Jeter's Big Night: What They Are Saying

Teammate Brett Gardner:


 Teammate CC Sabathia:
 

 YES Network announcer Michael Kay when Jeter delivered in the 9th:

"Derek Jeter; turning fantasy into reality."

You could hear Tino Martinez yell, "That was awesome!" to his former teammate and fellow Florida snowbird. Charles Jeter told his "I'm proud of you."

Former teammate Paul O'Neill:

One of the coolest endings ever... Wouldn't expect anything else from Jete
— Paul O'Neill (@PaulONeillYES) September 26, 2014

Yankees announcer Ken Singleton:

LOOKOUT ! I'm heading home season over. ( too quickly ) Thank you fans 4 watching YES. See you next spring. Thanks to The Captain a classic.
— Ken Singleton (@29alltime) September 26, 2014

Tigers pitcher David Price, who gave up hit #3000 to Jeter when Price was on the Rays.

Shocker! #thecaptain does it like he always does!! That's what I envisioned 3000 to be like! Not 37 rows deep to left center!! #welldonejeet
— David Price (@DAVIDprice14) September 26, 2014

Price's teammate Justin Verlander:

Incredible!!! Did anyone expect anything less. #storybook #RE2PECT #FairWellCaptain
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) September 26, 2014

Hall of Fame Wide Receive Chris Carter

Derek Jeter #MyHero
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) September 26, 2014

Former Braves 3rd baseman Chipper Jones:

Much respect #2! Sad to see u go. U deserved everything u got. Proud of ur career, even prouder to call u a friend! Now let's go golfing!!
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) September 26, 2014

Former teammate and YES Network announcer John Flaherty:

Richardson scored the game winning run on the Jeter hit! How about the story he can tell for the rest of his life!!
— John Flaherty (@flash17yes) September 26, 2014

Twins infielder Brian Dozier:

Amazing finish in New York for a guy that taught me how to play the game the right way without him even knowing.. Thank you Derek #2
— Brian Dozier (@BrianDozier) September 26, 2014

YES Network's Jack Curry:

Incredible finish by Jeter. Did a lot of Jeter-esque things. Swung at 1st pitch. Singled to RF. Helped win a game. Celebrated like gentleman
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) September 26, 2014

More from Jack on the YES website.

Tigers Send Fister to DC For a Trio

Doug Fister is a very quiet pitcher; he doesn't have a blazing fastball, nor is he an intimidating presence on the mound despite his 6'8" frame. What Fister is, is a competitor. One that will be joining his third Major League team. The Detroit Tigers sent Fister to the Washington Nationals for infielder Steve Lombardozzi, minor league left-hander Robbie Ray, and reliever Ian Krol.

At first glance, the deal doesn't make a whole lot of sense from the Tigers' perspective. GM Dave Dombrowski said the team is not cutting payroll, despite having unloaded Prince Fielder and the bulk of his contract two weeks ago. But with Justin Verlander guaranteed $160MM over the next six seasons, Anibal Sanchez set to make a minimum of $67.2MM through 2018, and Max Scherzer set to hit free agency in 2015, Fister became expendable. (The Tigers are trying to sign Scherzer to a new deal, which will undoubtedly be a hefty one after the right-hander won the 2013 AL Cy Young Award. He's under the Tigers control until 2015 and is in his second year of arbitration eligibility after he earned $6MM last season.)

Fister earned $4MM last year and should see an increase in this, his year first of arbitration eligibility.  If healthy, he should make 30 starts and give the Nats 180-200 innings pitched. Fister has pitched in two pitcher's ballparks in the Majors - Safeco Field and Comerica Park - and should find Nationals Park as a good fit as well. Though the stadium allowed the 13th highest amount of runs in the Majors last season, it ranked 26th in home runs allowed. Fister has allowed less than a home run per 9 innings in his career and will no longer have to face a DH, outside of interleague games.

Krol could be the key to the deal for Detroit. The 22-year old left-hander was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 amateur draft by the Oakland A's and ended up in the Nats organization as part of the deal that sent Mike Morse to Seattle.

He appeared in 32 games in relief for the Nationals this past season and averaged 7.2 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. (Krol had four minor league seasons in which he struck out more than 10 batters per 9 innings.) He's put up solid numbers despite the fact his fastball tops out at 90-mph. Control is his key according to scoutingbook.com.

"What he is good at is changing speeds, working both sides of the plate with great accuracy, and keeping hitters both off-balance and honest, thanks to the aforementioned touch ability and a plus curve that he can bounce or drop into the zone on demand."

Ray is a 22-year old starter who has averaged better than 9 K's/9 IP over four minor league seasons. The Nationals selected him in the 12th round of the 2010 amateur draft. Though 68 of his 70 appearances have been as a starter, he is projected long term as a reliever.

