Yankees baseball blog

$46 million pan

When Joe Girardi replaced Joe Torre as Yankees manager, he said every player he inherited had a clean slate. Last night, Girardi stood behind those words when right-hander Brian Bruney was named part of the team's bullpen.

It was a mild surprise when the Yankees tendered the hard-throwing right-hander, who was left off last year's playoff roster. Some believed the Yankees thought they could get something for Bruney's power arm, because he didn't seem to fit into the their 2008 plans. But Bruney arrived in Tampa in great shape and pitching hard. Continue

Hughes Phil-ing fantastic

When talking about Generation Trey there are several voices who believe Phil Hughes is better than Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy. Last night Hughes delivered a performance to fuel that debate when he went five innings against the Phillies at Legends Field, gave up three runs and fanned six.

"I felt really good, the fastball was 100 times better and I threw all my pitches for strikes," Hughes said after a 13-4 win. "I am ready to go. The home run (to Pedro Feliz) was on the only bad pitch I made." If Andy Pettitte is healthy, Hughes will fall into the No. 4 spot in the rotation. However, with his stuff and makeup it's not likely that he stays that low. Continue

Phil Hughes allows first three homers of spring on windy night

For a couple of minutes Wednesday night, Phil Hughes wasn't sure where he was. With the Bradenton winds gusting at 25 mph, the young Yankee watched three balls sail over the fence for home runs, the first three long balls he had given up this spring. "I thought we were in Chicago out there," joked Hughes.

Fortunately for Hughes, he was in Florida, pitching in a game that didn't count. The stat line - seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and two walks in four-plus innings - was ugly but he managed to find some positives on an otherwise forgettable evening. Continue

Andy Pettitte impressive vs. Red Sox

The Yankees didn't seemed overly concerned about Andy Pettitte's elbow injury when he was scratched from his start two Saturdays ago.

Still, there had to be some comfort for the entire team Monday as the lefty tossed 65 pitches against the Red Sox. He had no trouble with his arm during the outing, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks in 3-1/3 innings, facing the majority of Boston's regular lineup."It was good to see those guys, to see big league hitters, especially after having a little bit of a layoff," Pettitte said. "They have a great lineup, so you have to make good pitches." Continue

Damon feeling fine in leftfield for Yankees

At this time last year, the Yankees were planning on playing Johnny Damon in centerfield on a regular basis. Then Damon battled a right calf strain in April and Melky Cabrera kept making positive strides, eventually emerging as the regular centerfielder. Damon, who played in 131 games in centerfield in his first year as a Yankee in 2006, wound up playing only 48 games in center last season. By the offseason, conventional wisdom was that even if Cabrera were traded to the Twins in a package for Johan Santana, Damon likely would not be the starting centerfielder. Continue

Yankees' Mussina perfect for 5 innings

It would be hard for Mike Mussina to do more to calm uneasy fans about his prospects for this season than he did yesterday. Mussina pitched five perfect innings in the Yankees' 5-3 loss to the Pirates at Legends Field. Still, he wasn't getting carried away. "Some days the results are so good," he said, "you can't figure out how that happened with the stuff you had out there." Continue

Yankees' Wang rebounds, looks sharp against Jays

Chien-Ming Wang didn't make it through the first inning his last time out. He gave up six earned runs to the Reds in two-thirds of an inning, the shortest start he could remember making since he was in the minor leagues in 2003. For pitching coach Dave Eiland, that made yesterday an important start for Wang. "Absolutely," Eiland said. "He made the adjustments that he needed to make." "Every time I go to the mound for me is important," Wang said.

Wang pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in the Yankees' 6-1 win over the Blue Jays yesterday, with nine of the 11 outs he recorded coming on ground balls. That was even more significant in the Yankees' minds, because the Blue Jays have given Wang fits of late. He was 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in three starts against them last season. Continue

Phil Hughes throws 4 hitless innings for Yankees in 6-4 win over Twins

Phil Hughes could have been pitching his home games this spring at Hammond Stadium, preparing for his first season as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Instead, the 21-year-old went out Sunday and showed the Twins and the rest of the American League what to expect from him.

Hughes - whose named was mentioned all winter as a possible trading chip as the Twins shopped Johan Santana - threw four no-hit innings against Minnesota, retiring the first nine Twins he faced before issuing a four-pitch walk to open the fourth. Hughes walked two in that inning, but he made it through without allowing a run, continuing his impressive spring. Continue

As Kei Igawa bounces back, Yankees enjoy a perfectly rainy day

A day that was almost washed away by rain turned out to be a positive one for the Yankees. Kei Igawa threw a pair of 1-2-3 innings while Billy Traber struck out the side as four Yankees hurlers combined on a rain-shortened, five-inning perfect game in a 2-0 victory over the Blue Jays.

"That's my third," joked Joe Girardi, who caught David Cone's 1999 perfecto and was in the dugout for David Wells' 1998 gem. "This was a great day. It looked like we weren't going to get much in and we got to see a lot from our lefties." "It wasn't in the World Series," quipped Yogi Berra, who caught Don Larsen's 1956 classic. Igawa, who was hit hard on Friday in his outing against the University of South Florida, retired all six batters he faced, striking out two. Of his 18 pitches, 13 were strikes, an encouraging sign for the lefthander. Continue

Yankees' Mike Mussina shelled vs. Astros in first spring appearance

Giving up five runs over two-plus innings is generally a cause for concern for a pitcher. Unless that outing takes place in the first week of March, of course.

To say that Mike Mussina was pleased with his performance against the Astros Monday would be inaccurate, but it's not as though the veteran starter was broken up, either. For Mussina, this is simply the first of six spring starts designed to have him ready for the first week of April.

