Kuroda, Rain, and Pen Dominate the Twins

Kuroda has been the Yankees ace and should be an All-Star

I am starting to honestly believe the Yankees could win 160 of 162 meetings with the Minnesota Twins. Last night the Yankees endured a 73 minute rain delay to win their 5th straight meeting with the Twins this season and their 3rd straight win overall.

Hiroki Kuroda lowered his league leading ERA to 2.65 (Just 1.74 at Yankee Stadium) by throwing five innings (one after the delay) of six hit ball in a 2-0 Yankees win. The Yankees pen, particularly Boone Logan, came up big over the final four innings.

The Yankees had managed just one hit in 3.1 innings off Twins starter Scott Diamond, but jumped on Ryan Pressly in the 5th for a pair of runs. Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano provided RBI singles to account for the Yankees runs.

Yankees reliever Preston Claiborne breezed through the 6th, but put two aboard in the 7th. A call to the bullpen sent Logan in to the rescue. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire called for Chad Parmalee to bunt the runners on first and second over, but the right fielder fouled off two attempts and then Logan struck him out swinging.

Logan's real challenge came up next though- the back to back duo of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. To make matters worse, Logan gave the Twins the equivalent of a bunt when he wild pitched the runners over a base. But the left-hander caught Mauer looking with a curve ball for strike three and Morneau couldn't hold up his swing for an inning ending strikeout. A disgusted Morneau flipped his bat in the air and threw his helmet, but was not tossed from the game.

Mariano Rivera picked up his 30th save with a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Notes

The Twins displayed some remarkable defensive plays in the game, no better than when Aaron Hicks threw out Vernon Wells trying to stretch a double into a triple. A fan use Google Earth to estimate the throw was 325 feet.

Grandy Trifecta Bails Out Hughes

When Curtis Granderson was struggling during the 2010 season, my Dad kept telling me how awful he was;what a mistake the trade had been. My brother and I kept telling him, just wait, this guy is a legitimate star. While we weren't the reason, we were right.

Granderson's bat was sluggish that season until he worked hard with hitting coach Kevin Long to make adjustments. Granderson got hot down the stretch and exploded last year with an MVP type year- 41 HRs, a .916 OPS, 26 doubles, 10 triples, and a league lead 119 RBI and 136 runs scored. The left-handed hitting Granderson was a notoriously poor hitter against southpaws, but actually hit better against left-handers than righties in 2011 (.940 OPS 16 HR in 191 AB).

Thursday night Granderson had the first three home run game of his career. Down 4-0 in the first after some shaky pitching from Phil Hughes and a costly error by Eduardo Nunez, Granderson started the Yankees hit parade with a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st off of lefty Anthony Swarzak. He took the Twins starter deep again an inning later, this time with a man aboard to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead.

In the 4th, Granderson's home run, his 6th of the year, proved to be the difference maker in the Yankees 7-6 victory. This time the victim was Twins' right-handed reliever Jeff Gray.

By the time Granderson stepped up to the plate again in the 6th, many people were no longer thinking about another rough start for Hughes. The right-hander hadn't made it out of the 5th inning in his first two starts and, for a time, didn't look like he would get out of the 1st inning Thursday evening. Granted his pitch count rose quickly in the first frame due to Nunez's throwing error from 2nd base.

Playing in place of Robinson Cano, who started at DH, Nunez fielded Joe Mauer's grounder with one out and one on and lollipopped his throw to 1st base. Mark Teixeira leapt up to grab the errant throw, but couldn't get a tag on Mauer. The Twins took advantage when Ryan Doumit stroked a 2-run single and Danny Valencia added a 2-run double.

Hughes got better as the game went on, but he walked Justin Morneau to start the 6th inning and then surrendered a 2-run home run to Doumit to end his night. But the Yankees bullpen was sharp. Boone Logan finished the 6th and was followed by the usual sequence of Rafael Soriano, David Robertson, and Mariano Rivera. The Yankees closer picked up his third save of the season to salvage a split of the four game series and put the Yankees back above .500 at 7-6.

The story line though was Granderson, who stepped up to the plate in the 6th against Alex Burnett and ripped a hard single to right. Nunez, who was on 2nd base, had to hold up to be sure the ball wasn't caught and had to stop at third. In the 8th, Granderson got one more chance to join the four-home run club, but hit a dribbler. The good news is that he beat the throw to first for a 5-5 night that raised his batting average 75 points.

The Captain Climbs The Ladder

Derek Jeter had just one hit on the night, and RBI single in the 2nd, but it was the 3,110th of his career. That was good enough to tie him with his idol Dave Winfield for 19th on the all-time hits list. Jeter needs 31 hits to catch Tony Gwynn for 18th place.