The 25-year old Lombardozzi can give the Tigers some bench depth with his ability to play second base and the outfield. Don't count on him to produce offensively, however.

Overall, this is a great deal for Washington and a wait and see for the Tigers.

Tigers Near Pennant Behind Verlander Domination

Joe Girardi's "Make-a-Wish" lineup actually did worse than when Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher were a part of it. Then again the Yankees had the unenviable task of facing reigning AL Cy Young/MVP Justin Verlander in the third game of the ALCS.

Though Verlander wasn't at his best, he was good enough to pick up the win in Detroit's 2-1 victory over the Yankees in Game 3. The Yankees made it exciting in the 9th when Eduardo Nunez homered off Verlander and Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano reached on 2-out hits against Phil Coke. But magic man Raul Ibanez had no magic this time around and struck out when he chased a 3-2 pitch out of the zone to end the game.

Delmon Young, who has excelled in the last two post-seasons against the Yankees, hit a solo home run off Phil Hughes in the 4th to snap the scoreless tie. After Hughes followed the gopher ball with a walk to Andy Dirks, the right-hander had to leave the game with a stiff back.

The Tigers doubled their lead thanks in part thanks to an Eric Chavez error that allowed Quentin Berry to reach safely to start the bottom of the 5th. Chavez got the start at the third base in place of the benched Rodriguez. Berry stole second base and scored easily on Miguel Cabrera's double off of David Phelps.

The Yankees pitching, as it has all post-season, did very well in Game 3. But with a punch-less lineup as soon as the opponent scores one run, the night was pretty much over. Slumps continued - Robinson Cano 1-30 (thought that is an improvement), Curtis Granderson 3-29, Eric Chavez 0-14.  The only hits the Yankees had on the night were a pair of singles by Ichiro Suzuki, who is one of the few batters left with some hits in him.

Verlander wasn't his sharpest, but was still better than most pitchers on their best nights. He allowed just three hits in 8.1 innings, hit 99 mph on the radar gun, and allowed just his second earned run in 24.1 post-season innings.

The Yankees will send CC Sabathia out Wednesday in hopes of putting off the end of the season one more day. The Tigers will go with right-hander Max Scherzer and Joe Girardi will try and figure out some lineup that might make some magic.  Otherwise, the Yankees will be hitting the golf courses sooner than they had hoped.

A-Rod, Swisher Take a Seat

The radio was a buzz this afternoon when the Yankees lineup came out and Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher were not a part of it.

Needless to say sitting Swisher didn't have much impact on sports radio discussions, but both Michael Kay (ESPN) and Mike Francesa (WFAN) blasted the idea of sitting down a $30MM a year superstar. Even if that star's glow has faded.  A-Rod has been terrible, there is no question about it, but neither felt putting Eric Chavez in was the answer. (Chavez is 0-11 thus far with six strikeouts.)

Brett Gardner, who hasn't started a game since April, is leading off and playing left field, while Ichiro Suzuki will slide over to right field.  Joe Girardi, in search of any offense, will take a hit defensively tonight with Eduardo Nunez getting the start at shortstop.

But all of those changes paled in comparison to Rodriguez sitting on the bench for the second time in three games. The relationship between Girardi and Rodriguez may have already been strained from the manager's decision to pinch-hit for him twice in the ALCS, but the benchings are even more embarrassing for the 37-year old.

Rodriguez is 4-7 against tonight's starter Justin Verlander, with a pair of home runs. No one thinks A-Rod's past success with impact his game tonight, but Kay and Francesa both felt you need to go with the one-time superstar in the biggest game of the post-season.

There was also speculation that A-Rod's supposed behavior during Game 1, as reported by the NY Post, had an influence on Girardi. Witness said that Rodriguez continually flirted with two women that sat behind the Yankees dugout, at one point sending them baseballs that he wrote on asking for their numbers.  One of the two obliged. It was only when Derek Jeter was injured that Rodriguez shut down the American Gigolo show. (Surprised A-Rod didn't go with a Joey Tribbiani, "How youuu doing?")

Kay was livid, for lack of a better word, that Curtis Granderson continued to be in the starting lineup despite the fact that he is just 3-26 (.115).

No matter who is in the Yankees starting lineup, they are going to have a hard time hitting, arguably, the best pitcher in baseball. Verlander won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards last season and was 17-8, 2.64 this year. Prior to this season, Verlander didn't pitch well in his previous post-season starts. But he was dominant in beating the Oakland A's in Game 1 and the decisive Game 5 of the ALDS. (16 IP 7 H 1 ER 5 BB 22 K)

He'll be opposed tonight by Phil Hughes, who pitches the biggest game of his career (supplanting last week's game against Baltimore) tonight.  Hughes allowed just a run on four hits and struck out eight in 6.1 innings against the Orioles in Game 4 of the ALDS, which the Orioles won in 13 innings.

