Yankees give fans early reason to be thankful

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Yankee fans! Here’s your gift.

The New York Yankees have re-signed pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who unexpectedly became the #2 man in the starting rotation despite coming from the National League West to the notoriously tough American League East in 2012. Truthfully, Kuroda pitched better than ace CC Sabathia at times and helped the Yankees survive Andy Pettitte’s unfortunate ankle injury. I had the pleasure of watching Kuroda pitch in person several times this year at Yankee Stadium, including in Game 3 of the American League Division Series (forever known as the Raul Ibanez game), and each time he was impressive.

This was a no-brainer for the Yankees. They would have had a sizeable hole in their starting rotation if Kuroda left to return to the West Coast or Japan. And for once the Yankees actually benefitted from baseball’s new labor agreement because it meant that whichever MLB team signed Kuroda would have given up a first-round draft pick, a seemingly high sacrifice for a pitcher they would only have for another year or two tops.  

These contract negotiations usually drag on so it’s nice to see the Yankees reach a deal with such a key player so quickly. Just something else to be thankful for.

Yankees go out with barely a whimper

The New York Yankees couldn't put up a fight to save their season.

I was attending a networking event at a conference last night so fortunately I didn't have to sit through the nightmare that was Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. I don't blame CC Sabathia for the sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. He did everything he could to carry the Yankees to victory this postseason. Save for last night's game, he and his fellow Yankee starting pitchers were terrific, but their efforts were wasted by a non-existent offense. Alex Rodriguez will get the lion's share of the blame, but he has plenty of company, namely Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher. It is finally time to say good-bye to some of these guys (more on who I think should go later), especially if they are so bothered by loud booing.

Truthfully, I knew the Yankees were done as soon as I saw Derek Jeter crumple to the ground in Game 1. It wasn't just the horrifying image of the tough-as-nails captain unable to get back on his feet as he usually does. It was the knowledge that the one regular in the Yankees lineup who was actually hitting was obviously done for the baseball postseason and that no one else in that lineup has the will to put the team on his back the way Jeter did this season.

Without Jeter, the Yankees simply had no fight in them. It's high time the Yankees organization returned to the philosophy that won them so many championships in the late 1990s: building a team of solid, but not superstar players who have the heart and soul to will themselves to victory. Can you imagine Paul O'Neill or Scott Brosius taking it on the chin from the Tigers or anyone else? Of course not, because it wouldn't happen. They may have lost, but they would never go down without a fight. The current Yankees went out with barely a whimper and they should be embarrassed.

CC Sabathia carries Yankees to victory

CC Sabathia put the New York Yankees on his back and carried his team across the finish line.

Yes, it’s just the first playoff step in what the Yankees hope will end up being a World Series championship. But it was an incredibly tough division series against the pesky Baltimore Orioles, who look like they are ready to fight for American League East supremacy for years to come. But the Yankees have an ace in the hole in CC and it is such a comfort to the Yankees and all of Yankees Universe to know that Sabathia will never buckle under the pressure.

CC was dominant in a game when the Yankees desperately needed domination. They scored enough runs to make it work, but that’s only because Sabathia throttled the young Orioles. The Yankees ace came within a third of an inning of pitching two complete games in the division series. In this day and age, that’s a remarkable accomplishment. And all you need to know about Sabathia is that there was no conversation about him going out to finish his game, even after his bumpy 8^th inning. Knowing his bullpen was spent after two consecutive extra-inning games, Sabathia demanded the ball and closed his own game.

Thanks for the ride, big guy. 

Derek Jeter puts Yankees on his back

Derek Jeter has put the New York Yankees on his back and is trying to singlehandedly carry them across the finish line.

The Yankees Captain got a big assist last night from Phil Hughes, who shut down a beleaguered Boston Red Sox team, avoided giving up the long ball (no small feat as his is one of the league leaders in this category) and got his 15^th victory last night, tops on a Yankees rotation that includes CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda. But as impressive as Hughes was in Fenway Park, Jeter showed us why he is the true captain of the team, not just in title, but out on the field.

Ignoring the pain that has him hobbling and limping all around the bases, he managed to once again come up in the clutch, with a well-earned single that gave the dominant Hughes a small cushion. We shouldn’t really be surprised by anything Jeter does, except the man is playing on one leg, which, of course, he won’t even talk about. I wish I had Derek Jeter’s pain tolerance (my recent back injury has shown me that I do not).