The Last Trifecta
According to the YES Network, August 14, 2010 was the last time a Yankee hit three home runs in one game. That was courtesy of Alex Rodriguez in KC.

FullCountPitch - A Decade Of Number Ones: Part I

Making draft selections is a gamble in any sport, but no more so than with the Major League Baseball draft that takes place every June. Teams stockpile high school and college players over a 50 round selection process. The majority will never get the chance to play in any Major League Stadium, while others will surprise and grow into a starring role.

The most pressure, of course, is to be the number one selection overall. For every Joe Mauer, there is a Brien Taylor or a Danny Goodwin, who was actually the top pick in two different years (1971, 1975). With that in mind, it’s time to take a look back at the first overall picks in the last ten years of the MLB amateur (Rule IV) draft.

Read the rest of the free article at fullcountpitch.com

Matt Bush Bryan Bullington Justin Upton Delmon Young

BD Spring Training Report: Doctor Doctor, Gimme The (AL) News | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Doctor Doctor, Gimme The (AL) News | Baseball Digest

With opening day just two weeks away it is time to take a look at the injury situation around Major League Baseball, starting with the American League. First though, well wishes to Atlanta Braves coach and former Major Leaguer Luis Salazar, who lost his left eye after being struck by a Brian McCann line drive last week.

Salazar, who played for the 1984 pennant winning San Diego Padres, was leaning on the railing at the top of the dugout when he was struck. Thankfully, no brain damage occurred, but his left eye was removed Tuesday after undergoing three surgeries in attempt to save it.

AL East

Baltimore: What would a season be without Brian Roberts having some kind of physical issue? This spring it’s been his back acting up after a head first slide into 1st base tweaked something. Buck Showalter told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli that Roberts has a 50/50 chance of playing this weekend. First year Oriole Derrek Lee has yet to see game action due to tendinitis in his right wrist, but may also play this weekend. Pitcher Koji Uehara (sore elbow) is scheduled for a bullpen session, while catcher Craig Tatum’s fight to be the back up to Matt Wieters continues to be delayed by a sore oblique. Free agent pick up Justin Duchscherer is still a couple of days away from throwing as he continues to recover from hip surgery.

Boston: J.D. Drew was considering retirement earlier this year, but his nagging left hamstring inury feels great now and he’s ready to split outfield time with Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron.

New York: Joba Chamberlain is out indefinitely, but Sergio Mitre has begun to throw again after both suffered strained obliques. Francisco Cervelli has, for the moment at least, lost the back up catching job after he fractured his foot on March 2. He’ll be out until mid-April.

Tampa Bay: Reliever J.P. Howell is not expected back in the majors until May as he continues to rehab from shoulder surgery. Shortstop Reid Brignac missed some time last week with a sore groin, but is back in action. Jeremy Hellickson finally pitched in a game last Friday after missing time with a bad hammy.

Toronto: It’s slow and steady for possible closer Frank Francisco after his right pec tightened up on him while throwing. Having thrown in only two games this spring it is not likely Francisco will be ready for the season opener. That means Jon Rauch or Jason Frasor could open the season as closer. New manager John Farrell told the Toronto Sun, “While warming up in his last scheduled outing he felt some tightness in his right pec. He came in yesterday, threw long toss and another 15 pitches off the mound. He improved as far as the feeling goes but we’re going to work him through some long toss and continue on the flat ground.”

“We feel like if we can get him three or four games (additional) before we leave camp he’ll be fine. He’s not overly concerned or overly alarmed. He feels this is a spring training aches and pains type thing that he’s going through. The red flag is not up per se with Frankie.” The Blue Jays could also be without reliever Octavio Dotel who has been shutdown with a bad hamstring. Farrell also announced that former starter Dustin McGowan will work out of the bullpen when, and if, he’s ready to come back from a pair of shoulder surgeries. The one time highly regarded prospect hasn’t thrown in a Major League game since 2008. 2nd Baseman Aaron Hill has been slowed by a quad injury, but should be ready for opening day.

AL Central

Chicago: Jake Peavy continues his come back from last year’s surgery to repair a torn latissimus dorsi muscle. After his last start on Monday, Peavy told ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla that he would be ready to go when the season starts. He may miss his next start though with a virus. Dayan Viciedo suffered a broken thumb when he was hit by a pitch on March 10 and is likely out a month.

Cleveland: Grady Sizemore hopes to make his spring training game debut this weekend or Monday. Sliding is the final piece of the puzzle in his recovery from microfracture knee surgery. Since that’s how he hurt the knee, he is concerned. “It’s probably the last thing we’re going to try out,” Sizemore told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a concern — since that’s how I hurt it, and the fact that it’s the leg that I’ll be landing on. We’ll want to do what we can to protect that in any way we can.”

