Yankees baseball blog

Yankees fishing for Mariners

Joe Torre said GM Brian Cashman "probably needed to switch ears" because he's been on the phone so much lately, and while the Yankees don't figure to make a blockbuster deal before today's 4 p.m. trading deadline, that doesn't mean they won't be active. Cashman was in back-and-forth discussions with the Mariners yesterday in an attempt to further fortify the Bombers' pitching staff as well as possibly upgrade their outfield. Talks centered on several Seattle pitchers, notably Ron Villone and Jamie Moyer.

Part of the reason the Mariners are inclined to deal with the Yankees is because the Bombers are one of the only teams in baseball willing to take on extra payroll. Cashman has said he's trying to avoid adding too much extra cash, but the Bombers wouldn't be averse to taking on some if they were able to shore up their injury-riddled pitching staff. "I'm not sure if (a willingness to accept some salary) has helped us," Cashman said. "I can't say for sure. I just know that I'm trying anything I can to make the team better. I've had the same philosophy throughout this season, and there are certain things I'm willing to do if I think it can help." Continue

Armed, dangerous - to themselves

JOE Torre isn't concerned about getting the back page. He's concerned about getting to first place, which is why he's among the millions of New Yorkers hoping the Mets do in fact get Manny Ramirez before this afternoon's trade deadline. "No question, when I hear about the possibility of that deal, I think, 'Is Manny not going to be with the Red Sox?' " Torre said before the Yankees struck for two in the eighth and three in the ninth yesterday to stun the Angels, 8-7. "And if he's not, that's fine for me.

"A couple of years ago, when there was all the hoopla about Alex [Rodriguez] going [to Boston], Manny was supposed to leave; Manny wasn't going to be there with him. That's what I was thinking at that time, too."With everything that goes with Manny, he's still a special talent." Continue

Groom rips Joe

Buddy Groom's Yankees career was short, not so sweet and ended on a very sour note yesterday. Designated for assignment yesterday to make room for fellow lefty reliever Alan Embree, the 40-year-old Groom lashed out at Joe Torre after he slammed Torre's office door on the way out of a meeting with GM Brian Cashman and the manager.

"I wouldn't encourage anybody else to come here thinking you are going to get an opportunity because unless you are one of Joe's boys you are not going to get much of a shot; unless you are one of his three guys," Groom said. "The same thing happened to me in Baltimore [last year]. I went 15 days [without pitching] and [Torre] is where [Oriole manager Lee] Mazzilli learned it." Continue

Matsui delivers game-winner

Shawn Chacon should have been the story on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, but it was an unlikely ninth-inning comeback that stole the show for the Yankees. New York rallied for three runs in the ninth inning against Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez, as Hideki Matsui's two-run double gave the Yankees an 8-7 win.

"That was a big game," said Derek Jeter. "It would have been a tough one to lose, because Shawn did an outstanding job." The comeback took the bullpen off the hook, as three relievers combined to blow a two-run lead in the seventh inning after a solid outing by Chacon, who allowed just one unearned run in six innings. Continue

Chacon gets fresh start in pinstripes

The Yankees' latest acquisition has a 24-45 career record. He is 1-7 this season and has won two games over the past two seasons. All the Bombers care about, however, is that Shawn Chacon gives them a chance to win today. At the very least, the Yankees believe the ex-Rockie righty gives them a better chance than the alternatives: a mishmash of relievers or a minor leaguer.

So, minutes after arriving at the Stadium late yesterday afternoon, Chacon was ushered into the auxiliary locker room to meet the media. Just two days after being acquired from Colorado for two minor league pitchers, Chacon will start today against the Angels. He follows Darrell May, Tim Redding, Al Leiter and Aaron Small as the Yankees' latest short-term starting solution. Continue

Cashman still talking trades

Shawn Chacon walked into the Yankee clubhouse late yesterday afternoon and, moments later, Brian Cashman walked out. The Yankees GM traded for Chacon Thursday night, but he was still working; his cell phone battery was low after he had spent much of the day calling around the league to check on other potential moves.

Pitching remains the target. And despite lacking a true everyday center fielder - little-used Tony Womack started there last night - Cashman said it's "probably unrealistic" that the Bombers would be able to land a center fielder before tomorrow's 4 p.m. trading deadline. "I'll leave it at that," Cashman said. "It's something we're looking at. If I can do something, it would be great. I'm not sure I'll be able to." Continue

Pavano eyes Aug. 8 return

Carl Pavano, on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis, will make his next rehab start on Wednesday night, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said, and the Yankees expect him to return after that. Pavano allowed only two hits and one earned run over five innings for the Class-A Tampa Yankees on Wednesday. It was originally thought he would hurl on Monday or Tuesday, but the club pushed him back simply to try to slot him into the Yankees' rotation. If he pitches on five days' rest following Wednesday's start, his return will come at home on Aug. 8 versus the White Sox.

"The purpose of Wednesday is to finish him off, that's our hope," Cashman said. "We'll wait and see how he comes out of it," manager Joe Torre added. "We'd like to see him extend himself a little bit. "He threw less than 60 pitches last time, so we'd like to see him go from 70 or 80 pitches." Continue

Two homers sink Mussina

Mike Mussina had allowed two home runs in a game just once in his last nine starts. Friday night, he allowed two long balls in the span of four batters, costing himself and his team a chance to win the game. Rookie Ervin Santana outpitched the Yankees' veteran, leading the Angels to a 4-1 win in the opener of a three-game weekend series in the Bronx.

