Steinbrenners to Introduce GeorgeCare

A view you may not see again this year.

Yankees' Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner announced earlier today that the team is rolling out new healthcare legislation, "GeorgeCare", due to the rash of injuries the team has suffered this season. The new legislation will allow the Yankees to carry a 50-man active roster and fans will receive rebates every time Matt Thornton pitches or Kelly Johnson bobbles a ball at first base.

All kidding aside, the Yankees are a physical mess right now and there is no hope in sight for a healthy turnaround.

The death knell to the season may have come when it was discovered that Masahiro Tanaka had a slight tear of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL). Tanaka will be out a minimum of six weeks, and Tommy John surgery has not been ruled out of his future.

The injury leaves Hiroki Kuroda as the only starting pitcher left from the five man rotation the Yankees hoped to trot out to the pitcher's mound.  CC Sabathia has been out since mid-May due to a degenerative knee injury; Michael Pineda was DL'ed on May 6, when he felt pain in the area below his right shoulder, and Ivan Nova, who looked to have returned to his 2011 form in the second half of last season, went down early to Tommy John surgery. And then the big blow to the season came with the loss of Tanaka, who was among the league leaders in all positive pitching categories.

Unless a decision is made prior to that, if Tanaka needs surgery and doesn't have the operation until August or September, there goes the entire 2015 season and probably part of 2016.  For now David Phelps, Shane Greene, and Brandon McCarthy are in the rotation, along with Kuroda. But who will be joining them?

Chase Whitley started out fantastically, but crashed back to Earth in his last three starts (17 earned runs in 10.1 innings pitched). He did pick up the win in relief on Wednesday when the Yankees topped the Indians 4-2 in 14 innings.

Left-hander David Huff has pitched fairly effectively out of the bullpen and is a former starter, though he has only started six games since 2011.  (Two with the Yankees last year and four with the Indians in 2012.)

The Yankees added another left-hander to the mix Friday when they acquired Jeff Francis from the Oakland A's for a player to be named later. Francis had been designated for assignment on July 3 after he had allowed nine earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched. Francis pitched through shoulder pain for the Colorado Rockies in 2008 and missed the entire 2009 season after he underwent shou7lder surgery. He's never regained the effectiveness he had in 2006-2007, when he averaged 15 wins and a 4.19 ERA, with his home games played in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

The Yankees lineup is suffering too. Carlos Beltran has been a walking disaster area. He missed time due to a bone spur in his elbow and a strained hamstring.  Then during batting practice on Wednesday, Beltran fouled a ball into the cage. It ricocheted back into his face, causing two small facial fractures. He was placed on the 7-day disabled list to check for a concussion as well. So far, the three-year deal given to Beltran is a complete bust.

The trade deadline (July 31) will be coming up before you know it. The Yankees always go for the gold, but do they sell instead this year? If their still floundering in three weeks, it might be for the best to try to deal some players. David Robertson will be a free agent after this season. He can always come back, so why not trade him to a team willing to pay a heavy price for one of the better relievers in baseball.

Though his hitting hasn't been tremendous, Brian Roberts has stayed healthy and could be traded for a minor prospect or two. See if Hiroki Kuroda is willing to waive his no-trade clause. Perhaps a reunion with the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the offing.

Who should build/rebuild this team?

You never know when injuries will strike, but there's a greater chance with older players. Combined with the lack of top prospects at the top tier of the farm system, and you can see why it maybe time for Brian Cashman and the scouting department to be under more scrutiny. Cashman has been creative, at times, in building a team, but the putrid play the last two seasons have shown that maybe it's time someone else was the team's foreman.

The Yankees Ship Exited April in 1st Place, But Not Without Some Leaks

Masahiro Tanaka was better than advertisted in April.

It wasn't a perfect first month of the season for the New York Yankees, but after April 30's scheduled game with the Seattle Mariners was rained out, they ended the month with a 15-11 record and a 2.5 game lead over Baltimore for first place in the AL East.

The month did not come without its bumps and bruises, and unfortunately for the Yankees, they've hit where they could hurt the most. The first blow came when Ivan Nova had three bad starts in his four appearances. While everyone wondered if it was mechanics, velocity, or just a slow start, the truth was much worse. Nova had torn the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in his right elbow and had season-ending Tommy John surgery.

For the moment, second year pitcher Vidal Nuno has taken Nova's spot in the rotation. Nuno was solid in threes starts last season and the Yankees are going to need him to be as good this year. The rotation took a another hit when Michael Pineda was caught cheating and suspended for 10 days, and then strained his back. Pineda was seen with pine tar on his right hand in a start against Boston on April 10. He explained afterwards that it was dirt, which everyone knew it wasn't.

It was clear that Pineda was trying to get a better grip on the ball, but the Red Sox didn't complain because they know how prevalent cheating is among the pitchers in Major League Baseball. On top of that, the Red Sox starter that night, Clay Buchholz, is one of the pitchers that is rumored to be a walking medicine cabinet of salves and ointments.

To the untrained eye, it didn't appear that Pineda used any aids whe he threw six shutout innings to beat the Chicago Cubs in his next start. But on a chilly night in Boston on April 23, Pineda went to the well, or pine tar, once too often. To make matters worse, he made no effort to hide what he had done. Red Sox manager John Farrell sad after the game that he didn't want to say anything to the umpires, but it was so blatant he really had no choice. A big smear of pine tar shone on the side of  Pineda's neck. An ejection and a 10-game suspension followed, but Pineda's tale of woe was not complete.