Catching sensation Carlos Santana seems to be full recovered from his left knee surgery, but the Tribe is playing it cautious just the same. It has included playing Santana at 1st base, something the The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes spoke to manager Manny Acta about. “It’s all about Carlos getting more at bats,” said manager Manny Acta. “We wanted get him as many at bats as possible, but with him coming back from surgery, you can’t throw him back behind the plate every day.

Outfielder Trevor Crowe has been bothered by a fatigued rotator cuff all spring, but hopes to test it out by throwing tomorrow. The injury has already cost him an extra outfield spot on the Major League roster. Pitcher Anthony Reyes made his spring debut this week after having Tommy John surgery back in 2009.

Detroit: The Tigers official website reported Monday that both infielder/outfielder Carlos Guillen and reliever Joel Zumaya will start the season on the DL. Guillen is still recovering from knee surgery, while Zumaya has been slow in coming back from elbow surgery.

Kansas City: Jason Kendall continues his rehab from off-season right shoulder surgery; he’s played in a couple of games, but is likely to start the season on the DL.

Minnesota: Closer Joe Nathan continues his comeback from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He’s appeared in six spring games so far, and although the results have not been good (5.1 IP 6 H 6 ER), he’s feeling good. If Nathan’s struggles continue into the regular season, manager Ron Gardenhire will simply go to Matt Capps to close. 1st Baseman Justin Morneau is seeing regular time after returning from lingering concussion symptoms. Catcher Joe Mauer appeared in his first spring game yesterday as the DH after sitting out due to off-season left knee surgery. The Twins M&M boys are expected to be ready to go on opening day.

Michael Cuddyer could play in his first spring game tomorrow after having a wart removed from his foot three weeks ago.

AL West

Los Angeles: Free agent Scott Downs was supposed to bolster the Angels bullpen, but he’s out indefinitely after breaking his toe on Saturday. The injury occurred while he was playing with his kids. 1st baseman Kendry Morales, who infamously broke his leg last season after hitting a game winning home run, has yet to play in a game this season. In fact, he’s yet to run the bases and is not likely to be ready for opening day. “He’s going to get his work in here and tomorrow he’s back out there on the progression,” Mike Scioscia told the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett on Wednesday. “He’s moving forward. He still has some things he has to do before he gets in games and running the bases is one of them.”

Oakland: A’s closer and former AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey is out indefinitely with a strained elbow. Bailey left Monday’s game in excruciating pain and paid a visit to renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Bailey and the A’s were relieved to find out it was just scar tissue that was causing the pain and the reliever should be able to begin throwing again next week. It’s unknown though if he’ll be ready for the season opener. If that’s the case, manager Bob Geren would use Brian Fuentes as closer.

Oft-injured Rich Harden has been out with a strained lat, but according to the SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, is scheduled to resume throwing tomorrow. Harden will start the season on the DL as will infielder Adam Rosales who is out until May after having foot surgery. Lefty specialist Craig Breslow is also questionable for opening day as he recovers from a hamstring strain.

Seattle: Closer David Aardsma has thrown on flat ground three times in his rehab from hip surgery, but has yet to step on a mound. Brandon League is expected to be the interim Mariners closer once the season start, though skipper Eric Wedge hasn’t announced his decision. New starting catcher Miguel Olivo missed two weeks with a strained groin, but caught a bullpen session yesterday, and barring a setback, should be ready for the M’s opener. Lefty NatE. Robertson will be out a month after hvaing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow yesterday.

Texas: Nothing significant to note; a nice way to start 2011 for the defending AL champions.

BD Spring Training Report: Stick To Your Guns | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Stick To Your Guns | Baseball Digest

The New York Yankees have been very impressed so far this spring training with their young catcher Jesus Montero. Ranked in the top five of all Major League prospects, scouts have always felt he could hit but wondered if he handle the defensive portion of the position. At 6’4″, 225 lbs, Montero is not built like the prototypical catcher (though neither are a lot of today’s highest rated young catchers) and there has been constant talk of moving him to another position as he’s made his way up the Yankees organizational ladder. For his part Montero wants to stay right where he is and that impresses another big (6’5″, 220 lbs) catcher Joe Mauer.

The New York Times’ Joe Brescia recently spoke with Mauer about Montero, and a number of other subjects. Mauer knows what it is like to be questioned about his physical build translating to the position. “Too big. Not quick enough. I heard everything under the sun,” Mauer said by phone. As for Montero’s attitude? “That’s good,” Mauer said. “He might find that everyone wants to throw their two cents in. But I really enjoyed the position and that was not going to stop me.”