It has become obvious to everyone that the Yankees are still in the division race only because of Derek Jeter. In the YES postgame show, David Cone said the Yankees Captain is basically willing the Yankees to win the American League East and get them into the baseball playoffs.

By the way, Jeter also tied the incomparable Willie Mays for 10^th place on the all-time hits list. As amazing an honor as that is, Jeter doesn’t have time to think about it. He was too busy dispatching the hapless Red Sox. Now he will turn his attention to beating the Tampa Bay Rays, on his one good leg. 

Yankees must step up for stretch run

My baseball blog has been completely neglected for the past 10 days due to a recent back injury that makes sitting in front of my computer for long stretches of time very painful. Watching the New York Yankees play during that period wasn’t nearly as painful, but it was very uncomfortable and depressing.

The only positive for the Yankees is that they barely survived a tough stretch against their two division foes, slinking their way to Boston with a one-game lead. But the Yankees only went 4-6 against the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing the teams to cut into, and in the O’s case actually temporarily tie the Yankees, for the top spot in the American League East. They were probably lucky to win those four games as they did not play particularly well, with ace CC Sabathia leading the way with two stinkers and the Bronx Bombers offense completely disappearing for most of that stretch.

And more bad news hit Monday as the Yankees found out they will be without Mark Teixeira for at least 10 days and possibly the rest of the regular season, which would make a postseason appearance for the Yankees first baseman extremely unlikely. His absence has hurt the sputtering offense, which is looking for someone in the middle of the lineup to put the team on his back and drive in Derek Jeter, who seems to always be on base.  

The Yankees do have the advantage of a weaker schedule down the stretch, starting with the Boston Red Sox tonight. But even if they can hammer their inferior opponents (not a sure thing given what the Toronto Blue Jays did to them on the last home stand) to gain the division title, Yankee fans will be consumed with fear because the team has not proven it can beat other good teams such as the O’s and Rays. But first things first, the Yankees have to win the American League East and they need to start playing better right now.  

Time for Yankees to show O's, Rays who's the boss

Coming into the 2012 baseball season, I never thought I would say this but the New York Yankees face a tough test against the Baltimore Orioles starting tonight.

After another disappointing performance by ace CC Sabathia, the Yankees stumbled into an off day losing two out of three games against the injury-riddled, Triple-A Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees are going to have to step up their game if they want to maintain their slim three-game margin in the American League East, with their next 10 games against the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays.

We knew the Rays would be good, with their superior, youthful starters, but who saw the O’s coming? Not me. I have to give Buck Showalter a lot of credit for the Orioles resurgence (although with his luck he will get himself fired right before the O’s win it all, as happened in both New York and Arizona). And you can’t call their rise a fluke, not when they are coming to Yankee Stadium on the last day of August with a chance to grab the division from the floundering Yankees hands.

Can the Yankees manage to take two out of three this weekend to keep the O’s at bay, then continue to play well against the Rays and the O’s again in Baltimore next weekend? I never thought I would say this, but I’m not sure. With Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira out, the only reliable bats in the lineup belong to Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher and they can’t drive themselves in all the time. Sabathia has not pitched up to his ace billing, and Phil Hughes, who salvaged the series against the Jays with another strong performance, doesn’t start again until Monday. I feel confident that Hiroki Kuroda, who has been the best starter on the Yankees over the last two months, will give the team a great chance to win, but it’s anybody’s guess if his offense will give him any type of run support.

The Yankees are in for a brutal final stretch, starting for real tonight. It’s time to step up and show the O’s and Rays who’s boss. If they can. 

Hughes’ disappointing outing adds to Yankee blues

I was bummed that the New York Yankees could not sweep the Triple A Toronto Blue Jays this weekend, even more so because Phil Hughes was the main culprit.

After two months of strong pitching, it is completely baffling why Hughes has all of a sudden lost it again. His last two outings have started off fairly well, but he has run into major trouble in the fourth inning, jams he simply cannot get out of, even with two outs in the inning. It does not bode well for his next outing against the Boston Red Sox, a team he has struggled against in the past although he had a solid performance against them the last time they were in town.

The Yankees could have strengthened their position by sweeping the hapless Jays and remaining six games ahead of their nearest competition before starting what will be a tough week against the defending American League champion Texas Rangers and the Red Sox. They are already at a disadvantage by not having CC Sabathia available to start things off against the Rangers with his unexpected second disabled list stint of the year.

