Kuzul

Today, the St. Louis Cardinals reached a one-year deal with first baseman and outfielder Lance Berkman worth $8 million.

For years, Lance Berkman was the centerpiece of an Houston Astros lineup that consistently battled with the Cardinals for supremacy in National League Central. Now, Berkman will try to help the Cardinals reclaim the Central division crown.

The Cardinals have seen their fare share of Berkman in the past. He’s hit seven home runs with 17 RBIs in 28 career games at Busch Stadium, amounting to a .284 average.

After years as one of the most fears hitters in the National League, Berkman has shown signs of age in recent years. Last year, he batted .248 last season in time split between the Astros and the New York Yankees. He hit 14 home runs and had 58 RBI in just 122 games.

Sources say that the Cardinals plan to play Berkman in left field, while moving All-Star Matt Holliday to right.

“We are extremely excited to have added Lance to our ballclub,” general manager John Mozeliak said in a press release. “He’s an impact player who not only helps solidify our everyday lineup, but he also brings a wealth of experience to our team.”

Although Mozeliak placed the chances of signing Berkman at 10 percent just last week, the Cardinals were able to strike a deal based on Berkman’s desire to build on the long Cardinal legacy.

“He’s a winning player, and he brings tremendous leadership and respect to the clubhouse,” Mozeliak said. “I think he has a great appreciation for the sport of baseball and the history of it. He looks at the St. Louis Cardinals as a premier place to play. It’s always nice to have people who have great admiration for the history of the organization.”

Berkman has played both first base and the outfield before. He has 871 career outfield starts and 717 at first base but has played mostly first in recent years.

However, first base is home to three-time MVP Albert Pujols, who won’t be moving anytime soon.

The last time Lance had a full season in the outfield was 2004, when he played 160 games at the corner outfield spots. It remains to be seen if, or rather how much, his defense has diminished since.

“Obviously, it’s a question,” Mozeliak said. “But he looked to be in great shape. He lost some weight and is running real well. So we have a high level of confidence in him.”

However, Berkman has remained adamant that he can still play the outfield.

“You look at his year last year, and he hurt his knee in Spring Training and just never got going,” Mozeliak said. “He feels he just never got 100 percent. He’s used this offseason to energize himself and heal.”

By signing Berkman, a switch-hitter the Cardinals have added a powerful bat to complement a lineup already stocked with right-handers Pujols and Holliday.

Berkman was strongly pursued by the Oakland A’s, and the Cardinals were a surprise destination. Berkman said that he preferred not to spend another season in the American League, playing mostly DH. He also heard offers from the Pirates, Blue Jays, Cubs and Rockies, but the Cardinals’ legacy and chance to win now were deciding factors for the 34-year old.

St. Louis seemed ready to head into 2011 with youngsters Jon Jay and Allen Craig platooning in right. Now, it seems, Craig and Jay will be reserved to the bench.

It’s clear that Berkman is a serious upgrade for the Cardinals offense. Among active players, he ranks fourth in on-base percentage, and 10th in slugging percentage. He holds a career batting percentage of .296 with 327 homers and 1,099 RBI, almost all with Houston.

If Berkman, who holds the National League record for single-season RBIs by a switch-hitter, as well as six seasons with 100 or more RBIs and eight with 25 or more home runs, can even return to a shade of his former self, the Cardinals should have a very formidable lineup in 2011.

“This took two parties [to complete],” Mozeliak said. “I think he had greater opportunities out there, financially, and I think he felt that this was just a place he wanted to play. Based on his desire to be here, that’s when we started to realize we had a chance to get this deal done.”

It was the second deal the Cardinals got done in under a week to improve what seemed like a punchless lineup at times last season. Earlier this week, the Cardinals added middle infielder Ryan Theriot, an above-average bat, who spent most of his career with the Cubs.

After acquiring another former rival in Berkman, says Mozeliak, the Cardinals are “pretty much a set club”, but they will continue to explore trade options with shortstop Brendan Ryan, who lost his starting job to Theriot, but may hold value with a team looking for a strong defensive shortstop.

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It’s no surprise that the Chicago Cubs are looking for an everyday starter at 1st base, especially after they lost Derrek Lee in a trade.

They also lost Micah Hoffpauir after he signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. Hoffpauir was the front runner for the starting job.

But also adding to this, the Cubs have not won a World Series in over 100 years, making them more desperate to acquire a dependable bat.

There are many candidates for the job, with a good free agent market at 1st base this offseason. But here are the closest possibilities.

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The Yankees have been waiting a long time for Lance Berkman to do something. Actually, they’ve been waiting for him do to anything.