“My advice to him is try and learn as much as you can. He’s lucky he has Jorge Posada, a pretty good catcher to learn from. And he has Russell Martin there now, too, another good one to help him. Those two guys that have been around the block. He should follow those guys around and learn as much as he can.”

Bryce Harper made his much anticipated professional debut with Washington on Monday, but struck out both times up. Harper said playing in the pros felt no different than playing anywhere else and told the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore after the game that he was happy with his game. “I felt really good up there.It’s the first two at-bats. That’s why we have spring training. That’s what it’s for – get all the rinky dinks out.”

Having already lost Adam Wainwright for 12-15 months after Tommy John surgery, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa may start watching his pitchers through his fingers. His other ace, Chris Carpenter, left Tuesday’s spring training game with a mild hamstring strain.

Florida Marlins rising star Mike Stanton will probably be out two weeks after he strained a quad running out a grounder on Monday.

With no takers, free agent outfielder Garret Anderson announced his retirement Tuesday after 17 seasons in the big leagues. The career .293 hitter leaves the game with 283 HR, 2,529 hits, 1,365 RBI, one World Series ring, and three All-Star appearances. He played all but one season in California (2009 with Atlanta); the first 16 years of his career were spent with the Angels and his final season in 2010 was as a Dodger.

FullCountPitch - These Guys are Catching on

This week's column for FullCountPitch.com is about the new breed of catchers making their way in the Major Leagues and trying to be the next Joe Mauer.

It’s not often that a rookie catcher makes a huge impression in the Major Leagues, but that is exactly what Buster Posey did last season for the San Francisco Giants. The National League rookie of the year hit .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in just 108 games. His defense was stellar as well- he threw out 37% of would-be base stealers and caught a starting rotation that was the key to the Giants’ first World Series victory in 56 years. The rookie also stepped up in the playoffs, hitting a combined .288 in three series with a home run and five ribbies.

The 23-yr old is part of a new breed of catcher that is beginning to have a big impact on Major League Baseball. The position is no longer referred to as the “tools of ignorance” and the prototypical catcher is no longer built like a fireplug. The new guys are athletic, quick, solidly built, and can hit the heck out of the baseball.

Click Here to read the rest of the free column and to read more about Jesus Montero, Carlos Santana, J.P. Arencibia, and Matt Wieters.

Cano Tops List of AL Gold Glove Winners

Anyone who got the opportunity to watch Robinson Cano play 2nd base this past season knew he had a great chance of winning his first Gold Glove. Today those thoughts came to fruition.

Cano won his first Gold Glove award after a season filled with displays of remarkable range, sparking plays, and most importantly perhaps, consistently making the routine plays.

Cano was joined by shortstop Derek Jeter, who won his 5th Gold Glove, and Mark Teixeira, a 4-time winner. Cano and Jeter became the first Yankees middle infield duo to win the award in the same season.

Adding to their previous awards were pitcher Mark Buehrle, outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, catcher Joe Mauer, and Evan Longoria. In addition to Cano, outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Carl Crawford each picked up their first award.

Jeter's award, of course, immediately set off a firestorm of discussion on Twitter as does anything the Yankees' captain does.

Yankees Smack The Twins With A Broom...Again

For the second straight post-season, the New York Yankees have swept the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series.

While the first two games were loaded with drama, the clincher seemed to be in the bag from the start. Phil Hughes was dominant; his fastball blew past hitters, his curveball broke off nastily, and his occasional change up did it's work. All told it was seven innings of shutout baseball for Hughes in his first post-season start. Hughes allowed just four hits, walked one, and struck out six.

Hughes' counterpart, left-hander Brian Duensing wasn't so lucky. Also making his first post-season start, Duensing departed in the 4th with a 5-0 deficit.

The Yankees MVP was in the middle of things as usual and got things started in the 2nd inning. Robinson Cano drilled a triple to center field and came home with the game's first run on a Jorge Posada single. One inning later Nick Swisher doubled to center and scored on Mark Teixeira's frozen rope single to left.

The Yankees delivered the knockout punch in the 4th. It was Cano again starting things off with a single. Then Marcus Thames pounded a sinker into the bleachers in right-center field for a 4-0 lead. Duensing retired Posada, but was sent to the showers when Curtis Granderson walked. The final run of the inning would be added to Duensing record when Granderson stole second base and moved to third on Joe Mauer's throwing error. Brett Gardner brought his outfield partner to the plate with a sac fly to left off Matt Guerrier.

Hughes, meanwhile, was cruising. He retired the first nine hitters of the game and faced the minimum number of batters through four innings. The Twins put two aboard with one out in the 5th, but Hughes struck out Michael Cuddyer and got rookie Danny Valencia to fly out. An inning later Orlando Hudson and Mauer stroked back to back two out singles, but Hughes blew away Jason Kubel for the third out.