"When the other guy outpitches you," Mussina said, "it's a tough game to win." Mussina allowed three runs on eight hits in eight innings, striking out five without walking a batter. All three runs came on homers by Garret Anderson and Bengie Molina in the second inning, as the Angels snapped a four-game losing streak. Continue

Keeping Cano good trade-off

A year ago, the Yankees were trying desperately to convince other teams that Robinson Cano was a big-time prospect for whom it would be worth surrendering an accomplished pitcher. Preferably Randy Johnson. Only nobody was buying the notion that Cano was anything special, so the trading deadline passed with only Jose Contreras being dealt for Esteban Loaiza. And every day the Yankees count their blessings.

"Thank God we didn't trade him," one person in the Yankee organization said yesterday. "Imagine if he was doing this for someone else? We'd never hear the end of it." Instead they continue to marvel at his talent. Yesterday Cano had another spectacular day, going 3-for-5 in a 6-3 victory over the Twins, delivering two key hits in a manner that left Joe Torre quietly chuckling in his office after the game, as if he's still not quite sure what to make of his kid second baseman. Continue

Sheffield wielding hot stick

Gary Sheffield hits balls so hard that physicists should be consulted, because his shots defy logic and maybe even science. Yesterday, in the first inning, Twins starter Joe Mays fired a 1-2 fastball inside. With Sheffield crowding the plate, the pitch was exactly where Mays wanted it. Still, Sheffield ferociously turned on the ball and nailed a line drive that somehow, some way, stayed fair, landing a few rows deep inside the left-field pole for a three-run homer.

"I didn't think there was any way that ball was going to stay fair," Mays said after the Yankees beat him and the Twins, 6-3. Could Sheffield even believe the ball stayed fair? "I couldn't either," Sheffield said. It was another Sheffield rocket that is hard to explain, especially for pitchers. Continue

Brown placed on 15-day DL

It is still unclear how much time Kevin Brown will miss with his balky back, but the Yankees placed the veteran right-hander on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a lumbar strain. The move is retroactive to July 24. Brown will fly to Los Angeles sometime this week to meet with Dr. Robert Watkins, the back specialist who performed back surgery on the pitcher in June 2002. Dr. Watkins also performed surgery on Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel this season.

"We'll have a better idea after he's examined," Torre said. Brown was hit hard in both of his starts after returning from the DL last week, and after visiting his doctor in Denver, he was scratched from his Thursday start. "He's bothered by this whole thing because, first, he obviously wants to help here, and second, he's not well at this point in time," Torre said. "Hopefully in the next 24-48 hours, we'll have more of a clue." Continue

Yanks trade for Shawn Chacon

The Yankees have acquired righthander Shawn Chacon from the Colorado Rockies, Newsday has learned. Chacon will likely make his Yankees debut on Saturday, taking the start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Chacon, 27, has a 1-7 record and 4.09 ERA in 13 games for the Rockies, 12 of them starts. To acquire him, the Yankees gave up a pair of minor-league righthanded pitchers, Ramon Ramirez and Eduardo Sierra.

Chacon last pitched on Sunday, allowing three runs in seven innings in a loss to Pittsburgh, so the timing works out for him to start on Saturday, when the Yankees were in dire need of a starting pitcher. (Newsday)

Sheffield knocks in four to clinch series

The Yankees may have no idea who will start for them on Saturday, but if Joe Torre decides to use his bullpen to get through those nine innings, he'll be able to thank Aaron Small for resting the relievers on Thursday. Small, pitching in place of the injured Kevin Brown, tossed seven solid innings for New York on Thursday, leading the Yankees to a 6-3 win over the Twins at Yankee Stadium.

After not recording a big-league win since 1998, the right-handed journeyman is now 2-0 in two starts for the Yankees. "What we've seen the first two times he hit the mound for us, and from Spring Training, is a pro who goes out there and does what he can," said manager Joe Torre. "He gave us exactly what we needed. It was a big lift for us." Continue

Leiter's labors lost on Yanks

Al Leiter attempts more pitches than an SUV salesman during a gas shortage in August. He throws, and throws, and picks at the plate with no particular sense of urgency. You want to scream at him: "Al, finish your green beans already and go to bed!" Or something like that.

In this way, Leiter is the anti-Pedro Martinez, who relies on pace and puts the ball in play when necessary to keep his team and his own head in the game. The Mets saved themselves about an hour of drama every sixth day when they unloaded Leiter and signed Pedro. Games that once were 220 minutes long are sharply edited, now minus all the full counts and the middle relievers. Continue

Pavano's better but not ready

Carl Pavano threw five strong innings yesterday in a minor-league rehab start, but it wasn't enough for the Yankees to declare Pavano ready to return to their wounded rotation. Pavano, who hadn't pitched since June 27, allowed two hits and two runs (one earned) for the Yankees' Gulf Coast rookie league team on a 90-degree afternoon in Lakeland, Fla., that GM Brian Cashman described as a "scorcher." Pavano struck out five and walked none.

The Yankees will "visit with him (today) and map out a strategy," Cashman said. "It's certainly possible that he gets another turn (in the minors). I wouldn't rule that out." Pavano was scheduled to start Saturday against the Angels, but on Tuesday the Yankees scaled back their plan for him to give his sore right shoulder extra time to mend. Continue

Yankees' bats silenced by Santana

One night after watching five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson dominate the Twins, the Yankees felt the sting of the American League's reigning Cy winner, as Johan Santana led Minnesota to a 7-3 win over New York on Wednesday. Santana tossed seven shutout innings for the Twins, while Al Leiter battled his way through five innings of one-run ball.

