D-Rob to the DL

Sunday afternoon in Toronto, David Robertson pitched for the third time in four days. It was then that he felt something uncomfortable in his groin.

The Yankees' new closer was placed on the 15-Day disabled list Monday afternoon with a grade-1 groin strain. Even if he had been healthy, Robertson would not have been available for the Yankees home opener Monday with Baltimore. Shawn Kelley closed out the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Orioles.

Robertson has been fragile throughout his Yankees career. He's been more effective pitching less than an inning per game and doesn't fare as well when he works too many times in a short period. Two years ago, he had a chance to close when Mariano Rivera tore his ACL, but strained an oblique muscle and landed on the disabled list. Rafael Soriano took advantage of his opportunity and saved 42 games.

Because of Robertson's career to date, the Yankees may eventually look elsewhere this season for a more durable player for the 9th inning. Of course, it would also be a boost to the Yankees set-up portion of the game if Robertson returned to his prior role.

In the meantime, manager Joe Girardi will likely rely on Kelley and Matt Thornton, who had some closer experience with the Chicago White Sox, to finish games out.

Robertson Closes Win, But Is Not A Lock In '14

It had been a while since the Yankees won a ball game, but the Houston Astros are that bad and that accommodating.  The Yankees held on for a 3-2 victory Friday night when David Robertson picked up his third save of the season.

Robertson is the presumptive closer for 2014, the first season without Mariano Rivera. But I'm not convinced he's the man for the job. Robertson has the mental make up, however I don't believe he has the physical requirements for the job. He is not at his best when he has to pitch back to back games or more than one inning, and the closer's role needs that ability.

D-Rob is a very good pitcher and an even better person, he and his wife Erin have done fantastic work through their High Socks for Hope foundation, but he should remain in the 8th inning set up role.  So if not Robertson, than who?

Shawn Kelley has never had a Major League save, but he was instrumental in the Yankees bullpen this season. He entered Saturday's play with a 12K per 9 inning ratio this season, a career best. Like most of the Yankees this year, he too had some physical issues, but appears to have the phyiscal and mental make up to be a closer.

There is no one else in the Yankees organization right now that should be saddled with the chore of replacing the greatest closer of all time.

Outside the organization

The best closer among possible free agents, Joe Nathan, will certainly have his $9MM option picked up by the Texas Rangers prior to next season. Fernando Rodney saved 84 games in 94 opportunities over the last two seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays and will seek more years and money than the Yankees will be willing to offer.

Red Sox closer Koji Uehara took over the full-time closer job for the Boston Red Sox after Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey were injured and/or ineffective. Uehara spent time as closer with the Baltimore Orioles three years ago and is 21-24 for Boston this season in save chances. But Uehara is 38-years old and should only be signed as a set up man/insurance.

The Oakland A's Grant Balfour is an interesting case. He has recorded 62 saves in 67 chances over the last two seasons with the Oakland A's. The man from down under will be 37 when the 2014 season begins and will looking for his last good paying contract. He's likely to get one, though I can't imagine any team guaranteeing more than two years.

There are also a bunch of closer retreads - Kyle Farnsworth, Kevin Gregg, LaTroy Hawkins, etc. No need to sign any of them.

The Yankees could also explore trade options, though some players won't be available until the season is well underway. One of the names that comes to mind is the last player that replaced Mariano Rivera. Rafael Soriano stepped in when Rivera tore up his knee in 2012 and saved 42 out of 46 chances. He opted out of his contract and signed a 3-year, $32MM deal with the Washington Nationals, though the payout structure guaranteed $7MM this season and $11MM next year. The final $14MM of the contract kicks in if Soriano finishes 120 games in 2013-2014 combined.

The Nats were a monumental failure in 2013, but Soriano was 42 for 48. Washington could be looking to dump some salary this off-season, though $11 for one year is a bargain. It's worth an inquiry at the very least.

Chris Perez is still under control by Cleveland, but the Indians just dropped him from the closer role due to recent ineffectiveness. Perez has averaged 30 saves over the last four years for Cleveland and is still just 28 years old. But is his arm trustworthy and can he handle New York? He lashed out the Indians' fans earlier this season for not coming out to games.

Conclusion?

Seeing how the Yankees dealt with things this year, Robertson, Kelley, and other "insiders" will get the first chance to close next season. Should they falter, then Cashman will look elsewhere.

Anyone know how hard Mariano Rivera Jr. throws?

Yankees Need More Sorianos On Their Roster

If not for Rafael and Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees would not have been in the ALCS in 2012 or in any playoff race this season. Before opting out of his contract to get a big money closer deal in Washington, Rafael Soriano saved the Yankees 2012 season after Mariano Rivera blew out his knee in May.

The acquisition of Alfonso Soriano at the 2013 Major League non-waiver trade deadline has been one of the best moves in baseball this season. Soriano showed his value again on Wednesday night when he hit a solo home run and then added a 2-run shot in the game deciding 4-run 8th inning. The Yankees 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles moved them back to within two games of the Tampa Bay Rays, the current holder of the number two wild card spot.

