Results tagged ‘ Alfredo Aceves ’
Gardner to have wrist surgery
The Yankees announced Wednesday that Brett Gardner has been scheduled for surgery next week in New York, addressing tendinitis in his right wrist.
Aceves feels more back pain
Alfredo Aceves had another setback today in Tampa, Fla. According to Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Aceves threw six or seven balls on flat ground before feeling more back pain and walking off the field. Girardi said that Aceves may be heading back to New York for more tests.
Teixeira, Aceves progressing
Mark Teixeira’s right elbow remains heavily wrapped as he waits for the swelling to go down, but the Yankees first baseman is hopeful that he will be able to return to Grapefruit League action as early as Thursday.
Teixeira was drilled by a fastball from the Orioles’ Jeremy Guthrie on Monday in Sarasota, Fla., and said that beneath the bandages, indentations of seams are still very visible. Teixeira said that he is continuing treatment and could try to swing off a tee later Wednesday.
“It’s better. There’s still some swelling in there, but it’s not too bad,” Teixeira said. “I’m getting my range of motion back, my strength back. I’m very happy.”
Teixeira said that he wants to be in the lineup on Thursday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla..; if not, Yankees manager Joe Girardi expects Teixeira to play Friday against the Orioles at the latest.
Yankees right-hander Alfredo Aceves plans to throw off a mound Wednesday, eyeing a Friday return to action after back stiffness forced him to miss an appearance this week.
Girardi has said that if Aceves can throw one more inning in Grapefruit League play, he will be able to come north with the team for Opening Day. If not, he would be considered a candidate to begin the season on the 15-day disabled list.
CC hit hard by Phils farmhands
While most of the news was coming out of Sarasota, there was this ugly tidbit of a pitching line filtering in from the Himes Avenue complex back in Tampa, where CC Sabathia pitched in a Triple-A game against the Phillies’ top farm club:
Sabathia: 3.2IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 2 HR – 88 pitches, 58 strikes
Joe Girardi didn’t have any details, but upon hearing the results, he said: “That’s not what we’re necessarily looking for.” Maybe it’s a good thing that Sabathia’s facing the Red Sox on Opening Night and not the Triple-A Lehigh Valley club.
Following the outing, Sabathia threw an additional 12 pitches in the bullpen. He was caught in the game and bullpen by Jorge Posada, who went 2-for-3 (two singles) off the Phillies’ Roy Halladay.
- Once again, Alex Rodriguez found a side door at Ed Smith Stadium, walking past the autograph seekers and into a waiting luxury car to leave the Yankees. He was apparently headed for his reported meeting with federal investigators regarding his possible connection to a Canadian physician under investigation. A-Rod did not comment to reporters, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he did not know if Rodriguez would be available to play on either Friday or Saturday.
- Back in Sarasota, Girardi thought that Sergio Mitre (2 IP, 1 ER) looked pretty good, but Alfredo Aceves (2 IP, 6 ER) was up in the zone and paid for it. Girardi said that he thought both pitchers were dealing with some emotions after learning they wouldn’t be the Yankees’ fifth starter.
- Earlier we mentioned that the Yankees might find it difficult to carry two situational lefties, and they consider Damaso Marte as one. Boone Logan’s changeup is an intriguing pitch for Girardi, and one they want to keep looking at. It’s a pitch that might elevate him past just the left-on-left battles.
- One explanation for Marcus Thames’ struggles this spring, from Girardi – he’s going to primarily be on the roster to bat against left-handed pitching, and the Yankees haven’t seen much this spring. They’ll draw Jamie Moyer tomorrow, and you can bet Thames will be in there. Girardi wants to see him get going.
- Chan Ho Park (2 IP, 0 ER) was “exceptional,” the skipper said.
Hanging Chad
In case you just haven’t gotten enough of the fifth starter drama in camp, it appears that whoever the Yankees’ “healthy discussions” yield as the top choice, it won’t be Chad Gaudin.
Gaudin has placed on waivers by the Yankees, according to an AOL Fanhouse report. If no one claims him, the Yankees could release him and pay a quarter of his $2.95 million salary ($737,500), or ship him to Triple-A and pay his full salary.
So, it appears that it’s down to four – Alfredo Aceves, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Sergio Mitre. If I had to put on my Carnac hat today and make a decision, I’d say that the Yankees are going to go with Hughes, which would not have been my prediction heading into camp.
I had thought Chamberlain was a near-lock, since they spent three years building him up for this opportunity to pitch without innings restrictions.
But that’s just a guess, anyway. Who’s your pick?
Handicapping the fifth starter race
Joe Girardi is planning on meeting for “healthy discussions” tomorrow about the fifth starter competition, and a decision appears to be coming up for Thursday or Friday at the latest.
“We’re going to discuss it in the next couple of days,” Girardi said. “We’ve got to start to iron some things out because we’re running out of innings and we’ve talked about wanting a decision to get the guys in the bullpen.”