Hudson would finally get Minnesota on the board in the 8th with an RBI single off a shaky Kerry Wood, but the Twins left the bases loaded. Boone Logan came on to get Kubel on a pop up and David Robertson retired Delmon Young on an inning ending fly ball. Then it was down to Mariano Rivera who, though it was not a save situation, retired the Twins in order with relative ease.

The Yankees now will wait to play until Friday when the ALCS starts in either Tampa Bay or Texas. The Rays avoid a sweep this afternoon by defeating the Rangers 6-3.

For the Twins, different year, same old story.

Twins Got A Loss Before They Started

Pitching is the key to winning in the playoffs - just look at the 2009 New York Yankees for a surefire example - but in this year's Yankees-Minnesota Twins division series it is the loss of an offensive player that could sway the series heavily in the Yankees' favor.

Twins 1st baseman Justin Morneau is one of the best hitters in baseball; a perennial 30-HR, 100-RBI guy who hits .300 to boot.

But there will be no Morneau in the ALDS or beyond. Morneau missed the remainder of the season after suffering a concussion July 7. At the time he was hitting .345 with 18 HR and 56 RBI in 80 games. The Twins hoped Morneau could be back at some point in the post-season, but that was ruled out as well after concussion symptoms returned this past Saturday.

The loss is devastating to a lineup which scratches out runs and is not laden with big boppers. Though they finished sixth in the major leagues in runs scored, the Twins rely heavily on the M duo of Morneau and Joe Mauer (I refuse to call them the M&M boys, there was only one set of them). The latter has also been banged up and returned to his pre-2009 power (when he banged out 28 dingers) of just 9 home runs.

Morneau's absence for the second straight post-season, he missed last year with a bad back, will certainly put more pressure on a Twins starting rotation that was not a model of consistency this year. Other than Francisco Liriano, who re-established his ace stuff, most of the remainder of the staff did not perform up to their usual ability and fell short of expectations.

The Twins will most certainly rely on small ball and their running ability to score runs against the Yankees. Teams have stolen with ease this year against the Yankees rotation and catching duo of Jorge Posada and Francisco Cervelli and the Twins should continue that trend. Delmon Young (.826 OPS 21 HR 112 RBI) could be an 'X' factor in the series after finally living up to the hype surrounding him while in Tampa Bay and Minnesota.

The Twins lost Joe Nathan to Tommy John surgery during spring training, but 6'11" Jon Rauch filled those big shoes as a steady closer. When he faltered, GM Bill Smith went out and got closer Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals to deepen the pen.

Finally, reading is fundamental and so are the Twins. The organization is the best at teaching the basics and no one has utilized those lessons in the majors better than old manager Tom Kelly and current skipper Ron Gardenhire.

Position Comparison

1B Mark Teixeira > Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer was in RF until Morneau's injury; his production dropped off substantially from last year (32 HR - 14 HR .862 - .753 OPS). Teixeira struggled all season until Kevin Long straightened him out and he went on a second half tear. Though he slowed in September due to thumb and foot injuries, he still finished with an .846 OPS and 33 HR, 102 RBI.

2B Robinson Cano > Orlando Hudson
Cano should either win the AL MVP award or finish second to Texas' Josh Hamilton. He had 200 hits for the second straight season and posted career highs in HR (29), RBI (104) and OPS (.914). He also played gold glove 2nd base. Orlando Hudson is a solid defender, but doesn't have much of a stick.

SS Derek Jeter > J.J. Hardy
Jeter had the worst offensive seasons of his career, but still managed to score 111 runs and was solid defensively, with a career low six errors. He started to come on in September after working with Long, finishing with 25 hits in his last 72 at-bats (.347). Hardy has been a disappointment after breaking out in 2007-2008 while with Milwaukee. He was limited to 101 games by injury and posted just a .714 OPS.

3B Alex Rodriguez > Danny Valencia
A-Rod put up another 30-HR 100-RBI year despite playing in just 125 games (123 RBI). He was also solid defensively. Valencia is developing into a nice player- his rookie campaign consisted of a .799 OPS, .311 AVG, 7 HR, 40 RBI in 85 games.

LF Delmon Young > Brett Gardner
The two are on par defensively, but Young's offense had a much greater impact on his team's lineup, especially when Morneau went down. Young posted career highs in virtually every offensive category. Gardner's speed can be a difference maker, but he must be more aggressive on the bases.

CF Curtis Granderson > Denard Span
Granderson was having a miserable season until Long once again worked his magic in mid-August. The result was a much more productive and powerful Granderson. Span had a horribly disappointing season after hitting .311 in 2009. This year he posted a sub-.700 OPS.