Soriano joined Manny Ramirez, Carlos Beltran David Justice, Mark McGwire, and Fred McGriff as the only players to hit 15 or more home runs with two teams in the same season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Soriano also joined McGwire as the only players to have three or more mulit-home run games with two different teams in the same year.

Soriano hit 17 home runs, drove in 51 runs, and had a .754 OPS with the Cubs prior to the trade that brought him to New York on July 26. In just 43 games in his second turn in pinstripes, Soriano has 15 home runs, 47 RBI and an .846 OPS.

The Yankees have had a better lineup than the Cubs, but the numbers are still phenomenal for the 37-year old. Whether or not the Yankees make the playoffs, Soriano could garner some American League Most Valuable Player votes despite playing just a half season in the junior circuit.

It's not unprecedented for a player to be in the running or win a regular season award despite not spending the entire season in one league. In June, 1984 the Cleveland Indians dealt pitcher Rick Sutcliffe to the Chicago Cubs. Sutcliffe had an extra month and a half over Soriano, but his number of starts were not that uneven. Sutcliffe captured the NL Cy Young Award when he went 16-1, 2.69 in 20 starts for the Cubbies. He had started the season just 4-5, 5.15 in 15 starts with the Tribe.

Soriano's teammate CC Sabathia finished 5th in the NL Cy Young voting when he went 11-2, 1.65 with 7 complete games for Milwaukee in 2008.  With free agency pending, the Indians dealt Sabathia on July 7 after he had compiled a 6-8 record with a 3.83 ERA.

Ramirez finished 4th in the National League MVP Award despite playing in just 53 games for the LA Dodgers in 2008. Ramirez put up good numbers for Boston with a .926 OPS, 20 HR and 68 RBI in 100 games prior to being run out of town on July 31. He was unconscious for LA though - a 1.232 OPS, 17 HR and 53 RBI.

Carlos Beltran could certainly have finished higher than 12th in the NL MVP voting in 2004. After his acquisition from Kansas City, Beltran had a .926 OPS, 23 HR and 53 RBI in 90 games for the Houston Astros. He also stole 28 bases without being caught. With more emphasis on batting average nearly 10 years ago, perhaps Beltran's .258 mark hurt him in the voting.

Whether Soriano gets recognition during awards season or not, the Yankees know they would be nowhere without the Dominican native.

There are three other Sorianos in minor league baseball today, though none are in the Yankees organization...yet.

Ariel Soriano, 22-year old utility player in the Rays organization
Francisco Soriano, 26-year old pitchers in the Nats organization
Wilson Soriano, 21-year old utility player in the Rockies organization

Swisher, Soriano Among the Bigger Names Left in FA Market

When Nick Swisher and Rafael Soriano turned down one year, $13.3MM qualifying offers from the Yankees, it was obvious there time in New York was officially over. The two are among the handful of valuable players that are still available via the free agent market.

It's no surprise that Swisher had not signed up until now given the market had to be set first by Josh Hamilton, the biggest prize among every day players. In the case of Soriano, I suspect  agent Scott Boras have overvalued the market. (Boras blames players of a lesser value - he specifically mentioned Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino - for getting too much money and throwing things off. Wait, what? Boras said someone is overpaid?!)

It came as no surprise when Soriano opted out of the three year, $35MM deal he had with the Yankees with one year remaining. Soriano took advantage of closer Mariano Rivera's misfortune in 2012 to save 42 games in 46 attempts. With Jose Valverde being the only other closer on the market who has had recent success (2011, he stunk this past season), one would think there would be plenty of teams willing to sign Soriano to a three or four year big money deal. Boras pushed the Tigers hard to replace Valverde with Soriano but has been rebuffed in his attempts thus far.

Swisher put together a steady regular season resume with the Yankees from 2009 - 2012.  Swisher's .850 OPS was accompanied by an average of 26 HR and 83 RBI. He also walked more than 90 times in a season in half of his career in the Bronx.

As steady as he was during the regular season, Swisher was just as unreliable during the post-season. His 5-30 (.167) showing in two playoff series this past Fall left him with a career split of .169/.283/.305 in 181 post-season plate appearances.

The Cleveland Indians have been the team most mentioned when Swisher's names comes up. The switch-hitting outfielder is said to be looking for a four year deal in his first entree into the free agent extravaganza. He earned $10.25MM last season and recently turned 32-years old.

Other outfielders still available include Michael Bourn, Scott Hairston, and Cody Ross. The Yankees have reportedly shown some interest in the soon-to-be 30-year old Bourn. The Yankees are hopeful they'll get a new two-year deal done soon with Ichiro Suzuki, who with Curtis Granderson, and Brett Gardner, would split outfield time with a right-handed bat.

The left-handed hitting Bourn would not fit that bill and is a similar type of player to Gardner, who made about a third of Bourn's salary last year. If the Yankees were to deal Curtis Granderson, it would relieve them of $15MM in salary, but leave a substantial power hole in the lineup. Considering he becomes a free agent after the 2013 season, it makes no sense to deal Granderson, especially if he can recapture his 2011 swing.

