Yankees baseball blog

Help wanted

Good luck Joe Girardi, you are going to need it if your ace, Chien-Ming Wang, is unable to outpitch No. 5 fodder such as Julian Tavarez. Best wishes Don Mattingly, if Bobby Abreu is going to hit like you did when your back betrayed you late in your career and turned you into a No. 3 hitter in memory only.

Gentlemen, start Larry Bowa's fury. He might as well get a head start if Johnny Damon's bat and game is going to have all the electricity of an Amish social. George Steinbrenner just might stop talking about firing Joe Torre one of these days and actually get around to doing it. But if there is a new manager, he should already be praying for improvement in health and performance from the roster. Because does anyone think The Boss will actually have patience for a new manager if this losing continues? Continue

Jeter stands by Mr. Torre

Perhaps the most fire seen from the listless Yankees on a day that included another loss to the Red Sox came not on the field, where they neither hit nor pitched well yesterday, but in a cramped corner of the clubhouse, hard by the locker kept empty in memory of Thurman Munson. There, in the bright glare of camera lights, amid a swirl of questions about Joe Torre's job status, Derek Jeter offered an impassioned defense of his manager, saying it was "unfair" that Torre's perhaps-tenuous job status has become a pinstriped issue and demanding that it stop.

"There shouldn't be questions," Jeter said, his jaw set. "He's in no way responsible. He's putting the best guys on the field. I'm sure people aren't happy; we're not happy. But we've got five months (to go). It's common sense. He's not playing, that's the bottom line. You should never talk about his job. "It's unfair and it should stop." Continue

Wang can't slow Red Sox in finale

The Yankees couldn't hold back the burgeoning Red Sox bats for a second consecutive day. Chien-Ming Wang allowed two of Boston's three home runs in a 7-4 Yankees defeat on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Making his second start since coming off the disabled list, Wang continued to show signs of rust as he attempts to round into form. The sinkerballer had trouble with pitch location at times during his effort, as he surrendered a first-inning solo homer to David Ortiz.

Boston added a run facing Wang in the third inning when Coco Crisp led off with a triple to right-center field and scored on a groundout. The Red Sox took the lead in the fifth when Wang hit Crisp with a pitch, then surrendered a two-run homer to Alex Cora that boosted Boston to a 4-3 advantage. Continue

Win lets Joe relax, a little

The Yankees' week-long slide into last place may have left Joe Torre's head on the chopping block, but you'd never know it listening to the manager discuss the state of his team. Torre knows how bad the past week has been for both himself and his ballclub, but after spending a dozen years in New York, he knows that the stories of his imminent demise simply come with the territory.

"I'm not comfortable with the fact that we're losing," Torre said before yesterday's 3-1 win over the Red Sox. "I can't concern myself with what might happen; I've got to concern myself with what happens on the field." As for Torre's Boss, George Steinbrenner has remained quiet to this point, and while his spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, offered a no-comment on his client's behalf, he made it clear that the Yankee owner is paying close attention - and is not pleased. Continue

Rivera's finally got MO-mentum

Finally, "Enter Sandman," exit smiling.

"Mo was Mo. It was huge," Joe Torre said after Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first save of the season and preserve a vital 3-1 victory over the Red Sox. Vital because it ended a seven-game losing streak; vital because Kei Igawa reclaimed his spot in the rotation with a brilliant emergency six-inning scoreless stint; and vital because the most vital Yankee of the Torre Era finally looked like the peerless reliever he has been since 1996 but suddenly, shockingly, was not in 2007. "From the first pitch, my ball was moving," Rivera said of a 94-mph cutter to pinch hitter Jason Varitek to start the ninth. Continue

Igawa pens gem as Yanks snap skid

The Yankees spoke about needing a solid pitching performance to get them over a seven-game losing streak. They couldn't have anticipated it would come from Kei Igawa, a floundering hurler who'd been relegated to their bullpen days earlier.

Igawa came in under emergency circumstances, taking over for starter Jeff Karstens, who was hit in the right leg by a line drive on his first pitch. Igawa wound up giving the Yankees their best pitching performance in a week, picking up the victory as the Yankees defeated the Red Sox, 3-1, on Saturday. Julio Lugo ripped a single up the middle on Karstens' first pitch, and the hurler went down, drawing medical attention on the field. Karstens stayed in to pitch to one more batter, but he was lifted after allowing a hit to Kevin Youkilis. Continue

The 'P' word has begun soft-tossing

The fine line between Pettitte and panic was erased Friday night. Now it's official. A baseball in the hand of any Yankees pitcher may be considered a lethal weapon. What else is there to think when the arm in which the team placed its greatest trust, the arm associated with the Yankees' last four world championships, failed them in their hour of need? Not only was Andy Pettitte's return to the Bronx a reminder of their past domination but, it appeared, a cure for their current problems. After all, the lefthander was the author of their most recent quality start, even if the bullpen blew it for him at Fenway Park precisely one week earlier. Continue

Bombers now a no-fight club

The pitching is frightful, and let's be honest, everything else pales in comparison. Joe Torre would sell his soul for six innings from a starter right now, and yet last night you couldn't help thinking of how many times in recent years the Yankees have outslugged the Red Sox in one of these many four-hour marathons.

