Holiday Shopping Season Continues

            Needing to rebound after getting slam dunked by Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners, the Yankees quickly fired back with the nifty free agent signing of Carlos Beltran; a player who can immediately slot into the vacated Number 3 hole in the lineup.



            The former Met centerfielder will be 37 years old in 2014, but coming off a season in which he batted .294 and slugged 24 homeruns, the switch-hitter with power Beltran will serve as the ideal No. 3 hitter as other switch-hitters that roamed centerfield at Yankee Stadium have.



            With his age, and especially with the signing of Jacoby Ellsbury, Beltran will be relegated to play rightfield, which should be no problem for the former Gold Glove winner. The Yankees originally passed on Beltran and his demand for a third year on a new deal, but after the Cano fiasco, the Front Office had to scramble fast to get some power back into the lineup and caved to Beltran. For the next two seasons he should be able to hold is own out in right, then for that final year he could be a 'Raul Ibanez' type DH. He'll bring homeruns and RBIs to the rightfield position which was dreadful last season due to Ichiro's poor production. As for the vacant second base position, in addition to Kelly Johnson who was signed a few weeks ago as a utility backup, Brian Cashman took a flyer on former Oriole Brian Roberts on a one-year deal. Roberts, another switch-hitter with a little pop in his bat, has had a string of bad injuries over the past few seasons, but managed to play in 70 games in 2013, so Cashman hopes he can get lucky with Roberts the way he's done in the past with fragile players such as Eric Chavez and Bartolo Colon.



           The Roberts signing came after a rumored trade fell through that would've send Brett Gardner to the Reds for their second baseman Brandon Phillips, who is one of the top players at second in the game. Cashman didn't want to have to pick up the remaining years on Phillips' deal, so they decided to keep Gardy with his Southern Comfort theme music and go with Roberts. Of course, the rumored deal was a complete reverse from Cashman's original statement that they weren't shopping Gardner around at the annual GM Winter Meetings



            Unless there's any drastic injuries or criminal charges for A-Rod, the 2014 Opening Day Lineup for the New York Yankees should be something as follows:

               1. Jacoby Ellsbury - CF
               2. Derek Jeter - SS
               3. Carlos Beltran - RF
               4. Alex Rodriguez - DH
               5. Mark Teixeira - 1B
               6. Brian McCann - C
               7. Eduardo Nunez - 3B
               8. Brian Roberts - 2B
               9. Brett Gardner - LF

            Even if A-Rod does get hammered, Girardi could also move Beltran into the DH position and have Ichiro in the lineup and playing rightfield for a while. There's been talks of bringing back Mark Reynolds for third base, who was a good pickup last season for Cashman, but so far they've only been rumors. Infielder guru Brendan Ryan is still on the roster. Clearly, the Yankees are unhappy with Eduardo Nunez's inability to field a ground ball without having the entire stadium hold its breath.



           As expected, both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes officially became ex-Yankees with Joba moving to Detroit and Phil Hughes getting a three-year deal from Minnesota to pitch in their spacious ballpark. Boone Logan also left the Bombers for the Colorado Rockies, a place where pitcher ERAs skyrocket to Venus. To get a lefty option out of the pen back, the Yankees rolled the dice on hard-throwing Matt Thornton who saw limited time with Boston last season before getting injured. Other than that, GM Brian Cashman seems content with the guys who were contributing last season out of the Yankee pen; Preston Claiborne, Adam Warren, Shawn Kelley, David Huff, Cesar Cabral, David Phelps, and naturally David Robertson.



               There's been no new news on Japanese pitching star Masahiro Tanaka, but he would be the ultimate present under the tree.



             That's if Cashman hasn't already maxed out his credit cards at the mall.....
              

The Road to First

             The Yankees took a trip to the homely Midwest of America with most thinking they were going to get swallowed whole, but by the time they returned to New York the Yankees would surprise even more people by claiming first place status in the American League East.



             With Kevin Youkilis doing his part as a veteran player for the Yankees by going on the DL with a bulging disc in his back, and being exposed by Jayson Nix playing 3B on a regular basis, Brian Cashman picked Chris Nelson off of the Colorado scrapheap to fill in a body at third (not that he actually produces or anything). Just when Eduardo Nunez finally started to swing the bat, he suffered a ribcage injury and landed himself on the DL. The Nunez news was good for Jayson Nix; he gets to play shortstop everyday until Nunez returns. For whatever reason -  the baseball gods want Jayson Nix in the lineup for the Yankees.



