Spring Game 19: Yankees at Rays
March 21, 2012, 1:05 p.m. ET, Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, Fla.
YANKEES (9-9)
Russell Martin C
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Dewayne Wise CF
Cole Garner LF
Chris Dickerson RF
Pitching: Phil Hughes RHP
RAYS (5-10)
Ben Zobrist RF
Luke Scott DH
Evan Longoria 3B
Carlos Pena 1B
Matt Joyce LF
Jeff Keppinger 2B
Jose Molina C
Sean Rodriguez SS
Jesus Feliciano CF
Pitching: Kyle Farnsworth RHP
Swisher: “I don’t like coming off the field”
Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher was forced to exit Tuesday’s Grapefruit League game against the Pirates with tightness in his right groin.
The injury is on the opposite side of the groin from the tightness that had kept Swisher out of the lineup last week. Tuesday marked Swisher’s first game back in action, but he had to leave for a pinch-runner after a third-inning at-bat, legging out a run-scoring infield grounder that was ruled an error.
“It’s frustrating, man,” Swisher said. “I don’t like getting hurt, banged up and missing days, but I’d rather be missing them now than during the season.”
Swisher said that head athletic trainer Steve Donohue told him flexibility may be an issue, and he expected to make some modifications to his program in the weight room after coming into Spring Training having remodeled his body by training with football players in the Los Angeles area.
Swisher said he did not expect to be sent for an MRI on Tuesday, though he had been sent for tests after the initial groin injury. Manager Joe Girardi took no chances, immediately pulling him for pinch-runner Justin Maxwell.
“I don’t like coming off the field,” Swisher said. “It’s not my style.”
Jeter will sit until Friday with sore calf
Derek Jeter’s sore left calf will keep him out of the Yankees lineup until Friday. Manager Joe Girardi said that if this were the regular season, Jeter would likely be playing tonight against the Pirates, but they’ll give him the extra time to rest.
This also saves Jeter two long bus rides to Port Charlotte, Fla. tomorrow (Rays) and Fort Myers, Fla. (Red Sox) on Thursday.
Nick Swisher (groin), Russell Martin (groin) and Robinson Cano (bruised left hand) are all in the lineup tonight against Pittsburgh.
Freddy Garcia (bruised right hand) threw a bullpen and everything went well, Girardi said, but it’s too soon to tell if a start on Friday is realistic. David Robertson also threw a bullpen and could be pitching live batting practice later this week.
The Yankees have sent right-handers George Kontos, D.J. Mitchell and David Phelps, plus infielder Brandon Laird, to the Minors.
Cano’s X-rays negative; Girardi says “he’ll be fine”
SARASOTA, Fla. – If there is one concern that would shatter what has largely been an encouraging spring for the Yankees thus far, it would be any sort of lingering injury for Robinson Cano.
The Yankees held their breath on Sunday when Cano was drilled in the left hand by a pitch from the Orioles’ Troy Patton, but X-rays taken were negative after Cano exited the Grapefruit League contest at Ed Smith Stadium.
“The X-rays were negative, so he’ll be fine,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who called the injury a contusion. “You worry about guys getting hit, especially in the hand – it’s so dangerous. … It’s not broken, so it’s sore.”
Girardi said that Cano was hit on the meaty part of his left hand, below the pinky finger. He was batting in the sixth inning against the left-hander Patton when he swung at a pitch that clipped his hand, ruled a strikeout by first base umpire Tim Welke.
Cano doubled over in apparent pain and was immediately seen on the field by head athletic trainer Steve Donohue. Cano made no effort to go to first base, instead led into the third-base dugout.
Cano left the stadium while New York and Baltimore completed the game, with his hand heavily iced, according to Girardi. The manager said that he does not expect Cano to have a lengthy absence from the lineup.
“We’ll see how he is Tuesday, but I don’t imagine it’ll be long,” Girardi said.
Earlier this spring, the Yankees lost infielder Eduardo Nunez for nearly two weeks of Grapefruit League games on a similar hit-by-pitch. Nunez was hit in his right hand in a March 5 exhibition against the Phillies and, despite negative results on an X-ray and CT scan, felt continued discomfort in his hand until returning to action on Saturday against the Astros.
The 29-year-old Cano batted .302 with 28 home runs, 118 RBIs in 159 games for New York last season, setting a career high in RBIs and ranking second in the Major Leagues with 81 extra-base hits.
Cano leaves game after being hit by pitch
SARASOTA, Fla. – Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano left Sunday’s Grapefruit League exhibition against the Orioles after being hit on the left hand by a pitch.