So where is the fight in this team? They didn't just lose last night, the Red Sox embarrassed them in their own Stadium, to the point where fans mocked them with cheers when they finally got three outs in the ninth inning. Joe Torre seemed to have the same question about the fight in his team, calling a meeting afterward and urging his players to turn up the intensity before they find themselves swept by the Red Sox again. Continue

Pettitte, Yanks penned in by Sox

With the possible end of a lengthy losing streak looming, Andy Pettitte had his mission plan as he headed out for the fifth inning Friday: protect a two-run lead and get the game into the late innings.

But knowing what to do and actually executing it proved to be more daunting than expected. Pettitte's pitching deviated from the script, and he was in the dugout to watch the end of the frame, and in the clubhouse to witness the end of the Yankees' 11-4 loss to the Red Sox. "It's a joke that I can't go out and get six or seven innings right there, when the team needs me to do that as bad as they do," said Pettitte. Continue

Whole new ballgame

The Yankees aren't big on excuses, but raise the sore topic of last weekend's Red Sox sweep of them at Fenway Park, and they'll offer a gentle reminder they weren't at full strength. "We get them at home, and getting everybody on the field, that's big," Jorge Posada said yesterday.

Since the Yankees left Boston, Hideki Matsui and Chien-Ming Wang have been activated from the disabled list. Also, Posada has returned behind the plate after not starting the final two games at Fenway with a bruised left thumb. Now it's a matter of rectifying the wrongs of last weekend. The Yankees blew two games in the late innings, including one in which Mariano Rivera couldn't protect an eighth-inning lead. Continue

No Hughes cruise, but Bombers will take it

On a cool spring night in the Bronx, with the Yankees spinning through a worrisome crisis, a young man bowed his head, curled his long legs into a crouch and uttered a silent request behind the Stadium mound. What in the name of Chase Wright was Phil Hughes thinking? That he was about to experience the sort of evening millions of children act out in their dreams? That he needed to block out the pressure, the intrigue, the drama, and concentrate only on the tiny pocket in Jorge Posada's mitt? That his pinstriped britches felt slightly tight?

"I said a little prayer for me and my family, stuff like that," Hughes said with a nonchalant shrug a few hours later, after the Yankees had dropped their sixth straight game and failed to soften the screeches of a hysterical fan base. Hughes, a 20-year-old neophyte, packed a blazing fastball and a temperament made of steel, necessary weapons that undoubtedly served as a security blanket when the night turned rough. And it did from the moment he lifted himself out of the crouch and threw his first big-league pitch. Continue

Yanks shut out as Hughes loses debut

On the evening of Phil Hughes' first trip to the Yankee Stadium mound, A.J. Burnett gave the rookie a lesson on how to take care of business. Burnett limited the Yankees to four hits over seven shutout innings as the Blue Jays blanked the Yankees, 6-0, on Thursday, spoiling the 20-year-old Hughes' Major League debut.

With the Yankees held in check and stripped of their extra-base power by Burnett, who walked four and struck out five, Hughes bookended his first Major League start with two-run innings. Widely considered the top pitching prospect in professional baseball, Hughes began his career by allowing four runs and seven hits in a 4 1/3-inning effort. Continue

Was that blood or red paint?

More than two years after the fact we still don't truly know whether that really was blood on the sock of Boston's pitcher / publicist Curt Schilling during the 2004 postseason. Last night, however, we received an interesting second-hand admission that it was staged with - get this - red paint.

Red Sox officials are incensed this morning it's even a question, and Yankees fans surely have to be bothered by this, as well. Every time that darn Schilling sock is mentioned, it reminds Yankee fans of perhaps their worst week in franchise history, when they became the first baseball team to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series, to the Red Sox, no less. Continue

Beyond clouds, Hughes of hope

Phil Hughes wasn't exactly sure how much he was going to sleep last night. With thoughts of his first major league start dancing in his head, he expected to do a fair amount of tossing and turning. But once Hughes goes out to the mound tonight to face the Blue Jays, the 20-year-old righthander expects to get right down to business once the butterflies are gone. "I feel like I've been ready to do this," Hughes said before yesterday's game with Toronto was rained out. "This is a decision (Yankees brass) made and I feel I'm ready to do it and I can't wait." Continue

Call him Stay-Rod

Alex Rodriguez's start has surely opened eyes around the majors, and with the opt-out clause that he can exercise at the end of the year, several teams are surely thinking about how much money they can throw at the two-time MVP this winter.

Of course, first he has to opt out. Yesterday, speaking about the subject for the first time since mid-March, A-Rod stated that he has no plans to leave New York "no matter what." Despite those sentiments, Rodriguez has repeatedly refused to say he will not opt out, choosing instead to express his love for New York. Continue

Jeter sits after HBP on thigh

Derek Jeter left last night's game midway through the first inning after being hit on his left thigh by Scott Kazmir. He is day-to-day. The official diagnosis was "bruised left thigh." Jeter did not undergo X-rays, and hopes to be back in the lineup quickly. Jeter has reached base in all 19 games this season, and has a 14-game hitting streak going. "It's no big deal," Jeter said. "It'll be all right tomorrow. I just couldn't move, so I had to come out." Continue

Skid hits five after bullpen falters

One positive run came to a halt on Tuesday night while another, more troubling one surged ahead. Alex Rodriguez saw his Yankees-record 18-game hitting streak end at Tropicana Field. The third baseman went 0-for-3 and did not add to his record 14 home runs for April, but thanks to a first-inning walk, he has still reached base in each of the 19 games this season.

