On the Yankees beat

At the risk of sounding negative, I have bad news for you. Jason Giambi is going on the disabled list. He has a partial tear in his plantar fascia, related to the plantar fasciitis, and needs to wear a walking boot for three weeks.
It could really be a blessing in disguise for the Yankees. They can use Johnny Damon at DH on occasion or Hideki Matsui/Bobby Abreu. Plus, Giambi wasn't really hitting much lately anyway.

They have had some good news offensively of late. Robinson Cano had four hits, including three doubles, last night, and hit to all sides of the field. And Damon -- who got his 2,000th hit last night -- seems to be coming around.
How about this amazing little note? There is not one game this year in which both Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada have failed to get a hit. Last night would have been the first if Posada's 9th-inning pop-up had not fallen in for a hit.

Before giving up two runs last night, right-hander Brian Bruney had had quite an excellent stretch. He had not given up a run in his last 14 outings and 12 1/3 innings, dating back to April 23rd. Even after last night, his ERA is just 2.22. He has allowed 15 hits and 13 walks (and hit three batters), while striking out 24 in 24 1/3 innings this year.
Bruney said, before yesterday's outing: "I'm throwing the same pitches. When you have a level of confidence that is high, that helps you. I think I"m a smarter pitcher now."
He also gave some credit to catcher Jorge Posada, saying he almost never has to shake Posada off. Bruney said, "A lot of any pitcher's success is the catcher, and Jorgie's done a great job, and Wil too."
Bruney indicated his comfort level with both catchers has increased. Last year was his first with the Yankees, and he did extremely well, with a 0.87 ERA in 19 outings. He's no longer new to the team, though, which has helped him.

Unfortunately, A-Rod can't seem to avoid the spotlight, even when he isn't hitting 14 home runs in April or having a terrible postseason. Yesterday was example 1 and 1A, from the front page NY Post pix of him with another woman (not his wife) to his "Ha!" call against the Blue Jays that they didn't like.
Personally, I'm not sure how relevant Alex Rodriguez's marital life is to the world at large, or should be. But now that it's out there, it could easily be a distraction. He says it's not. Who knows? Regardless of what is going on in his marriage, or if something is going on and his wife knew about it, I can't imagine she was happy to see stories about him going to strip clubs with another woman.
Thoughts, anyone? Relevant or not?

Much better start for the Yankees tonight. They scored five runs in the first inning and batted around.
Belatedly, here are the lineups:

Yankees
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Giambi DH
Phelps 1B
Cano 2B
Cabrera RF

Clippard P

Blue Jays
Rios RF
Overbay 1B
Wells CF
Stairs LF
Thomas DH
Hill 2B
Clark 3B
Fasano C
McDonald SS

Litsch P

Litsch has already been chased from the game and replaced by lefty Brian Tallet. Damon led off the game with a home run, and led off the second inning with a single to left field -- the 2,000th hit of his career.
There were three other hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly in the first inning, with Josh Phelps driving in two runs and Robinson Cano one.

Also, Phil Hughes has a grade 3 ankle strain and will be out 4 to 6 weeks. So you're looking at the All-Star break at best.

Alex Rodriguez gave us a "no comment" on anything personal, in the wake of the NY Post running huge pics and stories on him being seen with a woman other than his wife in various places Sunday night, including, allegedly, a strip club.
A-Rod did answer baseball questions. He was the leading vote-getter at any position in American League all-star balloting by a wide margin.
Roger Clemens will pitch Monday against the White Sox.
Joe Torre acknowledged that he doesn't know if Johnny Damon will be able to play center field for the rest of his four-year contract, which runs thru 2009.

One problem with the Yankees' offense this month is their inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Their overall batting average of .272 for May is actually higher than their average for the season (.270).
With runners in scoring position, though, they are hitting only .256 this month, with a slugging percentage of .392. That's not good.