Minnesota broke through against the Yankees' bullpen, snapping a streak of 10 consecutive Twins losses at Yankee Stadium in the regular season. "Not only can he mix the speeds and the pitches, but the location," said manager Joe Torre. "He's a Cy Young Award winner for a reason." The Yankees lost a game in the standings, falling two games behind the first-place Red Sox in the American League East. Continue

Yanks acquire Hideo Nomo

The Yankees claimed right-hander Hideo Nomo off waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday and signed him to a minor league contract. The acquisition of the 37-year-old Nomo marks the second time this month the Yankees have picked up a veteran pitcher that was discarded by the team he started the season with to help fill a hole in the Yankees' beleaguered rotation.

Al Leiter, who was set to make his third start for the Yankees on Wednesday night against Minnesota, was acquired on July 16 from the Florida Marlins. Nomo was released by Tampa Bay July 25 after being designated for assignment on July 16. He was 5-8 with a 7.24 ERA for the Devil Rays. Continue

Setbacks for Pavano & Brown

The unending quest to fill out the rotation continues - with Joe Torre admittedly unsure who will start two games later this week, and GM Brian Cashman feverishly working the phones amid a lackluster trade market before Sunday's deadline. "Right now, we're not sure who our starters are for Thursday and Saturday," Torre said before last night's game against the Twins. "We'll come up with somebody, obviously."

Carl Pavano's return from the disabled list has been pushed back until at least the beginning of next week so he can throw another minor-league rehab game tonight, while Kevin Brown (back) is out indefinitely while his personal back doctor confers with the team's medical staff. Continue

Johnson gets there

Randy Johnson, tired of being asked every five days, if not every 15 minutes, a) if he was there yet; b) if not, why not; and, c) when was he ever going to get there, was indeed there last night, at the zenith of his game. Which, with his team facing a situation with the rotation ranging from no mas to Nomo, was only fairly imperative.

Chronically injured Kevin Brown is headed to the disabled list again, and is likely to give the team no mas the rest of the way than he has previously while wearing Pinstripes. So, as Johnson was gearing up for what became an eight-inning, two-hit, 11-strikeout masterpiece in a 4-0 victory over the Twins, Johnson may well have been asking Bobby Bonilla every 15 minutes or so, "Is Hideo Nomo in The Bronx, yet?" Continue

Looking to Nomo for relief

Hideo Nomo may not have much left, but the Yankees think he might be better than what they have. That's why the veteran right-hander will be signed to a minor league contract and assigned to Columbus (Triple-A) after he clears waivers today and becomes a free agent. Nomo was designated for assignment by the Devil Rays on July 16 and released Monday. "I wouldn't comment on that," GM Brian Cashman said when asked about Nomo going to Columbus. However, that's what will happen. So can Nomo, who was 5-8 with a 7.24 ERA for the Devil Rays, help the Yankees? Continue

Big Unit flirts with no-no, baffles Twins

Randy Johnson didn't put his name in the history books with a no-hitter on Tuesday night, but the Big Unit gave the Yankees a dominating performance against the Twins, leading New York to a 4-0 win over Minnesota. The five-time Cy Young winner threw eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits. Johnson struck out 11 and didn't walk a batter, earning his 11th win of the season.

Johnson opened the game by hitting Shannon Stewart with the second pitch of the night. That was the extent of the Twins' offense for the next five innings, as Johnson plowed through Minnesota's lineup batter after batter, showing no signs of trouble with his balky back. Continue

Bombers deal with deadline

Alex Rodriguez was asked if he paid much attention to the rumor mill that seems to spin faster and faster as the countdown continues toward Sunday's trading deadline. He chuckled. "None at all," he said. "What can I do about it? Why should I worry about what I have no control over?" It's easy for him to say. In clubhouses across the country, nervous players are sidling up to team officials, friends and reporters to ask softly, "What do you hear about me? Where am I going?"

Of course, there is less of that among the Yankees. Most Yankees have either no-trade clauses of one sort or another (A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Mike Mussina among them), have essentially given themselves no-trade clauses through verbal tirades (Gary Sheffield) or are simply secure enough in their own contributions that being traded isn't something worth sweating (Hideki Matsui). Continue

Pavano, Wright closer to return

There was a time when several members of the Yankee organization optimistically called this year's Yankees pitching staff one of the best ever under Joe Torre. Then reality kicked in. Injuries and age have turned the Bombers' staff into a patchwork group of a few reliable hurlers, a number of interchangeable parts, a couple of retreads and one lights-out closer.

Can GM Brian Cashman upgrade the staff this week? Maybe, but the biggest boosts figure to come within. Carl Pavano will throw a short rehab outing today and is expected to start for the first time in over a month on Saturday. Continue

Jackson is lovin' Jason's progress

Add Reggie Jackson to the list of voices singing hosannas for Jason Giambi. "I think he deserves a tremendous amount of credit," the Hall of Fame slugger said of Giambi, who has turned his season around with a sizzling July. "I saw him a month ago and I said, 'They said you would never walk again.' "

Believed to be washed out in early May, Giambi is walking and hitting so well that his .437 on-base average leads the American League. After checking in with a .195 batting average, three homers and six RBIs on May 9, Giambi is hitting .286 with 16 homers and 41 RBIs going into tonight's game against the Twins at Yankee Stadium. Continue

Jackson is lovin' Jason's progress

Add Reggie Jackson to the list of voices singing hosannas for Jason Giambi. "I think he deserves a tremendous amount of credit," the Hall of Fame slugger said of Giambi, who has turned his season around with a sizzling July. "I saw him a month ago and I said, 'They said you would never walk again.' "

Believed to be washed out in early May, Giambi is walking and hitting so well that his .437 on-base average leads the American League. After checking in with a .195 batting average, three homers and six RBIs on May 9, Giambi is hitting .286 with 16 homers and 41 RBIs going into tonight's game against the Twins at Yankee Stadium. Continue

Randy: I'll pitch, so leave me alone

Randy Johnson grew testy before yesterday's game, lecturing a group of reporters who inquired about how he felt following a between-starts side session. The Big Unit quickly became annoyed. He does not like being asked about his health and likened the media to his children - constantly asking the same thing. "You're like kids in the backseat: 'Are we almost there?'" Johnson said. "'Are you healthy?' I'm telling you, I'm going to be out there."