The homerless night in and of itself was enough disappointment, but it was coupled with the fact that, with the 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay, New York was swept in its last two road series. The defeat ran the Yankees' losing streak to five games, put them in the American League East cellar and made for a very quiet postgame clubhouse. Continue

Hughes must fill major hole

The Phil Hughes era is about to begin. Hughes, who is not only the Yankees' top pitching prospect but the top righthanded pitching prospect in the minor leagues, according to Baseball America, will make his major-league debut Thursday when he starts against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.The Yankees had planned to give him more time in the minors. But injuries and ineffectiveness made another call-up necessary, and Hughes - who had been scheduled to start tonight for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre - was deemed the best option.

"We have a need, and he's the best guy to fill that need," general manager Brian Cashman said by phone yesterday. After Chien-Ming Wang pitches tonight, Andy Pettitte will start tomorrow night, Hughes goes Thursday and Jeff Karstens will face the Red Sox on Friday. Continue

Wang back and ready to pitch in

Chien-Ming Wang missed his chance to start for the Yankees on Opening Day, but last year's Cy Young runnerup will have his own opener tonight, taking the mound for the first time this season. Wang rejoined his teammates at Tropicana Field last night, a welcome sight for the pitching-starved Yankees. Derek Jeter greeted the pitcher with his customary "What up, Wang?!" while Alex Rodriguez walked over and gave his teammate a hug. "Wang," Rodriguez said, "so good to see you."

Wang won 19 games in his first full season last year, but a strained right hamstring cost him the first three weeks of 2007. He made a pair of rehab starts, proving to himself and the organization that he was ready to return to big-league action. Continue

Pitching spoils A-Rod's two homers

The Yankees aren't used to scoring eight runs and losing. That's what has happened lately, though, and it's a trend that the club wants to buck as soon as possible. "That should be enough [runs], but as a team, we're in this together and we're going to do what we can," center fielder Johnny Damon said on Monday after the Yankees' 10-8 loss to the Devil Rays. "There's no secret why we've lost the last four games. [The starting pitchers] need to be better, and we as a core need to be better."

Early exits from the starters have plagued the Yankees, and that was the case on Monday when Kei Igawa dug his team into a 7-4 hole, bowing out after just 4 1/3 innings. It was an uncharacteristic start for a left-hander who had strung together back-to-back strong outings and been charged with just two runs in each. Continue

No Alex miracle or Yank relief

Alex Rodriguez was the last hope to avoid the stinging sweep here at Fenway Park, and that was fitting because A-Rod is all that has kept April from being a complete disaster for the Yankees. But A-Rod was out of ninth-inning miracles. Even in this historic month of slugging, it was too much to ask for another home run. "That's the last thing I was thinking about," A-Rod said afterward.

He said he got a pitch to hit from Jonathan Papelbon, a fastball at the belt that he fouled back. Papelbon wouldn't give him another one, jamming him with a hard sinker that A-Rod could only ground routinely to third for the final out in a wild-and-crazy 7-6 loss to the Red Sox last night. Continue

Penning a defeat

There was a moment in the fourth inning last night in which it appeared as if the Yankees battery was about to become Colter Bean pitching to Josh Phelps. It was not going to be much of a dropoff, because the Yanks began the game with Chase Wright working to Wil Nieves. That is the kind of combo you expect for a March road game to Fort Myers, Fla., not for Sunday Night Baseball at Fenway Park in April; not for The Rivalry on national TV.

Yet, this was the whole Yankees weekend, a grasp at inspiration amid desperation. There was a moment last night when it looked as if they might overcome the hoopla around Daisuke Matsuzaka's first start against the Yanks and Wright becoming the second major leaguer to surrender homers to four consecutive batters and enough Triple-A types to qualify for the International League. Continue

Yanks overwhelmed by Sox's homers

The Yankees trudged out of Fenway Park on Sunday and onward to their next destination, chagrined but not stunned at the Red Sox's tenacity in a three-game series that swept the Bombers out of Boston for the first time in 17 years.

Mike Lowell's three-run homer in the seventh inning -- his second of the game, following a contribution to an earlier historic barrage -- was the deciding blow as the Red Sox outslugged the Yankees, 7-6, completing Boston's first three-game washout of the Yankees since 1990 and returning the favor of last August's so-called five-game "Boston Massacre." Lowell reached reliever Scott Proctor for the blast, which erased a one-run Yankees lead and was Boston's fifth blast of the night, following four consecutive home runs hit off rookie Chase Wright in the third inning. Continue

Boston, Bombers don't give A-Rod a chance in 9th

Alex Rodriguez stood stranded on deck yesterday as the Red Sox completed their victory over the Yanks, an unfamiliar position for him in a season in which it often seems preordained that he be involved in the game's decisive moments. Several times this season Rodriguez has said he's felt like it would come down to his at-bat, and yesterday, as the ninth inning unfolded, that thought drifted into his head again. "Somewhere along the line," Rodriguez said, "I thought I'd have a chance."

