Good evening everyone. Marc here with you as the Yankees host a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins (55-43). Sidney Ponson (5-1, 3.96 ERA) will be making his fourth start for the Yankees (53-45). In his last outing he didn’t get a decision, but he pitched fairly well after surrendering a run on five hits while striking out four and walking two in six innings in a 2-1 win over Tampa Bay on July 9. Nick Blackburn (7-5, 3.65), who allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits in seven innings in a 4-2 loss at Detroit on July 13, will be going for the Twins.
The Yankees, coming off a sweep of Oakland, bring back Johnny Damon while Jorge Posada lands on the DL again. Will be back after the Twins bat.
Top 1st: After quickly getting one out, Ponson gave up a single to Casilla and walked Mauer to get in a bit of a jam. But he then got (home run derby winner) Morneau and Hubel to fly out to get out of the inning.
Bottom 1st: A-Rod belted a two-run homer to put the Yankees on the board. It was his 21st on the year and the 539th of his career. Damon, who returned from injury, flied out to center and Jeter grounded out. Abreu, who nailed Twins starter Blackburn with a comebacker the last time he faced him, singled up the middle before A-Rod connected on his home run. Yankees 2, Twins 0.
Top 2nd: Despite giving a two-run lead, Ponson gives it right back. He hit Young leading off and gave up back-to-back singles to Buscher and Harris to load the bases. After fanning Span, Ponson got Gomez to hit one to A-Rod, who got the force at third, before serving up an RBI single to Casilla. It appeared, however, that Harris was out at home following the single from Casilla on a great throw from Abreu, but the ump called the runner safe. Twins 2, Yankees 2.
Bottom 2nd: Yankees retake the lead after scoring four runs! Melky, Molina and Gardner singled before Damon hit it to Casilla, who went home with the ball, but couldn’t get Melky. Jeter followed with an RBI single, Abreu hit into a fielder’s choice to plate Gardner and A-Rod had a run-scoring single to knock out Blackburn. Bonser came on and struck out Giambi, but the damage was done. Yankees 6, Twins 2.
Top 3rd: 1-2-3 inning for Ponson!
Bottom 3rd: Yanks are pouring it on. Cano led off with a homer, Melky had an infield single and scored on Damon’s double. Yankees 8, Twins 2.
Top 4th: Another solid inning for Ponson, who allowed a two-out triple to Span.
Bottom 4th: Not much for the Yankees this inning other than a walk by Giambi.
Top 5th: Ponson got in some trouble and allowed a run. He allowed singles to Casilla and Mauer, got Morneau to ground into a double play, but served up an RBI base hit to Kubel. Yankees 8, Twins 3.
Bottom 5th: Molina got his second hit of the night. But that was it for the Yankees this inning.
Top 6th: Ponson allowed a one-out walk to Harris, a base hit to Span and got Gomez to ground into a fielder’s choice before leaving. Edwar Ramirez came on and struck out Casilla. Ponson allowed three runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Bottom 6th: The Yankees add three more runs. Jeter led off with a homer and Abreu singled and scored following a balk and two wild pitches by Craig Breslow, who relieved Bonser. Three batters later, Cano singled in A-Rod, who drew a walk. Yankees 11, Twins 3.
Top 7th: David Robertson came on for Ramirez and retired the side in order.
Bottom 7th: Molina connected on his third hit with a leadoff single. After that, Gardner, Moeller, who hit for Damon, and Jeter were set down in order.
Top 8th: The Yankee relievers are getting the job done. Hawkins relieved Robertson and worked a 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom 8th: The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs -- Justin Christian (batting for Abreu) walked, Betemit (who took over for A-Rod) singled and Sexson (who took over for Giambi) walked -- but got just a run as Cano hit into a double play and Melky grounded out. Yankees 12, Twins 3.
Top 9th: Hawkins allowed a cheap run on an RBI ground out by Casilla, but the Yankees get the win. Final: Yankees 12, Twins 4.
Comments (43)
Didn't get back with this in time to conclude my thoughts on Jonathan Albaladeho before the end of the live blog, but if anyone's interested in what happened to his elbow -- with no viable long man in the pen at the time this kid who had averaged 12 or 13 pitches per outing the previous season was thrown in for multiple innings and predictably came down with a common overuse injury to his elbow that almost certainly would not have happened with ordinary precautions about raising his use gradually instead of upping him to between two and three innings at a time in the early going.
Pretty much like what Girardi did to Florida youngsters.
Folks, with Matsui and Posada both probably done for the year the team needs to focus on getting another bat.