Hairston would be a decent fit for the Yankees if he can approach the .803 OPS he compiled with the Mets last season. Hairston has battled injuries often in his career, but played in 134 games last season and hit 20 home runs for the first time.

This is the second consecutive season as a free agent for Ross, who signed a one year deal with Boston for just $3MM prior to the 2012 season. It was less than half the amount he had earned with the San Francisco Giants the year before. The righty hitting outfielder hit 22 HR and drove in 81 runs for the Red Sox and added an .807 OPS. But there was a wide chasm between his Fenway Park numbers and those he put together on the road. (.921 OPS at home; .684 on the road) The Phillies are said to be interested in bringing Ross back to the National League, where he had played the previous seven years.

First baseman Adam LaRoche appears set to cash in on his 2012 season in which he hit a career high 33 home runs for the Washington Nationals and matched his career high of 100 RBI. The Nats would like to retain LaRoche's services, but so far the two sides have not been able to agree on the length and amount of a contract.

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski will be 36-years old before the calendar changes to 2013, but one of the game's lightning rods is still in demand. It's largely due Pierzynski's 27 HR, 77 RBI campaign last season and his ability to handle a pitching staff. Yankees fans would love to see Pierzysnki brought in with a two-year deal to bolster the current group of catchers as well as to mentor guys like Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez.

One Mo Year For Rivera

The Yankees brought back Andy Pettitte yesterday, so you knew it was only a matter of time before Mariano Rivera was back in the fold.

The Yankees and Rivera have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $10MM deal that includes incentives that could earn baseball's greatest closer another $5MM.

Mo missed most of the 2012 season when he ripped up his right ACL while shagging fly balls in Kansas City. I wouldn't expect him to discontinue his pre-game ritual, though maybe he should skip it in KC.

Yankee Go 0-3 in Qualifying Offers

The Yankees were sincerely hoping that Hiroki Kuroda would accept the Yankees' $13.3MM qualifying offer and avoid free agency. They weren't so lucky. Kuroda, along with Nick Swisher and Rafael Soriano rejected the Yankees one year offering, meaning the Yankees will get compensation if any of the three signs with another team.

Everyone knew that Swisher and Soriano would turn down the offer, but the Yankees hoped the raise from last year's $10MM salary would be enough to get Kuroda to return. Instead, Kuroda will hit the open market and there is still the possibility he could return to Japan as well.

The Red Sox are, of course, one of the teams that have an interest in Kuroda, who is also being sought by his old LA Dodgers squad.

The Yankees will have a tougher time trying to get Soriano to return since he will be looking for a large, multi-year deal based on his 2012 season as closer.  Swisher doesn't fit into the Yankees plans any more - meaning they know how productive he is during the regular season and how flat out horrible he is in the post-season.

Yankees To Still Go to Mo

Mariano Rivera vowed he would be back to pitch for the Yankees in 2013 shortly after he underwent surgery to repair the knee he tore up shagging fly balls back on May 3.  Recent rumors, however, were that Mo was having second thoughts about a comeback.  Fret no more.

The greatest closer in baseball history has informed GM Brian Cashman that he intends on pitching in 2013. When Rafael Soriano opted out of his contract, it left the Yankees 40-man roster without a proven closer, with the exception of David Aardsma, who is still recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Now the Yankees can (hopefully) count on Rivera to stay healthy and close out games in 2013 while they make plans to transition the role to Aardsma, David Robertson, or someone else in 2014.

The man with the famous cutter had surgery to repair the ACL in his right knee in July and is said to be in good condition. Cashman will work with agent Fern Cuza on a new contract, and will likely ask Rivera to take a cut from the $16mm he earned last season.

Yankees Offer Up a Trio of Qualifying Offers

"Should I stay or should I go now?"

$13.3MM is the magic number this year in determining if Major League Baseball teams will receive compensation if they lose players to free agency.

As part of the new collective bargaining agreement agreed upon in 2011, type 'A' and 'B' free agency was eliminated. In it's stead, the onus is now on teams to make guaranteed one-year contract offers equal to the average salary of the league's top 125 players to any of their free agents in attempt to gain compensation for lost assets. The number for 2013 is the aforementioned $13.3MM.

The onus then switches over to the player to either accept or reject the offer. If an offer is rejected, the player's 2012 team will get compensation if the player signs with a new team for 2013. If the player accepts, the team has the player for one year, whether they really wanted that player or not.

The Yankees made three of the offers today and hope that just two of them are accepted. In reality, at most one will be accepted, which means the Yankees could receive two compensatory picks.

The offers were made to Nick Swisher (I'll guesstimate 10% chance at acceptance), Rafael Soriano (0%), and Hiroki Kuroda (75% - 100% chance if he wishes to play another year in the US). The Yankees do not want Swisher to accept and he will in all likelihood oblige since he is looking for a multi-year free agent deal.

