Results tagged ‘ Ryan Howard ’

Yankees’ Myriad Injuries Defy All Logic Or Reason

Because of the spate of injuries the New York Yankees have incurred over the past two seasons there has been a suggestion that the team’s iconic logo should be changed to a Red Cross symbol to replace the “Y” laid over a pair of crutches and a Band-Aid to form the “N.” Most fans know about the injuries to Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. But there are some injuries which many fans are not aware to lesser players. Let’s look at all of the injuries, when they might return and what impact they could make upon their return.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ

As most fans know, Alex Rodriguez had surgery to repair a congenital defect in his left hip in January. There has been some question as to why he waited until January to have this surgery. The answer is because the doctor who was performing the surgery believed A-Rod could cut the rehabilitation time by doing exercises prior to the surgery. The surgery was pronounced successful and Rodriguez, 37, is expected to return sometime after the All-Star break. There has not been any word from the Yankees extending that time frame. However, Rodriguez is facing potential accusations surrounding the Miami clinic Biogenesis, which Major League Baseball believes was distributing performance enhancing drugs to players. Rodriguez’s name surfaced in an examination of the clinic’s documents and there have been allegations representatives attempted to purchase the documents on the All-Star third baseman’s behalf. The surgery on Rodriguez was a major reason why the Yankees elected to sign Kevin Youkilis to a free-agent contract this winter. Youkilis now is an insurance policy in case A-Rod either can’t come back from his surgery or is suspended by MLB. Rodriguez was back on the field in Tampa, FL, for the first time on Monday. He ran sprints, played catch and hit off a batting tee. If MLB does decide to suspend Rodriguez it likely will come just before he is activated because they don’t want Rodriguez to cheat the suspension by spending part of it rehabbing from his surgery.

DEREK JETER

Much like Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011, Jeter, 38, suffered a major injury during the playoffs in 2012, fracturing a left ankle that he had hobbling upon for a month prior. Jeter had surgery to repair the ankle and he vowed to return by Opening Day on April 1. The Yankees held him out of early exhibition games and allowed him to play at first as the designated hitter on May 10. However, it was clear that though Jeter was able to hit as he always has, he still was unable to run at full speed. It became inevitable that when Jeter was shut down because of recurring soreness that something was  -  if you pardon the pun  -  afoot. A trip back to Charlotte, N.C., in April to the doctor who performed his surgery led to a new X-ray that showed a tiny break near the spot of the original fracture. Jeter is now in a removable walking boot. He will be able to work out without the boot but the timetable for his return has been shifted back to mid-July. He should be able to return to full workouts when the boot is removed within a month. Jeter vows he will play this season and there does not seem to be any reason to discount it. The only real concern is will he be able to display enough range to play shortstop on a daily basis. The Yankees, in the interim, have Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix to play the position. But Nunez has already been shelved twice for two games after being hit by pitches and is currently day-to-day with tightness in his right rib cage. If Nunez is placed on the disabled list, Nix would have to play short and the only available shortstop at Triple-A Scranton is Addison Marausak. The Yankees might be forced to make a trade for another shortstop, preferably someone who could start at the position ahead of Nix.

MARK TEIXEIRA

Teixeira, 33, accepted an invitation this spring to play first base for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. He was taking batting practice prior to exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, AZ, when he felt pain in his right wrist. Tests indicated he sustained a partially torn sheath in the wrist, an injury similar to the one suffered by Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista last season, which eventually required surgery after a failed comeback. The Yankees believe Teixeira will be able to avoid surgery because it is partial tear and they are lengthening his rehab from their original timetable of 8-to-10 weeks. Teixeira has had the brace from his wrist removed and he hoped to be cleared to take swings in time to return by May 1. However, his doctor withheld clearance for an additional two weeks. Teixiera is in Tampa, FL, taking “tee and toss” swings and he soon hopes to progress to begin taking swings off live pitching in a batting cage. His target date for his return is now closer to June 1. In his absence the Yankees had hoped to use lefty-swinging Lyle Overbay and righty-swinging Youkilis in a platoon. However, a lower back sprain landed Youkilis on the 15-day disabled list so the Yankees are using Overbay full-time and exposing his weakness against left-handers. But they are hoping to have Youkilis back in the lineup soon.

CURTIS GRANDERSON

Granderson, 32, was playing in his first exhibition game of the season on Feb. 24 when Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ hit him in the lower right forearm with his first pitch. Granderson left the game and underwent X-rays that indicated he suffered a fractured right forearm and would miss eight weeks. Though the injury was a major blow to the Yankees, of all the injuries the team has suffered, this one the Yankees felt sure about Granderson’s ability to return because bones do heal eventually. Granderson targeted May 1 for his return but that timetable was adjusted two weeks because Granderson missed all of spring training. So the Yankees have him hitting against live pitching at their complex in Tampa. In fact, Granderson was struck on the left tricep by a pitch on Saturday. But it was termed not serious and Granderson remains on track to return to the active roster in a couple of weeks. The Yankees obtained veteran outfielder Vernon Wells to play in left for Granderson and Wells is hitting .280 with six home runs and 13 RBIs in the middle of the lineup. That has forced manager Joe Girardi to shift his thinking of how to use Wells when Granderson returns. Wells obviously could be a right-handed DH but those at-bats would be limited because there are so few left-handed starters. So Girardi is considering rotating some rest for his lefty-swinging outfielders (Granderson, Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki) in order to keep Wells’ bat in the lineup more often.

KEVIN YOUKILIS

Two things were apparent when the Yankees signed Youkilis to a free-agent contract this winter. One was that with Rodriguez injured someone had to play the position for a long period of time. Perhaps the player might have to play there the entire season. The second thing was the Yankees were taking a risk on the 33-year-old Youkilis, who had his past two seasons ruined by injuries to his groin and his back. Because Youkilis was versatile enough to play third and first base he also became the player the Yankees could LEAST afford to lose. That scenario played out when Youkilis was removed in the sixth inning of a game on April 20 against the Blue Jays with stiffness in his lower back. The Yankees held him out of competition for six games when Youkilis assured them he was fine. He started a game on April 27 at Yankee Stadium against the Blue Jays. However, CC Sabathia slipped off the mound on a ground ball off the bat of Melky Cabrera in the third inning. Youkilis was forced to slide hard to beat the speedy Cabrera to the base. Youkilis made it but re-aggravated his back injury and had to be placed on the disabled list on April 28. Youkilis was administered an epidural pain-killing injection and he claims he already is feeling better. However, the Yankees are angry Youkilis “talked” them into believing he was fine. They could have backdated his DL stint April 21 and he would have been able to play on May 7. Now he will be able to be activated on May 13 at the earliest. The Yankees are going to make darn sure he is really 100 percent before they activate him. In his absence the Yankees have used Nix at third base and traded to obtain Chris Nelson from the Colorado Rockies. Nix, however, has not contributed much offensively (.227 batting average with a home run and six RBIs) and on Sunday Nix was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and two weak infield popups and he stranded seven base-runners in 5-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Nelson has played in two games and is 0-for-7 with three strikeouts.