It's doubtful tomorrow, no matter the outcome of tonight's game, that tonight's pitchers will be the topic of tomorrow's talk shows.

Baseball Digest | Tigers Need Max Effort From Scherzer In Game 2

Max Scherzer has been here before, in fact less than a week ago. Detroit Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander pitched one inning in Game 1 of the ALDS before rain suspended play and the Tigers lost to the New York Yankees when play resumed the following day. Down 1-0 in games, the Tigers turned the ball over to Scherzer, the “other” hard throwing right-hander in their rotation, for Game 2. The 27-yr old responded with 5.1 innings of no-hit ball as the Tigers evened the series at a game apiece.

Scherzer will take the hill in Game 2 with his team again down a game after rains affected the opener of the American League Championship Series on Saturday. The Texas Rangers edged Detroit 3-2 after a pair of rain delays limited the game’s starters, Verlander (4) and C.J. Wilson (4.2), to less than five innings.

Read the remainder of this free article, including updates on Delmon Young and Magglio Ordonez, at BaseballDigest.com.

Nova Ready To Shine?

I had faith, albeit blind faith, in A.J. Burnett going into Tuesday's make or break Game 4 of the ALDS. Down two games to one, Burnett delivered and Curtis Granderson played the role of superhero with a very good catch and an amazing catch in the Yankees 10-1 thrashing of the Detroit Tigers.

So now the teams are back in New York tonight for the fifth an deciding game. Remarkably, the game is at 8:05 instead of the usual 8:37. It's a rematch of the Game 1 relievers Ivan Nova and Doug Fister. Of course, both pitchers were supposed to start Game 2 last Saturday, but instead had to pick up Game 1 after rain suspended play on Friday.

Nova was outstanding - he pitched into the 9th inning - and is brimming with confidence at the moment. Fister was outstanding down the stretch for the Tigers and finished with a 2.83 ERA. But in Game 2 he pitched with runners on base in all but one one of his 4+ innings of relief. He left in the 6th inning, down 4-1 and with the bases full of Yankees. His line got worse moments later when Al Alburquerque gave up a grand slam to Robinson Cano that broke the Tigers' backs.

Nova started his work in the 3rd inning and retired the six men he faced before he ran into trouble in the 6th. He got a break though when third base Gene Lamont waved home Alex Avila from second base on a Jhonny Peralta single to center. Granderson relayed to Derek Jeter, who fired home to Russell Martin to nail Avila.

Nova walked Austin Jackson to start the 6th, but got Magglio Ordonez to hit in a double play. He allowed just a single base runner over the next two innings before he tired in the 9th and was charged with some inherited runs allowed by Luis Ayala.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland said he will not use Game 1 and 3 starter Justin Verlander in relief tonight. Verlander said he would try to sneak down to the pen and talk Leyland into using him. Joe Girardi, on the other hand, said that he will use CC Sabathia if needed. As the cliche goes, "all hands on deck". Or in this case, in the batter's box.

Will the little glimpses of life that Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher showed in Game 4 carry over to tonight? Teixeira will be back batting from the the left side, where his OPS is far less than when he's facing a left-handed pitcher. Tex seems to be having trouble picking up breaking pitches from right-handers and the overshift teams deploy against him has not helped him. He's hit some pitches the opposite way over the last couple of games, which is good sign, even if means a single or double rather than a home run.

The Yankees first baseman isn't the only who hasn't done a lot of damage in the series. Tigers' first baseman Miguel Cabrera had a big 2-run home run in Game 2, but has gone just 3-12 overall. Victor Martinez homered off of A.J. Burnett in Game 4, but is just 3-14. In fact, the leading hitters on the Tigers are players you wouldn't expect to be at the top of the list- Brandon Inge, Don Kelly, and Ryan Rayburn.

I feel just as I did before the series started; that either team could win it. And I stand by my original prediction of the Yankees winning the series in five games. I believe tonight will come down to a battle of the bullpens in the late innings...and anything goes.

Hopefully, it goes the Yankees' way.

Cano and Yankees Have A Blast

I had to admit I was more tense before the continuation of Game 1 than I was before the actual start. Even though Justin Verlander had started for Detroit, the Yankees had answered with CC Sabathia. Then, as you know, the rains came and 23 hours and 29 minutes later play resumed.

It actually looked tenuous for a while - it was pouring a little less than two hours before game time. But once things got underway the weather was cold and damp, but dry. There was some heat though, in the bat of Robinson Cano. He nearly homered in the 5th, but settled for an RBI double. Then with the Yankees leading 4-1 on a Brett Gardner 2-run single earlier in the 6yh, Cano came to bat with the bases loaded.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland Doug Fister, whom the Yankees had waited out, and went to strike out pitcher Al Alburquerque. Leyland had lefty Phil Coke ready in the pen, but figured with Cano's prowess aginst lefties, his right-hander had a better shot at retiring Cano. Boy was he wrong.