Phil Hughes could have made things a little easier by helping the Yankees solidify their lead against diminished competition, but he couldn’t do it for whatever reason. Hopefully, this is just a blip and he can get it together against the hated Saux. 

Crisis averted for New York Yankees

Balance is restored to the Yankees Universe, at least temporarily.

Some fans of the New York Yankees were on the verge of nervous breakdowns before the Yankees took the final two games from the Detroit Tigers. Granted, the Yankees have given them a lot of reason for their fears, playing terribly during a recent three-week stretch and watching their seemingly insurmountable 10-game lead dwindle in half. The Yankees themselves were starting to become concerned with their poor play, with Eric Chavez bravely voicing what others in the Yankees clubhouse were probably worrying about, but didn’t dare say publicly.

But the Yankees managed to escape Detroit with a split thanks to a turn-back-the-clock performance this week from Chavez, filling in nicely for the injured Alex Rodriguez, decent starts from CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda following poor outings by Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes, and a frustrated and angry Joe Girardi forcing the umpires to eject him and firing up his team in the process.  

Does that mean the Yankees are over the hump? Not in the least. They got lucky that the Tigers fell short in their comeback attempts these last two games. And they have to seriously hope that moving him down in the order is exactly the tonic Curtis Granderson needed to get over his slump.

Despite his recent struggles, I’m incredulous at the notion that Yankee fans would turn the ire they normally direct at ARod to the affable Granderson, but that’s what the New York Post said is happening (and, of course,  everything in that newspaper is gospel, according to my friend Scott). Sure, I was frustrated by Granderson’s weak pop up to end Tuesday night’s game and his numerous strikeouts, but the man does have 30 home runs, 66 ribbies and 78 runs scored so it’s not like he’s been a bust this year. And I seriously doubt he’ll ever take steroids or kiss his reflection in the mirror so I don’t think he deserves the level of scorn usually reserved for ARod.

I’m happy the Yankees took these last two games, but I’d feel a lot better about them if I see them sweep the Toronto Blue Jays up north before they come back to New York for a brutal 7-game home stand. They have four games against the defending American League champion Texas Rangers and three against the Boston Red Sox, who can always put up a good fight against the Yankees despite their dysfunction. It’s going to be a tough week for them and I’d like to see some signs that they can handle it. 

Hughes comes through for Yankees again

Despite all the haters out there, nobody is harder on Phil Hughes than Hughes himself.

If I hadn’t seen Wednesday’s game, I would have thought that he had gotten smacked around Yankee Stadium from the way he evaluated his performance in his post-game interview. The old Hughes might have been in for a rough day if, as Phil said, he didn’t have his best stuff. But the new and vastly improved Hughes managed to get out of several jams en route to pitching six-innings of one-run ball in a game that the New York Yankees desperately needed to win to preserve their sanity and that of their fans.

Hughes got a more positive review from his manager Joe Girardi, who thought his pitcher did a good job of managing innings and minimizing the threat with runners on base. Girardi is obviously willing to criticize one of his players, as he chastised Ivan Nova for his dreadful performance and loss of focus on Tuesday evening. The Yankees manager seem thrilled that Hughes did what Nova could not, get past the feeling that his stuff was not up to par and pitch a good game when his team staked him to a sizeable lead.

How ironic is it that Hughes, despite all his struggles and the calls to trade him away, is the one keeping the Yankees afloat during this rough stretch? The Yankees have won two games during the current home stand, both of which Hughes started. He lost a tough luck game to a hot Oakland A’s team despite a strong outing the week before. But this week he managed to do what the Yankees’ top starters CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda could not: beat a division rival, two times no less. Hughes should give himself a little credit for that. But he won’t.

Hughes’ performance against the Baltimore Orioles was overshadowed in the news by the offensive outburst of the Yankees and the long-awaited return of Joba Chamberlain. But I’m sure his teammates appreciated his effort. 

Ichiro trade, Tex feud keep things interesting for Yanks

Geez, I can’t go on vacation for one week, happily leaving my laptop behind and my Blackberry on silent mode, without the New York Yankees making headlines.