It’s always possible that the Yankees could want to see a more starts from their contenders, especially Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, but it also stands to reason that – at this point – the Yankees know exactly what they have and don’t need any more data to sway their choices.
If that’s the case, then here are the resume bullet points for each of the five pitchers:
Alfredo Aceves, 28, RHP
- Grapefruit League: 1-1, 3.77 ERA in four games (two starts); 14.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 7 SO
- 2009: Was 10-1 with one save and a 3.54 ERA in 43 appearances (one start).
- Last outing: Charged with 5 ER in 4 1/3 IP vs. the Astros in Kissimmee.
- Quote to note: “It’s part of the game. It’s baseball. You always keep
the bad and the good things. You just fix it to the next game, those
details. … I don’t want to use that word, ‘happy.’ But so far, it’s been a good Spring Training — for everybody.” – Aceves.
Joba Chamberlain, 24, RHP
- Grapefruit League: 0-0, 16.20 ERA in three games (one start); 6.2 IP, 10 H, 12 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 5 SO.
- 2009: Was 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA in 32 appearances (31 starts).
- Last outing: Allowed 2 ER in 5 IP vs. Yankees intrasquad in Tampa
- Quote to note: “I’ve just been in a routine. It’s just one of
those questions you’re faced with every day. It’s human nature when you
get asked every day to think about it, so it’s just something where
I’ve gone back to having fun. I’m just enjoying being out here, putting
this uniform on and competing with these guys.”- Chamberlain.
Chad Gaudin, 27, RHP
- Grapefruit League: 0-3, 8.38 ERA in four games (two starts); 9.1 IP, 16 H, 9 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 5 SO. Has been placed on waivers by Yankees, according to a report.
- 2009: Was 5-10 with a 4.76 ERA as a starter in 2009 with the Padres and Yankees
- Last outing: Allowed 4 R (3 ER) in 2.1 IP vs. the Rays in Port Charlotte
- Quote to note: “It’s not that I’m not competing, I’m trying to feel a rhythm. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. It’s
inconsistent. But [Friday], I didn’t get the job done. No excuses.”- Gaudin.
Phil Hughes, 23, RHP
- Grapefruit League: 0-2, 4.15 ERA in four games (one start); 13.0 IP, 12 H, 6 ER, 5 HR, 2 BB, 10 SO.
- 2009: Was 8-3 with three saves and a 3.03 ERA in 51 appearances (seven starts).
- Last outing: Allowed 4 ER in 4.1 IP vs. the Phillies in Clearwater
- Quote to note: “I’ve done all I can do. We’ll just have to see where
they want to go from here. … I’ve kind of learned around here just to
roll with the punches. What you say isn’t going to affect anything. You
just have to go out and do the best you can, and see what decisions
come from it.” – Hughes.
Sergio Mitre, 29, RHP
- Grapefruit League: 0-0, 3.21 ERA in four games (two starts); 14.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 14 SO.
- 2009: Was 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA in 12 appearances (nine starts)
- Last outing: Allowed 2 R in 5 IP vs. the Rays in Port Charlotte
- Quote to note: “I would think he’s probably pretty healed. He had the
offseason to rest, and I think part of it is just the constant grind.
Having the offseason, I think he’s probably where he’s going to be.
It’s probably nice for him to feel much better after every start.” – Girardi.
For Ace, this wasn’t the place
If Alfredo Aceves is not the Yankees’ choice for the fifth starter’s job, he seems to be a lock to head north anyway as a member of the bullpen.
That didn’t seem like a good consolation prize after he was charged with five runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Astros in Kissimmee, Fla. on Saturday, though, leaving a bases-loaded mess for Mark Melancon and watching the carousel progress.
“I just missed pitches,” Aceves said. “They’ve got good hitters. … I’m not happy with that.”
Regardless, this shouldn’t torpedo Aceves’ chances of helping the Yankees in 2010, at least not based upon Girardi’s glowing scouting report of the righty pre-game.
“He knows how to change speeds, he knows how to change eye level, read
swings,” Girardi said. “He knows how to pitch. He was a big part of our success last
year – 10 wins out of the bullpen. He held teams down and gave us a
chance to come back. I’ve always had a lot of confidence in him.”
Next up in the great fifth starter pitch-off is Phil Hughes, who throws in relief of A.J. Burnett tomorrow. Joba Chamberlain gets a start Monday against the Phillies in Clearwater, and then it’s really time to start hashing things out. Joe Girardi isn’t surprised that the decision is receiving so much attention.
“I think people are interested, that’s why,” Girardi said. “Once that’s set, then you
iron out your bullpen from there. There’s a lot up in the air because
you don’t know exactly who’s going to be in your bullpen because of the
fifth starter [competition].”