During a simulated game, Pineda felt pain in his lat muscle and went for an MRI. It turned out to be a Grade 1 strain of the teres major muscle, an injury with much more potential danger than a strained lat. It's part of a group of muscles that supports the shoulder. That's not good news for a pitcher who missed all of the 2012 and 2013 seasons after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Pineda, off to a 2-2, 1.83 start, will be out for 3-4 weeks. Considering his past shoulder issues, that could be a conservative estimate. David Phelps will take his first turn in the rotation and could move into the spot until Pineda gets back.

With CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda struggling to find consistency, Masahiro Tanaka has been a Godsend. The Japanese star has been nothing less than outstanding in his first month in the big leagues. His final start of the month, against the Los Angeles Angeles, was probably the best proof of what Tanaka is made of. After four starts, in which he had 35 strikeouts and two walks in 29.1 innings, the right-hander struggled with his control against the Halos. He walked four and allowed five hits in 6.1 innings, but a double play and 11 strikeouts helped keep the Angels to two runs. Though he didn't figure in the decision, the Yankees eventually won 3-2. Tanaka finished the month 3-0, 2.26 with 11 K's per nine innings pitched.

The other big free agent signings had mixed results in their first season in the Bronx. Jacoby Ellsbury was oustanding. The former Red Sox center fielder put together a .312/.369/.452 line with eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. He also scored 14 runs and had nine multi-hit games, including four games with three hits.

Carlos Beltran slugged five home runs, drove in 13 runs, scored 11, and finished with an .826 OPS.

The transition at the plate wasn't as smooth for new catcher Brian McCann. He exited April with a .620 OPS, that included a month-ending 2-20 slide.

Rookie utility infield Yangervis Solarte was the surprise of the month after winning the final spot out of Spring Training. Solarte posted a 1.007 OPS after 15 games and drove in 13 runs.

The Yankees bullpen did an outstanding job for much of the month, which included filling in for an injured David Robertson. Shawn Kelley, David Phelps, and Adam Warren combined for six saves.

Tex Back In The Lineup

With Ivan Nova out indefinitely, the Yankees got some good news today with the return of Mark Teixeira. Activated from the disabled list, the first baseman will bat fifth in today's lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The YES Network's Meredith Marakovits reported Sunday that pitchers Preston Claiborne and Bryan Mitchell have been recalled from Scranton and Trenton, respectively. Scott Sizemore and Matt Daley appear to be the two that have taken a hit, though there's been no official announcement as of this writing.

Teixeira in the lineup playing 1B batting 5th #Yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) April 20, 2014

Daley was called up for Saturday's game and got hammered. Sizemore is a bit of a surprise since he's hit well on a limited basis (.308/.308/.462 in 13 ABs with 4 RBI).

Nova Sidelined With Torn UCL

The Yankees were counting on Ivan Nova to be a strength in their 2014 starting rotation, based on his effectiveness in the latter half of last year. But so far, the results have not been good in 2014, and things got a whole lot worse on Saturday.

Nova complained of pain in his right elbow as the Tampa Bay Rays blasted him en route to a 16-1 win. The worst news was yet to come. A short time ago it was announced that Nova has a partially torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL).  Actually that may not be the worst news, that could still be to come.

Nova will be re-evaluated, his MRI, X-Rays and whatever else will be double- and triple-checked. The bottom line is that Nova could be headed towards Tommy John surgery. In fact, he probably should just go ahead and have it done since if they go the rehab/rest route, he'll probably eventually need it anyway.

In the meantime, David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Vidal Nuno are all candidates to replace Nova in the rotation. Nuno is scheduled to start Sunday's finale with Tampa Bay so that Masahiro Tanaka does not have to pitch on three days rest.

The Yankees have Al Aceves working as a starter at Triple-A Scranton, but he's thrown just one game so far. Among the unsigned free agents still out there are former Yankee and Pirate, Jeff Karstens. He had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last June, but was feeling good this Spring. He threw for some teams during Spring Training, but did not get a deal.

Barry Zito, who went from Cy Young to Cy Disaster took some time off, but isn't retiring. And is not the answer. Do you hear me Brian Cashman?

Tanaka Tweets, Confuses the Masses

Whenever a number of people I follow on twitter follow a user, retweet, etc., I get a notification on my cellphone. Tuesday's notification was that Masahiro Tanaka was on Twitter.  The prized Japanese right-hander, whose deadline to choose a team is this Friday, tweeted (in Japanese) a few words that were misinterpreted by the Twitter translation.

"It does is decided" was the incorrect translation that led many to believe that Tanaka had decided where he wanted to play. In fact, it was just the opposite. Tanaka had said deciding was very hard.

Hell, using freetranslation.com I tweeted "最高のフランチャイズ-ニューヨーク・ヤンキース" to Tanaka. "Best Franchise - New York Yankees".

Rumors flew throughout the day. At one point the YES Network reported that Tanaka was deciding between the Yankees and the Chicago Cubs. Others said the Los Angeles Dodgers were a lock. Until Tanaka actually announces his decision you might as well stop speculating.

Tanaka's pay will most likely put the Yankees over the magic $189MM mark even if they only pay Alex Rodriguez 1/8th of his contracted salary. In avoiding arbitration the Yankees signed Brett Gardner ($5.6MM), Ivan Nova ($3.3MM), David Robertson ($5.125MM), Shawn Kelley ($1.8MM), and Francisco Cervelli ($700K, not all guaranteed).

Gardner's salary nearly doubled from last seasons, $2.85MM and I have to admit the increase amount surprised me. I was thinking more along the lines of $3.5MM, but perhaps the Yankees were concerned about the figure Gardner would bring to arbitration and the possibility of losing the case.

