The Yankees trail 4-1. Kei Igawa gave up four earned runs on five hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. Jeff Karstens left the game after allowing one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He appeared to have some type of right-leg injury, but we have gotten no updates.
Scott Patterson pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings. He took a ball off his hip, but remained in the game. He has not allowed a run all spring.
The Yankees' only run was a solo homer by Derek Jeter in the first inning. Kind of fitting that the captain would homer on the day the field is renamed for George Steinbrenner.
The Yankees' only other hit today is by Alex Rodriguez.
Comments (39)
Scott Patterson!!!!!! Love him more and more each outing! 4 outs, 1 by K, 2 on the ground, only one got out of the infield.
Ohley with another solid inning, 1 hit no BB no Runs
As bad a Kiwi was today, I like to look at the positives. He had 7-1 GB to FB ratio. On top of that only Laroche had an extra base hit. Looks like Kiwi is at least keeping the ball down. He has to cut down on the free passes though.
I agree, DRU, Patterson has been growing on me more and more throughout ST, and Ohlendorf was another bright spot today.
I've only been able to watch sporadically, anybody hear whether Karsten's injury was just a tweak or something worse?
Don't know the severity of Karstens' injury but he was grabbing his junk after that pitch so it's definitely a groin strain/pull. Those suck and they tend to linger for awhile too. I bet he goes on the DL.
I really want to see Patterson make the club because he's been outstanding. In fact, he's pitched better than anyone in that pen. Ohlendorf has been great too. Both of these guys throw strikes and that's what they need more than anything.
However, I think Bruney is going to get that open slot. He's been pretty good too but it's just a matter of time before he reverts back to Farnsy Jr. who can't find the zone with any consistency. The good thing is that he'll have the pressure on him from the get-go to perform because Patterson and Ohlendorf will be on Cashman's speed dial.
The last three slots are going to be Rasner, Traber, and Bruney.
Looks like cabin fever is setting in on this blog! Its hard to find anything worthwhile to even comment on. Better get the games started soon. This weekend I'll stir it up with some predictions. We will get the normal crazies to chime in with their infatuatory imitations and the other crazies who think they can control me. Then the regulars who can pick away as their hearts contend. With that there actually might be a hint of baseball discussions in the threads.
By opening day I will have convinced no one of my position, sent a half dozen crazies off to bed with a Maalox malted, annoyed those kiddies who think this blog was invented to only have pro-Yankee talk and I will even try to bring out the best in Anthony. Real Baseball games are all he needs to get him back in the game.
DRU, Jim A, Casual, Sully, Chip, HYD, PTRS and the others will at least have a bone to pick with someone about something that doesn't have to do with posting under different names and childish personalized attacks.
I promise to do my part!
Viper, yes those tend to linger.
Bruney has to know this is his last shot with the Yanks. Lets see if he folds under pressure. Even when he was lights out for us in 06 =
0.87 ERA..20in..25 K
He still walked 15 batters, for someone with a 1.40 WHIP, there was A LOT of luck involved to get an ERA under 1. Its not like he's ever even had control. His 5.06 BB/9 in the minors is horrible, thats one BB for every 5 outs. ( 153 BB in 272 IN ). Those numbers got worse in the majors, 6.93 BB/9 ( 114 BB in 148 IN ) . I just dont see him lasting past May.
Lets look at Patterson's minor league #'s.
3.08 ERA
1.10 WHIP
2.06 BB/9
541 IN
561 K
124 BB
It took him a little longer to get to the show, but has been lights out since the Yanks signed him from the Indy league in 06.
06
2.33 ERA
0.88 WHIP
1.86 BB/9
38 IN
44 K
8 BB
07
1.09 ERA
0.81 WHIP
1.82 BB/9
74 IN
91 K
15 BB
GET THIS KID IN THE BRONX JOE!!!!!
Its all about the WHIP!
DRU,
You don't have to persuade me on Patterson because I think he deserves to get his shot. I just think he and Ohlendorf are the victims of a numbers game.
The problem is that Bruney hasn't embarrassed himself in ST and makes $700K with only one minor league option left. I hate to say it but I think that gives him the edge over someone like Patterson - whom I believe deserves it more.
I don't usually wish a Yankee ill-will, but I wouldn't be upset if Farnsy came up with a groin pull of his own and one of the young kids took his slot.
Nudge, love me some WHIP!!! lol
Viper, I hate when teams do that. They will take a vet SP or RP that has been getting hammered the past 2 years, over a lights out kid just because the vet is out of options and they dont want another team to grab them. I understand the thought process, I just think its ridiculous. The best players should make the team, period.
If Bruney does have 1 option left, he should be in the minors. He's done nothing to deserve making the squad over Ross or Scott.