This time Cano hit a no doubt about it blast into the second deck in right, through the team of the wind for a game breaking 8-1 lead. Cano wasn't done though, he'd had an RBI double to deep center in the 8th to make a 9-1 game and a team record tying 6 RBI.

Cano wasn't the only one dealing with a hot hand, starter turned reliever in this case, Ivan Nova shut down the Tigers for the most part. He ran into trouble when he put two aboard with one out in the 6th, but Alex Avila got a bad jump off of second base on Jhonny Peralta's base hit and was thrown out at home on a relay from Curtis Granderson to Derek Jeter to Russell Maritn.

He would pitch into the 9th, when he loaded the bases and left to a standing ovation. Detroit put a brief scare into the Yankees when they scored a pair of (inherited) runs off of Luis Ayala, forcing Joe Girardi to call on Mariano Rivera. The Yankees' closer made easy work of it with a three pitch strikeout of Wilson Betemit.

Girardi Sets His Lineup And His Starter

The great national crisis is over...Joe Girardi has chosen his ALDS Game 3 starter and it is...Freddy Garcia. The 13 year veteran surprised everyone with a 3.62 and 12 wins in 25 starts, 17 of which were quality starts.

The move also confirmed that CC Sabathia would work on three days rest of pitch a Game 4 and Ivan Nova would go in a Game 5 against Justin Verlander if all came down to one game.

Girardi has also set his lineup with four right-handed starters going for Detroit. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira have been flip-flopped between the three and five spots and Jorge Posada has been given the DH spot.

Friday Night Lights: Sabathia vs. Verlander

A wild night of baseball ended moments ago when Robert Andino doubled off of Jonathan Papelbon with two outs in the 9th to give the Orioles a come from behind 4-3 win over Boston. Just minutes later, Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria lined a home run off the Yankees' Scott Proctor in the 12th inning to give the Rays an 8-7 victory and the AL wild card berth. Not only did the Rays come from 9.5 games back to overtake the Red Sox, but they overcame a 7-0 deficit to the Yankees Wednesday night to do it. Dan Johnson homered off Cory Wade in the 9th to tie the game at 7-7.

The Red Sox were one out and one strike away from victory when Papelbon gave up an RBI double to Nolan Reimold to tie the game. Then Andino continued to be the Red Sox nemesis - he had a three run double off Papelbon in Boston and a three run inside-the-park home run the other night - with the game winner.

In the NL, St. Louis jumped all over Houston's Brett Myers in the first inning and went on to an easy 8-0 win. They then captured the NL wild card when Atlanta blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th and lost in 13 innings.

Back to the AL, the Tigers defeated the Indians, but the Rangers did the same to the Angels to capture the #2 seed. Former Angel Mike Napoli hit two home runs against his former teammates for the second straight night.

So Friday night it is CC Sabathia against Justin Verlander at 8:37 EDT. Game 2 follows on Saturday with Ivan Nova facing Doug Fister. Game 3 will be one of the triumverate of Freddy Garcia, A.J. Burnett, and Bartolo Colon going against Max Scherzer, and if a Game 4 is necessary, the Yankees will likely bring back Sabathia on three days rest against Rick Porcello. If the series goes five, Nova will match up with Verlander to decide it all.

Let the games begin.

AL Playoff Rotations Forming

The Yankees' Joe Girardi knows he has CC Sabathia to start Game 1 of the ALDS against either the Detroit Tigers or Texas Rangers (or by some miracle the Los Angeles Angels) and Ivan Nova to go in either Game 2 or 3. But the rest is up in the air.

Perhaps Freddy Garcia solidified a spot on Saturday afternoon with six shutout innings in a win against the struggling Boston Red Sox. So who starts Game 4? Bartolo Colon? A.J. Burnett? CC Sabathia on 3 days rest?

Colon has allowed five or more earned runs in four of his last seven starts. He's been particularly bad in his last two starts; he allowed six earned runs in four innings against Tampa Bay (after eight days off) and followed that up with a seven run (five earned) outburst in three innings against Toronto.

Burnett's been miserable the entire second half with a couple of sprinkles of decent thrown in. In a word: non-trustworthy.

So that means CC Sabathia on three days rest for Game 4; something the big guy hasn't had a problem with in the past. There's no question that Sabathia hasn't been as sharp in the second half as was in the first. Some blame coming back from not one, but two rain delays in the same game, while others point to the use of a six man rotation. Whatever the reason, the Yankees will need Sabathia to be on top of his game if they are to make any kind of a run this post-season. Which means he'll likely be the Game 4 starter with Nova, on regular rest, starting the "if necessary" Game 5.


Detroit's Jim Leyland has made it easy. He has steadfastly said that his ace and the sure winner of the AL Cy Young, Justin Verlander, will not be brought back on three days rest. That means Verlander in Games 1 and 5, Doug Fister in Game 2, Max Scherzer in Game 3, and Rick Porcello in Game 4.