Robertson got better than a 68% raise, while Nova's increase was more than five times the amount he earned in 2013. Kelley received an 88% bump and Cervelii got a modest increase from last year's $515,350 salary.

The Yankees will continue to work on Plan 'B' and 'C', etc., and apparently that includes trying to talk Brett Tomko out of retirement. The 40-year old hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since 2011, but did play for the York Revolution in the independent Atlantic League.

Tanaka Gets the Green Light

After weeks of the Japanese media reporting that Masahiro Tanaka would or wouldn't be posted by the Rakuten Golden Eagles, the right-hander got the go ahead to play baseball in the U.S. Now the crazy begins.

The Yankees are expected to back up the Brinks' truck to land Tanaka and make him a long term fixture in their rotation. They'll have plenty of competition from the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, and whoever else wants to throw their hat in the ring, but the Yankees are expected to blow away the competition with the numbers preceding six zeroes.

The Steinbrenners and GM Brian Cashman have been counting on the 25-year old Tanaka playing in the Major Leagues to shove the team back in the right direction after a disastrous 2013 campaign and get younger in the process as well.

If the Yankees win out, Tanaka would join CC Sabathia (33), Hiroki Kuroda (39), and Ivan Nova (27 next month) in the rotation. The fifth and final spot would likely come down to a competition between Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno and anyone else who wants to throw their fastball into the ring.

Tanaka's contract is expected to leave Yu Darvish's six-year, $56MM deal with Texas in the dust. The Yankees could work some side deals as well to for Tanaka's wife, Mai Satoda, who is a Japanese pop singer. "Hey, would you like to play Madison Garden or the Barclays Center?" They should also use Kuroda and Hideki Matsui to recruit the native of  Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture.

Tanaka played for Rakuten in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for seven seasons, compiling a 99-35 mark in 175 career games.  (All but three of which were starts.) Tanaka's performance this past season was phenomenal - he went 24-0 in 27 starts plus a relief appearance. Known as "Makun" or "Ma" by his teammates, the 6'2" righty allowed 30 earned runs (1.27 ERA), 168 hits, walked 30 and struck out 183 in 212 innings pitched. And it wasn't only the second best season of his career.

Two years ago he posted the same ERA in 226.1 innings with 241 strikeouts, 27 walks and 171 hits. His 0.875 WHIP topped the 0.943 from this past season. It sounds like Tanaka has the right mental toughness for the Big Apple. He threw 160 pitches in a complete game loss in the sixth game of the Japanese Championship Series, then came back to save Game 7 the next day with a 15-pitch performance. Tanaka normally throws a fastball that tops out at 96 mph. He was still throwing 92-94 mph in the series finale.

Understandably, after watching a pitcher like Daisuke Matsuzaka wear down in the Major Leagues you have to be concerned about those 160 pitch games. One Major League scout said as much to the NY Times' David Waldstein back in November. Coming to the US in his mid-20's, Tanaka may actually have a much longer career than had he stayed in Japan, since warning bells and whistles (figuratively) go off when a pitcher throws his 100th delivery in a Major League game.

A team like the Yankees should also take special care after watching CC Sabathia's deterioration after many years of high pitch counts and 200+ innings pitched. But that's all for another day. While some slept last night with visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in their heads, Cashman and other GMs dreamt of a Japanese pitcher dancing on the mound in the seventh game of the World Series.

Merry Christmas to all and to all good luck. Masahiro Tanaka certainly doesn't need it right now!

Pitching Matchups Set For Boston Series

Kuroda needs to get the Yankees off on the right foot with his right arm

From the Star Ledger:

FRIDAY: Hiroki Kuroda (11-10, 2.99 ERA) v. John Lackey (9-12, 3.48 ERA).

SATURDAY: CC Sabathia (13-12, 4.82 ERA) v. Jon Lester (13-8, 3.86 ERA).

SUNDAY: Ivan Nova (8-4, 3.17 ERA) v. Clay Buchholz (10-0, 1.61 ERA).

You get to suffer through a FOX telecast on Saturday and an ESPN telecast on Sunday night. I recommend the mute button.

Yankees Win and Lose Nightly

The Yankees had a huge 7-5 win Tuesday night over the Baltimore Orioles after stumbling over themselves in a loss on Monday. This is 2013 though and anything good or bad that the Yankees do seems to come at a price.

Three different Yankees had to leave the game with varying degrees of injury. The one that will have the biggest impact on the pennant race is the sore right triceps of Ivan Nova. The August pitcher of the month was as hot as any pitcher in baseball until he lasted just four innings against Boston nearly a week ago and left after six innings and a low pitch count last night due to the discomfort that visits his right arm now and then.

With a pitching staff already reeling due to a combination of ineffectiveness, injury, and fatigue, the Yankees cannot afford to lose Nova. His next scheduled start is against the Red Sox in Fenway Park Sunday night. He told reporters he wants to pitch, but his status will be unknown for the next two or three days.

The Yankees will most certainly need to add another catcher to the roster after Austin Romine left the game with an apparent concussion. The rookie took a foul ball off his mask and stayed in the game momentarily despite being dazed. Fellow rookie J.R. Murphy took his place in the game since Chris Stewart was removed earlier in the evening.

A logical choice for addition to the roster would be veteran Bobby Wilson, formerly of the Angeles organization, who played in 66 games for the Scranton RailRiders this season. (Scranton also has Jose Gil on their roster, but he has no Major League experience.) The Yankees would have to make room on their 40-man roster for any catcher, which could mean Romine gets put on the 60-day DL. They could also designate one of their lesser relievers for assignment.

Alex Rodriguez, whose been swinging a hot bat, ripped a double in the 8th and scored on Robinson Cano's single, but felt his left hamstring grab as he chugged home. Joe Girardi took him out as a precaution and the third baseman didn't think it was anything major.