RF Nick Swisher > Jason Kubel
It's not by a lot, but Swisher wins out. He was a secondary MVP to Cano on the Yankees for much of the season. Kubel has good power, is a clutch hitter, but is better at DH.

C Joe Mauer > Jorge Posada + Francisco Cervelli
Mauer's power may be down, but the hits keep on coming. The health of his left knee could play a factor, but just like Jeter, he'll downplay it. Posada and Cervelli have had mediocre years on both sides of the ball.

DH Marcus Thames/Lance Berkman - Jim Thome
It's a toss up. Thames has been hammering righties and lefties. Berkman has hit better from the left side since a DL stint in September. Thome is still mashing the long ball, though Gardenhire might use someone else against lefties Sabathia and Pettitte.

Yankees Starting Rotation > Twins Starting Rotation
CC Sabathia should win the Cy Young. Andy Pettitte is a rock if healthy and Phil Hughes had a breakout year with 18 wins. Liriano has ace stuff and has backed it up. Carl Pavano has been a revelation. But the Twins have to be worried about a game 4 match up of Sabathia vs. Nick Blackburn.

Yankees Bench > Twins Bench
Yankees have more pop potential when called upon.

Yankees Bullpen - Mariano Rivera, Kerry Wood & Company a little > Twins Bullpen Matt Capps, Jon Rauch & Company
Rivera's post-season work speaks for itself and Wood has put up amazing numbers since joining the Yankees.

Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire > Yankees Manager Joe Girardi
Girardi has the World Series ring, but Gardenhire is the better in game manager. But he still hasn't figured out how to beat the Yankees, especially in New York.

Prediction: Yankees in Five.

Pork Chops and Apple Sauce

Yes, it is a Brady Bunch reference to when Peter was trying to find himself and decided to be Humphrey Bogart reincarnate. It also has to do with last night's Yankees game with the Minnesota Twins.

You probably have heard all about it by now, but in case you haven't, while Javier Vazquez was getting chopped up by the Twins, YES' Kimberly Jones was having her pork chop assaulted. Wait, that sounded really unseamly. More precisely, Kimwas demonstrating a Target Field food item - pork chop on a stick, when a Yankees fan leaned over and took a bite out of the "other white meat" (not Kim's arm). She was disgusted. Announcers Michael Kay and Leiter were disgusted and hysterical all at the same time. And despite Kim's tweet later on that the incident will all be forgotten about when she returns to work next week, the porkchop horror will most certainly live on.

As for the game itself, yeah, that was pretty much a horror show as well. Vazquez reverted back to his pre-Tigers and Mets contests self and was smacked around by the Twins lineup. It didn't help any that the Yankees lineup continued to stagnate. And for a final show stopper, Chad Gaudin marked his return to the Yankees by giving up a 3-run home run to Jason Kubel to put the game completely out of reach.

Vazquez looked uncomfortable most of the night. His fastball continued to be unimpressive and his mechanics and psyche seemed off. He put the Yankees in a 3-0 hole after just two innings and the RISP-less Bronx Bombers, despite 10 hits, couldn't come back.

Robinson Cano did his best to prove otherwise, driving in both Yankees runs with a single in the 4th and double in the 6th. But down 4-2 in the bottom of the 6th, Vazquez allowed a solo home run to Kubel, who was just getting started.

Joe and Mauer and Justin Morneau each reached against the always unreliable Chan Ho Park to start the 7th and two batters later Kubel crushed a Gaudin meatball into the right field seats. Welcome back Chad.

Notes

Some bats are starting to come around a bit. Derek Jeter's two hits last night put him on an 8-18 (.444) streak. Mark Teixeira had his second straight two hit game, though both he and Alex Rodriguez continued to deliver in the big spots.

Big Game Andy

photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

Andy Pettitte has had a lot of big game starts in his career. More often than not, he's come out on top. You wouldn't think a late May game would qualify in the big game category, but that was the case tonight when Pettitte took the mound and the win in the Yankees 3-2 triumph over the Minnesota Twins.

With a slumping offense and a shortened bullpen, Joe Girardi needed Pettitte to come through with a huge game and that's just what he did. Eight innings, two earned runs and a 3-2 victory.

Pettitte threw 94 pitches and was warming up to start the 9th, but it was merely a ploy to give Mariano Rivera additional time to get ready.

Rivera, who struggled through a save in the conclusion of game one, breezed through the 9th to give Pettitte his sixth win of the season against just a single defeat. In picking up career win no. 235, Pettitte didn't walk a batter and struck out four. He's now in sole possession of 61st place on the all-time wins list and is 3rd on the Yankees' franchise list with 198 victories).