I know that there are some (ruse) fixated on Matt Holliday - and rightly so, but I'll say again, forget it. Jon Heyman is reporting today that the Angels asked about Holliday and were told that the price started at Howie Kendrick, top pitching prospect Nick Aadenhart and either Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders.
The Yankees and Pirates apparently are discussing a trade for Bay. The Pirates want Kennedy and Austin Jackson, the Yankees are countering with Kennedy and Cabrera. If the Yankees are willing to include Jose Tabata or Zach McAllister this trade probably gets done.
Contrarian - couldn't disagree with you more about the way Girardi is handling his relievers. Yes Albaladejo and Bruney got hurt - but injuries are part of the game, they can't always be avoided. To this point he has given guys enough work to stay fresh but not worked any one guy too hard.
Chip,
Can't tell whether you contesting the facts about JA, or contending that Girardi showed good judgment using the kid?
Granted that Girardi seems to have back off from this stuff as the season went on, but why pretend it never happened (or that it was good bullpen management)?
I'm contesting that Albaladejo was misused. He was stretched out for multiple innings of relief during spring training, was not asked to pitch 3 innings one day and then 3 more a day later - he was given recovery time, and it's also really hard to judge since he was always shuttling back and forth between New York and Scranton.
I will agree that Girardi has improved in his use of pitchers since his days with the Marlins.
Chip,
I usually take whatever Jon Heyman says with a grain of salt. He does some good reporting, but he's often so full of BS that you can almost see it oozing out of his ears.
I'd pull the trigger on a Kennedy, Tabata, and Melky deal but there's no way that the Prates would. You can take that to the bank.
They don't need Melky and I've seen many other sources state that the Pirates have no interest in him whatsoever. And I don't blame them.
They've already got Nady and McLouth and they are going to bring up McCutchen to play everyday the day after Bay is traded.
I'd be downright shocked to see Bay wearing a Yankee uniform on August 1st because he's going to cost a lot more than Cashman is willing to give up.
Viper...
That is the gift of being GM the ability to deal. let him do his "magic"
Regardless of what many say, including what that dope wallace mathews writes, Posada's presence on the field and in the clubhouse is second to none. Sure, his bat was avergae this year and arm was off, yet when it comes to settling down or lighting a fire under the team, you can be damn sure Posada was the voice of reason.
Viper - I do tend to agree that Bay, Holliday and probably even Nady are priced out of the Yankees range. Jayson Stark on Mike and Mike right now just said that they probably can't get Bay because of the asking price, he speculates that maybe they could get Tex but isn't entirely sure that the Braves will put him on the market.
The NY Post is reporting that the Yankees are heavily scouting Derek Lowe to help with the back end of the rotation. They go on to mention that our favorite non-entity (Carl Pavano) is going on a rehab assignment today.
As for more likely trade targets - I came up with a couple of names that wouldn't cost the Yankees too much.
1. Marcus Thames (Det OF): All he does is rake, and not in an easy park to do it. Detroit has bats to spare with the returns of Sheff, Inge and Magglio Ordonez
2. Scott Hairston (SD OF): Another good right handed hitting OF despite playing in a park where hitting ain't easy. Hairston can play Left or Center at an above average level. Probably could be gotten for a package of JB Cox and Chase Wright.
Those two are realistic in that they are gettable and useful players. Here's one that's less realistic but would be just as useful:
Cincy gets: Ian Kennedy, Jeff Marquez, Zack McAllister
NYY gets: Adam Dunn and David Ross (C)
I wouldn't want to see Dunn in LF, but as a DH he would add some much needed pop to the lineup.
Guys,
Cashman shouldn't be making any big deals before the deadline.
With the exception of Austin Jackson, all of the players teams are going to ask for in return for a big player have their stock lower than it has ever been. You do not start shipping players off when their stock is low, especially if you believe it will rise again.
Kennedy's stock is really low right now. But has the potential to rise up again like it did last year. Sat night he pitched 7 innings and let up 1ER and 3 Hits. He is going to bounce back and pitch like he did the end of last year.
Tabata still has a very high ceiling of talent, hes just really young and needs to bounce back off his injury. We really need to hold on to our OF prospects because Matsui, Damon, and Abreu are not going to be around much longer.
Melky has been slumping big time recently and I don't blame teams for not wanting him, but he is going to turn it around this 2nd half and bring his average back up to around .280.
The Yanks have survived pretty much the whole season without Posada's usual offense. Now guys like Cano, Arod, Bobby and Jeter are starting to hit the way they are capable of. If the Yanks do anything they should make a small trade for a starter. The reports of Lowe sound exactly what I am talking about.