With Boone Logan out indefinitely due to an achy elbow, the Yankees added journeyman Mike Zagurski before the game. The 30-year old left-hander had signed with the Yankees back in August, was granted free agency and signed with Oakland, and was granted free agency again on September 2nd. He threw six games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in May and June.

Zagurski threw 45 of his 88 big league games as a member of the Diamondbacks last season and has averaged a strikeout per inning. However, his career WHIP is in excess of 1.7.

After the game, the Yankees bolstered the shortstop position by picking up Brendan Ryan from Seattle for a player to be named later. Outfielder Zoilo Almonte was activated from the DL on Monday.

The current roster shows the Yankees carrying 18 pitchers, though the status of Nova, Logan, and David Robertson are currently up in the air. There are three catchers with Romine's status on hold, and eight infielders with Derek Jeter and A-Rod banged up.

Somehow the Yankees enter Wednesday's play two games behind Tampa Bay in the AL wild card race.

Yankees Refuse To Win - Fans Angered Everywhere

It's the type of late evening loss that is usually reserved for the New York football Giants on a Sunday, Monday, or occasional Thursday night. A prime time defeat to the Cowboys, Redskins, or an AFC team that has played the rude host. The type of game that keeps those of us on the east coast from falling asleep right away. The type of game that replays "what ifs" over and over in your head. The one that keeps you from tuning in to sports radio the next day and from reading recaps in the newspaper or on the internet.

Only this time it was the New York baseball Yankees (not the football Yankees that played from 1926-1928 in Yankee Stadium) that provided the dose of insomnia and bitterness. It was a 7-2 loss that turned into an 8-7 victory that turned back into a 9-8 loss to the Boston Red Sox in 10 innings. Though nothing was lost in the standings (Tampa Bay lost to the Los Angeles Angels so the Yankees remain 2.5 games back of the second wild card), it knocked another game of opportunity off of the schedule. Though Joba Chamberlain gave up the game winning hit to Shane Victorino after Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a one-out single and stole second, there was plenty of blame to go around.

It started with Ivan Nova, the American League pitcher of the month of August, who tossed his first complete game shutout last Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. Thursday night he was removed after only four innings and 92 pitches. He gave up a pair of runs in the 3rd inning that Robinson Cano got back with a 2-run double in the home half of the inning, but an inning later Nova gave up a go ahead gopher ball to Will Middlebrooks.

Next up on the hit parade was Preston Claiborne, who gave up nothing but hits, runs and a walk. Claiborne was a revelation early in the season, but has struggled since the All-Star Break. He was greeted in the 5th by a Shane Victorino solo home run and moments later Mike Napoli singled  in a run (at least I believe it was Napoli; all of the bald headed, beard faced, white supremacist looking dudes on Boston look alike.) with a third coming in on a fielder's choice. Clairborne was officially charged with 3 ER in 0 IP.

Ryan Lavarnway tacked on an RBI single against Adam Warren for a 7-2 lead when God Bless America commenced in the middle of the 7th.

Jake Peavy breezed through the first six innings with just Cano's ribbies on his sales receipt. Above 100 pitches to start the 7th, Peavy walked Ichiro Suzuki and gave up a pinch-hit single to Vernon Wells. John Farrell went to his pen, but the inning's die had been cast.

Brett Gardner greeted lefty Matt Thornton with an RBI single. The Yankees felt they could run at will, a thought that would later come back to bite them, and sure enough Wells swiped third. (Though replays showed he might have been out.) A walk to Derek Jeter loaded the bases for the Yankees best hitter, Robinson Cano.

The Yankees second baseman pulled an outside pitch, but was fortunate that hopped high enough to avoid a rally killing double play. With the lead cut to 7-4, Farrell sent for right-hander Junichi Tazawa and put three infielders on the left side of the infield for Alfonso Soriano.  The move backfired when Tazawa threw a pitch towards the outside of the plate and Soriano slapped it through the vacant right side of the infield.

Curtis Granderson followed with a smash off of the base of the right field wall to trim the lead to one. Lyle Overbay, who had many big hits over the season, came through again with a single to right that plated Cano and Soriano for an 8-7 Yankees lead. David Robertson dominated the 8th inning and all seemed right with the world.

Mariano Rivera got in on David Ortiz's hands just enough to cause a line out to Overbay, who then scooped up Daniel Nava's weak grounder for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately, Rivera hung a pitch to Napoli, who stroked it to right for his second hit of the night. Recently acquired Quentin Berry pinch-ran and immediately took off for second. He had the base stolen easily, but to compound matters, Austin Romine's throw came up about 5-6 feet short of second and ricocheted off Jeter into left field. Berry raced to third and trotted home with the tying run when Rivera hung another pitch, this time to Stephen Drew, that resulted in an RBI single to right.

The Yankees could have turned the disappointment back into celebration had Soriano not gotten too cocky in the bottom of the 9th.  The veteran had already gotten a break in the inning when he drew a one-out walk and was picked off by left-hander Craig Breslow. Soriano reached second when the pitcher's throw was low to first and handcuffed Nava. With one out, a man in scoring position and Granderson and Alex Rodriguez coming up, the Yankees had a golden opportunity. That is until Soriano got overly aggressive.

With six stolen bases already in the books for the Yankees, Soriano looked to nab third and widened his lead off of second. It was so wide that Breslow easily picked Soriano off again and the Red Sox erased him after a short rundown.

So take your pick - Rivera, Chamberlain, Soriano, Nova, Claiborne,  Ichiro Suzuki (looked horrible at the plate all night), Romine..plenty of goat horns to hand out. It doesn't really matter, because it translated to another crucial loss for a team that at times looks like the worst in baseball.