Before yesterday, his most notable achievement in pinstripes was hitting Alex Rodriguez in the shin with a line drive in batting practice. That happened in early August, and in all the time that followed, one of the greatest sluggers in Houston Astros history managed a single home run in New York.

The Big Puma was suddenly an endangered species. That’s not a clever pun. I literally worried a bleacher creature was going to straight-up try to murder him, The Fan style.

But that’s the beautiful thing about postseason baseball—you can wipe away months of bad faith with one good series. Or in Berkman’s case, one good game.

Berkman had the two biggest hits in the Yankees’ Game 2 win over the Twins on Thursday, a long opposite-field homer in the fifth inning, and a booming RBI double in the seventh.

It had to be sweet vindication for Brian Cashman, who brought Berkman aboard to fortify the Yankee lineup and instead got Triple-A production out of a lavishly-paid veteran.

Berkman wasn’t the only player who made Cashman look smart on Thursday.

Curtis Granderson continued his resurgence with three more hits, while Kerry Wood officially put Joba Chamberlain’s face on the side of a milk carton with a dominant eighth inning.

It’s been a tough year for Cash, who watched the acquitions of Nick Johnson and Javier Vazquez blow up in his face as A.J. Burnett’s contract quickly morphed into one of the worst in baseball.

He’s no doubt feeling good this morning, as is Andy Pettitte. He won the 19th postseason game of his career, and few were more impressive given the circumstances.

The Yankees didn’t know what they were getting from Pettitte coming into this series. The groin injury that wrecked his second half had turned the left-hander into a serious question mark, albeit one on a successful journey to comfort.

Pettitte was dominant for seven innings and 88 pitches, and probably could have went the distance if Joe Girardi wasn’t correctly protecting the veteran’s health.

I received a couple of texts from friends after the game saying this was the game that makes Pettitte a Hall of Famer. I tend to disagree, because it’s the ALDS and I thought he already was. I will say that if the Yanks go deep into the playoffs, he may finally get his proper national due as one of the great postseason performers in the game’s history.

But of all the positives Cashman took out of Thursday, perhaps most fulfilling was the sight of Carl Pavano, the man who had swindled the Yankees out of $40 million, walking off the mound a loser for the second straight ALDS. I would’ve paid anything to be able read Cash’s lips as the American Idle trudged off.

“Nice mustache, d*ck.”

Stray thoughts

• John Sterling is on a roll. His Berkman home run call last night was bananas. “SIR LANCELOT RIDES TO THE RESCUE! C’EST LUI! C’EST LUI!” This was the most outrageous radio I’ve ever heard, just ahead of Dan the Farter (no relation) setting the world flatulence record on Howard Stern.

• Epic fail is in order for Ron Gardenhire, the Twins manager who told the media before Game 2 that he buried his uniform after the Game 1 loss. Since that didn’t work, I say he knocks off a convenience store next. If that fails, assassinate Fidel Castro. Let’s see how far we can take this.

• Give Minnesota Twins fans this: They care. My God, do they care. Some serious depression shots by TBS in the late innings. Look at the bright side guys, at least your football team’s quarterback isn’t a gray-haired old fool who walks with a limp. Oh wait.

• Funny A-Rod quote on Berkman over at the LoHud Blog: “You know these games are important. I actually saw him in the weight room a couple of days ago. I almost had a heart attack.”

• I can’t tell you how much more I enjoy TBS’ incessant Conan promos over last year’s incessant Frank TV ads. I still can’t believe Frank TV ever existed. Dude got his own sketch show because he could do a bad John Madden impression.

• Mariano Rivera is the greatest of all time. In shorthand, you can call him the G.O.A.T. Just a friendly reminder.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.

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For those who did not have the pleasure of watching Game Two of the ALDS between the Yankees and Twins, one of the biggest story lines was a controversial call in the seventh inning. With one out, two strikes, and Jorge Posada on first base, Carl Pavano threw a tailing fastball on the inside of the plate for what “should have” been strike three.

However, it was called a ball by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, and Berkman promptly hit the next pitch over Denard Span’s head into center for a double and an RBI, giving the Yankees a one-run lead late in the game. Berkman would later score on a Jeter single to go up 4-2. So overall, a big, game-changing mistake on the part of the umpire and another case for replay in baseball, right?

Wrong. Simply looking at this one at-bat does not tell the whole story of the game. Carl Pavano, and then later Kerry Wood, were getting called strikes that were clearly on the outside of the plate (Andy Pettitte was not seemingly getting these similar calls, presumably because he is a lefty. I have no idea). Throughout the game, I wasn’t counting, but Hunter Wendelstedt gave anywhere from 10-15 called strikes that should have been balls in that location. So, for him to call a ball on the inside edge of the plate does not necessarily represent a mistake, but rather represents where his strike zone had been all night in Game Two. Anybody who has played baseball knows that umpires are given this discretion on judgement calls like balls/strikes, and these expanded strike zones aren’t uncommon.