Even on a day dominated by news of the crippling, but well-deserved sanctions against Penn State, the Yankees managed to sneak into the news cycle with news of their trade for Ichiro Suzuki (yes, I did watch SportsCenter while on vacation). For the record, the trade for Ichiro feels like a panic move from the old Yankee years, when it was common for them to go after aging stars to fill a perceived hole on their team. It felt a lot like something George Steinbrenner would do (I read a terrific Steinbrenner biography while on vacation—more on that in another blog post), something that could have been incredibly disruptive to a team that was jelling despite a rough West Coast trip. I’m not sure that Ichiro is much better than who the Yankees already had on their roster, but at least Brian Cashman didn’t give up much to get him.

Fast forward to this weekend with Ichiro and his new teammates taking on the archrival Boston Red Sox, who continue to flounder in last place despite getting some of their injured stars back. Who would have thought that Phil Hughes would put the Red Sox down with a bigger performance than CC Sabathia? Well, I would have, but I have a lot of faith in the kid and CC has not pitched like an ace this year while Hughes has definitely found himself once again. But the Yankees still need Sabathia to be the guy he has been the first three years of his Yankee career if they are going to get very far in the baseball playoffs.

I thought Bobby Valentine was going to be the one to revive the dormant Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. I never anticipated that unassuming Mark Teixeira would be the one to shake things up with his ongoing feud with headhunting Saux pitcher Vicente Padilla. I don’t like anyone styling after a home run, but I can’t say I blame Tex given Padilla’s rather strange comments after their last battle up at Fenway Park. But Tex better duck the next time he faces Padilla.

I’m heading to the game tonight, where I will welcome Ichiro with open arms, even if I’m not convinced we needed him, and hoping to see the Yankees put the Saux out of their misery for good. Yes, there’s still two months left in the baseball season, but Boston looks and is playing like a deflated team and I can’t see them turning it around. 

Thanks to Googie man via en.Wikipedia for the Ichiro photo. 

Congratulations to Yankee All-Stars

The New York Yankees will be well represented at this year’s All-Star game, even without Rafael Soriano.

Yankees Captain and shortstop Derek Jeter, second baseman Robinson Cano and centerfielder Curtis Granderson will all make the trek to Kansas City to participate in the Midsummer’s Classic. It’s a well deserved honor by all three, even though Granderson is the only one who’s been consistent throughout the year, with Jeter slumping badly over the last month and Cano having trouble driving runners in from scoring position before his recent hot stretch.

In previous years, the American League All-Star game was always top heavy with Yankee and Boston Red Sox players. But CC Sabathia was the only other Yankee to make the team and he will sit the game out due to his injury. It’s truly shocking how hard the Saux have fallen, with only David Ortiz slated to represent Boston in the game.

Befitting their status as the dominant team in the American League in recent years, Texas will have seven players on the All-Star roster, led by Josh Hamilton, who shattered the voting record with more than 11 million votes in support of his candidacy. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney can only wish they can match that type of enthusiastic support in November.

 

There will be no repeat of the controversy over Jeter skipping the All-Star game as the Yankee shortstop has promised to appear this year. Jeter may rather have the time off, but he no longer has a choice in the matter due to the Derek Jeter rule that all players  voted to the team must show up to play, barring some time of emergency or injury. And as image-conscious as Jeter is, he must realize that skipping the All-Star game again would cause major damage to his reputation.  

Still, it is nice to be recognized, something I’m sure all the Yankee players enjoy, especially Cano, the reigning Home Run Derby champ who will captain this year’s AL team. I don’t really care much about the derby, but will tune in to support my Yankees.  

Bad break for Pettitte means trouble for Yankees

Has a first-place team ever experienced such bad luck?

Out of an abundance of caution, the New York Yankees put ace lefthander CC Sabathia on the disabled list due to a groin injury. Out of necessity, the Yankees announced his #2 Andy Pettitte would join him on the disabled list just hours later. So the team with the best record in baseball suddenly looks like it could be in a lot of trouble.

I wasn’t terribly concerned about Sabathia’s injury, which appears to be relatively minor. Heading into the All-Star break, I thought it was absolutely the right move to be cautious and not let Sabathia risk worsening the injury by trying to pitch through it. But the Yankees had to be exasperated by the misfortune of Pettitte getting hit with a comebacker that broke his fibula, forcing him off the mound for at least the next six weeks.