Come Hell or High Contract, Yankees Need to Sign Cano

He's Robbie Cano, don'tcha know...and he wants some big cash this coming off-season. And while he says he wants to stay a Yankee, will the Yankees give him what he wants in the $ and years departments?

The Yankees gave it to Alex Rodriguez...bad example. They came through for CC Sabathia...somewhat bad example. When A-Rod opted out of his contract during the 2007 post-season (he really does need to think things through more and so do his "people"), the Yankees had no competition to give him a new long term deal. Of course, they bid against themselves and doled out even more money than originally intended.

There was no way they were going to let CC get away and he didn't want to go anywhere. If he had, he would have found suitors ready to pony up big money.

The Yankees need to act fast with Cano, because there's a bitter old rival on the west coast that will gladly throw all kinds of big money at him. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been spending money like it's going out of style and they will attempt to again this off-season when Cano becomes a free agent.

As much as I hate long term contracts - in my opinion every day players should get seven years tops and pitchers should get five - the Yankees may just need to give their prized second baseman what he wants. The best, most reliable, youngest good bat in the lineup belongs to Cano. He is the guy the Yankees count on most and will again next year if they re-sign him. You can look at Tuesday afternoon's opener of a day-night double dip for the reason why.

With some bad pitches, some bad luck, and some sloppy play, the Yankees fell behind the Toronto Blue Jays 4-0 in the 2nd inning. One frame later though, Cano strode to the plate with two aboard and got the Yankees right back in the game with his 23rd home run of the season and the 200th of his career.

Chris Stewart shocked the world when he hit a 3-run blast of his own in the 6th to put the Yankees up 6-4 and then there was Cano again in the 7th with an RBI for some insurance.  Starter Ivan Nova settled down, the pen was effective and efficient and the Yankees had themselves an 8-4 win.

Cano was 4-4 with 4 RBI in the crucial #3 spot in the batting order. He deservedly gets knocked for not always running hard out of the batter's box, but he's smooth as glass defensively and turns a double play quickly and with remarkable grace. He's hitting over .300 this year with 23 HR and 81 RBI (He added an RBI in the nightcap) with virtually no protection in the lineup. Cano entered Tuesday's play with an .882 OPS and has also stolen seven bases (one shy of his career high) in eight attempts. 

No one else on the team can do all the things Cano can do. With a mediocre free agent market and the minor league system not expected to send help until the latter half of 2014, the Yankees will need to sign on the dotted line of a big contract for Robinson Cano.

Alfonso Soriano's Beat Down of the Angels

Yankees fans who watched Alfonso Soriano embark on a promising career his first time around with the team hoped to see some of the same excitement when the 37-yr old return at this year's trade deadline. Soriano obliged on Tuesday and Wednesday when he knocked in a ridiculous 13 RBI in two games vs. the Los Angeles Angels.

In Tuesday night's 14-7 Yankees win, Soriano hit a 2-run home run in the 5th inning, added an RBI single, and then iced the cake with a 3-run blast in the 7th. The six RBI were a career high for the native of the Dominican Republic. That career high lasted all  of one day.

Wednesday's 9-3 shellacking of Jered Weaver and the Angels saw Soriano reach a new height. It began with a grand slam in the bottom of the first after Weaver had retired the first two batters he faced. But the first hit of Robinson Cano's 4-4 night, a double by Alex Rodriguez and a walk to Curtis Granderson walk set the stage for the left fielder.

He added a 2-run double an inning later and led off the 5th inning with a solo home run. He was a combined 6-9 with four home runs, a double, and even a walk in the last two games of the four games series. (Concludes with a 1:05 PM EDT start on Thursday.) The hot streak pumped up Soriano's Yankees' OPS to .858 and his slugging to .606 since his return on August 2.

The grand salami was the fifth of Soriano's career and landed in Monument Park. It was his first bases loaded whack with the Yankees since he hit a pair in the 2003 season. The 13 RBI in two consecutive games are the second highest total in franchise history. Hall of Fame second baseman Tony Lazzeri had 15 RBI with an American League record 11 in one game.

Ivan Nova appreciated some run support for a change on a night he didn't have his best stuff. He still managed to go 7.1 innings and lowered his ERA to 2.99 to go along with a 6-4 record. He's allowed 11 earned runs over 52.1 innings in his last seven starts (1.90 ERA) and is, in effect, the Yankees number two starter right now.

A-Rod finished the night 1-4 and is 8-31 with a slash line of .258/.343/.419. He's hit one home run, driven in four runs, and scored three, and has been pretty solid defensively. The mixed response from the crowd has been no different so far and will be nothing compared to what A-Rod will experience this weekend in Boston.

Derek Jeter took part in some drills on Wednesday and will fly down to Tampa today (Thursday) to continue his rehab from a calf injury. He's eligibile, but won't be activated for the Red Sox series.

Adams Sent Down as Nix Readies For Return; Grandy Joins Phelps Up North

Protect that thumb Grandy!

It won't have quite the same fanfare as when Derek Jeter returned to the Yankees, but Jayson Nix will be activated prior to Tuesday night's meeting with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As expected, David Adams was sent back to Scranton Monday to free up space on the 25-man roster.

Nix's offensive numbers were far from good as he filled in at both shortstop and third base, but his work ethic and effort on the field did not go unnoticed by fans, his manager, or teammates. The 30-year old was placed on the 15-day DL after injuring his hamstring at the end of June/beginning of July.

He played one rehab game in the Gulf Coast League and three for Tampa of the Florida State League. At the time of the injury Nix had a .607 OPS with 2 HR, 20 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 73 games played.

