Kuzul

The Yankees struck out 17 times in last night’s game.

Javier Vazquez only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits, six earned runs, and two walks—making that two shaky starts in a row for Vazquez.

Not to mention that the Yankees were down 6-1 to one of the best pitchers in baseball, Cliff Lee.

Being down by even one run against Lee is a task within itself.  But down by five?  Good luck.

Lee was in total control in the first six innings.  It looked as if the Yankees were going to be in for a long night.  But don’t tell that to this Yankee team.

After being shut down for the most part of the game, the Yankees finally got to Lee and his 11 strikeouts in the seventh inning, putting up two runs to reduce their deficit to 6-4.  Lee’s final line was 6.1 innings pitched, allowing eight hits, four earned runs, and striking out 11.

In the eighth, the Yankees got one run back from Frank Francisco on a mammoth home run from Marcus Thames, making the score 6-5.

The Yankees capped their comeback in the ninth, getting two runs from young Texas fireballer Neftali Feliz on a game-tying single by Derek Jeter and then a go-ahead single by Thames.

Having mounted an impressive comeback, the Yankees were primed to win this game with Mariano Rivera coming in to close the door.  But it looked like Mariano was going to struggle for the second straight night.

Rivera allowed a triple by Elvis Andrus to begin the ninth, pumping up the Rangers and the fans in Arlington.  But Rivera being Rivera, he wasn’t flustered one bit.  He ended up getting it done in typical Rivera fashion.

This was a big game for the Yankees.  They gained a game on the Tampa Bay Rays, increasing their lead in the AL East to two games.  But the big story was what happened during this game.

Just missing their second three-game losing streak in the young month of August, the Yankees did what they were known for last season: coming from behind.

The gutty, gritty Yankees of 2009 made a return.  They fought back in typical Yankee fashion, a theme that hasn’t been seen much in the 2010 season.

Perhaps a sign of things to come, the Yankees need to ride this game into Kansas City, and do what they need to do against the Royals.

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The Yankees have been forced to shuffle around their roster due to injuries this season. Their bullpen and designated hitter spot in their lineup.  Players like Al Aceves, Sergio Mitre, Nick Johnson and Marcus Thames, who, while not bona fide stars, all do play a particular role on the 2010 Yankees.

The Yankees have had to make do with parts from other team’s scrap heap as well as from their own farm system. Players like Kevin Russo, Chad Huffman, Colin Curtis and Chad Gaudin have all come in some capacity to fill the voids.

But with most guys on the mend, the Yankees should look to make a few temporary changes before welcoming back all of their injured troops.

With the return of Marcus Thames and minor injuries to guys like Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson, Kevin Russo has become expendable in New York. He’s had only one at-bat since June 20. It would be much more beneficial for the Yankees to option him back to Triple-A Scranton for regular at-bats and time at multiple positions to develop his skills as a utility player.

The Yankees could then call up Juan Miranda to take his place as the left-handed half of a DH platoon with Marcus Thames while they wait on Nick Johnson to recover from wrist surgery. Miranda has nothing left to prove at the Triple-A level and has demonstrated an ability to hit Major League pitching.

In regards to the bullpen, which apart from Mariano Rivera has been a glaring weakness for the Yankees, they now are carrying two longmen with the call-up of journeyman Dustin Moseley. His presence on the team enables the Yankees to part ways with Chad Gaudin for the second time this season and promote Jon Albaladejo from Scranton.

Gaudin has been underwhelming since his return to the Bronx, pitching to an ERA near 5.00 in 16 innings. While we’ve seen the Jon Albaladejo in the majors before, he seems to have transformed himself this past year, moving away from his traditional two-seamer and relying more on a mid-90s four seamer with more offspeed pitches.

With Mark Melancon hitting a rough patch in Scranton, Albaladejo is a good choice to replace Gaudin. Albaladejo might be sent down when Sergio Mitre (who began a rehab assignment a few days ago) returns. If her performs well, the Yankees could opt to keep Albaladejo and part ways with the free agent dud Chan Ho Park instead.

Albaladejo could even stick around after Aceves returns. If the Yankees feel they have enough length in the bullpen with Aceves and Mitre and cut Moseley instead.

For the most part, the Yankees have avoided major injuries to key players this season. These are a few minor roster moves the Yankees could make to further improve what has been baseball’s best team over the first half of the season.

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The New York Yankees are expecting starting center fielder Curtis Granderson   back for Friday’s game against the visiting Cleveland Indians. It will be a welcome sight to have Granderson back, and the Yankees could use his potential power bat back in the lineup. 

