What a surprise!

Well, no–not really. Via David Waldstein of the NY Times: The Mets announced late Monday morning that they had relieved Omar Minaya of his duties as executive vice president and general manager and that they would not bring back Jerry Manuel as manager in 2011. Both decisions had become foregone conclusions. The Mets made them [...]

Cervelli’s offense going forward

Lately, it seems like everyone is talking about the bat of catcher Francisco Cervelli, who has filled in admirably – an understatement, I know – for Jorge Posada during his recent absence (brought on by a mild calf strain). On the season, Cervelli has hit an absurd .429/.500/.500, with 12 RBI. Obviously, that’s a very [...]

Phil Hughes’ fastball confidence remains

Here’s something I wrote regarding Phil Hughes back in early February: In 2009, working primarily as Mariano Rivera’s setup man, Hughes’ fastball averaged 93.7 mph. In 2008, as a starter, Hughes’ velocity averaged nearly 3 mph less at 91.2 mph. The noticeable uptick in velocity can help to explain the changes in Hughes’ demeanor from [...]

Quick Bits: Recap, Aceves, Teixeira

Here are a few quick items on the (Mother’s) day: Thanks to Mark Teixeira and Francisco Cervelli, the Yankees beat the Red Sox yesterday, 14-3, In the sixth inning of the game, Alfredo Aceves exited with a stiff lower back. He’ll miss 2-3 days. Back to Mark Teixeira for a second—prior to yesterday’s game, he [...]

CC Sabathia disses Dallas Braden, yells at Josh Beckett

As if you needed another reason to love CC Sabathia… Braden, who took exception to A-Rod’s crossing of the mound back to first base after a foul ball, hinted he was ready to escalate beyond trading insults. “We don’t do much talking in the 209,” Braden told CSNBayArea.com, referring to the area code where he grew [...]

Morning Bits: Recap, Cano, Johnson, Thames

Here are a few early morning items following yesterday’s game against Boston: Thanks to Nick Swisher and Phil Hughes, the Yankees beat the Red Sox last night, 10-3. Robinson Cano took a Josh Beckett fastball off of his knee. He probably won’t play today. Nick Johnson left last night’s game with a sore right wrist. [...]

Morning Bits: Recap, Granderson, Strike Zones

Here are a few quick items on the morning: Behind Andy Pettitte and thanks to Nick Johnson/Swisher, the Yankees beat Baltimore, 7-5. Curtis Granderson says he’s made a lot of progress since straining his groin over the weekend. David Biderman looks at the called strike zones for each player on the Yankees and the Mets. [...]

Pettitte suffering from elbow inflamation

Via the indispensable Bryan Hoch of MLB.com: Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte was forced to leave his start against the Orioles on Wednesday with what an MRI examination revealed to be mild inflammation of his pitching elbow.The Yankees said that Pettitte will be treated conservatively and evaluated on a daily basis. Pettitte completed just five innings [...]

Morning Bits: Recap, Vazquez, Joba

Here are a few noteworthy items on the morning: Thanks to A.J. Burnett and Francisco Cervelli, the Yankees beat Baltimore last night, 4-1. Right-hander, Javier Vazquez, is “not surprised” about having his next start pushed back. With Mariano Rivera unavailable last night, Joba picked up his second save of the season. Joba’s regular velocity – [...]

Injury Updates: Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada

Mariano Rivera threw a brief bullpen session today and says he is ready to pitch tonight, if need be, though I believe Joe Girardi would prefer to give him another day or two of rest. “You’re never going to feel a hundred percent,” said Rivera following his session, which isn’t exactly the most encouraging comment. [...]

Regression in Phil Hughes’ future?

Are there tough times ahead for the Yankees’ fifth starter, Phil Hughes? Well, not exactly, however, given a few of his underlying numbers on the season, it does seem as though Hughes is bound to regress a bit going forward. For example, Hughes currently sports a 1.44 ERA, but his FIP is 3.13 (xFIP at [...]

Nick Johnson a victim of bad luck?

Yesterday, against the ChiSox, Nick Johnson finally drove in a few runs (although that’s not really his job, per se, as he is mainly in the two-hole to get on base). Though he was only 1-for-4 and ended the day with a triple slash line of .141/.368/.234, one thing that was noticeable was that he [...]

G24: Yankees VS White Sox

Here are today’s lineups: YANKEES (15-8) Derek Jeter SS Nick Johnson 1B Mark Teixeira DH Nick Swisher RF Robinson Cano 2B Jorge Posada C Marcus Thames LF Brett Gardner CF Ramiro Pena 3B PITCHING: RHP Phil Hughes (2-0, 2.00 ERA, 3.64 FIP) WHITE SOX (10-14) Mark Kotsay RF Gordon Beckham 2B Andruw Jones CF Paul [...]

Checking in on Burnett’s changeup

During Spring Training, we heard much about A.J. Burnett’s desire to employ his changeup more this year. “Whether I throw it or not, I don’t know, but I’ve been working on it,” noted Burnett. Well, on the 2010 season, across 3 starts, A.J. Burnett has thrown a total of 297 pitches (and Jorge Posada has [...]

Braden, not A-Rod, the biggest offender

Yesterday, as Robinson Cano fisted one of Dallas Braden’s pitches down the left field line in the sixth inning, Alex Rodriguez sprinted to third base. Because the ball was foul, Rodriguez then headed back to first base. However, en route to first, A-Rod chose to run straight across the diamond, stepping on the pitcher’s mound, [...]

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