Curtis Granderson isn't quite ready to join the Bronx Bombers, but he's getting closer. Literally.  The Grandyman and David Phelps are slated to continue their rehab assignments for the Trenton Thunder on Tuesday.

Granderson, recovering from a broken finger, played four games with the Tampa Yankees and was 2-13 (.154) with an RBI. He's played in just eight regular season games after he had his forearm broken by a pitch in Spring Training and his finger suffered the same fate in his eighth big league game after his return.

Phelps has pitched in one rehab stint for Trenton after he was placed on the 15-day DL July 6 with a slightly strained right forearm. With Ivan Nova looking more and more like he did in 2011, Phelps may be returned to the bullpen when he rejoins the team. That could change if Phil Hughes is dealt away at the trade deadline. The Notre Dame product threw 3.2 innings against the Altoona Curve six days ago and allowed 2 ER, 2 hits, 3 BB, and a home run. He also struck out six batters.

Yankees All-Star Break Report Card: Starting Rotation

Hiroki Kuroda has plenty to smile about this season.

It's that dreaded time of year- no, not the mosquitos, humidity, or next to last place...okay, some of that is it. No, it's time for All-Star break Yankees report card. And oh has it been an ugly marking period. Let's start right off with the pitching since that is what has been keeping the Yankees afloat all year.

Starters

CC Sabathia - It appears that all those innings and all those pitches thrown have finally caught up to the big guy. Lost velocity, lost pinpoint control, lost games. Everyone hoped that Sabathia's off-season elbow surgery would strengthen the ace's game even more in 2013, but the opposite has occurred. (No, I'm not blaming the surgery.)

Sabathia is no longer the ace of the staff and has been throwing like a middle of the rotation guy. He's given up four or more runs in 10 of his 20 starts this season. Sabathia has allowed 21 home runs already, one less than the career high he gave up last year. Here's hoping he finds a magic (legal) elixir during the break.

Grade: C

Hiroki Kuroda - The Yankees have to be thanking their lucky stars every day that the 38-year old native of Japan decided to stay in New York instead of returning to the LA Dodgers or his home country. Kuroda's 2.65 ERA is second best among American League starters and he has a 1.74 ERA at home. A remarkable stat for a right-handed pitcher in left-handed hitter friendly Yankees Stadium.  Kuroda's 8-6 record would be a lot better if he didn't have some of the worst run support in the Major Leagues. He definitely should have been selected for the AL All-Star team.


The Yankees have scored two runs or less in four of Kuroda's six losses. He's 7-2 when the team scores three or more runs. I'm not a believer in quality starts, but for those of you who are, 12 of Kuroda's 19 starts fall into that category. He also won his last start in which he tossed five shutout innings in a start shortened by
a 73 minute rain delay in between.

Grade: A

Andy Pettitte - The Texan will one day have his number 46 retired and has or will break many of the Yankees pitching records. In what is likely his last season, he'sbeen anything but the Andy Pettitte we are all used to seeing. Every start seems to be a scuffle. He won his last two outings despite giving up runs early.

Pettitte's season didn't start out this way. In April he looked as dominant as he did in his outstanding 2012 season that was interrupted by a broken ankle. The last two months have been the worst for the 41-year old; he's allowed 27 earned runs in 49 innings pitched.

Grade: C

Phil Hughes - Jekyll & Hyde have been more consistent than Phil Hughes the last few years. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted last week that the Yankees are "aggressively pushing" to move Hughes to another team. Hughes is a free agent next year and the Yankees would be better off with getting some talent in return rather than draft picks.

Grade: C-

David Phelps - The Notre Dame product showed a lot of potential last year and made a nice transition from the pen to the rotation when injuries opened up a spot this season. He had a four game stretch in May where he allowed eight runs in 27.1 innings over four starts. He bounced back nicely after the Mets knocked him out in the first inning to pitch six inning games in which he allowed one earned run and four hits, and struck out 13.

His last two starts were poor and fair respectively and then he was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. It's possible he won't have a spot to return to when he is ready due to the recent starts by Ivan Nova.

Grade: B-

Ivan Nova - The Yankees have been waiting for Nova to return to his 2011 form when he won 16 games and was a model of consistency. Perhaps that time has finally come. After a shoddy April, Nova went on the DL with inflammation in his bicep. He made a pair of solid relief appearances in May, but was demoted to Triple-A.

Nova came back with a vengeance in June with a good start and a long relief appearance that saved the bullpen. So far in July, he's thrown one complete game win and threw eight innings in another victory. In 17 innings he allowed eight hits, walked three, and struck out 17. It would only make sense that his spot in the rotation is now his to lose.

Grade: C+/B- tough one to call

Steinbrenners Must Decide: Pass or Play

The Yankees need their big man to come through in the clutch.

The All-Star break has arrived and the New York Yankees are slowly fading into the sunset or AL East basement. If not for the underachieving Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees would already be dwelling in the place where no Yankee has finished since 1990. That team won just 67 games and finished last among seven teams. It's remarkable that entering Sunday's play the Yankees were only six games out of first place.

It's all well and good that the Steinbrenners want to meet a $189MM payroll goal next year, but they have to decide what to do this year. Either make moves, somewhat regardless of salary implications, to try to make the playoffs or sell parts and start to build next year's team.

Injuries and salaries have hamstrung the current squad and the chances of getting those injured players back are getting less and less probable. Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis are already out for the year. Derek Jeter came back after missing the entire season and immediately got hurt with a different injury. Will his second half be a wash or will he contribute? 