FRANCISCO CERVELLI

With the departure of free-agent catcher Russell Martin, the Yankees opened up the catching competition this spring to Cervelli, backup catcher Chris Stewart and rookie Austin Romine. But Cervelli, who was shipped to Triple A on the last day of spring training to make room for Stewart in 2012, was determined to prove to the Yankees he belonged in the major leagues. Cervelli, 27, reneged on his commitment to play for Italy in the WBC so he could concentrate on winning the starting catching job. Though Girardi left spring camp without naming a starter, Cervelli quickly won the job by playing good defense, throwing well and surprisingly he was even contributing offensively. Cervelli was hitting .269 with three home runs and eight RBIs when he was struck on the right hand by a foul tip off the bat of Rajai Davis leading off a game on April 26 against the Blue Jays. Cervelli sustained a fractured hand and had to undergo surgery to repair the hand the next day. He will be in a cast for more than a month and he was placed on the 60-day disabled list. He is expected back sometime after the All-Star break. To Yankee fans Cervelli getting injured should not be a total shock. Bad luck and injuries have hovered over Cervelli like a dark cloud. In spring training in 2009, Cervelli had his wrist broken in a home-plate collision with Elliot Johnson of the Tampa Bay Rays. In spring training in 2010, Cervelli fouled a ball off his foot and missed the most of the first month of the season. In spring training of 2011, Cervelli was hit in the helmet with a pitch and missed time with a concussion and had to wear a special batting helmet upon his return. In September of that season, Cervelli suffered another concussion, the third of his professional career, when he was involved in a home-plate collision with Nick Markakis of the Baltimore Orioles. He was unable to play for the rest of the season and missed the playoffs. In his place, Stewart is now the starter. Stewart is hitting .256 with two home runs and four RBIs but he is definite step down offensively from Cervelli. Romine was recalled from Scranton to be the backup catcher. Romine’s defense is excellent but his bat is major question mark. Romine also has had his development derailed by a recurring back problem. Stewart is a fabulous defensive catcher but the offense will definitely suffer until Cervelli returns in July.

JOBA CHAMBERLAIN

Chamberlain, 27, returned to the Yankees last season because he missed most of 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and freakishly breaking his ankle in a spring training trampoline accident. He pitched in 22 games and was 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in 20 2/3 innings. With Rafael Soriano gone via free agency, much was expected of Chamberlain this season. He was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 9 1/3 innings over 10 appearances when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain last Thursday. Oblique strains are tricky. He might be back in two weeks but he may miss a month. Either way it shortens the Yankees bullpen considerably. The Yankees recalled 25-year-old right-hander Preston Claiborne to replace him. Claiborne pitched two perfect innings of relief in the Yankees’ 5-4 loss to the A’s on Sunday. Claiborne is perhaps the best of the young relievers the Yankees have been developing within their system. He is going to have a chance to prove his 95-mile-per-hour fastball can hold up against major-league hitters. With Chamberlain a potential free agent after the season, Claiborne has a perfect opportunity to make his future mark in the Yankees’ bullpen with this recall.

IVAN NOVA

Nova, 26, is your typical enigma. After a sensational rookie season in which he was 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 2011, Nova fell into the deep end of the pool by going 12-8 with 5.02 ERA last season. This spring Nova was put into a competition for the fifth spot in the rotation with David Phelps. Phelps was 3-3 with a 4.18 ERA in seven starts while Nova was 1-0 with a 4.19 ERA in five starts. Girardi elected to keep Nova as his fifth starter and keep Phelps in the bullpen role he filled last season. Nova was not impressive in any of his four starts. He was 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA when he was pulled from his last start in the third inning of a game against the Blue Jays with what originally was termed a sore elbow. But tests after the game showed a right triceps strain and Nova was placed on the 15-day DL. Nova’s injury could be two weeks but it could turn out to be much longer. In the interim, the Yankees shifted Phelps into the starting rotation to replace Nova and recalled 25-year-old left-hander Vidal Nuno from Scranton to fill Phelps’ role in the bullpen. Phelps gave up four runs on eight hits, a walk and hit two batters in 5 2/3 innings against the Houston Astros on May 1. Nuno pitched three scoreless innings and gave up three hits in his only outing on April 29 against the Astros. Phelps got better as the season progressed in 2012 so there is no doubt he will pitch better. Nuno was sensational this spring, winning the James P. Dawson Award as the team’s top rookie. He just needs chances to prove he can pitch well in the majors. The Yankees actually may be better off without Nova until he conquers his command issues.

MICHAEL PINEDA

It is almost like Pineda is the forgotten Yankee. After all, he has never worn pinstripes in a major-league game even though he has been a member of the team for two seasons. He was acquired in the 2012 offseason in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for Yankee mega-prospect Jesus Montero. He showed up at training camp 20 pounds overweight and he proceeded to throw some horrible spring training games culminating with a terrible beating at the hands of the Phillies in his final spring tuneup. It turned out Pineda, 24, was pitching with some right shoulder pain and he did not bother to mention it until after that game. Pineda underwent tests that showed he had a torn labrum and the surgery would mean he would need at least a year to recover. Pineda was one of the most impressive young rookie pitchers in 2011 when he made the American League All-Star team. But the Mariners as a team and Pineda had a horrible second half and Pineda finished with a 9-10 record and a 3.74 ERA. There were whispers about Pineda losing velocity in the second half but the Yankees made the trade for the right-hander just the same. Now they are hoping he will be able to make it back to the big leagues this season. He has been rehabbing at the team’s complex in Tampa and reports indicate he has been hitting 95 mph on the radar gun. However, the hope is that Pineda might be ready to start pitching in games in June. The question is will those games be with the Yankees or with a minor-league team. It is looking more likely Pineda will pitch in the minors until he indicates he is ready to pitch in the majors. It is unclear when that will be.

CESAR CABRAL

Even more obscure than Pineda is Cabral. The 24-year-old left-handed reliever was a Rule V selection for the Yankees by the Kansas City Royals from the Boston Red Sox in the winter of 2012. Cabral had racked up some impressive numbers with two Red Sox minor-league teams but was left off their 40-man roster. With those two teams Cabral was 3-4 with a 2.95 ERA and racked up 70 strikeouts in only 55 innings. The Yankees saw him as a potential second left-hander to Boone Logan in the bullpen and Cabral battled fellow lefty Clay Rapada all through spring training until Cabral sustained a fractured left elbow in what would have been his final appearance. Cabral has not pitched in a game since and the Yankees are hoping that he can begin throwing this month in a rehab stint that might lead to him being available to pitch in the majors. They hope that could mean he could pitch for them this season. But until Cabral begins throwing it is unclear if he will be able to help and when.