Johnson, 41, was removed from Thursday's game after six innings when Joe Torre said he saw Johnson "listing" with a stiff back. Johnson has said he expects to make his next start tomorrow against the Twins and wasn't interested in giving daily updates on his condition. Continue

Yankees racing trade deadline

A month ago, the Yankees' No. 1 priority was to upgrade center field. While that is still high on the list, Joe Torre hinted that due to health woes in the starting rotation the focus has shifted to acquiring a pitcher before Sunday's trade deadline. "Pitching is a priority because of what we are lacking right now health wise," said Torre, who is without starters Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Chien-Ming Wang, and watched Kevin Brown leave for Denver and an appointment with a back specialist. "You can't have enough pitching, but it's not easy to come by."

The Yankees don't have what it takes to get A.J. Burnett out of Florida and after that the pool is shallow. Seattle leftfielder Randy Winn is a possibility in center. So, too, is Texas centerfielder Gary Matthews. The Yankees had two scouts — Jeff Wetherby and Joe Caro — at the Rockies-Pirates game yesterday. Pitcher Shawn Chacon and CF Eric Byrnes are both being shopped by the Rockies and the Yankees have interest. Pirate starter Mark Redman is also on the block and the Yanks could be interested. Continue

Moose, Matsui lift Yanks past Angels

Four in Boston, three in Texas, four in Anaheim. When the Yankees embarked on their 11-game road trip, they were 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the American League East, and the upcoming stretch against three AL contenders was the type of journey that could have severely damaged their postseason hopes.

Instead, the Yanks closed out the trip with a 6-5 record, thanks to their 4-1 win over the Angels on Sunday. The win allowed New York to avert a four-game sweep, cutting Boston's lead to 1 1/2 games in the process. "Two weeks ago, if you'd have told us that we would have come out of this trip 6-5, we'd have felt pretty good about it," said Mike Mussina, who threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball for the win. "It was a tough trip." Continue

Search centers on Winn

GM Brian Cashman says he has "got speed dial working" all day as he scours the trade market, and the latest possibility the Yankees are mulling is Seattle outfielder Randy Winn. No deal is imminent, but the Yanks have sent several scouts to evaluate whether Winn could be the answer in center field. There has been internal debate, however, over whether Winn has the necessary range. There are some Yankee evaluators who believe he's better as a corner outfielder.

Bubba Crosby started for the fourth straight game last night, (his third time in center, to go with one in left) and has pleased Joe Torre. Crosby has had no problems in the field (he nearly made a dazzling diving play in the seventh inning Thursday night) and had a hit in each of his three starts. In addition to Winn, the Yanks have inquired about Texas' Gary Matthews Jr., though Texas is not particularly enamored with what the Yanks could offer in return. Continue

Back OK, Unit hits funny bone

Randy Johnson's back and sense of humor seemed to be in good health yesterday. Walking through a crowd of reporters, the Big Unit said he felt "fine for a 41-year-old," taking a playful jab at the constant concern over his health. Johnson added that he didn't receive any out-of-the-ordinary treatment yesterday and is "on schedule" for his next scheduled start Tuesday at the Stadium.

Of course, media and fans weren't the only ones wondering if Johnson had hurt himself when he slipped in the sixth inning Thursday night. Joe Torre told Johnson he "scared the hell out of me," but didn't seem concerned about his ace. Torre had Johnson skip one start when he suffered a minor groin injury in May, but said he didn't plan to do that this time, noting that with an off day Monday, he could push Johnson back if needed. "He seemed very upbeat as far as not feeling there's anything that is going to cause him any problem," Torre said. Continue

Giambi keeps climbin'

The hard work Jason Giambi put into getting himself off the canvas isn't stopping now that the Yankees' first baseman looks like the player the Yankees signed to a seven-year, $120 million contract. "I am not going to stop and smell the roses," Giambi said. "There is still a lot of work." On May 9 Giambi was hitting .195. It didn't seem possible that by July 23 he would be hitting .288 with 15 homers. But that's where Giambi is today. He went 1-4 in last night's 6-3 loss to the Angels.

Giambi had homered twice in the previous two games and has looked like the player who was the AL's MVP in 2000. He was on a 20-for-44 (.455) hot streak entering last night's game. Not only has Giambi overcome last year's medical problems (knee surgery, intestinal parasite, benign pituitary tumor) but his BALCO grand jury testimony was leaked to the media. "He has endured as much as anybody in the time I have been here and come back to be a contributor," manager Joe Torre said. Continue

Angels get best of Leiter, Yankees

Al Leiter's debut start for the Yankees last Sunday was a feel-good story, as the veteran left-hander led his new team past the rival Red Sox with a strong outing at Fenway Park. On Friday night, Leiter couldn't follow it up with another solid performance, as a four-run second inning helped doom the Yankees to a 6-3 loss to the Angels in Anaheim.