Curtis Granderson broke a forearm when he was hit by a pitch, then it was his finger's turn when he came back and got hit by another pitch. He has just gotten the go ahead to take dry swings. A return in mid-August seems to be the likeliest scenario..

Francisco Cervelli appeared to be very close to a return from a broken hand when an old elbow injury acted up. He's also facing possible suspension due to the Biogenesis case.  Speaking of which, Alex Rodriguez is on a slow road back from his second off-season hip surgery and may be hit with a whopper of a suspension. Rumors came out on Sunday that A-Rod was working a plea deal with MLB. Considering this is not yet a judicial matter for A-Rod, the term "plea deal" is awfully strange for this process.

The Yankees need help with their lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen. Hiroki Kuroda has emerged as the ace of the staff with CC Sabathia in a #2 or #3 slot. Sabathia is as competitive as ever, but his fastball and pitch location is not what it was. Andy Pettitte has won a couple of games of late, but has struggled for most of the year and has looked more like a #5 starter than a middle of the rotation guy.

Some of the help for the pitching staff could come from within the organization. Ivan Nova has appeared to recapture his 2011 form, but that is based on a small sampling of work. That being said, his last two starts have produced 17 innings pitched, 17 strikeouts and just three runs (1.59 ERA). He's also limited opponents to eight hits and three walks (0.65 WHIP). Nova has allowed nine earned runs in 35.1 innings (2.29 ERA) over his last six appearances, half of which were starts.

The secret weapon/unknown factor could be Michael Pineda, who has returned strong from career threatening shoulder surgery. It appears that Yankees want to take things slowly with their prized possession, acquired from Seattle in the Jesus Montero deal. After a rehab stint, the Yankees activated Pineda and sent him to Scranton to continue his way back to the Major Leagues. The hard throwing right-hander has had mixed results in his two starts. He allowed two runs and struck out seven over five innings in a win against Lehigh Valley, but gave up a pair of home runs and six runs in four innings in a loss to Syracuse.

Then there's Vidal Nuno, who was impressive in Spring Training and made three starts and a couple of relief appearances in April and May. The southpaw allowed four runs over 17 innings in his starts, but won just one of them due to a lack of run support. Unfortunately, he's been out of action since June 8 with a strained groin.

Among the current starters, Phil Hughes continues to look good one moment and bad the next. Sometimes both at the same time as he did Saturday against the Twins in his final start before the All-Star break. Hughes dominated for much of the game, but allowed four runs and three home runs and took a tough loss. Word is that the Yankees are aggressively shopping him and they should. They need to get near-ready prospects or a Major Leaguer in return rather than wait to see if the draft pick they get as compensation when Hughes leaves, will pan out.

David Phelps started out strong, but has struggled of late and ended up on the DL. Phelps could move back to the pen, possibly sharing a long man role with Adam Warren,  or work on his stuff in Scranton, or return to the rotation.  The Yankees might even try Warren as a starter since he's done such a good job in long relief. A lot will depend on how Nova does while Phelps is out or if Hughes is moved.

Brian Cashman could look at the number of pending free agents to supply another starter as well.  There's quite a list of starters that might be available, but not a lot of quality.

Matt Garza: The Cubs right-hander had a stress fracture in his elbow last season and a latissimus dorsi strain during Spring Training this year. He came back seven weeks later and has been an effective member of the Cubs' starting rotation. Garza is 6-1, 3.17 with a 1.141 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. With his  fastball clocked in the mid-90s, the 29-year old is in demand. ESPN's Bruce Levine has Toronto and Texas as the leading candidates to land the former Tampa Bay Ray. Thus far there has not been any indication the Yankees are interested. (At least if the Yankees did get Garza they can rip that ugly as hell goatee off of him.) Whoever does land Garza will pay a hefty price to land him.

Ervin Santana: This guy is one of the biggest enigmas in baseball. One minute he looks like he's pitching likeJohan Santana (Ervin's actual real name) in his hey day with the Twins, the next he's pitching like Carlos Santana...the guitarist not the Indians catcher. He's had two seasons with an ERA above 4.00 and three season over 5.00. He's also had four seasons under 4.00 and once finished 6th in the AL CY Young voting.
Santana is a streaky pitcher in the way some sluggers are streaky home run hitters. It's hard to tell what you'll get out of him from one start to the next. So far he's not available, but I would expect that to change.

Bronson Arroyo: It's hard to believe that Arroyo is 36-years old. It seems like just yesterday he was a young, brash pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and mouthing off to A-Rod. Arroyo's been in Cincinnati eight years now after Theo's Epstein dealt him for Wily Mo Pena. Yes, Epstein would like to forget that deal ever happened. Arroyo is one shy of 100 victories in a Reds uniform and has been a workhorse, averaging better than 200 innings a season. With the Reds in the thick of a pennant race he isn't likely to go anywhere.

Of the three, the Yankees have the best shot at getting Santana.

Unfortunately, the remaining pending free agents are either not available (i.e. Atlanta's Tim Hudson) or aren't any better than what the Yankees have now (Guys like Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Vargas). Another option for Cashman is try to obtain a pitcher currently on a team that is already out of the pennant race. One such pitcher would be John Danks from the Chicago "almost everything must go sale" White Sox. On the plus side, Danks is left-handed, but he is coming off shoulder surgery and is ridiculously overpaid at $14.25MM a year and has three more years on his current contract. No thanks.

Kyle Lohse is on a horrible Brewers team, but is in the first year of a three year, $33MM contract. Lohse also seems to be strictly a National League pitcher. He wasn't very good or consistent in the AL. Perhaps a pitcher like Kyle Kendrick could become available closer to the deadline if the Phillies decide to rework the team. That is the biggest problem in trying to obtain front line talent. There are just too many teams still in the playoff race, particularly with the addition of a second wild card in both leagues.