That said, it leads us to some injuries the Yankees have suffered that are actually under the radar. They are not part of the 10 players the Yankees have listed on the disabled list but they actually are important injuries that are having an effect on the current roster. Here they are:

CLAY RAPADA

Rapada, 32, benefitted from Cabral’s injury but he likely would have won the job anyway. He also did a great job as the lefty specialist in Girardi’s bullpen last season, recording a 3-0 record and 2.82 ERA while keeping lefties to a low .100 batting average. Rapada likely would have kept his job this season if he did not come down with bursitis in his left shoulder that prevented from pitching this spring. The Yankees designated him for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster but they were able to sign him to a minor-league contract and they have him pitching at Scranton. Rapada has pitched just one inning of one game but there is hope that he might be able to return to the Yankees sometime soon this season because the Yankees have a starting pitcher in Nuno along with Logan in the bullpen. Neither Nuno or Logan are really lefty specialists like Rapada. There is a good possibility that Rapada will be back with the Yankees real soon if he has overcome the bursitis.

RONNIER MUSTELIER

Mustelier, 28, is the Cuban defector who turned heads all spring with his hitting. The corner outfielder even was utilized late in the spring at third base and actually had a good shot to make the team. That was until he ran smack into a camera well along the third base line chasing a foul popup in the fourth inning of a game in Tampa against the Miami Marlins on March 15. Mustelier suffered multiple bone bruises to both legs and his shot of making the team was over. In fact, Mustelier only recently recovered enough to be able to start playing at Scranton. He is hitting .231 with a home run and one RBI in five games. Mustelier still has a great shot of being able to help the Yankees at some point this season. He bats right-handed and can play the outfield and third base. In fact, if the Yankees had a healthy Mustelier when Youkilis injured his back, he would have been the player the team recalled from Triple A instead of Corban Joseph or would have not forced the team’s decision to trade for Nelson.

MANNY BANUELOS

Banuelos, 22, remains as the team’s top pitching prospect despite the fact he has not pitched since the early stages of the 2012 season. Banuelos came up with a sore elbow last season and later tests showed ligament damage that required Tommy John surgery. So Banuelos will miss all of the 2013 season with hopes of being able to compete for a roster spot with the Yankees in spring training in 2014. After impressing the Yankees with a fine 2011 season in which he was 4-5 with a 3.59 ERA at Double-A Trenton the Yankees wanted to see him pitch in the spring in 2012. His combination of a plus fastball and devastating change-up had them salivating at the prospect of him in the majors. But Banuelos took a detour on his control in 2012 and the balky elbow might have been the cause. With veteran starters Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte on one-year contracts and Phil Hughes eligible for free agency, Banuelos’ recovery could be important to their prospects in 2104.

 

Yankees Suffer Through Hit Drought Against Phils

GAME 24

PHILLIES 4, YANKEES 1

CLEARWATER  -  One thing the Yankees are finding out this spring is it is pretty hard to score runs when you don’t get many hits. On Tuesday, they ended up with just two of them and they found that one run just was not enough to win.

Kyle Kendrick (1-2) gave up one unearned run on two hits and struck out three and Domonic Brown continued his own personal assault against Yankee pitching with a solo home run in the fourth inning as Philadelphia downed New York at Bright House Field.

Adam Warren (0-2) carried a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning but was tagged by Brown’s sixth home run of the spring (three of them have come against the Yankees) and a RBI double by Steven Lerud to score Laynce Nix.

The Phillies added single runs in the sixth on a RBI single by Michael Young off reliever Shawn Kelley and in the seventh on a solo home run off the bat of Ryan Howard against left-hander Josh Spence.

Warren ended up giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk and struck out two batters.

Chad Durbin pitched a scoreless ninth to earn a save.

With the loss the Yankees’ Grapefruit League record dropped to 9-15. The Phiilies improved to 11-12.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki teamed up to set up the Yankees’ only score of the day. Gardner led off the fourth with a bunt single and he reached second on Kendrick’s throwing error attempting to throw him out at first. One out later Suzuki doubled to the gap in left-center to plate Gardner. Suzuki is hitting .382 this spring.
  • Left-hander Boone Logan, 28, looked sharp in his first outing of the spring. Logan has been sidelined up to this point with soreness in his left elbow. Logan gave up a leadoff single to Chase Utley but then retired the side, including fanning lefty hitters Brown and Nix swinging to end the inning.
  • David Aardsma also looked good in his one inning of work. He gave up no hits and struck out two. Aarsdma is making a strong case to make the Yankees’ bullpen this spring. After being hit early he has his spring ERA down to 3.60. Aardsma, 31, is a former Seattle Mariners closer who is returning to action after missing all of 2012 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Granted that Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are injured. Plus Robinson Cano is busy in the final of the World Baseball Classic and Derek Jeter was scratched from the lineup as a precaution. But it is pretty sad when players like Gardner, Suzuki, Kevin Youkilis, Travis Hafner and Brennan Boesch can muster just two hits. That is just plain unacceptable.
  • Warren was much better on Tuesday than he was in his last appearance against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 14 in Dunedin, FL. In that game Warren gave up eight runs on four hits and five walks in just 1 1/3 innings. But Warren still has trouble putting away hitters on two-strike counts and he gives up way too many hits.
  • After looking sharp in his early appearances this spring, Kelley is beginning to struggle a bit. In his last two outings  -  both against the Phillies  -  he has given up four runs on seven hits and two walks in two innings of work. His spring ERA has ballooned to 5.40.

BOMBER BANTER

Jeter is trying to tamp down any panic that might be brewing over his decision not play shortstop on Tuesday after feeling stiffness in his surgically repaired left ankle. Jeter told reporters that he was told by his doctors that he would feel occasional stiffness and he just sat out as a precaution. An MRI and X-rays of the ankle were taken after the game and the MRI showed just mild inflammation around the ankle. Jeter is listed as day-to-day.  . . .  Right-hander Phil Hughes, who is recovering from a bulging disk in his upper back, pitched in a simulated game on Monday at the team’s camp in Tampa and his next action should come Saturday in a minor-league game. Hughes is hoping to be able to be ready to pitch in the first week of the season but he also could be forced to miss at least one start.

SPECIAL NOTE:  I would like to thank my fellow Section 205 pal, Tim, for providing my son and me with tickets to Tuesday’s game at Bright House Field. Being able to see as many games live is essential for providing my readers with the information they desire about the Yankees. Thanks so much for the tickets and the support to my blog. It means a lot.

ON DECK

On Wednesday, the Yankees have a date with their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

The Yankees will start left-hander Vidal Nuno, 25, who is 0-1 with a 1.08 ERA in his four appearances this spring. He will be opposed by Red Sox left-hander Felix Doubront.

Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by ESPN and on tape-delay by the MLB Network.

 

 

Yanks Learn That Brown Can’t Do Much For Them

GAME 21

PHILLIES 7, YANKEES (SS) 0

TAMPA  -  Dominic Brown hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and five Phillies pitchers held the Yankees scoreless as Philadelphia downed a New York split squad on Saturday in a game at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Left-hander Raul Valdes opened the game with three shutout innings to get credit for the victory for the Phils. Hiroki Kuroda (1-2) took the loss.

Kuroda actually looked sharp in five of the six innings he pitched but was tagged for four runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk while he fanned two batters.

Kuroda was undone when Gil Velazquez botched a potential inning-ending double-play ball off the bat of Ryan Howard and one pitch later Brown made the Yankees pay for the error with his fourth home run of the spring.

The Yankees’ spring record is now 8-13 and the Phillies improved to 9-11.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • In the other five innings Kuroda pitched he gave up no runs on three hits and no walks and struck out two. In addition to the error that hurt him, Kuroda also did not get any offensive support from the Yankees. So it was a rough day all around for the 38-year-old right-hander.
  • Kevin Youkilis continues to sting the ball hard just about every time up. He was only 1-for-3 but in those at-bats he lined out hard into a double play, flew out to deep center and laced a double to the wall in right-center. Youkilis has been the hottest hitter on team for just over a week now and he is not showing any sign of slowing down.
  • Mariano Rivera  - gasp – gave a walk in his one inning of work. I guess he is human after all. Still, the 43-year-old closer induced a double play grounder to wipe out the leadoff walk and pitched yet another scoreless inning. Rivera drew a standing ovation from most of the 10,943 in attendance both when he came into the game in the seventh inning and when he left after the inning. Yankee fans in Tampa realize it will be the last time they ever see him pitch and they are showing their appreciation.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • The offense just looked terrible. The Yankees collected seven hits and drew three walks but they were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and they hit into a pair of double plays that snuffed out rallies.
  • Newly acquired outfielder Brennan Boesch debuted as a starter in right-field and batted sixth in the lineup on Saturday. However, he did not have a day worth noting. He was 0-for-3 with a strikeout and he did not get a ball out of the infield.
  • Right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley imploded in his one inning of work. He came in the ninth and gave up three runs on four hits, including surrendering a two-run home run by Steven Lerud.

The Bomber Banter and On Deck portions of this report will be included in a later post about the Yankees split squad game against the Atlanta Braves.

 

Philly Homers Drive Late Stake In Yankees’ Hearts

GAME 4

PHILLIES 4, YANKEES 3

Domonic Brown blasted a solo home run with one out in the seventh inning and three batters later Tommy Joseph followed with a two-run shot off right-hander Zach Nuding as Philadelphia rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat New York on Tuesday at Bright House Field in Clearwater, FL.

Despite the fact he was tagged by a two-run home run from catcher J.R. Murphy in the top of the seventh inning, Zach Miner (1-0) was credited with the victory. Jeremy Horst escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the ninth to earn a save. Nuding (0-1) was charged with the loss.

The Yankees behind s strong start from right-hander Jose Ramirez kept the Philiies scoreless and with only one hit until the sixth inning when Kevin Frandsen stroked a two-out double off Jim Miller to score Jimmy Rollins with their first run and tied the score 1-1.

The Yankees scored in the first inning on a one-out single by Ichiro Suzuki – one of his three hits in the game – and Mark Teixeira followed a Suzuki stolen base with a RBI double to right.

The Yankees are 1-3 on the young Grapefruit League season while the Phillies won their first game after an 0-3 start.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Other than a walk to Ryan Howard in the second inning, Ramirez was perfect in his spring debut. The 23-year-old right-hander was 7-6 with an excellent 3.19 ERA in 18 starts for High-A Tampa last season with 94 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings. He is worth keeping an eye on in the future because he throws an excellent change-up and slider. Manager Joe Girardi was raving about him after the game.
  • Suzuki’s 3-for-3 afternoon gives him a .667 average in the early spring. He slapped one single to the opposite field in left and two up the middle. He also looked amazingly spry for his 39 years in stealing a base in the first inning to set up Teixeira’s RBI double.
  • Both relievers David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain made their spring debuts and they each threw a scoreless inning. Chamberlain looked especially sharp in striking out the first two batters he faced.
  • Though Austin Romine is trying to make the team and Gary Sanchez is a several years away, Murphy is a minor-league catcher the Yankees believe is being overlooked. He drew some notice for himself on Tuesday by stroking a 400-foot home run to center in the seventh and he added a 400-foot double off the centerfield fence in the ninth. Murphy had a disappointing season in 2012 in hitting a combined .248 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs in 110 games between Tampa and Double-A Trenton.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Nuding, 23, was obviously a little out of his element on Tuesday. With one out he missed his location on a fastball and Brown made him pay with a mammoth 450-foot blast. Then with two out he gave up a double to Cody Asche and the game-winning homer to Joseph. Nuding was 8-3 with a 3.89 ERA at Tampa last season.
  • Miller, 30, looked shaky in his second outing of the spring. The two-out double by Frandsen followed a walk to Rollins. Miller was 2-1 with  2.89 ERA in 49 2/3 innings in 33 appearances with the Oakland Athletics last season. He is a longshot to make the team but could provide veteran depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
  • The Yankees, once again, had no trouble getting runners on base. They had at least one hit in every inning and ended up with 12 in the game. But they only scored three runs because they did not get a hit that would break the game open. It also did not help they hit into three double plays and committed a batter interference to kill another rally.

BOMBER BANTER

Soon Girardi is going to insist his players stay in hyperbaric chambers after games. Third baseman Kevin Youkilis was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup for precautionary reasons with a sore left oblique. Youkilis, 33, will not require any tests but will re-evaluated in a couple of days. Youkilis said he felt a pain just above his left hip. He thought that it was not serious and said if it were a regular season game he would have been able to play.  . . .  General manager Brian Cashman said the team has no interest in bringing former outfielder Johnny Damon to compete as a potential replacement to the injured Curtis Granderson. Cashman said he no longer sees Damon as a full-time outfielder and he believes that the answer to left-field could be in-house between Matt Diaz, Juan Rivera, Melky Mesa, Zoilo Almonte and Ronnier Mustelier.  . . .  Phil Hughes, who is recovering from a bulging disk in his upper back, continued his aquatic rehab at the Yankees’ minor-league complex on Tuesday and continues to progress, Girardi said. Hughes is expected to resume throwing in about a week.

ON DECK

The Yankees return back home to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL, to face a Baltimore Orioles split squad.

Young left-hander Nik Turley will get the start for the Yankees. Turley, 23, who is compared to Andy Pettitte, was 9-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 21 starts between at Tampa. He will be opposed by veteran right-hander Jake Arrieta.

Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast by the YES Network and on tape delay at 2 a.m. on Thursday by the MLB Network.

 

Cano’s Hitting Backs Kuroda As Yankees Nip Phils

GAME 22

YANKEES 5, PHILLIES 3

Robinson Cano sparked a three-run first inning on Friday with an opposite-field two-run double and a New York split squad made the lead hold up behind the solid pitching of Hiroki Kuroda to defeat Philadelphia in a Grapefruit League contest at Bright House Field in Clearwater, FL.

The Yankees jumped on Phillies starter and eventual losing pitcher Vance Worley (1-2) early with a leadoff double by Brett Gardner and a bloop single by Francisco Cervelli that advanced Gardner to third. Cano then laced a double to the wall in left center to score both runners. Eric Chavez then capped the big inning with a RBI double to left that scored Cano.

Kuroda (2-1) gave up only one run on six hits and one walk and struck out three in his 5 2/3 innings of work to earn the victory. David Phelps gave up two runs in his 3 1/3 innings of relief to earn a save.

With the victory the Yankees are 7-1 with one tie in their last nine games. Their spring record stands at 12-9-1. The Phillies fell to 9-11.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Cano was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and two RBIs. He has raised his spring average to .243 and he looks to be on his way to another big season with the bat hitting in the No. 3 spot for the Yankees.
  • Kuroda looked very sharp against he a team he was very familiar with when he was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kuroda threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 24 batters he faced. Only six balls reached the outfield on him. Kuroda and CC Sabathia are the only two pitchers assured of spots in the rotation when the season starts.
  • Doug Bernier continues to shine at the plate. He was 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a bunt infield single. Bernier is hitting .385 and playing excellent defense despite the fact he has absolutely no a ghost of a chance to make the team. It would be tough for him with Derek Jeter, Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena ahead of him.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • The Yankees won but they could have put away the Phillies a lot easier had they not had three double plays turned against them. They had Worley on the ropes early but allowed him to escape further trouble after the first inning. The Yankees added single runs in the seventh inning off David Herndon and in the eighth inning off Eric Stutes.
  • Phelps allowed the Phillies to get back into the game by giving up an RBI single by Miguel Abreu in the seventh and a solo home run to Erik Kratz in the eighth before retiring the Phillies in order in the ninth. The two runs were the first earned runs Phekps has allowed this spring.
  • It is hard to evaluate this victory because the Phillies are reeling from injuries to Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Starting third baseman Placido Polanco and catcher Carlos Ruiz also sat on Friday. The Phillies offense looks to be lacking and they are going to have to rely on their pitching to carry them. So the Yankees should not get too excited about winning this one.

BOMBER BANTER

The Yankees are reeling from the news Joba Chamberlain underwent surgery on his dislocated ankle on Thursday and will miss the remainder of the 2012 season. The 26-year-old right-hander has not pitched since June 5 and underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He was rehabbing the elbow this spring and hoped to return to the Yankees sometime in June. However, on Thursday night he was playing with his son on a trampoline in the Tampa area and suffered an open dislocation of his right ankle, which means the bone was protruding through the skin. Chamberlain also, according to reports, lost a “life-threatening amount of blood” as a result of the injury. Chamberlain will remain hospitalized for a few days and it is unclear how far back this will push his return to the Yankees.  . . .  Andy Pettitte threw a live batting practice session and reported that he his left arm felt good afterwards. Pettitte threw 35 warmup tosses and 26 pitches to batters and two pitchouts during the session. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild called the session by the 39-year-old veteran “awesome.” Pettitte’s next hurdle will be to pitch a light bullpen session on Sunday. He hopes to be able to return to the major leagues in early May.  . . .  Manager Joe Girardi defended his decision to end Thursday’s game against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, FL., after Boston tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Girardi said there was no communication from the umpires about the status of the Yankee pitchers. Girardi said he simply made the decision based on the status of his pitchers and it would have been acceptable to play an one extra half-inning if Boston manager Bobby Valentine had wanted Clayton Mortensen to throw. Valentine claimed Girardi’s decision not to play a 10th inning “was not courteous.” Considering the source (Valentine) I would not lose sleep over it.  . . .  Jeter returned to the lineup and played three innings of the split squad game in Tampa, FL., against the Twins. Jeter was 1-2 in the game. He had been sidelined for seven games with a strained left calf.

ON DECK

The Yankees are in Lakeland on Saturday playing the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m. EDT.

The game is not being telecast.

 

Yankees Get Work In Beating South Florida 11-0

The New York Yankees got some game-condition work in on Friday with a 11-0 exhibition victory over the University of South Florida at George M. Steinbrenner Field at Tampa, FL.

Right-hander Adam Warren pitched two scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Warren, 24, gave up one hit and walked none while striking out two as part of a group of seven Yankee pitchers who limited the Bulls to four hits, no walks and struck out 10.

Manager Joe Girardi started all his regulars with the exception of second baseman Robinson Cano and catcher Russell Martin and the regulars were given only one or two at-bats.

Girardi was pleased with the hitting of outfielder Zoilo Almonte (2-for-2, two RBIs) and second baseman David Adams (1-for-2, one RBI). Outfielder Colin Curtis and Infielder Ramiro Pena added two hits apiece as the Yankees pounded out 14 hits against USF pitching.

The USF Bulls are coached by Lelo Prado, the brother-in-law of former Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez, currently a special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman. USF is in fourth place in the Big East standings with a 4-4 record.

The Yankees are 3-0 against USF in spring exhibitions by a combined score of 31-5. Proceeds from the game benefitted the USF baseball program.

BOMBER BANTER

Most of Friday’s news surrounded two former Yankees. Former Yankee right-hander A.J. Burnett underwent successful surgery to repair an injury to his right-eye orbital bone in Pittsburgh and the Pirates announced that he will miss about eight to 12 weeks. Bunrett sustained the injury fouling a bunt off his eye during a bunting contest at the Pirates spring training complex in Bradenton, FL.  . . .  Former Yankee catcher and designated hitter Jesus Montero took two foul shots off his jaw in the fifth inning of the Mariners’ spring Cactus League opener against the Oakland Athletics and had to be removed from the game. Up to that point, Montero, 22, was 1-for-3 at the plate with two runs and two RBIs in the game in Phoenix, AZ. The Mariners have already announced that Miguel Olivo will open the season as the team’s starting catcher and that Montero would be a candidate to DH and develop as a catcher as a backup to Olivo.

ON DECK

The Yankees will open their 33-game spring training schedule on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field in Clearwater, FL. Ivan Nova, a 24-year-old right-hander who was 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA in his rookie season, will start for the Yankees. Girardi also said that Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Cesar Cabral, Michael O’Connor and David Phelps will pitch for the Yankees. The starting outfield of Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher along with Martin will start for the Yankees.