I feel really bad for Pettitte. Despite my personal feelings over his actions during the Roger Clemens trial, Pettitte had stepped up to help right what had been a struggling Yankees rotation both by pitching extremely well and serving as counsel and mentor to guys like Phil Hughes. I admire Pettitte’s bulldog mentality in trying to stay in yesterday’s game, but I cringed after he threw that first pitch after getting hit with that comebacker because it was obvious that he was in an extreme amount of pain. The silver lining of this injury, as Brian Cashman noted, is that the 40-year-old Pettitte will be really fresh when the Yankees truly need him in September and October.

So for the time being, the Yankees rotation will comprise of Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova and Hughes, with some help from Freddy Garcia and a couple of Yankee minor leaguers. Kuroda, Nova and Hughes have all pitched well of late, but I do worry that they might put too much pressure on themselves to try to make up for not having Sabathia or Pettitte. As for Garcia, this is a great opportunity for him to show that he still has something left in the tank and should not be relegated to mop-up duty.

It’s going to be a challenge, but I think the Yankees can survive the next two weeks without their star lefties. But it’s going to take a lot of luck, something that doesn’t seem to be on the Yankees side right now. 

Yankees play it safe with ace CC Sabathia

I knew things were going too well for the New York Yankees.

The good vibes from a terrific performance by Phil Hughes extending the Yankees winning ways and the controversy over the catch that wasn’t a catch have been quickly cast aside by news that CC Sabathia is heading to the disabled list. It appears to be a relatively minor injury, but the Yankees, cautious by nature, are nottaking any chances with their ace, putting him on the DL instead of just skipping his turn in the rotation in the hope of a quick recovery. Can’t say I blame them.

CC being injured explains a lot about his inability to hold a four-run lead against the New York Mets last weekend. Yes, his defense failed him miserably, but he usually pitches around errors. And perhaps my expectations for CC are unfairly high (though he has mostly lived up to and surpassed them in his Yankee years). But the fact that he allowed that game to be tied by the Mets really took me by surprise. It’s not like the CC we know and love to blow that kind of a lead and the injury may explain why (although Sabathia would never use it as an excuse because he is a no excuses kind of guy).

Joe Girardi didn’t seem too pleased by Sabathia’s failure to inform the team of the injury he first felt on Sunday night. But he can’t really be surprised either. His ace is a bulldog who always wants the ball. He wanted to only miss a start rather than go on the DL with what he probably sees as a nuisance injury rather than a serious one. But CC lost that argument to Brian Cashman and Girardi, who know it’s more important to have their ace on the mound in September than late June, particularly with the Yankees on such a winning streak.

With the Yankees going so well, they can afford to be without their ace for two weeks, particularly with the All-Star break coming up. But it can’t be for much longer than that or the Yankees could find themselves in trouble. 

Feisty Mets put up a good fight

I have a lot of respect for a Mets team that just lost five of six games this month to their cross-town rival New York Yankees.

If the Mets miss out on the baseball playoffs this year by a couple of games, they are going to rue the 2012 versions of the Subway Series. But in truth they played pretty well this weekend, putting up some good at-bats against the Yankees top two pitchers in CC Sabathia (who hasn’t really pitched like the ace we all know he is despite his solid numbers) and Andy Pettitte (who had a rare misstep in his inability to escape a first-inning jam on Friday). They might have even swept the Yankees if not for manager Terry Collins’ debatablepitching moves although he can’t really be blamed for being afraid to go to his shaky bullpen.  

But the games were all pretty close, which was great because the Subway Series always has more meaning when the Yankees and Mets are both competitive. Despite their lack of power and shaky bullpen, the Mets are still within striking distance of the Washington Nationals for the National League East division lead. It will be a lot of fun this summer to see if the Mets can hold on and compete for a division title or one of those wild card slots. It would be terrific for the franchise if the Mets actually make the playoffs. It could help banish the dark cloud cast by the Bernie Madoff scandal for good.

The Mets were scrappy on the field and very feisty off of it, seemingly never believing the conventional wisdom they are out of the Yankees league. This feistiness was reflected by Mets closer Frank Francisco’s eagerness to start a minor New York tabloid controversy by calling the Yankees “chickens.” Francisco did back up his trash talk by closing out the Mets’ sole victory in the Subway Series although he also quickly headed to the disabled list. Was he really hurt that bad or is he the real chicken? We probably won’t know until next year, unless the Mets and Yankees somehow meet up again this year in the World Series. How awesome would that be? 