From his perch in the Yankee dugout, Joe Torre was wondering, too. After all, his cleanup hitter has already drilled two walk-off homers this season. "I was hoping," Torre said. Not that another Yankee couldn't do the job, but Rodriguez has had an April unlike any player ever. His single in the seventh gave him 31 RBI, matching the most he's had in any month in his career. Entering the ninth, five hitters away from the batter's box, Rodriguez was already 2-for-4 with a double and hoping to get a chance against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon. Continue

Cheap imitation of top-doller roster

The Yankees did not look like the most expensive team in baseball. More like the most exposed. Injuries forced them to depend on a second level of players yesterday who possess Sanjaya-like talent. Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada joined the wounded, leaving the Yankees with Melky Cabrera leading off and a bottom third of the order of Doug Mientkiewicz, Kevin Thompson and Wil Nieves. Don Zimmer's comb had more teeth than that 7-8-9 portion of the Yankees order. Continue

Karstens burned by Sox in debut

In the opinion of at least one veteran observer, the tempo of Jeff Karstens' effort on Saturday derailed not with David Ortiz's fourth-inning home run, but in a six-pitch sequence to the previous batter, Kevin Youkilis.

For the first two innings, the Yankees and Red Sox traded two-run punches like heavyweight contenders, but as the sun began to lower over Fenway Park, so did the offensive output. That made Boston's three-run fourth inning all the more pivotal in an eventual 7-5 Red Sox win. Continue

Say it ain't so, Joe! Torre goes back on his word

Joe Torre said it more than once in spring training. He wasn't going to use Mariano Rivera in the eighth inning this season. Period. Maybe he should have stuck to that vow a little longer. But already it's apparent that Torre doesn't have a set-up man he trusts fully, and so when he was desperate to hang onto a lead against the Red Sox last night, he turned to Rivera because it's always been a sure escape route for him.

On this night, however, Rivera couldn't bail out Luis Vizcaino. Coming in with runners at first and third and one out, he gave up three consecutive hits and, that quickly, another remarkable night for Alex Rodriguez turned to disaster for the Yankees and concern about their legendary closer. Continue

One-man band

Each time Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa batted in 1998 you came to expect long-ball majesty. Even more than when Barry Bonds set the single-season record for homers in 2001, he made you believe in the 2002 playoffs as if there were only two possible outcomes for his plate appearances: intentional walk or clearing the fence.

And now Alex Rodriguez is making the baseball world feel the same, as if there is no way to contain him in a park, as if missing one of his at-bats is as foolish a sport thing as you can do in 2007. But here is a big difference: In retrospect, the muscular achievements of McGwire, Sosa and Bonds are bathed in notoriety. Continue

Posada bruises thumb; Damon has hamstring, back woes

The Yankees' injury list got a little longer last night, as Jorge Posada and Johnny Damon were banged up during the Bombers' shocking 7-6 loss to the Red Sox. Posada left the game in the fourth inning with a bruised left thumb after taking an Andy Pettitte pitch off his hand during David Ortiz's at-bat in the first inning. X-rays were negative, but Posada is questionable for the remainder of the weekend series. "It's bruised and swollen; nothing is broken," Posada said. "It will be a couple of days, probably."

Wil Nieves, who took over for Posada in the fourth, likely will start today. Nieves is 0-for-9 this season and is hitless in 21 big-league at-bats dating back to 2002 when he was with the Padres. If the Yankees choose not to call up a catcher from the minors, Josh Phelps - who hasn't caught in the majors since 2001 - would be the backup. Continue

A-Rod's historic night not enough

Even Alex Rodriguez couldn't save this one. The Yankees' bullpen imploded and the Red Sox rallied for a five-run eighth inning on Friday night, pulling out a 7-6 victory that spoiled Rodriguez's two-homer performance and wasted a strong effort from Andy Pettitte, who returned to a rivalry where -- as he learned again -- anything is possible.

The pivotal inning opened with New York guarding a four-run lead as David Ortiz doubled off reliever Mike Myers. Luis Vizcaino came on and issued a walk to Manny Ramirez, and following a groundout, Mike Lowell drew Boston within three runs with a run-scoring single to left. Continue

Alex, Yanks having blast

Until "Alex The Great," "A-Rod the Magnificent," "Mr. April" - whatever you care to call him now - came to the plate in the ninth inning yesterday and produced yet another miracle finish in the Bronx, it hadn't been shaping up as the best of circumstances for the Yankees going into Beantown for their first showdown against the Red Sox.

We already knew because of the rash of injuries to befall the rotation that it was going to be two rookie starters, Jeff Karstens and Chase Wright, following Andy Pettitte, and then Joe Torre had to run through almost his entire bullpen in an effort to keep the Cleveland Indians in check. Until Luis Vizcaino was tagged with a four-spot in the seventh inning, punctuated by Victor Martinez's three-run homer that seemingly put the game safely in hand at 5-2, the Yankee pen had not been scored on in 8-2/3 innings. All the while, however, the relievers have been asked to shoulder the bulk of the pitching work load. Continue

Red hot A-Rod awaits Red sox

Only because it was paid for did the Yankees take a plane to Boston last night. They easily could have hopped on Alex Rodriguez's back and headed for Fenway Park, where the Yankees and Red Sox open a three-game series tonight.

Though the first of 19 games between the blood rivals signifies the real beginning of the baseball season, it's impossible to ignore what Rodriguez has done in the opening 14 games of the season. Because of his 10 homers, 26 RBIs and .351 batting average, the Yankees are only one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East, instead of six and fading. Continue

Mets and Yanks are most valuable teams

The Yankees were crowned Major League Baseball's most valuable team for the 10th year in a row, while the Mets played second fiddle. The Bronx Bombers are worth $1.2 billion, according to Forbes magazine's annual ranking released yesterday - even though the Yanks lost more than $25 million last year. The Amazin's came in a distant second with a valuation of $736 million.