"It didn't look like he was able to do what he wanted to in the second inning," said manager Joe Torre. "But he kept battling." The loss was the second in a row for the Yankees, who didn't lose any ground to the first-place Red Sox in the American League East. Boston lost on Friday, so New York remains 1 1/2 games out of the division lead. Continue

Jeter won't let slump drive him batty

Derek Jeter sat putting on his socks like usual. He rolled the dark blue stocking over the white sanitary hose, fastening the tops, just like he does every day. The Captain isn't much for change. Even when he's not hitting well, his routine doesn't waver. "It's been working pretty well for a while now," he said with a laugh. Lately, however, Jeter has been one of the few struggling Yankee hitters.

The Bombers scored 41 runs in their first seven games after the All-Star break, and there's been much chatter about how this is as cohesive and productive as the lineup has been all season. But Jeter hasn't been a consistent part of it. He did not play in the All-Star Game for only the second time since 1997, and even after going 1-for-3 last night, is just 6-for-35 to start the second half. Could the three days of downtime have adversely affected Jeter's swing? "Maybe," Jeter said. "I don't know. But I know it's too easy to put it on that. That's the easy way out." Continue

Aaron, Al buy Cash a break

Just because the Yankees won games started by Al Leiter and Aaron Small doesn't mean they have stopped searching for a starting pitcher. GM Brian Cashman has many lines cast in the shallow pitching pool — and they will remain wet until the July 31 trading deadline. What Leiter and Small did by pitching well, however, was to alleviate some of the pressure Cashman was under to make a deal. Had they been spanked like the departed Darrell May and Tim Redding, the Yankees may have been even more anxious to trade for Colorado's Shawn Chacon.

Cleveland is deciding if it wants to move right-hander Kevin Millwood and left-handed reliever Arthur Rhodes. Even if the Yankees wanted Florida's A.J. Burnett, they don't have enough to get the right-hander, who's likely headed to the Red Sox or Orioles. Leiter, who starts tonight, was brilliant Sunday night against the Red Sox, when he allowed one run and three hits in a 5-3 victory. That wasn't bad for a 39-year-old pitcher cut by the Marlins and picked up for $400,000. Continue

Yankees lose despite four homers

Before Thursday's game against the Angels, Joe Torre warned that facing hitters such as Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson during their worst slumps of the season can be a dangerous thing. "You're not sure if you like to see them hot or cold, because eventually, the cream rises to the top," Torre said. "You just hope that you can pitch effectively, not take it for granted that they're in a slump and throw the ball down the middle."

Guerrero and Anderson proved Torre's point, combining for five RBIs to lift the Angels to a 6-5 win over the Yankees. Guerrero's seventh-inning grand slam proved to be the difference, as the Angels overcame a three-run deficit to hand the Yanks their third loss in eight games on their road trip. Continue

Unit on verge of greatness

There used to be a feeling of uneasiness in the days leading up to a Randy Johnson start, since no one was sure which Big Unit would show up. But lately, there is more of an eager anticipation, since Johnson seems to be slowly morphing into the pitcher the Yanks thought they were getting when they traded for him last winter.

"The thing that's impressed me most is that he hasn't had his best stuff and he's kept things from snowballing out of control, which was something he had a problem with earlier on," said John Flaherty, who has become Johnson's personal catcher.

Johnson (10-6) will make the 500th start of his career tonight in Anaheim, and he'll be riding a three-game winning streak. He allowed four runs and eight hits in 6-1/3 innings in his last outing (Saturday in Boston) and struck out 10, showing some of the intensity and dominance the Bombers expect. Continue

Graman's up; Franklin's down

Joe Torre wasn't angry about the Yankee brass swapping Alex Graman for Wayne Franklin yesterday. But it was clear the decision was made above him. Even though Franklin gave up a game-winning, eighth-inning homer to Hank Blalock Tuesday night in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers, Torre felt the veteran lefty reliever's body of work was OK.

"I thought he pitched well," Torre said before last night's 8-4 win. "I work for people like everybody else." In an afternoon discussion with GM Brian Cashman, Torre was informed that Graman, a 27-year-old lefty who has failed in several opportunities to make it as a starter, was replacing Franklin in the bullpen. Franklin, 31, was optioned to Columbus (Triple-A). Continue

Yanks go deep in the heart of Texas

Nearly nine years after winning his last Major League start, Aaron Small showed he hasn't forgotten how. Small, a 33-year-old journeyman called up from the Minors to fill in on the Yankees' injury-riddled rotation, gave the Yanks 5 1/3 strong innings Wednesday, and New York's hitters took care of the rest in an 8-4 victory over the Texas Rangers at Ameriquest Field.

The victory kept the Yankees a half-game behind first-place Boston in the American League East, and gave them their fifth consecutive series victory. The Yanks have won 12 of their past 15 games. Small's last start had been a 3-1 win for Oakland over Seattle on Sept. 29, 1996, and he had bounced between the Majors and Minors in five organizations since. But Wednesday, he looked every inch a big league starter, holding the Rangers' powerful bats in check and leaving with a 7-2 lead in the sixth. Continue

Center field is Bern-ing Bombers

Bernie Williams did not start in center field last night, but the Yankees say it had nothing to do with the ugly error he made in the sixth inning of Monday's game. "It had to do with not wanting Bernie to play out there every day," Joe Torre said. That's been the manager's mantra all season regarding Williams, who has yet again seemingly become the Yankees' de facto starter in center. First he was removed for Hideki Matsui (when Robinson Cano bounced Tony Womack out of the infield), then he gave way to Melky Cabrera.

But nothing has panned out the way the Yanks hoped regarding center, so Williams is back there - most of the time. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts as the designated hitter in last night's 2-1 loss to the Rangers. Bubba Crosby started in center, and the Yanks are still scouring the trade market to see if there is a reasonable option available. Continue

Derek trying to reheat bat

The sign outside Ameriquest Field said it was 104 degrees around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, but Derek Jeter was at home plate taking extra batting practice anyway. Jeter hasn't been himself at the plate lately and he has just two hits in his past 23 at-bats and 16 in his last 55 after going 0-for-3 last night. Since taking three days off for the All-Star break, he's just 4-for-27.