All right in baseball land as Yankees take 1st place

The New York Yankees are right where they belong: in first place.

After struggling the first couple of months of the 2012 baseball season, the Yankees finally find themselves at the top of the American League East division, just ahead of both the Tampa Bay Rays and the surprising Baltimore Orioles. It’s only a one-game lead, but considering how awful the Yankees have looked at times this season, I’ll take it.

The Yankees can thank superior starting pitching for their rise to the top. Aside from an uncharacteristically erratic CC Sabathia, the Yankee starters have been brilliant in recent weeks, consistently putting up zeros and shutting down opposing teams. And they have to be near perfect, as they haven’t gotten much in the way of run support from their “can’t get a hit with runners on base” offense.

Yesterday’s game was a good example of the Yankees’ turnaround from the start of the season. After sleepwalking through seven innings against young Mike Minor (who truly deserved a better fate after his strong outing), the Yankees finally came alive in the 8^th, led surprisingly by Alex Rodriguez, who tied the legendary Lou Gehrig with his 23^rd Grand Slam. That was quickly followed by a two-run blast from Nick Swisher that put the Yankees in the lead for good. And even after his rough first inning, Sabathia did exactly what a true ace should do in gutting his way through seven innings to give the overworked bullpen some much needed relief.

So the Yankees are in first place. All seems right in the baseball world again. 

Hughes silences Santana talk with dominant start

Johan Santana’s no-hitter has some people openly talking about the New York Yankees making a play for the Mets lefthander. But the Yankees would have to sacrifice one of their young starters in return and the name that has popped up, of course, is Phil Hughes. Today, Hughes once again showed the Yankees and their fans why they should not give up on him.

The Yankees almost traded for Santana once, but balked at giving up the young Hughes as part of the package. I think it was the right call for Brian Cashman back then and I hope he makes the same choice if the Mets make their ace available. I don’t think anyone would knock Cashman if he traded Hughes for Santana, but it seems like the Yankees general manager would prefer to stick with the younger, less expensive pitcher. And I don’t think the Mets would really consider trading Santana to the Yankees, not unless they want to start a mutiny in Queens. They certainly can’t do so right now while they are overachieving, but if they were to lose momentum and consider giving up their ace, they would demand a king’s ransom in return.

Not that I wouldn’t love to have Santana in the Yankees starting rotation. No question CC Sabathia and Santana would make a fearsome 1-2 punch. Hughes hasn’t yet fully reclaimed his first half 2010 dominance that had him being mentioned as a possible #2 to Sabathia. But this afternoon, Hughes brushed off a terrible start in his hometown to put forth a dominant performance against a Detroit Tigers lineup with two very dangerous hitters. Again staked to an early lead, he didn’t falter this time, even after giving up a solo home run to Prince Fielder. In fact, he got better as the game went along, so much so that Joe Girardi showed tremendous faith in sending Hughes out to finish what he started, a brilliant, confidence-boosting move by the Yankees manager.

I know some Yankee fans are frustrated by the inconsistency of Phil Hughes, but they shouldn’t be so eager to sacrifice him for Santana. Today, Hughes once again proved what he is capable of. 

Robertson deserves shot to be king of the 9th

I had the pleasure of being at Yankee Stadium last night to enjoy CC Sabathia’s bulldog performance (thanks Titi China =). But I was completely shocked to see Rafael Soriano coming out of the bullpen to close CC’s gem in the 9^th inning.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been steadfast in his desire to protect his relievers, refusing to let them pitch three days in a row, which should have meant both David Robertson and Rafael Soriano were unavailable. But there was Soriano on the mound in the 9^th, as he was so many times for the Tampa Bay Rays before he left for the Yankees as a free agent.

Did Girardi simply not trust the game to a middle reliever such as Boone Logan? Perhaps. No doubt it was an important game, or as important as a baseball game can be in the second week of May, as the Yankees had to show the Rays that they can’t be pushed around in their own ballpark. But Girardi is a long-term thinker, choosing in the past to risk losing one game rather than making a move that could jeopardize the entire season for one of his players. I just hope that Girardi’s move to bring in Soriano instead of Robertson does not reflect a lack of confidence in Robertson’s ability to close.

Robertson has by far been the best reliever, other than Mariano Rivera, on the Yankees staff in recent years and he has earned a chance to succeed the great Mo. Sure, Robertson has had two very shaky outings in save situations since Mo went down, but anyone would be nervous trying to follow the greatest closer in baseball history.