Rounding out the top five were the Boston Red Sox, $724 million; the Los Angeles Dodgers, $632 million; and the Chicago Cubs, $592 million. The Florida Marlins had the lowest value at $244million. Although Major League Baseball posted a record $496 million in operating income last year, the Yanks ran in the red because the team had to shell out $79million in revenue sharing.

A-Rod's 10th caps Yanks' comeback

Josh Phelps was trotting around the bases to complete what appeared to be a meaningless solo homer Thursday afternoon when Andy Pettitte leaned over and snuck in a quick comment to Alex Rodriguez. Sitting on the Yankees' bench, Pettitte warned Rodriguez that he might have one more at-bat coming. Rodriguez considered the game situation -- two outs, bottom of the ninth -- and admitted he didn't have a very good feeling about this one.

One has to wonder what sort of premonitions Pettitte may hold for the Yankees' upcoming series at Boston. A momentous six-run rally erupted, and just as predicted, Rodriguez delivered the capping blow, tagging closer Joe Borowski for a game-winning three-run homer as the Yankees sunk the Indians, 8-6, to complete a series sweep. Continue

A-Rod closing in on 500 HR club

Alex Rodriguez is on pace for 112 home runs this season. OK, OK, we know it's just April 19, but the way A-Rod is swinging the bat right now it's hard not to dream about what his numbers could look like this season. The Yankees third baseman clocked his major-league-leading ninth home run of the season last night at the Stadium in the Yankees' 9-2 victory over the Indians.

His shot came in the sixth inning with Derek Jeter on first base. He took Tom Mastney's 1-0 pitch that was practically in the dirt deep and belted it into the lower deck of left field. "I'm just feeling good," Rodriguez said. "Even when I get myself out I know exactly what I did and can't wait to get up there and fix it." Continue

Igawa learning how to celebrate

Kei Igawa picked the lineup card off the chair in front of his locker with a puzzled look. He was clearly not familiar with the American baseball tradition of awarding a lineup card to a player to remember personal milestones.

The Yankee lefthander from Japan shrugged and smiled when the tradition was explained to him. He said he might frame it to remember his first win in the American major leagues, a feat he achieved with his best start yet for the Yankees. The 27-year-old gave up two runs off of five hits and one walk in six innings of work. He struck out five in the Yankees' 9-2 victory over the Indians at the Stadium. Igawa said he does not feel like a rookie after years of playing in the Japanese big leagues. Still, he has the added task this season of trying to grow accustomed to the ways of American baseball. Continue

Igawa, Yanks topple Indians

The Yankees batted around for the second consecutive game and Alex Rodriguez continued to gain on the April record for home runs, backing Kei Igawa's first Major League win in a 9-2 drubbing of the Cleveland Indians Wednesday.

New York continued to be an inhospitable venue for Cleveland pitchers, as the Yankees pounded 14 hits and batted 10 men in a five-run third inning, one night after doing so to back rookie Chase Wright's big league debut. On Wednesday, five Yankees had run-scoring hits in the frame, which chased Cleveland starter Jeremy Sowers after just 2 2/3 innings. Sowers allowed six runs and nine hits in the effort, walking one and striking out one. Continue

A-Rod for mayor, prez, pope

Well, I think it's pretty obvious now who should take the mound for the Yankees this weekend at Fenway Park. Saturday or Sunday, whichever works better for the rest of the team. Or Saturday and Sunday. A-Rod.

And if Doug Mientkiewicz's homer last night was just an aberration, if Josh Phelps doesn't find himself quickly, why don't the Yankees just let Alex Rodriguez handle both corners? The way he's playing right now, he could easily field a grounder at third and run it to first, well ahead of the batter. Plus, that would create roster room for Bernie Williams, one of the few guys who always stood by A-Rod. Make A-Rod the general manager! True, he didn't do very well at that job back in Texas, but we all deserve a second chance. Continue

Bats make Wright a winner in debut

Chase Wright could hardly have experienced a better Major League debut had one appeared in his dreams. The 24-year-old left-hander, called up from Double-A to make a start for the Yankees' injury-depleted starting rotation, started shaky, finished strong and received great offensive support in a 10-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

Wright, a third-round draft pick in 2001 who had made just two starts at Double-A Trenton in the Eastern League when he got the call to join the Yankees, gave up a run on two hits and two walks in the first inning, but settled down to finish five innings of work during which he gave up three runs on five hits, walked three and struck out five with 104 pitches. Continue

At just the Wright time

Chase Wright was reassigned from major-league spring training to minor-league spring training the same day as Phil Hughes, March 14. At the time, Hughes' move was the one that drew mass attention. Hughes, after all, is the Yankees' top-ranked prospect by Baseball America and one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Wright had a fantastic season in 2006, but he was 23 and pitching at the Class A level in his sixth year in the Yankees' system.

One month later, however, it's Wright who will be making his major-league debut against the Indians at Yankee Stadium tonight. He began his season at Double-A Trenton in convincing fashion, going 1-0 in two starts with 14 scoreless innings. He has struck out 19, walked one and given up only four hits. Continue

Carl dodges MRI ... for now

The fact that Carl Pavano didn't undergo an MRI yesterday doesn't rule out the American Idle being dumped in a tube today or tomorrow to see what's up with his bothersome right arm. "He was at the Stadium [yesterday] getting treatment and working out in the weight room," general manager Brian Cashman said of the oft-injured pitcher, who was placed on the DL Sunday with tendinitis in the right forearm and elbow. "He will see [Dr. Stuart] Hershon [today]. Right now tests haven't been recommended."