With Granderson out, Brett Gardner moved from left field to center, with a myriad of talent alternating in Gardner-land. Marcus Thames, Randy Winn and Kevin Russo have manned left field during the 24 games in which Granderson has missed.

You know my thoughts on Thames, and Randy Winn appears done as a major leaguer. Winn had a nice career, though, with over 1700 hits and a .285 average in 13 seasons.

In Granderson’s absence, those two left fielders have hit a combined 16 for 64 (.250) with a home run, nine RBI and 15 strike outs.

Thames had to face a lot of right handed pitchers (not his strong smoot), and Winn just can not catch up with a decent major league fastball anymore. He literally swings through 90 MPH fastballs over the middle of the plate.

However, neither one has played much left field recently as rookie Kevin Russo has manned the position five straight games, starting four of them.

Russo has also hit .250 with a pair of doubles and four RBI. He has come through twice in big spots, being in the middle of two Yankee rallies against the New York Mets, plus another in Minnesota. 

Big George must have loved those Mets moments, and if was the same blustery King, Russo would be the choice now to remain.

But no matter who is making the decision (Hal, Hank, Brian Cashman or General Joe), Russo still should be kept on the roster over Winn.

While Russo can hit for average (career .315 BA at Triple A), he will not hit for much power, cranking only six home runs in just under 500 Triple A at bats.

But Winn does not hit for average or power, either.

Russo also has a great approach at the plate and adjusts very well. For instance, his first time up Wednesday night against Francisco Liriano of the Twins, Russo struck out swinging on two straight sliders.

Next time up, Russo deposited another Liriano slider into the left field corner for a run scoring double, which tied the game up at 1-1 in the fourth inning. By the way, great hustle by Francisco Cervelli on a potential inning-ending double play allowed Russo to get that at bat.

In game adjustments are huge in helping teams win games.

Plus, despite being a middle infielder most of his minor league career, Russo has taken well to playing left field. He has made several catches at or near the fence, including a long drive off the bat of JJ Hardy in the ninth inning of the first game in Minnesota.  

Does Winn catch that ball?

He also made a nice running catch off the bat of Joe Mauer in the second Twins game.

Also, Russo primary quality is that he gives the Yankees versatility due to his ability to play infield (short, second and third base) plus probably all the outfield positions. In case another injury occurs, that is very important to a managers in-game decisions.

Winn offers nothing more than does Russo and does not deserve to be a Yankee past the Minnesota series. His reason for even being a Yankee was in playing all three outfield positions and providing a veteran presence.  

This is nullified with Russo’s versatility and ability to hit.

As for reasons to keep Winn, I have read where the Yankees are paying Winn over a million bucks this season. In addition, Russo can be sent back to Triple A for “regular playing time,” and keep his major league service time down.

When does money matter to the Yankees, and where is that playing against Triple A players helps you be a better player?

Russo has shown he can play in the majors by already collecting a few big hits and playing good defense. After two seasons in Scranton, he does not get better with four at bats per game during the next few months at Triple A.

Also, his service time should never be an issue, because Russo does not appear to be an everyday player in the majors. His power production will not be there to warrant a full time career. Going forward, the Yankees have regular starting players at each position for about three seasons, and don’t need Russo for anything more than how he is used now.

If by chance several years down the line to where he needs to go to arbitration, then the Yankees will probably have another versatile, utility-type player ready to take Russo’s place. He is an expendable piece if he gets too expensive.

The easy move would be to send Russo back down to the minors, but the gutsy (and correct) move should be to keep him in the majors.

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Last night’s loss to the Boston Red Sox has to leave a bad taste in the Yankees mouths. With a 5-0 lead after seven innings and Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera lurking in the bullpen, the Yankees likely thought this game was over and they would sweep the short two game series.

Think again. For the second straight night, the Yankees bullpen blew a fairly comfortable lead against the Red Sox. It was not just on the pitchers however. There is plenty of blame that can be tossed around after this game.

Joba Chamberlain

Joba entered the game to start the eighth inning after starter CC Sabathia battled through seven scoreless innings of work. With a 5-0 lead, Chamberlain promptly gave up four runs on four hits to allow the Red Sox to get back in the game. Three of the four runs were earned. He did not strike out a single batter in his inning of work. Five run lead or not, Joba needs to pitch better than this. He needs to learn to treat each game like its a one run game.