             Francisco Cervelli was swinging a hot bat for the Yankees, which helped calm fans' anxieties over losing Russell Martin. While catching, Cervelli used improper technique and left his bare right hand out and exposed while behind the plate. The reason catchers are told to kept their exposed hand low and away, or behind their back, is in the case of foul tips. Such as the one which led to a broken finger for Cervelli and placed him on the DL. The troubles Ivan Nova was having at the start of the season became very clear when the Yankees had to shut him with a DL stint of his own with inflammation of the right triceps. To help round it all out, the pudgy physic of Joba Chamberlain came back to haunt him as he needed to go to the DL for an oblique injury. Joba also suffered a mental brain lapse in Kansas City when he got confrontational with Mariano Rivera after Rivera told him to pipe down from being loud during the great closer's media session. According to media reports, Joba got into Rivera's face and took objection to the way Rivera handled it.



            The Yankees PR machine tweeted a photo to let everyone know there's no beef between Mo and Joba, but Joba can consider himself off of Rivera's Christmas list.



            With more names to add to the ever-growing Yankees 2013 DL list, and a long road trip ahead of them, how were the Yankees able to capture 1st Place in the AL East?



             The pitching staff rose to the occasion and has turned it on in desperate times. Hiroki Kuroda has taken the lead, mixed in with better performances by Phil Hughes, CC Sabathia, and David Phelps, inserted into the starting rotation when Nova went down, has been brilliant. Surprisingly, Andy Pettitte has been the black sheep on the staff with a few consecutive lame outings, but he was much better in his last start against the Royals and earned the win. In the pen, the old David Robertson has returned and is locking down the 8th inning like he's been expected to. The pièce de résistance, Mariano Rivera, is a sweet 16 for 16 so far in save opportunities in this last Major League season campaign for him.



              With the Red Sox falling back to reality from the torrid start they had in April and the Yankees stringing together close-knit wins based on great pitching and barely enough offense, the Yankees were able to sneak in the backdoor and claim the prize of first place.

Position:
25-14 (1st Place AL East - 2 games in front of Baltimore Orioles)

Homeruns:
- Curtis Granderson is back in the Yankee lineup after rehabbing his broken forearm.
- Robinson Cano has answered his critics about being a No. 1 thumber in the lineup without the usual protection of A-Rod, Teixeira, and friends. Cano is hitting .306 with 10 HR and 25RBI.
- Ichiro Suzuki has been getting it going with his bat and has helped key several Yankee rallies.
- David Phelps has provided quality starts in Nova's absence and gives the Yankees a chance to win each time he's on the mound.
- Mariano Rivera looks like he can pitch another five seasons with a perfect 16 for 16 save marks in 2013.
- David Robertson has gone back to being a shutdown reliever after some early struggles in April.

Foul Tips:
- Austin Romine doesn't look comfortable against Major League pitching, although he's in there for his catching ability.
- Andy Pettitte lost three consecutive starts before finally winning one in a 4-2 win over Kansas City. There was concern that he couldn't find his cutter, which doesn't sound good.
- There might be bad blood in the clubhouse between Rivera and Joba.
- Travis Hafner needed a shoulder MRI that revealed tendinitis. The slugger claims he'll be back in a few days, but Hafner has a bad track record of injuries.

Strikeouts:
- Without the luxury of an occasional homerun to put up some fast runs, the Yankees have been getting shutout more than they're used to in recent years.
- Ben Francisco is turning into Yankees' fan's most hated player with a putrid .128 BA and 1 RBI generated from a solo homer.
- Chris Nelson hasn't given the Yankees anything at 3B despite the second chance he has been given this season after being cut by the Rockies.

            With Boston slipping, the Blue Jays a bust so far in 2013, and the Orioles and Rays struggling to get any consistence play, the opportunity was there for the Yankees and they snatched it!



            ...Bobby V doesn't manage the Red Sox anymore and he must be happy the Yankees are leading the Sox. 



            This early success doesn't make sense when the infield is made up of Nelson, Nix, Cano, and Overbay, but the grit and determination of these 2013 Yankees looks like they can beat the 2012 or 2011 Yankees easily....

Southside Snoozefest

             A trip to middle-America has caused Yankees fans to start sweating when three losses to the White Sox, coupled with the surging Tampa Bay Rays, have dangerously cut the Yanks' lead in the AL East to just 2.5 games. It's gotten so bad Yankees manager Joe Girardi almost tore off the head of a heckler in a postgame press conference after just have been swept in the Windy City.