It will be a major upset if Pavano avoids an MRI tube. He has been inside so many while a Yankee, hospitals in New York and Tampa might as well have painted pinstripes and slapped a No. 45 decal on their machines. And don't forget, the usual progression with Pavano is as follows: diagnosis, treatment, tests and a visit to Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham. Continue

Rivera's aura takes a big hit

The Yankees expect to win every time Mariano Rivera has a save opportunity. Their faith in Rivera is ironclad, and even more so when he has a two-run lead with two outs and nobody on base. Yet the unthinkable happened yesterday: Rivera gave up a walk-off three-run home run to light-hitting Marco Scutaro and the A's beat the Yankees, 5-4.

"I'm shocked," manager Joe Torre said. "There's no way that that can happen with Mo on the mound and not be shocked."Said Rivera: "I was upset at myself. I have to control my pitches. I didn't and we lost a game we should have won." Continue

Jeter gets no love from the glove

Six errors in 11 games is a pace Derek Jeter needs to reduce. "I have pretty much used up my allotment," said Jeter, whose first-inning boot led to an unearned run in yesterday's 5-4 loss to the A's.

Jeter, who has won the past three AL Gold Gloves at shortstop, made 15 errors in 154 games last year so six in 11 is alarming. However, he isn't fretting about the miscues. "It may not look like it, but I feel comfortable out there," said Jeter, who made two errors in Saturday night's tilt. "[Saturday,] I was too quick. [Sunday,] I stayed down and it kicked up." Jeter leads the team in errors but he isn't the only one with leaking leather. With 14 errors the Yankees lead the majors. "We have to tighten things up, especially me," Jeter said. "I haven't played well." Continue

Late homer off Rivera stuns Yankees

It took the Yankees' bats a while to wake up on Sunday after Saturday's 13-inning night game, but New York's offense finally showed some life in the seventh inning. After producing only two hits through the first five innings, the Yankees lit up the board with three runs on three hits in the seventh. But the seventh-inning slugging wasn't enough, as New York fell to Oakland, 5-4. It almost was enough. Going into the ninth, New York carried a two-run lead, but Marco Scutaro smacked a three-run, walk-off homer off Mariano Rivera with two outs. Continue

Yanks put Mussina, Pavano on DL

The Yankees' beleaguered pitching rotation suffered another major hit on Sunday, as right-handers Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano were both placed on the 15-day disabled list. Both players were disabled retroactively, with right-hander Chris Britton joining the club from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to help a staff that entered Sunday having played two consecutive extra-inning games at Oakland.

No starting pitcher has yet been named to fill the two vacancies in the rotation, though Double-A left-hander Chase Wright leads the Eastern League with 19 strikeouts in 14 innings and is on the 40-man roster, making him a strong candidate to fill in Tuesday against the Indians. Continue

Other-way-Rod

Jason Giambi remembers chatting with Alex Rodriguez around the batting cage when A-Rod was still a Ranger. Giambi told A-Rod that when you combined his natural swing with the jetstream in right-center field in his power-friendly home park that 50, 60, maybe even 70 homers were possible. That is why Giambi became increasingly dismayed last season as Rodriguez's opposite-field power diminished sharply, especially since Yankee Stadium, too, favors those who can use right field.

We have endlessly delved into A-Rod's mind to unearth why he did not punish pitchers in 2006 with a consistency to honor his skill. But the answer might have been more physical than mental. Even Rodriguez has conceded his swing was off last year. He routinely got trapped with his foot too high in his leg-kick mechanism as the pitch hurled toward home. That forced him to hurriedly slam the foot, open up his front half too quickly and dampen one of his most precious skills: his ability to stay on the ball and drive it with rare force to the opposite field. Continue

Wang hurls 5 no-hit frames in rehab start

Chien-Ming Wang threw five no-hit innings yesterday in an extended spring training game against Devil Rays minor leaguers at the Yankees' training complex in Tampa. The righthander walked one and struck out six, throwing 55 pitches, 35 for strikes. He then went to the bullpen, where he threw 15 more pitches. "No problems," Wang told The Associated Press. "I felt stronger (each inning)."

"He was great," said Joe Torre, who got his report from GM Brian Cashman. "Good velocity; first inning, he was up a little, but after that, he was solid. We're looking forward to Thursday." That's when Wang will make another rehab start, most likely for Single-A Tampa. If that outing goes well, he could return to the rotation the following Tuesday, when the Bombers play the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. Continue

Giambi ends long night with long ball

Brian Bruney said he took an extra measure of satisfaction when rookie Travis Buck went down looking at a called third strike in the 13th inning Saturday, the final touch on a 4-3 marathon Yankees victory at McAfee Coliseum. Approximately 24 hours earlier, Buck had thrown his batting helmet near home plate in celebration of Oakland's series-opening victory, a gesture that Bruney -- Friday's losing pitcher -- thought to be excessive.

There was no such celebration Saturday after Jason Giambi hit a towering home run in the 13th inning. Bruney said he watched replays of the Buck highlights a few times before Saturday's game, and while it wasn't the only motivation behind the right-hander's two-inning relief effort, it surely didn't hurt. Continue

A-Rod may overtake them all

With the Yankees in the Bay Area, where the Giants' Barry Bonds is closing in on Hank Aaron's record of 755 career home runs, the focus turned to Alex Rodriguez and whether he someday might challenge that number himself. Rodriguez, 31, entered Friday night's game with 470 career home runs. His 35 homers last year were his lowest season total since 1997, and he has hit 40-plus homers in seven of the past nine seasons. If Rodriguez were to average 40 home runs per year, he would pass Aaron's 755 at age 38. Of course, Bonds is likely to have more than 755 by then.