It's a bizarre evening in Toronto. The score is tied 2-2 in the middle of the 8th. The Blue Jays' Aaron Hill stole home (a straight steal) in the bottom of the 7th with Andy Pettitte watching the runner on first base, Jason Phillips. By the time he finally threw home to Jorge Posada, the throw was high and late. That put the Blue Jays up 2-1.
The Yankees tied the score in the top of the 8th as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez both reached base via errors, and Jorge Posada singled Jeter home. But Jason Giambi struck out and Bobby Abreu grounded out to end the inning with two runners stranded.
Kei Igawa pitched for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tonight. It wasn't very good. He gave up four earned runs on eight hits and a walk in five innings. He threw 97 pitches.
Through seven innings, Pettitte's allowed two runs, both unearned. But the Yankees failed to score on Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum in six innings.

Roger Clemens will not face the Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend. Joe Torre said he won't firm up a date for Clemens to make his first start for the Yankees, though it is likely to be Monday in Chicago, until he speaks to Clemens personally. They had missed one another at the time Torre talked to us. But there is no reason to move Andy Pettitte (pitching tonight, has a 2.66 season ERA) back right now. As great as Clemens may be, this will be his first major league start of the season and Pettitte is already pitching excellently.
The Yankees will wait until after Tyler Clippard pitches tomorrow to decide if he or Matt DeSalvo will remain in the rotation, though it's more likely to be Clippard. They also don't know yet whether the other might remain in the bullpen or if they might make another move and add another reliever when Clemens comes. Chris Britton is pitching well at Triple-A and could be an option.
Jason Giambi is likely to get a cortisone shot in his left foot Thursday morning. That might keep him out of Friday's game and might not.
Scott Proctor's stomach bug is better. He could pitch tonight.
Forgot to mention yesterday, but Reggie Jackson is on this series. Asked why, he said: "Trouble." The team's in trouble, and if he can do something, he wants to.

Lineups
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Giambi DH
Abreu RF
Mientkiewicz 1B
Cano 2B

Pettitte P

Blue Jays
Rios RF
Overbay 1B
Wells CF
Thomas DH
Hill 2B
Phillips C
Clayton SS
Lind LF
McDonald 3B

Marcum P

A few of you have complained that I am too negative. If there were more positive things to write about this team, that wouldn't be the case. The reality is the Yankees are six games under .500, after entering the season with sky-high expectations.
But here is something positive: Derek Jeter has performed at an even higher level this season when there are runners in scoring position than his general excellent level (season batting average of .352 is fourth in the American League). Jeter is hitting .465 (20-of-43) with runners in scoring position, the highest in the major leagues. As they used to say with Michael Jordan (gotta be the shoes), maybe it's the name -- the Cubs' Derrek Lee leads the National League in hitting with runners in scoring position at .457. I'm kidding of course.
Jeter has been particularly exceptional with runners in scoring position and two outs. He is hitting .560 (14-of-25) there, tops in the American League.
Hope all of you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, despite the Yankees' struggles.

Roger Clemens looked much better today, both according to those who saw him in person and by the numbers in his box score. He pitched six innings (89 pitches), allowing two hits and two walks and striking out six. He did not give up a run. Count on seeing him in the Yankees' rotation next time thru.

The Yankees held a looong meeting today. MLB rules stipulate that they can only close the clubhouse to the media during certain hours on very rare occasions. This was one. They met for about 50-55 minutes. No one was talking on what the main message was, but maybe later. We had no clubhouse access after the meeting, b/c they went straight into BP.

Lineup:

Yankees
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Matsui DH
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Abreu RF
Cabrera LF
Mientkiewicz 1B

DeSalvo P

Blue Jays
Rios RF
Overbay 1B
Wells CF
Glaus 3B
Thomas DH
Hill 2B
Lind LF
Phillips C
Clayton SS

Dustin McGowan P

FYI for those of you who might like to watch one of these road games with some other fans: Wednesday night's Yankees-Blue Jays game will be aired on a giant outdoor screen in Manhattan's Bryant Park at 42nd Street and Sixth Ave. It is a free showing, sponsored by the Yankees and Continental Airlines. Continental will give out free roundtrip airlines tickets after each inning.