Marcus Thames

Yes he had the game winning hit the night before, but last night Thames was one of the big reasons the Yankees lost. Playing right field because the team is short on outfielders right now and Nick Swisher remains day-to-day with an injury. With Mariano Rivera on the mound in the ninth inning, Thames and second baseman Robinson Cano converged on a short fly ball. Thames called off Cano, but while doing so he took his eye off the ball. When he looked back up, the ball was in his lap. The error cost the Yankees and allowed the inning to continue.

Continue this story and see who else can be blamed, visit Double G Sports.

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It was a rough night to be a pitcher in the Bronx last night. Nine pitchers in total were used in the contest between the Yankees and Red Sox. Of the nine, five gave up runs in the 11-9 Yankees win.

The starters were not good. Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka   had a bad first inning in which the Yankees scored five runs. The righty lasted 4.2 innings, giving up nine hits. Three of those nine were doubles. The Yankees scored seven runs off Matsuzaka before he was taken out with two outs in the fifth.

Yankees starter Phil Hughes   has been one of the leagues best pitchers so far this season. Last night, however, was not a good performance. He was able to battle and make his way through five innings, but Hughes gave up five runs on six hits and a walk. He gave up two home runs, one to David Ortiz   in the fourth and the other to J.D. Drew in the fifth.

The Yankees brought Boone Logan to the mound in the sixth with a 7-5 lead. The lefty gave up two hits and a run. The run came on a home run by Victor Martinez that cut the lead to 7-6.

With a 7-6 lead and Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson unavailable to pitch, the Yankees called upon Chan Ho Park to pitch the seventh inning. Park was activated off the disabled list prior to the game. He had been on the DL since April 16th with a hamstring injury. His performance showed the Yankees he should have stayed on the DL, or anywhere else other then on the roster.

Continue this story at Double G Sports .

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In the 30th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft, the New York Yankees selected Marcus Thames from Louisville, Mississippi.

Six years after that, in June of 2002, Thames homered on the first pitch he ever saw.  Who threw it?  Just this guy named Randy Johnson. No big deal, right?

Thames was traded to the Texas Rangers the following season for Rubén Sierra, then filed for free agency at the end of that season.  He signed with the Detroit Tigers in the 2003 offseason.  He would remain there until 2010, when he was signed by the Yankees once again. 

In case the Yankees fans have forgot that Thames started out his career as a Yankee, he reminded them that he was a Yankee on Monday night against the Boston Red Sox.

Jonathan Papelbon came into the game at Yankee Stadium with a 9-7 lead, having converted his last 21 saves.  Brett Gardner hit a lead off double and was sacrificed to third by Mark Teixeira.

Papelbon chose to pitch to Alex Rodriguez and he would be sorry.  A-Rod connected on a game tying, two run homer to tie the game at nine.  Just two days after giving the Yankees a lead with an eight inning grand slam, Rodriguez comes through again for the Bronx Bombers, the 20th time in his career he has tied or given his team the lead in the ninth inning of a baseball game.

However, Rodriguez only set up another Yankee to become the hero for now.

After Robinson Cano flew out to deep center for the second out of the ninth, Yankees backup catcher Francisco Cervelli, playing for a banged up Jorge Posada was beaned by a Papelbon fastball, putting him on first.

Thames set dead red on a fastball down the middle on the first pitch and drove it into the seats in left with an “Aaron Boone” like blast to end the game.  Boone, who was calling the game for ESPN, welcomed Thames to the rivalry in a post-game interview.

The Yankees won 11-9 and the walk-off shot by Thames was the first of his career.  AJ Burnett, just like the 14 times during the regular season last year, came rushing out of the dugout and pied Thames in the face.

“Marcus is tremendous.  He is a tremendous player and a great person and he has fit into this clubhouse very well”, Rodriguez said. 

In case being drafted by the Yankees, beginning your career there with a home run off Randy Johnson didn’t do the trick, Thames made it official on Monday night.  He is now a New York Yankee.

The Yankees (25-13) remain in second behind the red hot Tampa Bay Rays (27-11).  Meanwhile, the Red Sox (19-20) drop below .500 and are eight and a half games out of first in the AL East.

The Yankees are now 5-2 against the Red Sox this season.  Tuesday night, both aces will face off in a rematch from opening night back on April 4th.  Josh Beckett (1-1, 7.46 ERA) will take the mound for the Red Sox while CC Sabathia (4-2 3.71 ERA) takes the ball for the Yankees.

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New York Yankees starting centerfielder, Curtis Granderson, strained his right groin and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list. The injury occurred in the sixth inning of Saturday’s 7-6 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Similar injuries have kept players out up to four-six weeks.