The Yankees would be doing cartwheels down River Ave. if Soriano accepted the offer, but since he just opted out of his current contract with the Yankees, that's not happening either. Soriano's agent, Scott Boras, is said to be looking for a four-year deal based on the 42 saves Soriano compiled in 2012.

And then there's Kuroda, who made $10MM with the Yankees this past season and would probably jump at the increase if he doesn't retire. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports had already reported that Kuroda would be "fine" with a one year deal.

No offers were made to free agents Andy Pettitte, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez, and Ichiro Suzuki

Players have until 5 p.m. EST on November 9, which coincides with the last day of the general managers' meetings, to make their decision. Exclusive negotiating rights with a team's own free agents ends tonight, five days after the end of the World Series.

YCN: A-Rod Not the Only Question Mark for 2013: A Fan's Look

The Yankees have plenty of work to do for the 2013 season. While much talk has been about Alex Rodriguez and his future role, there are plenty of other moves the Yankees need to make.

Some will be based on health (Derek Jeter), some on age (Eric Chavez), and some on having nothing left in the tank (Andruw Jones).

Who closes? Mariano Rivera, can they re-sign Rafael Soriano?


To read my thoughts on the subject, please check out my latest work for Yahoo, by clicking here.

Martin's Big Bang Theory Gets Soriano Off The Hook

Russell Martin game winner (courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

CC Sathabia was doing what everyone is accustomed to CC Sabathia doing, mowing down hitters. It had been a while since anyone had seen the big man pitch like he always did prior to this season. One Oakland Athletic went down on strikes after another, 11 in all. Unfortunately, the Yankees couldn't do much against Oakland starter Jarrod Parker, and had just a 1-0 lead when Sabathia exited after 113 pitches and eight innings.

Good news, bad news...Rafael Soriano came on in the 9th inning for the save, but surrendered a mile high home run to Brandon Moss to tie the game at one apiece. Wait, that's actually bad news, good news. Though Sabathia didn't get to enjoy the fruits of his labor, the Yankees won the game in 10 innings when Russell Martin turned on a Sean Dolittle fastball and hit it into the left field seats for a 2-1 game winning, walk off home run. Sean do little, but Russell did lots.

Martin's best month has been September; he's matched his season high for home runs in a month (4), has produced his top RBI total (12), best batting average (.255, still not so hot) and OPS (.896, nice). David Robertson was the recipient of Martin's big hit after he pitched a scoreless 10th inning to improve to 2-7.

Though he didn't figure in the decision, it was encouraging to see Sabathia complete eight full innings for the first time since August 3. I was upset that Joe Girardi didn't let him start the 9th, especially after Soriano served up his gopher ball, but reconsidered after I learned  Sabathia had thrown 113 pitches to that point. In the past I would have thought, 'no big deal', but there was no reason to tax Sabathia's questionable elbow.

The victory kept the Yankees a game ahead of Baltimore, which defeated Boston 4-2.

Notes

Ichiro Suzuki had hits his first two times up (he finished 2-3) to give him 11 hits in his last 15 at-bats.

Derek Jeter was 1-4 to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.

Ichiro Rolls a 7, Yankees Sweep

All any Yankees fan talked about prior to Tuesday's rained out game with the Toronto Blue Jays and Wednesday's make up, was the return of Andy Pettitte. And though the Texan maneuvered his way through five shutout innings, all anyone talked about after the conclusion of the day-night doubleheader sweep of the Jays was the big day Ichiro Suzuki had.

The 38-yr old outfielder went 7-8, stole four bases, and knocked in the game winner in the night cap as the Yankees defeated Toronto 4-2 and 2-1. The Baltimore Orioles improved to 15-0 in extra innings with a 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 11 innings, so the Yankees lead is back to a half-game over the O's in the AL East.

Suzuki was acquired at the trade deadline after hitting .261 with the Seattle Mariners, well below his career average. The Japanese native's average with the Yankees jumped from .288 to .317 after his big day. In the opener, Suzuki hit lead off, had three hits, and scored a pair of runs.

In the nightcap, hitting out of the eight-hole Suzuki snapped a 1-1 tie with an RBI single in the bottom of the 8th inning. It completed a 4-4 game and gave him the chance to steal his fourth base of the game, which he did with no problem. He had stolen just six bases in his previous 51 games with New York.

The Yankees didn't know what to expect from Pettitte in the opener, other than the knowledge that he would compete. He had some early struggles, but managed to end the 5th inning on his 75th pitch, which is just where Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild wanted him to be. 46 of those pitches were for strikes and only three outs were recorded via a fly ball. Pettitte finished his day with nine ground outs and three strikeouts to improve to 4-3.

David Robertson got tagged for a pair of runs in the 8th inning that shaved the lead to 3-2, but Suzuki came through again, this time on defense. Rajai Davis ripped a bases loaded line drive to left off of Rafael Soriano, but Suzuki was there to snare it.

Girardi used six relievers in the opener so it was imperative that David Phelps give the Yankees some innings length in the night game. He did just that, with a 6.2 innings performance, and left with the game tied at one apiece. Phelps allowed just three hits, walked three, and struck out six.