Roger Clemens will make his third minor league start at 5 p.m. for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Toledo.

When people criticize the way the Yankees team is made up, they often talk about the aging players on the roster. That's something GM Brian Cashman has tried to address over the past year-and-a-half or so, but it obviously is still a work in progress.

Here's a breakdown of the Yankees' current roster:

17 players -- age 30+
8 players -- age 29-

Of the players who are at least 30 years old, six are at least 35 (and Andy Pettitte will turn 35 June 15th). They are Mike Mussina, Mike Myers, Mariano Rivera, Ron Villone, Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada. Is age a factor or not?
Mussina has had an up-and-down season thus far, broken up by a hamstring strain.
Myers, while he has been criticized by some, has a 3.38 ERA (career ERA is 4.19). A better stat for relievers is WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). His this year is 1.31. In his career it is 1.43. One thing he has not done much of, though, is stike people out. He is striking out an average of 2.53 hitters per nine innings, while his career average is 7.22 (though not quite that high the past several years).
Rivera, as everyone knows, has struggled. He has just three saves, an amazing stat (and obviously in large part b/c the team has very few wins). His lowest season total in a healthy year since 1997 is 34.
Ron Villone just joined the team, so hasn't really been a factor.
Giambi had a great April (.322 average), four homers, 17 RBIs) but has had a horrible May. Aside from the steroid stuff, he is hitting .148 with two RBIs, both on solo home runs. Ouch.
Posada, on the flip side, is arguably performing at his highest level ever. His .372 average leads the American League. He has six homers and 28 RBIs, and has managed working with an extremely young pitching staff.
But one could certainly say that the slides of Giambi, Rivera, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, etc. could be age-related. That's probably not true of all of them, but most likely some.

From Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times:

The New York Yankees might have the most fans, but they don't have the best fans. So says Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
"They don't appreciate good baseball," he said. "They just appreciate the Yankees beating up on everybody."
The Yankees are on pace to lead the major leagues in attendance for the fifth consecutive season, with fans spoiled by a team that has won 26 World Series championships and has not missed the playoffs since 1993.
But those fans can turn venomous toward opposing players — and even toward their own, when performance is not in line with expectations.
Cabrera played in Boston, another city with a loud and loyal fan base, before joining the Angels. He gives Red Sox and Angels fans high marks for supporting the home team through tough times and applauding great plays by the visiting team.
"In Boston, they admire baseball," Cabrera said. "In Anaheim, those fans are some of the best in baseball. They know you care there. They know you can't do it every day. I appreciate that.
"These people here, they're mean. And they're really mean to the other team."
Cabrera said the hostility in the stands has increased this season, with the Yankees below .500.
"When we came here last year, they were in first place, so it was OK," he said. "Now they're just looking for an excuse."
He is not bothered, he says, by whatever language Yankees fans direct his way.
"When people say [stuff], they only motivate me," he said. "They're bad losers."