Oh well, no bitching from the Yankee fans and media when Bruney walks a run home in the 7th while Ross and Scott are dominating AAA hitters. The Yanks should have learned from 07 that every win counts, even in April.
believe Bruney should be given the shot to go back North unless he's traded away because he has the experience. We can't go up too young troughout the staff. Teams with low end payrolls and no farm systems do this. But I'm sure as the season rolls on Ohlendorph and Patterson will be part of the big picture. Whether, its about replacement because of injury or quality improvement of the bullpen staff. Veterans should get the nod to go North until they are replaced because of above reasons.
I just can't see Igawa, Karstens or Rasner making this club.
Bruney's experience should actually work against him at this point.
He hasn't worked out his control problems and at this point you have to wonder if he ever will. I know the Yanks are afraid that he will go somewhere else and some pitching coach will fix him and he will come back to haunt the Yanks, but at what point do you pull the plug and give the young guy the ball?
I thought Bruney would be traded by the end of spring training but maybe the Yanks still have some faith in him.
Igawa sucks. 'nuf said.
Not only do I like the anecdotes about amusing sidelights of ST and hijinks among Yankees during times when not much is happening, I think there's no such thing as a blog that is just about the news. Why bother? We read that in the sports news stories. Some blogs rely heavily on opinion -- I assume their owners are trying out for a job as columnist -- but for that, if I wanted it, I could read the columns. Kat writes good factual pieces for the sports page and she's not so in love with her own opinions that she crams the blog with them. Blogs are the perfect space for updates AND behind-the-scenes bits.
True, other bloggers maintain tighter control over trolls and nuts, but tightly controlled blogs do tend to go the other way and get all homogenized, and we don't really want to pay that price, do we?
And we all know how to scroll on by the stuff that doesn't interest us and how to discourage the unwanted by ignoring them.
By the way, what a great thread! Some of my favorite people.
Diane, Viper, Nudge, Jim A, Larry FLint
All we need is a HYD, Chip and Yanks 61 check in and we would have our starting 9!
SP - Diane
C - DRU
1B - Jim A
2B - Nudge
SS - HYD
3B - Viper
RF - Chip
CF - Yanks 61
LF - Larry
Your Newsday Blog All-Star lineup! lol
DRU,
Wow, that was a helluva guess because I played mostly 3B in high school.
However, that was over 15 years ago.
DRU,
The WHIP stat tells much more than the W-L or ERA for starters and much more than the ERA for relievers. Every walk and hit presents an oppurtunity for the opposition to score. Also used to be CF now 1B with occasional RF(age and all). I bat lead-off since I can still run like the wind.
Larry M,
I think the battle is for one of those three in the long role. I think Igawa will stay. As bad as he has been the others haven't taken the baton and run with it either.
Sorry Jim.
Thanks for putting me on the mound for the first time -- LOL! Just call me Nukette.
I'll never shake you off, DRU!!! (Yes, I did my ritual annual re-watch of BD this week).
In my neighborhood team I played 1B (now you know why I obsess about the current situation there -- Ha Ha!)
Anyone who's ever been on or around a team knows that the banter, jokes, bets and stories are the key to telling how the clubhouse is jelling. And, in baseball, the mood and character of the clubhouse have everything to do with wins and losses come September. We all read the same box scores, but only a few people see what happens to the humans in the clubhouse. It's a human game. If you want nothing but numbers, don't read the news, go play a video game.
Ty Kepner's take in the NYT on the Jeter-Matsui episode was LOL excellent. I actually sent it to my wife at work, and she couldn't care less about box scores. What I get from it is that these guys actually like each other and the veterans seem looser this spring than in recent years. Add that to the recent pieces about Mussina surrounding himself in the locker room with the young pitchers, and Pettitte taking a couple under his wing as well, and the great piece on Mo as locker room sage I read a couple weeks ago, and you have the makings of a close knit group under a young manager who's got their back. Will it mean that they'll rock Beckett and Liriano every time out? No, but it's better than the alternative.
Plus, reading about middle-relievers' ST era's based on an insignificant number of innings pitched against watered-down opponents gets old before March gets going.
Mo, Hawkins, and Farnsworth can teach the kids. Keep Ohlendorf, Patterson, and Traber. Trade Bruney to the National League for prospects. Igawa gotta go!
Tell Gerty I said Hi dee ho!
Go Yankees!!!
I was a catcher myself, played with the traveling team in the summer and Babe Ruth league ( up to Soph year in HS ). At the plate I was a machine!. Took walks, would steal 2nd and 3rd, hit for average, hit for power, hit in the clutch ( HR in the championship game, went 3-4 with 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 Runs scored, 3 SB's )....thats the good, now the bad.