How will this affect the Yankees?

Pretty badly. 

In fact, it cost them Saturday’s game.

When Granderson went out, the Yankees were forced to move Brett Gardner from leftfield to centerfield. Randy Winn went to left.

The 36-year old Winn was acquired for defense and the versatility of playing every outfield position. 

Winn is showing signs of old age. He doesn’t hit much, he’s rarely not an automatic out, and has lost a step on the basepaths.

A.J. Pierzynski’s two-run double in the top of the seventh, a key to yesterday’s loss, Granderson’s absence was immediately felt.

Due to Gardner having to shift to centerfield, Winn’s old legs couldn’t get to Pierzynski’s game-winner. Gardner would have tracked it down for an out.  

I was listening to the White Sox TV broadcast afterwards and when the ball was hit, the announcer was yelling, “…stretch, get over their heads..” to the ball, meaning that he thought the ball had a chance to be caught.

I did too.

Gardner was playing a shade or two to left center when lefty Damaso Marte was pitching to the left-handed Pierzynski. Gardner probably would have been more straight away or even right center if a right-handed pitcher was on the mound.

Gardner almost beat Winn to the ball from centerfield, and would have caught it if he was playing leftfield at the time.

I know the bullpen is a little thin, but the Yankees are making a mistake by bringing up Mark Melancon to replace Granderson on the roster.

While I am a huge fan of Melancon’s, and want him in the majors, the Yankees need to replace C-Grand with another speedy outfielder.

Melancon should have come up to replace Boone Logan. And they could use their phantom DL placement for the struggling Marte.

Joe Girardi said he will go with Gardner in centerfield, and platoon Winn and Marcus Thames in leftfield.

That is a huge mistake.

I have written that Thames is a right handed designated/pinch hitter and should never see the field again.

Thames will now get lots of playing time out there, possibly costing the Yankees runs on defense.

The best thing the Yankees could have done to replace Granderson is bring up a speedy centerfielder.

Instead of Melancon replacing Granderson, the Yankees should have promoted Greg Golson from Triple A Scranton. 

Golson was obtained in the offseason from the Texas Rangers for High A minor league infielder Mitch Hilligoss.

Golson was a 2004 first round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies, and is serviceable if used the correctly.

Defensively, put him in centerfield. He also adds speed on the bases.

He has hit .260 in Scranton with a couple homers, nine runs scored and a few stolen bases.

With the Yankees lineup as is, Golson does not need to provide offense, but any offense from him is gravy. I would rather give Golson playing time for his defense over a platoon in leftfield of Thames and Winn.

Thames is a hitter only and Winn is essentially done as a player.

With his defense and speed, Golson would help the Yankees win more games.  

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The Yankees signed outfielder Marcus Thames this season to do one job—hit lefties.

So far, all he has done is destroy lefties.

Try these numbers on for size: 8 G, 16 AB, 3 R, 10 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, .625 AVG, .684 OBP, 1.000 SLG, 1.684 OPS.

Now, so far Thames’ outfield defense has been pretty atrocious, but nights like last night (3-for-3 with a double and an RBI) make it hard to stay mad at him.

Both Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson are far superior to him defensively, and it is always painful to watch Thames flail at balls in the outfield that either one of the speedsters could have gotten to, but consider these numbers against lefties:

Granderson vs. lefties: 28 AB, 2 R, 5 H, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 10 K, .179 AVG, .207 OBP, .250 SLG, .457 OPS.

Gardner vs. lefties: 16 AB, 2 R, 5 H, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, .313 AVG, .313 OBP, .375 SLG, .688 OPS.

So even though Thames’ defense is tough to stomach, so are the numbers the regular outfielders, with the exception of Nick Swisher, have put up against southpaws.

One thought though: Usually manager Joe Girardi has been going with Thames in left field and sitting Gardner against lefties. What he might consider doing is starting both Randy Winn and Thames against the lefties—or possibly even consider pulling Rocco Baldelli out of the Tampa Bay Rays’ front office if Winn can’t do the job.

Related Stories

• Feb. 13, 2010 — Gardner eyes starting role in 2010 (4)
• April 22, 2010 — Notes and Quotes: More on Hughes, the Bullpen, and the Lineup (0)
• March 24, 2010 — Your Starting Center Fielder: Curtis Granderson (0)
• March 13, 2010 — Yanks Shake Off Rainy Doldrums to Beat the O-Birds (1)

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