Even if the Yanks don't make a move, we are going to have some options down the stretch in Pavano, Kennedy, Hughes, MucCutchen, Karstens.
McCarthy
More to the point, I don't know if Cashman CAN make any big deals before the deadline.
Like you said, the value of certain guys (Kennedy, Melky, Tabata) is down, other guys (Hughes, Horne) are hurt. For weeks I've been saying that to get a big time player (Holliday) it would take Robinson Cano to even get the conversation started. That's why I suggested guys like Marcus Thames and Scott Hairston - they are useful players who would fit what the Yankees need and wouldn't cost a lot.
Wallace Matthews is an imbecile. Period.
Yanks should try to pick up Washburn instead of Lowe. I think another lefty in the rotation would be better and Molina has caught Washburn - so they would be familiar. This is a no brainer, like Rasner but he is not the answer, and Ponson is an accident waiting to happen. At least if Wang makes it back early Sept. we would have a rotation like this:
Wang
Pettite
Joba
Moose
Washburn
Not too shabby. Then, hopefully, Cashman will blow the dust of the wallet and pick up a righty hitting outfielder - Nady. Might want to give Jackson an audition for the rest of the season. I don't think it would hurt his growth, and might build up his confidence.
Lets Go Yankees! Gotta catch those Devil Rays.
How about Kennedy, Tabata, McAllister and Betances for Jonathan Sanchez and Randy Winn?
Would the M's trade Ichiro to NY? Mariner scouts were at the game last night and at Trenton as well recently. Maybe Washburn?
Tom,
No chance the M's are moving Ichiro. He's too much of a cog in their marketing.
Here are my moves:
SD gets Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, Alfredo Aceves
NYY gets Scott Hairston, Kevin Kousmanoff
SD adds pitching to a rotation that is losing both Maddux and Randy Wolf, Kennedy should prove to be a strong pitcher for them in that park. Moving Kouz allows Chase Headley to move back to his natural position
Yankees get two good right handed bats. Hairston can play CF and LF and Kouz can DH (since he's not a great fielder) and the Yankees can convert him to first to replace Giambi after this season
Det gets JB Cox and Ross Ohlendorf
NYY get Marcus Thames
Detroit is starved for relief help, even with the returns of Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya - Ohlendorf and Cox could contribute this season as they try and claw back into the central - right now relievers are an area where the Yankees are very deep and so they can afford to move a couple of them.
Marcus Thames can flat out hit. He's an average fielder but more to the point, he'll bring some more RH pop to the team and, if nothing else, will add more depth to the bench.
Sign Freddy Garcia
Lineup
Damon - LF
Jeter - SS
Abreu - RF
A-Rod - 3b
Giambi/Sexson - 1st
Hairston - CF
Cano - 2b
Kouz/Thames - DH
Molina - C
How long is Ichiro's contract?
Why bash Matthews he only stated the TRUTH posada was hurting the team while IN THE LINE UP you can be on the DL and still be a voice in the clubhouse.
To be honest Posada stubborness about not catching almost caused a controversy.
Trust me if Brian wants to pull one off he can these other GM's is trying to perform Jedi mind tricks on Brian assuming he is desperate. Of course Pitts wants the world for Bay , so did Minn. and what they got back? SO they will come at Brian hoping that he is desperate to pull the trigger in lieu of what happened in the Santana talks, they are also hoping that he lost complete hope in Ian and would be willing to trade him for nothing. Brian will play samrt games here and not fall for the Okey Doke.
(after trying to post)
Chip -
The Yankees would be robbed if they made that SD deal. plus Sd would want to throw in a contract and that would probally be K, Greene who may not be a bad idea for this club.
Anybody can be Moved and with Seattle owner trying to sell at some point moving Ichiro is not as distant as we may think.
the team is losing so the buzz already is for change.
the thing with Ichiro is that he is bound to set milestones meaning that he is and will be a gate attraction meaning his asking price would be high.
Seattle could have been scouting in regards to Raul Ibenez
Bomber - if SD wanted the Yankees to take back Greene I would be more than okay with that. I'm sure that Cashman would have no trouble spinning him to another team looking for a strong defensive SS (or he could keep him on the bench).
I'm probably undervaluing Kennedy - I realize that, I'm not a big fan of his because he reminds me of a poor man's Mussina and I'm not a huge fan of Mussina, and I think that Aceves is a nice story - but there's probably a reason he was languishing in the Mexican League before the Yankees grabbed him up. I also really like what Hairston brings to the table and when you consider that he and Kouz have been respectable offensive players in a park that makes Yellowstone look hitter friendly, I think bringing them to the Yankees would only increase their production.