The Phillies will counter by starting left-hander Cole Hamels, who was 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA for the Phillies last season. David Bush, Jonathan Papelbon, Dontrelle Willis, Raul Valdes, Chad Qualls and Mike Stutes are also slated to pitch. The Phiilies willl open their spring slate without three of the top regulars available to play on Saturday. First baseman Ryan Howard has an infection in his left Achilles tendon and has not reported to camp. Second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Placido Polanco are also being held out of action by manager Charlie Manuel. Utley suffers from a chronic knee condition and Polanco is recovering from sports hernia surgery.

Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast nationally by the MLB Network.

 

Five Reasons Why the Yankees Won and the Phillies Lost

I hate to say I told you so but I did tell you so. In my World Series preview post on Oct.28 I predicted the Yankees would win in six games. I also said they would win with their superior pitching. That prediction was an honest one and now let’s look a little deeper for the main reasons why the Yankees beat the Phillies.


No. 1: STARTING PITCHING

In my preview I wrote this:
“Neither the Rockies or the Dodgers have a pitcher of the caliber of CC Sabathia or can boast of a more experienced postseason pitcher than Andy Pettitte.  In contrast, the Yankees might struggle some with Cliff Lee but they could feast on Pedro Martinez, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.”

This is exactly what happened. Lee was 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in the series. Hamels, Martinez and Blanton were a combined 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA. I don’t think I have seen such a great team like the Phillies get this far in the postseason with basically one competent pitcher. But they did.
The Yankees’ trio of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte were 3-2 with an ERA of 4.46. Those numbers may not seem dominant but in the games Lee did not pitch, the Yankee starters were better than the pitcher they faced.
I also wrote this about Pedro Martinez:
Pedro Martinez did pitch well in his only start in the postseason. He went seven innings in a no-decision the Phillies eventually lost to the Dodgers in Game 2. He has the ability to shut down the Yankees. But he also has been beaten many times by the Yankees in the past. Hideki Matsui, Pedro? Remember him?

I don’t think Pedro wants to see Hideki Matsui in the batter’s box ever again after Wednesday night.
Starting pitching is a key in any series and, though none of the three Yankees’ starters pitched  great on short rest, they pitched well enough to expose the weakness in the depth of the Phillies’ starters.
No. 2: RYAN HOWARD

Someone told me there was this huge first baseman for the Phillies who hit mammoth home runs and was an MVP. I wonder what happened to him because I did not see him. I did see a big guy who hit one home run, drove in three runs and hit .174 with 13 strikeouts in 23 at-bats. But that could not have been Howard. Could it?
Unfortunately, for the Phillies, it was Howard. Though Pettitte gave up an “Oh, by the way” two-run home run to Howard in Game 6, he was MIA throughout this series because the Yankee lefties pitched him consistently outside and made Howard chase pitches out of the strike zone.
Of course, Howard was not the only problem with the Phillies’ offense. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino combined to go 9-for-45 (.200). That is why Chase Utley hit five home but only had eight RBIs. 
No. 3: THE BULLPEN

I wrote the following in my preview:
By miles. Not inches but miles, the Yankees bullpen is better than the Phillies. It could be the one key reason, the Yankees are favored to win the series. The fact that only Cliff Lee can possibly give the enough length in his starts to cover up the Phillies deficiencies in the bullpen is quite telling. The Yankees simply feast off middle relievers and shaky closers. Just ask Joe Nathan of the Twins and Brian Fuentes of the Angels. I would not want to be Brad Lidge in this World Series.

The Phillies’ bullpen gave up three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in Game 3 and Brad Lidge absolutely imploded as I predicted in the ninth inning of Game 4. Chad Durbin did not help Martinez much by giving up three runs in one-third of an inning in Game 6. So in three of the four defeats, the Phillies’ bullpen did not get the job done.
The Yankees on the other hand got 5 1/3 scoreless innings and two saves from Mariano Rivera. Lefty specialist Damaso Marte retired all eight batters he faced. The rest of the bullpen pitched 10 2/3 innings and that was not to expose the weakness here with Phil Hughes struggling. Give manager Joe Girardi credit. He used his bullpen wisely and it was far superior to the Phillies.

No. 4: THE DH FACTOR

This is not just because Hideki Matsui was named the Series MVP and was 8-for-12 with three home runs and 12 RBIs despite not starting in half the games. Nope. This is also because Matsui was a factor in this series and Matt Stairs was not.
Stairs is another Phillies power threat from the left side. But because lefthanders Sabathia and Pettitte started four of the six games, Stairs only started Game 2 as a DH. He singled in a run in his first at-bat. But he was 0-for-7 after that and was not a factor the rest of the way.
Ben Francisco started two games and was 0-for-7. So the Phillies got absolutely nothing from their bench and Stairs was neutralized by the fact he could not hit lefties well enough to allow manager Charlie Manuel to start him.
No. 5: INTANGIBLES

I warned Manuel about this in my preview:
As long as they have Derek Jeter, they have a chance to turn one slight mistake into a play that can turn a series. You know the Twins and Angels came into the playoffs as two of the most fundamentally sound teams in baseball. Look what happened to them. The Yankees just have a way of waiting for a team to make a mistake and jumping all over it.

Well, even if Manuel had read this, it would not have mattered. But the game-changing and series-changing play was the great at-bat Johnny Damon put on poor Brad Lidge in the ninth inning of Game 4 and the decision to swipe third on Pedro Feliz because the Phillies had no one covering third.
OK, quibble that it took A-Rod’s hit to score him. But, remember this: Damon’s presence at third made Lidge throw fastballs, which is his second best pitch. A-Rod got a fastball to hit because Damon’s daring dash, which could go down in history as the smartest play in World Series history, made Lidge ditch his devastating slider.
You just did not see the Yankees beating themselves at all this postseason but you sure as heck have seen them take advantage of a litany of blunders by the Twins, Angels and now the Phillies. That is no accident either. Good teams do this.
That is just five reasons why the Yankees are the 2009 world champions.