The Texas Rangers will use C.J. Wilson to start things off, but then Ron Washington has some decisions to make. It's likely he'll call on left-handers in the first three games with Derek Holland and Matt Harrison pitching Games 2 and 3 (possibly in the reverse order). If Washington doesn't want to go with Wilson on three day's rest, he'll choose from right-handers Colby Lewis and Alexi Ogando. Lewis is the likely choice with the way Ogando has struggled in the second half. Washington could also mix things up by starting Lewis in Game 2 since his numbers are much better on the road than at home. Ogando, meanwhile, will move to the pen where he was outstanding in 2010.


If Boston holds on to the wild card, they are two games ahead of Tampa Bay after Saturday's play, Josh Beckett goes in Games 1 and 5, followed by Jon Lester. John Lackey is likely to be the number three starter with Erik Bedard in Game 4. Tim Wakefield will step in if any of the starters have a physical issue.

Terry Francona has to be worried about the normally reliable Lester, who is 0-3 in his last three starts with 18 earned runs allowed in just 13.2 innings pitched. In years past Beckett would have gone on three days rest in Game 4, but with his back issues that is not a scenario Boston can/should use.

The Outsiders

If Tampa Bay does ease Boston out of the final spot, David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson are likely to get the five starts. It all depends, of course, on if the final playoff spot comes down to the final day. If Tampa Bay needs a fourth starter, they'll go to Jeff Niemann. If Niemann's back isn't healthy, than Wade Davis will get the nod.

The easiest thing for any team do is just go out and win three straight and then we don't have to all worry about who is pitching when.

This Is Granderson Land

Right up until yesterday the Yankees worried that Curtis Granderson might miss the start of the season due to the oblique he strained back on March 22. But after playing in a minor league game yesterday, Granderson was good to go and the Yankees are thankful.

The center fielder tested his side immediately, diving to catch a line drive off the bat of Will Rhymes in the 1st inning. Granderson then drilled a second deck home run off former Yankee Phil Coke to snap a 3-3 tie in the 7th and the Yankees went on to a 6-3 win.

If the Yankees were following a script, they nearly did to a "t". Starter CC Sabathia matched Tigers starter Justin Verlander, going six innings with three runs allowed. Joba Chamberlain threw a scoreless 7th, Rafael Soriano did likewise in the 8th in his first Yankees appearance, and Mariano Rivera notched his first save on a called third strike of Alex Avila to end the 9th.

The Yankees trailed 1-0, but with two aboard in the bottom of the 3rd, Mark Teixeira blasted a 3-run home run. He had been just 1-17 against Verlander prior to the at-bat. But Brandon Inge delivered a two out RBI in the 4th and Miguel Cabrera picked up his first RBI in the 5th on a sacrifice fly to tie things up.

After Granderson's home run, Russell Martin, who earlier had his first hit, reached on an Inge error. The Yankees new starting catcher move to second on a Brett Gardner bunt, moved to third on a wild pitch by Ryan Perry and came home on a Derek Jeter sac fly. Nick Swisher would add an 8th inning RBI single for the final tally.

But this game belong to Granderson, who also added a long over the shoulder catch to his stellar day.

Notes

Mike Mussina threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Ken Singleton gave everyone a good laugh when he accidentally called Tigers 2nd baseman Will Rhymes, "Busta Rhymes (the rapper).

Robinson Cano made the Yankees lone error when he dropped an underhand toss covering 1st base. Last season Cano had an 81 game error-less streak.

Russell Martin had a hit, stole a base, and called/caught a good game.

It's Here...Um....Maybe

It's Opening Day at last! We made it. Give yourselves all a pat on the back and a congratulatory round of applause. But it's not going to be an easy day. Never mind that CC Sabathia and the Yankees will be locked in a battle with Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. The weather, she not look so good.

Weather.com forecasts a 35% chance of rain at game time (1:05 pm EDT), increasing to 65% by 3 pm. It then goes between 50% and 60% for the next couple of hours before the skies open up for the rest of the night at 7 pm.

Now normally you would be done by 7 pm but as we have seen in the past, there have been some very long, obnoxious rain delays at Yankee Stadium. My brother and I were among those who sat through a 2 hour monsoon last year. The problem is that Friday's day off looks even worse, so the guess here is that the game will get in. Whether (or in this case maybe it should be weather) or not it's a full game remains to be seen.

Today's Yankees lineup should be as follows:

LF Brett Gardner
SS Derek Jeter
3B Alex Rodriguez
1B Mark Teixeira
2B Robinson Cano
RF Nick Swisher
DH Jorge Posada
CF Curtis Granderson *
C Russell Martin

* = Good news.