Cano was batting in the sixth inning at Ed Smith Stadium against Baltimore left-hander Troy Patton when he swung at a pitch that clipped his hand, ruled a strikeout by first base umpire Tim Welke.
Cano doubled over in apparent pain and was immediately seen on the field by head athletic trainer Steve Donohue, who helped the slugger into the third-base dugout.
The 29-year-old Cano batted .302 with 28 home runs and 118 RBIs in 159 games for New York last season, setting a career high in RBIs and ranking second in the Major Leagues with 81 extra-base hits.
Spring Game 17: Yankees at Orioles
March 18, 2012, 7:05 p.m. ET, Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, Fla.
YANKEES (8-8)
Brett Gardner LF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Bill Hall 3B
Justin Maxwell RF
Dewayne Wise LF
Gustavo Molina C
Pitching: Ivan Nova RHP (expected to go 5 IP, 75 pitches)
Also scheduled to pitch: David Phelps RHP, George Kontos RHP, D.J. Mitchell RHP, Clay Rapada LHP.
ORIOLES (5-7-3)
Endy Chavez LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Nick Markakis DH
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 3B
Ryan Flaherty RF
Robert Andino 2B
Pitching: Alfredo Simon RHP
Also scheduled to pitch: Jon Link RHP, TBA.
Saturday notes: Cano’s moonshot
The only question about Robinson Cano’s second-inning blast off the Astros’ Bud Norris was how far it was going to go. Cano’s first homer of the spring was a tape-measure drive that appeared headed for Dale Mabry Highway, clearing the right-field picnic pavilion. Cano said he lost track of the ball in the air, but knew he’d squared it up well.
“I hit that one pretty good,” Cano said. “I don’t think I could hit anyone harder than that. I lost it [off the bat]. … I might see it when I go out there.”
Yankees manager Joe Girardi has noticed a trend of loud baseballs coming off Cano’s bat, which he loves.
“The last couple of days it seems like he is starting to get locked in a little bit, which is important,” Girardi said. “I think the more repetitions they’re getting is probably helping some of our guys.”
What went right: Hiroki Kuroda (4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) was “really good,” Girardi said, and he threw strikes. Kuroda got 49 of 59 pitches over for strikes, and Girardi complimented his sinker and split in particular. … Mariano Rivera breezed through an eight-pitch inning, getting a double play to escape after hitting the leadoff man. … Eduardo Nunez went 1-for-2 in his first game action since March 5, coming back from a bruised right hand. … Curtis Granderson had an RBI double. Andruw Jones had an RBI single. … Cory Wade threw two scoreless innings. … Dellin Betances sprinted to first base for the final out, laughing, “That was harder than it looked.”
What went wrong: Raul Ibanez’s silent spring continues. He was hitless in two at-bats and is 2-for-28. Girardi said he’s not concerned. … Boone Logan struggled in the eighth, allowing two runs and three hits.
What they said: ”If there were six boxes you’d want to check in a baseball player, he checks all six of them at A-plus, from his Navy SEAL work ethic to his high character, to his game pitchability to what he means to CC and four nights out of the week being in his right ear for nine innings. The demands of excellence are one like I’ve never seen before, probably [except for] Mariano Rivera.” – Alex Rodriguez on Andy Pettitte.
What’s next: The Yankees will pay a visit to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Sunday night for a 7:05 ET game against the Orioles that can be seen on MLB.TV and MLB Network. Ivan Nova, who worked four shutout innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday, is slated to make his fourth start of the spring.
Spring Game 16: Yankees vs. Astros
March 17, 2012, 1:05 p.m. ET, George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, Fla.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Which guest instructor will come out of retirement today? Bernie Williams? David Wells? Reggie Jackson? Yogi?
No, Brian Cashman said that he has nothing new cooking with anyone when he was half-jokingly asked on the field this afternoon. That’s OK, because yesterday’s stunner has left us with plenty to talk about. The Andy Pettitte watch will continue into next week, but in the meantime, the Yankees have business to attend to on the field here.
Eduardo Nunez tested his right hand in batting practice and came through fine, so he’s in today’s lineup. Mariano Rivera is scheduled to pitch an inning today, and I’d like to get another look at switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, who was brought over from Minor League camp for the day.