As for Ichiro - when you consider that Seattle's entire marketing strategy is based around the Japanese community in Seattle and the market offered by Japan, and couple that with the rumors that Mike Hargrove left and John McLaren was fired because of the pull Ichiro has with the front office - it all leads me to believe he's going no where.
ok here is my wild card deal
This is just my over the head wild card trade feeling,
The player I feel that would be at least discussed as being a yankee either during the offseason or if this team is out of it.
Drum roll......
Justin Morneau
I don;t know why I see him as being the next shocker deal, especially if another quality cheaper 1b is avail for the twins
Anon,
It's a really interesting thought and I for one would be thrilled with getting him. But the Twins just signed him to a long term deal and part of the rational for letting Santana and Hunter go was that they needed to free up the money so they could keep him and Joe Mauer.
I think a more likely dark horse might be Prince Fielder. He's been very annoyed about his contract situation in Milwaukee and even after moving Matt LaPorta they still have a ton of corner infield prospects. They're probably going to lose Sheets and Sabathia this winter so they could absolutely use pitching
What about Liriano ! That would be a great pickup - a young lefty . I'd trade Kennedy straight up.
Guy,
Better chance I'll be the next Pope.
Sorry Chip, Anon was me.
Prince Fielder is a goody as well , if Mil was out of it a deal could have been done.
I think what was on the radar if Tex fails to come here, is Adam L from Pitt.
The Yankees could also do a three way deal as well where the 3rd team get cash
According to Buster Olney the Yankees are taking a long look at Jarrod Washburn. Today could be very important in that regard as the Astros are expected to pick up Randy Wolf. Likely the package SD gets back for Wolf will set the price for a pitcher like Washburn.
Olney speculates that the deal for Washburn would be nothing more than Igawa (yay) and a prospect in the JB Cox mold
I'd take a gamble on Washburn.
He hasn't been great the last couple of seasons, but he's a guy I've liked through the years.
It not quite the man-crush that Chip has on Gil Meche, but he's a guy I've always wondered how he'd do in pinstripes.
And getting rid of Igawa in the process would be icing on the cake.
Viper -
I have no problems with Washburn, as someone noted above, he's pitched well in big spots for the Angels. And the price would certainly be right.
He would also be a nice guy to plug into Moose's spot next season.
I'll add Casey Blake to the guys I mentioned above (Scott Hairston and Marcus Thames)
Ah, never mind on Washburn.
I didn't realize Washburn was signed through 2009. It's a different story if he was just signed through the rest of 2008.
I don't really want to count on him for another season.
Viper -
He's signed for one additional year at 9 million...not an earth shattering investment
I guess Washburn is better than Rasner, and the cost would be cheap. Maybe then Yanks could also get Ibanez.
What did I tell ya?
Washburn makes sense. And so does Nady.
Won't be long now, the Devil Rays can only hang in there so long, then it will be like old times - Bosox and the filthy Nation versus Yanks.
Down with the Devil Rays/RS Nation. Time to make the doughnuts!
Chip,
Look at it this way, if they do trade for Washburn - then there's no chance the Yanks sign a Sabathia during the offseason because there wouldn't be any room for him if Pettitte returns as well.
I'm not saying they should sign a big name arm or not, but you take that option completely off the table by acquiring someone who hasn't exactly lit the league on fire the last couple of years.
So you're not only taking on this unknown commitment for 2008 but for 2009 as well.
Viper -
Look at it this way. If Andy wants to return (and if the Yankees want him to return) and they also want to sign Sabathia they could probably move Washburn since he will have a very reasonable 1 year contract.
And having him gives the team insurance in case Andy doesn't return and Sabathia signs elsewhere. And lest we forget - they would be giving up Kei Flipping Igawa and JB Cox (or a similar middle reliever) for him...a bust and an injury plagued pitcher who throws in the mid 80s.
Interesting post on todays blog with ESPN's Rob Neyer:
Tim (Cleveland, Ohio): Rob - What happened? It seems like I woke up, and all of a sudden the Yankee bullpen was unhittable. It seems like everybody out there strikes out more than a hitter per inning. They are 43-1 when leading after 6 this season. And despite all of the collective innings pitched, they don't have any individual leaders in appearances. Is there any more concrete proof that Torre was a disaster at managing a bullpen?
Rob Neyer: Just last night I was wondering to myself, would Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras be doing as well if Torre were still running the show? Let's think about that one for a week.
I'm actually glad the price for Nady is too high for Cashman.