Earlier that season in my Babe Ruth league I begged my coach to let me pitch. I could throw hard ( would nail runners at 2nd, but I was a head case...read on ) So my coach let me pitch against one of the worst teams in the league. I got the 1st two batters out swinging, then the next guy lined a double into the Gap. After that I started to look like Farny. Hit the next batter in the back ( don’t worry, there was no way he was going to charge ), walked the batter after that, hit another batter in the hip to force a run home. Then the next pitch was my last as a pitcher, I was so angry, and I wanted to throw the ball sooo hard that I threw the pitch OVER THE BACKSTOP!!!!
Needless to say, I stuck to catching for the rest of my career...lol
Mike from NJ...sorry brother I forgot you in the lineup, we need a closer? You up for it
By the way, for anyone interested in the Matsui wedding, this was recently posted on the Daily News site:
"I, Hideki Matsui, am getting married. I have decided to spend my whole life with her," the 33-year-old outfielder said in a statement released at the Yankees' training camp in Florida, Jiji Press reported.
The happy couple met through a mutual friend and have been an item for about two years, according to news reports.
"Before long, Matsui became attracted to her personality as well as her discretion and proposed to her," said Japan's Sankei Sports tabloid, which ran a giant banner headline trumpeting the engagement.
That's the way it was for me and Mrs. DC. After a while I became attracted to her personality and discretion. In fact, I think I said as much in my wedding speech.
DRU,
I threw a ball over the backstop into the tennis courts trying to nail a runner tagging from third. I was so embarrassed I didn't want to look at anyone else on the team. When I finally looked up they were rolling on the ground laughing!
Too bad. 15 feet lower and I had him!
Nudge..LOL!
DC...nice! Also, you are 100% right on the clubhouse jelling factor. I like how this team is coming together, lets see if it translates on to the field.
FYI...just took a look Bruney's stats. Now like DC stated, these numbers could mean nothing come April...but I have to give credit where it is due.
Bruney ST
2.00 ERA
9 in
9 hits
2 ER
3 BB
12 K
Maybe I jumped the gun on Brian, he does deserve to prove his worth ( or worthlessness ) on the big stage. His walks are down, so maybe that 20 or so LBS he dropped in the offseason did some good. Hey, its not like I DONT want to see him become a dominate RP. If he's lights out, Ill take it!
Some other good stats.
Ross...9in..1BB...10K
Scott..7in..0BB...7K ( 1 hit!!!!! )
Looks like the Yanks have some options in the pen. Remember a couple months ago when people were complaining about the Yanks not having enough bullpen options? Like I said then, you never know who will emerge. Did anyone know about Zumaya, Heath Bell, John Broxton, Joba, Paps a couple years ago? We don’t know what we have with these young power arms until they start to throw. At the end of the season we will have a better understanding of who’s got the goods in the pen.
Thanks DRU,
You're right about the pen. I was screaming for them to sign someone--even Hawkins--back in the fall. Now I think I'd be happier going with more kids. But you know--less than a week til opening day and hope springs and all. I'm also big on Traber. Can they take both Ohlendorf and Patterson? I like what I'm hearing about Farnsworth being calmer with Girardi--but I'll believe it when I see the results.
I heard they dropped Woodward. What have you heard about the other infield positions? I'm pulling for Ensberg & Betemit, myself. I think Ensberg's got good power from the right side, and I bet he's a better pure athlete than either Giambi or Duncan and will be more solid at first by mid season or so, (Maybe that's wishful thinking, because picking it was never Giambi's problem, but Ensberg can actually move laterally--which is a big bonus for an infielder) and can backup at 3rd.
If Jeter goes down, they've still got the kid at Scranton (I still want to say Columbus) who can fill in if Betemit stinks up the joint at short.
Anyway, one more weekend!
DRU,
Next season will be even more interesting (and exciting as far as I'm concerned) regarding the pen because Hawkins and Farnsworth will be off the books and guys like Ohlendorf, Sanchez, Melancon, Horne, J.B. Cox, Christian Garcia, and others will get ample opportunities to make names for themselves.
A few of these guys will probably get a shot this season, but there are only so many open slots on the club.
The Yanks should have "Sepaku Night" at the Stadium so that they can get rid of Igawa in a style that he's accustomed to.
John G.
No need. I hear the new stadium has a Sushi bar. Just a little retraining is all thats needed. I meant to ask you what the Phoenix Super Bowl experience was like. Did they make tickets available there for the locals?
Dru: Your way off, I played third in HS and second in college. So LF was that a reference to my editoral comment. Couldn't resist a jab at myself.
Diane I disagree somewhat about Kat. There have been times when this blog has floundered with little direction. My thoughts are the leader should set some direction.