Asked if he thinks Rodriguez can reach that point, Joe Torre said: "I don't think there's any question. Again, it comes down to his staying healthy." Rodriguez has avoided talking about a pursuit of the record. But Bonds, when asked by The New York Times last month if he thinks he himself can hit 800 home runs, said: "Call A-Rod." Continue

Carl: Big gain, some pain

A familiar problem cropped up Friday - Carl Pavano will miss a start because of injury. Pavano was scratched from Saturday night's scheduled start against the A's with muscle soreness in his right forearm just below the elbow. The Yankees don't think this is cause for great concern and have slated him to pitch Tuesday, but it's never safe to assume too much with him. Injuries were a never-ending story line the previous two years.

Pavano insists this is different, saying: "It's showing good signs of bouncing back." The soreness cropped up during the last innings of his start Monday in Minnesota, Pavano said. He continued to pitch, allowing two earned runs in seven innings for his first win since May 22, 2005. He threw on the side Tuesday and Wednesday but kept feeling stiffness. Pavano eventually told trainer Gene Monahan and was told Friday that he will not pitch Saturday. Continue

Igawa denied first win for Yankees

As Brian Bruney offered an 11th-inning intentional pass to Nick Swisher on Friday, he knew that the strategy was baseball's 11th-hour equivalent of a Hail Mary, playing out on the same turf where the Oakland Raiders pin their weekend hopes.

But with the potential winning run already standing on third base and just one out, it wasn't like the Yankees had a world of options left. The prayer didn't pan out, as Bobby Kielty's infield bouncer drove home Travis Buck and lifted the Athletics to a 5-4 victory at McAfee Coliseum. "The guy could hit a missile at somebody and we could get an out," Bruney said. "You throw the pitch that you think could get a ground ball, and let them hit it." Continue

Yankees mulling Moose options, including DL

Mike Mussina underwent treatment for his strained left hamstring yesterday, but the Yankees have not yet decided whether he will land on the disabled list in the coming days. "As of right now, it's not something we're prepared to move on," Brian Cashman said. "The DL isn't out of the possibility, but it's not being recommended right now."

The righthander left Wednesday night's game in the third inning after feeling his hamstring grab at him a couple of times, but both he and Joe Torre hoped that it would cost him no more than one start. "He felt something and was smart enough to shut it down instead of letting it develop into something more," Cashman said. "So far, my trainers are telling me it's too early to call it yet. He might just miss one start." Continue

Igawa gets 2nd chance to impress

George Steinbrenner wasn't pleased with Kei Igawa's Yankees debut Saturday. After watching Igawa surrender seven runs, eight hits, walk three and hit a batter in five innings against the Orioles, The Boss had questions about his $46 million investment. Tonight, Igawa has a golden opportunity to impress Steinbrenner and his teammates when the 27-year-old lefty takes the mound against the anemic-hitting A's at McAfee Coliseum.

Though another clunker wouldn't likely result in an immediate demotion, Chien-Ming Wang and Jeff Karstens are getting closer to coming off the disabled list. It's expected Karstens will replace Darrell Rasner as the No. 5 starter. Wang, the ace, could bump Igawa out of the rotation and all the way to Scranton / Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A). Continue

Jeter jumps to honor Jackie

Joe Torre, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano will join Mariano Rivera wearing "42" Sunday in Oakland against the A's to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major-league debut.

"It was an easy decision for me," said Jeter, who asked to wear the number when he found out multiple players from teams were going to don it. "It will bring attention to what Jackie stood for, not only in baseball but society. If there is one player I would have wanted to play with and talk to it would be Jackie." Continue

Mussina leaves with leg strain

Yankees right-hander Mike Mussina left Wednesday's start against the Twins in the third inning with a strained left hamstring, which will cost him at least his next turn around the rotation. Mussina worked two complete innings against Minnesota, making his second start of the season, but called to pitching coach Ron Guidry after feeling a repeating "grab" in the back of his leg.

"It was the same feeling over and over," Mussina said. "I knew I couldn't pitch effectively if it was going to go that way." The 38-year-old faced two batters in the third inning, allowing hits to Luis Rodriguez and Alexi Casilla before exiting with a 2-1 count on Twins leadoff batter Luis Castillo. Continue

Yankees drop series finale vs. Twins

Kyle Farnsworth had already walked out the door by the time the true impact of the Yankees' Wednesday contest at the Metrodome settled in. Mike Mussina started the Yankees' eventual 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Twins, but left after two-plus innings due to injury.

The decision may have been charged to Farnsworth, who surrendered four runs in an ineffective eighth inning, but the loss may prove to be Mussina, who will miss at least his next turn around the rotation with a strained left hamstring. While the Yankees are optimistic that Mussina's strain may not be "full-blown," as manager Joe Torre put it, Mussina's absence will further exacerbate what has become a disturbing trend for the Yankees. The season is not even two weeks old, and already two outfielders and two pitchers will have missed time with muscle strains. Continue

Rodriguez's red-hot start could prove most valuable

Alex Rodriguez's sizzling start must be a very encouraging sign for the Yankees, who have seen firsthand that when A-Rod starts strong out of the gate, he usually doesn't let up. After belting a two-run home run in the first inning to start the Yankees on their way to a 10-1 rout of the Twins, Rodriguez has six home runs and 15 RBI in the first seven games, opening 2007 in historic fashion.