ASTROS (7-6)
Jason Bourgeois CF
Matt Downs 2B
J.D. Martinez LF
Jack Cust DH
Chris Johnson 3B
Brad Snyder RF
Chris Snyder C
Brett Wallace 1B
Marwin Gonzalez SS
Pitching: Bud Norris RHP
YANKEES (7-8)
Brett Gardner LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Raul Ibanez DH
Andruw Jones RF
Eric Chavez 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Francisco Cervelli C
Pitching: Hiroki Kuroda RHP
- The Yankees are 7-6 on St. Patrick’s Day over the last 12 years (since 2000), with two split squads (2001, ’02) and a 2005 rainout.
- Mariano Rivera has not allowed an earned run in his last 23 spring innings, dating to March 13, 2008.
Swisher’s MRI clean; expects to play Sunday
Nick Swisher said that the MRI on his sore groin showed no problems – “Just as we expected,” Swisher said – and that he expects to play in Sunday’s road game against the Orioles in Sarasota.
He was much more effusive in talking about Andy Pettitte’s return. Swisher was screaming at Pettitte on the phone yesterday after the news broke, and the outfielder was caught completely off guard.
“When I found out, how am I not going to call him? What an amazing guy,” Swisher said. “What an amazing sports figure in general. It’s so funny because I played golf with him like two or three weeks ago. We were kind of talking and I was like, ‘Man, you look like you’re in great shape. He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve been working out a little bit.’ Now I know exactly what he was doing.”
Swisher acknowledged he probably couldn’t have kept the secret even if Pettitte had let him in.
“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me, bro? You couldn’t even tell me that?’” Swisher said. “He was like, ‘Come on Swish. You know I couldn’t tell you that.’ We’re all excited. I was super excited just because now you’re bringing back another little core member. It’s great, man. I know a lot of the guys are really, really excited. Me especially. I’m super excited.”
Friday notes: Andy’s back!
There was a game on Friday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, but very little of it was actually seen by the reporters covering the Yankees. News broke of Andy Pettitte’s return about 10 minutes before first pitch, as reported first by the YES Network’s Jack Curry, and the day was a whirlwind from there.
Phil Hughes understood; because of conflicting press conferences with Brian Cashman and Pettitte via conference call, it had been impossible to watch most of his four innings of work. Hughes didn’t seem initially thrilled by Pettitte’s return; he said all the right things, but the fact of the matter is that Pettitte’s return could be bad news for Hughes or Freddy Garcia.
“Everyone in here is excited for him to come back,” Hughes said. “You could tell when he was here that he wanted to come back. I think everyone kind of had an idea (Pettitte was coming) at some point – we didn’t know it was going to be the next week. It is what it is.”
CC Sabathia, whose spot is secure, offered the following take: “Well, hopefully everybody steps their game up and makes it a tough decision. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Use that as a challenge to go out and make yourself better.”
Pettitte is expected to arrive in camp on Tuesday evening, and he said that he has nothing but total support from his biggest cheerleaders behind his change of heart.
“My family’s behind this 100 percent,” Pettitte said. “I’ve got a wife (Laura) of absolute gold. She looks at me and said, ‘I’m going to follow you, and whatever you think the best decision for us, I support you and I would love for you to do it if you want to do it.’ It makes my life easier, that’s for sure.”
What went right: Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, his second of the spring. … Hughes scattered three hits with three strikeouts and no walks in four innings. He touched 93 mph … Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless fourth; Cesar Cabral and Chase Whitley also threw scoreless frames. … The Yankees walked off, pie-less, on Brandon Laird’s 10th inning sacrifice fly. … Jason Maxwell stole a base, his third. … Today was Curtis Granderson’s 31st birthday.
What went wrong: Fastball command was an issue for CC Sabathia, who allowed three runs and six hits in three innings. He served up a Steve Lombardozzi homer. … Raul Ibanez went 0-for-2 and is down to .077 this spring. … Andruw Jones went 0-for-2 and is hitting .095. … The Yankees made 14 cuts after the game. Manny Banuelos was among them.
What they said: “I went down to Spring Training and didn’t know if I would tell them or not. And I told Hal (Steinbrenner) and Cash, y’all told me to quit working out, but I’ve still been working out, and I’ve still been throwing, and I think I would love to play, man. They were like, ‘Oh my goodness. How are we going to work this out?’” – Pettitte
What’s next: Hiroki Kuroda will make his third start of the spring on Saturday as the Yankees host the Astros at Steinbrenner Field at 1:05 p.m. ET. Kuroda allowed two hits and two walks over three innings in his last start, striking out two and throwing 24 of his 42 pitches for strikes, and the right-hander said he didn’t have his best stuff. The 37-year-old said then that he is usually a slow starter in Spring Training.
Bryan Hoch
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