Logan the Yankees' Boondoggle

The Yankees lost the game and Eduardo Nunez

There's a reason a lot of Yankees fans don't trust Boone Logan and Sunday afternoon's game was a prime example. Down 4-1 to the Oakland A's, the Yankees rallied for three runs in the 6th inning to tie things up at four apiece. It stayed that way until Logan served up a gopher ball to the A's Josh Donaldson and the third baseman hit it out for this third home run of the season. The Yankees rally against closer Grant Balfour fell short in the 9th and the 5-4 loss gave Oakland the series win two games to one.

Logan looks dynamite at times and other times not so much. Part of the problem I put squarely on the shoulders of Joe Girardi. His predecessor, Joe Torre, was a notorious bullpen killer in his dozen years with the Yankees. Scott Proctor and Tanyon Sturtze were just two of the relief pitchers that were never the same after they were over worked by Torre.

Girardi has been much more protective of his bullpen, but Logan appeared in 64 games two years ago and 80 last season. That does not count, of course, the number of times Logan warmed up in the pen, but did not enter the game. It's no wonder that Logan felt elbow tenderness in Spring Training. Logan has been in 11 of the Yankees first 30 games, putting him on a pace for approximately 60 appearances. But that number could easily rise as the season goes on.

I've said it before and it bears repeating - there is absolutely no reason for Girardi or any manager to mix and match as much as he does. A good relief pitcher can get out right-handed and left-handed hitters no matter what arm they deliver the ball with. There have been times when the Yankees had a five run lead and a right-hander would open the inning by striking out the first two hitters, both of which were right-handers. The pitcher was in a groove, but because a lefty was coming up, Girardi had to go to the pen and counter with a left-handed pitcher. With a five run lead there is no reason to. For that matter there's probably no reason to even warm that pitcher up unless you have no trust in your first pitcher.

Notes




Andy Pettitte's last two starts are something to worry about more than Logan's outing. In his prior start against Houston, Pettitte lasted just 4.1 innings and allowed seven runs on 10 hits. He only made it through five innings on Sunday, and allowed four runs (three earned), walked four batters and hit another. A very unusual start for Pettitte, who is normally very accurate with his pitches. Pettitte's problems started when his back started aching.

Lyle Overbay was nearly the hero in two different spots in the game. Down 4-1, The Yankees put a couple of men on base against starter Dan Straily in the 6th inning, which led to a quick hook from manager Bob Melvin. Left-hander Jerry Blevins entered to face Ichiro Suzuki, Jayson Nix, and Overbay.

Ichiro singled to cut the lead in half, and after Nix went down for the second out of the inning, Overbay dropped a ball in front of center fielder Yoenis Cespedes to tie the game. The Yankees put two aboard against Ryan Cook in the 8th and it came down to Overbay with two outs. The first baseman just missed getting all of one and flied out to the warning track in centerfield.

The Yankees had one more shot with two outs in the 9th against closer Grant Balfour. Brett Gardner roped a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The disadvantage there being that the A's then intentionally walked Robinson Cano, even though it put the winning run on first base. That left things up to Vernon Wells who swung and missed at a strike three fastball to end the game.

Eduardo Nunez had to leave the game in the middle innings when he felt discomfort in his rib cage. An MRI was negative, but with the Yankees about to start a three game series in Colorado on Tuesday, they are probably going to need another position player.

Girardi: You Kids Get Off My Lawn

Oakland A's starters Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin

I can picture Joe Girardi in a Scooby Doo scene,  a mask pulled off him as the gang, in unison, said "Mr Girardi!"  Girardi's response, of course, would have been, "That's right and I would have gotten away it too if you not for your snooping kids). When Bartolo Colon steps on the mound this afternoon (Sunday) in Oakland, you couldn't blame the Yankees if they gave their ex-teammate a standing ovation.

It wouldn't be for anything Colon has done other being born in the 1970's, well before teammates A.J. Griffin, Tom Milone, and Jarrod Parker. Colon has pitched in 375 games; that's 329 appearances more than Griffin (5), Milone (24), and Parker (17) combined.

Colon will be looking to join his young teammates in the winner's column as Oakland tries to complete a four game sweep of the Yankees on Sunday afternoon.  The series began Thursday night when Griffin, a 13th round draft choice by the A's in 2010, limited the Yankees to two runs over six innings in the A's 4-3 victory. The win improved the 24-year old's record to 2-0, 2.70.

The bullpen prevented the 25-year old Milone from earning his 10th win, but the left-hander shut the Yankees out over seven innings. Milone and the pen's performance snapped the Yankees streak of scoring three or more runs in a game at 43. Milone (9-6, 3.34) was acquired in the Gio Gonzalez deal with Washington this past off-season. Ryan Cook, the team's young closer, blew the save, but got the win when the A's scored in the bottom of the 9th for a 2-1 victory. Cook was picked up from Arizona for Trevor Cahill last December.

Parker, the team's top rated prospect coming into the season (acquired along with Cook in the Cahill deal), matched up in an old fashioned pitcher's duel with Phil Hughes on Saturday night. Hughes had allowed just two hits through seven innings, but Brandon Inge's opposite field home run gave the A's a 2-1 win.

The Yankees had one last chance in the 9th inning against left-hander Sean Dolittle, the team's 1st round pick in 2007. Dolittle was a power hitting 1st basemen/outfielder back then- he'd produced a 22 HR, 91 RBI season in 2008, but a knee injury contributed to Dolittle's decision to go back to pitching. Dolittle had excelled on the mound for the University of Virginia. One look at Dolittle and you would think he played violin from the way he tucks his glove under his chin as he waits for his catcher's signs, but he showed last night that he can definitely pitch.

After Alex Rodriguez reached on an infield single, Dolittle dominated the teeth of the Yankees lineup. He blew a high fastball past Robinson Cano for a swinging third strike. As Rodriguez stole second base, Dolittle caught Mark Teixeira looking on a called third strike on the outside corner. Finally, Dolittle completed the strikeout hat trick when he blew a third strike past Andruw Jones.

Notes

Robinson Cano's 23 game hitting streak came to end on Saturday.

Nick Swisher will sit out again on Sunday with a strained hip flexor tendon. It's up in the air whether he'll play in the next series in Seattle or not.