As expected, Pedro Feliciano landed on the DL. Luis Ayala beat out Steve Garrison for the final spot in the bullpen, leaving Boone Logan as the lone lefty, and Gustava "not a real" Molina will be the back up to Martin at catcher.

The starting lineup for the Tigers is as follows:

CF Austin Jackson
2B Will Rhymes
RF Magglio Ordoñez
1B Miguel Cabrera
DH Victor Martinez
LF Ryan Raburn
SS Jhonny Peralta
3B Brandon Inge
C Alex Avila

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rumors, News, and Transactions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Long and Winding Road

It wasn't a spectacular road trip for the New York Yankees (3-4), but considering the number of injuries that affected the team, it wasn't all that bad either.

Obviously after taking 2 of 3 in Boston, losing 3 of 4 in Detroit was a letdown. But considering that Sergio Mitre and a struggling Javier Vazquez were penned in for starts, one could argue that the Bombers shouldn't have expected to do more than split with their Motown opponents. As it turned out Vazquez was very good, while ace CC Sabathia struggled.

The Yankees offense hit a slump in Tiger town, virtually disappearing save for one inning in the third game. Considering the number of at-bats given to Ramiro Pena, Marcus Thames, Randy Winn, Greg Golston, and Juan Miranda, that's not all that surprising either. Throw in a slumping Derek Jeter (5-43), and a banged up Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada, and you see what I'm getting at.

The season is a series of highs and lows. The Yankees offense is certainly riding one of those lows right now. There's absolutely nothing wrong with losing to Jon Lester and Justin Verlander, but not being able to muster offense against the likes of Jeremy Bonderman and Emilio Bonine is another matter.

The Yankees open a three game series with the Minnesota Twins tonight and the pitching won't be getting any easier. Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, and Nick Blackburn are scheduled to go for the Twins this weekend.

Look more more at-bats for Miranda, who should supplant some of both Winn's and Thames' at-bats. In fact, Joe Girardi opted for Thames over Winn in left field tonight against the right-handed throwing Baker. It hurts the Yankees defensively, but Girardi is clearly looking to add some punch.

Swisher returns to the lineup tonight after sitting out the finale in Detroit with a sore bicep. Francisco Cervelli gets the call at catcher, so Jorge Posada gets the day time duty on Saturday and the task of facing the left-handed Liriano.

Getting back to the Tigers' series- another spectacular performance by Phil Hughes on Wednesday night. He's rounded into the pitcher that the Yankees had always hoped he would be. The guy that the hype was all about.

Hughes' mid-90s fastball, mixed with his change and curve have been out and out dominant. He's the first Yankees pitcher since Bob Turley in 1958 to go 5-0 and have a sub-1.50 ERA after 6 starts.

Baseball is Back Baby

Despite the horror of losing the opener up in Boston, baseball is back. A fantastic opening day that saw new kids on the block, Godzilla striking in a new city, An MVP making his early MVP statement, and plenty of injured pitchers returning to the hill.

The new guy and the "old" guy everyone is talking about today though are Jason Heyward and Albert Pujols. Heyward, the Atlanta Braves phenom outfielder, hit his first major league home run in his first major league at bat - at the expense of Carlos Zambrano. And it was no wind blown shot either.



Pujols, meanwhile, was Pujols. 2 home runs, 3 RBI 4 runs scored. Just another day at the office for a guy whose contract next year could exceed Alex Rodriguez's (did I really just say that?).

Hideki Matsui will be sorely missed by Yankees fans and he reminded all of us of that fact last night. Batting against the Minnesota Twins, Godzilla went deep for his first Angels home run. And if you go back to the finale of the World Series, that is 3 home runs in the last 2 games he's played.

Former Yankees prospect Austin Jackson, dealt for Curtis Granderson, made his Tigers debut with a bunch of firsts. Double, hit, RBI, and run scored.

It was an up and down night for hurlers who missed the '09 season. Shaun Marcum breezed through the Rangers lineup before giving up a game tying 3-run home run to Nelson Cruz in the 7th. He ended up with no decision.

Ben Sheets had a rocky start in his Oakland A's debut, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, 4 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings. Sheets, who finished with 3 Ks, settled down after a shaky first couple of innings.

Johan Santana dominated Josh Josh Johnson and the Florida Marlins, 7-1. Santana allowed just 4 hits over 6 innings. Jake Westbrook would have liked those numbers, but the Indians pitcher got rocked for 5 runs, 5 hits, and issued 5 walks in just 4 innings of work. The Tribe fell to Mark Buerhle and the White Sox, 6-0.

The matchup of the day - which would be more interesting in mid-season, was the Tigers' Justin Verlander against reigning Cy Young Winner Zach Greinke of the Royals. Verlander (5 IP 4 ER) got no-decision and the Royals bullpen deprived Greinke (6 IP 1 ER) and the team of a win.