             It was a sunny start for the Yankees in the first game when Chicago starter Gavin Floyd was chased by the 3rd inning by the Bombers, and his 0-3 score deficit could've been much worse. Freddy Garcia was cruising along for the Yankees and it wasn't until the 5th inning when the roof caved in on him. Chicago started their scoring with a 2-run homer from the released-Yankee Dewayne Wise.



             Garcia couldn't get anyone else out and was yanked out in favor of Cody Eppley after going just 4.1 innings, but Rapada and Chamberlain would also be needed to finally get out of the 5th, and by then Chicago had taken a 5-3 lead. Derek Jeter brought his hot hitting on the road with him and hit a solo shot to bring the Yanks to 5-4 in the 6th. Both Mark Teixeira and Casey McGehee had RBI singled to reclaim the Yankee lead at 6-5. In the bottom of the frame, the struggling from his return from the minors Chamberlain, still in the game from the 5th, served up a solo homer to the bottom of the order hitter Gordon Beckham to blow the lead and let the game be tied at 6. The Chicago homers didn't end there; Alexis Ramirez went deep on Logan in the 7th and Adam Dunn took Derek Lowe yard in the 8th to give the White Sox the 9-6 lead. Addison Reed came on in the 9th to close it out for Chicago for his 22nd save of the season.



             After blowing a tough game the night before in which the opposing starter was knocked out early, the Yankees got right back up on the horse and busted out into a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning off of old Twins pushover Francisco Liriano. Jeter lead off the game with a homerun, and later in the inning, Curtis Granderson grounded into a fielder's choice RBI with the bases loaded (a double or grand slam would've been nicer). Ivan Nova, who had the Yankees and their fans holding their breath with every start since the All-Star break, gave half one of the runs back in the 2nd from an AJ Pierzynski sac fly that scored Alex Rios, but held Chicago there. It wasn't until the 5th inning that Nova had his usual implosion. With the game already tied 2-2 from a homer Nova served to Konerko in the 4th, Nova gave up another big fly to Kevin Youkilis, but this time the bases were full for a grand slam. Nova was only able to go 6 innings and it was yet another miserable start for the young Yankee right-hander. After the game, and possibly a reason for his poor pitching lately, Nova was placed on the 15-day DL for shoulder tightness, but maybe its just to clear his head as well. Russell Martin added a solo homer in the 7th to bring the game back to a respectable 6-3 Chicago lead, but the White Sox added another run in the 8th to make it 7-3 and that's how the game ended.



             Bad enough the Yankees were facing a sweep and continued to be stymied by the White Sox, but the Jekyll-n-Hide Phil Hughes on the road was on the mound for the finale. Hughes ended up spinning a good game over 7 innings, but the only problem was that Chicago's young lefty Chris Sale was slightly better. The White Sox got on the board first with an RBI fly out by Kevin Youkilis in the 3rd inning. Liking the Windy City air, Derek Jeter hit his third homer of the series in the 6th to tie the game at 1-1, but Hughes surrendered a homer to Alex Rios in the bottom of the 6th to give Chicago back their lead at 2-1. The Yankee bats were quiet again and Addison Reed finished them off in the 9th to complete the Chicago sweep. The Media had also been unfriendly for the Yankees as ESPN reporter Skip Bayless had open speculation that the 38 year-old Yankee Captain Derek Jeter might be using performance-enhancing drugs as a reason for his great hitting lately, and in the wake of positive tests recently from former Yankees Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon. After the final White Sox game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi interrupted his own press conference to go over and tell a heckling fan to shut up, which was captured by news cameras.



             With the trailing Rays and Orioles seemingly never losing a game anymore, a series against the terrible Cleveland Indians, with the return of CC Sabathia from the DL, couldn't have have come at a better time...

Slip sliding away

             Six games against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners would seem like the perfect remedy for the high frequency of losing the Yankees have had lately, but instead they keep losing their grip on the AL East and are now starting to resemble the team in May with all the injuries and losing. The Orioles came in and yet-again took two of three on the Yankees' home turf.