"He was the only one here," Joe Torre said of Jeter. "He's been jumping at the plate and he just wanted to see if he could find something." Jeter didn't want to make a big deal of the early session, saying it's something he does regularly, particularly after a day when the Yanks don't have organized batting practice on the field. The Yanks did have BP yesterday and Monday, but skipped it before the final two games in Boston. Continue

Small to get a big test in Texas

Aaron Small is nice, polite and respectful. He will also be the 11th starter (most in the AL) used by the Yankees this year tonight when he faces the Rangers at Ameriquest Field. In their seemingly never-ending search for a body to fill the No. 5 spot lately, the Yankees are turning to the 33-year-old Small despite him not starting a game since he made three starts with Oakland in 1996.

They tried Darrell May and he failed. Tim Reading was next and he was awful. Now, it's Small's turn. No disrespect to Small, who has a 15-10 big league record mostly as a reliever, it's no wonder GM Brian Cashman has been keeping an eye on what starting pitching will become available before the July 31 trading deadline. Promoted from Columbus (Triple-A) Sunday night, Small had some time to think about facing a Rangers lineup that punished Yankee pitching for 10 runs Monday night in full view of Small. Continue

Yankees suffer setback in Texas

With the bullpen depleted and his arm feeling good, Mike Mussina figured he had another inning in him, at least. But as he entered the dugout after the sixth inning of a scoreless game on Tuesday, a shocked Mussina was told by manager Joe Torre that his night was over.

As it turned out, that made a noticeable difference. After Felix Rodriguez shut out the Texas Rangers in the seventh, Wayne Franklin came on in the eighth with the Yankees ahead, 1-0, and let the game get away, giving up Hank Blalock's two-out, two-run homer that carried the Rangers to a 2-1 victory at Ameriquest Field. Continue

Wang might return

The Yankees aren't sure if Chien-Ming Wang is out for the season but at this point, that's actually good news. The Yanks announced yesterday that Wang has an inflammation and a strain of the right shoulder. The 25-year-old will take part in an exercise program for two weeks and then begin a throwing program in the hopes that the rehab work will allow him to return to the Bombers near the beginning of September. If Wang doesn't respond, however, season-ending surgery "may be necessary," according to a statement from team doctor Stuart Hershon. Continue

Earning his pinstripes

ALEX Rodriguez returns to the scene of his greatest baseball crimes this week, the place that changed forever the way people view him, critique him, judge him, appraise him. Everything that informs the public's perspective of Rodriguez is viewed through the prism of Jan. 26, 2001, the day he and the Texas Rangers consummated a gluttonous marriage of star power, ambition and Benjamins. For $252 million — exactly double the amount of Kevin Garnett's thought-to-be-untoppably-excessive basketball windfall of $126 million — the Rangers bought the best baseball player on the planet.

And Rodriguez bought himself the permanent scorn of a huge segment of the baseball populace that would never again see him as anything other than a walking, breathing ATM machine. "I think people had gotten used to the fact that back-up shortstops are millionaires now, that high-end baseball players are going to be rich beyond anyone's wildest imagination," one American League executive said yesterday. "But when A-Rod signed with the Rangers, something changed. There was a meanness to everything now. He wasn't just a millionaire ballplayer, he was Donald Trump in spikes. Opposing players have always gotten booed at my ballpark. A-Rod was openly loathed." Continue

Brown expects to make next start

Kevin Brown says he is a go for Saturday's start against the Angels in Anaheim. Looking at him stumble at first base last night and listening to him talk after the Yankees' wild 11-10 win over the Rangers at Ameriquest Field, don't bet on seeing the 40-year-old righty with a balky back. "Yes," Brown said when asked if he would be able to start. But Brown is the home office for the term "day-to-day." And the last time he had a problem around first base he eventually landed on the DL for more than a month.

In fairness to Brown, he should have been pitching in a minor league rehab start last night. But the Yankees are strapped for starters and were hoping Brown's experience could compensate for the rust that had built since June 15, his last start. It didn't. In 41/3 innings Brown gave up 10 hits and six runs. He needed 82 pitches to register 13 outs and watched his ERA rise to 5.91. "Tonight wasn't nearly as good as I had thrown in my two previous bullpens," said Brown, who rehabbed in Tampa. Continue

Sierra sends Yanks to win over Rangers

Ruben Sierra gave the Yankees a big win -- and a big loss. Sierra's two-out shot into the left-center-field gap in the eighth inning brought in two runs to carry the Yankees to a wild 11-10 victory over the Rangers on Monday at Ameriquest Field, a win that put the Yanks in first place in the American League East for the first time since April 9.

But as he rounded first after the game-winning hit, the 39-year old outfielder felt a pop in his left hamstring. The Yankees said he suffered a strain and will likely be placed on the 15-day disabled list, a severe blow to the Yankees' depth as they battle Boston and Baltimore for the division lead. Continue

Leiter, long balls lead Yankees past Sox

Even the Yankees didn't expect Al Leiter to do this. Leiter, traded Saturday from the Marlins back to the team that drafted him in 1984, allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings, leading the Yanks to a 5-3 win over the Red Sox on Sunday night.

