Results tagged ‘ Joe Girardi ’
Hughes to stay in the rotation … for now
CHICAGO – Phil Hughes’ performance on Tuesday night was good enough to keep him in the rotation. For how much longer, and what that means for Ivan Nova, has yet to be determined.
But after hurling six breezy shutout innings against the White Sox before rain at U.S. Cellular Field eventually cancelled the game, Hughes is now in line to start on Tuesday against the Angels, when the Yankees come off an off day.
“I think our plans right now are to keep Phil on rotation on Tuesday,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We want Nova to throw well, and if he continues to throw well, we’ll have to answer some questions as to exactly what we’re going to do. But Phil was real good last night.”
Nova will get the start in the series finale from Chicago on Thursday.
– Alden
Game 108: Yankees vs. White Sox
CHICAGO — I’m no weather man, but after listening to everyone talk heading into tonight’s game, I can tell you this: Expect rain. Nothing yet as of 6 p.m. CT, but there’s supposed to be some pretty serious storms in the area tonight, so hopefully the game can get in with little or no delays.
Phil Hughes certainly hopes so.
Manager Joe Girardi said he hasn’t articulated to Hughes that he needs to pitch well tonight, but with the Yankees deploying a six-man rotation in order to keep Ivan Nova in the mix, the pressure is on for Hughes to deliver against a rather desperate White Sox team. And the last thing he needs is for a little rain to get in the way.
When asked what he’s looking for out of Hughes, Girardi mentioned a better curveball — the new one that was so key to him getting his first win in Toronto three starts ago.
“I thought he made some progress his last start, but I think that his stuff can get better,” he said. “He can give us more distance. His curveball wasn’t as sharp his last start. As we talked about, [CC Sabathia's] slider wasn’t as sharp as it’s been [last night], but when it’s Phil, we have to get this guy on a roll, too. And he’s had his struggles this year, so there’s more red flags. His curveball wasn’t as sharp, and we have to get that going.”
Girardi was asked several times what could happen when he cuts his rotation from six to five again — whether Nova or Hughes will be in the bullpen, or whether one of them will go to the Minors to be stretched out for the Aug. 27 doubleheader — but the skipper kept his options open and would only speak in generalities.
“There’s a lot of things that we have to talk about,” Girardi said. “I mean, the best thing that could happen is that [Hughes] pitches really well, and then we have a tough decision to make in what we’re going to do. There’s some different scenarios. Nova hasn’t pitched out of the bullpen as much. I’ve also talked about, we’re going to need a starter, I think, Aug. 27 when we go to Baltimore, and you want someone built up. So there’s some things after today and tomorrow that we’re going to have to talk about.”
Derek Jeter is back in the lineup after missing Monday’s game with a sore right middle finger, and Brett Gardner is once again in the lineup — batting in the No. 9 spot — against a left-hander.
Here’s the full slate …
YANKEES (65-42)
Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Andruw Jones, DH
Russell Martin, C
Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Gardner, LF
Pitching: RH Phil Hughes (1-3, 8.24 ERA)
WHITE SOX (52-55)
Juan Pierre, LF
Omar Vizquel, 3B
Carlos Quentin, DH
Adam Dunn, 1B
Alexei Ramirez, SS
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Alex Rios, CF
Alejandro De Aza, RF
Gordon Beckham, 2B
Pitching: LH John Danks (4-8, 3.79 ERA)
Some links from last night …
* CC denies White Sox, earning 16th win
* Yankees Notebook on Jeter, A-Rod, Cervelli and the six-man rotation
* With no guarantees, Hughes faces White Sox
– Alden
Game 107: Yankees vs. White Sox
CHICAGO — Greetings from U.S. Cellular Field, the first of a whopping 21 road games this month, and the first of a week that will finish at Fenway Park.