For now it looks like the Yankees will have to do some fixing from within. Guys like Nova and Pineda may be better than anything Brian Cashman can up with in the next month.

Nunez In, Phelps Out

The Yankees finally got someone back from the DL- Eduardo Nunez was activated for Saturday's game with the Baltimore Orioles after a 60 day stay on the disabled list due to oblique strain.

No corresponding move was made, but a check of the active roster has made is appear that David Phelps is the odd man out. UPDATE - Phelps was placed on the 15-day DL with a convenient forearm strain.

Nunez had a chance to establish himself as an every day player while Derek Jeter rehabbed his bum ankle, but Nunez proved to be fragile. He has played in just 27 games this season and has been out since he left a May 5 game with Oakland early. He had a sub par .565 OPS at the time.

Injuries and ineffectiveness in the rotation gave Phelps a shot to get the ball every fifth day. He was 5-4, 4.93 as a starter and won his last start on Sunday. Ivan Nova's recent success, especially his Friday night complete game win over the Orioles, has pushed him back of Phelps on the food chain.

Time For a Shake Up Part II: Yankees Need to Cut Hughes and Joba Loose

(I began this about 2 weeks ago and nothing has changed for the better. Chamberlain's performance in Wednesday's game pushed me to finish it.)

Potential and promise are two of the worst words in the human language when paired together. Much worse than any word that George Carlin could produce in his "7 dirty words" routine. Potential and promise may be the worst words of all time when they are associated with athletes.

Phil Hughes has been linked to the twin "P"s since the Yankees drafted him out of Foothill High School with the 23rd overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball amateur draft. Of course, Hughes was probably labeled with every positive long before he left Santa Ana, CA for the Gulf Cost League in Florida.

Joba Chamberlain had a big arm and a big arsenal of pitches when he strode the mound for the University of Nebraska. The Yankees snatched him up with the 41st overall pick of the 2006 MLB draft. Another first round selection with plenty of potential and promise. Even more so after Chamberlain was unexpectedly called up to the Majors on August 7, 2007. He was just 21-years old, but his 19 game stint brought excitement from a rookie that had not been seen since Shane Spencer grand slammed his way through the end of the 1998 season.

Things have changed drastically for both players since those early days. Injuries, loss of velocity, inconsistency, and inefficiency have all trumped the words that start with the letter "p". Hughes appeared to get on track in 2010 when he started the season 11-2, 3.65 and averaged better than eight strikeouts per nine innings pitched. His ERA in the second half was nearly 5.00 and he walked the same amount of batters (29) that he did in the first half, but in 26 less innings. The number of home runs allowed also increased, a major problem that has persisted since then.

A year later back issues and dropped velocity limited Hughes to 17 games. 2012 epitomized Hughes inability to produce a solid start on a consistent basis. His overall numbers - 16-13, 4.23 - weren't bad, and were bolstered by a stronger second half. His penchant for serving up gopher balls (35) continued to hurt his game. The positives gave the team something to look forward to in 2013, but a bulging disc slowed Hughes in Spring Training and he was the same inconsistent, home run served on a silver platter pitcher once the season started. He enters Thursday's start 3-6, 5.09 with 1.5 home runs and 10.2 hits allowed per nine innings.

Chamberlain has never recaptured the amazing dominance he showed in 2007. And it was not all his fault- the Yankees messed him up with their ridiculous "Joba Rules", they jerked him back and forth from the rotation and pen, and limitied his innings. And it all backfired because he ended up with Tommy John surgery anyway.

Wednesday night's game with Texas was typical of Joba's performances these days. Either allow the other team to increase their lead in the game as the Rangers did, or have the Yankees lead quickly become less. Chamberlain may have a big repertoire of pitches, but they're just about all flat and hittable. He's also as immature as his first day in the Major Leagues.

What it all means is that it is time to get rid of both- Joba through a trade by the deadline (Don't expect much in return.) and Hughes by letting him walk when he becomes a free agent after the end of the 2013 season. (Chamberlain is also set to become a free agent, but why hold on to him that long.)

There would be an opening in the bullpen with Chamberlain jettisoned out of town, an opening that would be filled by Hughes for the remainder of the season. (It's likely the Yankees wouldn't get much through a trade so why not get draft pick(s) instead when he signs somewhere else?) It's a shame to give up on Hughes, I held out as long as I could, but his trouble with locating his fastball, his drop in velocity, and his propensity for getting hurt and serving up gopher balls has pushed me past the point of no return.

For now Hughes could be quite serviceable in the pen though where he appeared in 44 of 51 games in 2009.
Given one or two innings of work, I believe Hughes could be an asset to the club. He won't like it, but too bad.

What about Hughes' spot in the rotation you ask? One Michael Pineda, hopefully, coming right up. The righty pitched well for the Trenton Thunder Tuesday night as he continues his comeback from shoulder surgery. If not Pineda, then turns the reins over to Ivan Nova to see if he can get his career back on track. (In another scenario Pineda and Nova could replace Hughes and David Phelps.)

With CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte both showing some chinks in their armor, the team can't afford to carry dead weight. It doesn't get much deader than Phil Hughes starting and Joba Chamberlain coming in from the pen.

Nova Ready to Go, Neal Back to Scranton

Yankees have made it official that Ivan Nova has been activated to start today's game. His roster spot opened up with the Yankees optioning Thomas Neal back to the minors.

Neal was just 2-11 with one walk. Meanwhile, the Yankees are still hoping Nova can recapture the stuff that helped him go 16-4 in 2011.