Matsui, Yankees Thump Phillies For 27th Crown

WORLD SERIES GAME 6
YANKEES 7, PHILLIES 3


It took nine seasons, 177 games and nine innings on Wednesday night for the New York Yankees to become the world champions of baseball again.
The Cadillac of all baseball franchises collected their 27th World Series trophy in front of a sellout crowd of 50,035 in the Bronx to put an exclamation point on a season characterized by gutty starting pitching, a potent offense, an experienced bench and a dominant bullpen.
All four elements were on display in Game 6 as Hideki Matsui drove in a World Series record-tying six runs in what could be his last game in pinstripes and Andy Pettitte pitched a solid 5 1/3 innings on three days rest as the Yankees defeated the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies 7-3.
The World Series victory brought a successful curtain down on the team’s inaugural season in their new $1.5 billion ballpark and justified a massive $423.5 million investment in free agents CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira.
Matsui, who did not start three of the first five games because designated hitters do not bat in National League ballparks, powered the Yankees offense starting with a two-run home run in second inning off 38-year-old Yankee nemesis Pedro Martinez (0-2) to break the seal on the Game 6 scoring.
After a walk to Alex Rodriguez to open the frame, Matsui battled Martinez through seven pitches and a full count before ripping a fastball high down the rightfield line and into the bleachers for a 2-0 Yankees’ lead, a lead they would never give up.
As if on cue, Yankee partisans broke out the “Whose your Daddy” cheer to serenade the most-hated pitcher in Yankees’ history.
Matsui added a bases-loaded two-run single in the third inning off Martinez to make it 4-1. 
In his five at-bats in the World Series off the former Dominican dandy, Matsui had a walk, two singles and two home runs and five RBIs. Whose your “poppa-san,” indeed.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was ready for Matsui in the fifth inning. With two on and one out, he summoned rookie lefty J.A. Happ from the bullpen. But Matsui proved he was just as ready for Happ when he greeted him a two-run double high off the wall in right-center that scored Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, putting the Yankees up 7-1.
Pettitte (2-0) took over the game from there. Though he did not dominate the Phillies and his command was somewhat off (five walks), Pettitte pitched into the sixth inning and gave up only four hits and three runs in winning his 18th postseason game, the most in major-league history.
Pettitte, who was not re-signed by the Yankees as a free agent until late in the winter, also won all of the three series-clinching games for the Yankees in this postseason and ended up with a record of 4-0 and 3.52 ERA in five starts.
Matsui, who has only worn Yankees pinstripes since he made his stateside pilgrimage from Japan in 2003, was appropriately named the World Series Most Valuable Player for going 8-for-12 (.667) with three home runs and eight RBIs.
Matsui, nicknamed “Godzilla” in his native Japan, became the first Japanese player to ever be named a World Series MVP.
After his Game 6 performance that put away the Phillies for good, one writer said Philadelphia must now know how Tokyo felt like when the fictional monster Godzilla destroyed it.
The Phillies had rested their Game 6 hopes on some momentum from having won Game 5 at home and on the surgically repaired right shoulder of Martinez. However, Martinez did not show any of the velocity he showed in Game 2 and struggled with his command early.
He left after four innings, giving up four runs on three hits, two walks and a hit batsman. In two games against the Yankees — both of the losses — Martinez was tagged for 10 hits, four walks and seven runs in nine innings.
Chad Durbin took over for El Pedro to start the fifth and promptly gave up a double to Derek Jeter. After a sacrifice bunt to move Jeter to third by Jerry Hairston, who entered the game after Johnny Damon pulled a calf muscle scoring a run in the third, Teixeira singled to score Jeter. Durbin then walked Alex Rodriguez and Manuel summoned Happ and Matsui zapped Happ and much of the sap left in the “Fighting Phillies” bats.
Though a tiring Pettitte was tagged in the sixth inning by a Ryan Howard two-run homer, the Yankees’ bullpen shut down the Phillies the rest of the way.
Joba Chamberlain got the Yankees out of the sixth and veteran lefty Damaso Marte got Chamberlain out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh by striking out Chase Utley, who would not add to his World Series record-tying home run total of five.
Marte, who recorded all eight outs he was asked to get in this World Series, also fanned Howard swinging to open the eighth inning for his fifth strikeout of the Fall Classic. The Yankee fans in the crowd, who had booed Marte much of the regular season, stood and cheered as he left the mound.
Manager Joe Girardi, who joins Billy Martin and Ralph Houk as the third former Yankees player to also win a championship as a manager, then went to the all-time leader in postseason saves, Mariano Rivera, to get the final four outs.
Though Rivera gave a two-out double to Raul Ibanez in the eighth and a one-out walk to Carlos Ruiz in the ninth, he shut out the Phillies to complete 5 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball in the series with two saves. 
Rivera lowered his career World Series ERA to 0.99.
With Ruiz at first and two outs, Rivera battled Shane Victorino through nine pitches and a 3-2 count. On his 10th offering, Victorino swung at Rivera’s characteristically deadly inside cutter and rolled an easy grounder to Robinson Cano at second.
Cano carefully got in front of the ball and watched it as it bounced into his glove. He turned and flipped the ball to Teixeira at first to beat Victorino and the Yankees players, coaches and fans erupted in a thunderous roar as the Yankees, the best team in the American League this season, had beaten the Phillies, the best team in the National League this season.
Now the Yankees have laid claim to the crown as the best team in baseball for 2009.
Though it never gets old for veterans like Jorge Posada, Jeter, Pettitte and Rivera, who won four rings with the Yankees from 1996-2000, it was particularly a special victory for players like Matsui, Damon, Cano and A-Rod, who have waited a long time to win their first title with the Yankees.
Not to mention the feelings of the free agent stars Sabathia, Burnett and Teixeira and first-year Yankees like Nick Swisher, Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson, Phil Hughes and Hairston. A total of 17 members of the Yankees’ World Series roster won their first championship.
But the proudest Yankee of all of them is Mr. George M. Steinbrenner, the longtime managing general partner, principal owner and chief financier of Yankees resurgence back to prominence after he bought the team in 1973.
In the 36 years since then, the Yankees have now won 12 pennants and seven world championships. The Yankees dedicated this 27th title to the man who rebuilt the Yankee Empire and gave this 2009 team its new home in the Bronx.
Knowing Steinbrenner and his sons Hank and Hal,
the victory is sweet but the drive to win the 2010 world championship begins today. Anything less in the Bronx is a failure.

Pettitte Scares Up Win As Yanks ‘Cole-Cock’ Hamels

WORLD SERIES GAME 3
YANKEES 8, PHILLIES 5


Andy Pettitte’s pitching might have given New York Yankees fans a major fright after the first two innings but he utilized a few old tricks and ended up by treating his team to a huge road victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on this rainy and forboding Halloween night in Philadelphia.
Pettitte (1-0) pitched six solid innings to win his major-league best 17th postseason game and even further spooked the Phillies by adding an RBI single to lead the Bronx Bombers to an 8-5 victory and 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven World Series.
“It was a battle tonight — I wasn’t able to get ahead,” Pettitte told MLB.com. “I wasn’t able to get my breaking ball over. I was able to get some outs when I needed to get some, but it was a grind tonight for me.”
With the victory at Citizens Bank Park the Yankees also regained the home field advantage they had given up in Game 1.

“We feel like we’ve got a real strong team,” Pettitte said. “Obviously, losing that first game, we weren’t happy with that. We were upset about it, but we feel real good about what we’re doing and we felt good about coming in here.”