Derek Jeter is out of the Yankees’ lineup after being hit by a pitch in his right middle finger on Sunday, and the competition between Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova is seemingly on. The Yankees announced they were going with a six-man rotation this week, with Nova — who gave up two runs in seven innings during his big league return on Saturday — starting Thursday, Bartolo Colon sliding back to Friday, CC Sabathia pitching on normal rest Saturday and Freddy Garcia getting the nod on six days’ rest Sunday.
More on that later, but just know this: Hughes’ Tuesday start is a big one. He knows it, and they know it.
In other news, Alex Rodriguez (knee surgery) is slated to be in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday and plans to resume workouts by Thursday. How long would it take for him to get back once he starts those workouts? Joe Girardi wouldn’t say, but mid-August is at least looking good.
Here are your lineups …
YANKEES (64-42)
Brett Gardner, LF
Curtis Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Eric Chavez, 3B
Jorge Posada, DH
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Francisco Cervelli, C
Pitching: LH Sabathia (15-5, 2.56 ERA)
WHITE SOX (52-54)
Juan Pierre, LF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Carlos Quentin, DH
Adam Dunn, 1B
Alex Rios, CF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Gordon Beckham, 2B
Brent Lillibridge, RF
Brent Morel, 3B
Pitching: RH Jake Peavy (4-4, 5.27 ERA)
– Alden
Game 96: Yankees at Rays
ST. PETERSBURG — Interesting read on the front page of the St. Petersburg Times this morning, on the criticism of Tropicana Field and how it affects attendance.
With CC Sabathia starting on his 31st birthday today, I filed a column on his recent stretch, his chances of winning 300 and the possibility that he’s only reaching his prime right now.
CC (pictured right by The Associated Press) said he hasn’t made a decision yet on whether or not to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract (though the popular belief is that there’s no way he wouldn’t, considering how well he’s pitching, how important he is to the Yankees and how slim the free-agent crop of starters will be this offseason).
Asked if he can see himself finishing his career in New York, he said: “Of course. This is definitely one of the storied franchises in baseball, and to be able to be a part of it and win a championship two years ago was great. Hopefully I can continue to be here.”
Asked if he feels the Yankees need to make a rotation addition before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, CC said: “We’re good. Of course, you can always try to do something, but with the way we pitched this year, I think we can be good enough to make the playoffs.”
Interesting lineup prior to the rematch of CC and James Shields. Curtis Granderson is out, as expected, after getting banged up on Wednesday. And Brett Gardner is leading off, with Derek Jeter batting second, as Joe Girardi hinted at prior to Wednesday’s game. The fact Granderson and Alex Rodriguez are both out made that a pretty easy decision.
Only time will tell if Gardner continues to lead off on a consistent basis moving forward, but Girardi did say he has no problem leading him off against a lefty starter now …
YANKEES (57-38)
Gardner, LF
Jeter, SS
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Jorge Posada, DH
Russell Martin, C
Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Chris Dickerson, LF
Pitching: LH Sabathia (14-4, 2.64 ERA)
RAYS (51-45)
Ben Zobrist, DH
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B
B.J. Upton, CF
Justin Ruggiano, RF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Elliot Johnson, SS
Sam Fuld, LF
Pitching: RH Shields (8-8, 2.60 ERA)
Some other links from last night …
* Yanks-Rays game story on redemption
* Yankees Notebook, on Granderson, Nova, lineups and roofs
* Preview for Shields and CC
– Alden
Game 95: Yankees at Rays
ST. PETERSBURG — So, on Sunday, Sean Rodriguez shattered a light bulb. On Monday, there was a power outage. And on Tuesday, Curtis Granderson lost a ball in the roof. What’s the next strange occurrence at this quirky Tropicana Field?
We’ll find out soon.
Joe Girardi called an audible with his lineup just before batting practice, opting to put Nick Swisher in as the designated hitter and start Andruw Jones in right field. Girardi said it wasn’t physical — “Just changed my mind.” — so he probably just wanted to give Swisher a break from the turf, since he hasn’t had one yet in this second half.