His performance gave his new ballclub a lift it so desperately needed, slicing Boston's lead in the American League East to just a half-game as the Yankees took three of four from the Red Sox over the weekend. "Al Leiter knows how to win. He certainly gave us a lift tonight," said manager Joe Torre. "This is far more than we could have expected, to go out there in the seventh inning and get us that far." Continue

One pitch fires up hot Sheff

Normally, when a Red Sox pitcher throws behind a Yankee, it starts a commotion, and in the past, it has started fights between the two rivals. But yesterday a pitch by Matt Clement that sailed behind Gary Sheffield ignited something else - the Yankee bats.

After the 2-1 pitch to Sheffield, seven consecutive Yankees reached base and the Bombers, who managed just one run Friday night, scored six runs. Sheffield smashed the next pitch, which was right over the plate on a day when Clement didn't have much control, off the Green Monster for a double. Alex Rodriguez followed with a two-run homer on the pitch after that and the Yanks went on to have their 11th inning of five or more runs this year. Continue

Cabrera could be left out of center

The Melky Cabrera experiment may be over. Joe Torre put the 20-year-old center fielder on the bench yesterday, starting Bernie Williams instead, and said he will keep Cabrera there today as the Bombers reevaluate their outfield options. The possibilities under consideration include keeping Williams in center and occasionally replacing him with Tony Womack; trading for an outfielder; moving Hideki Matsui back to center (and, presumably, shifting Williams to left field); and recalling Bubba Crosby, who made the team as the extra outfielder out of spring training but has shuttled between the Bronx and Columbus all season. Continue

Leit's on today

A long time ago he was a bright light in the Yankees' future. Now, Al Leiter is a symbol of their bleak pitching present. Today the 39-year-old lefty will take the Fenway Park mound for the Yankees against the Red Sox. Acquired yesterday from the Marlins for $400,000, Leiter will make his first start for the Yankees since 1989. "I am very excited," said Leiter, who hasn't worked since a three-inning stint on July 5. "Twenty-one years ago I was drafted by the Yankees. To come full circle is very exciting. It's not exactly how I wished it would have happened, but it is what it is and I am excited." Continue

Straight to mound for Brown

In an ideal world, the Yankees would have wanted Kevin Brown to make at least one minor league rehab start before coming off the DL Monday night to face the Rangers. However, the Yankees' pitching situation is anything but ideal. Tim Redding was rocked Friday, 39-year-old Al Leiter will start today and the Yankees don't know who Wednesday night's starter is. "The position we are in, we will take what he gives us," Joe Torre said of Brown, whose last start was June 15. A balky back landed him on the DL the next day for the second time this season. Brown, 40, is 4-6 with a 5.48 ERA in 11 starts. Continue

A-Rod, Unit lift Yankees past Red Sox

The Yankees, reeling after a 17-1 beating on Friday night, exacted some revenge against the Red Sox on Saturday, handing Boston a 7-4 loss at Fenway Park. New York used a six-run inning to chase All-Star Matt Clement from the game in the third, as Alex Rodriguez got things started with a two-run homer, his second in three days against the Sox. Randy Johnson wasn't great, but he got the job done for the Yanks, allowing four runs over 6 1/3 innings, striking out 10.

The win moved the Yankees 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox, as the two teams close out their four-game series on Sunday night. Clement escaped a jam in the second after walking Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi to open the inning, striking out Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez and John Flaherty to strand the runners. Continue

Melky is sour in center

While last night's pasting by the Red Sox further illustrated the frayed condition of the Yankee rotation, it also provided a grim reminder that they have not settled their defensive problems in center field, either. For the fourth time in six games, 20-year-old rookie Melky Cabrera bungled a ball in center, though he wasn't charged with an error, and the Yankees may be thinking of making yet another change at the position.

With little prompting, Yankee GM Brian Cashman offered after the game, "I have no decision on Melky tonight." Cashman also admitted, "We're obviously asking a lot of Melky. I don't want to say he's overmatched. We brought him up here because we heard he was a better alternative than what we were seeing and that we'd see what we'd see." Continue

Redding start ends quickly

Tim Redding kept glancing at the clock, wondering what had happened to his equipment. He called his wife and told her to bring the extra glove that was in their hotel room, just in case. All he had was his precious Yankee uniform. He might as well have been naked. Churchville-Chili High's very own started for the team he grew up worshipping last night, and it was all he could do to not fall off the mound. Forty minutes before game time, after a two-day odyssey, Redding's gear finally arrived from Columbus. The return trip might not take nearly as long. Continue

Waiting on Wang, Yanks keep the Leit on

The Yankees are holding out faint hope that Chien-Ming Wang's season isn't over. Granted, it doesn't look good. The initial diagnosis on Wang's right shoulder, according to sources, was a torn rotator cuff that would require season-ending surgery. But the Bombers are hoping that the tear team doctor Stuart Hershon saw in Wang's MRI is old and slight, as opposed to something fresh that would require the pitcher to be shut down. Although the former scenario is thought to be unlikely, there is enough question about it that the Yanks will send Wang to renowned orthopedist James Andrews for a second opinion on Monday. Continue

Unit must come up big

The way the season has progressed, it's easy now to forget what the Yankees assumed they were getting when they traded for Randy Johnson in January. The way the season has progressed, and the way Johnson has regressed off his Hall of Fame form, it's easy to overlook how critical Johnson was supposed to be to the Yankees' fortunes.

Let's never forget the helplessness that seized the Yankees last October, when it became plain they were more than a little short on starting pitching. Never forget the fear, the sense of inevitability and doom that overtook New York when it was clear that on the evening of Game 7, these were the Yankees' pitching options, the only things keeping them out of the abyss: Continue

Need a cure for staff infection

If you happen to be especially masochistic, if you fill your hours scouring omens, then the numbers on the scoreboard last night were a glutton's delight. Red Sox 17, Yankees 1. Hadn't we seen that before? We had. It was May 28, a Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, and the Red Sox had worked over Carl Pavano, battered a battery of Yankees relievers, and didn't finish until the scoreboard in The Bronx read the same way the one in Boston did now: Red Sox 17, Yankees 1.