Tigers, Twins - Pick Your Poison

While the Yankees get their regulars some rest this week, they'll also be keeping an eye on the Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins series that could determine the AL Central winner and the Yankees first round opponent in this year's post-season.

The Tigers entered the four game series with a two game lead. After a rain out on Monday, the two teams are meeting in a day-night doubleheader today, followed by single games on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.

While the Twins have been red hot down the stretch, they are still the team the Yankees should want to play in the division series. And the reasons are pretty obvious.

1. The Yankees have dominated the Twins in recent years, including this season, winning all seven games between the two teams.

2. The Twins have no clear cut ace. While they have solid, dependable pitchers, none of them stands out as does the Tigers' Justin Verlander does.

3. The Twins have likely MVP Joe Mauer in their lineup as well as the hot hitting Michael Cuddyer. But there will be no Justin Morneau. Though the Twins scored more runs than the Tigers during the season, the Tigers have a more threatening lineup.

4. While Tigers' closer Fernando Rodney has converted 35 of 36 save opportunities, he's not an intimidating presence. The same can be said for Twins' closer Joe Nathan, whom the Yankees have had success against in previous post-seasons.

5. Some people are concerned about the Twins running game, but Minnesota had only 83 stolen bases entering today's play (the Tigers have 72). Really nothing to worry about.

So there you have it, the main reasons the Yankees should want to play the Twins. The top reason is the top reason for a reason. Okay, that sentence made me dizzy. The bottom line is that the Yankees beat up on the Twins and should want to play them over Detroit.

But what do you think? Take the new poll and let me know.

A-Rod Provides A-Win

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

WP - Sabathia (9-6) SV - Rivera (25) LP - Verlander (10-5)

The Yankees and the Detroit Tigers were locked into the expected pitcher’s duel between CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander Saturday afternoon. Then came the biggest at-bat of the day, a power vs. power showdown between Verlander and Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod and the Yankees won out when the 3rd baseman lined a 97-mph fastball into the right field seats for a 1-0 lead. The Yankees went on to win their second game in a row, 2-1, and moved to within 2 games of Boston in the AL East, the Red Sox having lost 6-2 to the Blue Jays.

CC Sabathia struggled with his control, but battled his way through 7 scoreless innings and 116 pitches to earn his 9th win of the season. The Tigers’ lone run came in the 8th when Marcus Thames belted a solo home run off of Al Aceves. But Mariano Rivera retired the side in order in the 9th for his 25th save in 26 tries.

Read the rest of my recap on Baseball Digest Online.

Flatter Than a Pancake

Recap of tonight's game for Baseball Digest

Running on Empty in the Motor City

April 27th, 2009

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: cc sabathia • Curtis Granderson • Derek Jeter • hideki matsui • Justin Verlander • Magglio Ordonez • nick swisher • Robinson Cano • Yankees Recap 4/27 • Yankees vs. Tigers

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

WP - Verlander (1-2) LP - Sabathia (1-2)

There isn’t much going right for the New York Yankees these days. Get good hitting, get poor pitching. Get good pitching, get poor hitting. Unfortunately, poor pitching and poor hitting have occurred on the same night way too often. Sprinkle in poor defense and you’ve got one ugly trifecta. The good pitching, poor hitting scenario was in effect in tonight’s 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. It was the Yankees fourth straight loss and extended the Tigers winning streak to three games.

CC Sabathia pitched better than a 4.50 game ERA would indicate, but his complete game effort was overshadowed by a dominant performance by the Tigers’ Justin Verlander. The 2006 AL Rookie of the Year entered tonight’s contest with a 9.00 ERA, but he easily blew his fastball by the Yankees’ anemic bats. Verlander struck out nine and scattered seven hits over seven scoreless innings for his first win of the year. The Yankees rallied for a pair of runs off closer Fernando Rodney in the ninth inning, but it was too little too late.

The Tigers jumped on the scoreboard in the first inning when Placido Polanco doubled and scored on a Miguel Cabrera single. The Yankees didn’t have a legitimate scoring threat until the fourth when Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui led off the inning with back to back singles. It was all for naught though as Verlander retired Robinson Cano on a fly out to right and blazed pitches past the slumping Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera for a pair of strikeouts.

The Tigers put the game away in the sixth when Curtis Granderson reached on a one out bunt single and came all the way around from first to score on Polanco’s second double of the game. One batter later Magglio Ordonez hit his second home run of the season for a 4-0 lead. The ball ricocheted off the top of the right field wall and went over, out of the reach of a leaping Swisher.

Despite the final score, Sabathia had one of his best outings. In giving the bullpen a night off, he scattered six hits, didn’t walk a batter, and struck out seven. 70 of his 99 pitchers were for strikes. But Verlander was even better. He retired seven hitters in a row at one point before Ramiro Pena, who had two hits off of him, and Derek Jeter opened the seventh inning with singles. That ended the night for Verlander, who left to a huge ovation.