Derek Jeter is back leading off, which is no surprise but is interesting considering how much he has struggled (5-for-26 since that magical 3,000th-hit day) and how well Wednesday’s No. 9 hitter, Brett Gardner (.591 batting average in the second half), is hitting. Girardi talked pregame about the possibility of a top three of Gardner, Jeter and Granderson while Alex Rodriguez is out. As for Jeter dropping to the bottom third of the lineup? I’d think something really drastic would have to take place for that to happen.
The lineup’s below, but I’m curious as to how y’all would order things while A-Rod is out …
YANKEES (56-38)
Jeter, SS
Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Swisher, DH
Russell Martin, C
Jones, RF
Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Gardner, LF
Pitching: RH Freddy Garcia (7-7, 3.43 ERA)
RAYS (51-44)
Johnny Damon, DH
Robinson Chirinos, C
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Evan Longoria, 3B
Matt Joyce, RF
B.J. Upton, CF
Sam Fuld, LF
Rodriguez, 2B
Reid Brignac, SS
Pitching: LH David Price (9-7, 3.73 ERA)
Some goodies from the game notes …
* The Yankees have had 17 players on the disabled list, the most of any Major League team in 2011 . Their current total of 11 players on the DL matches their total from all of last season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
* The Yanks are 19-9 with a Major League-high 39 homers vs. lefty starters this season.
* New York has gone seven straight games without allowing a homer, which marks its longest stretch since ’08.
* With one more stolen base, Gardner will become the first Yankees player with back-to-back 30-stolen-base seasons since Alfonso Soriano did it in three straight years from 2001-03.
* Opposing batters have hit just .182 with runners in scoring position off Garcia this year.
Some links from last night …
* Yanks lose, but Colon looks good
* Yankees Notebook, on Soriano, Nova, Mo and Garrison
* Yanks expect bounceback effort from Garcia
* HBO special on Jeter to air July 28
(picture above courtesy of The Associated Press)
– Alden
Game 92: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
TORONTO — This should be interesting.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi chose Sunday as the day he’d shake up his lineup and give a few more guys a break from the field surface here at Rogers Centre. So, what we have is quite the afternoon delight — Eduardo Nunez fielding grounders at shortstop, Jorge Posada catching his throws at first base, and an all-turf field surrounding them.
Derek Jeter has the day off, Mark Teixeira is in as the designated hitter and Ramiro Pena gets his fifth start of the season at third base. But all our eyes will be on Phil Hughes, who makes his second start since returning from the disabled list.
Pregame, the Yankees switched outfielders, with lefty hitter Chris Dickerson returning and right-handed hitter Greg Golson being sent down to the Minor Leagues with the Yankees facing more righties in the coming days.
Still no Jose Bautista (ankle) for the Jays.
Here are your lineups …
YANKEES (54-37)
Brett Gardner, LF
Curtis Granderson, CF
Teixeira, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Posada, 1B
Russell Martin, C
Nunez, SS
Pena, 3B
Pitching: RH Hughes (0-2, 10.57 ERA)
BLUE JAYS (47-48)
Rajai Davis, CF
Eric Thames, DH
Yunel Escobar, SS
Adam Lind, 1B
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
Travis Snider, LF
Aaron Hill, 2B
J.P. Arencibia, C
Corey Patterson, RF
Pitching: RH Carlos Villanueva (5-1, 2.99 ERA)
From the Game Notes …
* The Yankees are 34-18 (a .654 winning percentage) since May 17, marking the second-best record in the Majors over that stretch. Only the Red Sox (35-16) have a better mark since then.
* New York is a Major League-best 27-5 in day games this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only team to win at least 27 of their first 32 day games in a season was the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955.
* Nunez has driven in 16 runs this season, eight of which have tied the game or given the Yankees the lead.