The win, which gave the Yankees two on the day after a victory in the completion of Tuesday night's suspended game, came in the 9th when Nick Swisher drove a Jon Rauch delivery over the fence in right field for a solo home run.

Notes

The Yankees gained 1 1/2 games on the Rays, who lost for the second straight night to the resurgent Red Sox.

Kevin Russo once again came through with a clutch hit when he doubled in the Yankees first run of the game. Brett Gardner later added an RBI triple.

Pettitte Keeps Twins Killing Going

You could tell that Andy Pettitte hadn't thrown (10 days) in a competitive situation in a while. But the veteran, who missed a start due to mild inflammation in his elbow, was still good enough to pick up a 6-plus inning victory as the Yankees continued their dominance of the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada hit tape measure home runs and the Yankees bullpen walked the tightrope to a 7-1 triumph.

Pettitte's stuff wasn't as crisp as usual, but it wasn't bad either. He threw 95 pitches and used his trademark double play grounder to escape a jam in the 2nd inning. He also had to be holding his breath when, clinging to a 2-0 lead, Joe Mauer crushed a Pettitte delivery with two aboard. But Brett Gardner made the putout in deep left-center field and Pettitte was on his way to a 5-0 record.

The Yankees built a 3-1 lead against Twins starter Francisco Liriano and then blew the game open against the Minnesota bullpen in the 7th. Teixeira absolutely crushed a Jesse Crain pitch into the luxury box/third tier in right field for a 5-1 lead. Posada added two more runs to the scoreboard when he blasted a Ron Mahay pitch to dead center. The ball hit a cement divider behind the center field wall and ricocheted up into the center field seats above Monument Park.

Despite being ineffective all season and having blown the lead on Friday night, Damaso Marte continues to get called upon in tough situations. This time it was to protect a one run lead with two on and two out in the 7th inning. Pinch-hitter Jim Thome swung and missed at a hanging Marte fastball before taking a called third strike to end the inning.

Notes

Sergio Mitre is on the hill for the Yankees today as they go for the sweep of the three game series. Nick Blackburn will toe the rubber for the Twins.

Javier Vazquez will be skipped on Monday/Tuesday so that Phil Hughes and CC Sabathia can start on regular rest. Vazquez will open the interleague series with the Mets on Friday.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Andy Pettitte and Hughes became the fourth set of Yankees teammates in the last 50 years to win their first five decisions. The others were Ron Guidry and Tommy John (1980), David Wells and Mike Mussina (2003), and Kevin Brown and El Duque (2004).

Help Wanted: Twins Interim Manager

photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

At the conclusion of tonight's game with the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins general manager Bill Smith announced the team is looking for an interim manager. Don't worry, Ron Gardenhire, one of the best managers in the game, has not been fired. It's just that Smith figures maybe someone else will have better luck when his team plays the Yankees.

Okay, so all of the above is bs, but you could understand Smith thinking that way. With tonight's 7-4 Yankees victory, the Twins have lost 24 of the last 27 games played in the Bronx. Add to that playoff losses in 2003, 2004, and 2009. Things weren't much better in the Metrodome where the Twins won only 11 of their last 29 games with the Yankees.

Like many of their previous encounters, the Twins had a chance to win tonight's ball game. They rallied against Damaso Marte to take a 4-3 lead in the 7th, but the Twins' pen imploded in the bottom of the 7th.

Francisco Cervelli led the inning off with a single against Twins starter Scott Baker and Derek Jeter followed with a bullet off of Baker's leg for a double. Lefty Brian Duensing retired Brett Gardner, but Gardenhire made the dangerous decision to intentionally walk Mark Teixeira and face Alex Rodriguez with the bases loaded.

Gardenhire had the unenviable task of picking his poison, but Rodriguez was 4-6 lifetime with a trio of home runs against the reliever, Matt Guerrier, that the Twins' skipper opted for.

Quicker than you could say, well, Gardenhire, A-Rod launched a grand slam to left to put the Yankees back on top for good. The Yankees third baseman also scored points in the post-game by taking the high road when YES' Kim Jones wondered if getting intentionally walked irritated him.

Joba Chamberlain (three K's) and Mariano Rivera made quick work of the Twins over the final two innings to hang yet another "L" on Gardenhire and the Twins.

Notes

Per Sweeny Murti on Twitter: "Joba has struck out 7 of last 10 batters (over 3 apps)." And this from Jack Curry on Twitter: "Memo to ML Managers: According to STATS, Inc., A-Rod is 4-4 w 2 HRS and 14 RBI in six plate apps after Teixeira was intent walked b4 him."

Nick Swisher left the game after one at-bat due to his bad bicep. (Correction) He went for an MRI, which showed nothing out of the ordinary a slight tear. He's listed as day to day.