"You don't want to miss any of his at-bats right now; that's how good he is," Jorge Posada said. "He's locked in and doing a lot of things well. It's fun to see." "He's up there and it doesn't look like he's overplaying his hand," Joe Torre said. "He's taking what comes as opposed to trying to create what's going to happen. He's daring people to get him out, which is a great attitude to have." Continue

Very quietly, Abreu comes out swinging

Alex Rodriguez's hot start has overshadowed Bobby Abreu's impressive first week, though Abreu and A-Rod may be big reasons for each other's early success. Abreu is batting .321. His 10 runs scored are tied with Rodriguez for the most in the AL, as he continues his role as a table-setter for the middle of the Yankees' lineup. "I think Bobby helps our whole lineup," Joe Torre said. "He's on base a lot. He makes the pitcher work. He does so many things that fit in with the type of club we want to have. "When you've got Alex behind you, it's an advantage," Abreu said. "You can take advantage of the fact that they're going to come right at you with a good pitch." Continue

A-Rod stays hot as Pettitte, Yanks win

Alex Rodriguez continued to hit home runs at a historic pace and Andy Pettitte threw six shutout innings on Tuesday, picking up his first Yankees victory since 2003 in New York's 10-1 defeat of the Minnesota Twins. Rodriguez became the first player in Yankees history to homer six times in the first seven games of a season, extending his Major League home run lead in the first inning with a two-run shot to left off Minnesota's Boof Bonser.

"He's unbelievable right now," Pettitte said. "He's locked in and focused. He's not giving any at-bats away. It's awesome to see." Rodriguez has now homered in four consecutive games, and his six home runs and 15 RBIs pace the Major Leagues. Continue

Bombers bullish on revamped pen after successful stand

It's no secret that the Yankees' starting pitchers had an abysmal week to open the season, failing to reach the sixth inning in each of the first five games. But overshadowed in the 2-3 home stand was the Yankees' bullpen, which put together a spectacular week while picking up the rotation's slack.

"Even when we have a problem like we did (last) week, we're going to be okay," pitching coach Ron Guidry said. "We have the arms to get the job done. This bullpen is going to be pretty special." Finally, last night, Carl Pavano went seven innings in the Yankees' 8-2 win, which Brian Bruney and Kyle Farnsworth closed out with a scoreless inning apiece. Last year, the formula was simple: Scott Proctor to Farnsworth to Mariano Rivera. Those three pitchers were Joe Torre's mainstays when the team had a lead in the seventh inning, and it worked well for most of the season. Continue

Cabrera a fixture but rarely on base

In spring training, the Yankees talked about needing to find at-bats for Melky Cabrera. He was so valuable to them last season, but they weren't sure where they would fit him in with regulars Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu. Now that Matsui is on the disabled list with a hamstring strain, the Yankees don't have to work to get Cabrera in the lineup. "It's Melky every day," manager Joe Torre said.

At the moment, that's not as much of a welcome thing as the Yankees perhaps expected. Cabrera has not hit nearly as well as he did last season (.280 average), either in spring training or the first week of the season. He hit .206 in spring training with one extra-base hit. Continue

A-Rod's fifth helps Pavano top Twins

Bobby Abreu drove in four runs and Alex Rodriguez homered for the third consecutive game, backing Carl Pavano's first victory in nearly two years as the Yankees routed the Twins on Monday, 8-2.

With Pavano seeking his first Major League win since May 22, 2005, Abreu helped make the achievement as simple as possible, coming up with a three-hit evening and scoring three runs to cushion the best starting effort turned in by a Yankee so far this season. The right fielder singled home a run in the first inning, hit a two-run homer in the second and added another RBI single in the sixth. Continue

A-Rod's encore is a grand entrance

Alex Rodriguez needs only a few strides to get from the on-deck circle to the batter's box, and as he took them in the first inning yesterday, something was clearly different. It wasn't Rodriguez himself, but rather the Stadium-wide vibe that greeted him. A sign with an Easter theme was unfurled in the upper deck: "ARod has Risen," it read. In another part of the stands, a sign declared some fans "ARod's Army." And when his name was announced as he dug in at the plate to face Baltimore's Erik Bedard, it wasn't met with tension or mixed reactions, just a big standing ovation.

Rodriguez could have basked in the adulation that came from his game-winning grand slam in the ninth inning on Saturday. Instead, he remained locked in at the plate, jumping on Bedard's first pitch and planting it over the fence in right-center. Continue

Rotation a flop first time through

IT began to snow in the fifth inning yesterday and the Yankees needed to go to the bullpen. Neither was a surprise any longer in early April, not the unseasonable weather nor the kind of unsightly start that necessitated Joe Torre having to go quickly and often to his relievers.

The Yankees completed one turn around their rotation yesterday and it was enough to turn stomachs. The best thing you can say for the Yankee starters at this point is there are still 157 games to go. That might be the worst thing, as well. "The bottom line is the first week was not good; guilty as charged," GM Brian Cashman said. "I am not happy with it, but I believe it will get better." Continue

Matsui placed on 15-day disabled list

The Yankees placed Hideki Matsui on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, one day after the outfielder str