Lance Berkman recognized this, as seen in his post-game comments:

I mean, I felt like it was a ball. I had to swing at it, I had two strikes. It was a tough pitch. You know, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about it, and like it was right down the middle or something. That’s a very borderline pitch. Sometimes it gets called, sometimes it doesn’t. I felt like Hunter was very consistent all night with not giving anything inside. He was giving probably four to six inches off the outside corner, wasn’t giving anything over the inside corner. So that was the strike zone. And I mean, I have been punched out plenty on balls that I didn’t think were strikes, so what the heck. You know, if he had called it, I wouldn’t have been happy about it, but I wouldn’t have been shocked.

Either way, people are going to continue to talk about this as part of the instant replay debate. There are missed calls in baseball (e.g. Golson’s catch in Game One on Wednesday), but in this instance there was no bad call, just a consistent call in an expanded strike zone which is part of the game of baseball. 

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The Yankees beat the Twins 5-2 last night and the play that everyone seems to be talking about is the Lance Berkman at-bat in the the seventh that ended up being an RBI double.

It’s become an infamous play because it looked like Carl Pavano had him struck out just the pitch before. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected following the double.

Let’s take a look at the Pitch Fx graph via Brooks Baseball:

Look at the sequence here. The first pitch was a ball low. The second pitch is a called strike, but is clearly out of the zone. The third pitch was a foul ball that put Berkman behind in the count 1-2 even though he only swung at one pitch and none were in the strike zone.

The fourth pitch is the one that caused Gardenhire to get ejected. It is clearly in the zone, but called a ball. This brought the count to 2-2 and extended the at-bat. The fifth pitch was smacked into center field for an RBI double.

Now my first thought after looking at this chart was that it was a payback call, meaning that the umpire knew he messed up the second pitch, so he gave another close one back to Berkman. However, based on further evidence, that’s just how home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt was consistently calling the pitches.

Take a look at this chart of all the pitches thrown to left-handed batters last night:

As you can see, all night long and against for both teams Wendelstedt was calling pitches inside to lefties as balls and away as strikes. He’s wrong in doing this, but the old baseball saying is that as long as you are consistent with it, then it’s OK.

Gardenhire should have seen both sides getting the same calls at this point.

While that pitch to Berkman was definitely a strike, the pitch just two before it was a ball but it was called a strike. He shouldn’t even have had two strikes on him at that time.

Some may say that the Yankees got away with one here, but as far as bad calls go this was rather tame. The guys in Atlanta have a much bigger gripe about bad calls than the people in Minnesota…for now.

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The Yankees entered Game 2 on Thursday looking to continue their momentum from defeating the Twins in Game 1 the night before.

On the mound for New York was Andy Pettitte, looking to brush aside the rust and any side effects of a groin injury that kept him on the disabled list for two months. For the Twins, it was Carl Pavano, pitching against his former team and looking to try and split the series going back to New York.

The Twins got on the board first in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly by Danny Valencia to right that put Minnesota up 1-0.

In the top of the fourth, Curtis Granderson continued his hot hitting by ripping a double, got to third on Mark Teixeira’s single and came home on Alex Rodriguez’s sac fly to right and tied the game at 1-1.

In the top of the fifth, Lance Berkman took a Pavano fastball to left center and over the wall for a home run that put the Yankees up 2-1.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Orlando Hudson crushed a Pettitte breaking ball to left for a solo home run and the game was tied at 2-2.

This game was just as competitive as the first one, with both sides not caving in and both pitchers fighting to keep their team in the game.

Then, the Yankees struck with the knockout blow.

In the top of the seventh, Jorge Posada started out the inning by drawing a walk. Berkman then came up again and during the at bat, it looked as if he struck out, but on a questionable pitch, a strike three was called a ball.

On the very next pitch, Berkman drills a pitch off Pavano to dead center over Denard Span’s head, which allowed Posada to score all the way from first and gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire came out to calm Pavano and his players down, then engaged in an argument with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt that got the Twins manager tossed from the game.

Brett Gardner then dropped down a bunt trying to sacrifice Berkman over, but Valencia couldn’t pick the ball up and Gardner ended up with a bunt base hit setting up first and third for Derek Jeter.

Jeter was able to hit a bloop single to right scoring Berkman and extended the Yankee lead to 4-2.