After spotting the Phillies three runs in the second inning, Pettitte held the powerful Phillies bats silent until Jayson Werth greeted the veteran lefthander with his second home run of the night off Pettitte to lead off the sixth inning.
Werth now has seven home runs and 12 RBIs in the postseason and is batting a robust .310.
Pettitte, who also picked up his third victory of the postseason, gave up four runs on five hits and three walks and fanned seven batters. He saved his best work for the Phillies powerful lefthand hitters — Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. The Phillies’ trio were virtual ghosts, going a woeful 0-for-9 off Pettitte with six strikeouts.
They were 0-for-12 overall in the game. 
Howard, who entered the Fall Classic with a .355 average, two home runs and 14 RBIs, is now 2-for-13 (.154) with just one RBI and a shocking nine strikeouts in the three games.
Pettitte threw 51 pitches in the first two innings and totally lost his location in the second inning. 
He fell behind 3-0 to Werth before surrendering his first home run of the night to lead off the frame. After one out, Pedro Feliz cracked a double. Pettitte then fell behind 3-0 to Carlos Ruiz before walking him. 
Hamels followed with a sacrifice bunt between catcher Jorge Posada and Pettitte and indecision on the part of both allowed Hamels to reach on a single to load the bases. 
Pettitte again fell behind 3-0. This time to Jimmy Rollins before walking him to force in a run. Shane Victorino completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly to score Ruiz.
But the stage was set for the Yankees’ comeback courtesy of a complete meltdown of lefthand starter Cole Hamels. Hamels, who early in the contest was looking more like the 2008 version of the monster star of the Phillies’ World Championship run, ended up looking like a flamed out jack-o-lantern well before midnight.
Hamels (0-1) looked dominant in his first three innings and had allowed the Yankees nary a hit.
But it all unraveled like a cheap costume for him in the fourth when Mark Teixeira walked on a 3-2 pitch with one out and Alex Rodriguez hit what initially was ruled a double down the rightfield line. However, the Yankees asked the umpiring crew to review the play by having them head into the television dungeon — oops replay booth — just off the Phillies’ dugout.
Within less than two minutes, crew chief Gerry Davis reappeared on the field and signaled it was a home run. Replays showed the ball struck a FOX Sports TV camera lens above the fence. It was the first video review of a home run in World Series history and the Yankees reaped the benefit.
Rodriguez was awarded his sixth home run of the postseason and he is now tied with Bernie Williams for the most postseason home runs in team history. It also was his first hit of this series. He had been 0-for-8 with six strikeouts entering Game 3.
“I think it was a big hit,” Rodriguez told MLB.com. “I think it woke our offense up a little bit. It felt really good.”

“It was a big hit for us because it really got us going,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He has been so good for us in the playoffs. He’s a big reason we’re at this point.”

Hamels’ problems got much worse in the fifth inning when another struggling Yankee batter touched him for a big hit. Nick Swisher, hitting .114 in the postseason and benched in Game 2, lashed a Hamels curveball down the leftfield line to open the fifth frame.

With one out and Pettitte at the plate, Hamels tried a first-pitch curveball and Pettitte connected for a bloop single to center to score Swisher and knot the game at 3.
It was the first postseason RBI for a Yankee pitcher since Jim Bouton did it in the 1964 World Series.
One pitch later, Derek Jeter hit another blooper to center that Shane Victorino could not catch on a sliding attempt. Johnny Damon then laced an 0-1 pitch into the gap in right-center to score Pettitte and Jeter and give the Yankees a lead they would not relinquish.
After Hamels walked Teixeira for a second time, Charlie Manuel brought out his hook and Hamels’ Halloween horror night was over. He gave up five runs on five hits and two walks and struck out three while hitting one batter in four and 1/3 innings.
Hamels, the winner of the National League Championship Series and World Series MVP awards for pitching the Phillies to the championship, is now 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA in four postseason starts this October. He has not pitch
ed into the sixth inning of any of those starts.
But the scariest thing for Manuel, the Phillies and their fans is Hamels is currently in line to start a possible Game 7, though tonight’s horrific display may have Manuel thinking of other options.
“We made him throw strikes, and when you do that with our ballclub, you’re capable of doing some good things,” Damon said to MLB.com. “He still pitched well, but our bats woke up a bit.”
The Yankees were able to tack on solo runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings of a very shaky Phillies’ bullpen. 
Swisher, proving his postseason slumber with the lumber may be over, blasted a J.A. Happ fastball into the leftfield bleachers for his first home run of the postseason to make it 6-3.
“I don’t really read the paper,” Swisher said. “I’m more a guy that looks at the pictures. But all of the struggles kept piling on, and the harder I would try to work, the harder I would try when I got into the box. To get by that and have a great game like tonight was extremely gratifying.”
After Werth’s second dinger brought the Phillies back to within two runs in the sixth, Jorge Posada singled in Johnny Damon in the seventh off an erratic Chad Durbin.
Girardi had thought about starting DH Hideki Matsui in rightfield for his first appearance in the field this entire season but he relented and gave Swisher the start instead. The decision paid off because Swisher was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and a RBI.
But it also worked out for Matsui when he pinch-hit in the eighth against Brett Myers. With two out, Matsui put a charge into a fastball and drove into the leftfield bleachers for his second home run in two games and his third of the postseason.
When Pettitte left after six gutty innings, Girardi turned the game over to his much-maligned middle relievers. But — with the exception of a Carlos Ruiz home run off Phil Hughes with one out in the ninth — Joba Chamberlain, Damaso Marte and Hughes were effective in keeping the Phillies from treating themselves to a comeback.
Still, with the score 8-5 and one out in the ninth, Girardi summoned the scariest closing hobgoblin in baseball, Mariano Rivera. Rivera needed only five pitches to retire pinch-hitter Matt Stairs and Jimmy Rollins at a bewitching hour of 42 minutes after midnight. 
The start of the game was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes due to a howling wind and rainstorm.
The Phillies may be glad Halloween is over but they have a bone-chilling task of having to beat the Yankees in three of the remaining four games to repeat as champions.
Looming like a large shadow over their shoulders is the 6-foot-7 frame of C.C. Sabathia,, who was chosen by Girardi to take the ball on three days’ rest in Game 4. Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 ERA) lost Game 1 to Cliff Lee but is 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA in the postseason.
Manuel resisted the temptation to start Lee on three days’ rest on Sunday night and instead will send to the hill veteran righthander Joe Blanton (12-8, 4.05 ERA). Blanton had a no-decision in his only start in the postseason in the NLCS against the Dodgers. He has no record and has a 4.66 ERA in the playoffs so far.
But the real frightening statistic is that Blanton is 0-3 with a 8.18 ERA in his career against the Yankees. That does not bode well for Phillies fans in the City of Brotherly Love. 
“We feel good about being up, 2-1,” Pettitte said. “But we know there’s a lot of work left to do.”
Gametime will be 8:20 p.m. EST and FOX Sports will televise the game nationally.
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