It doesn’t matter who the pitcher is these days, the Yankees don’t get hits with runners in scoring position. Bobby Seay was the reliever this time around, and Johnny Damon, Teixeira, and Matsui were the culprits, stranding both runners.

The Yankees broke up the shut out when Cano lined a double up the gap in left-center to start the ninth against Rodney and scored on Swisher’s RBI single. Cabrera singled to right to put runners on the corners with no one out, but pinch-hitter Jorge Posada bounced into a run scoring, rally killing double play. Rodney then retired Pena on a shallow fly to left for the game’s final out.

Game Notes

Derek Jeter would like to forget his first inning strikeout, but he won't. The at-bat was the 8,103rd of Jeter's career, putting him ahead of Mickey Mantle for first place on the Yankees all-time list.

The Yankees continue to have difficulty scoring without going yard. Tonight they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position.

Swisher’s two strikeouts gave him 15 in 43 at-bats.

With two hits and a spectacular play to take a bunt hit away from Gerald Laird, Pena certainly earned himself another start at third base.

Phil Hughes makes his 2009 debut Tuesday night as he tries to snap the Yankees four game losing streak. He’ll be opposed by Edwin Jackson.

Yankees and Tigers series preview for Baseball Digest

Yankees-Tigers Series Preview

April 27th, 2009 •

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: cc sabathia • Curtis Granderson • Jim Leyland • joba chamberlain • Justin Verlander • miguel cabrera • Phil Hughes • Series Preview • Yankees vs. Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are only three years removed from winning the American League pennant. But you wouldn’t know that if you looked at how they played last season. The drop off actually began two years ago when the Tigers finished with seven less wins than their Wild Card season of ‘06, leaving them eight games behind the first place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. Many pundits had predicted a repeat of the prior year’s success.

At least the Tigers were in the race in ‘07. Manager Jim Leyland and his team would like to completely forget about last season, but they can’t. Leyland’s job is on the line after a miserable 74-88 record and a last place finish in the AL Central in 2008. It shouldn’t have been that way. After all, the team added one of the best hitters in the game in Miguel Cabrera and one of it’s brightest young pitchers, Dontrelle Willis. While Cabrera put up his usual big numbers (37 HR, 127 RBI), not much else went right for the Tigers last season.

Things started badly right off the bat when up and coming star center fielder Curtis Granderson broke his hand during spring training and missed three weeks. The injury continued to bother him all season.

Former Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander seemed to suffer from a junior jinx. He lost miles per hour on his fastball and command of his pitches. After going 35-15 his first two seasons,Verlander slumped to an 11-17 record with an ERA that was more than a point higher (4.84) than his career average.

Jeremy Bonderman seemed to bounce back from his miserable second half in ‘07, but was shut down after his June 1 start, and underwent season ending thoracic surgery.

Dontrelle Willis was, in a word, awful. In eight appearances, seven of which were starts, Willis allowed 25 runs and walked 35 batters in just 24 innings.

The bullpen struggled all year. Joel Zumaya was hurt again, Fernando Rodney was inconsistent and closer Todd Jones was starting to pitch like a 50 year old, which was was a problem since he was only 40. Jones wasn’t the only one showing his age though. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez, outfielder Gary Sheffield, and starter Kenny Rogers were all in decline.

So far, this season has been a mixed bag for the Tigers. After a 3-5 start, Detroit has won 7 of 10 entering Monday night’s game with the Yankees, and are in first place in the AL Central. Verlander is still struggling to return to his 2006-7 form. Willis has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and is working his way back to the majors in the minor leagues. Jones and Rogers have retired. Bonderman is still recovering from his surgery. Zumaya had just returned from another stint on the DL, and Rodney is trying his hand at closer.

But on the up side, Granderson is healthy and off to a great start, starter Armando Galarraga has been a big boost to the rotation, and New Jersey product Rick Porcello has caused a stir with his fast track to the majors. And Jim Leyland? He’s the same very good manager, win or lose.

Pitching Probables for Yankees-Tigers Series

Monday: CC Sabathia (1-1, 4.81) vs. Justin Verlander (0-2, 9.00)
Tuesday: Phil Hughes (0-0, 0.00) vs. Edwin Jackson (1-1, 2.77)
Wednesday: Joba Chamberlain (0-0, 3.94) vs. Rick Porcello (1-2, 4.50)

Hughes makes his return from Scranton to the bigs due to the injury to Chien-Ming Wang. The Yankees top pitching prospect was 3-0, 1.86 with 19 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched. Hughes has walked just three batters and limited opponents to a .233 batting average.

Johnny Damon is in Monday’s starting lineup after being relegated to bench duty on Sunday. Damon collided with the Green Monster on Saturday, and like the Yankees, lost.

After a hot start, Nick Swisher is just 7-39 (.179) over his last 10 games. He has just 2 RBI over that period and has struck out 13 times.