In the bottom of the seventh, Pettitte finished strong, striking Michael Cuddyer out, getting Jason Kubel to foul out to third and struck out Valencia to finish his night.

Kerry Wood came in the eighth to pitch a scoreless frame which included two strikeouts.

In the top of the ninth inning, Gardner continued to play extremely well by leading off with a single. Jeter’s ground out moved him over to second, then was able to steal third with Granderson up at bat.

Granderson then provided the Yankees with more insurance with an RBI single to center scoring Gardner and the Yankees went up 5-2.

Mariano Rivera came into the ninth looking to close out another playoff victory for the Yankees. The Twins were trying to find some magic in their ballpark.

Joe Mauer led off with a single to right, which got the Minnesota fans back into the game with some hope still left in them.

Delmon Young quickly ended that hope by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play and just like that, there were two quick outs and a stunned crowd.

Jim Thome flied out to left to end the game and the Yankees took Game Two over the Twins 5-2 at Target Field.

Pettitte went seven strong innings, allowed five hits, two runs, walked one and struck out four and picked up his 19th career postseason victory, which is the most in baseball history.

Any doubts the Yankees could have had about Pettitte from the groin injury or his layoff from the DL were brushed away as he simply dominated the Minnesota lineup.

The Twins had their chances to get runs off Pettitte early in the second inning with the bases loaded and one out, and all they could get was one run. Other than Hudson’s home run in the sixth, the Twins did absolutely nothing against him.

The Yankees bats continue to heat up. Granderson continues to have a great ALDS against the Twins with three more key hits, the final one being an important RBI in the ninth inning.

One bat that finally got going for the Yankees when needed was Berkman’s. His home run was so important considering when he was traded for back in July, he only hit one home run all year for the Yankees.

But by hitting that home run, then hitting that go-ahead double in the seventh, it made a lot of the naysayers of Berkman, myself included, forget how poorly he might have been in the second half, especially if he continues to get big hits for the Yankees.

Pavano, just like Francisco Liriano in Game 1, started out well for the Twins, then just ran out of gas. Pavano went six innings, allowed 10 hits, four runs, walked one and struck out three in taking the loss.

The Yankees will return to New York with a commanding 2-0 lead into Saturday night’s Game Three, where Phil Hughes will take the ball and make his first ever playoff start for the Yankees where he will face off against Twins lefty Brian Duensing.

So far, the Yankees as the Wild Card, took Minnesota’s home field advantage and immediately shattered it with two important wins. On Saturday night. Hughes and the Yankees can close out this series and move on to the American League Championship Series.

Some may even wonder if the Yankees winning the Wild Card instead of the division and getting to play the Twins, and not the Rangers and Cliff Lee in a short series, was a blessing in disguise.

Two down, nine to go until No. 28 for Yankees Universe.

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The Yankees gave the ball to veteran lefty Andy Pettitte in Game 2 of the ALDS. On the mound for The Twins, was former Yankee Carl Pavano. The Twins needed Pavano to come through for them but the Yankee offense was too much for Pavano.

Pettitte went seven innings giving up five hits while allowing just two runs, and just one walk. Pettitte delivered as he always does, earning his 19th victory during the postseason, which is the most all time. 

The Twins got on Pettitte in the second inning when rookie Danny Valencia hit a sacrifice fly to score Delmon Young, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead. The Yankees responded in the fourth inning off an Alex Rodriguez sacrifice fly, scoring Curtis Granderson. The Bombers got one more in the fifth from an unlikely Lance Berkman. Berkman belted an opposite-field home run, giving the Yanks a 2-1 lead.

Pettitte continued to pitch well, and allowed his only other run in the sixth inning on an Orlando Hudson home run. The Twins tied the game at two, but it was only a matter of time before the Yankee lineup came alive. After a controversial pitch that was called a ball, Lance Berkman hit an RBI double, scoring Jorge Posada. Derek Jeter then singled in Berkman, extending the Yankee lead to 4-2.

Pettitte pitched a scoreless seventh, which would be his last inning of work. Kerry Wood entered the game in the eighth inning, resembling the Kerry Wood from his early days with the Chicago Cubs. Wood pitched a scoreless eighth, setting it up for Mariano Rivera.

The Yankees tacked on one more run in the ninth inning off a Curtis Granderson single. Granderson continued his hot hitting going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Mariano Rivera relieved Wood and gave up one hit in the ninth inning, but got out of it without allowing a run. Mo earned the save giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the series. 

The Yankees head back home, where 18-game winner Phil Hughes will go head to head with Brian Duensing.

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At age 34, Lance Berkman has started to feel his age this season as he has dealt with a few nagging injuries that have dragged his numbers down. His season in Houston was up and down and the first two weeks in the Bronx were just ugly.