The Yankees have told sore-legged Johnny Damon to put his feet up for a while – literally. But he’s not going on the disabled list.
Damon said part of the treatment for his cramping calves is to sit with his legs elevated, something he was able to do as he didn't start yesterday’s game against the Angels.
The Yankees had Bobby Abreu in the leadoff spot and Melky Cabrera in centerfield, an alignment that may continue for a few days. Damon is not expected to start today’s series finale and is questionable for the three games starting Monday on Toronto’s artificial turf.
Damon, who looked slow in the outfield and left Friday night’s game after 6½ innings due to cramping, said about not going on the DL: “It’s not taking 15 days. I told them it’s not 10. It won’t even be five.”
Brave words from a man who has never spent a day on the DL. But Damon, 33, has also never been totally healthy in his two seasons with the Yankees; last year he battled shoulder and foot woes. This year it’s been his legs. He thought he was over the cramping until it resurfaced on Friday.
“I was as surprised as anyone,” he said. “When I was out there I couldn’t move as crisp as I wanted to and felt the cramping. I was upset.”
Damon will be available as a pinch hitter during his absence from the lineup. It’s all he can do and it’s killing him.
“I would still go through a wall,” he said. “If I could get to that wall.”
******
Manager Joe Torre has juggled the starting rotation for the Toronto series to separate rookies Tyler Clippard and Matt DeSalvo. DeSalvo, who had a disastrous relief appearance on Friday, will start Monday. Andy Pettitte will go Tuesday and Clippard Wednesday. Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Pettitte are lined up for the Red Sox next weekend . . . Phil Hughes, who is recovering from a pulled hamstring, had an MRI on Friday after twisting his ankle during a drill. “I haven’t been told anything other than it may a little more than a couple days,” Torre said. “It’s just bad luck for him and bad luck for us.”
***
This is the 700th entry on the Yankees blog since its inception last season. That's 700 times Jim, Kat, Bob and myself have posted here. I'm working on a breakdown of exactly how many times each of us have posted. I'll have that later in chart form. Any guesses?

Clemens starting Monday in Scranton.
Hughes "rolled" his ankle on Friday. MRI tomorrow.

Rieber here. I have several things to update for you, but I have a hard time believing anyone is really reading this blog on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, especially if you're in the New York area, with the weather and all. Is anyone there? Do you really want updates?
If you are there, I'll give you a choice: You can have an update on The Boss' comments about Brian Cashman and Jason Giambi, or where Roger Clemens' next start will be, or an injury update on Phil Hughes, or a Kei Igawa update. Or would you like to know about tonight's lineup?
Do you want any of that? Are you out there?

Hi everybody. Just wanted the readers to know that I will not be covering this weekend's series, so the blog may be a little light. I'm not sure who will be doing it. I am flying to Iowa for my brother's high school graduation. I'll meet up with the team in Toronto Monday.
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend.

The Yankees are done playing the Mets and Red Sox for now (but not for long). But the Angels, who come to town this weekend, shouldn't be overlooked by anybody. The Angels have won the season series against the Yankees each of the past three seasons. Of course, they also eliminated the Yankees from the playoffs in 2005.

Sorry for no lineup tonight. The internet has been the worst ever. It took me 20 minutes just to stay online long enough to send a story for tomorrow's paper.
The Yankees are leading the Red Sox 7-2 in the eighth inning. Other than the fact that the Yankees are on their way to a victory (which will go to Andy Pettitte), the story of the game is Derek Jeter. He is 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. He passed Joe DiMaggio for fifth place on the Yankees' all-time hit list, quite an accomplishment.

Jason Giambi met with MLB officials at the commissioner's office today regarding his comments to USA Today last week that came close to an admission of steroid use. The New York Daily News reported today that Giambi also failed an amphetamines test, which Newsday has confirmed. Giambi would not comment on that.

It's the top of the 9th here, and the Yankees appear headed to another loss. They trail 7-3. Mike Mussina gave up all seven Boston runs, all of them earned, in 6 2/3 innings. Julian Tavarez held the Yankees to just two runs.

This may amuse some of you. If not, oh well. It was great fun.

The Yankees are clearly better than the Red Sox in one area: the Yankees beat writers (past and present) defeated the Red Sox beat writers 4-2 in this morning's media game at Yankee Stadium. They traditionally play twice per year, once at Yankee Stadium and once at Fenway Park. From what I was told, the tradition began about 15 years ago. The Yankees writers have not lost since 2001, though this was the closest call in sometime.

I was the first female to play on the New York team, though the Boston team had a female DH once. I only got to DH, as we had an abundance of players, all of whom had more experience playing baseball than me. I did play softball when I was younger, but we're talking 12 or 13 years ago. The New York Times's Tyler Kepner and the Bergen Record's Bob Klapisch were our ace pitchers. Peter Botte of the New York Daily News had a two-run hit that proved the gamewinner. I had two plate appearances -- a walk and a reached base on a throwing error (come on, who are we kidding, I'm just that fast, ha ha). Newsday baseball columnist Ken Davidoff also played from our paper.
Anyway, it was a blast to actually be on the field and even have our names on the scoreboard. Thanks to all who helped arrange it.