Cody Eppley retired the only batter he faced to get his first win as a Yankee (1-2) and Soriano picked up another save, his 42nd of the season.

Phelps Gets His Irish Up and Yankees Win

David Phelps didn't get too much notice when he attended the University of Notre Dame. After all, baseball took a backseat to football and both men and women's basketball. But since the start of the 2012 baseball season, plenty of people are paying attention to the former Fighting Irishmen.

Phelps bounced back from a pair of poor starts to limit the Boston Red Sox to one run in 5.2 innings pitched and the Yankees hung on for a 5-4 win at Fenway Park. The win kept the Yankees tied for first place in the AL East with Baltimore, which beat Tampa Bay for the second straight night.

The win didn't come without some rough moments, the most worrisome of which was when Derek Jeter had to leave the game after he lunged in attempt to beat out a play at first base and came up hobbled. After  the game, Jeter repeated that he "was fine" an

d "it's no big deal", and that he would not talk about the injury. The captain also insisted he'll be in the lineup for the series finale on Thursday.

The Yankees went back to their home run ways to take the lead in the 4th. With the game scoreless, Curtis Granderson parked his 36th home run over the wall in right for a 1-0 lead  against Aaron Cook and later in the inning Robinson Cano hit a two-run into the seats atop the Green Monster. The home run was the 30th of the year, a career high for the Yankees second basemen.

Granderson hit a second home run, this time with a man aboard, in the 7th inning to provide the margin of victory.  While Granderson's home run totals measure up to his terrific 2011, the center fielder is well below last year's RBI totals and his two strikeouts last night gave him a career high of 170 (one more than last season). The Yankees will put up with the K's if Granderson can continue to drive in runs as he did last night and on this past Sunday when he had five RBI in a victory against the O's.

Phelps held the Red Sox scoreless until the 4th inning when James Loney singled in Dustin Pedroia, but Phelps avoided further trouble by getting Cody Ross to bounce into an inning ending DP.

Another double play in the 6th proved to be crucial after Phelps allowed a two-out single to Pedroia. It ended the night for the 25-year old, who won his first game since August 13 and evened his record up at 4-4. The Red Sox didn't make it easy for the Yankees pen; they scored a pair of runs off Cody Eppley, Boone Logan, and Joba Chamberlain in the 7th, and Rafael Soriano gave up a solo home run to Jarrod Saltalmacchia in the 9th. Sotiano was nearly in more trouble when Daniel Nava's fly ball to left came within inches of scraping the Green Monster before it landed in Chris Dickerson's glove for the first out of the inning and Soriano went on to record his 37th save.

Notes

In a wild sequence in the 8th inning, home plate umpire  Alfonso Marquez tossed Cody Ross, Bobby Valentine and third base coach Jerry Royster from the ball game.  Ross struck out looking and argued the call, which led to the triple ejection sequence. Valentine got his money's worth in the argument that ensued and anyone who can read lips got an eyeful.

O's Give Yankees Christmas in August

It wasn't Phelps' birthday, but he'll take it.

The Yankees were headed to another boring loss Saturday afternoon when, out of the goodness of their hearts, the Baltimore Orioles handed them the baseball game. Hopefully, after the game Joe Girardi sent a thank you note to Buck Showalter. It's the proper thing to do when someone gives such a tasteful gift.

The Yankees trailed 3-1 in the 7th inning after a shaky start from David Phelps (6 free passes, 3 ER in 4.1 IP) and a lack of hitting from a lineup that looked like it belonged in a future Old Timers Day. Then the magic happened, a magic we haven't seen too often in the Bronx this year.

Skipper Buck Showalter left starter Wei-Yin Chen in just a tad too long and the normally reliable bullpen and defense didn't get the job done.

Chen had allowed just two hits to that point- a 4th inning solo home run by Robinson Cano and a harmless single in the 6th inning by Nick Swisher. He retired Andruw Jones (seriously, still batting Jones in the clean up spot? In case you haven't noticed, Joe Girardi, that was last year that Jones killed lefties, not this year.) to start the inning, before Steve Pearce reached on a single.

No worries, Russell Martin flew out and Chen was about to finish up his day and get ready to watch Jim Johnson and company save the ball game. But the left-hander walked Jayson Nix and was kept in to face the right-handed hitting Eduardo Nunez, who had just been recalled from the minors. YES' Michael Kay and Ken Singleton speculated that it could be the biggest at-bat of Nunez's career, given the Yankees current circumstances.  They weren't wrong and Nunez came through with a broken bat bloop that landed softly in the outfield for an RBI single.

Showalter sent for hard throwing right-hander Pedro Strop to face Ichiro Suzuki with the tying and go ahead runs on base. Strop had been dynamite all year, but in his prior two games, the native of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic had allowed three runs and five hits in 1.1 innings pitched. Hits weren't a problem against the Yankees, but Strop walked Ichiro Suzuki to load the bases and then lost a battle to Derek Jeter, that resulted in another walk and a tie ball game.