"I'm not in pitching shape yet," Mussina said, a bag of ice on his 39-year-old arm. "You don't just jump back out there and have it right back the way it was. It's frustrating, because I felt good enough to throw better than that. I just didn't pitch very well." Continue

For Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, debut is striking

On the surface, it was just another spring opener - a sunny Florida day, a college team in the other dugout and a bunch of Yankees eager to shake off the dull repetition of spring drills and get back to playing against guys wearing a different uniform.

Yet with Joba Chamberlain starting and Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes following him to the mound, it was easy to add symbolism to the Yankees' 11-4 victory Friday over the University of South Florida. After all, three significant pieces of the Yanks' present and future, the kind of players who might have been dealt away for a big star in years past, were on display. Continue

Hughes: You’d have to be stupid to use now

The Yankees will play a baseball game this afternoon. They will open the gates at soon-to-be-renamed Steinbrenner Field and they will play the University of South Florida Bulls, and never has the dawning of an exhibition season been more perfectly timed, or fervently welcomed.

The business week closes with one prominent pitcher of the Yankees past on the Justice Department's watch list, a prominent pitcher of the Yankees present hoping to click his heels and make the entire steroid era - and his involvement in it - vanish, and three prominent components of the Yankees future readying to chase greatness. Continue

Jason Giambi aims to regain top form

It has been more than five years since Jason Giambi was considered one of the top hitters in baseball. Sure, he has belted his share of home runs since 2003, but the man who captured the 2000 American League MVP award and instilled fear in opposing pitchers was about much more than the long ball.

At his peak in 2001, Giambi was a .342 hitter who ripped doubles all over the ballpark. In recent years, his fragile legs have taken away his ability to hit to all fields, turning him into a pull hitter often victimized by infield shifts. Continue

Melancon the next Joba?

Attention shifted from the main diamond at Legends Field in mid-afternoon yesterday. Alex Rodriguez had begun signing autographs down the right-field line and the roughly 200 fans who had stuck out an entire workout on a hot, sunny afternoon either raced to the area or focused upon it.They very possibly missed Next.

Mark Melancon did not pitch an inning last season. He has pitched 6 2/3 innings in his entire minor league career. Yet, Yankees officials speculate Melancon could pull a Joba, emulating Mr. Chamberlain by rocketing from the Florida State League to late-inning Yankee relevance in one season. This season. "I thank Joba for opening that door," Melancon said after a simulated two-inning batting practice session. Continue

Posada hopes last year's stats are catching

No one could expect Jorge Posada to repeat his 2007 season. Not even he considers it realistic. "I'm not a .330 hitter," said Posada, who hit .338 in 2007, 51 points better than his previous high and 68 points better than his career average entering the season.

But just what can the Yankees hope for from Posada? He had one of the all-time great seasons by a catcher last year, hitting 20 homers with 90 RBIs, 91 runs scored and a .969 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. According to Baseball Prospectus, that gave him a VORP (value over replacement player rating) of 73.4, eighth-highest in the major leagues and highest among catchers. Continue

Johnny Damon likes Yankees' chances

Young pitchers? Old players? New manager? None of it matters to Johnny Damon. As far as Damon is concerned, the Yankees are in prime position to return to the postseason for a 14th consecutive year, regardless of the question marks surrounding the team entering the spring. "We're going to be in the postseason," Damon told the Daily News on Thursday. "I think we're one of the teams to beat."

With a rotation that is likely to include two pitchers under 24, the Yankees are banking on the maturation of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain to solidify their staff. Add in a starting lineup that features just two players under the age of 32, and health becomes a major factor for the Bombers' success as well. Continue

Get used to Jase at first base

Jason Giambi was well into a punishing offseason conditioning program when Joe Girardi phoned with a plea Giambi was happy to hear. "He told me, 'I need you at first base,' " Giambi said yesterday at Legends Field on the eve of the first full squad spring training workout. "It was nice to hear."

If Giambi, who missed nine weeks last season with a foot problem, can stay healthy and produce while playing first base, Girardi will have solved the headache of how to get Johnny Damon,Hideki Matsui and Giambi in the lineup together. Other than finding who can help in the bullpen, the Damon-Matsui-Giambi triangle puzzle is the Yankees' biggest question in camp. Continue

Andy Pettitte readies public pitch

Andy Pettitte has faced plenty of pressure over his 13-year career, but what the lefthander will encounter Monday at Legends Field will be unlike anything he has ever experienced.

Pettitte will make his first appearance at Yankees camp, having been granted four extra days at home to clear his head. His spring training debut won't have anything to do with fastballs or fielding, though. Instead, it will consist of a podium, a microphone and uncomfortable moments. Continue

Relaxed Andy Pettitte won't discuss Roger Clemens until next week

Andy Pettitte, unshaven and unshaken by the furor his testimony caused for Roger Clemens, said Thursday he'll discuss it when he gets to Yankee camp on Monday. "I'll talk when I get to spring training," a relaxed Pettitte said outside his Deer Park home a day after Clemens - his best friend, workout buddy and ex-teammate - said Pettitte's damning statements about Clemens' human growth hormone use were inaccurate.

Pettitte, who dodged a scheduled appearance Wednesday before the House committee that grilled Clemens, wore a dark T-shirt, jeans and a well-worn maroon baseball cap when he came outside. Continue

Derek Jeter springs for stability

A ball takes two hops on green grass before a glove snares it. As he makes the ensuing throw, the man with the glove yelps, "Ouch!"

On most workdays for Derek Jeter, he is playing shortstop in front of 50,000 fans, a sizable television audience and a crowded press box. Any exclamation such as that while making a throw would instantly be big news. But these are the last few lazy mornings before spring training begins and Jeter is only kidding. There is no pop or pain, just a silly ritual he says helps him get warmed up. Continue