D-Rob is never going be as smooth in the role as Mariano because no one else has Rivera’s poise. Robertson’s nickname is Houdini for good reason. He constantly finds himself in jams, sometimes of his own making, and then fascinates us with his ability to wiggle out of them. As Girardi jokingly said, Robertson doesn’t seem comfortable unless the bases are loaded.

But as Girardi also said, Mariano has been grooming Robertson to be his successor. And remember, Robertson probably thought he had another year to prepare for the closer’s job ahead of Mo’s supposedly impending retirement. All of a sudden, the kid was thrust into the spotlight. He just needs some time to shake the jitters and let his talent take over. 

Andy Pettitte ready to return to the big leagues

Despite getting back-to-back strong outings from CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda, the New York Yankees have to be thrilled with the prospect of Andy Pettitte’s imminent return to the big leagues.

Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman must be especially pleased. The short stints by his starters has forced Girardi to go to his bullpen early and often, potentially undermining what to date has been the Yankees greatest strength: strong relief work led by Mariano Rivera and David Robertson. And Cashman will feel vindicated by a Pettitte return, considering his Michael Pineda trade has not worked out the way he hoped (still the right move as far as I’m concerned).

Phil Hughes is up tonight and there’s no question that he absolutely needs a strong start. Freddy Garcia has already been banished to the bullpen and Hughes may join him if he doesn’t recover from his perplexing start against the Texas Rangers. Of course, one good start might not save his job, but at this point, it could definitely help.

Pettitte has pronounced himself ready although the Yankees will likely tread more cautiously. No one is expecting Pettitte to pitch lights out every turn in the rotation. But the wise old man (at a mere 39 years old) will immediately calm the nerves of everyone in the Yankees universe. We don’t know if Pettitte is going to have the same stuff considering his year-long pitching sabbatical. But we know he is going to show the same heart and bulldog mentality on the mound that we’re used to seeing, something the Yankees are desperately in need of right now. 

Pettitte return to the Yankees thrilling news

It’s a good thing I never turned off my Andy Pettitte Google alert.

If I had turned it off, I might not have learned the shocking, but exciting news that Pettitte is coming back to the New York Yankees (I’m in Pittsburgh to watch Syracuse play in the tournament). I was very surprised because he seemed happy in retirement, spending time with his family. But he obviously missed baseball too much and missed the Yankees too much to stay away. I couldn’t be more thrilled that he has decided to give his career another go.

Of course, it will take some time before he is baseball ready. But I have no doubt that Pettitte can quickly reclaim the #2 spot in the Yankees rotation right behind CC Sabathia. Hideki Kuroda and Freddy Garcia are solid starters and the Yankees have some very talented youngsters on their staff. But there’s no one Joe Girardi, Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenners trust more than Pettitte, which is why Hal Steinbrenner loosened up the purse strings despite his tough budget talk. They wanted Pettitte back in the fold because they know he gives them a better chance to win.

I personally cannot wait until May when Pettitte is expected to be ready to start. I will be clamoring for a ticket to that baseball game to welcome him back with open arms.

Yankees can keep Granderson and Cano

This isn’t something we have to worry about right now, but the New York Yankees will find a way to keep both Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson if they really want to.

Ever since Hal Steinbrenner firmly committed to getting down to the $189 million payroll mark in 2014 to avoid paying the luxury tax, speculation has run rampant that the Yankees will have to sacrifice Granderson to keep Cano. Although the Yankees would choose Cano over Granderson if they were forced to make a choice, I don’t think they will let Granderson go if he continues to put up numbers like he did last season.

The Yankees must pay more than $20 million each to Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira and will likely have to pay $20 million or more per year to sign their superstar second baseman. That’s well above $80 million committed to four players so it will definitely be a challenge. But while I do believe Steinbrenner sincerely wants to get below that penalty threshold, I don’t think it’s going to force his hand in terms of letting Granderson walk. For one, the Yankees will be very creative when structuring the players’ contracts, using every available loophole to reach an agreement that both sides can live with. And from Granderson’s perspective, I doubt he is going to walk because no team is going to pay him more than the Yankees.

So barring an unforeseen decline or a horrific injury, I fully anticipate both Cano and Granderson to remain in pinstripes for many years. The Yankees have plenty of time to figure out how to keep them both.