And here are some links from yesterday …
* CC stifles Blue Jays for 14th win
* Yankees Notebook, with stuff on Soriano, defense, Jeter and (of course) signs
* Hughes out to build on modest return
* Yankees reportedly one of many teams interested in Ubaldo
* Alfonso Soriano to the Yankees?
– Alden
Game 91: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
TORONTO — Joe Girardi didn’t expect his bullpen to log so many innings so quickly into the second half. But two games removed from the All-Star break, the Yankees’ skipper already finds himself needing a long, bullpen-saving start from ace CC Sabathia. The Yankees’ relief corps logged 7 1/3 innings on Thursday, then three more on Friday. In that span, five different relievers were used, with Sergio Mitre going twice. Because of that, Mitre won’t be available today, and there’s a good chance neither will Hector Noesi, who’s two days removed from pitching 3 1/3 frames.
“It happens during the course of the season and you just have to prepare for it,” Girardi said. “You need some distance out of your ace today, and that’s the bottom line. And I think we’re covered. But if something were to happen to CC in the first inning, then it’d be a little tough today.”
Lucky for Joe, Sabathia is one of the best second-half pitchers in baseball.
Or perhaps the best.
In terms of second-half performance from 2006-10, Sabathia leads all Major League starters who qualify in ERA (2.64), wins (41) and strikeouts (490). For his career, the burly left-hander has a 3.67 first-half ERA and a 3.31 second-half ERA. Now, he’ll be looking to get the Yankees back on track after they dropped back-to-back games, and look to snap the Blue Jays’ five-game winning streak.
A lot of the talk pregame, once again, centered on signs. Russell Martin claimed the Blue Jays were picking up his signs on Thursday. Then last night, Girardi opted to go with multiple signs even with nobody on base, which led to a lot of mound trips and some confusion that may have taken Freddy Garcia out of rhythm (though nobody really used that as an excuse). Pregame today, Girardi vaguely addressed the issue of teams taking other measures besides their own baserunners to pick up signs, saying: “Sometimes we have inclinations that things might be happening in certain ballparks. We’re aware of it, and we try to protect our signs.” Blue Jays skipper John Farrell then denied that any of that is going on at Rogers Centre.
More on that soon.
For now, here are the lineups, with Jose Bautista still out for the Blue Jays and day-to-day with a sore ankle. It’s looking like he won’t play on Sunday, either. Curtis Granderson has the day off from the turf, and Martin gets a blow behind the plate with the quick turnaround …
YANKEES (53-37)
Derek Jeter, SS
Granderson, DH
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Andruw Jones, LF
Brett Gardner, CF
Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Francisco Cervelli, C
Pitching: LH Sabathia (13-4, 2.72 ERA)
BLUE JAYS (47-47)
Rajai Davis, CF
Eric Thames, RF
Yunel Escobar, SS
Adam Lind, 1B
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Travis Snider, LF
J.P. Arencibia, C
John McDonald, 3B
Pitching: LH Ricky Romero (7-8, 3.09 ERA)
Some links from last night …
* Garcia bested on night to forget for Yanks
* Yankees Notebook, with stuff on Nunez’s learning curve, Jeter’s popularity and Colon’s health
* Martin blames himself if Blue Jays knew signs
– Alden
Game 90: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
TORONTO — Well, that answers that.
Joe Girardi got the expected response when he spoke to Bartolo Colon — that he’s perfectly healthy — and didn’t see any signs that the veteran righty was hurt or when he looked at and compared tape frame-by-frame. Girardi said Colon’s stuff was actually pretty good on Thursday night — though he admitted his velocity may have been down a tad — and said the 38-year-old will make his next scheduled start, which is Tuesday against the Rays.
Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is out of the lineup today, likely won’t play tomorrow and could miss the rest of the series after twisting his ankle sliding into third base in the fourth inning on Thursday night.