The internet connection is horrendous today, and my previous entries were not saved. I'm trying again. Here is the lineup for the game, which is already underway. The Red Sox lead 3-0 with two outs in the top of the 1st inning.

Red Sox
Lugo SS
Youkilis 1B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Drew RF
Lowell 3B
Varitek C
Crisp CF
Pedroia 2B

Tavarez P

Yankees
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Abreu RF
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Mientkiewicz 1B

Mussina P

Here is the lineup for tonight's Yankees-Red Sox game, which is about to begin.

Red Sox
Lugo SS
Youkilis 1B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Drew RF
Lowell 3B
Crisp CF
Mirabelli C
Cora 2B

Wakefield P

Yankees
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Abreu RF
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Mientkiewicz 1B

Wang P

There was a rumor floating around that Roger Clemens planned to attend tonight's game. Apparently, that is not the case. I'll let you know if that changes. Billy Crystal, on the other hand, is here. Clemens is on track to pitch Wednesday for Trenton. He may or may not need one more minor league start after that.

The matchup for tonight's Yankees-Red Sox series opener is Boston's Tim Wakefield vs. New York's Chien-Ming Wang.
Wang, in his career against Boston, is 2-4 with a 5.09 ERA in eight games, seven starts. Notable good or bad hitters against Wang include Ortiz (.450), Hinske (.526), Ramirez (.625), Lowell (.200) and Varitek (.083).

Wakefield, in his career against the Yankees, is 9-14 with a 4.62 ERA in 43 games, 26 starts. Notably good or bad hitters against Wakefield include Jeter (.321), Giambi (.173), Matsui (.175), Mientkiewicz (.063) and Phelps (.320).

So Tyler Clippard looked pretty darn good against the Mets. That's got to make Yankees fans feel pretty darn good. If you start to look at things as glass half-full, you may see . . .
It's only May...
The Yankees have their top three starters going against the Red Sox this week...
The wild card is just as good as winning the division -- as Newsday's baseball columnist Ken Davidoff said to me yesterday, we are all stupid for not seeing that the wild card as just as important as the division from Day One of the season, since many wild card teams make it to the World Series, and there really should not be a stigma about winning the wild card.
The worst may be over . . .
Or is that all just wishful thinking?

I know we have a lot of anti-Joe Torre people on this blog, so you might want to chew on this: Torre said Sunday that he spoke with The Boss on Saturday and Steinbrenner gave him nothing but support. So if you’re a proponent of firing Joe, you might want to move on to hoping for something else, it seems.

The Yankees mounted a comeback with three runs in the top of the eighth, including solo home runs by Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. That won't be enough for them to get a win, though. Not after the bottom of the eighth, in which Robinson Cano committed his third error of the game.
The score is now 10-6 Mets, with the top of the 9th coming up.

Not sure if you'll believe there is yet another injury to a Yankees' pitcher, but that is indeed the case. Starting right-hander Darrell Rasner was hit by Endy Chavez's comebacker on his ninth pitch of the game. He attempted to warm up again for a couple pitches, but that was a no-go as he left the mound in obvious pain.
Mike Myers just threw his first pitch.

As we head to the bottom of the first inning, with the Yankees up 1-0 on Jorge Posada's fielder's choice RBI, I've got a question for readers about the Yankees' 18-22 start.

What player (Players Only!) do you blame most? What player, if he was doing what you expect from him, could have made a big positive change?

Here's the lineup for the second game of the Yankees-Mets series.

Yankees
Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Hideki Matsui LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Bobby Abreu RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Josh Phelps 1B
Darrell Rasner P

Mets
Jose Reyes SS
Endy Chavez LF
Carlos Beltran CF
Carlos Delgado 1B
David Wright 3B
Shawn Green RF
Paul Lo Duca C
Damion Easley 2B
Tom Glavine P

Torre said he's not yet comfortable starting Jason Giambi (left foot bone spur/plantar fascitis) at first, but would be OK leaving him in at first if he pinch hits.
Hideki Matsui is batting third just because he's hitting well and gives Alex some protection in the lineup.