"It's only one game," Joe Torre said the next day, May 29, when the world wanted to know if the mighty Yankees could recover from such a pummeling. "It's only one game," Joe Torre said last night, when the world returned to ask the same question. As much as Torre wanted to stretch a blanket of optimism across the ruins of that first 17-1 catastrophe, his team wasn't buying. They went out and lost the next night to the Red Sox. They went and got swept by the Royals who, at the time, were running neck-and-neck with the '62 Mets, triggering a 3-9 road trip and inviting shrieks of panic among the truest Yankees believers. Continue

Redding, Yanks roughed up by Sox

The Yankees were hoping that Tim Redding, acquired less than two weeks ago in a trade with the Padres, would help fill the void while four of their regular starting pitchers spend time on the disabled list. It didn't work out quite as well as the team had hoped, as the right-hander was lit up in his first start for New York, allowing six runs in just one-plus inning, as the Red Sox pounded the Yankees, 17-1, at Fenway Park.

The loss dropped the Bombers back to 2 1/2 games behind the first-place BoSox, with two games remaining in the weekend series. This marked the second 17-1 loss for the Yankees in the last four meetings between the two teams, as the Sox won by the same score on May 28 in the Bronx. Continue

It's too much for staff to shoulder

In a season when the Yankees can't beat the Devil Rays, suddenly they have that old aura and mystique again, beating Curt Schilling and the Red Sox late in the game as if last October never happened. Already they've survived what seems like a weekly crisis. And yet if the news on Chien-Ming Wang's shoulder turns out to be as bad as they fear, out for the season with a torn rotator cuff, it's hard to imagine they can survive that.

Even if Alex Rodriguez is now delivering when it counts - hitting a game-winning home run last night like a "true Yankee," as the Red Sox like to put it - the Wang injury can't be minimized. Nobody wins with a two-man rotation, which is what the Yankees essentially have at the moment in Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina. Continue

Redding at ready, takes ball tonight

im Redding was driving on an interstate loop around Houston Tuesday when his cell phone rang. His two kids, Shea and Brennan, were watching a DVD in the back seat of his truck and his wife was chattering in his ear: "Is that Brian Cashman?" It was, and the strange season for the Yankee rotation was about to take another twist. Redding, acquired nearly two weeks ago in what was perceived at the time as a minor trade for jettisoned reliever Paul Quantrill, was thrust into the Yankee rotation, and Cashman, the Yankee GM, was calling to tell him to fly to Boston to join the team.

Redding, a 27-year-old righthander, will start tonight against the Red Sox, filling in for the injured Chien-Ming Wang. Two weeks ago, Redding was recovering from a shoulder injury of his own in San Diego and not pitching very well. Now he's going to take the mound for the team he grew up rooting for as a boy in Rochester. "I watched most of these coaches here fighting for the pennant while I was growing up," Redding said. "I could die right now and I'd be a happy man. I hope this is the last uniform I put on." Continue

A-Rod has true Yankee moment

Just a few moments earlier, the noise inside Fenway Park was so rich, so dense, so riotous, you could see the grandstand sway, feel The Wall vibrate, Red Sox fans pleading with Curt Schilling to turn back the clock, pretend like it was October again. Now, you could hear a bloody sock drop. Now, you could have heard every step Alex Rodriguez took on the sweetest baseball journey of his life if only his feet had bothered to touch the ground. With one forever swing of his bat, Rodriguez had given the Yankees an 8-6 lead, but he'd done so much more than that.

"That," Joe Torre would say, "was a signature. He's waited a long time for a moment like that." Damn right he had. For a season and a half, Rodriguez has endured the endlessly banal debate of whether he qualified as a "true Yankee," as if that's a title you can earn on a civil service exam. He'd absorbed an endless stream of Red Sox taking aim at him, none more pointed than a chatty gentleman named Curtis Montague Schilling. Continue

Moose tightens noose

The Yankees desperately needed length from Mike Mussina last night, and it looked as if he was giving them a Darrell May effort instead. Mussina tossed 34 pitches in the first inning against the Red Sox, walking three men and falling behind by four runs. Trot Nixon, Boston's No. 5 hitter, tagged him for a three-run homer to right. Yet Mussina hung on for six innings and registered a no-decision in the Yanks' 8-6 victory. In three previous starts against Boston, he was 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA.

"He battled," Johnny Damon said. "He could've very easily laid down and quit. "But being the veteran pitcher that he is, he just kept going at it." With Chien-Ming Wang placed on the DL before the game and Tim Redding starting tonight, the Yankee bullpen couldn't afford to be taxed early. Mussina, who hadn't walked more than three hitters in any of his previous 17 starts, issued free passes to three of the first eight batters. Continue

A-Rod's blast shells Schilling, Sox

Alex Rodriguez has plenty of critics in Boston, but he quieted them all on Thursday night, drilling a game-winning two-run home run in the ninth inning against Curt Schilling, lifting the Yankees to an 8-6 win over the Red Sox. The win cut Boston's lead over New York in the American League to 1 1/2 games, with three games remaining between the two rivals this weekend at Fenway Park.

"That one is probably the biggest I've hit all year," Rodriguez said. "I'm not worried about what people are expecting. I know what I expect of myself." Rodriguez's blast capped a comeback for the Yankees, who never led in the game until the ninth. It was the 22nd come-from-behind victory of the season for the Bombers. Continue