanks to outstanding control, which has been a major issue for Masterson in the past. Though he walked five batters in one of his wins, he’s allowed just eight walks in his five other starts. Masterson has also allowed less than a hit per inning. The right-hander’s only no-decision came in his last start when he limited the Tigers to two earned runs over seven innings in a game the Indians eventually won.

Masterson’s teammate Josh Tomlin also entered his start Wednesday night with an unbeaten mark (4-0, 2.45). Like Masterson, Tomlin has limited the number of opposing men on base and has a better than 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio. The 26-yr old had shown promise since being selected in the 2006 amateur draft, including a 12 game stint with Cleveland last season. The Indians bullpen, which has allowed 27 earned runs in 79.1 innings pitched, has seen superb seasons from closer Chris Perez (1-1, 2.77, 8 SV), Vinnie Pestano (0.82 ERA) and left-handers Rafael Perez (2-1, 0.00) and Tony Sipp (1-0, 2.08).

Maybe the biggest surprise has been the Indians offense, which has averaged 5.36 runs per game, good for second-best in the American League. The Indians’ lineup has produced a balanced attack and received a boost when Grady Sizemore returned with force after missing the start of the season while recovering from microfracture knee surgery. The centerfielder has busted out a 1.058 OPS with four home runs and nine RBI in 13 games.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the power-packed Chicago White Sox lineup looks more like a bunch of Punch-and-Judy hitters. It’s the overwhelming reason the White Sox are off to an 11-21 start. Just when things seemed like they were at rock bottom, Chicago was no-hit by Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano this past Tuesday night. Liriano entered the game with a 9.13 ERA and had allowed over 10 hits per nine innings pitched.

Chief among the lack-of-offensive offenders is free agent DH Adam Dunn. The first year AL player is adjusting to a new league and being a full-time DH, but that being said, he entered Wednesday’s play hitting just .157 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and an anemic .582 OPS. He’s not alone though; outside of Paul Konerko (.298-8-24) and Carlos Quentin (.283-6-17), none of the White Sox regulars are hitting. The team is averaging less than four runs per game while the pitching staff has put up a decent 4.37 ERA.

Houston Astros first baseman Brett Wallace has heard the murmurs, “He’s a bust”, and things of that nature. The still just 24-yr old was drafted by the Cardinals with the 13th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He was then dealt to Oakland in July, 2009 as part of the deal that brought Matt Holliday to St. Louis. Eight months later, the A’s dealt Wallace to the Toronto Blue Jays for fellow prospect Michael Taylor, who was part of the Roy Halladay deal. Finally, in July, 2010, Toronto sent Wallace packing to Houston for a “project” minor leaguer in part of a three-way deal that landed Roy Oswalt in Philly.

Wallace showed 20-HR power in the minors and had a career .863 OPS in three minor league seasons. He got a cup of coffee with the Astros last season, but his splits (.222/.296/.319) were nothing to write home about. This season, Wallace was given the chance to prove himself at the Major League level, and so far he’s got everyone taking notice. He has an NL third-best .383 average with a pair of home runs, nine doubles, 10 RBI, 10 walks, and a .990 OPS. The Astros, who are surprisingly fourth in the NL in scoring, have even moved Wallace into the clean up spot. Only time will tell of course if Wallace can do it over the long haul.

FullCountPitch | Where Have You Gone Joe Charboneau?

For every Buster Posey or Neftali Feliz, there is a Joe Charboneau or an Angel Berroa, a Rookie of the Year whose best days quickly left them whether it was due to injuries, bad work habits, or off the field issues.

While Posey and Feliz are both expected to have strong, long careers, FCP now takes you on a journey of the not-so-fortunate ones. And who better to start with than the legendary Joe Charboneau? The 6’2″ left fielder was acquired by the Cleveland Indians in 1978 in a minor league transaction with the Philadelphia Phillies. When he hit .352 with 21 home runs at Double-A ball in 1979, it convinced the Indians, desperate for improvement after back-to-back sixth place finishes (in the then-seven team AL East), to promote him to the Major Leagues to start the 1980 season.

Things didn’t change much for the Tribe in general, they finished sixth again with a worse record then the year before, but Charboneau caught lightning in a bottle. The native of Belvidere, IL hit 23 home runs, drove in 78 runs, hit .289 and posted an .846 OPS. (His numbers might have been even better had he not missed the last six weeks of the season with a pelvis injury.) He easily outdistanced the Red Sox’ Dave Stapleton for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

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Baseball Loses One Of Its Greats, Bob Feller | Baseball Digest

Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller succumbed to Leukemia Wednesday night at age 92.

Baseball Loses One Of Its Greats, Bob Feller | Baseball Digest