Mets won the first game 3-2. The Yankees now trail the Red Sox by 10 games in the American League East, their largest deficit in Joe Torre's tenure. At what point do you say this team isn't that good?

All right, I know you all are excited about this weekend's Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets. Kind of a reversal of fortunes so far with the Mets in first and the Yankees below .500.

Here are the lineups, with additional Yankees details:

Yankees
Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui LF
Melky Cabrera RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Josh Phelps 1B
Andy Pettitte P

Mets
Jose Reyes SS
Damion Easley 2B
Carlos Beltran CF
Carlos Delgado 1B
David Wright 3B
Paul Lo Duca C
Endy Chavez LF
Carlos Gomez RF
Oliver Perez LHP

Abreu is getting a day off. Not hurt, just a day off, to get Cabrera in the lineup and Abreu a day to rest.

Jason Giambi's comments to USA Today about steroids have obviously caused some hubbub. MLB is looking into it, and the Yankees are cooperating. Not a whole lot of talk on that front, other than "we can't comment." But baseball wants to know when he did what he did, to see if there is some possibility of suspension.

No verdict yet (from Brian Cashman's mouth) on Carl Pavano. Surgery seems the likely outcome, but the team has not confirmed that. Cashman said they are waiting on written reports from the doctors involved.

What's your prediction on the series? I say the Yankees take two out of three, despite their records.

No offense to speak of, and the Yankees lose to the White Sox 4-1.

Torre said Melky Cabrera is playing because he gave the team a spark yesterday, and some added energy, between his home run and outfield assist. Also, Damon's legs are still not great. Not crampy, but they want to get Cabrera some regular playing time to see if he can get in a groove.

Here's the Yankees/White Sox lineups. Torre said he doesn't expect Jason Giambi to be able to play first base this weekend at Shea, though he might be able to pinch hit and stay in for a few innings by the end of the series. No starter named yet for Sunday, but it won't be Wang.

Yankees
Abreu RF
Jeter SS
Giambi DH
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Posada C
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Mientkiewicz 1B

DeSalvo P

White Sox
Erstad 1B
Ozuna 3B
Pierzynski C
Dye RF
Konerko DH
Mackowiak LF
Uribe SS
Sweeney CF
Iguchi 2B

Garland P

The Yankees broke out the bats late in an 8-1 win over the White Sox in the nightcap of the doubleheader. They led 2-1 after six innings, 4-1 after eight, and scored four in the ninth. Chien-Ming Wang allowed one run in seven innings, and said, "I slowed the game down."
Joe Torre said he did not know if Wang would be an option for Sunday night (b/c of the doubleheader they don't yet have a starter). Wang had not heard he might start, and said he didn't know if he could or not yet.
Hideki Matsui drove in four runs. Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada (who pinch hit for Wil Nieves in the sixth and stayed in the game) each had home runs, and Posada now leads the American League in batting average at .375. Cabrera also had a nice outfield assist, and Torre talked about the shot of energy he gave the team.
Cabrera said: "I'm always happy to add a little bit of energy, and boost the team if I can."
So it's been a very long day for all involved, almost 15 hours since we got to the ballpark. And as Derek Jeter said, in only a slight exaggeration, "We've got to be back in about 45 minutes."

Yankees lineup
Abreu RF
Jeter SS
Giambi DH
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Mientkiewicz 1B
Nieves C

Wang P

White Sox lineup
Erstad CF
Ozuna 2B
Dye DH
Konerko 1B
Mackowiak RF
Crede 3B
Sweeney LF
Uribe SS
Molina C

Contreras P

The second game just started. First pitch came at 8:26, after a one hour, 15-minute rain delay, with a temperature of 46 degrees!