              Things started out innocently enough with Freddy Garcia going up against the Orioles' Miguel Gonzales. The came was tied at 1 by the top of the 5th, but an infield single followed up by a double from Mark Reynolds set the O's up for a good innings. With two successful sacrifice fly outs (something the Yankees aren't too familiar with) the Orioles were able to take a 3-1 lead. Raul Ibanez did everything himself in the bottom of the inning by just hitting a homer to cut it to 3-2. Girardi went with Boone Logan to start the 7th and for a while it seemed like a great move as he fanned the first two hitters, but then walked Omar Quintanilla and gave up a double to lefty-hitting Nick Markakis. The hit by Markakis scored Quintanilla and made Girardi go with David Phelps to face righty power-hitter J.J. Hardy. Phelps was no better as he served up a single that scored Markakis to make it 5-2 Orioles, and on the play Mark Teixeira at first base dove for the ball and ended up injuring his wrist that would force him to leave the game and sit out for the rest of the series.



             The Yankees responded as they normally do, homers; solo shots from Eric Chavez and Ichiro Suzuki (his first in pinstripes) in the 7th. Still 5-4 by the bottom of the 9th, the Orioles brought out their closer Jim Johnson, who hadn't been pitching well lately. Nick Swisher led off and gave the Yankees exactly what they needed in a double to right to get on second with no outs. Ramiro Pena made his first appearance in a long time to pinch run, but he would never see home plate. Raul Ibanez struckout, Eric Chavez walked, but Ichrio made out on a fielder's choice after him. Ichiro did steal second with Pena on third to put the tying and winning runs into scoring position, but Russell Martin ended the game with an unclimatic strikeout. It was yet another one-run loss the Yanks couldn't find a way to overcome as they faced a sea of those from the A's and Boston.



             It certainly looked like the team had a chip on it's shoulder by the next game as the Bombers jumped all over Orioles starter Chris Tillman for 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st after Ivan Nova quietly put them down in the top of the frame. Up 5-0 and Nova looking sharp early, the Yanks had to be thinking easy victory, but the Orioles had other plans. After getting 2 runners on, Mark Reynolds, the man who strikes out more than anyone in MLB, was down 0-2 to Nova. The last time Nova won a game was before the All-Star break, and the struggle continues as he served up a double to the free swinging Reynolds that started an O's onslaught on 7 runs, highlighted by a grand slam from Chris Davis. Nova would barely finish off the 5th before his night was done, and he was responsible for 9 earned runs on 10 hits. Chris Tillman would settle down after the tough 1st inning and 5 runs would be all the Yankees get after finally falling down 11-5 and seeing their lead in the AL East fall to 5.5 games in front of the same Orioles. If the Yankees hadn't have enough injury troubles lately, Mark Teixeira showed no structural damage in his hurt wrist, but it was determined he would sit until Friday and give it a try then. Whether its a sign or not Teixeira's wrist might be more of an issue than the team is letting on, Brian Cashman pulled a quick move before the trade deadline that sent the oft-traveled Chad Qualls to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for first baseman Casey McGehee.


             In terms of some good news for a change regarding Yankee injuries, Joba Chamberlain officially rejoined the team and would make one appearance before the O's left town. Phil Hughes, along with Hiroki Kuroda, have been the Yankees two most reliable starters during the past month and this was about as close as a must-win game in early August as one could find. Same as the night before, the Yankees started the scoring early with a 2-0 lead in the first that included a solo homerun from Curtis Granderson, his 29th of the season off of lefty starter Zach Britton. Also as the night before, the Orioles scored back immediately in the top of the 2nd. Luckily for the Yankees, Hughes didn't crack like Nova did and he would hold the Orioles from there for quite a while. The anger and frustration reared it's head for the Yankees poor play lately and they went on to totally smash Orioles pitching into pieces. The Yankees put a 2-spot on the board in the 2nd and then a eye-whopping 7-spot during the next inning that made it 11-1 Yankees. In that big 3rd inning, Robinson Cano hit his 9th career grandslam. The biggest obstacle for the Yankees at that point was the rain falling from the sky which continued all game long. The weather never got too severe and Hughes was able to cross past the top of the 5th mark to make it an official game.



             Joba Chamberlain was brought out to start the 7th inning and was instantly greeted to back to the majors with a homerun from J.J. Hardy. Back from 2011 Tommy John surgery and tearing his foot from his ankle playing on a trampperline with his son before the season started, the Yankee hard-thrower went 1.2 innings while giving up 2 runs and striking out nobody. His addition will prove essential with Eppley, Robertson, and Logan showing signs of fatigue lately, and the fact Brian Cashman eliminated all rumors of Mariano Rivera making a return this season. This game ended at 12-3 and Yankee fans were able to breath a sigh of relief that the four-game losing streak had come to an end.



              Facing a tough road trip next week to Detroit and Toronto, the next three games against the Mariners will be pivotal for the 61-43 Yankees to pad their win column after not taking advantage of that with the O's....