With left-hander Brian Matusz warmed up in the pen, Showalter stuck with Strop despite the fact that Swisher has hit righties at a better rate than when he's in the other batters' box. Perhaps Showalter was thinking about Swisher's "Golden Sombrero" in the series opener. Swisher lined a one-hopper that ate up shortstop J.J. Hardy, who compounded matters when he bobbled a second attempt at making a play. The error allowed the Yankees to take the lead for the first time in the series.

Then it came down to the Yankees bullpen and they were perfect. David Robinson retired the side in order in the 8th and Rafael Soriano struck out a pair in the 9th for his 35th save and an untucked shirt for a well done performance.

Notes

The victory moved the Yankees back to three games ahead of the O's entering Sunday's series finale. Phil Hughes will be pitted against red-hot Chris Tillman.

Curtis Granderson struck out in the 2nd inning and didn't return to the field due to a tight hamstring. The Yankees certainly don't need any additional injuries to their already weakened lineup and, thankfully, an MRI revealed no structural damage. The Grandy Man will be considered day-to-day for the moment.

The Yankees' pen did a fantastic job; in addition to Robertson and Soriano, Cody Eppley retired the only man he faced in the 5th inning and Boone Logan tossed two scoreless innings for the win. Baltimore only had one hit after the 5th inning.

David Phelps entered the game with a 2.7 walks per 9 innings average. He also averaged 9.4 K's per 9 innings, but picked up just 3 K's.

Hughes Steps Up, Soriano Bounces Back

"Untuck, pass it on."

Tuesday evening didn't start off as a good one for the Yankees. Monday night Mark Teixeira had to leave the game with a calf strain. Later we were told it was a contusion. Turns out the initial report was correct and it was announced Tuesday afternoon that Teixeira will most likely be out 10-14 days (hopefully not more).

Translation - a lineup that has been anemic of late just got a lower red blood cell count. With Baltimore and Tampa Bay breathing down the Yankees necks in the AL East, the not so Bronx Bombers needed a big outing from Phil Hughes. The right-hander came through big time with seven solid innings and the Yankees scratched out a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jays' starter Rickey Romero has been absolutely horrendous for much of the season (killing my keeper league team in the process) and walked eight hitters in last start. But against a lineup missing much of it's punch, Romero pitched his best game in weeks.

The lefty allowed a pair of runs on five hits, walked two and struck out six over seven innings. But Hughes was even better; his fortune was reversed from his last start when seven solid innings led to a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. This time out, Hughes allowed four hits in his seven innings, walked three and struck out five and allowed a single run on a home run by Adeiny Hechavarria in the 5th inning.

Nick Swisher would like the calendar to be stuck on August for the rest of the season. With Jayson Nix and Ichiro Suzuki on base with singles in the 3rd inning, Swisher delivered a two-out single of his own to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. It was Swisher's 22nd RBI of the month, one less than his monthly high for the season that he established in April.

With Teixeira down, the Yankees reacquired veteran minor leaguer (he's also appeared in 235 Major League games) Steve Pearce from the Houston Astros.  Pearce was originally in spring training with the Minnesota Twins, but was released on March 27. The Yankees picked him up two days later, but Pearce was then bought by the Baltimore Orioles in June.

After hitting .254 in 28 games for the O's, Houston grabbed him off of waivers. Ironically, Pearce also hit .254 with the Astros over a 21 game span. Tuesday night the 29-year old found himself in the starting lineup, batting cleanup as the DH for the NY Yankees. Though he was 0-2, Pearce hustled his way into an insurance run after he led off the 4th inning with a walk.

With Russell Martin at the plate, Romero (8-12) bounced a pitch in the dirt. As soon as the ball ricocheted off of Yorvit Torrealba, Pearce took off and reached second base easily.  Martin moved him over to 3rd base with a ground out to the right side, and Curtis Granderson brought Pearce home with a deep fly to ceneter field.

Then it was all up to Hughes (13-11), who added a slider to his repertoire, and the bullpen. Oh, and a nifty little play by Robinson Cano to save the day.  Hughes walked Colby Rasmus and Edwin Encarnacion to start the 6th, but after he retired Adam Lind, Hughes got a big assist from his Gold Glove second baseman.

Cano leaped to snare Yunel Escobar's line drive and then, flat-footed, threw a bullet to Jayson Nix to double off Rasmus from third. Why Rasmus was so far off the base is anyone's guess, but no one on the Yankees really cares. They're just thankful he was.

Robertson and Soriano appeared for third straight game, making them (most likely) unavailable for Wednesday's series finale which is scheduled to start at 1:05 pm. New daddy Robertson needed just five pitches to retire the side in the 8th and Soriano bounced back from Monday's blown save with an 11-pitch effort for his 34th save.

Notes

Derek Jeter missed three weeks last season with a Grade-1 strain of a calf, but Teixeira was told his strain, though Grade-1, is not as bad.

To make room on the roster for Pearce, Casey McGehee was sent down to class 'A' Charleston. He'll likely be recalled when the rosters expand on Saturday. September 1 couldn't come at a better time since it means Teixeira likely won't have to go on the DL.