A-Rod on the scene: Alex Rodriguez had two doubles and two RBIs in three at-bats Saturday, continuing to heat up in Grapefruit League play.
“He’s starting to swing the bat,” Girardi said. “He’ll play again tomorrow. I talked to him today and physically he feels good. That’s obviously good to hear.”
Go, speed racer: Brett Gardner’s wheels earned him a bunt single on the first pitch of the game, and in the third inning, he tripled to the left-field corner – someplace you don’t usually see three-base hits from.
“That’s what speed does for you,” Girardi said. “I tell him all the time, just get on base, you can make things happen. He has that ability. We see him hitting the ball on the ground a lot harder, bunting for base hits. It’s great.”
The only minus to Gardner’s day was a pickoff after that bunt single, as Astros catcher Humberto Quintero made a snap throw to first base behind the left-handed hitting Nick Johnson and caught Gardner leaning.
- Notes & quotes: Assistant trainer Steve Donohue’s report on OF Curtis Granderson was “minor stiffness” in his right hand. He’ll play Sunday vs. Detroit … It’s still too early on a decision for OF Jamie Hoffmann (3-for-23, .130) vs. OF Marcus Thames (3-for-28, .107) in that battle to be the right-handed hitting 25th man on the bench. “We’ve still got time with that,” Girardi said. “That we’re not in such a big hurry to make.”
Simulating innings as Florida stays soggy
Could Andy Pettitte make it through the whole spring without pitching against another team? It’s starting to look that way, but Joe Girardi promises they’ll find a way to get him into a game with four starts remaining.
Baseball wasn’t meant to happen today, though, as the Yankees got about 80 miles up the interstate before spinning the bus back around toward Tampa – washed out against the Nationals in Viera.
Instead, Pettitte threw a three inning simulated game at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the same way that A.J. Burnett did after last night’s washout. Girardi said that he didn’t consider altering the rotation to have Pettitte go Saturday in one of the Yankees’ split-squad games, believing that Pettitte knows how to handle himself after so many springs.
“If it wasn’t a veteran, you might make him pitch tomorrow,” Girardi said.
Javier Vazquez will start against the Orioles tomorrow in Tampa, with Chad Gaudin going against the Tigers in Lakeland. Alfredo Aceves, Royce Ring and Dave Robertson will pitch against Baltimore, while Grant Duff, Boone Logan, Sergio Mitre, Amaury Sanit and Zack Segovia have all been listed on the travel roster to see Detroit.
Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher are among those heading to Tiger Town on what should be a much nicer day for baseball.
Other notes as we close up shop on what might just be a half-day in Tampa (though I’d bet against it…):
- A-Rod has “a bounce in his step every day,” Girardi said. Rodriguez has been able to limit the amount of hip exercises he does to loosen up compared to last season, and Girardi thinks he looks more like the player who was healthier and more confident in September and October.
- Aceves has been managing some back stiffness well. He’s been skipping fielding practice on some of the days he pitches, instead heading inside to do core work. It’s not considered a serious issue at this point.
- Chan Ho Park should throw batting practice tomorrow. That puts him on the Mariano Rivera (3/16) and Damaso Marte (3/17) schedule for getting into games.
- Girardi’s lineup had Curtis Granderson in left field today, and he might be back there tomorrow with Brett Gardner in center field. Girardi wants to see how Granderson reacts to the balls hit on different angles.
“It makes it real easy when you have players that are willing to do anything you ask,” Girardi said. “That’s a manager’s dream. It just shows you that they check their egos when they come in the clubhouse.”
At least one move to make today?
Repeating from a previous post…
It looks like the Yankees will have a roster move to make today,
finally trimming their pitching staff from 13 pitchers to 12 and
calling up a position player now that Phil Coke’s sinus infection has subsided and Alfredo Aceves is available to pitch.
They want a right-handed bat because the
White Sox are throwing lefties the next three days, so if that move
comes from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, take your pick from Shelley
Duncan, Ramiro Pena and perhaps Austin Jackson if they intend to play
him.
As for a trade? If I had to wager right now, I’d bet against. But never say never.
Aceves: Shoulder feels better
Alfredo Aceves had not even picked up a baseball in four days because of his fatigued right shoulder, but the Yankees reliever made 20 throws off a bullpen mound and also long-tossed at Tropicana Field on Wednesday. He said the ball was “jumping out of my hand.”
“I feel great,” Aceves said. “Today in the morning when I woke up, I felt strong in my shoulder. I thank God.”
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he would probably not use Aceves on Wednesday but that he should be available on Thursday at Chicago, allowing them to consider dropping one of their 13 pitchers and make a move to add a bat off the bench.
Girardi said that the Yankees are “much closer” to addressing that move either Thursday or Friday. The preference is to add a right-handed bat for that series. Shelley Duncan’s name has come up in that discussion, but it is not the only option.
Bryan Hoch
Recent Comments