Nudge: you maybe right but Igawa deserves AAA until he can put near the strike zone. He actually appears to pitch away from contact especially when facing righties IMHO.
Larry M,
You are right. Thats what he should have gone through last year. He snever should have been considered for the Staff until he got 10 starts in AAA under his belt. Now they have his contract in the second year and there might not be the room to AAA him. He does pitch scared as you stated. I just think that since neither Karsten or Rasner took much of a stand on their own the default is Igawa. But maybe the Yanks will bite the bullet and demote him.
He won' t get traded to the NL as some crazies here think. Why would they think NL GM's are stupid?
Nudge,
There were tickets for available for the locals and they had quite a turnout. I didn't go because i was out of town that week and i didn't get back to Phoenix until Superbowl Sunday.
I just got a pamphlet from the Yanks in the mail yesterday on the final season at the Stadium. They also have some illustrations on the new Stadium. I didn't see a sushi bar, but i really didn't look through the thing all that well.
Viper..VERY TRUE!!! By no means and I mailing it in this year ( I still think there's some pixie dust left in the 'Ol' Stadium for a magical 08 ring run ), but Im VERY excited about 09. None of that excitement has to do with the new stadium.
Farny
Hawk
Giambi
Abreu
Andy
Moose
Pavano
Bruney
Aside from maybe picking up Andy's option and signing Abreu ( if he has a good year and will sign for a Damon/Matsui 3 year deal, not likely though ), the rest of the dead weight will finally be gone!!!! Even without signing FA's like CC or Teix, Im still pumped about the new kids coming up like, the ones u mentioned plus, Horne, Gardner, Miranda, Marquez, Jackson...etc.
PS. Just found out that Im going to the game on Wednesday ( my brother got tickets )..anyone else happen to be going???
John G,
What? No after game parties for you?
Not out in public.
Partied PLENTY at home though.
I barely remeber parts of the night. One of those days where afterwards my wife is telling stories and Im saying "did I do that" or "I don't remember saying that". But I'll trade the instant Alzheimers for a Super Bowl title anyday.
I hear you Bro.
Hopefully, the Rangers and Yanks can follow suite and win this year.
We shall see.
Hey DRU,
No problem brother.
Put me in coach. I can bring da heat!
Joba RULES!
I'd like to move off 1B please. I was a CF in high school and then moved to left because I had a fairly strong, but very accurate arm and our outfield was bigger in left. I still play the position on my softball teams.
I earned my way onto my HS team in Virginia in a funny way. I had just moved from NY and told the gym teacher who happened to be the baseball coach that I wanted to play. He didn't care for me and my NY accent much and said "we're full". I happened to be in gym class with one of his "stars", a kid who played 3B and was as arrogant as could be. I hit RH and we were fooling around in gym class hitting the ball around and the kid at third kept talking trash so I said "the next one is off your shin". The pitch came in and I ripped it down the line....off his shin. He hopped around a bit, glared at me a little and his best buddy, who was playing first decided to start in on me so I said "here comes yours" on the next pitch, bam...right in his shin. Well, the gym teacher had to keep them both from beating the you know what out of me, while trying to stop laughing and immediately told me to come to the next practice. I ended up as a starting OF and hitting second for him for 3 years and am still friendly with him today. The other two never spoke to me much.
The good old days huh?
Great story, Jim A. Hope those two guys you wacked liners off of were Bosox fans. Warmin' up for the regular season.
Down with RS Nation.
Lets go Yankees!!! Got my tickets and can't wait til March 31st.
For the record: I still throw a decent fastball for my age - low-mid 80's (46 yrs old), good splitter, good curve, and can drop down sidearm with a nasty slider. One day I am going to do the old guy league thing, to see if I have any fumes left.
Mike,
If you can still throw in the mid-80's and 46 years old, the Yanks could use you out of the 'pen!
Seriously, you would tear up the old guy league I used to play in. I've had three shoulder surgeries and pitched a few times because we couldn't find anyone to get the ball over the plate. I finally stopped playing in the league because it got so boring, oh and I had to drive about 50 miles one way to get to the games.
Now I just play softball which isn't quite as exciting as most of you know but it keeps the competitive fire burning a little.
Jim is right. Its hard to find thrower that gets into the 70's in those leagues. In you can get it across the plate you could dominate. I hear ya about the traveling Jim. The sparsity of competition for the leagues requires much travel. Last BB league I played we went from Long Island to upstate and sometimes Connecticut. So yeah, the sofball becomes the convenient option. Plus I can play in that league and be competitive with the 20-30 YO's which I cant in BB.
Same here Nudge, I can't see that little ball so well anymore!