Take a good look at Nady's career numbers and then look at his 2008 numbers. He's clearly overachieving this season and the Pirates are selling high on him.
That's a sucker trade for the Yanks. Nady's production would be certain to plummet in pinstripes.
No thanks. Go after Jason Bay in the offseason.
Viper:
I've been down on Nady as a guy who doesn't perform in the second half very much.
I don't think they'll end up with Bay (or Holliday) at least not this season and if he gets moved this season then the team that gets him will not be looking to move him this winter.
For this season I would focus on Hairston, Blake and Thames.
Chip,
I don't like taking on shaky commodities for more than a temporary fix.
I do like Washburn, but I'm not keen on etching his name into the starting rotation for 2009 already when he's never thrown a pitch for this team.
And I want to get rid of Igawa as much as the next guy, but he's tucked away in the minors anyways and probably won't ever see a major league mound for this franchise.
I mean, hell, they chose to sign Sidney Ponson over giving Igawa another big league start - so that tells you exactly what they think of him.
I've always liked Buster Olney, but I'm not sure about how accurate he is on this one. If Washburn is essentially a salary dump - why would they want 3-1/2 more years of Igawa in exchange?
That doesn't make a lot of sense.
Viper -
every time you sign a free agent you're taking a risk on a guy who has never played for the Yankees.
Washburn would be a low risk low reward move. And like I said, at 1 year 9 mil there will be teams that would take him if the Yankees wanted to move him, just like the Orioles were there when the Yankees wanted to move Jaret Wright.
As for why they would take Igawa take your pick of reasons, Japanese market, thinking he'll do well with a change of scenary and a big park...
In any case, if the Yankees can get an upgrade over Ponson and Rasner (which Washburn is) and the cost are a couple of guys who will never see the light of day in NY, then I do the deal and let next season's rotation take care of itself.
Washburn would be a nice replacement for Rasner this year and could fill a spot next year. The last two years should tell be a reminder to all fans that you simply cannot have enough pitching.
I really want the Yanks to get CC next year but I think he's going to stay in the NL as he loves to hit and he's from California so I think the Yanks are at a definite disadvantage there, but they need to make a good run at him. I just don't know if Phil "Slow2Heal" Hughes will amount to much and everyone seems to be ready to throw the towel in on Kennedy.
I've already thrown in the towel, sheets, blankets...all the laundry on Igawa and if Cashman could turn him and a minor league reliever into Washburn, he's GM of the year if you ask me. Also, with Washburn's salary at $9M and only a year left, they could trade him over the winter or in spring training for a useful part and there would probably be a good market for him.
I am not excited about the prospect of Nady coming to the Yanks as he is average all the way around.
Let's hope the boys can keep the roll going for now and not worry about who stays and who goes for a bit.
Jim A: Hughes will be fine once he's recovered. No worries.
Jim,
I'm with you - I pass on Nady asking price is too high for a guy who is marginally better than Hairston, Thames or Blake at half the price.
I'm also with you on Washburn (as evidenced above) and the theory that you can't have enough pitching.
As for Kennedy - I'm not saying he's a bad pitcher, I just don't classify him with Hughes and Joba. I think his upside is considerably less than either of those two guys and also likely lower than that of a Gerrit Cole or Andrew Brackman. That means I wouldn't mind moving him in the right package but I'm not giving him away.
Hughes is going to be a very solid pitcher - bear with him. Take a look at what happened with Mike Pelfry last year to this year.
HYD, Chipster,
I hope you guys are right about Hughes, I'm just getting a little impatient, not enough to give up though, but it would be nice to hear some positive news on him.
I check his blog occasionally and there is not too much going on with him it seems.
Hughes is a lost cause. He will not even be in the big leagues anymore by 2010. MARK MY WORDS!
Anon, your words would have a little more gravitas if you were man enough to put a name with them...just my opinion.
The troll strikes again. What a loser! Go back to Beantown with Gerty and get that tooth fixed. And wash those jeans.
Down with RS Nation. Except Sully the Seamonster.
Lets Go Yankees!!!
WE WANT FAIR PLAY FOR ALL FANS IN BASEBALL...THE POSTER AT 18;38 IS A FREEDY TROLL THAT HATES HIS MOTHER, NOW LETS ALL GO TO MLB.COM AND TELL BASEBALL WE WANTA LIMIT ON SPENDING, AS WELL AS FREE AGENY SIGNINGS.....NO MOREBUTING PENNANTS. MIKE FROM JERSEY IS A KOREAN WAR HERO, AND WANTS FAIR PLAY TOO.