Here are your lineups …
YANKEES (53-36)
Derek Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Jorge Posada, DH
Russell Martin, C
Brett Gardner, LF
Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Pitching: RH Freddy Garcia (7-6, 3.13 ERA)
BLUE JAYS (46-47)
Rajai Davis, CF
Eric Thames, DH
Yunel Escobar, SS
Adam Lind, 1B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Travis Snider, LF
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
Corey Patterson, RF
Jose Molina, C
Pitching: RH Brandon Morrow (5-4, 4.60 ERA)
– Alden
Does Colon deserve another start?
TORONTO — Today, Joe Girardi will call Bartolo Colon into his office to ask him if his strained left hamstring is healthy enough for him to pitch and, most importantly, be effective. And Colon, in typical Colon fashion, will likely tell him he’s perfectly healthy and it’s just a mental block he has to overcome.
But is that entirely true?
He did hurl six shutout innings against the Mets in his first start back from the disabled list. But he was hit around against the Rays after that, then couldn’t get through a nightmarish first inning against the Blue Jays last night. Girardi says the Yankees simply didn’t play good defense behind Colon (which is true, considering Brett Gardner‘s bad read on an eventual double and Eduardo Nunez‘s error on an inning-ending chopper). Russell Martin says the Blue Jays were stealing signs from the get-go (which, if true, would definitely give opposing hitters a big advantage). And Colon (pictured left by The Associated Press) says he’s pitching scared with his left leg; meaning he’s not landing firm enough in order to get enough life on his pitches.
That’s a whole lot of explanations (some would call them excuses), but the reality is quite simple: Colon hasn’t been as good lately as he was throughout the year. And when you consider he’s 38, only made 19 big league starts from 2008-10 and (let’s face it) isn’t in top-tier physical condition, it’s concerning, even if the sample size is quite small.
The Yankees at least know they have options if they decide Colon can’t start for them, with Ivan Nova in Triple-A and having the experience of pitching in the big leagues this year. (Nova gave up three runs in seven innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night, by the way.)
The question is: Should the Yankees give Colon another shot and allow him to make his next turn in the rotation? Or do you recall up Nova and put Colon in the ‘pen?
We may know more about Colon’s situation pregame, and we’ll definitely have some lineups then.
For now, here are some links from last night you might’ve missed …
* Colon, Yankees endure tough night in Toronto
* Martin accuses Blue Jays of sign stealing
* Yanks ink lefty Romero to Minors deal
* Yankees Notebook, on Jeter’s reaction to All-Star Game criticism, Colon’s surgery documents, Golson’s call-up, Soriano’s future and the record Jeter and Posada now share
– Alden
Game 89: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
TORONTO – Welcome, one and all, to the fake grass of Rogers Centre, where the Yankees begin the season’s second half. I, Alden Gonzalez, will be with the club for this eight-game road trip while Bryan Hoch gets some time off.
Today, I was greeted with the signing of lefty reliever J.C. Romero, the call-up of outfielder Greg Golson, the decision to have setup man Rafael Soriano throw one more BP session before going on a rehab assignment, and the confusion of Derek Jeter over criticism for skipping the All-Star Game.
You can find that all on Yankees.com soon, if not now. But here are your lineups, with Nick Swisher making his return (remember, the Yankees play eight straight games on artificial turf, so it’ll be interesting to see how Joe Girardi juggles the off days) …
YANKEES (53-35)
Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Swisher, RF
Russell Martin, C
Andruw Jones, DH
Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Brett Gardner, LF
Pitching: RH Bartolo Colon (6-4, 3.20 ERA)
BLUE JAYS (45-47)
Yunel Escobar, SS
Eric Thames, RF
Jose Bautista, 3B
Adam Lind, 1B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Travis Snider, LF
J.P. Arencibia, C
Rajai Davis, CF
Pitching: LH Jo-Jo Reyes (4-7, 4.57 ERA)
– Alden
Bryan Hoch
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