Berkman went on the DL in the middle of August, and before he came off the DL he started working with Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long in order to hit the ground running as soon as he was activated.

That work has paid off. Since returning from the DL on September 1st, Berkman has hit .370 with a .460 OBP, and a .942 OPS. His power hasn’t been overwhelming, but he does have three doubles in that stretch and finally hit his first homer as a Yankee last night, so even that looks like it’s coming around.

Of course, Berkman gives all the credit to K-Long:

“When I first came over here, my swing was pretty flawed mechanically,” Berkman said. “I’d gotten into some real bad habits. Just working and trying to correct some of that with Kevin, I just feel more comfortable. I think my swing is working better.”

Considering the Yankees almost stole Berkman from the Astros, his pickup could be one of the best moves of Brian Cashman’s career. Especially if he becomes a weapon during the playoffs.

Hopefully he and Long can keep his game consistent and he keeps contributing the way he has over the last 20 games, because the Berkman of September 2010 looks an awful lot like the Berkman of old.

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• September 8, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Sabathia, A-Rod, Berkman, Lee, MiLB Playoffs, and a Giveaway

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Today is September 1st and the Yankees are sitting alone in first place. The Rays are just one game back though, and have proven that they will not back down this season. The Yankees are also seven games up on the Red Sox for the Wild-Card lead, but with six head-to-head games left against them, that lead isn’t exactly air-tight. The Yankees also have the toughest schedule of all three teams so nothing is locked in place. Get ready for what could be an exciting month.

Here are some notes:

• The rosters expand to 40 players today. The first call-ups: OF Greg Golson, C Chad Moeller, and RHP Jonathan Albaladejo. More will join the team later on.
• Lance Berkman is still expected to be activated today although no announcements have been made.
• Alfredo Aceves isn’t going to be activated today like I had originally guessed. There have been no reports about further back problems, but he hasn’t been sharp in his rehab outings.
• Javier Vazquez in the rotation? Not yet, for now Dustin Moseley‘s spot is secure.
• Andy Pettitte will throw another bullpen today. If that goes well, a rehab start can’t be far behind.
• There is no time table for Damaso Marte‘s return, but it isn’t likely to be soon.
• Minor league outfielder Melky Mesa won the Florida State League’s Player of the Year award.
• Arizona Fall League rosters have been announced. Yankee minor leaguers participating: C Austin Romine, 3B Brandon Laird, 2B Corban Joseph, RHP George Kontos, and RHP Craig Heyer. There are spots on the roster open so more could be added later on.

I’m disappointed that Vazquez is not being put back in the rotation, but perhaps others are right in thinking that more time off could benefit him. It’s also somewhat of a surprise to see Aceves staying in the minors. I guess the Yankees don’t like what they’ve seen from him.

I like September call-ups. It’s always fun getting to see new players on the roster. Golson’s job will be to come off the bench as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. I don’t expect he’ll get many starts or at-bats.

Moeller will just be here for insurance and maybe some late-inning defensive duties. Albaladejo will get a shot to show if he can help the team in the playoffs or not. The Yankees have been carrying three long-men, Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, and Vazquez. That’s overkill. If Albaladejo can pitch well, he has a shot at the playoff roster.

For those who don’t know much about Mesa, I’ve had a chance to see him play quite a bit. He’s fast, has a cannon for an arm, good range in the outfield, and he hits for power. His drawback has always been that he swings at everything to the point where it’s almost comical. My experience watching him was in 2008 when he was with the Staten Island Yankees.

Since then he’s improved on his over-aggressiveness at the plate, but improvements can still be made. He could probably make it to the majors on his speed and defense alone though, a la Golson.

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New York Yankees prospect shortstop Eduardo Nunez has been called up to the big leagues after first baseman Lance Berkman was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle. Berkman has wanted to play, but he understands the move as part of the game.

Nunez, 23, has been hitting .289 and stole 23 bases in 118 games for the Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. He has only been caught five times trying to steal.

Nunez made his Major League debut when he replaced Derek Jeter at shortstop in the seventh inning as a defensive replacement. He also made his first plate appearance of his career and fouled out. 

To make up for that out, Nunez made a nice double play in the ninth inning (shown in the picture) to show that he is ready for this.

Manager Joe Girardi now has some depth with the young infielder, who can also play second and third base. That gives hope that Nunez will stick around with the Yankees at least for a while.

But there was a rumor before the trade deadline that he would be traded along with another prospect for Ty Wigginton.

As we know, that never happened, which makes us wonder: Will Nunez one day replace Derek Jeter for good?

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