Francisco Cervelli continues to be remarkable. Two more hits tonight, threw out a would-be base stealer, and delivered an RBI triple for an insurance run in the 8th inning. He's now 10-13 with runners in scoring position. Cervelli was even impressed by it during the post-game. "That's pretty good", he said with a chuckle.

A.J. Burnett started the game with a shaky first inning, but settled down and left the game with a 3-2 lead in the 7th. He did give up a scorched home run to Joe Mauer.

There's Life After the World Series

As you may have noticed (hopefully someone noticed), I haven't done to much blogging since the World Series ended. I need to catch up some things, including sleep. A lot has been going on since the Series ended - baseball no longer goes to the back pages when the season ends. And with the way the Giants and Rangers have been playing, it's better to dwell on the 27th championship and the 2010 Yankees season. (If you're a Knicks or Nets fan, you've probably already started counting the hours, minutes, and seconds until Spring Training).

Let's start with some hardware, the non-27th championship type :)

As expected Joe Mauer cruised to the American League MVP trophy earlier today. Yankees Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Mauer got all but one first place vote, with 4th place finisher Miguel Cabrera inexplicably picking up the lone dissenting vote. This is the same Cabrera who got loaded the night before a huge game with the White Sox as the Tigers crumbled down the stretch. Apparently one sportswriter must have drinking when he put in his/her ballot.

Here's the total vote count for Mauer and the top five finishers.
Mauer 387
Teixeira 225
Jeter 193
Cabrera 171
K. Morales 170

Mauer became just the second catcher in the last 23 years to win the award. Teixeira had been our pre-season prediction.

Alex Rodriguez (10th), Mariano Rivera (14), Robinson Cano (17) and CC Sabathia (21) were the other Yankees to receive votes.

Awards already announced:

The Managers of the Year were the Angels' Mike Scioscia (whom I correctly predicted would take the award) and the Rockies Jim Tracy. I expected the Angels to run away with the AL West, but Scioscia had to really do a great job this year to overcome injuries and the death of Nick Adenhardt. Joe Girardi finished 3rd behind Scioscia and Ron Gardenhire.

Tracey meanwhile took a slumping Rockies squad to the NL wild card. (Our Spring Training pick was a sentimental one- Bobby Cox. He finished 5th in the voting.).

Rookie of the Year honors in the AL went to the A's (and New Jersey's) Andrew Bailey, who grabbed the team's closer role. The Marlins' Chris Coghlan took the NL award. I had predicted prior to the season that Baltimore's Matt Wieters and the Cards' Jason Motte would pick up the awards. Neither received a vote, though Wieters did finish the season in strong fashion.

Bailey's fellow NJ native, Rick Porcello, came in the 3rd in the AL voting.

2009 AL roy voting

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Points
Andrew Bailey	13	6	5	88
Elvis Andrus	8	6	7	65
Rick Porcello	7	8	5	64
Jeff Niemann	x	5	6	21
Gordon Beckham	x	2	4	10
Brett Anderson	x	1	1	4

2009 nl roy voting

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Points
Chris Coghlan	17	6	2	105
J.A. Happ	10	11	11	94
Tommy Hanson	2	6	9	37
Andrew McCutchen	2	5	x	25
Casey McGehee	1	3	4	18
Randy Wells	x	1	x	3
Garrett Jones	x	x	2	2
Everth Cabrera	x	x	1	1
Dexter Fowler	x	x	1	1
Gerardo Parra	x	x	1	1
Colby Rasmus	x	x	1	1

The AL Cy Young went to KC's Zack Greinke. The Royals managed just 65 wins this season, with nearly a quarter of them (16) won by Greinke. Only Steve Carlton's 27 wins on a 59-win team may have been more impressive. Our pre-season pick CC Sabathia, finished fourth in the voting.

The National League award went to Tim Lincecum for the second consecutive season. I personally felt that Chris Carpenter would win the award. I mistakenly chose Johan Santana prior to the start of the season. Boy, that was a mistake.

AL Cy Young Award Voting

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
Zack Greinke, KC	25	3		134
Felix Hernandez, SEA	2	23	1	80
Justin Verlander, DET	1		9	14
CC Sabathia, NYY		2	7	13
Roy Halladay, TOR			11	11

NL Cy Young Award Voting

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts.
Tim Lincecum, SF	11	12	9	100
Chris Carpenter, STL	9	14	7	94
Adam Wainwright, STL	12	5	15	90
Javier Vazquez, ATL		1		3
Dan Haren, ARI			1	1

The NL MVP will be announced tomorrow with Albert Pujols to pick up another momento for his trophy case. Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard should finish 2-3.