Pen Beats a Tribe Called Less

I will not untuck before it's time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notes

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

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

The Big Man Gets His Groove On

The Yankees increased their AL East lead while CC Sabathia was on the disabled list, but you can bet they were ecstatic to get him back tonight. A modest Tuesday night crowd was too as Sabathia cruised through six scoreless innings en route to a 6-1 Yankees win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Sabathia was DL'ed  for the first time in his career after straining his groin at the end of June. But he showed no rust in his return as the Yankees improved to 4-1 after the All-Star break. Sabathia threw 87 pitches, 66 for strikes (75.8%) and limited the Blue Jays to four hits and a walk, while he finished with six strikeouts.

The win was Sabathia's 10th of the season; in doing so, per YES research manager Jeff Quagliata (@yestoresearch), Sabathia became the first Major League pitcher since Tom Seaver to reach double figures in wins his first 12 seasons.

As is the case in most of the Yankees win this season, the home run played a big part in this one. Andruw Jones smacked one out in the 2nd inning off Brett Cecil with two aboard to give the Yankees a quick 3-0 lead.

The Blue Jays defense and some non-home runs gave the Yankees some necessary insurance in the 7th inning. Third baseman Brett Lawrie played a chopper into an RBI double for Chris Stewart for a 4-1 lead. Derek Jeter followed with an RBI double to right that was misplayed by Anthony Gose, who was making his Major League debut. The final run of the inning came across on a sharp Alex Rodriguez ground out.

The run were needed when the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out off of Chad Qualls and Clay Rapada. Joe Girardi was forced go to his closer, but Rafael Soriano only needed five pitches to end the game. J.P. Arencibia hit a bullet right to Mark Teixeira, who tagged out Gose before he could get back to 1st base.

Notes

Qualls continues to struggle and may be looking for a job soon. Since he was acquired off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies, the 33-year old right-hander has allowed five runs and nine hits in 6.1 innings pitched.

Clay Rapada showed that he is not someone likely to win a Gold Glove Award any time soon. Back on June 28, Rapada's throwing error on a potential double play ball helped cost the Yankees a game against the White Sox. Tuesday night Rapada had another miscue on a come backer with runners on the corners and one out in the 9th. Rapada cleanly fielded Gose's hack-swing/bunt, but when he looked toward 2nd base it gave Gose time to reach first safely with his first Major League hit. (Personally, I think it should be an error on Rapada). Rapada can thank Soriano and Teixeria for getting him off the hook this time around.

Robinson Cano extended his career high hitting streak to 20 games. He's hit .405 during the streak with six home runs and 20 RBI. According to the YES Network, it's the longest streak by Yankees second baseman since Joe Gordon in 1942. Ironically, Tuesday marked the 71st anniversary of the end of Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak

Jones has six home runs and 12 RBI in his last 12 games. The home run was the 432nd of his career.

Joba Chamberlain pitched an inning for the GCL Yankees and was reportedly clocked at 98 mph.

The Yankees have now scored three or more runs in 40 straight games.

Slam, Bam, Thank You Ma'am

Raul, you're so cool. - photo courtesy of northjersey.com

When it comes to hitting home runs, you won't find two more prodigious teams this season than the Yankees (144) and the Toronto Blue Jays (131). So it came as no surprise that a home run decided Monday night's series opener between the two AL East teams.

With the game tied 2-2 in the 8th, the Yankees loaded the bases with one out with a pair of singles off of Jays' reliever Aaron Loup and a hit batsmen when Jason Frasor plunked Mark Teixeira on the toe.

It's been difficult not to cringe when the Yankees have loaded the bases this season. Though they have had more than their share of grand slams, they've failed to get a big hit more times than not.

When Frasor froze Nick Swisher with a 3-2 breaking pitch for the second out of the inning, it was difficult not to think 'here we go again'. But after falling behind in the count (3-1) to Raul Ibanez, Frasor threw one right in the outfielder's wheelhouse and the 40-yr old deposited it in the right field seats for a 6-2 lead.

The Blue Jays scored a run off of Cody Eppley and Rafael Soriano, but Soriano had his shirt untucked after catching Colby Rasmus looking at a called third strike to end the game. The Yankees have won three of four since the All-Star break.

Russell Martin homered for the first time since he hit a pair of shots against the Mets back on June 10.

Robinson Cano had a pair of hits and an RBI and extended his hitting streak to a career high 19 games.

Phil Hughes threw another stellar start- 7 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 BB 4 K and allowed a solo home run to Adam Lind.

Alex Rodriguez was forced to DH after coming up with a stiff neck. It didn't bother him when he swung the bat, but he was in pain when making throws to 1st base.

Yankees Dig The Long Ball

Grandy goes yard - courtesy of WIBX.com

Former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver must love watching this version of the New York Yankees. The Earl of Baltimore was known for playing for the 3-run home run, and while the Yankees may not have it it as a strategy, they indeed live and die by the long ball. Yesterday was a good day to be alive.

Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson supplied the power in the Yankees 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Starter Freddy Garcia sweated and battled his way through five innings to pick up the victory with much help from the Yankees bullpen.

Down 2-0 after the top half of the 1st inning, Cano quickly tied the game with his 21st home run of the season off Angels starter Jerome Williams. (He later added an RBI single in the 6th after the Yankees lead was cut to one.)

Two innings after Cano's heroics it was Granderson's turn to hit one out with a man aboard. Williams, just off the DL, laid in a fat one that Granderson crushed for 4-2 Yankees lead.

Garcia allowed five hits and issued five walks, and worked out of trouble every inning. The 35-yr old improved to 4-2 on the season and is 2-0, .3.17 in the three starts he's had since he was returned to the rotation on July 2.

The Yankees bullpen stepped up again after Garcia used up his pitch count after five innings. Cody Eppley (2 IP), David Robertson, and Rafael Soriano finished off the win with Soriano striking out Albert Pujols on a check swing to end the game.

Michael Kay was joined in the YES booth by Paul O'Neill and David Cone, an excellent trio of entertainment and knowledge. But Kay made one error concerning Chris Stewart. Kay remarked on how well Stewart has hit on the season (a .265 average at that moment), but Stewart's batting average is truly not an indicator of the season he has had at the plate. After a 1-3 performance on Saturday, Stewart's OPS sat at an incredibly weak .572. That's pitcher-worthy not a number a positional player would want to have.

Mike Trout continued his remarkable rookie season on Saturday. Three more hits, two stolen bases to give him a league leading 30, and a run scored. In July alone, Trout is hitting .429 with a 1.321 OPS, four home runs and eight RBI. He's an amazing player to watch and very mature for a 20-yr old.

Alex Rodriguez got a temporary reprieve from the idiot boo-birds with a two hit game and his 10th steal of the season. Players get booed, it happens, but when your team is in first place, 21 games over .500, you really need to shut up.

I almost never give Nike any props (I hate their company and it's CEO Phil Knight), but this "Chicks Dig The Long Ball" campaign is still classic. Especially consdering Mark McGwire was fully pumped with 'roids (and possibly HGH among other things) at the time.


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Yanks Stop the Slop at the Trop

photo courtesy of Yahoo sports

Tropicana Field, aka "The Trop" is a hideous excuse of a ballpark. It's a disgrace; arguably the ugliest ball yard in baseball history. A warehouse with low hanging cat walks, recycled rubber turf, and a ceiling that's easy to lose the baseball in.

Maybe it's no wonder that the Yankees play like total garbage every time down there. After two embarrassing losses in a row, the Yankees shook off the doldrums and emerged with a 4-3 victory  over the Tampa Bay Rays to salvage the finale of the three game series.

The Yankees losing streak at the Trop reached nine in a row after Monday and Tuesday defeats. One more loss would have been the Yankees longest losing streak in one opponent's facility since the Yankees dropped 15 straight at Texas from 1989-1991.

Starters David Phelps and David Price matched zeros for a while, but Phelps was forced to leave the game in the 5th inning trailing 1-0 (and after 81 pitches). The Yankees didn't manage a hit off Price until the top of the 5th and finally broke through on the scoreboard when Mark Teixeira hit his 14th home run of the season in the 7th.

The tie was short lived, however, when Carlos Pena turned on a Boone Logan delivery in the home half of the 7th for a go ahead 2-run home run. Pena is pretty much a one dimensional hitter, but he continues to destroy the Yankees, especially in Tampa. Pena has four home runs and 11 RBI against the Yankees in 2012 alone. And for some reason, the Yankees keep pitching to him.

It appeared a sweep was at hand, but the Yankees had some comeback magic thanks to their old pal Kyle Farnsworth. The righty reliever was Tampa's closer last season, but was on the DL for most of this year and was making just his second appearance of the season.

Farnsworth faced five hitters and not one put the ball in play. Eric Chavez led off the 8th with a pinch-hit walk before Farnsworth struck out Derek Jeter looking. It would be the last time Farnsworth could find the strike zone. He proceeded to walk Curtis Granderson, Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez in order to force in a run and cut the Rays' lead to 3-2.

Lefty Jake McGee was brought in to face Robinson Cano, but the red hot hitting second baseman lashed a a 2-run single to give the Yankees the lead for good. Rafael Soriano continued his great season in place of Mariano Rivera and retired the side in order in the 9th for his 19th save. The final out? A pop out by Pena.

Notes

No one had more of a miserable series than Russell Martin. The Yankees starting catcher was 0-8 to drop his batting average to an anemic .179 (he weighs 210) and made two costly errors in Tuesday's 7-4 loss. If Martin's back is the reason for his latest round of hitting woes, he should either be DL'ed or rested through next week's All-Star break to see if it makes a difference.

A Mark Teixeira error was the difference in Monday's 4-3 loss, but it was David Robertson inability to pitch effectively when called upon in the middle of an inning that made the difference. With his fastball still inconsistent, Joe Girardi would be better off keeping D-Rob out of crucial situations for a bit.